Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: dark, twisted leaves. Some green under brighter lighting
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: amber
I often call phoenix oolongs the doppelgangers of the tea world. Their ability to replicate aromas is unlike anything that I’ve experienced. These special teas are only found in the Phoenix Mountains of Guangdong Province. The high elevation shrouds the plants in a protective mist. Each variety is assigned a specific fragrance and the trees are cloned in order to preserve and isolate this characteristic.
Magnolia Fragrance, aka Yu Lan Xiang, oolong is one of my favorite varieties so I was really excited to receive it in a batch of samples from Mei Mei Fine Teas. I previously reviewed and very much enjoyed their Red Leaf Chi Ye. This tea isn’t listed among their oolong selection anymore but it is still available as part of their Oolong Tea Sampler.
I was expecting this tea to be floral due to the name and it definitely had a perfume-like quality. What really blew me away, though, was the unbelievably sweet and fruity finish. The tasting notes provided for this tea were papaya and mango and they were totally spot on. There was some astringency but a returning sweetness in my throat kept things balanced. This tea offered a lot of complexity and kept its body through many consecutive infusions.
Have you ever tried this tea? Tell me about your experience in the comments below!
Magnolia Fragrance Oolong sample provided for review by Mei Mei Fine Teas.
