355 Tasting Notes
Milk oolong has been on my wish list for a long time now, but it’s so ridiculously expensive (especially because the most-reviewed e-tailer of it, David’s Tea, is in Canada) that I haven’t been able to try it. When I found it out that Margaret’s Fine Imports, a tea store in my hometown of Pittsburgh, carried it, I sent my dad to buy and send me some as a Christmas present.
It’s almost exactly like I imagined it – it has an extremely smooth mouthfeel that reminds me of good Silver Needle teas that I’ve tried, except instead of that delicious buttery taste, it has a delicious taste of sweet cream and milk. It reminds me of a less-sweet version of the cream that’s in the middle of one of my favorite candies as a kid, Cow Tails.
The one unexpected note is that it still does taste “green,” as it is a green oolong. This is a good thing, I think. Otherwise it would definitely be a bit overpoweringly creamy.
Since this is so expensive, I probably won’t be buying beyond my 2 oz. bag (which is already nearly half-gone with this pot!), but I’m so glad I got to try this!
This is what my mom bought for me to drink at her place on Christmas, so this is what I’m drinking. It’s okay; can’t taste the jasmine, but oh well.
Got lots of tea gifts, though! I prepared this using my new Adagio UtiliTEA kettle, which I’ve wanted for forever now. Also got some Golden Monkey, Milk Oolong, Monk’s Blend, and Vanilla Rooibos, so there should be new tasting notes soon – not to mention the Rishi order that just arrived. So much tea, so little time!
Congratulations on your UtiliTeA! Do you use a thermometer at all when you brew? I’ve been waiting to compare notes with someone to see if mine’s a dud.
Thanks! I don’t use a thermometer; I definitely should start, but I’m lazy. Is yours not brewing to the temperatures it’s supposed to?
It oscillates rather madly. I’ll keep the dial setting the same and it will go 210 on one go, and then 185 on the next. I think it has something to do with the water level, but I keep it within the little min/max markings, so that shouldn’t be happening. It’s really frustrating. I continue to use it because it’s so fast, but I always take the temperature first now. I think it’s responsible for my wildly varied experiences with black teas.
Weird. I haven’t noticed anything like that yet, but I’ll have to keep an eye on it. Right now I’m just loving the speed. I haven’t been able to have a cup of tea in the morning before work because it took my kettle too long to boil water, so I’m looking forward to the utiliTEA remedying that issue.
Here’s hoping mine’s just futzy and yours works as advertised! I love the speed of mine, too, even if it comes out wonky half the time.
ooo, just reading this- thinking about getting the Utilitea kettle! It looks awesome to use with the ingenuitea
This is another one that I haven’t had for a looong time, and apparently my tastebuds have changed a bit. This has a very, very strong vanilla flavor that completely overpowers the oolong. The dry leaves smell like flavored tobacco, which I actually kind of like. This isn’t awful; I just wish the oolong was more present.
This is one that will probably grow on me. After loathing licorice for most of my life, I’ve become a huge fan of it in the last year or two – not the sweet licorice sticks, but actual licorice root. This tea has a lot of that, as well as cinnamon bark and Indian black tea. The result is much creamier than I expected.
I can taste a slight bite from the cinnamon, but mostly this tastes like a creamy version of a licorice herbal tea that I have (and love). I wish there was a bit more of that refreshing licorice taste, but this is good nonetheless.
I’ve had the same experience with it. I liked it the first time I tried it, and then I’ve liked it more and more every time I’ve had it since. I’m getting a little concerned about running out. If it’s still around after next payday and the financial situation isn’t completely shot to a bad place with unexpected bills (I have a suspicion I might get one…), I’ll definitely have to get another one of that. Or try to recreate something similar. There are only three left of it though, so I’m not getting my hopes up about it.
Um. Hm.
Hm.
Well, I don’t DISLIKE this. I’m just not sure how great it is. This definitely does have a very strong taste of dates. I’ve never had dates that were not of the bacon-wrapped variety, but I now know exactly what they taste like sans bacon. I can taste a hint of coconut in the aftertaste, but no vanilla.
This is a very, very unique tea. I still am thinking on this.
I didn’t wash out my mug so well from the Lapsang Souchong I had before this, so I was kind of hoping that some of that smokiness would come through in this.. it didn’t. But that’s okay, it’s still great by itself.
I am very much loving milk oolong. I’ve only tried one so far, but they are ridiculously nommy. Glad you got your hands on one!