Tea of the Week for June 15, 2020!
The blend: a buttery, sweet, creamy TieGuanYin Oolong blended with beautifully sweet-tart pineapple and zesty ginger. Nothing overly complicated & yet, this tea is so delightfully complex!
The TieGuanYin has a smooth silkiness to it. It’s floral – however, the ginger softens the floral tones just a bit with it’s peppery character. I went “gingerly” on the ginger, to not overwhelm the cup with the heat of the ginger – so there’s just enough spice to this to keep the flavors interesting. The pineapple tastes juicy & sweet with just the right amount of tangy flavor to keep things bright & lively. A really nice balance of flavors and textures.
This blend is organic, VEGAN, gluten-free & allergen-free!
Taster size is approximately 12g
organic ingredients: oolong tea, pineapple, ginger & natural flavors
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As I sit here, sipping on this tea, I’m happy. I’m beyond happy – really – with how wonderful this blend came out. I’m always just a little bit – concerned – about how a TieGuanYin will come out because of the natural floral notes that are part of the TieGuanYin profile. I love those floral notes, but when you pair them with other flavors, I worry that either the other flavors will not meld well with the floral notes. It usually happens that the floral notes are too overwhelming that the other flavors have a difficult time shining through – or sometimes, it happens that the flavors dampen the floral notes so much that they’re nearly indistinguishable.
With this blend, neither of those things are happening. I get that floral tone. But I also taste both the ginger and the pineapple & each flavor in this cup is enhanced by the presence of the other flavors. The pineapple tastes better with the ginger. The ginger is not overwhelming the palate with its characteristic heat. The floral notes are softened by the ginger, but not overpowered by it. That softened floral note allows the pineapple to taste so fresh & lively.
A truly wonderful cuppa!
to brew: give the blend a good shake before you measure to make sure the fruit & spice are well-incorporated with the tea leaf pellets. use 2 1/2 grams of leaf to 12 ounces of very hot water (175°F) and allow to steep for 3 1/2 – 4 minutes. strain & enjoy.
Remember to resteep these leaves. To resteep, use the same amount/temperature of water but add 30 seconds of steep time to the second infusion (in other words, steep for 4 – 4 1/2 minutes). With each subsequent resteep, add an additional 30 seconds of steep time.
I wonder if this one will ever return. I’d be happy to try it.