Oolong Earl Grey

05/31/2011, 12:00 AM

"I think this may have been the only EG oolong I have ever had. If I had others…I can’t recall them at the moment. I will say this is quite impressive. I was hesitant not because I don’t like an interesting EG but because I was wondering just how it would work with an oolong. This is really amazing tho! It’s everything you would WANT in a EG and awesomely done with an Oolong! It’s one of the darkest infused oolongs I have ever tried liquor-color-wise but the over all experience was quite special. I will say I am a fan!"

– TeaEqualsBliss

11/28/2010, 12:00 AM

"I was not sure if the Earl Grey flavor would go well with Oolong base tea, but this is not bad. I actually enjoyed drinking it more than I thought I would."

– Mike Lara

11/03/2010, 12:00 AM

"This was the first Earl Grey variant I encountered that didn’t taste like something other than Earl Grey. Most bergamot-scented alternates have a flavor “like” Earl Grey, but still retain some of the trappings of whatever base was used; a White Earl Grey still tasted like a white, a Honeybush Earl Grey still tasted like honeybush. With bergamot. Good but not Earl Grey.

This was an Earl through-and-through. So much so that I didn’t even taste the Formosan oolong base. Jasmine flowers were added to this as well. Why? I dunno. But they add a mild floral touch to the bergamot…but only minor.

It’s a splendid afternoon Earl. I should know. That’s when I had it…in my pajamas."

– Geoffrey Norman

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Formosa oolong tea, jasmine flowers and flavor, bergamot flavor.

Steeping instructions:

Amount of water: 6 oz

Amount of Tea: 1 Flat teaspoon

Water Temperature: 190° F

Steeping Time: 1-8 minutes.

It was 11:30AM on a Tuesday. I had every intention of getting up earlier to get some writing done. (Yes, I write things other than reviews!) Unfortunately, the morning was almost gone. I heard from an e-tea pal that oolong helped her wake up physically and creatively. But I was craving an Earl Grey. There had to be something in my sample arsenal that could act as a concession.

Even better.

Amidst my review samples was an Oolong Earl Grey put out by Red Leaf Tea. It combined Formosan (Taiwanese) roasted oolong, jasmine flowers, and bergamot; what an unusual combination. I could see the jasmine petals in the dark brown oolongy mass, and they certainly contributed to the scent. Coupled with the bergamot, the scent - and I swear this rhyming scheme's accidental - was "sour-flower". The decision of what to drink was made for me.

Brewing instructions called for 1 tsp of leaves brewed in 6oz of 190F water for up to eight minutes. That left a lot of wiggle room, almost too much. Ever the moderate, I went the middle road with a four-minute steep - 1 tbsn in 8oz. I had to treat it as close to a normal oolong as possible. Some tend to get too dry on the tongue if overdone.

The biggest surprise was how dark this brewed. One would expect an oolong - even roasted - to brew to a green, gold or amber. This brewed auburn-to-brown like a normal Earl Grey with a Ceylon black base would. The aroma almost tricked me into thinking so as well; it smelled like Earl Grey. The oolong base was effectively masked by a medium-sour aroma. Same went for taste, too. There was a mild astringent note followed by citrus-sour-floral trifecta but no real oolong character. I can't say this was a flaw, but rather a surprise.

I would recommend this to those who like their Earl Greys strong in taste but not in delivery. Oolong retains about two-thirds the amount of caffeine as a good strong black tea. This has the color and taste of a lighter black but without the wallop. True, some want the wallop. But if an afternoon Earl is needed, this would make a perfect option. And on a subjective note, it got me writing this review while I was still in my pajamas. Gotta give it props for that.

Geoff - Teaviews.com - Reviewer

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