Did I mention I love oolong? Did I mention I have a ton of it? I’ve decided I really ought to start drinking it more, so I’ll be trying to make sure that happens.
I decided to try this one in the gaiwan. In the sample tin it has the same sort of heavy smell as the almond oolong though not quite as play-doh-y and obviously vanilla. The leaves are short and extremely dark brown.
They yield an amber liquor that smells slightly of vanilla.
Steep 1, 30 sec The flavor is definitely vanilla, with a sort of stonefruity oolong underneath. I have to really focus to taste the tea behind the vanilla, though.
Steep 2, 45 sec There is still vanilla, though it is a little weaker. I know there’s an oolong underneath but the vanilla flavor really melds with the tea in such a way that I can’t taste it independently. The aroma has a slight suggestion of coffee with cream now.
Steep 3, 1 minute There’s more nutty oolong in the aroma, but still a predominantly vanilla flavor. I am not sure whether it is the flavoring agent itself or the way it goes with the tea, but it’s neither something I’d call a creamy vanilla, nor a beany one. It leans more toward cream than bean, but it has something that strikes me as a false note about it. I have been finding that I have a harder time with teas, other than black and sometimes green ones, that have been flavored. Flavored whites and oolongs often don’t hit me just right. This one isn’t hitting me just right.
Steep 4, 1 min 15 sec The vanilla is hanging in. I’m noticing a silky mouthfeel, but I’m still not really tasting the underlying tea so much as I am the vanilla flavoring combined with the tea.
I may go a few more steeps, but I’m thinking this is about on a par with the almond oolong though perhaps less interesting. With the almond I got a definite fresh nutty-almond taste. This one does live up to its name on the vanilla side, but not so much on the oolong side. I may try the almond in the gaiwan and this one steeped western style and see what happens when I reverse the methods, but for now I like the almond better and I didn’t really view that one as a keeper.
Flavors: Vanilla
Preparation
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I can never get too much of oolong…I always crave it!!
Yeah, there is nothing like a really excellent oolong.
YAY OOLONG. It is magical. I actually really prefer using this tea in blends when I want something a bit wholesome and a vanilla-ness without tasting strongly of black tea. Or (as I also tend to do with flavoured coffees) adding half of this to half plain oolong so the vanilla’s a more subtle note.
Sami, that sounds like the way to go. I found the vanilla fairly overpowering here.
As I recall, this one tasted like a delicious vanilla sugar cookie :)
I also love oolong, but mostly the aroma wafting wuyi types
Terri, I wish I had gotten delicious vanilla sugar cookie from this one. :-( The vanilla in this, unfortunately, reminded me of the vanilla in the Numi Black Vanilla Decaf which I really did not like at all. It could be user error but it could also just be that I like a particular type of vanilla flavor that isn’t what this has. Oh well.
I added a little stevia to it :)
I can never get too much of oolong…I always crave it!!
Yeah, there is nothing like a really excellent oolong.
YAY OOLONG. It is magical. I actually really prefer using this tea in blends when I want something a bit wholesome and a vanilla-ness without tasting strongly of black tea. Or (as I also tend to do with flavoured coffees) adding half of this to half plain oolong so the vanilla’s a more subtle note.
Sami, that sounds like the way to go. I found the vanilla fairly overpowering here.
As I recall, this one tasted like a delicious vanilla sugar cookie :)
I also love oolong, but mostly the aroma wafting wuyi types
Terri, I wish I had gotten delicious vanilla sugar cookie from this one. :-( The vanilla in this, unfortunately, reminded me of the vanilla in the Numi Black Vanilla Decaf which I really did not like at all. It could be user error but it could also just be that I like a particular type of vanilla flavor that isn’t what this has. Oh well.
I added a little stevia to it :)