| Photo: Peony Tea Shop |
Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: deep green tightly rolled, lots of tiny blossoms
Ingredients: Tie Guan Yin, osmanthus blossoms
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: gold
I will admit that this was the very last sample that I tried from a recent batch of +Peony Tea S. teas because osmanthus is not one my favorite things. That bias is based on bad experiences in the past but I trust +Derek Chew and his tea selections so I gave it a go anyway. The bright yellow petals were very pretty floating in my gaiwan. After the recommended thirty second infusion I was relieved to find that the taste was not at all what I expected. It was sweetly floral of course but in a rather gentle way. Although the tea leaves were scented with the osmathus, it did not come across as overdone or perfumy. The vegetal notes of the Tie Guan Yin helped to break up the sweetness and round out the flavor profile. It had a thick, almost creamy mouth-feel with no bitterness. The combination of oolong and osmathus was much more complimentary than I thought it would be. This might not be something I would drink regularly but I just might have gotten over my fear of those tiny yellow flowers.
You can find out more about this tea here.