#honeyoolong

Tea Review: Honey Orchid Oolong (Mi Lan Xiang or Honey Oolong) Type: Phoenix Oolong (wulong) Traditional Origin: Guangdong Province, China Harvest Season: Late April to early May, September to October Purchased from Star Tea Shop in Seattle, WA

Review by Miles

Phoenix oolongs are actually considered a sub-category of oolong (wuolong) tea. Mi Lan Xiang, the tea I am reviewing today, is documented in the Cha Jing, a classic book on tea written originally in 780. In this tea-growing region, the leaves are collected from ancient tea trees, some of which are around 800 years old! These ancient trees are left to grow without pruning, even if some are grown in plantation groves. The highest quality phoenix oolong and pu ers are collected from wild growing trees. The term for this unique leaf-sourcing is dan cong or "unique tea tree". I doubt the Honey Oolong I drank today was picked from a dan cong, but it must be said that phoenix oolongs are grown and proccessed in such a unique way, it would be impossible to attain the complex flavor without a standard growing method. This almost definitely means that the tea came from older trees.

Describing this taste will be difficult because of its complexity. The name gives away the most obvious characteristic: honey. The aroma as well as the taste really do taste like honey. The orchid comes in as a sweet note as the tea sits in the mouth. The double roasting gives it a brown sugar taste with woody notes. It is strong and full bodied but carries both the feeling of exotic fruit as well as a more astringent, toasted aftertaste. There are ending notes of mint and a subtle lingering of candied melon.