My tasting notes: Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong
How much do your expectations about a specific tea influence your tasting experience? I asked this question on Instagram a few days ago and received thought-provoking responses. In a perfect world we would rely on our senses to understand a tea and determine whether we like it or not. Someone suggested “blind tasting” (thank you, Pascale!) and I couldn’t agree more.
This tea (like the one featured in my previous post) belongs to a sampler box which includes 6 different oolongs from Taiwan and China. I might have been influenced by its name (“milk oolong”) more than I wanted to. As a result, I don’t think I enjoyed it as I should have. Has this ever happened to you? How do you avoid it? Let me know in the comments below.
Tea name: Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong
Tea Company: Three Gems Tea
Origin: Zushan, Nantou, Taiwan
Ingredients: oolong tea
Preparation method: porcelain gaiwan
Leaves to water ratio: 5 gr / 5 fl oz water (150 ml)
Water temperature: 205 F (96 C)
Steep time: 10 seconds for the first steep, +5 seconds each subsequent steep
My tasting notes: Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong
EYE
Dry leaves: tightly rolled leaves, some with the stem sticking out, forest green color with light green hints and rusty hues.
Wet leaves: forest green with rust-colored bits.
Liquor: amber.
My tasting notes: Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong
NOSE
Dry leaves: hay and rather unassuming. When shaken in a warmed up gaiwan, they started to release more aromatics. Vegetal and buttery notes with some floral hints.
Wet leaves: vegetal and slightly floral.
Liquor: floral and buttery.
My tasting notes: Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong
PALATE
Floral rather than buttery. Notes of freesia. Ever so slightly astringent starting from steep number 5. Viscous mouthfeel, mineral and aromatic, long-lasting aftertaste.
My tasting notes: Bamboo Peak Milk Oolong
Disclaimer: I bought this tea with my own money and I am not affiliated with the above mentioned tea company.
