2 Tasting Notes
Well, the first tea I’ve ever tried from New Zealand… And I wasn’t disappointed!
Dry leaves: sweet, typical oolong scent, with a hint of condensed milk
Taste / Mouth Feel: The sweetness of the vanilla really comes through; it reminds me of a milk oolong in some respects, like the relatively heavy, silky mouth feel. There is a ‘green-ness’ to it that the milk oolongs don’t have, though this doesn’t – to me! – taste as pronounced as the usual difference between a ‘standard’ and a milk oolong. This tea reminds me of a custard cream biscuit dunked in some oversteeped assam – biscuity, custardy sweetness with a tinge of bitterness.
Brewing Particulars: I used MF’s recommendation of 95 degrees for 5 minutes.
Subsequent brews: This tea carried itself for two brews, but by the third steeping, it was losing the sweet notes, and gaining a little bitterness.
Preparation
This has that wonderful bitter-almond-gyokuro type taste that I’ve only experienced in a first flush Darjeeling. It has a nice mouth feel as well (“sparkling”, as MF say in their blurb, sums it up nicely), and some hints of sweetness.
First steeping was 90 deg C for 3 mins, which worked well for me, although I didn’t get the cantaloupe flavours mentioned above. Maybe next time…!
Definitely not one for someone who only likes black teas, as it has a very ‘green’ flavour, making it quite a nice choice for a daytime tea. That said it may be a bit light for some people first thing.
