Oct 20
Dan’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "A delicious, buttery Oolong - considered one of the popular "Milk Oolong" teas - that is long on bold and smooth flavor, cup after cup."
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I really haven't been disappointed yet with the selection of high-quality Oolong teas that Naivetea has to offer. I was particularly looking forward to trying their Golden Lily Oolong. This is Naivetea's version of the highly regarded, much ballyhooed "milk oolong". Let's see what all the fuss is about!This tea is harvested from an organic, artisan (read: indie and tiny) tea farm, located high up in the mountains. The leaves are a deep, rich wilted-spinach hue, and perfectly nuggeted, with a few stems poking out here and there. The aroma is fantastic - beautifully sweet, with hints of dried exotic fruits (papaya and pineapple come to mind). Now and then I get an urge to much on a dried leaf or two, and this tea - with its intoxicating aroma and bright, deep green color - seemed to beg me to. I gave one nugget a nibble, and it was extremely crispy, coming apart into tiny crumbs in my mouth. I couldn't fully grasp the flavor, so I grabbed a few more - munch crunch munch. It became a bit bitter on the tongue, but it was interesting and tasty all the same. Very full flavor. An intense sharpness on the corner of my tongue where I crunched it. Wondering if it will create a cold sore. Anyhow, how about reviewing the actual tea liquor instead?
I brought the water just to the boiling point and steeped for 2 minutes. The liquor was pale greenish-yellow, and the scent was decent - a nice, oolong vegetal-ness to it. As for that fabled taste... chalk it up to my unrefined palette, but I can't say that I would have put my finger on "milk" in coming up with taste descriptors, were it not for being told this was a "milk oolong". Now that it's been said, I can see where they are getting that. Sticking with the dairy aisle, I would perhaps say "buttery" might be a better term. Either way, it is very nice indeed. Just not quite what I had expected - perhaps something more akin to *cream* is what my mind had trained itself to expect.
A second cup was just as nice - very smooth, a good touch of that sweet flavor, and also a good, solid oolong boldness -- all wrapped up in that "milk" flavor. A third cup seems to retain just as much flavor, gaining a bit of astringency, and losing some of that sweetness along the way. But this is still a very good cup, and a nice way to round out the trio of subtly variable flavors.
I definitely look forward to trying some other milk oolong teas in the future - for comparison sake, if anything. As a tea resting on its own laurels and merits, this is a delicious oolong that doesn't disappoint.
— To purchase Naivetea Golden Lily 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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