Ruby Oolong

Little sample from a tea box. This one surprised me with how tasty it is. I’m not even adding sugar, which is rare for me. It’s a nice buttery, slightly savory flavor. Not something I’d seek out, but tasty to try!

Geek Steep S2E3 – Steven Universe

So this is the tea that I drank during recording for this week’s episode! I’ll be honest, if you’re familiar with the show at all and also familiar with Ruby Oolong than this probably feels like a very weird pairing…

But at the end of the day I just wanted to drink some delicious oolong so I leaned into the gemstone pun with the name. I had it cold brewed because it’s kind of like drinking a perfectly golden and slightly caramelized baked apple or quince which is so smooth and pleasant – but also because we’re officially back to recording in person again as of this episode, and when we record in person I turn the AC in my apartment off for noise control and… well… it gets HOT!! So cold brews while recording are a life saver.

Very flavorful….just not my favorite flavor.

I was given a sampler box of bagged teas by Rishi but branded for La Colombe, a coffee roaster. This was one of the teas. I followed the steeping guide on the bag packaging, though the temperature was approximate because my kettle isn’t that fancy.

The scent of the brewed tea is light and floral. I was tempted to try sipping it while it was too hot, but I refrained. I can taste some fruit, but the tannin is overwhelming.

Picked this up from the co-op a while back. It was much cheaper per pound there than through Rishi. Yay high turnover bulk.

Gone grandpa, 1 tsp, 10oz ceramic coffee mug, 195F, 2 top-offs.

The dry leaf scent resembles a young, non-boozy cabernet. I pick up on red fruit, green bell pepper and woody vanilla. The liquor smells mostly like baked cherries and honey with a dash of cocoa.

The taste is more complex. It seems like a medley of malty dark cherry pie and a flakey apricot and blood orange pastry with large sugar crystals sprinkled on top. The most prominent notes are honey, baked cherry and rose. Other, non-dominant tastes include a swirl of wet wood, musty autumn leaves, red plum, green bell pepper, golden syrup, violet, black licorice, cacao, vanilla, black pepper without the spicy bite and mineral. Mouthfeel is pretty light and later quite drying especially at the back of the throat and uvula, making for an awkward swallow. Aftertaste lingers early on before the astringency takes over.

This is a very tasty tea. Compared to previous brews western style, I pick up more flavor complexity with grandpa style. However, due to the astringency in the throat, I think it’s better-suited for western.. In general, it does lack the fuller, thicker mouthfeel that I appreciate, though that makes it good for a light daily drinker. I’ll have to try it out in a gaiwan.

Nice comforting cup.

I tasted in this order: Peanut shell, dark chocolate, red wine, creamy coffee, muddy earth notes. Maybe a little raspberry. I can see why it’s a “ruby” oolong. Lingers on your tongue. I don’t really have much to say here; it’s very pretty.

Update: re-steeped twice the second time I made this. Now I get apricot. Still really yummy.

Very good, I will definitely order more of this tea on my next Rishi Tea order.

I went out to coffee with a friend yesterday and was delighted to discover that one of her favorite coffee shops (Kickapoo in Milwaukee’s Third Ward) also serves a nice selection of organic loose-leaf tea! I haven’t tried much from Rishi yet, but I’ve been impressed with what I’ve sampled so far. This was no exception! Large, unbroken leaves unfurled during the first steep, yielding a rich mahogany-colored tea with an intense wine-like aroma. The flavor was just the right balance of earthy and fruity with a lovely smooth texture and just a hint of astringency that kept me coming back for one more sip. The second steeping was just as flavorful as the first and I’m guessing the leaves would have held up for many more if I hadn’t gotten too deep in conversation to go up to the counter for more hot water!

Yeah, so I have been continuing my green, white, and oolong days as I continue my acupuncture and Chinese herbs treatments. Surprisingly, the transition from black teas has not been all that difficult. I am not giving them up forever, of course, just for the time being to not contradict what is happening in my treatments.

The tough thing for me has been giving up milk, as well as black tea. I find myself craving lovely sweetened chais and good strong tea lattes. I predict I will be breaking down and having one or two some time soon. I do miss them so. I only hope that, when and if, I do break down, the milky cup in front of me will be worth it.

Back from my tangent to this fine tea. Very very lovely.

My first steeping was full of lovely heavy red wine— reminds me of Mondavi vineyards— and chocolate notes. These flavours dissipated in subsequent steepings, but the cups continued to be lovely. Many many steepings later, I am still enjoying the tea.

Drinking this for the second time: was at mom’s house the first and didn’t take notes. I do remember that I enjoyed it the first time too, though!

I’m still quite a new traveler of the oolong territory, but I think I like most of them. This tea is definitely one of the better oolong teas I’ve tried. The aroma is slightly malty and earthy, and reminds me a bit of dark chocolate and cherries (although maybe the tea description just influenced me to expect this!) I’m still not that great at picking out subtle notes in the aroma/flavour, but nevertheless the aroma is hearty and satisfying.

I find the flavour to be quite the same as the aroma: slightly malty, earthy, with subtle hints of other flavours that mix really well with each other. It is not overpowering or bitter, and overall enjoyable to drink!