I struggled for a while and was a little bit troubled when reviewing this Ginseng Oolong tea that I bought from GuangZhou, China last week. It is not about the tea itself, yet the lack of information about the product since it is common that teas sold in China are not supported by any online promotion nor description printed on the packages. Dull customers, like me, know little from its visage.
Nonetheless, it did not stop me from buying the tea. The very first time that I tried this kind of tea was during a lunch in a nice restaurant in Hong Kong. The flavor of Ginseng Oolong was impressive, especially it’s super sweet aftertaste. We, Chinese, call it ‘gan’. All my supervisors were amused “mmmmm”. Then I knew it’s really something.
I no sooner opened the pack than a laver and chrysanthemum-like smell emerged. Leafs have been tightly compressed into about 5 mm in size and look like mung beans at a glance (A friend of mine said that they looked like tortoise dry food). I chewed a leaf which almost broke my teeth. The taste was weedy and bitter at the beginning and a second later, the fragrance came out and then poured. The sense of sweet and refreshing, and maybe numb, lingered on my left palate. Next, I carefully chewed another one on my right palate. The balancing was fascinating and I thought I had discovered a chewing gum alternative.
The aroma after brewing these little dark green beans stood out. Although only common oolong flavor appeared in the first place, the ginseng flavor immediately took the role. More amazingly, the ginseng flavor grew from the throat and finally occupied whole my palate. The sweet bandwagon can be strengthened by more inbreathing, which seems holding a spoon of sugar on both sides of the tongue. Could any expert please explain the bio-chemical reactions taken place to me?
A salesperson told me that leaves were rolled with ginseng flavor. Still, I feel that the sweetness is actually closer to another vegetable -Luo Han Guo (罗汉果 in Chinese). Anyhow, these magical beans, which are said to be originated from Taiwan, are effective salivants and the delicate sweet as well as mellow scent do not fade away until the 4th brew.
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Recent Comments
"When I was a kid, in the middle of winter, my friend Penny and I eachbought a quart of ice cream, skated to the island in the middle of our lake and ate them. Soooo good and soooo naughty. It keeps us young to be naughty sometimes. I would just go for it an enjoy!"
marlena said, in reply to Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud on August 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
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Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud
"Well, as someone who has tasted a lot of chai tea, I can attest that this really is not very similar in taste to Chai. Chai tends to focus on the spices, whereas this tea’s focus is on the orange, with the spices being very gentle and more of an accent to the orange."
liber-teas said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:00 pm
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Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"How fun! I love drinking tea so I love that you have a whole blog related to reviewing them. One brand that I really love that I don’t see on your list is the Portsmouth Tea Company. When I lived in Boston I used to buy lots of their teas and they were oh so unique. They had some really great fruity and floral blends. It’s interesting that..."
Kelly said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 am
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Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"Haha!! My co-worker told me that she purchased this tea after having purchased the Matcha Latte at Seattle’s Best, and her and another co-worker purchased this because they believed it was what was served there. She stated to me today that “it didn’t seem the same exactly…it felt like their was something..."
The Tea Guru said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:55 pm
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Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that this is the concentrate that Seattle’s Best coffee shops use to make their matcha latte. The lattes I’ve enjoyed there were sweet with a definite melon flavor… and I have noticed that they sell other Tazo teas there. If it IS the concentrate that they use… I am..."
liber-teas said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:47 pm
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Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I Love this tea!! This flavor is my favorite. I am so addicted to it! Thanks
"
Betsy said, in reply to Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea on August 20, 2010 at 4:55 pm
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Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
"Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches."
liber-teas said, in reply to Easter Tea from Dammann Frères on August 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm
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Easter Tea from Dammann Frères