This tea didn’t impress me as outstanding in any way, despite its pretty blue malva blossoms. The complexity I look for in an oolong just wasn’t there. Toasty taste without sweetness or florality, not even the promised (and hoped-for) violet. A bit of spice and caramel emerged in the third steep. However, it must be noted that added flavorings, such as (in this case) violet, weaken with age faster than the innate flavor of the tea. My sample came from a swap, in a well-worn bag, which might indicate an old or ill-kept bit of tea. So I moderated my rating accordingly.
Ultraviolet
Yet another Tea Noir exclusive blend comes your way – you won’t find anything like Ultraviolet elsewhere!
Violets are one of the wonders of the botanical world. They’re pretty AND tasty – and boy howdy, are they good in tea and confections. Tea Noir’s tea mistress loves a good violet candy, and she’s come up with a way to infuse that delicate, heady flavour and aroma into her favourite oolong tea leaves!
The base for this blend is premium, tippy long-leaf oolong tea that brews up into a delicious pale amber liquor. Oolong is a semi-oxidised tea that’s somewhere between a black and a green in taste – it’s not as sharp or strong as black tea, but neither is it quite as subtle as green. It’s just right when mixed up with the floral notes of violet and topped off with a colourful hit of blue malva blossoms, cultivated without chemicals.
This one’s a treat for the tastebuds and the eyes alike! And wow, what an aroma!
Ultraviolet is wonderful drunk straight up, but you might want to give it a shot with a hint of cream and sugar, too – the sweetness enhances the subtle violet flavour, while the cream just adds a special something.
