Week of Jin Xuan - Day 4: Rose Oolong & Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong

So, this review is happening right after brunch (1 PM). I honestly don't know what I'm going to do today, but I think I'll try to practice piano and do some reading/study after the tasting session. I am going to bike later tonight, though, when it cools down. As for what I have done, I've just done some cooking (fried rice!), eating, and a lot of osu! (and practice using Joy2Key). There will be 2 albums today since they're related and pretty short; they are History Repeating: Blue and Red by the Megas.


Rose Oolong - Tea Ave 
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - large, dark and light green balls of oolong with bright pink/red rose petals
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 100°C, 8g, 1 min + 30 sec each brew
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
If you've read my previous review on this tea, you can tell I really like it. This is/was actually the tea I carried around on me in a small case, until I used it at a dinner at some fancy restaurant (I ended up putting it in an empty tea pot and it lasted 4 brews while constantly brewing in western style, which was really surprising. Everyone really liked it too). So, I guess you can tell I'm pretty excited for this one. This review is going to be a bit lacking since I've already done a full review, but I'll still do some tasting notes. By the first brew, I could already smell the sweet, floral aroma coming from the light, greenish-blue liquid. The flavor wasn't as contaminated as the Milk Oolong from Vital Tea Leaf, but I could still notice very light cinnamon notes. The most dominant flavor was the rose, followed by grass, and finally cream. It's not overwhelmingly sweet and actually has a bit of bitterness, but is still very enjoyable. Over time, the color of the brew became a brighter green. The aroma stayed relatively the same, but the flavor began to lose the rose (which became an aftertaste) and move towards the Jin Xuan with a bit of a broccoli and grass flavor. It actually got a bit more astringent over time also. Overall, I still really like it (and wish that this wasn't my last set of leaves).


Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - very large, light and dark green/brown balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
As for this tea's first brew, it had a light golden yellow color and (surprisingly) little smell. The leaves, on the other hand, had honey and wood notes with a smell like tupig (Filipino sticky rice). It was surprisingly savory for a Jin Xuan, with flavors like raw walnut, a little almond, and (weirdly) hay. The creamy notes of the Jin Xuan weren't really coming out for the first few brew. There was also a slight bit of astringency, which made my throat feel very dry after drinking. Over time, the color became a bit more yellow and the aroma from the leaves could be smelled in the liquid. The flavor became more creamy, sweet, and Jin Xuan-like, but not as flavorful as Vital Tea Leaf's. More brews didn't help with the astringency, however. I will admit, though, that it got way better by the later brews and was still going strong by brew 7. Overall, an average Jin Xuan. It lasts long which is nice, but I don't really like the flavor.


Final Notes
I decided to end the review early since I was getting pretty full and kept running out of water (California drought woo). However, judging from the color of the teas, they could have kept going; in fact, it looked like the color of both teas was getting darker. Anyway, I think it's pretty clear that I liked the Rose Oolong much more. I just think that the Thailand Jin Xuan is too astringent and lacks a lot in terms of flavor compared to all of the other teas I've had so far. There wasn't really much special to it, and the teas it's being compared to are a lot, lot better.