Elderflower Champagne Oolong Blend from Bluebird Tea Co.

elderflower_champagneTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Bluebird Tea Co.

Tea Description:

Oolong is considered to be the very best, the champers, of the tea world. Oolong is the prettiest tea to watch unfurl in your cup too! Our combination of fresh zingy citrus + delicate floral elderflower won’t get you tipsy but it is tip top indeed. You can also rebrew this one up to 7 times!

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review:

This is a really tasty and refreshing blend!  I usually prefer pure Oolong teas as opposed to flavored Oolong blends but this one really is quite delightful!

The scent of the dry leaf is beautifully floral with bright citrus notes.  It’s beautifully aromatic, smelling a bit like something I’d want to fragrance my home with!  This would make a great potpourri!

I brewed this tea in my Breville One-Touch tea maker.  I don’t usually brew Oolong teas in my Breville but I do sometimes make an exception when it comes to blended and/or flavored Oolongs like this Elderflower Champagne blend.  I measured out 2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket of the tea maker and then poured 500ml of freshly filtered water into the jug and set the settings for 180°F with 3 minutes steep time.  For subsequent infusions, I simply added an extra 30 seconds onto the steep time, keeping the amount of water and temperature the same.

The result is a very tasty tea indeed!  The aroma of the brewed tea is a little different from the dry leaf – this smells much more citrus-y and less floral than the dry leaf did.

The flavor is a stunning balance of citrus fruits and floral notes.  I taste orange and lemon and I like the way the sweeter orange softens the tartness of the lemon so I’m not puckering as I sip.  I taste soft, sweet flowery flavors too.

The ingredient list shows that there is hibiscus in this blend too, but I am happy to say that I don’t taste it … nor do I really see any evidence of hibiscus in this blend.  The tea does not brew up “pink” in color (it’s more of a light, clear champagne color) nor does it have a thick or syrupy texture, and I’m not tasting hibiscus tart.  So hooray for that!

In the first infusion, I didn’t taste a lot of obvious Oolong contribution to this.  I did get a nice, buttery texture which is very Oolong-ish to me.  I think that this buttery quality is perhaps the only attribute of the first infusion that speaks to me and says, “This is an Oolong tea.”  I get hints of vegetation and notes of floral – and it could be that these are from the Oolong or at least these characteristics are highlighted because of the Oolong’s presence in this blend.  But neither the vegetal notes nor the floral qualities are saying to me that they are here because of the Oolong.

That said, this is a very enjoyable drink, and I was very happy with the first infusion.  I found that the subsequent infusions started tasting more like a Chinese Oolong tea and I noticed that some of the stronger citrus-y notes began to wane.  I’m still getting plenty of citrus-y flavors – especially in the aftertaste! – but the citrus notes are softened now and allowing more of the Oolong notes to shine through.  The elderflower notes are also softer in later infusions, and again, no real distinct hibiscus-y attributes.  Yay!

I really like this tea a lot and I’d recommend it to those that appreciate a fun and interesting tea blend.

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