I steeped about half the sample packet (or a little over half) in about 10 ounces of water at 212 degrees for about 6 minutes.
It smells indisputably delicious as it starts to brew. Buttery, creamy, smooth, and rich. Also a tiny bit seaweedy/vegetal/grassy, but that’s subsumed by the butteriness.
The packet says to brew 4-10 minutes, which means it’s probably great for resteeping since you only need to steep it about 5-6 minutes in my experience (and with a little less water it would be less). So if you’re in the mood to re-steep, this might be a good choice for you. (As opposed to when you’re on the road or something and resteeping isn’t convenient.)
I started out using a tea ball to contain the leaves, but after a couple of minutes it became clear that wasn’t going to work out because they were just expanding too much so I let them out. Next time I’d just put them directly in the water or use a brew basket. That way I’d be able to watch them unroll too, which is always fun.
After steeping, I ended up with a nice light yellowish-green liquid (hard to say the exact shade though because I was using a green mug). It smells the tiniest bit flowery in addition to the buttery flavor.
The combo of green and creamy flavors reminds me a bit of matcha actually, although it’s gentler here and less vegetal in flavor. This is a very well-rounded flavor profile, with the bright, floral, and creamy notes complementing each other in a balanced and enjoyable fashion. Each sip is amazing. The floral bit catches your nose as you go to take a sip; the creaminess is there the whole time, and you taste the green/vegetal bit during the sip, and afterwards there’s even a slightly sweet aftertaste. And I don’t even prefer unroasted oolongs as a rule, so I’m extremely impressed with this tea and how much I enjoyed it! Teavivre has done an amazing job with this one as usual!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are available.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nepal Pearl Oolong Tea from Wha-Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Wha-Cha
Tea Description:
An incredibly rare and unusual oolong with a great taste of apricots and nectarine combined with a brilliant aroma. .
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Alright. . .for anybody that has this tea in your stash and don’t want it. . .let me know! This tea is amazing! Amazing pearls of tea loving goodness! If you can’t tell, I’m quite smitten with this tea.
This gorgeous tea is a lovely pearl of oolong tea that gives you a satisfying sense of what good tea is supposed to be like. Each pearl is gorgeous and I loved watching the tea leaves uncurl in front of my eyes in my tea steeper. I used two balls because I want this tea to last as long as possible. I steeped and prepped this up per the instructions on the package.
Once the tea was all prepped and ready to try out, I took my first sip. A gorgeous sip of smooth, sweet, and slightly astringent delicious notes. This is one of those teas that needs the contrast of the sweet and astringent notes but the notes are incredibly soft and subtle. Almost like that sweet yet spicy or sweet but somehow sour notes in other foods. The two complimented each other so well. Seriously, this tea is gorgeous from the very beginning.
The sweet notes are what made me just sigh with happiness. They resemble those of a stone fruit like an apricot. This is one of those teas that tastes exactly how it is described on a website. (And this is one of those teas you hoard for those days when you need some extra tea loving to get you thru the day. ) Those sweet notes of apricot just elevate the tea to a different level.
At one point, I had a meeting at work and came back expecting a cold bitter brew awaiting me and that wasn’t the case at all. I was greeted with a lovely cold oolong that just kept my afternoon going.
I’m now on infusion four and still the tea is giving. I just love it. From the moment I opened the package and saw the pearls to the moment when I first tried the tea, I was in love with this oolong. One of the best teas I think I’ve tried so far this year. That’s how good it is!
Highly recommend this one!
