Apr 05
Jamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "You are rewarded in all the sense departments - from the first interesting appearance which provokes the mind, right through the many steepings which reveal more and more of the pretty leaf inside and the marvelous, subtly changing tastes that accompany each steeping. "
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9/10
The intriguing appearance of this tea immediately draws you in. The oolong tea leaves are encased in what looks like a smooth clay rolled in a dry gray-green powder. It's hard to know what's in store. The scent of the dried pellets is lightly green in nature, but doesn't reveal much more. Obviously, some hot water is called for!Using a slightly heaped tablespoon to my trusty 24 ounce teapot, I heated my water to 190 degrees and allowed a 3 and a half minute steep. Some of the pellets floated to the top for my initial infusion, releasing a faintly green and ginsengy scent. The first cup had a light verdancy to it, golden green and rather light in nature. The leaves, very slow to unfurl and shed their clayey casings, were still partially clad after the first steeping.
The flavor of the first infusion was superb. It was sweet and had a slight fruitiness to it that I suppose reminded me somewhat of citrus - but not exactly. The fruitiness might have been just the taste of a full bodied, ripe tasting sweetness - very wholesome. There was also a light taste of ginseng melting out of the leaf covering...delicious. The flavor and scenting on this tea is just about perfect.
After the second steep, the leaves were essentially freed from their casing. They were mostly unfurled and had shaggy edges, a bit like a seaweed. The second infusion, not surprisingly in an oolong, was better than the first, with a deeper cidery golden green color and a more developed taste. Very full and flavorful, with a wonderful sweetness requiring no added sweetener of any kind. This tea is meant to be enjoyed slowly and fully. We had our tea with lunch, which was a light winter stir fry of baby bok choy, slivered red currie squash (nearly the last of our winter stores!), onion and a little fresh pineapple in a sweet and salty blend of honey and soy sauce. The tea complemented it so beautifully, seeming to hit it off perfectly with the salty and the sweet...something of those characteristics are really in the tea, as well. This tea made lunch even better, and I highly recommend enjoying it both with and after a meal. We had the first infusion with lunch and the second after. The third infusion we had in the evening. No sweetener needed, the third infusion was still sturdy and complex enough to stand on its own - greener in nature, but still with a superb inherent natural sweetness and smoothness.
I have a bit left of this sample to enjoy at another time, but this is definitely a tea I'd like to add to my tea drawer. What a wonderful tea to enjoy throughout the day. You are rewarded in all the sense departments - from the first interesting appearance which provokes the mind, right through the many steepings which reveal more and more of the pretty leaf inside and the marvelous, subtly changing tastes that accompany each steeping.
This sample was a delight to experience.
— To purchase Kokomo Tea Ginseng Oolong, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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