Silk Dragon

Sample package label:
“A unique blend that is exotic, balanced and complex it will engage you from the second you open the bag with its intoxicating creamy vanilla aroma to your first sip. Creates a smooth, rich flavor with hints of cream, vanilla and a stimulating citrus finish.
Ingredients: Oolong tea, Organic lemon Myrtle, Marigold Petals, Natural flavors. USDA Organic – Caffeine: Medium – Steep 3 – 5 minutes – Fair Trade certified”

6-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 24 ppm, boiled, left to stand so only steaming hot.

1 heaping Tevanna teaspoon – Not easy to do as the leaves are sooo long! Thus, I made certain to fully fill one side of a spring-loaded mesh ball infuser.

This tea has a wonderful vanilla fragrance!

Silk Dragon also has a festive colorful appearance with the contrast of Marigold Petals against the oolong tea.

Very light hue as one would expect with an oolong base.

3-Minute Infusion: I took a quick taste and decided I would enjoy this tea more with a full 5-min infusion.

First 5-min Infusion: I think The Tea Merchant has accurately described this tea.

2nd 5-min Infusion: I was surprised that the “Silk” flavoring was still present and enjoyed finishing this cup.

Impression: Silk Dragon achieved just the right delicate balance between the oolong base, the natural creamy vanilla flavoring and the other organic ingredients – well done!

I truly enjoyed Silk Dragon even though I’m used to drinking full-bodied black teas. While this oolong-based tea is not as full-bodied, it‘s a very smooth rich tea. Silk Dragon is an enjoyable change of pace for the afternoon or evening that should not to be missed!

The Tea Merchant 4 Organic Tea Sample Series Conclusion:
Of the four organic teas I’ve tasted: English Breakfast, French Earl Grey, Earl Grey, & Silk Dragon, the English Breakfast black tea was my favorite breakfast tea and the Silk Dragon oolong tea was my favorite choice for afternoon or evening.

Thanks once again to The Tea Merchant for providing these generous size free samples.

They came! They came! My world has changed forever. I am in lust over these new teas from The Tea Merchant.

I actually had my first cuppa of this divine tea last night, but I was too in the experience to note as I drank.

Dry: Amazing vanilla scent reaches out of the bag to steal you away. Beautiful dark green oolong. Twisted and not balled. Hints of the marigold petals peak out from the oolong.

Steep:
~1.5 tsp per 8oz. Color is a rich gold liquor. I added 1/2 tsp of rock sugar to the first cuppa. Creamy, smooth medium body, strong natural vanilla overtones on the first steep. Oolong is pleasant and lighter than others I’ve tried. Citrus is faint in the background. 2nd and third steeps had less vanilla and more oolong, but very very fine indeed. The cream and richness of this really surprised me. Definitely my new favorite oolong. The description describes it as intoxicating, and I have to agree.

I had a new cuppa of this today. I had it unsweetened on the 2nd steeping and I am noticing the citrus more now, nice and not too tart. I also forgot it in the steep and it went for closer to 5 minutes. I blended this with Six Summits oolong from Teavana, and it blended nicely, highlighting floral notes I didn’t notice well before. I look forward to trying this with other teas, though it is just heavenly on its own.

This is so good I want to gulp it and drink more as fast as possible! It is taking a lot of self control to just sip this like a normal person. I love this tea so much. I’m using it as my reward tea for making it through another difficult week. It is definitely a Friday tea.

I tried this tea a few months back and have to agree with most of the notess below; it was really a great tea.

Each steep I had was delcious. Maybe I noticed more caffeine than others, but this one had a lot of caffeine for me. I am sensitive because I usually drink Pu’er or other not so highly caffeineted drinks. This s not a bad thing, just saying.

I liked the vanilla hint also, a lot.

A great tea!

The Force is strong with this tea!

Extremely good and tasty, as if Yoda himself blended this tea! Ok enough starwars references, the down and dirty is this is a tea you should not miss out on. Full Oolong leaves that are not broken, mixed with marigolds (the yellow leaves i think) was a good sign of quality.
Dry this tea smells of vanilla and cream. The liquors aroma is vanilla and a very slight citrus.
The taste is creamy vanilla and with a smooth feel in my mouth, just so good and light.
I loved every aspect of this tea from the dry tea leaves smell and look, to the light yellow brew and taste to die for.

Another one from Boychik, thanks!
No real comments about it, at least not yet, except to say that it was enjoyable.

The vanilla coconut flavor is definately apparent here, I would recommend a teaspoon of honey upon brewing this delightful treat.

I received a sample of this from bluebelle. Thank you for sharing this one with me.

I was looking for a black tea to add milk and a bit of sugar to for dessert tonight, but came across this and thought what the heck. I am glad I opted for this one. It is very yummy. It is a light cup that is smooth, creamy, and sweet. There is a light hint of coconut, and a very nice flavoring of vanilla. I am so glad I got to try this one. For next time I will try to add a bit more leaf and steep time to see if the flavor is enhanced any.

There are several reasons why this tasty oolong deserves such a high score. Any of them taken alone would have justified an 81-90 but combined this pushes it into the 90’s for me.

First, DO expect vanilla. Lots of it. Particularly on the first infusion. But even with the tons of vanilla, you can still taste the oolong so it’s not like drinking a pure vanilla shake. The liquor is incredibly smooth and has a creamy mouthfeel, I suppose hence the name silk dragon. Once you add any kind of sweetener (I like stevia leaves or raw honey), then the first infusion is pretty much a vanilla eden. What an awesome desert. That alone, however, would have only put the tea into my 75-79 score range, as I make my own fresh vanilla extract and can slap some into anything for flavor and aroma, although this does cut down the cost of it dramatically.

Next, this tea has a lot of patience. I’m on the 5th infusion and it still tastes wonderful. I’ll do a side-by-side tasting of multiple steepings for further comparison later, I didn’t save any from the previous infusions because it was very tasty. The vanilla hasn’t faded away, although maybe the oolong is coming through a bit more prominently now. Since you can also make so much tea from the leaves, I have found an awesome use for this as well — combine a bunch of steepings into a container, add some sweetener of choice, let it sit in the fridge overnight, filter it, then carefully run it through the sodastream. Boom, cream soda tea. From 2-3 tsp of leaves I can make a liter of this tasty beverage, and unlike some other teas which carbonate poorly, there is no astringency or bitterness for the bubbles to highlight so it really does become like a cream soda to me, minus any of those calories.

This is also my new vanilla blender for teas. Any time I want vanilla in something, I’ll reach for this (first I need to buy a supply, as I have now finished the sample I ordered). There are several reasons why it goes into blends so well. One, unlike vanilla blacks, greens and rooibos, the oolong is so mellow that it does not fight or overpower even the most delicate of nuances from other teas. Unlike vanilla whites, i’m not paying white tea prices for something to blend into other teas. My favorite blend so far: 1 part Slik Dragon, 1 part Bourgeons De Yunnan from Palais des Thes (any good Dian Hong will do), and 1 part Spice of Life from Teavana (still trying to replicate that using fresh nuts & spices). Makes a 10-12oz cup, add 1 tsp raw honey and you have yourself a nutty vanilla creme brulee in a cup. OMG lovely.

I get scents that remind me of vanilla and butterscotch in the bag. After a quick rinse and then steeping, it takes on a more fresh-floral scent, mixed with the minerally notes one often gets from an oolong, and the vanilla scent is still there but less pronounced. On drinking, the tea tastes just like it smells. I can definitely taste the oolong in here. Everything is well balanced. I’m getting an interesting creamy mouthfeel as it cools. Good stuff, and great customer service as well.