Day 7!
Have you had any figgy pudding yet this season? How about fig newtons? If you like figs, you will love today’s tea: Sticky Fig Oolong. This tea is also our first oolong of the 12 Teas of a Christmas set this year.
This tea has plenty of the bright, mineral taste oolongs are known for. These flavors are the right match with the sweet-yet-fresh fig taste. Beneath all the oolong brightness, the tea has a bit of complex, roasted, caramelized taste, making the fig part of the blend feel more like a candied dessert.
I’m always a bit intimidated by unflavored oolongs, so having a touch of holiday dessert flavor mixed in made this oolong more approachable for me. The sticky fig flavor isn’t overpowering, so if classic oolongs are your favorite teas, you will still find this blend to be very enjoyable.
I haven’t run into many fig tea blends so this is a great unexpected flavor for a holiday tea set, rounding out the Christmas theme.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description:
This tea was inspired by one of my customers who is also a frequent poster on Steepster, who – in one of her posts – mentioned that she’d like to see a fig tea from me. So here it is (and it won’t be the last, fig is one of my favorite fruits, I just haven’t gotten around with experimenting with fig in tea yet . . . but now that I have, I think I’ll keep it up because – YUM!)
So I started with these three ideas in mind: Holiday tea, Oolong tea & Fig tea. I crafted a blend of Oolongs – Ruanzhi, Wuyi and Qingxin cultivars – which I chose because I wanted the Oolong to be a little more fruity and a little less floral. To this lovely Oolong blend, I added some figs. For the holiday element, I added some cinnamon. For the final touch, I added a little honey essence.
Really lovely – this tea. The oolong is smooth and sweet. It has pleasing notes of fruit with just a hint of floral. The fig is well-defined and the honey compliments the fig nicely. The cinnamon is warm and inviting without overwhelming the cup. As I say: really lovely! It’s also organic, VEGAN, gluten free & allergen free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Apple & Fig from TeaLeafs. . . .
Apple & Fig Black Tea. How could you go wrong? You can’t…with Apple & Fig Black flavored tea from TeaLeafs based out of Western New York. But it’s more than just a black flavored tea. It’s also an Oolong Tea. And a Rooibos Herbal…all wrapped up into one! That’s right…were talking about a blended tea here folks…not one…not two…but three bases…meshed into what you see here!
The origins of this trio tea blended base is from both India and China. To expand on the ingredients it contains Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Organic Rooibos, Apple pieces, Flavors, Fig, Clove, and Star Anise.
The tart apples and sweet jammy figs are what bring this to life! The hints of clove and star anise draw out the natural sweetness of the tea – according to the tea company’s website and I completely agree!
I have to say that the Fig Formosa Oolong from TeaLeafs is still my favorite of their offerings but this has to be in my top 10 from them. And that says a LOT because they have LOTS and LOTS of offerings! If you haven’t checked them out yet – make sure you do!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: TeaLeafs
Description
Tart apples and sweet, jammy figs. Hints of clove and star anise draw out the natural sweetness of the tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pig Sprinkles in Tea! Fig Flavored Tea from Tea and Tins. . .
PIG SPRINKLES!! CUTE LITTLE PINK PIG SPRINKLES!! Okay. I am done now. Darn sprinkles get me every time. I see them in a tea and nothing else matters, the tea is just tossed into my cart. Here, however, I was intrigued by the fig flavor and was personally quite a fan of the name. This tea is all sorts of kitschy and I love it.
Now, I should probably start off by saying that I don’t think I have ever had a fig but for some reason fig jams and fig teas and other fig-flavored foods call to me. So, with that out there, it should be clear that I am maybe not the best judge on whether this tea accurately captures fig flavor. However, I will say that this does taste how I imagine a fig would taste and is comparable to other fig items I have had. Mildly sweet and only a touch astringent. The base and flavor combine to create a thick, round mouth feel, one that lends itself to a more syrup-like beverage.
Since CuppaGeek was so generous in the sample she provided, I also made this tea iced so I could see how it compares to the hot cup. The first thing I notice with the iced version is that it is a lot lighter and therefore less syrupy. Somehow that brings out more astringency while dampening the fig component. And yet, fig builds in the aftertaste so the lingering flavor is akin to what I imagine a fresh fig tastes like. So that is interesting but maybe not worth the weird flavor while drinking the iced tea.
So, I enjoyed this tea though it is maybe not one I need to keep stocked in my stash. I have had worse fig teas and I have had better but none of those have had adorable pig sprinkles so that is a huge plus for this blend. It is cute and certainly a novelty tea with a nice enough taste to back it up.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea and Tins
Description
Loose leaf black tea, nicknamed Miss figgy!
Ingredients: black tea, fig taste with dried figs and pink pig sprinkles.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
