Week of Jin Xuan - Day 5: Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong & Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong

Oh man, so I woke up super late today since I was super tired last night. I decided, last minute, to go bike ~30 miles (essentially across 3 towns) in 2 hours at 9 pm. I just finished watching O Brother, Where Art Thou?- a really good movie in my opinion- and had the idea of doing it since I had done nothing at all that day. Anyway, so this review is happening right after brunch since I just woke up and am really tired. Today's album is Sunset Blood by Starcadian. Oh, also, the reviews might be a little short too since I'm going to spend the day with family and I'll have to leave on short notice.


Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Dark green, medium to large balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 85°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
Compared to the Taiwan Jin Xuan, this aroma of this oolong is much less milky and instead more fruity. The color of the liquid for the first few brews was a light, golden yellow. The flavor profile was creamy, with a bit of cotton candy (and related mouthfeel), Indian mangos, and a tiny bit of grape. It's very smooth with little astringency, only leaving a light tart note on the tongue after drinking. By the later brews, the mango flavor became very prevalent as an aftertaste, and I could even taste it on my breath long after. It became sweeter, losing the sour notes, but still retaining the fruity flavors. Overall, I liked it, but it was kind of average for what I've tried so far.


Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - Dark green, large balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 85°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
Even before I brewed this tea, I could already smell the milk. The dry leaves have a smell similar to danish cookies, coconuts, and evaporated milk- and it's amazing. After brewing, the color is a light, blueish yellow with the same aroma as the dry leaves, albeit slightly more fruitier.  As for the taste, this tea is one of a kind. It tastes exactly how it smells, with notes like coconut milk, cookies, and some burnt sugar (or toffee/caramel, depending on where you're from). Over time, the flavor actually stayed relatively the same (maybe only a little milkier and slightly more sour)- mostly only weaker. Overall, a really enjoyable, unique oolong.

Final Notes
I ended up stopping the review early, but I'm pretty sure the teas can be brewed for a lot more than 8; at this point, the liquid was actually pretty brightly colored and the flavor was still strong. Both of these were pretty enjoyable, but like most other days so far, I've had a tea that's blown me away and another that's good, but nothing compared to the other. As for today, the tea that's blown me away is the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong and the okay one is the Fujian Anxi. In fact, I was a bit suspicious of the Taiwan Jin Xuan because of how milky and flavorful it was, and I thought that it had been scented or flavored. I was proved wrong after a while, since the flavor stayed strong even after the 8th brew. Overall, today was also a good day for tea.

EDIT: Turns out that the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong is actually flavored! I think that actually bumps up my score for it, since almost every flavored oolong I've tried has only lasted 3-4 brews max. This one was at 8 and still going strong, which was pretty amazing.