The first word that comes to mind while drinking this tea is “zesty.” Pomegranate — aside from being a difficult word to spell — is a complex flavor. It’s sweet, but it’s also got that sassy tang. The oolong flavor — slightly vegetal, a little bit nature-y, but nothing horribly strong — makes it seem thoughtful. I’m getting a “literature” vibe from the oolong.
For some reason, this tea is reminding me of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. At first, you’re getting all that sparkly, fruity zest. Then you sip further and you realize, hey, there’s a little bit of something “extra” here. Maybe this girl could, you know, go to Harvard Law and start winning cases. YOU NEVER KNOW.
This tea is delicious hot, but I don’t recommend it cold. The green gets a little weird. It’s a hot-tea. Don’t try to go off-book.
Of course, now that I’ve said that, you’re all going to try it cold. You’re going to try to paint me as a restrictive-rules monster. I’m not! I’m cool! Not as cool as Elle, but, you know, modestly cool.
Now, ladies, Bend. Snap. Brew. Enjoy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney and Sons
Description
Deliciously silky and full of complex flavors, our Pomegranate Oolong tea blends large Ti Quan Yin leaves—also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy—with the tangy, sparkling flavor of pomegranate. The result is a luscious and fruit-forward brew with a toasty aroma and ample flavors of bright pomegranate. Brew hot to enjoy its smooth, silky texture and sweet aroma at its finest.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Huckleberry Zen from Perkse Tea . . . .
At first I thought this tea was named after Huckleberry Finn, and it was some kind of literary blend. But it turns out the huckleberry is an actual plant (the state fruit of Idaho) that’s kind of blueberry-like. So I’m ignorant. (Surprise!)
This blend tastes like tart berries and sweet rose petals. Rose isn’t always my favorite, but I think that it works here to balance out the berries.
The blend is described by Perkse as “country chic,” which feels meaningless to me, but I suppose I could imagine drinking it in the morning on a rocking chair on a porch. Blanket over lap. Old dog at feet. Waving at neighbors as they amble about their morning walks to the post office and nickel-and-dime store.
Like huckleberries, I don’t know much about country life, obviously.
But if you’d like to try the combination of berries and roses, this might be the one for you!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Perkse Tea
Description
A deliciously smooth and suckle black tea with notes of fruity huckleberries. Our huckleberries are sourced from Europe and blended to make a wonderful black tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Cherries in Sweet Cream from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
This Darjeeling, cherry, and cream tea is profoundly decadent. This blend tastes like a dessert that’s melty and gooey. The cream is so creamy that I feel like a farm where it came straight off the cow. Like, a fancy French cow.
A Quarter To Tea has a good grasp on cherries. I never liked cherries until their Chocolate Cherry Oolong showed up in one of my sample packs. It was a game-changer. So much so that my hopes were high for this one — and it succeeded.
When I went to this tea’s site, I discovered that this tea was inspired by Game of Thrones:
“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)
In case you forgot Illyrio (I did), he was the one that took care of the Targaryens while they were in hiding. If this is what he was serving people, well, I might hide out there, too. Does he have any space available?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
“Illyrio smiled as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them both.” (Dance with Dragons)
Luscious black cherries with a medium body darjeeling base, paired with heavy notes of cream and vanilla. Decadent enough to make a magister proud.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Doke Rolling Thunder Oolong from Tea Swan. . .
This oolong tastes precisely like I tossed some honey into it — without having to count calories! Cool, man!
It goes perfectly with the raisin-infused breakfast cereal (Kelloggs Raisin Bran) I had. It’s SUCH a similar profile I’d think it was in-mouth carry-over from the cereal itself, but it’s not. There was an hour in between, and that hour included a tooth-brushing.
If you enjoy a wheaty, raisin-y, sweet sort of blend, I can recommend both Raisin Brand AND this tea. Neither of which I’d had before today,* but both of which I enjoyed.
* My in-laws have a completely different set of cereals in their house literally every time I come over. Usually people have a favorite cereal they stick to forever, but my in-laws just buy whatever strikes their fancy or whatever’s on sale.
It occurs to me that my tea selection is similar. I have whatever gets sent to me by this site, or whatever I happen to pick up on my Internet travels, and then I sip it down or trade it out. Every time people come over to my house, it’s a different collection to choose from. I don’t know if this is fun or frustrating for my guests. Sometimes I go over to my in-laws’ and there’s nothing I want in the cabinet and I get unreasonably frustrated. But other times it’s a cornucopia of untried, delicious-sounding flake varieties.
They could probably start a blog like this BUT ABOUT CEREAL.
Anyway, this tea is a winner, so if you’re wandering around Tea Swan (formerly Lochan) throw it in the basket.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Swan
Description
Doke Rolling Thunder Oolong Tea variant of Oolong tea is processed by expert methods of sun-drying and oxidation to yield a nice buttery flavor and fruity aroma.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea with Pomegranate from Bigelow. . . .
This is the tea I like to call “better than it has any right to be.”
I first had this blend at a brunch place with a sad, meager tray of tea bags. I chose the one I hadn’t tried that still had caffeine (this one).
“This is going to be trash,” I told my husband.
And then I sipped it.
I’m telling you, this is a pleasant surprise every time I have it!
It is surprisingly sturdy and juicy. I am usually kind of snide about bagged tea, but this one holds up. The green vegetal flavor is light, and the pomegranate pops. I turn to this blend fairly frequently when I just don’t have the energy to gravity-steep things. (Ugh, with the water, and the rinsing, and the measuring, you know? Sometimes you just want to put a bag in a mug and call it a day.)
When people want a cheap starter-tea that they can just grab at a supermarket, this is always the first one I recommend. Give it a whirl! It’s cheap, it’s everywhere, and it’s easy!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bigelow Tea
Description
Delicate green tea with the added touch of sweet pomegranate. If you love our green tea, we think you will really love our green tea with pomegranate…all the benefits of green tea with the added touch of sweet pomegranate.