Vanilla Oolong

You know, I’m so overwhelmed by samples that I totally forgot I had a whole bunch of them from DAVIDs! I got one of the sampler packs in the cute little tins, I forget which one but it has an absolutely gorgeous leaf design on the front. Classy! I’ve been working my way through them slowly, and decided it was about time to try them all out. This one was up first, since it smells like pudding which is never a bad thing.

I cold brewed this for 12 hours, even though the weather is getting a little chilly and perhaps it’s time to move back to warm teas. It was 75 this afternoon and it seemed hot in comparison to what we’ve been getting in NY! Fall really is pretty much here. Then again I drink iced tea in the dead of winter.

This tea reminds me a LOT of Silk Dragon and Mandarin Silk, both in appearance and taste. It’s got that pudding-like quality, though with the Silk Dragon it was more like delicate vanilla cupcakes. Here it’s POW vanilla right in the face, and sadly it’s a hair artificial. Not enough to ruin the cup, but I definitely prefer the other variations of this that I’ve tried. I mean, it’s still good, and if I hadn’t had Silk Dragon I’d probably rate it a lot higher, but… vanilla oolongs have been spoiled for me! Silk Dragon is the one.

Brought this one to my Shakespearean Acting class today. We’re all sitting at the table, and my professor pauses in his lecture, looks at me and goes “Is that wine?”

The class turns to stare at me… I raise my eyebrows at my professor like “Come on. Please.” and he goes “Oh no, this is you, that’s tea.”

“I have wine-flavored tea,” I say. “Oolong Chardonnay’s my jam!”

It’s his turn to roll his eyes at me. “I have wine flavored… wine,” he says.

“What are those… things… floating in your drink?” one of the other kids asks.

“Leaves!”

“What, you mean, like, tea leaves?”

“Yup!”

“Woahhhhh.”

“If any of you ever want tea… Michelle can hook you up,” says my professor.

#shakespearestories

Love this tea, love it. Creamy and sweet and oolongy goodness. Ah. So good. Doesn’t get bitter either!

Amanda – You spoil me! Thank YOU!!!

This one, at first, didn’t have enough flavor for me. BUT…as I was typing my tasting notes – after it had just a few minutes to cool at room temp…I decided to delete my notes and start again!

While this is super hot – the Vanilla wasn’t all that loud. As it cools the vanilla seemed to come out and play a bit more. It’s still not overly flavored, tho.

The oolong itself is quite nice. A great Pouchong, indeed! In the aftertaste I can pick up a subtle hint of citrus which was a nice surprise.

After I gave this a 2nd chance – it turned out fairly satisfying. If you are looking for super intense vanilla – this really isn’t it, but it’s still tasty with the oolong base.

Since I just made a note on Vanilla Orchid I felt it was only fair to pay homage to its predecessor: The original Vanilla Oolong. I made both of these together so I could get the full effect of their differences.

Instead of the beautiful green balls of the updated version this oolong has long black wiry leaves that unravel green during steep. They’re also accompanied by a marigold and lemon myrtle tag team. It has more of a boozy bottle kind of vanilla aroma than the milky kind observed in Orchid during dry stage.

Steeped: I can barely smell any vanilla compared to Orchid cup. The taste is also not as smooth- the creamy vegetal Pouchong carrying most of the flavour profile. It’s nowhere as milky sweet as the newer model and the finish has an odd lemon-y flavour too it that makes it a tad sour and more astringent. There’s something a tad artificial about it too.

This is not a bad cup at all but it is in need of some creaminess and cohesion. Vanilla Orchid almost has too much floral cream in comparison- it’s so rich and buttery! The more I drink the Orchid the more the Vanilla ‘O’ tastes weak and watery. I don’t even want to re-steep it (I always feel like a criminal when I don’t re-steep my oolong).

I think taking out some of the additives and changing the type of oolong was a good move. I like flowers and vanilla bean ice cream, and I’m for this upgrade.

Enjoying a big cup of this thanks to Robyn!

The aroma is deliciously vanilla-y and creamy, and the flavour closely matches, with a lovely vanilla aftertaste, although there’s almost a bit of a sour note showing up. I can’t really tell that the base here is oolong, aside from a little bit of an oolongy aftertaste. I personally think that this oolong could have been executed a little bit better, but it is still pretty tasty to drink as is. Thanks again for passing this along, Robyn – it definitely has a better home here! :)

ETA: Whoops, oversteeped second infusion (4.5 or 5 minutes or however long I infused it for was too long). I was amused however, at the fact that when trying to figure out which tea was in the infuser, I could have sworn it was Citron Oolong in this one. So apparently I seem to be picking up some sort of lemoniness. I can kind of taste it in the cup as well. Not entirely sure I like it, but that’s ok! I suspect this one can continue for another infusion or so, but I think I’ve had enough of it for now. I’ll steep it properly next time…

Have you ever seen the Friends episode where the guys are avoiding Central Perk because they don’t want to get in a fight with some other guys there. So they make instant Cappuccino at their house, only its not working right, so Chandler yells “Keep stirring, keep stirring… never let it settle!”

