Today I thought I would take a moment and enjoy a tea. Like really enjoy. It seems sometimes life just goes by so fast that the art of taking the time for yourself gets set aside for another day. At least that is how my life seems with a house full of twin teenagers, a pre-teen boy and a 7 year old with a puppy nipping at the heels of all of us. I just feel like sometimes I don’t take the proper time to reflect. So today, that is exactly what I’m going to do.
Traditionally, I don’t find myself drinking straights teas and that is a shame. I always seem to gravitate towards those unusual flavored blends, and there is nothing wrong with that. I just feel that maybe I need to become more of a well rounded tea drinker and that starts with this oolong from Tea from Taiwan.
Oolongs and green teas are my favorite. Especially when they have that particular rich buttery undertone and a hint of a creamy finish. Those are my favorites. I was hoping this Cui Feng Oolong would deliver those notes for me. After my first cup of this brew, I have to say this tea definitely delivers.
The first infusion delivered a fresh slightly floral vegetal notes swirl around your tastebuds with a lingering astringent hint. There was a lovely
creamy finish to end each sip. So many different flavors that really work well.
With the second infusion, I noticed those vegetal notes lessened quite a bit and gave way to a buttery tone that helped make that creamy finish even more prominent. There are hints of a sweetness through each sip. Really lovely and soul warming.
Third infusion was very similar to the second infusion. Lovely buttery notes with a tender sweetness.
All in all, this tea is delicate yet robust at times. I loved the simple yet complex notes that came across with each infusion. Intriguing and extremely interesting. One of those teas that you never seem to set your cup down while you are drinking it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea from Taiwan
Description
Li Shan Cui Feng Oolong Tea
This is an exceptionally smooth, full flavored oolong tea from the Li Shan (Pear Mountain) tea region of Taiwan.
Cui Feng (翠峰) oolong tea is grown at an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) in cool, moist conditions, producing some of the best oolong tea in the world.
Cui Feng brews to a rich, honey-colored liquor, highly fragrant and with a smooth, robust flavor, full in the mouth.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Cherry Latte Oolong from A Quarter To Tea
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
Description
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!
Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Where-oh-where to begin? Well…let’s start with the tea name and company, shall we? Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders. This tea took me on a wild ride recently!
The dry leaves of Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders are grayish dark green in color. The leaves are rolled and shaped differently throughout the sample bag. They are somewhat reminiscent of a loosely rolled gunpowder green tea while keeping in mind this is an Oolong we are talking about here.
The aroma of Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders is incredibly fresh, a bit on the roasted-green side, and nutty. The surprises don’t stop there! The flavor of this tea – once infused – is that closer to a malty yet roasted black tea. YES! It’s trickery is fascinating and certainly welcomed! It’s roasty, toasty, malty, sometimes floral yet sometimes vegetal, all at the same time. This ‘brews’ darker than most Oolongs I have had in recent memory. Underneath and closer to the end of the sip I can pick up on a dried apricot flavor as well. Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders continues to shock and amaze me! I must put this one on my list of favorite unflavored oolongs for this year (which I will be posting about sometime in the next couple of months so stay tuned).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Description
The creation of this tea is best described in a Nepalese tribal expression “Mio Kulang,” which means dragon or eagle claws. When the tea leaves open, they look like claws that slowly unfurl. Cultivated during the summer flush, the tea is plucked at the beginning of the harvest when the leaves are dark green. Processing begins with mechanical rolling and shaping, which gently bruises the leaves and darkens the color and indicates that its oxidation (60%) is complete. Its deep color reveals a surprisingly golden cup, with a rich-tasting amber cup and notes of toasted nuts, malt and apricots
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oo’ Peppermint from Harlow Tea Co
So let me just start by saying I am not the biggest oolong fan. Often times, I find the base takes over and if you aren’t a lover of that type of tea, it can be hard to overcome that. With that said, I am happy to report that is not a problem here. The oolong is present but subtle, providing a slightly floral foundation on which the other flavors are shining.
The star here is the peppermint. This did not come as a surprise in light of the tea being named Oo’ Peppermint. That plus the dry leaf had a whole lot of of mint leaves. It’s bright and fresh and provides a crisp yet smooth flavor.
However, this is more than just your typical peppermint tea. The dry leaf had almond pieces, tulsi leaves, and vanilla beans as well. The tulsi adds a hint of clove flavor to add a touch of spice while the almond counters that with a slight sweetness lingering beneath the mint. I am not getting as much vanilla as I hoped, especially since vanilla-mint, is a favorite combination of mine, but there is a bit of a creaminess to this tea that could be attributed to the vanilla beans. I just wish there was more vanilla flavor.
This is a lovely introduction to Harlow Tea Co., a new company for me, and though I wanted a little bit more from this tea it is still making for a pleasant evening treat. If you are a peppermint fan, this is a great tea for you because it will give you that peppermint flavor and then some.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harlow Tea Co
Description
Do you love peppermint, well I hope so! This tea gives a kick of peppermint that lingers long after that last sip is taken! Oolong has long, pun intended, been known as an all around pleasing tea for those who may find green tea too bitter and black tea too strong. Love both, then oolong is a perfect combination of the two!
Oo’ Peppermint offers hints of almond and is balanced with pieces of vanilla bean. You may even see some vanilla bean seeds in your tea!
Ingredients:
Oolong tea, peppermint leaf, almond pieces, tulsi leaf, and vanilla bean.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea
It’s been a while since my last Rou Gui Oolong that I had to look it up and I believe the last Rou Gui I did have was from Cloudwalker Teas. So when I noticed Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea I knew I HAD to try it.
This Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea has a bit of a roasted aroma and taste to it. It infuses fairly dark for an oolong which is more or less a medium brown when you look at it in the cup! In addition to this Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea being a bit roasted it also provides a good amount of rock and/or mineral flavor to it, too! This makes sense because it is a Wuyi Yancha or ‘Rock Tea’ after all.
The end sip on to the after taste has a lingering sweetness to it that makes me crave more. There are times I find comfort in the natural creaminess this tea gives off, too! It has a very full taste that seems to comes full circle! Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea MUST go on my list of top oolongs I’ve tried this year!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: White2Tea
Description:
Our Rougui is a Wuyi Yancha, or rock tea, from Fujian province.
Thick and mineral in the mouth, this tea has a medium roast that combines roasted character with spicy notes that linger in the mouth for a long lasting aftertaste. This tea has smaller than average sized leaf for a wuyi oolong, but the tea packs a punch.
Each purchase is for 50 grams of tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!