Today, I decided to try out this “King Oolong Tea” I’ve heard so much about. I’ve seen it pop up in a few fancy tea shops, and honestly, the name itself sounded pretty majestic, so I was curious.

Getting Started

First things first, I went online and ordered some. There were a bunch of different brands, but I just picked one that had decent reviews and looked legit. No use in spending a fortune on the first try, right?

The Arrival

A few days later, the package arrived. I ripped it open – it was some nicely packaged loose leaf tea. The leaves themselves looked pretty tightly rolled, dark green, almost like little pellets.

Brewing Time

• I heated up some water. I didn’t go full-on boiling, figuring something around 190-200°F would be good. Used a thermometer to check. I didn’t wanted to burn the leaves.
• I grabbed my favorite teapot – the one with the built-in infuser.
• I measured out about a teaspoon of the tea leaves. I just eye balled it.
• I poured the hot water over the leaves and let it steep.

The Waiting Game

The package said to steep for about 3-5 minutes. I went with 4 minutes, just to be in the middle. During the time, I can see the leaves started to unfurl and the water turned into a nice golden color.

First Sip

Finally, time to taste! I poured myself a cup. The smell was pretty interesting – kind of floral, but also a bit toasty. I took a sip… and wow, it was actually pretty smooth! There was this slight sweetness to it, and a little bit of that roasted flavor. It definitely didn’t taste like your average grocery store tea bag.

Overall Thoughts

Honestly, I enjoyed it. It’s not something I’d probably drink every single day, but it’s definitely a nice treat. I can see why they call it “King” Oolong – it does feel a bit more special than your regular cup of tea. I’ll probably experiment with steeping times and amounts next time, see if I can get even more flavor out of it. Also, I tried it with a little bit of honey later, it was pretty good too!