ti kuan yin

“ Ti Kuan Yin tea, a green oolong, is highly valued for its intricate harvesting and drying process. Reviewers praise its mild vegetal and slightly nutty flavors, which transform into sweet, floral notes as the tea cools. The tightly rolled leaves, admired for their unfurling beauty, yield a delightful aroma and a complex taste profile with subtle hints of gardenia, honey, and a refreshing minerality. Its versatility is celebrated, offering multiple enjoyable steeps that evolve in flavor, revealing a balanced blend of earthy, floral, and sweet nuances. This tea is a meditative, sophisticated experience, cherished for both its taste and tranquil preparation. ”

“ Loosely rolled green oolong tea leaves were noted in my communiTEA packet this morning. They were curled-up in bed and needed awakening. Mild vegetal aromas were noted.

I steeped at 190°F ‘cuz I don’t got no 195 button on my kettle. I pulled the first steep at three minutes, when most of the leaves had opened. Subsequent steeps, three total, were for two and a half minutes, as the leaves were already primed.

When hot, mild and slightly nutty vegetal flavors were noted.

When warm, mild mineral tastes were noted alongside mild freshly blanched sweet pea flavors. A very mild tingle was noted on the front of my tongue all the way to finish.

Towards the end, very mild gardenia floral tastes and aromas lingered on my palate. This tea was a pleasantly mild to moderate tasting oolong. Subsequent steeps were even tastier. You should be able to get more than three steeps from this tea. (1st steep: 3 mins/Subsequent steeps: 2 mins 30 secs @ 190ºF, no additions) ”

“ This tea was a nice surprise. I prefer strong black tea to green 99% of the time and have a strong aversion to any 'grassy'' taste. But I follow my personal rule to try all teas in my CommuniTea assortment each month and to not make assumptions until I actually drink a cup of each one. This is a special tea that has many steps in the harvesting/drying process, which makes it highly prized and expensive. Brew carefully....less time, lower water temp. I brewed mine at 195F, 2.5 minutes. Upon opening my packet, the aroma was herbal, slightly floral. The tightly rolled leaves unfurl beautifully into gorgeous green leaves. My IngenuiTea brewer was perfect for watching this process. The brewed tea definitely has a light floral scent, with a background light, vegetal quality. Not grassy, just lightly herbal. The taste and mouthfeel is light....floral with just a hint of honey sweetness and.... leaves (best word I can come up with). The floral is not cloying, but just a kiss of sweet aroma and flavor. This one works for me -- lovely tea. Not bold and grassy....just a kiss of warm dappled sunlight shining down on newly opened flowers and a hill side of tea plants. It's like a cool spring morning in a cup. A meditative tea to be sipped slowly and with appreciation. I tip my cup to the farmer who lovingly grew and prepared this wonderful tea. It started this crisp March morning with a blessing. ”

“ I have tried a lot of TKY and I still come back to this one. Very tightly rolled leaves that unfurl completely. Full bodied, nicely balanced, just a delicious brew. Good price, this is my highest Adagio recommend. The best of oolongs! ”

“ This tea tasted downright ambrosial. When I first tried Oolong Goddess teabags from Adagio I was disappointed, and the 'Collard Greens' description of ti kuan yin didn't sell it either. But today's tea was absolutely magical. I brewed with a modified gong fu style of 1 tsp leaves per 6 oz water at 195 degrees for 1 minute. This gave me >12 satisfying steeps and a quart of iced-tea leftovers after I tasted away. The first steep tasted like wildflower honey with the tiniest bit of astringency. By the second steep, the leaves were almost fully unfurled yielding a sweet and delicious brew with a crisp finish and a full mouthfeel. The lingering sweetness reminded me of the scent of walking through a tropical garden, more like the intoxicating floral headiness from gardenia or plumeria than the simpler honeysuckle or orchid notes I've found in other floral oolongs. Overall, it wasn't grassy at all and blew away the 'Flowery Tieguanyin' I purchased from another vendor. The intense and lingering sweetness was incredible. It's not as deeply rich as the red oolong, and not as buttery as the Formosa Pouchong, but I haven't found its rival in sweetness or lingering aftertaste. It is just divine. ”

“ Oo la la, oolong!; fragrantly unfurling leaves; fit for a goddess! (Haiku review) ”