It’s already a given that I love dark roasted oolongs. The darker and roastier the better.
I was curious about this one, being labeled “dark chocolate” oolong. Obviously, it’s not chocolate flavored, but I wondered how it came upon the name. I did not detect any obvious chocolate notes, but the same hidden sweetness that I find in all dark roast oolongs. Who knows, maybe that is supposed to be ‘chocolate.’ There was however something slightly different in the aftertaste of this tea, but I thought maybe it was my imagination. Something vaguely coconut, possibly caramel (caramel teas tend to leave me with coconut-esque after tastes). I really do not like coconut in tea, at all, ever. I kept drinking my cup to cover the aftertaste and by mid-cup, I didn’t detect it anymore. Either I developed tolerance for it or there was just something funky going on with my senses at the time. Oh well!
Preparation
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You’re most likely getting the caramel notes since you brewed it on the lighter side of things. To intensify the dark chocolate notes, brew 1tsp of leaves in 8oz of boiling water for 10 minutes. A lot of my teas have special brewing parameters or stories that inspired the tea that you should read up on prior to drinking it. http://whisperingpinestea.com/darkchocolateoolong.html
Did you enjoy the cup?
ah, yes I did re-read the 10 min recommendation (after I already brewed my cup). I always read tea descriptions (but don’t always remember special instructions!). I especially like the stories you include for yours (I even read the one for Manitou mist to my parents when I brought them a sample ;) ).
I’ve seen teas here and there with super long brewing times recommended, but I’ve always been too afraid to try it. I’ve never steeped a tea for 10min! Even my herbals I keep at 5-7min. But I promise I will try this next time (I have plenty to experiment with).
I left this tea unrated for now because I also wasn’t sure if maybe the two cookies I had eaten previously were messing with my tastes. Of course I enjoyed it as I like roasted oolongs in general, but because of this I have to be picky about deciding which ones will join my regular purchases :)
:) Good to hear that you’ve been reading the descriptions! I feel like a lot of people miss out on the full experience because they don’t know what the tea was inspired by. Also, when you make The Sleeping Bear Blend, make sure to get a second infusion on it, and wait about 20 minutes between the first and second infusions. The pine flavor will really shine in that second infusion :)
You’re most likely getting the caramel notes since you brewed it on the lighter side of things. To intensify the dark chocolate notes, brew 1tsp of leaves in 8oz of boiling water for 10 minutes. A lot of my teas have special brewing parameters or stories that inspired the tea that you should read up on prior to drinking it. http://whisperingpinestea.com/darkchocolateoolong.html
Did you enjoy the cup?
ah, yes I did re-read the 10 min recommendation (after I already brewed my cup). I always read tea descriptions (but don’t always remember special instructions!). I especially like the stories you include for yours (I even read the one for Manitou mist to my parents when I brought them a sample ;) ).
I’ve seen teas here and there with super long brewing times recommended, but I’ve always been too afraid to try it. I’ve never steeped a tea for 10min! Even my herbals I keep at 5-7min. But I promise I will try this next time (I have plenty to experiment with).
I left this tea unrated for now because I also wasn’t sure if maybe the two cookies I had eaten previously were messing with my tastes. Of course I enjoyed it as I like roasted oolongs in general, but because of this I have to be picky about deciding which ones will join my regular purchases :)
:) Good to hear that you’ve been reading the descriptions! I feel like a lot of people miss out on the full experience because they don’t know what the tea was inspired by. Also, when you make The Sleeping Bear Blend, make sure to get a second infusion on it, and wait about 20 minutes between the first and second infusions. The pine flavor will really shine in that second infusion :)