Well, the first tea I’ve ever tried from New Zealand… And I wasn’t disappointed!
Dry leaves: sweet, typical oolong scent, with a hint of condensed milk
Taste / Mouth Feel: The sweetness of the vanilla really comes through; it reminds me of a milk oolong in some respects, like the relatively heavy, silky mouth feel. There is a ‘green-ness’ to it that the milk oolongs don’t have, though this doesn’t – to me! – taste as pronounced as the usual difference between a ‘standard’ and a milk oolong. This tea reminds me of a custard cream biscuit dunked in some oversteeped assam – biscuity, custardy sweetness with a tinge of bitterness.
Brewing Particulars: I used MF’s recommendation of 95 degrees for 5 minutes.
Subsequent brews: This tea carried itself for two brews, but by the third steeping, it was losing the sweet notes, and gaining a little bitterness.
