Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Vintage TeaWorks
Tea Description:
Inspired by Chardonnay, we blended natural ingredients to create an oolong tea blend that is full bodied with luscious tropical hints of papaya, citrus, and vanilla balanced with a touch of cinnamon spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Every time I taste teas from Vintage TeaWorks, I am more and more impressed by them. They have truly managed to capture the spirit and essence of wine in each of their teas. It’s amazing to me!
Of course, I’m not saying I’m any kind of a wine expert. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know very little about wine … in fact, in the last six months, I’ve had maybe four sips of wine … not even a full glass! I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to wine. Or any alcoholic beverage for that matter. My beverage of choice is tea … and I prefer it without the alcohol, thank you very much.
But that does not mean that I don’t enjoy a wine-inspired TEA like these from Vintage TeaWorks. This Oolong Chardonnay is remarkable!
When I opened the canister and started measuring out the tea, I found a HUGE chunk of papaya! Now, papaya is not a flavor that I normally associate with wine … but then, what do I know? Re-read the second paragraph of this review if you need clarification.
It wasn’t until I started pouring the tea into my mug that the wine inspiration really started becoming apparent to me. I could SMELL the chardonnay as vividly as if I had poured a glass of wine instead of a cup of tea.
This has a very warm and cozy kind of taste and feel. The cozy, warm feeling is a very luxurious one, like velvet. The smooth flavor of the Oolong emphasizes that comforting kind of luxury. The vanilla and the cinnamon are very harmonious: the cinnamon gives a warm flavor without coming across as too spicy, while the vanilla is soft and creamy without coming across as too cloying.
I taste the hints of tropical flavor from the papaya and citrus fruit, but what I REALLY get a taste for are the flavors as described by Vintage TeaWorks: I taste the essence of pear and butter, of melon and of butterscotch. It’s really quite remarkable how well Vintage TeaWorks has translated the flavor of Chardonnay into this delicious tea.
It’s great for those of us who want to be wine savvy … without having to actually drink the wine.
