Tea At Sea, Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong

Tea At Sea Description:
Grown in the Halimun Mountains of Indonesia at 800m above Sea-Level, treated with natural spring water and fresh mountain air. The 35% oxidized tea leaves have a honey milk aroma, light creamy taste with a hint of marine. Wake up the tea leaves and discard the first infusion, then steep around 100°C and observe the leaves slowly unfolding to extract their natural flavour.

Directions: 
Discard the first infusion, then Steep 1.5 - 2 tsp around 100°C for 5-8 min.

Sample Provided by Tea At Sea

My Review:
Tea At Sea is a new to me company out of Canada. Recently they offered to let Steepster people try their tea in exchange for reviews. So I jumped right on the opportunity.

I received two samples in resealable packets, that is a really nice touch. There is 7g of tea in each colorful pouch - enough to make two cups. A tag is attached to the packet with a description and recommended steeping temperature. The time is not listed on the tag but is listed at 5-8 minutes on their website.

I used half the sample for this review. The green leaf is rolled into loose nuggets. It has a floral light oolong scent. I pretty much ignored the recommended steeping instructions and went with my standard of 185 F water steeping for about 2 1/2 minutes. My press was loaded with mostly unfolded leaf pieces. This really expanded nicely. I did not discard the first infusion as suggested as I rarely find this necessary.

The liquor is clear and green. There is a very fragrant floral aroma rising out of the press once the lid is removed. The wet leaf has a floral/marine aroma. The cup smells like flowers and honey. This is a very nice start.

The sip is buttery. It feels a bit thin but I blame myself as I used a little more water than intended. The taste is very nice being floral with a spicy note that reminds me a little of ginger. It also tastes of honey and has a lasting sweet, orchid, and spicy aftertaste.  The sweetness quickly changes to a dry sensation without really seeming astringent.

My favorite thing about this tea is that even though it is a lightly oxidized oolong the floral qualities do not overpower the taste buds as is the tendency of many oolongs. This is a very solid contender for an everyday oolong.

From their about Page:
Tea At Sea is a Loose Leaf Tea company with offices in Vancouver & Montreal. All of our teas are sourced directly from tea farmers around the world, we never work with wholesalers or agents. This way we maintain a very small selection of teas but can guarantee their quality and freshness.
Visit the Tea At Sea website.