Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fusion Teas
Tea Description:
Taiwanese oolong blended to perfection. With floral notes and hints of lemon and ginger it isn’t just pretty to look at. Instead of picking up that bouquet for your better half try surprising with this one of a kind blend.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf is absolutely gorgeous! The leaves look like a fine quality, green Tie Kuan Yin – although the description is vague about the type of leaf that it is, stating only that it is a Taiwanese Oolong, the leaves are forest-y green and tightly wound into pellets, similar to most Tie Kuan Yin Oolong teas that I’ve encountered – and there are lots of tiny, red, perfectly formed rose buds tossed amongst the tea leaves as well as bits of lemon grass. It’s so beautiful, I was almost reluctant to brew it, because I just wanted to look at it! But, the key word in that sentence is almost! I wasn’t going to let the beauty of the leaf keep me from brewing it.
The aroma is also quite lovely. The dry tea smells very intriguing, evoking thoughts of exotic pastry that is made with rose water. The fragrance of the rose is very distinctive, with bright notes of lemon, a fresh, vegetative note and a touch of ginger. But there is also a bread-y, pastry-like scent to this too, something that is difficult to place because of the ingredients … that is to say, I don’t know why I am smelling a pastry-like scent, but I am! And it smells mouth-wateringly delicious! Once brewed, the fragrance is different, smelling primarily of rose and Oolong.
And I’m very happy to report that the flavor does not disappoint. Sometimes, it happens where a beautiful looking and smelling tea does not carry through with the flavor, but that didn’t happen here. The flavor is definitely rose: sweet and floral. It has a taste that is very much like the rose water I mentioned previously.
The Oolong tastes sweet and slightly creamy … almost buttery. There is a vegetative note to it that marries with the rose notes in a lovely way. The lemon notes are very faint here, almost overwhelmed by the rose, but, I’m liking the way its an accent flavor … sort of like squeezing a drop or two of fresh lemon juice into the teacup. The ginger is also faint, and for this I am glad, as ginger does have a way of becoming a rather overpowering flavor … here, the flavor is very subtle, adding just a hint of spice to the cup. The ginger is most distinct in the aftertaste, where I notice a developing warmth in the back of my mouth. Not strong, nor is it developing in a powerful sort of way, but in the aftertaste … long into the aftertaste, I notice ginger. It’s quite nice.
I’d recommend this tea to those who generally love rose flavored teas – it is a deliciously different approach to a rose tea! I’d also recommend it to those that love Oolong, because it is a really unique Oolong blend, quite unlike anything I’ve tasted before.
