Red Robe

I’m surprised I am the first to log this one, too!

Dry leaves somewhat smell like Cocoa. Yum.
Post infusion liquid smell is slightly smokey or maybe roasted would be a better fit. Almost like roasted pumpkin seeds, perhaps.

It tastes roasted and a bit like nuts or seeds. I will agree that the end of the sip and after taste are sweet…this amazes me! It’s like a HAPPY ENDING tea. YAY!

I’ve had this sample for awhile but I have never wanted to try it. Partially because I have no idea why I ordered it, as it doesn’t seem like something I’d care for. Well, time to find out if that’s true or a dumb assumption.

It smells very much like cedar chips. And tastes like them. And a roasted pumpkin. I’m not sure I am a fan of it because it has so much going on. Every sip there’s something new. Now it’s cedar chips, roasted pumpkin, and mineral water. I can’t say I am a fan of that combination of flavors.

It was probably a stretch for me to like an oolong this dark. It’s intriguing, but it’s not for me. But it was worth a try. I’ll probably swap the rest.

Okay this is the only tea from The Traveling Tea Box I am using all the leaves up on. It really was only enough for one serving, but ironically it is the one I would be the most likely to keep if there was more. I love Big Red Robe, namely Verdant’s but this measures up pretty well and it is much better than Adagio’s. It’s got the nice mineral sweetness, roastyness and woodsyness with a hint of cassia, caramel and cocoa. I have steeped this around 5 times today, but I really need to move on to another tea so I can get the box on its way tomorrow. Yum!

Steep Information:
Amount: 5.8g
Water: 750ml 180°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 4 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chocolate
Steeped Tea Smell: chocolate
Flavor: bakey, lightly vegetal, smooth, a little malty
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: translucent light orange brown

Resteep: 5 min, 750ml 180°F
The same, but fuller

Did not have time for a third steep.

Delicious oolong, not as loved as I love my Zealong, but a nice runner up.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/thepuritea-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-red.html

First impression…WOW! It is full of flavor and sweet at the end of the sip. I felt like it was woody and earthy but not at all in a grassy way. It is way more bolder than that. This is another spectrum of earthy tastes we don’t normally get in teas and I am certainly going to have to pick some of this up. I am truly happy I got to try this.

This is a good tea, but I really don’t like it very much. I know, that sounds like a contradiction. I admire the roasted, chestnut, smooth and sweet flavors in this tea — it has notes of honey and something else sweet that I can’t quite identify. But I really don’t want to spend a lot of time drinking this. I prefer flavors that are a bit more robust or in your face. That’s not to say this tea is weak or flavorless — far from it. It’s just that something in its flavor profile isn’t quite to my preference.

This tea has dark leaves (practically black) and reminds me quite a bit of Golden Moon Honey Orchid. So if you like that, I think you will like this.

Another oolong from RachanaC (A.K.A. Rachel)!

This tea looks particularly cool… the leaves are long and rolled up like stems.

This tastes very toasted. I agree with what others have said about this tasting like toasted pumpkin seeds. It reminds me of that very much. I’m starting to get a feel for what oolongs taste like, thanks to this. Warm, nutty, and pleasant. Would be good with breakfast as a mellow alternative to a kick-in-the-face black tea.

oo.. this is lovely. For whatever reason, I’ve been afraid to try Reb Robe oolongs, and I’ve had this sample for a while. So I finally tried it, and it’s lovely. Toasty. Caramel overtones, and a bit astringent. I could drink a lot of this. :)

Used a little more tea than I should have, so the steep, while the minimum suggested on the label, may have been a bit too long. Color is a distinctly red tone of brown. Aroma is woody, with a sweet overtone. Maybe toffee? Taste is a sweet, yet woody, and slightly astringent. As the tea cooled, astringency dissapeared.

I used the entire sample provided by thepuriTea in 500 ml. water in my Breville.

The scent and initial taste of the dry leaf was very strongly reminiscent of an earthy black tea, but it turns into more of a roasted green (genmaicha-ish) in scent and taste once steeped. I’m not really getting any other nuances in this infusion, but the boyfriend likes it enough to go another round so we’ll see what develops.

As it stands, this is a nice solid tea that would pair well with savory foods.

ETA: As the first steep cooled, there was a distinct nutty taste in the liquor – I was hoping that it would show up more in the second steep, but it did not. The second steep (at five minutes) was much like the first, with the exception of it being a little lighter in taste and texture. Overall I think that it wasn’t a bad tea, just not an overly complex one.

(Update)

This is a corrected review from yesterday, I mistakenly listed this with another company, then created a new review for it. QG had to help me again to find “thepuritea” no spaces and shazam! there it is. The tea gods seem to be against me on this one…

I got a sample of this from QG, (TQ or TG) :) I selected this as my morning tea. the sample was large enough for a pot, some in the tumbler and the rest in the thermos. This is a dark oolong and very rich in flavor. No smoke, a hint of citris maybe, but overall just a deep full oolong tea flavor. I could drink this everyday. Looks to be resteepable as well.
I was not able to find it on the website.

Additional comment: This was still in my french press last night when I got home, I resteeped and drank it with dinner. Still rich, deep, and full on the second steep. I see Red Robes in my future…

Tastes like a roasted oolong. A bit nutty too, like Houjicha. It’s quite good, but not exciting. Lots of roasted oolongs out there. I like this better than some and less than others. This one could be one of many roasted oolongs that I cycle through me regular stash (I always like to have at least one)

I do, however, like the name, so it may get preference once in a while just for that.

A very stoney tea with a cedar wood bitterness. . . church pews. Florals and earthy spices and a juicy aftertaste strike an elegant balance with the rock-like character.

Quite nice toasted oolong. Has a strong nutty flavor and aroma and a bit of dryness. No strong tannin’s that I pick up. Not a very complex tea. Finishes like it starts. Leaves smell of earth and toasted sesame seeds. I like a bit more complex teas but this is a good tea once and a while.

This tea was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting its intensity. First, the smell when dry. I’d say woodsy. Nice. Unremarkable, really.

195/2 min – The aroma has become deeper. It’s now more of a roasted scent. The color is a medium reddish brown. Very pretty to look at and very appropriately named! The taste is rich, deep and roasted. It reminds me a bit of barley. It’s a strong tea without bitterness.

4.3g tea
12oz water

Dark honey color. Heavy earthy aroma. Almost like roasted sunflower seeds maybe. This was a very smooth tea, not a hint of bitter or astringency. Maybe some slight notes of caramel.