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Oolong #3 on today’s oolong-comparing journey.

Oh, this tea. Such high hopes. And such disappointment as a result.

This came as part of the “Sweet Indulgence” pack I bought about a week ago. I was really looking forward to trying it, as the smell of the dry leaf was like vanilla cream cheese icing, like the kind you would get on a carrot cake. So inviting!

I steeped the tea according to the provided instructions, and the liquor was a nice deep yellow with flecks of leaf at the bottom of the cup. It still had that lovely vanilla icing smell, too. But when I tasted it – yuck. The vanilla sweetness did not play well at all with the ooloong base, and in fact actively clashed against it. Also, forget about any floral notes or hints of orchid – I’ve tried other blends with a more floral base (such as my Bonsai Hill Coconut Oolong), and this was nothing like that.

The oolong base was really nasty here – worse than the earthiness/muddiness I’ve sometimes experienced with other oolong teas. Here, it was almost a sourness, and it did not mingle well with the vanilla flavour at all.

Once I finished this cup, I didn’t consider resteeping the leaves at all. I just hope someone else doesn’t mind taking this blend off my hands.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Kaylee

Awww, I just bought some of this at the store because it smells so good!

Christina / BooksandTea

Maybe you’ll like it more than I did, since people’s tastes are so subjective. If you do like what you’ve bought, let me know, and I can send you the rest of mine (probably about 1/2 ounce in a small metal container).

Kaylee

aww, thanks! Will do.

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Comments

Kaylee

Awww, I just bought some of this at the store because it smells so good!

Christina / BooksandTea

Maybe you’ll like it more than I did, since people’s tastes are so subjective. If you do like what you’ve bought, let me know, and I can send you the rest of mine (probably about 1/2 ounce in a small metal container).

Kaylee

aww, thanks! Will do.

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Bio

Updated March 2016:

I’m a writer and editor who’s fallen in love with loose-leaf tea. I’ve also set up a site for tea reviews at http://www.booksandtea.ca – an excellent excuse to keep on buying and trying new blends. There will always be more to discover!

In the meantime, since joining Steepster in January 2014, I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on my likes and dislikes

Likes: Raw/Sheng pu’erh, sobacha, fruit flavours, masala chais, jasmine, mint, citrus, ginger, Ceylons, Chinese blacks, rooibos.

Dislikes (or at least generally disinclined towards): Hibiscus, rosehip, chamomile, licorice, lavender, really vegetal green teas, shu/ripe pu’erh.

Things I generally decide on a case-by-case basis: Oolong, white teas.

Still need to do my research on: matcha

I rarely score teas anymore, but if I do, here’s the system I follow:

100-85: A winner!
84-70: Pretty good. This is a nice, everyday kind of tea.
69-60: Decent, but not up to snuff.
59-50: Not great. Better treated as an experiment.
49-0: I didn’t like this, and I’m going to avoid it in the future. Blech.

Location

Toronto, ON, Canada

Website

http://www.booksandtea.ca

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