Osmanthus Oolong Tea 1st Grade

Better!!! than the last time I tried this…
I divied up the bag so that my friend could have her share, and I was right, all the flowers had shimmied to bottom :)
It tastes much better, and smoother for some reason, esp the second and third steep.
I tried some with milk, and some without, and my first cup with a stevia tab. All of them were pretty decent!! however the best was with just straight up sugar.
I had to add more sugar than I usually do to really taste the Osmanthus, or else it just sorta hides in the background and tastes more like a note of the oolong leaf rather than a separate add to the tea.
They still make it better in the shop of course, with all their fancy equipment and simple syrup. *sighs
I’m a little sad that I seem to have Osmanthus’d myself out for awhile. There was a point where this was all I could drink, and now, well I’m a little over it. That won’t last long though, I’ll be back at it again in a week or two! :P
One more thing: In my opinion, this tastes better iced!! and with sugar.

Thanks, Indigobloom, for swapping with me! :D It’s amazing how much a tea can vary from one company to the next.

This tea is really nice. It reminds me of TKY, with the medium flavor, the floral notes and the yellow clarity of the tea. It’s really a great everyday tea. The oolong is clean, medium in strength, not overly toasty, only slightly.

I wasn’t certain if this was the 1st grade Osmanthus Oolong, or the 2nd grade. There are tiny, yellow osmanthus flowers sprinkled throughout the tea, which is pretty and adds interest. The floral notes in the tea are nice, but if oversteeped, can produce a plastic tasting tea.

After hearing some discussion on Osmanthus Oolong, and a small gift from QuiltGuppy, I was able to have a cup of this today. It has all the qualities I like in an oolong. Silky feel, yellow liquor, that in between black and green flavor, joined with a very subtle hint of floral. The oolong base in this reminds me of some of the Milk Oolongs I have tried.

Thanks again QG, for allowing me this new and somewhat different tea experience.

The osmanthus addition in this tea is the prominent taste however one can also appreciate the oolong beneath it. The tea is light, obviously floral, and refreshing. Due to the floral addition the tea has a robust aftertaste which is excellent. The oolong itself is a little flat and slightly bitter, though pleasant. There is less roasted taste and more green freshness. If not for the osmanthus though, the tea would not be nearly as impressive.

Also, the tea changes significantly when over/under steeped and not in a good way (in my opinion). I think the timing for this tea is quite important.

Ten Ren’s description on their web site does not do this tea justice. The oolong that they use is their King’s Tea, which is also flavored with ginseng. There are some really nice subtleties to this tea. Also, there are no osmanthus flowers left in the tea, so it is not as messy as their 2nd grade osmanthus.