Not gonna lie to you, Sisters: these past few weeks have been QUITE STRESSFUL for me. So I’ve been in Treat Yo’self mode: cookies. cheese. trashy pop music. trips to the zoo. leisurely walks on the treadmill instead of strenuous weight lifting.
And tea. ALWAYS TEA.
Today I decided to try one of the samples I’ve been looking forward to: Autumn Tieguanyin from Verdant Tea. Oolongs are my current favorite, and frankly, I deserve fineries.
This tea is a creamy walk through a spring meadow filled with fluttering buttercups. It’s so light and dainty. If it were an garment, it would be a pastel mint-colored tutu. If it were a voice, it’d be Ingrid Michaelson’s.
The tasting notes I’m picking up are mostly flowery, sweet vegetal, and slightly creamy. The description on Verdant Tea’s site says “pound cake,” which I’m not sure I’m getting. This may be, in part, due to my profound unclassiness. I may not have enough fae in my blood to be able to pick up on everything. But I’m getting the idea, and I’m adoring it.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
Master Zhang has worked for over four decades continuing his family’s craft growing true Tieguanyin varietal tea high above Daping village in Anxi. He is working to bring back the original habitat of the region by clearing mountainsides and planting trees, bringing back wildlife and biodiversity, for better tea and a better future. He has won awards across China and has been recognized as one of the leading teachers and craftsman in Anxi for his unique approach to grading teas and processing for flavor. Instead of grading solely by elevation or tree age, Master Zhang holds the “Reserve” designation for the few teas that meet his strict criteria of lingering intensive aftertaste, pervasive sweetness, and thick creamy body. This means that only the leaves whose weather, position in the field and processing come together perfectly can be offered as Master Zhang’s reserve. This reserve grade Tieguanyin was hand-picked and hand finished with an exhaustive fluffing and turning process to bring out deep intense florals and creamy texture.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Watermelon Oolong/Fraser Tea
Hello my fellow tea drinkers, I come with another of cup tea that offers a different experience than the normal oolong Tea experience. This tea features the completely natural flavor of watermelon. Which is indeed a feat for being that I am a lover of watermelons and melons, in general. I have had many teas and treats that feature a grossly overpowered artificial watermelon flavor. But I believe that this tea actually has captured the true essence of that summertime fruit.
The really interesting thing about this blend’s composition is that it features no watermelon at all. Now the reason is that watermelon is, of course, very hard to dry out. This blend’s ingredients are as follows; oolong, green tea, blueberries, coconut, mango, papaya, pineapples, lemongrass, osmanthus, and cornflowers. With all these flavors combined it is hard to believe that it tastes just like a cup of watermelon! With the first sip, you get that kick of sweet, refreshing watermelon and then the blend of oolong and green tea mellow it out while still carrying that flavor all the way through. I will also say that I was very skeptical of this blend for I have never been a fan of mango and papaya but I am happy to be surprised that my tastebuds can be fooled!
For the prices on this blend, for 12 sachets it is $8.98, for a 4-ounce loose leaf tin it is $11.95, 8 ounces $21.95, 12 ounces $28.95, and for 16 ounces it is $34.95. Now it does look there is a way on their site to get specific samples and I believe that you add the item designated as “samples” to your cart and in the “notes” section of the checkout then you list your desired teas. They also have specific tea blend samplers that features a handful of black teas to their rooibos tea blends.
To conclude, this tea great to drink cold or hot at any time of the year! It provides that watermelon flavor without being artificial. So if you are curious and want to try something a bit different I will give this blend a try, I certainly don’t regret it!
See you for the next cuppa!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fraser Tea
Description
A virtual summer picnic in your glass, Watermelon Oolong Organic Oolong Tea combines fresh berries and tropical fruit flavors together with lemongrass for a crisp and refreshing taste. This superior grade organic oolong tea offers numerous nutritional benefits including weight management, diabetes management, and mental health. Think wellness; embrace flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
My Green Teapot – Orange Green Oolong
My Green Teapot…what a wonderful name for a tea company. I have had a few of their flavored Oolongs before and I have to say I AM A FAN! I think they have some of the BEST single flavor FLAVORED OOLONGS I have had.
This time around I sampled the Orange Green Oolong from My Green Teapot. It was truly delightful.
The aroma what what you would expect from an orange flavored ‘anything’ let alone an orange flavored oolong. Citrusy and sweet. The taste was a mirror of the aroma…sweet, juicy, YUMMY, citrus! Straight-up! Nothing added to throw the pure citrus goodness for a loop!
The Oolong itself was mouthwatering and pure. A perfect pairing!
With naturally lower levels of caffeine I was able to sip on this at any given time, too! I can’t wait to try more of their flavored Oolongs! They are a REAL TREAT!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: My Green Teapot
Description
Our Orange Green Oolong Teas are all natural whole leaf teas from Taiwan infused with orange.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Da Hong Pao Oolong Premium Oolong/Little Red Cup Tea Co. . . .
I seem to be in a funk lately. I need to snap out of it. If I continue to drink tasty teas like this one – it just might help! The tea I’m sipping on today is Little Red Cup Tea Co’s Da Hong Pao Premium Oolong.
This tea brews to a deep mahogany red. I can pick up notes of cinnamon-plum, and gently roasted caramel. It’s robust but not overly robust and this tea has no bitter notes! It offers the perfect balance of smooth, deep, rich, and natural flavor.
I do LOVE the aroma before, during, and after infusing, too! There is a spec of cocao nib nose on it that was a pleasant surprise! It’s delish on the tongue and taste-buds, to boot!
This is one of the better oolongs I have tried in the past year! Hands Down! I would suggest it to just about anyone!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Little Red Cup
Description
Our Da Hong Pao (大红袍) is a marvelous mountain-grown rock tea from Enshi Prefecture in southwestern Hubei Province. Almost fully oxidized, it brews a deep mahogany red — with notes of cinnamon, plums, and caramel. Robust yet easy to brew, this tea has no bitter notes — only smooth, deep, rich, flavor.
This is a tea to be enjoyed on a regular basis, but also one to bring out for special occasions. It has taken us nearly ten years since we began our search for a great Da Hong Pao that is both organic and Fair Trade to get to the point where we can add this special oolong to our offerings. It is at once familiar and yet a cut above ordinary oolongs, a tea we are certain you will love.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oriental Beauty from Qi Aerista. . . .
Qi Aerista’s Oriental Beauty oolong is so dark I’d probably have thought it was a black tea if I hadn’t been told otherwise by its name.
This tea has a really unique honey-black flavor that comes from, interestingly, its odd chemical makeup. These tea leaves were attacked by a certain kind of bug; so the tea, as a defense, released a chemical to attract its predators. This chemical (or the interaction with the bugs, not sure which) tastes like there’s pollen ground into the rich woodsy earth of the tea. Because it’s a straight black, I’m fairly sure this doesn’t translate into calories. Yessss.
I like this tea a lot. It has a good taste and a cool story. I offer up a thumb pointed to the sky, friends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Qi Aerista
Description
This tea is no longer offered on the site but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!