I feel that way about this tea… kind of. Except less with the compulsive stirring, and more with the compulsive drinking. It’s getting less tasty as it cools… like… noticeably by the minute.

Although, let me back up about ten minutes. Freshly brewed, this tea SMELLS DIVINE. If judged by a panel of tongueless… uh… tea judges I guess, this tea would win all the awards. All of them.

The first sip almost lives up to the promise that the aroma offers. It’s good, it’s actually very good, one of the best non-minerally oolongs I’ve had (I’m not terribly fond of green oolongs, TGYs and the like… no real reason, they just don’t do it for me). It’s sweet, and creamy, with the tiniest hint of that juniper-y oolong flavor, and a faint aftertaste of lemon. It doesn’t quite live up to the aromatic pleasure that you’re expecting, but close.

But each successive sip… the sweet creaminess waned, and this sour bite started coming in stronger and stronger. Had I chugged this like mad, I would probably rate this really highly… but for a slow, sipping kind of tea that I expect oolong to be… no sir, I don’t like it.

When I bake something that called for 1 tsp of vanilla, I usually dump in about 2 tablespoons. I can’t get enough of that boozy delicious vanilla smell when I make cookies, or anything that calls for vanilla! Yum! But if I am ever silly enough to taste it on it’s own.. blech!

This tea is like fulfilling my Vanilla fantasy! The smell is so deep and rich vanilla that it is like drinking true vanilla extract, but it tasted good! Really good! Creamy and wonderful, I love the the oolong peeks out.
My first steep was only 2 minutes, so my second for 5 was still vanilla flavoured, but much less so. Still an amazing 2nd steep, but not enough flavour to keep me going for more.

Initially, I wasn’t too interested in this tea. I mean, vanilla oolong? Kinda dull, right? Well, as usual, the hype got to me. Lots of people seem to like this so I got myself a .5oz sample.

I’m must say, I’m surprised at the size and quality of the leaf. Usually, when I get flavored oolongs, the leaves are kinda crumbly or small. These leaves are large and dark green! Pretty! I also enjoyed the occasional orange petal of some variety.

When brewed, the vanilla flavor seemed pretty artificial to me. It’s like vanilla ice cream, but with a bit of a chemical background. The citrus flavors are pretty light and very enjoyable. Now that I think about it, it’s kind of similar to the Orange Blossom oolong I had earlier today. The other one was way better, possibly because of the jasmine. I feel kind of bad comparing the two but I pretty much had them back to back. :(

In the second steep, the oolong flavor came forward a little better and I could taste something floral and green. I’m really interested in how this tea tastes without the added flavor. I might light it better, to be honest, since the flavoring seems chemical-y to me.

Still, it is enjoyable. I’m going for the third steep where, hopefully, the flavors will have receded enough for me to taste the base more thoroughly. :)

I wanted to love this since it smells like vanilla custard, but I am just not enjoying it. It tastes too artificial and it’s covering up the oolong for me. I only steeped it for 3 minutes because the 4-7 is a bit long for me for an oolong but I am definitely going to give it another shot. I love vanilla so I probably just have to tweak some things.

This was my first oolong, and I’m not sure what to think. I like that it was light and smooth, and I liked the vanilla flavor. However, there was a distinct milkiness to it, and I’m not sure whether it was the excessive vanilla flavour that many people mention this tea has or whether it was the oolong itself. As it cooled, the milkiness came out more and more and this became sweeter. It got sickening as it cooled and I couldn’t finish the last 1/4 of the mug because it was just too much. I really hate milk/cream and this started to taste like warm, super sweet milk.
It’s clear the leaf is high quality; it was nice to see such whole pretty leaves. I will definitely resteep this to see if that milkiness goes away because if it does, I’ve got a feeling I really like the oolong underneath that. I’ll definitely be trying another oolong without a vanilla note (will probably steer clear of DT’s Milk Ooolong as well)

EDIT: The second steep on this was less sweet, but possibly even more milky than the first steep. I couldn’t choke down more than a few mouthfuls. I really don’t like this tea and will have to start a swap pile with it, since others seem to rate it highly. Just not my cup.

Dry Leaf Nose: Sweet vanilla and fine oolong tea.

Liquor: Medium green and clear with a fresh oolong/vanilla nose.

Flavour: Interesting mix of a fresh, almost piney oolong and sweet vanilla. The oolong tea tempers the vanilla allowing it to remain sweet, recognizable and refreshing.

24 days of tea disassembled: http://instagram.com/p/S10nURoc16/
i’m taking a trip this weekend and i separated the tea samples by type so i can bring a variety with me and my timolino travel mug.
guess where i’m going? … chicago
guess what they have there? … davidstea stores!

