Have you ever met a person with whom you clicked swiftly and intimately? Where you had a conversation and then realized “WE ARE BEST FRIENDS NOW.” You spend a lot of time with them — so much time that, if it weren’t your NEW BESTIE, you’d get sick of them. But you know that they love you too.
This is my relationship with oolong tea right now. Black tea is my time-honored long-term life partner, but oolong is a fresh buddy who wants to go art supply shopping with me.
This oolong is no exception. The dry blend smells like berries, but when it starts to steep, you pick up that rhubarb bite. Ah! Strawberry rhubarb pie! With caffeine! Just what I needed! HOW DID THEY KNOW?
The sweetness is completed by a hibiscus and rubarb sharp note. The oolong flavor itself takes a backseat, but it’s comfortable back there. It’s taking a nap on the drive.
As the tea cools, the tartness goes to the forefront. If you’re not a fan of tart teas, this might not be for you, but I definitely think strawberry & hibiscus fans should give it a shot.
This tea might just go art supply shopping with you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description
Juicy and refreshing, this blend has just a hint of sweetness and is rounded out with bold red fruit flavors. You will long for Sir Rhuberry Oolongbottom.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Honey Red Jade Tea from Golden T Leaf
Honey Red Jade Tea from Golden T Leaf was something I sampled on recently and I found it to be pretty satisfying. It’s a fermented black tea from Taiwan that is hand-picked and processed – and special thanks to the leaf hoppers nibbling on their leaves – contributes to the overall unique flavor.
It brews to a dark caramel color with a sweet fragrance and refreshing taste but I found it to be fairly mellow at less-than-piping-hot temperatures. I think the hotter the better with this one as it tends to pull the natural flavors from the leaf more.
On the tongue – it’s sweet, floral, and honey-like, with a hint of citrus. If you attempt to multi-task while tea drinking – like I often do – and tend to over infuse or steep – again like I tend to do – I will make special mention to point out that this tea is almost impossible to over infuse. It’s a very forgiving tea.
If you were to cold brew – I think the best way would be overnight – minimum! One thing I will say is the citrus notes seemed to pop out more if cold brewed at longer lengths of time verses the super hot water at shorter times.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Golden T Leaf
Description:
Honey Red Jade Tea is a unique fermented black tea from the pristine hills of Taiwan. Hand-picked and processed, Honey Red Jade Tea is grown naturally to encourage the tea leafhoppers to feed on the tea leaves, producing a natural honey fragrance when the enzymes from the leafhopper interact with the tea plants. This tea brews to a dark caramel color with a sweet fragrance and refreshing taste.
Honey Red Jade tea is irresistible when it is hot. It is even better when it is cooled. The unique sweet floral and honey fragrance becomes more pronounced, with a slight hint of citrus. This is a tea you can leave in your cup or tumbler and not worry about over steeping or drinking it cold. Over-steeping and bitterness is not a problem with this tea.
Available in tea bags or loose form.
Benefits: Aid in heart health. In a 2009 research by Arab L. et al., it is said that people who consume 3 or more cups of black tea per day have a 21% lower risk of a stroke compared with people who consume less than 1 cup per day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bittermelon Stuffed With Roasted Tie Guan Yin Ooong
I have a feeling this is going to be a lengthy post but with good reason, I promise! You see – in THIS post – I will be telling you all about Bittermelon Stuffed with Roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing!
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took bittermelon, took out the insides, left the thick rind, and then stuffed it with Tie Guan Yin and roasted it? That’s what I thought. Regardless of your answer – you can now do that by trying this tea.
For those of you NOT familiar with Bittermelon…it’s also called bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear. It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. Bitter melon originated in India and was introduced into China in the 14th century. It grows in a variety of shapes and sizes. The ones you may see in the product description photo are more horn-like. The samples I received were more like coins…much like if you were to cut cucumbers or carrots into rounds or disks…just to give you a visual.
Upon opening the package I noticed a little bit of the oolong stuffed inside the bittermelon fall out but most of it stayed inside quite well. Dry – this smelled like Sushi to me. I don’t mean it smelled like fish…it smelled more like the rice you would eat while eating Sushi…almost like a veggie sushi…you know, without the fish.
