Review: Royal Peach Orchid Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong Oolong

Name: Royal Peach Orchid

Type: Mi Lan Xiang (Honey Orchid) Dan Cong Oolong

Seller: Mei Leaf

Dry leaves: twisted, dark brown with umber lines

Wet leaves: dark green and light brown

Warm dry leaf smell: fruity, peach

Wet leaf smell: orchid

Liquor Color: amber

Mouth feel: Super smooth. Low astringency. Like eating a fluffy, creamy peach danish. Slightly rising astringency in later infusions.

First infusion (30 seconds):

Orchid but the flavor is very delicate. Definitely some peach in the aftertaste.

Second Infusion (40 seconds):

Peach! Stronger than the orchid. Some kind of vegetal note in the aftertaste, but I can't pin it down.

Third Infusion (50 seconds)

Much weaker flavor. Not sure if it's my water quality, steep times, or another factor. Or simply the natural progression of this tea. Lingering mineral, peach aftertaste.

Fourth+ Infusions:

Gradual weakening of the flavor. Nothing new jumping out.

Thoughts:

Tea in general is new to me. Up until this year, I only knew green and black (red) teas. Imagine my surprise when a friend introduced me to gongfu brewing and the wondrous complexities of good tea! Plus, the mindfulness cultivated by being present and aware while preparing tea is so far away from the utilitarian gulping down of a latte.

I’ve just gotten into tea tasting recently and I still have a lot to learn. My taste buds are still becoming attuned to all the subtle flavors. Mei Leaf’s teas are great because their samples include flavor notes on the package and more details on their website. This tea says, “Vibrant oolong tea that mimics peach and orchid with a smooth finish," which was spot on.

I tried to sense other notes besides those two, but they were by far the most prominent. Mei Leaf's website lists many other smells and tastes that I couldn't pick out. It'll be a good challenge for next time.

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by Ciel