The Tea Scoop

Windamere Darjeeling Earl Grey Oolong

I mentioned in my post about Old Town Coffee, Tea, and Spice that walking into the store was like walking into heaven, with such an enticing aroma I could hardly stand it. It was even better once the proprietor starting pulling jars off the shelf and presenting them to me to sniff. It's a wonder I didn't buy all of the two hundred teas, as almost all of them smelled fabulous.  It was in fact quite hard to restrain myself, but somehow, I kept myself under rein.  I did make it out with a bit of an unusual Earl Grey: it was an oolong.  I have tried quite a variety of Earl Greys, finding them one of my favorites to compare variations. But I had not come across an oolong, and I thought that the peachy flavors of oolongs might play well of the citrusy floral notes of an Earl Grey.  I was intrigued by the idea of using Darjeeling for the base as well, since many blends have a Chinese base.  

This tea most certainly did not disappoint. All of the elements played together quite delightfully.  From the first sip, there was no doubt that this was Earl Grey.  The bergamot flavor was quite strong, but not overwhelming. Behind it were the subtleties that come from the Darjeeling region as well as the nuances of oolongs.  Even Mr. Tea Scoop found it quite enjoyable, although he usually does not prefer Earl Grey in general. 

Whoever created this blend deserves quite a bit of credit for making it stand apart from so many other Earl Grey blends on the market. Bravo. 

Sweet Oolong Revolution from Teavana

We had a recent run of cool, fall-like days here in Northern Virginia,  but now it appears that Summer has returned to finish out her term. Until Fall is allowed to take her place, I will be left craving sweaters, pumpkins, and steaming mugs of hot tea to warm chilled hands. Meanwhile, I'm satisfying my fall pumpkin cravings a little early with Sweet Oolong Revolution from Teavana. This oolong is blended with pumpkin, cloves, papaya, and cardamom. 

The papaya definitely adds something a little different to what would otherwise be a fairly ordinary spiced tea, although you see fewer spiced oolongs than spiced black teas.  But the smell of papaya filled the room as I waited for the tea to cool enough to drink, like a last whiff of summer before the crispness of autumn. Papaya is also the dominant flavor, bringing out the peachiness of the oolong, for a fruity first taste.  If you slurp the tea, allowing air to flow over the tea in your mouth, the flavors of cloves and cardamom become more prominent, while the pumpkin remains a very subtle background flavor.  

While tasty, I feel that too many flavors may be competing in this tea so that no single flavor really gets to shine.  The overall effect is that of walking into a Yankee Candle shop: it smells really good but you don't have much of an idea of what you are smelling because so many conflicting scents are mixing together. 

Wu Yi from Mighty Leaf

First, here's what Mighty Leaf has to say:

Wuyi Oolong tea made in China's Northern Fujian Wuyi mountains is well known for its smooth and rich body and taste. Long, beautiful twisted leaves impart a roasty aroma and produce a sweet, nuanced cup.  Like other oolongs our Wuyi oolong can be infused multiple times.

Now, here's what I have to say:

It certainly does have a roasty aroma. It is much richer than many oolongs I've tried, and the dark color of the leaves and deep red of the liquor indicate that this particular oolong appears to be more oxidized (closer to black tea than green tea) than many oolongs I have tasted.  In fact, it was so full bodied that I steeped it two separate times with new leaves, fearing that a recent steeping of Scottish Breakfast may have affected the taste. In fact, it was just a lot fuller than I expected it to be.  But do not be alarmed, this tea was delicious and I look forward to successive infusions to discover how it develops. The first infusion was much more roasty than sweet, but perhaps that sweet nuance in the description will appear in a second infusion.  So don't toss those oolong leaves after a single infusion. You're missing out!

Jade Oolong from Mighty Leaf

 While I can't remember exactly when it happened, I know for sure that my first taste of oolong came at a Chinese restaurant. We never had oolong at home, and it wasn't until many years later that I realized why the tea at Chinese restaurants tasted so different from the tea we drank at home. Even now, that distinctive flavor conjures up images of tin teapots and heaped up bowls of fluffy white rice. This particular oolong, however, has so much more to offer than simply washing down General Tso's chicken.  Here is what Mighty Leaf has to say about it:

Jade Oolong tea, made in China's Anxi province on a small co-op farm, is a competition grade, lightly oxided oolong tea with a complex, orchid-like taste.  This oolong tea has a distinctive silk mouth feel and a medium body.  The perfect loose tea for multiple infusion as the flavor will become more nuanced with each steeping.        

The "distinctive silk mouth feel" is definitely there.  I've been enjoying just holding it in my mouth, letting the complexities play out before letting it slide down.  Like most oolongs, there is the slight flavor of peaches, here mixed with orchids. Even for an oolong, it is a very light, airy tea.  

I haven't tried a second steeping yet, but the leaves await their next opportunity.  I'll let you know how it goes. ty Leaf