“Using this tea for the January sipdown prompts “an apricot tea” and “a new tea.” It was the only apricot tea I could find in my spreadsheet, and came from my latest tea order, which was in December...” Read full tasting note
“Summer 2021 possibly August or September. Sipdown – goodbye summer! I’m glad someone’s playing around with the natural stone-fruit notes in roasted and red oolong teas. I’ve said it many times...” Read full tasting note
“I don’t think I’ve even realized there’s almond flavouring in this tea until this cup. I got the usual sort of peachy/tropical vibe that I’m used to and it was kind of that perfect balance of sweet...” Read full tasting note
“(52teas (Anne) 2022: 72) Someone else drank this recently and I knew I had it but couldn’t remember the flavour at all… so here we are! I think I must have enjoyed it more the first time, based on...” Read full tasting note
Tea of the Week for June 28, 2021
Anniversary Tea: Best of Summer Oolong!
Tea Description: This tea is BOTH our tea of the week for June 28, 2021 & our Happy Anniversary to Us tea for this year. I had planned on a different tea for June 28, but that tea didn’t go as planned & rather than keep our subscribers waiting any longer for that tea to be tweaked, I decided to just reshuffle the menu slightly. Next month, keep your eyes peeled for a VIT release! (Note for subscribers: you’ll receive a bonus tea in your July box!)
Until then, lemme tell you about this tea! This tea begins with a blend of dark Oolong teas (a baked Thai Oolong & a dark Fujian Oolong). The blend was first flavored with almond essence (don’t worry, it’s nut free & allergen friendly!) & then combined with peaches & apricots to give it a decidedly summer-y taste. Hence the name! The richness & deeply baked notes of the Oolong tea blend together with the fruit notes of apricot & peach give this a sort of “cooked fruit” taste & the nuttiness of the almonds shines through – to create a nut & fruit dessert experience for your teacup. Sweet, juicy, smooth – absolutely lovely!
Oh, it’s also organic, VEGAN, gluten-free & allergen-free.
organic ingredients: oolong teas, peaches, apricots & natural flavors
Generally speaking, when it comes to Oolong teas, I prefer them served hot. But this particular blend – you really should try iced because it is spectacular chilled! Still amazing hot, of course, but since these days I’m drinking more iced tea than hot (due to the fact that we’re getting a serious heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest) this particular tea is a TREAT & helps to make these rather unbearably hot days just a little more bearable. (Air conditioning helps too!)
I love how smooth this Oolong blend is. It is naturally rich & fruity so the addition of almond essence, peaches & apricots just enhances the overall fruity notes. As I mentioned in the description above, the natural toasty notes of the Oolong (almost charcoal-y?) give the cup a fire-roasted dessert kind of taste – like a sweet peach-apricot-almond crumble fresh off the campfire!
to brew: PLEASE shake this blend before you measure it. The Oolong has two distinctly different leaf shapes, one is more of a pellet while the other is more of a twisted leaf shape – and the pellets tend to settle toward the bottom of the pouch and you’ll want both of these teas equally represented in your teacup!
use 2 1/2 grams of leaf & fruit to 12 ounces of very hot water (heated to 180°F) & steep for 3 1/2 minutes. strain & allow to cool for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
this blend doesn’t really need sugar, I found it plenty sweet enough without & I personally prefer it unsweetened. However, if you are one who likes a sweeter tea, I would recommend trying a drizzle of honey.
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