Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Teavivre

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Teavivre

Tea Description:

Using Taiwan autumn tea as material, this Monkey Picked Tie Guanyin carefully selected by TeaVivre is baked slowly by soft fire (the baking process falls into three steps and every step lasts two minutes). The degree of fermentation is 100 percent so that the dried tea can keep a long-lasting fragrance. After brewing, the smell of honey peach and the baked flavor can be perfectly appreciated and the beverage tastes gorgeously smooth.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Have I mentioned how much I love Teavivre lately?

The reason is simple:  they never cease to amaze me with their spectacular teas.  The quality is exceptional and the flavor is stunning.  This Tie Guan Yin exemplifies those words very clearly, this is truly an astonishing cup of tea!

The aroma of the dry leaf is quite intriguing, it smells a bit like roasted peaches that have been drenched with honey before being roasted.  I can smell a slight char, the sweet fruit which has been intensified by the extreme temperatures of the roast, and the beautiful honey notes that offer hints of flower.  Delightful!

The fragrance of the brewed tea is a bit different – I still smell hints of what I experienced with the dry leaf, but, now I smell more notes that are indicative of a Tie Guan Yin:  sweet and vegetative … but there are still lingering notes of that charred, roasted aroma.

And, how I am loving the taste of this Oolong!  It tastes so sweet.  There are notes of toasted nuts in the background, along with a richness that is almost like browned butter.  Yes, browned butter that has been drizzled over steamed greens.  And deliciously peachy and honey-esque.  Layers and layers of intense flavor.

As I continue to sip, and make my way into later infusions, I notice hints of vanilla.  The peach notes emerge stronger in the later infusions, as the toasty notes seem to soften.

A delicious tea that tantalizes the taste buds with notes that are both sweet and savory – and a joy to imbibe!