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.