69 Tasting Notes
I drank this all day today! I filled my 20 oz travel mug with 2 tsp of leaves this morning and added hot (not boiling) water. I sipped on it all morning, refilled at lunch, then refilled mid-afternoon. Yummy, sweet, and a teeny bit creamy all day long. No sugar needed to bring out the sweetness or the light floral nature to this tea. I love it and hope to always have it in the house. My sample is running dangerously low, and I’ll have to make the trek up to The Whistling Kettle soon.
Preparation
This is not a bad tea, but not at all spectacular. It’s a bit fruity and on the green side, and not at all creamy. It might be a little sweet. The first time I brewed it I didn’t get a very good second cup, and today I’m trying it with more leaves. I’m not super impressed. I’ll drink it, but I don’t think I’ll reorder. I like Republic of Tea’s much better – that one tastes like pineapple.
Edit: I was drinking this in a big mug (16 oz), and added 1/2 tsp of sugar to the second and third steepings. With that addition it had a much improved taste! This tea is back in my good graces.
Mmmmm…both times I’ve tried this I added sugar and almond milk. The first time it tasted like raspberry hot chocolate. The second time was more raspberry taste, less chocolately. I love this tea!
Just had a cup with no milk, only sugar. This has been my favorite way yet. It tastes like berries with a light hint of chocolate and cream. I could definitely drink this every night.
Drank the loose-leaf version of this tea many times over the past week. Could get a good three steepings out of it. It is pleasantly toasty and has a warm taste with no bitterness. It is my new everyday tea. Only bummer is that I need a filter because the leaves are a bit small.
Preparation
I just keep thinking – this tastes just like Chinese Restaurant Tea! It’s very smooth, but not sweet like the description made me expect. It is not bitter at all, even though I always let my leaves stew (I just leave them in the cup). The leaves are smallish and the liquid is a really pretty golden brown. It is a very satisfying cup of tea, and I expect that I could drink this on a semi-daily basis.
Preparation
I am one of those people who routinely oversteep my tea, especially the first steeping in the morning. I put the leaves into my travel mug and then add hot water. I sip a little during breakfast and then throughout the morning. So, the first steeping of this, made in this style, was a bit strong and astringent for me. But, the second and third steepings were awesome! I could really taste the pineapple in this tea! Not a lot of milk flavor, but still really nice.
This morning I had this tea in a small tea pot and was able to drink the first brewing more quickly, and it was really smooth and not at all astringent. I added just a tiny bit of sugar to bring out the sweetness of the tea.
The only negative is that some of the leaves are broken. I prefer completely intact leaves.
I steeped this in a regular teapot and it was really yummy! I could definitely smell and taste the orange and the ginger. When resteeping (which I did 3 or 4 times) the orange and especially the ginger taste faded, but the oolong base is lovely and continued to taste good. I might re-buy.
The first steeping of this tea was very strong and astringent. But, the second and third were very nice. It had a deep elemental taste with a hint of flowers. Next time I try it, I’ll try to remember to do a wash steeping.
Update – I tried this again, gongfu style. It was much more pleasant that way and not at all astringent. The first steeping is still a little bitter, but it was a pleasant bitter. The subsequent steepings had a nice floral taste to them. I’ve updated the rating.
Everyday I take a travel mug of oolong with me to work. I usually drink a light oolong, often Alishan. I received a large container of it from a taiwanese student. Each morning, I put 1-2 tsp of tea in my mug and then fill it with hot water. I drink it throughout the morning, putting in more hot water at lunch and then some more during the afternoon. So, I look for teas that I can resteep in such a fashion and do not get overly bitter as they stew in the water. This one is a perfect example of this! It stayed nice tasting through three steepings.