Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: bright green balls, somewhat fuzzy
Ingredients: Ground oolong tea leaves, thin coating of powdered American ginseng and licorice grass
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: Teavana Perfect Steeper
Liquor: dark amber
The friendly chap at Capital Teas’s gave me a sample of this tea when I visited their National Harbor location. I’ve had a few ginseng oolongs before and they weren’t quite my thing but I always try to keep an open mind. It was interesting to watch the leaves unfurl because they had to shed their coating. The taste was floral, sweet and slightly spicy with a lingering aftertaste of the licorice. It wasn’t bitter but the brew did develop of a bit of astringency as it cooled. While this probably isn’t a tea that I would purchase on my own, at least now I know that I have one ginseng oolong that is tolerable. The licorice was the culprit for me here but I’m usually not a fan of this ingredient in teas. If you are nutty about licorice (and I know many of you are) then you would probably really enjoy it.
Lady Orchid sample provided by Capital Teas.