Oolong Chardonnay

When I was measuring this tea out into my Breville basket (yes, I normally do brew Oolong teas in my gaiwan, however, this is no ordinary Oolong and I thought that it would be better prepared in my Breville because of the other ingredients), a HUGE chunk of papaya accompanied the other ingredients in my scoop. Papaya is not a flavor that I would normally associate with Chardonnay … but hey, what do I know? In the last 6 months I’ve consumed about four sips of wine … and that was a Merlot. I know less about wine than a wine novice would.

But with all the big chunks of fruit, I will say that my interest was definitely piqued. And once I poured the tea into my mug, I could definitely SMELL the chardonnay.

It has a very warm and luscious kind of smell, and as I sip it … it is like being wrapped in a warm, soft, thick-pile blanket. So soft and luxurious! The cinnamon gives it a warm taste while the vanilla gives it a very soft, luscious kind of feel and taste. I do taste the tropical notes of citrus and papaya, although these flavors are less apparent than some of the flavors that are mentioned by Vintage TeaWorks: pear, butter, melon, and butterscotch. It is silky smooth and sweet and absolutely YUM!

Coined as their “Full and Luscious” offering…this Wine inspired Tea – is just that! It’s classy, it’s sexy, it’s a creative cuppa!

I can totally see the Chardonnay connection.

The ingredients are obvious when you look at them dry. The aroma is gorgeous!

The color after infusing is a light grey-green-brown type color…mostly ‘see-thru’.

The fruits of Papaya and Orange go together lovely. Juicy and plump!

The Cinnamon and rose are subtle but mesh well! They seem to complement the Oolong Base.

The ingredient that really speaks to me in the Vanilla BEAN. It has the BEAN flavor…not just that vanilla taste. I also really like the Vanilla BEAN paired with the Papaya. They are FAB!

This is delicious! A tea to contemplate but also relax with…and don’t forget to kick up your heels!

This came from Azzrian – thanks so much!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written, since honestly I haven’t been drinking much tea. But I’m back, baby, I’m back.

I’ve been wanting to try Vintage TeaWorks ever since I heard about them, and I was delighted to find a sample of this in the package from Azzrian. Being 19, I can’t really comment on the accurateness of the Chardonnay, but I feel fancy.

I’m always really a little skeptical of flavored teas, because I want to be able to taste the tea itself. Fortunately, I can here. The oolong is rich and kind of dark, and the fruits compliment it incredibly well. It’s definitely a blend of flavors, with the oolong primarily but with a strong supporting cast.

Delicious!

I really wanted a glass of wine tonight. But then looked at the time…so wine tea it is! This one smelled amazing when I opened the container. There were also HUGE chunks of papaya and I may have eaten one (delish!). This one smelled and even tastes fruity to me and I don’t really recall ever getting that from a Chardonnay.

The papaya really brings a great flavor to this tea, but not too sweet as to mask the taste of the oolong. Which I think is equally good. The vanilla bean, cinnamon, and other flavors come in to play for me on the finishing. I think all together the flavors make for a nice smooth cup and I’m really enjoying every last sip of it!

Wow.. you know those teas that explode and blossom on your tongue? This is absolutely one of those teas. I really wasn’t expecting to get such an intense flavor.. but I’m really enjoying it!

Wow.. you know those teas that explode and blossom on your tongue? This is absolutely one of those teas. I really wasn’t expecting to get such an intense flavor.. but I’m really enjoying it!The smell of the brewed tea is of cinnamon with oolong and a light dusting of fruit, a bit like a raisin. If I judged a tea based alone on its smell, this one probably wouldn’t one of my favorites. It’s just a little bit bizarre and very musky… on the verge of being like smelly feet?

Sipping… there are so many layers to this tea! What I notice first is the vanilla bean and the fruit, followed closely by a very warming cinnamon note. Cinnamon and I don’t typically mix, but I can handle it in this tea because it’s not explicitly cinnamon, more of a warm feeling on the tongue.