After infusing Bittermelon Stuffed with Roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing I noticed the oolong puff up and out. So much so that what once looked like a flat checker (or a little smaller in circumference) now looks like the insides are spilling out over top of the bittermelon. It’s almost Alien-Like.
The taste of this tea experience is certainly something to remember from start to finish. Once infusion is complete and I let it cool for a moment or two I took a sip…a sip that i will not soon forget! Ahhhhh! So delicious! So satisfying! It’s on the more mellow side but for all the right reasons! It tastes like Mouse Melon or if you aren’t familiar with Mouse Melon it’s a cross between a cucumber with a touch of lemon. I could also taste the gentle roasted oolong notes that were purely delightful in every way! There were VERY subtle hints of sweet woodsy and gentle citrus notes, as well!
This was more than just a tea – it was an experience! A conversation piece. Something to bust out only when you have the time to appreciate it and share with others. This will certainly make one or more of my FAVORITES lists in the VERY near future! YUM! I’ll say it again…YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Yunnan Sourcing
Description
Ever wondered what would happen if you took bittermelon, took out the insides and left the thick rind and then stuffed it with Tie Guan Yin and roasted it? Well now you can try this lovely tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Deluxe
I’m not sure sure WHY but for some reason I thought Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux contained CHICORY in it but it DOESN’T. Which is ok because I’m not a HUGE fan of Chicory but I don’t necessarily hate it either. So at first when I Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux I was thinking to myself…’wow…the chicory in this isn’t that bad’ well that’s because there isn’t any in there that is why! Okay..crazy tangent over…on to the actual review of this tea…shall we?
Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux DOES contain oolong, orange peel, cinnamon, and pecan essence. I would say that the ratio or breakdown was ‘pretty even-steven’. So 25/25/25/25 split of flavors on my tongue!
I have enjoyed Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux both HOT and COLD. I cannot decide which I like better. Both have an extremely pleasing flavor which is flavored oolong with orange-cinnamon. The pecan flavors do seems to shine more when cold, however.
I’m not sure if this is a tea that would be enjoyed specifically in the spring months. I’m enjoying Spring Hickory Oolong Tea from Plum Delux months later and I think it’s pretty fabulous!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea
Where to Buy: Plum Delux
Description: Relax into the unfolding of seasonal change as we go from winter to spring. Contains: Oolong Tea, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Pecan Essence,
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Himalayan Shangri-la from Teabox
If I had to choose between dark oolong or green oolong, for me it would be green every time. I find them characterful and unique, with more variation in flavour than I’ve typically found (at least so far…) among their roasted counterparts. And that’s coming from a habitual black tea drinker.
Himalayan Shangri-la is a Nepalese Oolong from 2015. It’s a first flush, or spring, oolong comprising highly graded leaves taken from a single estate.
The leaf here is pretty impressive – they’re long and twisty, with a high predominance of downy buds, and vary from a dark khaki to the palest green-silver. The scent is lightly vegetal and just a touch floral, in the way of orchids.
I followed the recommended parameters, and gave 1 tsp of leaf 4 minutes in water cooled to around 85 degrees. The resulting liquor is a pale yellow-green, the scent mineral. The initial flavour is also mineral, with a hint of petrichor and wet rock. There’s a hint of heady floral in the mid-sip, reminiscent of orchid and jasmine. Heavily scented, and very reminiscent of perfume, but thankfully not in the cloying, throat-coating way some floral tea possess. The end of the sip features some cleaner, fresher notes. Tomato flesh, wet grass, and the return of the petrichor.
I really enjoyed this one. It’s a flavourful green oolong, and the tomato note in particularly was a highlight as it’s not something I’ve come across in an oolong before. If you’re looking for a high quality oolong that’s also accessible in flavour terms (there’s nothing to deter the newcomer here…) then this would be a good place to start. If you already love oolong, this one might still have a few surprises…
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teabox
Description
If there is one oolong that can compete in the same league as the Taiwanese and the Chinese kind it has to be this Nepalese offering. The rigors of high elevation, mineral-rich terrain, and cool air allow the plants to grow slowly resulting in an immensely flavorful tea. Also interesting is the fact that it’s from the country’s small-scale producers’ cooperative which produces small batches of orthodox teas.
