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Cameron B. drank Oolong Fresh by T2

3986 tasting notes

Work – 2:00 PM

This is one of a couple of T2 teas that I actually purchased at a T2 store in Melbourne. We traveled to Australia last fall for a friend’s wedding. This particular friend is one whom my SO has known for about 15 years or so but had never met in person before. So it was an interesting experience!

I will say, I found Australia to be quite close to the United States in many ways. We had a great time – the wedding took place at a beautiful venue in the mountains and the weather was lovely. We also visited an animal sanctuary where we booked several close encounters with various wildlife. My favorites were the wombats – we were able to see them up close and play with them. The baby wombat reminded me so much of a puppy, she loved her belly rubbed and kept wanting to chew my shoes.

Anyway, getting off-topic! This is a rather strong spearmint tea that is somewhat reminiscent of spearmint gum. I happen to enjoy this quality in a tea, especially in the afternoon, but I realize it might be too strong for some people. The oolong doesn’t really contribute much in the way of flavor, but it does improve the body of the tea and give it the ubiquitous silky mouthfeel. It’s definitely a refreshing tea! I think I prefer the Spearmint Green or Algotea from Kusmi, as the gunpowder green tea in those gives an interesting smokiness. But I’ll certainly have no issue finishing this one.

P.S. – To anyone reading this, I have now entered all of my tea stash into my Steepster cupboard. Please feel free to snoop and send me a PM if you see anything you’d like to try, I’d love to swap samples with you!

Flavors: Smooth, Spearmint, Sweet

Preparation

190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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Lexie Aleah
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Sounds like an amazing experience!

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Lexie Aleah
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Sounds like an amazing experience!

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing