I don’t want to get too excited here, but it is possible I am getting to close the point where I will have tasted all of the flavored oolongs in my stash and written about them. I’m finding them harder and harder to locate in the as yet untasted category in my Steepster cupboard.
When I get to that point, I am thinking I may move on to the relatively few flavored pu erhs I have.
But meanwhile, I’m trying this one today. Pineapple and coconut, tropical staples, and a green oolong. The dry mix smells about 1 part pineapple to 2 parts coconut. But both flavors smell like good representatives. Not fakey fakey, in any case. Which is exactly what I’d expect from Lupicia because they give good flavor.
Rinse, short steeps, etc. for this first getting to know you session. Light butter yellow liquor.
A pleasant surprise after steep 1 (15 sec): the floral aspect of the tea base comes through nicely. It’s about equally prevalent with the pineapple and coconut, which are now at about 1/3 each after steeping. And that’s pretty much how they taste, as well.
Steep 2, 20 sec. The leaves have unfurled and are now filling the gaiwan. The three components I noticed in steep 1 are still there in equal parts. The coconut may be slightly less, but that’s ok. Coconut is a pretty strong flavor and can tend to take over. Not here. There is something really wonderful about this. I’ve had a lot of teas with these flavors, and none of them have struck me as so nicely balanced. I particularly love that I can taste the oolong in and among the flavors, in all its buttery and floral glory. When the tea is gone, the cup smells like sweet cream.
Steep 3, 25 seconds. This may be the exception to the rule that flavored oolongs don’t need to go through multiple short steeps. Because this one somehow manages to keep the tea base front and center. The pineapple, coconut, and oolong flavors are still present in equal parts, and aren’t really losing much flavor. The buttery, creamy quality is developing nicely.
Steep 4, 30 sec. The non-tea flavors start to wane, but the tea is still tasty. The wet leaf smells like a damp forest, with an interesting evergreen note. Fir-like.
Remaining steeps — 35, 40, 45. The tea flavor starts to wane but is lovely till the end. The leaves, when completely unfurled, overflowed the gaiwan.
I’ve had a run of great luck with teas I’ve tried lately and this didn’t blow the streak.
Flavors: Butter, Coconut, Cream, Fir, Floral, Forest Floor, Pineapple