I tried this cold brewed as David’s “Tea of the Day” yesterday. I had been meaning to try it for some time, but other teas just got in the way. And I’m generally not the biggest fan of green oolongs. But I liked this! I liked it a lot! It smells like a bakery and tastes like one too. The flavor of the oolong is there, but it’s so well-balanced by the vanilla that I actually like it. I will buy some to try in latte form.

Thanks to the advent calendar for making me try this one! It’s DT’s only oolong I hadn’t yet tried, the reason being I’m a huge fan of straight oolongs, and for some reason, I always felt like vanilla was going to overwhelm it in here and leave me disappointed. Plus, a vanilla-only flavoured tea? I love vanilla, but I prefer it as a compliment to other flavours.

Well, these 2 problems got resolved in one simple way! What the vanilla compliments here is the oolong! I totally get the taste of oolong, and it doesn’t appear to me like they used a cheap oolong for the blend, it’s quite delicious! I don’t get any of the orange mentioned in the description, but that’s ok, just vanilla and oolong is a tasty combination.
The vanilla makes me think of cake, and the oolong makes me think of… well, a nice straight oolong. We all know cake with a nice cup of straight oolong is heaven, so I’m happy to have all of it in one cup!

I’m getting ready to make a few big tea orders, and a lot of the teas I’m ordering involve the word “vanilla”. I was worried I was going overboard, and that I don’t really love vanilla as much as I think I do…

…and then I had a cup of this. Mmm, vanilla. Yes, I love vanilla. And vanilla tea is my happy place. I opened this up hours ago to talk about how this just didn’t resteep well for me, but then I got distracted and the tea cooled considerably. Never mind. It resteeped beautifully, I just notice it more when it’s cool, like most teas.

The vanilla curls up with the oolong for a creamy liquor that just…mmm. I love this tea.

I guess this is the time of Vanilla because there has been so much tea coming out or waiting to be reviewed that uses the hell out of this most sexy of ingredients.

Dry this Oolong smells sweet,creamy and with a tiny kiss of orange to tie it all together nicely.I can’t get over how sweet this smells it’s really decadent and rich like a pudding or mousse.

Once brewed the Oolong comes out on top but the base stays ridiculously smooth and creamy.I cannot wait to try you!The liquor lies golden in my mug.

As for taste..it taste like it smells..creamy,sweet and smooth ..almost seems to have a milk like base and I think this would make an unbelievable latte if ONLY I knew how!

It’s lovely and light and just the thing for a lonely mid afternoon..at your desk.

It’s basically a non-latte latte..if that makes any sense.

This drink is perfect for : Oolong lovers,Vanilla lovers and lazy latte lovers that want similar taste with little to no effort.It is also for people who want a superb latte and are damn good at making them.Also perfect for people who want to get into not sweetening their tea since this one needs no such thing.KEEP ALL SWEETENETS AWAY..it’s perfectly sweet on it’s own.
This drink is not for people who don’t like milky tastes and aren’t fans of vanilla or Oolong however it may be a game changer for people just beginning experimenting with Oolong since it’s so light and flavorful and full of potential.

I have a lot of this ..not sure if I will buy more..but for right now this drink is perfect.

Reminds me of :cream,lattes,vanilla pudding,spring time,lovely velvet draped casually across across a couch,soft music,white flowers,bars of gold and sweet light kisses.

This was more a favourite of the other half’s when we were in Canada last year. He had this iced almost every time we went to a DT, so I got 50g and bought it home. Think there’s only about a cupful left now, should probably finish this one! Its sweet and soft and ices really well. Hits the spot on a hot day.

Oh my. THIS IS A GREAT OOLONG TEA!
What a great vanilla, sweet, smooth smell!
With the smell being so amazing, it does not let you down.
The great flavour of the oolong tea blends in perfectly with the vanilla aroma and hinting taste. Strong alcohol type smell, mixed with the vanilla when steeped.
I would absolutely recommend this tea! I have it in the morning, and it starts the day off perfectly!

Go and get this now, if you love vanilla.
Put a lil bit of sugar in it, and it is a ROLLER COASTER RIDE.
Well, not quite, but it is AMAZING.

Holy Vanilla Batman. I am not sure how to rate this because it is still too hot to drink but the smell and flavour of vanilla is almost overpowering. I think this will make a great drink in the winter. For some reason I crave and enjoy vanilla in the winter.

I will give this an actual rating later. Right now I am glad I only got 10g of this one.

Edit. second steep was much better. Really enjoyed this tea without being smacked upside the head with vanilla. Not sure how to fix that except to make hubby drink the first steeping and I can have the better second/third ones.

The dry leaf smells deliciously of vanilla and flowery cream. Nice long twists of oolong leaf amongst pretty yellow lemon myrtle and marigold pieces.
The liquor is a nice pale greenish yellow that smells delicious. Vanilla cake… or pudding… hmm. Definite creaminess to the oolong with a light vanilla taste. I’m definitely getting vanilla pudding. I wish it had real vanilla bean pieces in it to bump up the vanilla flavour. Its delicious and delicate though…. but I still wish it was a little stronger with the vanilla flavour. It’s still very pleasant.