When I opened the packet I received of this tea, I realized I was going to have to dig out a different infuser from the one I had planned – because the leaves of this tea are so long, they wouldn’t fit in my usual little infuser! Many of the leaves were well over an inch long! So I got out a 3-inch mesh infuser, the kind I use for a whole pot rather than one cup, to hold one serving of these leaves without breaking them.
The aroma of the dried leaves is not extraordinary – and the aroma of the brewed tea is not very strong – but the taste is surprising: it is somewhat smoky. Not tarry smoky the way, say, Lapsang Souchong is, but nonetheless smoky. It has a sort of smoke note that reminds me of mesquite wood used for smoking brisket the Texas way. The taste is quite woody – not vegetal, but woody. I like this smoky and woody flavor – but if you are expecting the peachy note and complete smoothness that many people associate with Oolong, you might find this one a little too dark at first – you’d have to get used to it.
The instructions say to brew the tea for 4 minutes. I wondered whether the smoky taste was due perhaps to steeping it that long, but I found that even with a steeping time of only two and a half minutes, the flavor was that smoky, woody, dark taste.
KTeas describes this tea as:
This delicious organic dark oolong has deep, warm, woody tones with a hint of chocolate and fruit. A smooth, well balanced tea from that is traditionally grown and processed in the lovely Wuyi Mountains in China’s Fujian Province.
This is, indeed, a very dark Oolong – I think that many people who like black tea best would like this Oolong, while those who usually like lighter Oolongs would want to try a small sample first, to get used to it.
As with most Oolongs, this is good for a second steeping, and still has that very dark taste on the second steeping. I haven’t yet had time to try steeping some leaves a third time, but judging by how much flavor was left in second steepings, the tea should be good for a third steeping.
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Recent Comments
"When I was a kid, in the middle of winter, my friend Penny and I eachbought a quart of ice cream, skated to the island in the middle of our lake and ate them. Soooo good and soooo naughty. It keeps us young to be naughty sometimes. I would just go for it an enjoy!"
marlena said, in reply to Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud on August 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
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Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud
"Well, as someone who has tasted a lot of chai tea, I can attest that this really is not very similar in taste to Chai. Chai tends to focus on the spices, whereas this tea’s focus is on the orange, with the spices being very gentle and more of an accent to the orange."
liber-teas said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:00 pm
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Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"How fun! I love drinking tea so I love that you have a whole blog related to reviewing them. One brand that I really love that I don’t see on your list is the Portsmouth Tea Company. When I lived in Boston I used to buy lots of their teas and they were oh so unique. They had some really great fruity and floral blends. It’s interesting that..."
Kelly said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 am
Kelly on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"Haha!! My co-worker told me that she purchased this tea after having purchased the Matcha Latte at Seattle’s Best, and her and another co-worker purchased this because they believed it was what was served there. She stated to me today that “it didn’t seem the same exactly…it felt like their was something..."
The Tea Guru said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:55 pm
The Tea Guru on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that this is the concentrate that Seattle’s Best coffee shops use to make their matcha latte. The lattes I’ve enjoyed there were sweet with a definite melon flavor… and I have noticed that they sell other Tazo teas there. If it IS the concentrate that they use… I am..."
liber-teas said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:47 pm
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Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I Love this tea!! This flavor is my favorite. I am so addicted to it! Thanks
"
Betsy said, in reply to Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea on August 20, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Betsy on:
Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
"Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches."
liber-teas said, in reply to Easter Tea from Dammann Frères on August 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm
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Easter Tea from Dammann Frères