I’m struggling with writing up a note for this tea because it’s just – in my opinion – so unusual. It’s not very much like other milk oolongs I’ve tried, but I also don’t get the notes from this tea that other reviewers seem to have gotten. It has such a specific and unique scent and flavour to it which I don’t know quite how to pin down. There are definitely notes I do pick up on and can relate to other things I’ve tried, and other teas, but over it all there’s this note which is just an enigma to me. The same note which pervades both scent and liquor, and just strikes me as totally unique to this tea. Of what I can pick out though, the body of this tea is strongly creamy. It comes across to me as more of a ‘buttery’ than a ‘milky’ sort of creaminess, though, and it’s accompanied by strong notes of sweetcorn and orchid. In very light sips, and at the back end of each sip, there are raisin notes and something citrusy which is conjuring images in my head of small cubes of candied lemon and orange rind in syrup, the sort you might use in baking. That mystery note covers everything with a blanket of I have no idea what. I couldn’t even tell you a general ‘family’ it belongs to, except that it’s maybe a little umami, sweet and savoury at the same time. I wish I knew what it was, or at least had something to compare it to. Anyone have any ideas?
Edit: For now I’m going to use ‘paint’ as a descriptor of the note I couldn’t quite pinpoint, but a delicious paint, if that makes sense?! Thanks to ashmanra and CrowKettle for helping me out with that, and the late K S for coming up with the comparison.
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I wish I could help! Years ago when I first started drinking tea, a lot of oolongs had a lovely taste that didn’t sound lovely to describe. It reminded me strongly of the smell of acrylic paints when I took art lessons! I saw another person (K S) describe it as a paint note. That sounds awful but was actually quite good,
I hope you figure out the descriptor. We could probably all use it!
Compared to the smoother dairy notes of other milk oolong offerings, I always thought of this one as “dessert cheese”. For those times when pungent “savoury” cheese is used to create a sweet dish or side XD
Paint note is spot on too!
Haha, yes! Cream cheese and paint could both be used as descriptors for this tea! I think the ‘paint’ note is the one I was struggling to describe – perhaps my issue was trying to relate it to food instead of just whatever came to mind! (:
Creamed cheese, rather than mild cream cheese, that is. (:
I always get tickled with tea people’s use of very qualified adjectives: “It tastes like spackle and sweaty socks—but in a good way…”
Gmathis – I’m cryin’ over here! You should hear me trying to convert people to ripe Puerh! “Barn and manure, but really nice!”
Lmao, I get why people give me weird looks about it. I do usually stick to things you can eat for my descriptors though! Delicious paint is a new one. (:
I wish I could help! Years ago when I first started drinking tea, a lot of oolongs had a lovely taste that didn’t sound lovely to describe. It reminded me strongly of the smell of acrylic paints when I took art lessons! I saw another person (K S) describe it as a paint note. That sounds awful but was actually quite good,
I hope you figure out the descriptor. We could probably all use it!
Compared to the smoother dairy notes of other milk oolong offerings, I always thought of this one as “dessert cheese”. For those times when pungent “savoury” cheese is used to create a sweet dish or side XD
Paint note is spot on too!
Haha, yes! Cream cheese and paint could both be used as descriptors for this tea! I think the ‘paint’ note is the one I was struggling to describe – perhaps my issue was trying to relate it to food instead of just whatever came to mind! (:
Creamed cheese, rather than mild cream cheese, that is. (:
I always get tickled with tea people’s use of very qualified adjectives: “It tastes like spackle and sweaty socks—but in a good way…”
Gmathis – I’m cryin’ over here! You should hear me trying to convert people to ripe Puerh! “Barn and manure, but really nice!”
Lmao, I get why people give me weird looks about it. I do usually stick to things you can eat for my descriptors though! Delicious paint is a new one. (: