Tea Review: Rose Oolong - Tea Ave

Brand
Tea Ave
Price
~$11 for 25g or ~1oz
Type
Green oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
Gongfu- brew up at 100°C with 8g of tea, adding 30s with each infusion up to 4 times
Leaf Appearance
Pre-steeped: Mix of large and small, dark and light green balled oolong leaves with bright pink and red rose petals
Steeped: Variety of different sized light, olive green leaves, most with stems (as is the case with balled oolong); didn't mention this in the other Tea Ave review, but their teas have some of the largest, unbroken leaves I have ever seen
Rating
A- | 90/100

Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I'm sure you can tell that I enjoy rose tea. That I also enjoy milk/Jin Xuan oolong. So, what else would be better than to combine the two? I don't know, but let's see if this tea lives up to my expectations. However, I've actually already tried this. This review is using my last few leaves since I've been drinking this somewhat often gongfu style, but let's see how this tea holds up through cupping.

Brew 1 (5 min.):
As usual with my version of tea cupping, there is no rinse. I'm brewing for 5 minutes since I've found that that is the best time for the best flavor for oolongs (I do want to enjoy the tea, guys). I'm also using boiling water and a melon baller- 1 scoop- as a measuring spoon (it actually works and holds the tea pretty well because of the shape, and also I don't own a scale). The tea was a dark yellow green color with a very sweet, floral aroma- much sweeter than the Jin Xuan on its own.  The leaves were beginning to unravel, and the rose petals are beginning their color. The taste was a little bit bitter, with a bit of a tart, grassy taste. The milk flavor was actually very noticeable throughout the taste and also lingered a while afterwards. I didn't really notice it until after I inhaled after drinking, but I could really taste it afterwards. I could also notice a bit of a cotton candy/sugar after taste as well. One interesting thing to note is that the tea liquid, in the first few minutes of brewing, was actually aqua/teal colored; I don't know if it was the lighting, the set, or the tea. Very cool though.

Brew 2 (5 min.):
This brew was surprisingly much clearer than the previous, and a much brighter yellow (with some green). The aroma was still very sweet and floral, but now had very light milky/creamy notes. The rose petals are now almost a dull yellow, with their pink/red color drained, and the tea leaves are continuing to unfurl with the smaller leaves fully opened. The flavor was remarkably less bitter than the previous, but was still a tiny bit bitter. It was also less tart, and more grassy and vegetal; however, the milky, creamy taste continues to linger after drinking. There was a considerable lack of sweetness compared to the previous brew, but it was still very flavorful.

Brew 3 (5 min.):
At this point, the color was still as vibrant as the previous brew; however, it was not as dark, and was moving towards a yellow/golden color. The aroma is becoming weaker now, but is still similar to before. It has lost the sweet notes and instead is becoming more floral. In fact, I could really only smell the perfume of the roses. Almost all of the leaves are fully opened by now, and the roses are almost colorless (but are still a little pink). The taste, somehow, is more tart than before and much more grassy. The creamy milk flavor is only an aftertaste by now, and does not linger like it did previously. There is still a very slight bitterness, but it isn't very strong at all.

Brew 4 (Final; 5 min.):
So, this is the final brew since I'm following the directions on the packaging. It is, in fact, losing its flavor and color by now, but I think it can go for 5 total brews instead of just 4. The color of the brew is more green than previously, but is still that light golden-yellow color. The smell is much more lighter now too- all I could really notice was the rose along with some light sweet and creamy notes. Leaves, at this point, are fully opened, and the rose petals are drained of any color they had at the start. The taste had no evidence of any bitterness that was present before, and was actually mostly a milky taste. There wasn't much tartness, or any other taste at all, really. It did have a texture that wasn't present before in other brews, which felt a bit chewy and astringent. Weak now, but still pretty decent. I did also notice that cotton candy taste which I had in previous brews.

Final Notes:
Overall, I actually really liked it brewed this way. During gongfu, it came out somewhat flavorless, but during cupping, it tasted great (it might just be that I'm forced to pay more attention, but I still liked it a lot). As such, I think this tea benefits from longer brewing times instead of the usual 10-20 seconds in gongfu. I think this was much better than Tea Ave's Jin Xuan since it had a bit more flavor and was actually more milkier (probably due to a slightly lower- 0.5- oxidation level). The rose added a lot to the tea rather than completely overpowering it, which is the case in many other flower flavored teas. One of my favorites from Tea Ave, but I recommend experimenting with it a bit to get the best flavor. I ended up getting 5 total brews out of it (the fifth was even weaker than the fourth, but had some flavor still).

Other Notes:
So, since August is coming up, I really gotta get off my ass and do work. I'll post about my plan later, but one thing I have is to get more reviews up. However, I might run out of stuff to review soon since I only have that Pi Lo Chun, Monkey Picked Tie Guan Yin, Summer Rose Tea, and instant teas left. Buying tea isn't really a possibility since I'm actually broke now (I went from $550 in savings in March to $150 this month, which is pretty unacceptable considering I don't have any source of income). So, unless money starts coming in, I'll have to end reviews temporarily until I get back on my feet. I might post other stuff like life updates and creative writing, but there's that. Look out for another life/blog update coming soon, though.