99% Oxidized Purple Oolong

I had another purple oolong from a different vendor (Sereni-tea), but this is most likely similar, if not the very same.

The dry leaves, after steeping smell just like roasted coffee. I decided to steep this in the gaiwan this afternoon and did so for about 60 seconds. It’s definitely an interesting tea, has notes of buckwheat and cinnamon. It is a fairly unusual oolong and might be an acquired taste, I notice one of the other tasters hated it, but it reminds me a bit of a red robe.

The second steep is a bit more mellow and fruitier, has some notes of plum in it. If you’re into darker oolongs, you may want to check it out. I did get a full sized tin of it so I hope the oxidation means it will keep for a while. I may need to try cold brewing the leftovers.

Purple Oolong? I like the colour purple! Lol, just the excuse to want to get this tea!

I found this oolong very different. It steeps up very dark reddy purple. It smells like bitter coffee. The taste? Smokey ash, cedar, malt, amber, cinnamon, and caramel. Later infusions the tea got chocolately!

99% OP Oolong resteeps very well, I was following the package for 3 minute steeps, and I got up to 8 runs with not bitter or dryness. I’m scared to try this in a gaiwan, it would be CRAZY NEVER ENDING OOLONG CHAOS!

This is an oolong for you black and pu’er drinkers that love a solid earthy cup without grassy or floral oolong fluff. However, I am a grassy floral oolong lover, I did enjoy this tea for the unique flavor notes.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/99-oxidized-purple-oolong-from-art-of-tea-tea-review/

EDIT: it’s also Oolong Week at my blog. Yeah, it started late, busy with memorial day and all.

I love this tea. It’s not even slightly purple, so I think art of tea may have gotten too artsy with some filters and forgot to look at the real tea, but that doesn’t change my opinion on it.

Definitely hints of sweet cinnamon, quite musky too. I prefer the 2nd and 3rd infusions over the 1st, and have made up to 8 cups with one teaspoon, which is nice. I’d recommend a 3 minute infusion first, then a 4 minute infusion. The second steeping always seems very smooth compared to the first.

This would go perfectly with a cinnamon-raisin bagel.

:)

EDIT: It does take a cup or two to get used to it because it IS very confusing and different. I think I threw my first cup out when I first tried this.

Have you ever had Sugar Smacks cereal as a kid? Well, if you haven’t try this tea because it tastes EXACTLY like it! This tastes of cinnamon, honey and sweet wheat… a plus in my book!

ACK! I don’t like to write negative reviews but this tea just tastes foul to me, nasty. Now that’s dreadful to say. I just wrote about an oolong last night that I adored and gave a score of 100. I love oolong teas and have many in my cupboard. But this was an expensive tea and reading about the notes of cinnamon and amber, well, as an oolong lover I knew I had to try it and I treated myself to it. Now I have a 3.5 oz tin that I won’t use and it is very disappointing! And the color is not purple, though it says so on the tin and in the description, but a deep brown like other brown teas. I keep wondering if they put the wrong tea in the tin but I know they didn’t because it looks just like the picture. I was careful not to over-steep because it said it was good for many infusions. That says to me “LOOK OUT, THIS TEA IS GOING TO GET STRONG FAST!” but it didn’t taste too strong nor bitter. I feel like I’m at a wine tasting for a new and highly regarded wine with rave reviews and I’m looking sheepishly around the room at everybody applauding it and I want to creep out because I dislike it so. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, but as I said I have and love many oolongs so an oolong taste is familiar to me even though of course they are all different. Here I go to trudge back into the kitchen, throw it out, and brew something else. I really need a good cup of tea. THIS isn’t it!

This is indeed a peculiar tea. The dry leaf is very very pretty, though to describe it as purple would require some imagination. The aroma is both earthy and spicy, smelling of tobacco and cinnamon. The flavor is full and complex; at first biscuity, almost tasting of potato, also peppery and musky. (I found that a shorter steeping time – say 2 1/2 minutes or so – gave a less potato-y brew.) The cinnamon-raisin note comes as an aftertaste, which is at the same time almost vegetal. I’ve never tasted a tea quite like this one, and was not initially turned on to it. After a few cups, however, I’ve grown to really like it. I think it would make a good breakfast tea.