Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tea Description:
True luxury tea. Sloane Tea exudes elegance and old world charm and has a line-up of premium teas, beautifully packaged. Their teas are sourced, selected and blended by in-house certified tea sommeliers. The director studied perfumery in France, so her blends are amazingly aromatic and skillfully scented and flavoured.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea was the first that I tried from this month’s Amoda Tea Tasting Box (Yes, I’m actually trying a tea from January’s box… in January! Maybe I am getting caught up!), and it is a good one! Oolong Crème from Sloane Tea is a milk Oolong that has been lightly flavored to enhance the naturally creamy notes of the milk Oolong.
I brewed this the way I brew most Oolongs – in my gaiwan. Using short steeps, I produced three very lovely cups (combining the first two infusions for cup one, infusions three and four made cup two, and infusions five and six made cup number three). I suspect I could have gotten a fourth cup from these leaves too, because the third cup was still very flavorful (and to tell the truth, it may have been my favorite of the three!) but my time was required elsewhere, so I wasn’t able to work on a fourth cup.
But the three cups I did enjoy were lovely. The first cup was very much like a milk Oolong (which it is, so, I guess that should be expected!) the flavor is sweet and creamy and delicate in this first cup. This first cup is so creamy, it is difficult to discern any floral or fruity notes, they seem to be somewhere in the background … almost lost but not quite. The creaminess makes up for it though, because it is so wonderful!
With the second cup, I found that the flavor had intensified. Still sweet and creamy … but less delicate. The mouthfeel is remarkably smooth and silky. Now I taste a little bit more flower. A hint of fruit begins to emerge in the background reminding me vaguely of plum. Very soft and pleasant overall. I find this second cup to be extraordinarily soothing and peaceful. A perfect cup with which to unwind.
I notice a crispness to the third cup that I didn’t find with the first two. The creaminess has waned somewhat, making way for a lighter flavor that is refreshing and crisp. A slight astringency comes forward here too. It is still creamy though, and certainly sweet … just a little less creamy than the first two which allows some of the other characteristics of the tea to appear. I almost taste … a minty note here … the crispness gives off a minty kind of note, and although it’s not a strong and obvious note, it’s certainly a surprising element.
This was a very enjoyable milk Oolong, certainly worth a try for those who love milk Oolong – and I know that there are a lot of you out there!
Coconut Milky Oolong from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
A decadent dessert tea, to be sipped & savored. Our Taiwanese Milky Oolong has a smooth yet fruity and creamy taste. It’s blended with shaved coconut to create a delicate and calming experience in aroma and flavor. If you love coconut milk sweets and sophisticated oolongs, this is your tea. Discover this guiltless dessert – simply extraordinary!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Have you ever taken a sip of a tea and find that it is so good that it just totally exceeded your expectations – and your expectations were high to begin with? I mean, something that was so good that you exclaim: OH YUM! without even thinking about it?
That’s what happened to me when I took a sip of this tea. My expectations were already high … because, well, I love Milky Oolong tea, I adore coconut, and I cannot recall ever having been disappointed by a tea from The Tea Spot. But as good as I thought this tea would be, I was still not prepared for it to taste THIS good!
This is sweet and creamy and decadent … and yeah, I expected that from a Milk Oolong and a Coconut tea. And I also expected the flavors of the Milk Oolong and the coconut to meld really well together. But … oh wow! This is so creamy. Sweet and coconut-y, but not in a way where the coconut oppresses the palate and prevents it from tasting the sweet, creamy taste of the Milk Oolong.
The Milk Oolong has faint floral notes, and of course, that decadent creamy note over which those of us that love Milk Oolong swoon and vegetative notes that marry well with the other flavors of the cup. This tea offers such a pleasing balance of the creamy, sweet taste of coconut and of Milk Oolong, it tastes a bit like the creamy custard of a coconut cream pie! YUM!
I highly recommend this one to those of you who like Milk Oolong … and love coconut!
Special, Limited-Time Offer: Now through November 9, you can save 15% on your purchase of Coconut Milky Oolong from the Tea Spot! Just put the tea in your shopping cart, and use the coupon code cocooolong at checkout, and enjoy your savings … and the tea!
Milk Chocolate Caramel from sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: sTEAp Shoppe
Tea Description:
Milk Chocolate Caramel flowery Assam Orange Pekoe black tea. This is a tea you will let swirl around on your tongue amazed at how smooth it is. At first wif you get a bit of caramel, then you delight in your first sip with the shock of how smooth this tea really is. As you let the tea wander over your tastebuds you experience a rich silky smooth texture similar to allowing a chocolate to melt on your tongue. No one note pops out at you but each note is distinct. Notes of Caramel, Cocoa & Vanilla with a milk like cacoon encasing the flavors to bring them together as one.
Taster’s Review:
I was lucky enough to be bestowed with the honor to be one of the first people to try it! It is definitely a blend that would capture my interest – based on the name alone. Milk Chocolate and Caramel? Um… YES please! No arm twisting required.
And this cup of tea is just as delicious as the name would suggest!
