Orange Blossom Milk Oolong

2023 sipdown no. 49

This tea is great quality and very unique, but ultimately not my favourite. The orange blossom is very apparent and mixes well with the oolong base. I would say neither take over one another and they meld nicely together. There’s a yeasty flavour to it as well.

Starting off the work week (and a wild day of meetings) with this tasty little number from Courtney! The dried leaf smells lovely — it actually reminds me of the first proper tea I ever really loved: scented jasmine pearls from Teavana. (One time I bought an obscene amount at the store because I didn’t understand how pricing worked, but damn if I didn’t enjoy it!) I had my partner take a sniff and he said he was getting full-on nag champa… basically, head shop vibes. XD

The brewed cup still has notes of jasmine, but there’s also a little bit of creamy citrus zestiness. I’m actually surprised at how heavy and robust the cup is — it’s got chew to it! There’s also a hiiiint of bitterness, but that could be down to my brewing.

I think this is now the third harvest (March 2022) I’ve had of this tea (others’ notes listed here: https://steepster.com/teas/mountain-stream-teas/85471-orange-blossom-oolong ).

This has been pleasant steeped up western style during the workday. Not complex by any means, just an upfront sweet and zesty orange blossom note atop a mildly milky, muted vegetal taste. It’s a surprisingly substantial brew, chewy and sometimes heavy.

This morning’s gongfu brew caught me off guard. The first several infusions, in retrospect, should’ve been used to water the garden. Due to the amount of orange blossom petals, my mouth was overtaken with floral bitterness. The 8 infusions or so after, though, have been pleasant. Reminiscent of western brews but with less intensity and with a more pronounced yeasty-biscuit note.

I’ve never been sure what to make of this tea but I keep buying it so that must mean something — perhaps it’s only that I’m hopeful one of these harvests will truly impress.

The last tea from my Mountain Stream order before I move on to Floating Leaves. This one turned out to be the best one of the bunch. I had a very similar Orange Blossom from Mountain Stream a couple of years ago – it might even be the same tea – and there are a few differences in this one. It’s cleaner tasting while the other was more rough around the edges with a sharper orange taste.

Grandpa steeped 1.2g in an 8oz glass using 200 F water. Dry leaf smell is very inviting and juicy. Creamy with citrusy notes of tangerine and bergamot. The brewed tea tastes like perfumery orange blossom water and apricot. The taste is evocative of baklava with its sweetness and exotic floral flavor. After topping off with boiling water, the orange fades and gives way to jasmine like florals. Doesn’t become bitter as long as you don’t overleaf.

A great scented tea if you’re looking for a citrusy floral oolong.