Ceylon Idulgashinna Hand-Made ‘Blink Bonnie’ Oolong Tea: What-Cha

 

Ceylon Idulgashinna Hand-Made ‘Blink Bonnie’ Oolong Tea: What-Cha

 

Well, what can I say? Polly’s been busy. Last post was roughly 2 months ago! Then my awful, exhausting, brain-frying course got moving and that was the end of the tea! Or rather, that was the end of the tea blog! There’s never and end to the tea, really… especially when I got a new order from What-Cha. So many fascinating choices! But now the horrible course is finished, and I’m off work for 8 weeks, and I have nothing but free time to sit here and drink tea and blog to my heart’s desire!

Fresh shipment from What-Cha

I received a big order of What-Cha teas about a month ago, along with some hand-picked samples and a lovely hand-written note from Alistair. Such a nice personal touch! Anyway, between the awful course, and the apartment moving, I haven’t had time to get to any of them… until now. This tea caught my attention because of the name. ‘Blink Bonnie’… no idea what it means, but it reminds me of Scotland… “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and all that, so I’m intrigued. I did some Google research on the phrase, and came up with a supper-club, a golf course, a race horse, an equestrian centre, and an obscure 1800’s book on theology. I don’t know if THIS Blink Bonnie is connected with any of THOSE Blink Bonnies, but since some sources refer to a ‘beautiful view’, I’m going to think of the breathtaking views of Scotland while I drink it!

Blink Bonnie twisted leaves

I open the bag and inhale deeply the sweetest, most luxurious aroma… peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, sugar, caramel sauce… WOW! I pour out the leaves to find these awesome long, twisted needle shaped leaves. So cool! I’m tempted to just throw these in a cup and watch them unfurl, but I decide to put them in a basket strainer so I can control how long they steep. I put in a bunch, and steep for 2 minutes.

Blink Bonnie Cup 1

The liquor is a pale, clear honey-yellow colour. It smells mildly sweet. The first sip is wow! Wow! Sweet, mild, clover, nectar, and honey! It’s like sucking the ends of those little pink clovers that grow in the grass in the summer. And then mild, buttery honey stays in your mouth… wow! So good! There is a mildly floral flavour, and a mild apricot flavour, but most of all, it’s just like a lazy, sunny summer’s day, lying in a field of clover, with butterflies dancing around your head. That cup doesn’t last long, so I steep a second.

Blink Bonnie Cup 2

This one gets about 5 minutes. The tea is a darker, richer yellow colour, and the leaves have unfurled to reveal large, whole, unbroken twists.

 

Blink Bonnie unfurled

The second cup is more saturated in colour, with a more pronounced floral taste, and less of the buttery honey. There is a very tiny bit of astringency, but no bitterness. The aftertaste is a gorgeous fresh, floral sweetness. It’s really wonderful. I absolutely love it! I’m definitely seeing some ‘beautiful views’ as I sip this one down. Makes me want to go back to Scotland right away quick! Ah… Blink Bonnie, I think I love you!

Edinburgh from the Calton Hill (my ‘beautiful view’)

I was going to post a link for you, but I can’t find this particular tea on What-Cha‘s website anymore, so perhaps they’ve sold out. There are some other “Ceylon Idulgashinna ….Oolong Teas” which look interesting, but you’ll have to sort that out for yourself.