The more I drink this tea, the more I think it tastes almost like a fruity shortbread cookie. I say shortbread because it’s a little drying in the same way a lightly sweetened shortbread cookie dries out the mouth, not because it’s buttery. While I don’t think this cup is too sweet, it does satisfy any craving I have for cookies or candies. The musky smell does find its way into the aftertaste… and I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s kind of funky tasting.

I really love the layers that are present in the tea, as strange they might be together. I wish that the musk could be removed from this blend as I think everything else works very well together.

Thank you so much, Azzrian, for sharing some of this blend with me! What a nice treat!

I apologize if this is a bunch of nonsense because after I drank it I went out to a bar just to get out and there was the most amazing IPA.

This really tasted more like a papaya rose oolong to me. Then again I try to avoid Chardonnay as much as possible, though I have a general idea of how it tastes. This to me tasted far better than Chardonnay and it was very delicious with the pumpkin cheesecake bars I made. I ended up also making a maple apple pie because my mom accidentally baked her pecan pie’s crust, and if any had been left when we got back, I would have drank it with a small slice of that pie.

I would definitely have avoided this tea just based on how I associate Chardonnay with this horrible oak taste, but this is far better than any Chardonnay I’ve had. Like I said, strongly papaya and rose, with a little vanilla. Not bad, but not my favorite so far of the Vintage Teaworks teas. Again though not the kind of wine I normally go for so don’t take my word on it.

Sipdown, 222. Ok, so this one is Verdant, but I cold steeped it last night and drank it with lunch. Thanks to Azzrian for this sample!

After my experience with the Pink Sonoma wine-flavored tea (basically, hot white wine does not fly), I decided to cold steep this one. I have to say I was kind of shocked by the result. Let me first say that this in no way reminds me of any Chardonnay I’ve ever had. So lets just take that out of the mix and go with fruity oolong instead, ok? Because it’s better if you don’t expect Chardonnay. The Pink Sonoma was successful in recreating a wine-like feeling even when hot, but nothing about this tea reminds me of any wine.

So yeah, I was surprised when I took a sip of this and got spice, fruit and caramel from the flavors of this. Heavily in all of those areas, especially spice and caramel, which must have come from the cinnamon and vanilla bean. I feel like it really reminded me of some other tea but I could never place it. Pretty tasty overall, but not what it advertised.

Wine flavored tea! How cool is that? So in some ways I don’t taste chardonnay – there are some spices going on here that are different from a typical chardonnay. That being said, this tea is absolutely delicious. It is rich, complex and sophisticated. You swish it around and taste something different with every sip. So I guess in a way, it is a lot like wine. I do taste tart grapes, along with delicious papaya. This tea is has a nice density and beautiful light color. I would recommend this one because it is so different and is very much an experience. Although, this doesn’t come across as Chardonnay, I rate it high because it is so enjoyable. Thanks Azzrian, you’ve opened my mind to a new tea once again.

Thanks LiberTEAS for this amazing sample!

I opened up my sample box this afternoon and there it was – Oolong Chardonnay. I’ve been saving my oolongs until my gaiwan arrives, but I just couldn’t wait on this one. I had to brew it up at once. I’m a big wine lover and I also adore oolong, so what’s not to like right?

The aroma of this dry tea is spot on chardonnay with a little spice. Brewed it smells a bit fruity and less chardonnay. This tea is really good. Even though it smells fruity, it doesn’t taste like a fruity tea. Very chardonnay. The cinnamon is not overpowering, but it gives it a nice warm aspect. The rose gives a faint floral note that adds balance to the cup and the vanilla bean rounds everything out for a nice smooth sip. This is actually a little earthy to me – faintly earthy in a way that reminds me a little of tree bark. But that’s really in the background the chardonnay and warm cinnamon are more apparent and the earthiness is more of an afterthought.

I’m really enjoying this so far. I wonder how it will hold up to additional steeping. I may have to order some of this…

Sweet, smooth. You get a little traditional Oolong flavor but the inclusion of papaya is so unique that it’s like trying it for the first time.