Ashmanra tries a GABA Oolong. . . Sparrow/Whispering Pines Tea

by ashmanra

I have been wanting to try a GABA oolong for a long time and finally had the chance! GABA tea is supposed to be very supportive when dealing with stress. Who doesn’t have a bit of that?

I love that many of the teas from Whispering Pines are named for the memory or feeling they evoke, or for nostalgic places they bring to mind.

This is a listed as a heavily oxidized oolong. Don’t you love how much variation there is in oolong tea? They can be green or dark, smokey or floral, sweet or savory. But this doesn’t come out dark or smokey. It is golden grain-like.

I did not give this a rinse as I wanted to enjoy every drop. I made this in a gaiwan and timed it as the company recommends. The leaves expanded into beautiful, large leaves.

I used a scent cup because I want to fully experience this tea. The aroma in the scent cup is creamy grain, lightly savory, vegetal, and then…CHOCOLATE! More like melted milk chocolate bar than cacao, I suppose because of the creaminess.

The tea has a round mouthfeel with medium body. The flavor is cream and grain, and strongly reminds me of an olive leaf tisane I drank a few years ago. This is a most unusual oolong, unlike any I have tried!

Although the package gives instructions for three steeps, I kept it going for six. I extended the steeping time each steep until it reached five minutes and held it there. It never grew bitter or sour, but kept the same characteristics as the first steeps with a little lighter flavor.

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea

Description

This heavily oxidized GABA oolong is bursting with rich aromatics and a super complex body! First impressions are of chex mix and chocolate, and it actually strongly reminds me of a baked chocolate chex mix that my mom makes sometimes. Other notes are a tartness almost akin to cherry and some slight spice in the finish. Really active mouthfeel and a creamy sweet finish! One of my go-to’s recently, Sparrow is also one of the best cost/value ratio teas I’ve come across.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

ashmanra

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about seven years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs. We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey. My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

This post was posted in Oolong, Whispering Pines Tea Co.

De-Lovely from the Tea Crew

by MrsPremise

With a name like De-Lovely, you can’t help but expect a tea that will bring a smile to your face.  De-Lovely from the Tea Crew is an oolong tea with sweet almond and chocolate flavors.

Chocolate teas can be tricky, sometimes they aren’t very chocolate-like, and other times they end up like watered-down hot cocoa.  However, De-Lovely smelled very promising, both in the dry leaf and in the brewed tea.

Upon my first sip, I knew this chocolate tea was a winner.  The oolong base is more roasted than green, and goes very well with the marzipan almond flavors.  With a rich and nutty base, the chocolate notes thrive, bringing a dark chocolate, almost-floral sweetness.  When I looked at the ingredients list, I noticed that there is even a bit of coconut in the mix to help add a buttery mouthfeel and creamy richness.

The oolong tea base helps keep this from being too decadent or overpowering.  The tea leaves themselves still have a strong bodied presence among all the sweet desserts. Nutty, roasty, chocolatey, this tea is just lovely!

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Crew
Description:

Somewhere between green and black tea lies Oolong tea, semi-fermented loveliness.

This blend is sweet, nutty and chocolatey. It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely!

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

MrsPremise

Growing up, I drank herbal teas like fresh ginger tea during New England's harsh winters and iced blueberry tea during its humid summers. Over time, I was tempted into trying a wider variety of loose leaf teas by the fandom-themed blends available online. I have since gone on to design my own blends, and I greatly enjoy drafting up flavor ideas and drawing tea labels. When I'm not thinking about tea I can be found reading novels and comic books, playing video games, or watching movies; my favorite genres being history, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy. Generally, I prefer bold teas: spicy chais, rich black teas, even smoky lapsang souchong on occasion. But I have also dabbled in herbal rooibos, flavored oolongs, and traditional matcha. I'm glad to be expanding my palette by tasting and reviewing new teas and blends. Find me on Steepster: http://steepster.com/A2shedsjackson Fandom blends: http://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/list.html?userId=292149

This post was posted in Oolong, The Tea Crew

Chocolate Cherry Latte Oolong from A Quarter To Tea

by SuperStarling

I must confess: when I first received this, my heart broke into itty-bitty pieces. Oh no! Cherry! AAAAAH!

I usually hate cherry. It tends to remind me of cough medicine. What if I hated it? How would I show my face at Tea Club? How could they have sent me my Kryptonite?

Fortunately, yay, this tea uses ACTUAL cherries. It’s not that sugar-chemical stuff. It’s the real deal. That — plus the yumminess of the chocolate (my favorite) and the bright vegetal note of the oolong — made a mighty brew. It’s so sweet and rich.

I am wicked-hype because this tea combines two things: 1) Broken my cherry hate and 2) Been the second oolong I’ve liked

This tea feels like the start of something new.

Maybe I’m not allergic to Kryptonite after all.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea

logoDescription

Roasty enough to appease the coffee lover in you! The blend of hojicha and oolong makes a robust, coffee like base without the jitters. Mellowed out with chicory, chocolate, and cherries. What could be a better start to the morning?

Takes milk and sugar well.

All orders come in resealable packaging and include a reusable muslin cotton tea bag.

Ingredients:

Organic Quilan Oolong Tea, Hojicha Tea, Coffee Beans, Dried Cherries, Mini Chocolate Chips, Chicory, Natural Flavors

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in A Quarter To Tea, Oolong