Nov 09
Laura’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "This is one of those rare oolongs that I actually preferred the first infusion best. I love that buttery creaminess that was present when the cup was still at hotter temps."
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"The tightly curled, deep olive-green leaves of this superior oolong unravel to produce a pale green cup with a refreshing sweet and smooth taste. The tea has outstanding notes of honey with a slight spice aftertaste." --- Simpson & Vail website.While I am one that turns to tea to help me satisfy dessert cravings, there is something about consuming oolong that just makes me feel like a more happy, healthy person in general. I love oolong and especially green oolong. Simpson & Vail is a company that I have never ordered from, but they have many tea choices if you want to make an order from somewhere with a lot of variety. I chose to request this sample because I have never tried a Vietnamese oolong. In fact, I don't generally see a lot of teas from Vietnam around period. My sample of this oolong consists of tight dark green fists that are commonly identified with most green oolongs.
First Infusion: I prepared this using water that was starting to steam and have a few bubbles rising to the top and infused for close to 4 min. Like so many green oolongs, the first thing that I noticed is that this is fairly floral to taste. It also has a rather syrupy sweetness to it that might cross the line for those that find that quality off-putting in a green oolong. When this cup was at higher temperatures there was also a very alluring creamy, butteryness to it that kind of made any downfalls of the oolong fall to the side. However, as the cup cooled, this trait disappeared.
Second Infusion: I prepared the second infusion basically the same way that I prepared the first one. The leaves unfurled quite a bit in this infusion. The floral component is not as bold in the second infusion to where it crosses the line into a little syrupy. It is still the predominant taste, but just not syrupy. I also found this infusion to be ever so slightly bitter. The creaminess can still be felt on the tongue, but as a flavor, I did not find much of it in the taste. However, the overall flavor profile is going strong and this one will definitely hold up nicely for a third and even possibly a fourth infusion.
This is one of those rare oolongs that I actually preferred the first infusion best. I love that buttery creaminess that was present when the cup was still at hotter temps. I also don't mind when my oolong gets a little syrupy, so I enjoyed that about the first infusion. The second infusion left a little to be desired for me though as that delicious creamy buttery taste could not be found and it was a little bitter. I will add that playing around with brewing parameters might solve that problem. However, the bitterness was present in the second infusion in two separate preparations of this oolong. Overall, it is worth consideration if you are intrigued and want to try a Vietnamese oolong offering.
— To purchase Simpson & Vail Vietnam Imperial 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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Laura Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Laura's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Laura. |
November 9th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I do prefer an awesome Mate or Roobis tea, but this tea and your description actually sounds yummy! I’ll have to give it a try.