The chocolate and caramel flavors are profound, they leap right onto the palate from the start of the sip. It is rich and creamy and delicious! There are hints of creamy vanilla amid the sweet chocolate notes, and the caramel is also sweet, while offering hints of bitterness from the burnt sugar. Not in a bad bitter kind of way, but in a very delicious bitter kind of way, as it keeps the whole confectionery taste from becoming cloying.
The black tea is a softer tasting black tea – it’s quite mild, but it is still substantial enough to stand on its own. It delivers a nice, well-rounded taste and a very silky texture to the overall cup. And while it is not a tea I’d consider as bold or sturdy or any of the other adjectives I’d use to describe a strong black tea, I really don’t think a stronger black tea is desired here. It might interfere with the delicious flavors of chocolate and caramel – and this chocoholic seems to enjoy this just the way it is!
This is so delicious on its own, it doesn’t need any additions whatsoever. It is certainly sweet enough, and I think that milk would overwhelm some of the more delicate qualities of this tea. Really, the vanilla notes provide enough of a creaminess to this that it is almost like a rich, creamy latte without the milk!
This is the first tea I’ve tried from this company, but it is certainly not the last! I am thrilled with this tea, and very honored to be the first person outside of the sTEAp Shoppe to try it!
Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
The hand-plucked leaves of Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea are grown in the famous Ali Mountains (Alishan) in Taiwan. At the elevation of 1000 meters above, the mountainsides are covered with fog or clouds which are ideal for growing Oolong. With better drought tolerance, also higher yield, the price is usually lower than Alishan Oolong.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said it before. I’ll probably say it again and again… I’m sorry if you get tired of hearing it, but, what can I say? I love Oolong tea grown in the Ali Mountains… the mountains that produce my beloved Alishan Oolong!
Jin Xuan is probably better known as “Milk Oolong” which makes this particular Oolong even more special. It’s not just an Alishan Oolong, but an Alishan Milk Oolong! Awesomeness!
And this cup of tea is indeed awesome. The milkiness of this tea is not overly pronounced, it is delicate and creamy. Very smooth. I like the texture which is slightly creamy but there is a subtlety to it too. It doesn’t attempt to inundate the palate with a heavy taste of cream.
Hints of flower throughout the sip … is that orchid? It too is subtle, softly weaving its way in and out of the sip, and just when you think you can identify it, it disappears … and reappears just when you’ve begun to explore the other nuances of the tea.
Subsequent infusions deliver a stronger flavor. I find that with the first cup (which is the combined results of the first and second infusions) the flavor was delicate, while the second cup (combined results of the third and fourth infusions) is stronger, with a more distinguished floral tone. This tastes of honeysuckle, but an orchid note begins to develop toward the finish and lingers into the aftertaste. It is still sweet and delicious, but I’ve noticed that it is a little less creamy than the first cup.
The third cup brings a taste that is much more harmonized … the flavors are becoming seamlessly united, and it has become difficult to determine where one flavor ends and another begins. This cup is my favorite, because I love how it all comes together to create a very soothing, delightful cup.
An amazing cup of tea – I’d recommend it to fans of Alishan and Milk Oolongs! This brings the best of both worlds together in one deliciously rewarding cup.
Milky Oolong from Steenbergs Organic
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Steenbergs Organic
Tea Description:
Milky Oolong loose leaf tea from Steenbergs is delicious, refreshing and quite sweet in flavour. This Oolong tea comes from China. Drink without milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My first impression of this tea came with the opening of the package. The tea looked different from other Milk Oolong teas I’ve encountered. Usually, the leaves are all pretty uniform in size and shape, typically wound into a tight pellet. These leaves are less uniform, with some very tiny leaves, some pellets, and some leaves that appear to be in a twisted shape rather than a pellet shape. But the leaves are a pleasing, dark forest green color and possess a lovely fragrance that is floral and sweet, so I decided they definitely deserved to be tasted.
The flavor is delightful. It has a sweet, creamy flavor – quite what I’d expect from a Milk Oolong – but there’s more to it. It isn’t quite as creamy as some Milk Oolong teas I’ve come across. Whether this means that the leaves get their “Milky” status naturally or if they’ve been flavor enhanced, I don’t know, but, I believe it means that these is a naturally derived “Milky.”
It has a very pleasant floral note to the flavor, a little sharp and agreeably sweet. I like that while it is a sweet Oolong (I can’t recall ever tasting a Milk Oolong that wasn’t sweet), it isn’t overly so, and it isn’t saturating my palate with a creamy sweet taste. The flavor overall is quite light and smooth.
The earlier infusions tended to be creamier than the later infusions, and with each subsequent infusion, I notice a slight fruit note that begins to emerge. It’s a sour fruit – which seems to immediately evoke thoughts of sour apple. However, I don’t know that I would actually describe the note as a sour apple note. Whenever I think “sour fruit,” sour apple is what usually pops into my head. This is more of a juicy, stone fruit but with sour overtones. It is more like a sour mango to me.
The vegetal notes begin quite softly as well, with mere hints of vegetation appearing in the taste in the first couple of infusions, and more of a grassy/vegetal note presenting itself in the later infusions. It never really becomes overwhelmingly vegetative, and it mingles quite nicely with the other flavors of this cup.
This is quite a pleasant Oolong overall, one that is deliciously complex and refreshingly light. It is one that kind of “grows” on me, and I find that the more that I sip on it, the more I like it.