Four Seasons oolong scented with gardenia flowers.
It is mellower than expected but I appreciate not being walloped by flowers. The gardenia frangrance is multi-faceted. Airy, narcotic, and spicy. The spice aspect is greenish-white. It reminds me of ginger flowers and leaves. While the base tea likely has a floral component, what I get most from it is the pineapple taste that was present in Xian Cha’s unscented Ji Long version. That pineapple melds perfectly with the gardenia. Big but soft vegetal base. Water off-boil gives a full bodied tea. Equally enjoyable in a glass gaiwan as in a bowl.
Thanks for another share, Martin!
Flavors: Airy, Floral, Fruity, Gardenias, Ginger, Green, Pineapple, Smooth, Soft, Spicy, Vegetal
Preparation
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Love your use of the word “narcotic” here – This is the kind of word I have looked for in the past to describe the scent of some jasmine teas, whose scent I often find irresistible. One of these days I’m sure I’ll get around to trying a gardenia-scented tea.
Glad you liked it!
Keemunlover well, I have in mind placing another order from Xian Cha one day, so I can pick up one bag of this for you, if you are interested.
My two worlds collide! I recently finished a course on perfume materials – white florals were my absolute favorite to work with. I’m interested in gardenia’s flavor profile in tea… I also wonder if the scent reminds me of any tea perfumes with white floral notes.
Hi Martin – Thanks, that is a very kind offer! ☺️ I’m full up on teas for a while, though. Sitting on about 6 months or so of tea right now after I just got in a fairly large order from Yunnan Sourcing. Kind of got a variety pack of “a little bit of everything” to sample all of their offerings. Well, except for any puerhs, I can appreciate those once in a while, but not a primary interest of mine.
I had a gardenia scented tea from Mountain Stream that was lovely. “Narcotic” is a good word to describe that lush gardenia fragrance.
Keemunlover I absolutely got it. I am afraid I am in the very same situation, so buying ban for me is necessary (but I bought two boxes today, whoops).
Martin Bednar – Yes, we tea lovers tend to be collectors, LOL. I’m thinking that maybe now, after 7-8 years of random tea exploration, I have finally found my preferred vendors and preferred teas. We will see how long this lasts!
Love your use of the word “narcotic” here – This is the kind of word I have looked for in the past to describe the scent of some jasmine teas, whose scent I often find irresistible. One of these days I’m sure I’ll get around to trying a gardenia-scented tea.
Glad you liked it!
Keemunlover well, I have in mind placing another order from Xian Cha one day, so I can pick up one bag of this for you, if you are interested.
My two worlds collide! I recently finished a course on perfume materials – white florals were my absolute favorite to work with. I’m interested in gardenia’s flavor profile in tea… I also wonder if the scent reminds me of any tea perfumes with white floral notes.
Hi Martin – Thanks, that is a very kind offer! ☺️ I’m full up on teas for a while, though. Sitting on about 6 months or so of tea right now after I just got in a fairly large order from Yunnan Sourcing. Kind of got a variety pack of “a little bit of everything” to sample all of their offerings. Well, except for any puerhs, I can appreciate those once in a while, but not a primary interest of mine.
I had a gardenia scented tea from Mountain Stream that was lovely. “Narcotic” is a good word to describe that lush gardenia fragrance.
Keemunlover I absolutely got it. I am afraid I am in the very same situation, so buying ban for me is necessary (but I bought two boxes today, whoops).
Martin Bednar – Yes, we tea lovers tend to be collectors, LOL. I’m thinking that maybe now, after 7-8 years of random tea exploration, I have finally found my preferred vendors and preferred teas. We will see how long this lasts!