Tea provided by Tea Ave for review
Ever since Tea Ave contacted me to try this tea, a bit of hype has built up for me. So I had a lot of expectations going into my first steepings of their samples. Out of the three samples received, I started with Oriental Beauty. In my experience it can give you a really magical experience or be really disappointing.
For the steeping I decided to short steep as suggested on the packaging with a bit of personal adjustments (increase water temperature/reduced water/longer steep times towards the end). Tea Ave was also most generous in providing a sniffing vessel and cup along with the samples, so I used them in my tea sampling today.
Smelling the fragrance cup, there was a heavy honey/nectar smell. Sipping, the the liquor was delicate. It had a nice balance of the flavours I associate with Oriental Beauty; sweetness (honey/nectar), floral, wheat, and spice. The tea body didn’t have a strong/bold flavour, but it wasn’t flat or weak either.
As suggested on the package, I resteeped it ten times. The tea flavour changed quite a bit from the following steeps. On the second steep I got more a citrus flavour. Then on the third steep, more of a roasted flavour came out. Nearing the end on the seventh steep, the liquor tasted and felt really creamy in my mouth. Finishing off on the tenth steep, the tea retained a dark color, and I could still taste subtle characteristics from my initial steepings.
Overall this is the sort of Oriental Beauty that I have a strong preference for. It is delicate, subtle, and just sweet enough for me. I’ve tried the same style of this tea in the past, and I do not like the overly sweet ones as much. I really enjoyed how the tea flavours unfolded over the short steepings. So I’d recommend Tea Ave’s Oriental Beauty for those that enjoy sweet, but not overly sweet oolongs and also for those that like good resteepers.
