When I think of India, I tend to think of black teas from Assam and Darjeeling, so I have to admit, I am pretty excited to try three different oolongs! Two are blends, and one is a straight tea. Since oolongs can vary based on production, I am curious to see how these will taste.
Let’s go!
Peach Passion Tea
Description: “If it’s fruity tea you seek, this one will become a favorite in no time.”
Review: While I do try my best to not let the name of a blend or a description influence me too much, with a name ‘peach passion,’ I was expecting some peach aroma from the dry blend. While I can’t put my finger on exactly what it smelled like, it reminded me of slightly old food that was it a bit off. That being said, it may have been the dried peaches.
The infused blend smelled much better and had a slightly herbal and rose aroma. However, I still was not able to smell any peaches or even spearmint, which can overpower.
The liquor had a strong aroma, which surprised me because it smelled like spicy food. I’m not sure which ingredient(s) gave it that smell. The liquor was a dark yellow-orange and was thick and stuck to the tongue.
It had a very faint taste, which was not quite discernible. The taste was quickly overpowered by sharp bitterness. The steeping instructions required more than normal leaf: 3 teaspoons to 6 ozs of water. I wonder if that made it overly bitter (1/5 rating).
- Type: Oolong tea
- Origin: Unknown
- Caffeine: Medium
- Ingredients: Tea, dried peach, rose petals, lemongrass, spearmint
- Company: TEABOX
Indian Marigold Tea
Description: “Bright in cup; beaming with flavors of fresh almond and saffron.”
Review: I was pretty excited about this one because when I scooped out the tea, there was a vanilla and nutty aroma. The blend even had many almond pieces. Sometimes it can be hard to get a fair distribution of nuts, but because there were so many, the two teaspoons contained a lot. The tea leaves themselves reminded me a bit of green tea since the leaves were not as oxidized as some oolongs tend to be.
That being said, the wet blend initially reminded me of boiled vegetables. However, both the leaves and the liquor smelled spicy and almost like tobacco. I wonder if the ‘spiciness’ that I was smelling was the aroma of the oolong base.
The dark reddish brown liquor left the mouth feeling very dry (like Peach Passion Tea). The taste started off fragrant, then had a vegetable body, and ended off with a similar sharp bitterness (1/5 rating).
- Type: Oolong tea
- Origin: Unknown
- Caffeine: High
- Ingredients: Tea, almond, vanilla bean, saffron, dry marigold
- Company: TEABOX
Red Thunder Autumn Oolong Tea
Description: “A model Darjeeling oolong, brimming with clean, sweet, floral notes.”
Review: I have always enjoyed bold black teas from India. When I gave this a whiff, I was very excited, because it did smell like a black Darjeeling. It had a warm earthy aroma.
The aroma of the infusion and the liquor had more of a rich malt aroma. Of all three teas, the leaves unfurled the most and filled up most of the dish. The leaves were a reddish chocolate brown.
However, like the other two teas prior, this tea also was very bitter. I did enjoy the malt flavour that lingered in my mouth and it reminded me more of a black tea. After letting the liquor cool, it tasted a bit better since the malt flavour came through a bit (1.5/5 rating).
- Type: Oolong tea
- Origin: India
- Caffeine: Medium
- Ingredients: Darjeeling oolong tea
- Company: TEABOX
Final Thoughts
I am a bit lost at what happened. I steeped all 3 of these based on the recommendation, and each one was bitter. I was really hoping that the Red Thunder Autumn Oolong Tea would have tasted better since it reminded me of a black Darjeeling. I found that the teas tasted a bit better after letting them cool, and that some of the bitterness disappeared.
Overall, I was very excited for oolongs from India. Maybe I need to give these ones another try. One possibility is that the blends are past their prime. If anyone has suggestions/ideas on what to do, please tell me!
