Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: deep green, tightly rolled
Ingredients: Huang Jin Gui Oolong, natural vanilla flavoring
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 200 degrees
Preparation Method: glass teapot
Liquor: gold
I first tried this tea as an in store sample and I just couldn’t resist picking up a sample size pack for home. Rich, floral and sweet are all things that come to mind. The base tea is a fairly high quality oolong with large, unbroken leaves. I was happy to find that the vanilla did not taste artificial or chemically. The aroma was incredible and it lent a comforting creaminess to the finish. The mouth-feel was smooth and buttery with no astringency. Although not terribly complex, it was a tasty and comforting cup (or two…or three). Flavored oolongs can be very tricky and I don’t usually enjoy them but this blend was very well done. The name Huang Jin Gui refers to what is commonly known as Golden Cassia. After reading some of the reviews on Steepster, I think this may be another case of a great tea with the wrong name. The name could give the tea buyer the impression that it would have rich orchid notes like those you would expect from a Dong Ding. Golden Cassia is not known for this but vanilla itself is an orchid.
You can find out more about this tea here.