Monkey Picked Iron Goddess

The price for this was a little high but you get a nice quantity as well. This should have lead me to believe the quality of the tea. This oolong is not horrible but it is nothing all too great either. I use it as my everyday oolong. It has a very nice floral aroma and brews a brilliant green. The image pictured on the website does not even come close to matching. The tea is tightly rolled with stems in every few bundles. It is a brilliant emerald green with forest green spottings. The leaves unfurl into crumbled green masses. Few bundles are whole leaves, mostly broken up. The taste is grassy with a hint on granite. It starts out nice and sweet but leaves a bitter taste that is hard to place. I try cleansing the tea a few times before ingesting and that seems to help. If you want a large quantity and don’t mind budging on quality, this is the oolong for you.

When I opened the pouch I got a whiff that was slightly floral, but the fireworks really began when I tossed a scoop into my teapot of water. As I was about to put the lid on top, an amazing floral scent wafted up to my nose, reminiscent of being in a greenhouse of tropical flowers. I knew I was in for a real treat in 4 minutes. And I was right, as it had hints of Honeysuckle, Orange Blossom, Grape Hyacinth and Roses, alongside a delightfully chewy vegetal taste and was very silky on the tongue. There were hints of Bok Choy, Escarole, Spinach and Asparagus, with a background flavoring of Wax Beans. Of all the loose teas I’ve tried so far, this has had the most complex bundling of flavors. On the second steep, I braced myself for a weak reminiscence of the first offering, but OMG!, it was just as flavorful the second time around, with only the slightest bit of astringency added on.

This tea is not going to last long, and I don’t give a damn how much it costs, it’s worth it!