Caramel Apple Oolong

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of going to the annual fair, which always included eating a caramel apple and having it stick to my teeth and hands and not caring at all. So I was hoping to relive that experience (minus the mess!) through this tea, but instead it reminded me of apple jolly ranchers.

The first taste is of sweet apple, followed by a hint of caramel at the end of the sip. As my love for caramel is still as strong as ever, I find it too faint here. As an apple tea it’s quite tasty, but as a caramel tea it doesn’t quite hit the spot. But I’m so glad I got to try it; thanks TastyBrew!

Oh caramel appley goodness. I love this oolong. I love it more now since I tried it once when I first got it but the flavors didn’t come together very well. So I put it aside so the flavors had a chance to blend more with the tea. Now it is perfect! These flavors are awesome with this oolong. Yum! Sipdown for sure!

Well….I went ahead and ordered 4 oz. of this because I usually love 52teas and I like oolongs but…..this isn’t one of my favorites or one I enjoy drinking. Guess I like a lighter oolong. This one is too dark for my taste maybe my steeping time…I’ll try again or maybe have to gift it to tea friends.

Tea #3 from the TTB.

I like the apple-y-ness of this one, it goes well with the oolong base for a pretty authentic apple experience. However, the oolong is not really what I like from my oolongs, and I’m not a huge fan of the caramel here. Man, caramel is really disappointing me today, isn’t it? I don’t know why… All in all, it’s okay, but not for me.

Admittedly, I may have underleafed this one. Do 52teas just not come with steeping instructions?

I steep this for about 2 minutes with near boiling water.

I definitely taste the crisp, juicy apple on the backdrop of a darker, earthy oolong. I’m not sure that I taste the caramel as much. Certainly not like in one of my favorites, Cashew Turtle. This tea is really smooth, not at all bitter or astringent. And, something about it leaves my my mouth watering like biting into a juicy apple.

Today’s work cold brew. I’ve never cold brewed an oolong before, so I was really hoping that it would work out okay. I’ve got a litre of it at work with me, so it would be pretty dire otherwise. Fortunately, all seems to be well. I was worried that it would have turned bitter, or that the oolong would be very much at the forefront rather than the flavouring, but neither are the case.

I used 2 tbsp of leaf in 2 litres of cold water, and it went into the fridge for around 10 hours overnight. The result is a sweet, primarily caramel flavoured brew. There are hints of crisp apple in the mid sip, though, and that slight sharpness is a very welcome counterpoint to the initial sweetness. It is possible to taste the oolong, but it’s not overpowering. It’s a mineral flavour, like licking a wet rock, but it mostly stays in the background.

I’m glad I took a chance and tried this. I’m less scared of oolong than I used to be, but sometimes it’s still very much an unknown quantity. Now I just have to decide whether to finish off the last of my pouch with another cold brew, or to save the remainder for drinking hot come autumn. Decisions!

This sample is from KiwiDelight. I think this is the first oolong I’ve had from 52teas, so we’ll see how it goes. It looks like a lightly roasted oolong based on the color. The pellets are quite uneven in both size and shape, and their color is a medium to dark olive green with lots of brown notes. Dry scent is mild sweet apple with a touch of caramel and a nice roasted scent.

The steeped tea smells sweet with a light apple aroma and a strong pastry note. Hmm, this is not what I expected. It actually tastes nothing like caramel apples, so there’s that. It actually tastes like I’m eating pie crust with no toppings in it. Which is awesome, I love pie crust, but it’s nothing like what it’s supposed to be. Roasted pie crust, hmm… There’s also a weird artificial aftertaste.

Caramel Apple Oolong, how have I not tried you yet?? After forgetting about this tea in my cupboard for 7 months, it’s calling my name today. The dry leaf aroma was at first bittersweet chocolate, but that dissipated and now all I smell is caramel. Odd. Maybe it was my imagination (or maybe it’s because I stored it next to a chocolate tea) because the brewed tea aroma is just apples and caramel.

First sip! Well, I am not disappointed. This does indeed taste like a caramel apple, or as close to it as tea can get. The oolong base is very nice here. It adds a butteriness that makes the caramel richer. The apple is equally present and lends a certain acidity to the tea that confirms “this is apple” without being overwhelming. Mmmm, this is sooo good! I guess age hasn’t harmed this one since it was still sealed.

I love this tea. I love how teas like this exist. The world became such a more magical place since I’ve discovered the broad range of teas out there. I think my blood must be English because I do enjoy my tea time thoroughly. Teas are also a lot like books. They can transport you somewhere else. They can be comforting, enticing, stimulating, or calming. Tea is an adventure! I love tea!

Lewis & Clark TTB #13

The nose is a nice balance between apple and the tea. The taste was mostly tea, but the apple was still present. The taste was smooth and fresh with a clean finish. There’s nothing wrong with this tea per se, but it just doesn’t hit me.