Highland Coffees

Sipdown!!! Finished our tin of this one this morning. I love this tea, but after 4 oz. of the stuff, I think I’m ready to replace it with something new. I’ll definitely buy it again sometime, though, because it’s divinely fruity, and brilliant when iced. :3

My fiancé and I both agree that the loose leaves smell like the Dinosaur Fruit Snacks we used to eat as kids. (For those of you out there who remember those, I dare you to give this tea a try. xD)

Anyway, put simply, this tea tastes like drinking gummy bears. It steeps a rich, dark purple color that is very pleasing. I will be going back to this one again and again. I must say, one of my (rather odd) criteria for fruit teas is that I prefer it to be multi-fruit. If a tea has only one fruit flavor… to me, that’s a little blah, like the tea only has one note to sing. I like teas that sing multi-note chords. I’m certainly not going to say that one-note teas are bad, and I’m definitely not trying to say that people who like fruit teas that have only one fruit flavor have poor taste—if you, dear reader, are one of those people, please understand that I mean you no offense when I make that statement. It’s just my personal preference. Different strokes for different folks, as they say. :)

Anyway, this tea fits that criteria beautifully. It’s pure, unadulterated fruit tea at its best. __ Glad I bought four ounces of it, ’cause I will be craving it in the future.

I had a blend this morning of this tea and Rooibos Peach Bloom, from Teavana. This oolong’s flavor is just strong enough to add a nice milky aftertaste to the more prevalent flavor of the rooibos (Rooibos Peach Bloom is one of the strongest rooiboses I’ve ever smelled or tasted). I enjoyed the blend very much, mostly because I was craving Rooibos Peach Bloom but prefer darker teas in the morning (more caffeine, woot!).

By itself, this oolong is one of the most floral I’ve ever had, so I suppose it is aptly named. :) I love pairing it with fruity teas, because it tends to balance them out and create some really interesting flavors. A great staple to have in your cupboard.

I actually steeped a whole pot of this tea today. I used 1/3 cup of it as part of the wet ingredients in a chocolate bread recipe I have, and I drank the rest.
I’ve made this bread before, and it’s the best chocolate bread I’ve ever had. The oolong adds a depth of flavor that brings out the bitterness of the cocoa powder, and it’s just so rich and chocolaty, I have to resist the urge to eat several pieces right as it comes out of the oven.
Anyway, the oolong is a joy to drink as well. It’s smooth and nutty, doesn’t take much sugar, and can be steeped up to three times. I tend to steep it a little on the long side for oolong (3 or 4 minutes), but I find this only enhances the flavors, even though it decreases the number of re-steeps I can get out of it.