This is delicious although I’m not seeing the purple color claimed by Old Wilmington.
My first oolong! I got sidetracked by the discussion on gaiwans and gaiwan alternatives so I put of brewing this for a few weeks. This evening I just gave in and tried it in a French press, steeped for about 2 minutes. Yes, I saved the leaves and will be trying multiple infusions!
I wasn’t expecting the rolled leaves, for some reason. And I noticed that some floated to the top of the water and others sank immediately and stayed there. They unfurled quite slowly – another reason I’m encouraged by the possibility of multiple steeps. That’s a new concept for me!
What I taste is sweet, mellow Tea with a capital T. Maybe a slight hint of smokiness. I’m trying to understand what others mean by a buttery flavor. It’s definitely very rich-tasting. Is that part of it? I get a sweet, almost flowery aftertaste. Or, no — winey?
Not feeling the need to add anything to this. Just enjoying the tea. I will definitely be ordering more.
Preparation
Comments
I actually fell asleep last night still thinking about this tea. That’s seriously weird. But I still haven’t tried a re-steep and now I think it’s too late even though the leaves have been refrigerated. Maybe I’ll start over tomorrow.
Not all Oolongs are buttery. A purple leaf may not produce a purple tea either. I’ve learned that one. I have a purple Pu-erh…it makes regular looking tea. Some Oolongs get buttery or silky feeling on the tongue only when they cool down. Some get better as they cool and some get astringent. You never know. Part of the fun of discovery.
oooh, I’ve had these purple oolongs before and I think they’re yummy!
I actually fell asleep last night still thinking about this tea. That’s seriously weird. But I still haven’t tried a re-steep and now I think it’s too late even though the leaves have been refrigerated. Maybe I’ll start over tomorrow.
You started your oolong journey with something fairly unusual :)
Not all Oolongs are buttery. A purple leaf may not produce a purple tea either. I’ve learned that one. I have a purple Pu-erh…it makes regular looking tea. Some Oolongs get buttery or silky feeling on the tongue only when they cool down. Some get better as they cool and some get astringent. You never know. Part of the fun of discovery.
So, “buttery” is a texture rather than a flavor? This is all so unexpectedly esoteric to me! I think I’m going to have to schedule a class down the line some time.