99% Oxidized Purple Oolong

I had another purple oolong from a different vendor (Sereni-tea), but this is most likely similar, if not the very same.

The dry leaves, after steeping smell just like roasted coffee. I decided to steep this in the gaiwan this afternoon and did so for about 60 seconds. It’s definitely an interesting tea, has notes of buckwheat and cinnamon. It is a fairly unusual oolong and might be an acquired taste, I notice one of the other tasters hated it, but it reminds me a bit of a red robe.

The second steep is a bit more mellow and fruitier, has some notes of plum in it. If you’re into darker oolongs, you may want to check it out. I did get a full sized tin of it so I hope the oxidation means it will keep for a while. I may need to try cold brewing the leftovers.

Purple Oolong? I like the colour purple! Lol, just the excuse to want to get this tea!

I found this oolong very different. It steeps up very dark reddy purple. It smells like bitter coffee. The taste? Smokey ash, cedar, malt, amber, cinnamon, and caramel. Later infusions the tea got chocolately!

99% OP Oolong resteeps very well, I was following the package for 3 minute steeps, and I got up to 8 runs with not bitter or dryness. I’m scared to try this in a gaiwan, it would be CRAZY NEVER ENDING OOLONG CHAOS!

This is an oolong for you black and pu’er drinkers that love a solid earthy cup without grassy or floral oolong fluff. However, I am a grassy floral oolong lover, I did enjoy this tea for the unique flavor notes.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/99-oxidized-purple-oolong-from-art-of-tea-tea-review/

EDIT: it’s also Oolong Week at my blog. Yeah, it started late, busy with memorial day and all.

Have you ever had Sugar Smacks cereal as a kid? Well, if you haven’t try this tea because it tastes EXACTLY like it! This tastes of cinnamon, honey and sweet wheat… a plus in my book!

Thanks Amy oh for this purple oolong sample.

At first I wondered if the bag was labeled wrong. The leaves do not have the slightest purple in them, though the picture here definitely displays a purple hue. I read some of the other reviews describing it’s complete lack of purple (dry and brewed), so that must be the way they are supposed to be.

It tastes like like an aged oolong, very dark and roasted but with a distinct sweetness that I haven’t yet found in other (non-aged) roasted oolongs.

It’s quite tasty and a good choice for coffee drinkers trying to make the switch to tea. I love the flavor of roasted, dark, and aged oolongs, but it sometimes bothers me wondering how much of the tea’s natural nutrients are lost in the processes that create these sweet and roasted flavors. Oh well, at least there’s nothing bad in it and its tasty so I shouldn’t complain :p

ACK! I don’t like to write negative reviews but this tea just tastes foul to me, nasty. Now that’s dreadful to say. I just wrote about an oolong last night that I adored and gave a score of 100. I love oolong teas and have many in my cupboard. But this was an expensive tea and reading about the notes of cinnamon and amber, well, as an oolong lover I knew I had to try it and I treated myself to it. Now I have a 3.5 oz tin that I won’t use and it is very disappointing! And the color is not purple, though it says so on the tin and in the description, but a deep brown like other brown teas. I keep wondering if they put the wrong tea in the tin but I know they didn’t because it looks just like the picture. I was careful not to over-steep because it said it was good for many infusions. That says to me “LOOK OUT, THIS TEA IS GOING TO GET STRONG FAST!” but it didn’t taste too strong nor bitter. I feel like I’m at a wine tasting for a new and highly regarded wine with rave reviews and I’m looking sheepishly around the room at everybody applauding it and I want to creep out because I dislike it so. Perhaps it is an acquired taste, but as I said I have and love many oolongs so an oolong taste is familiar to me even though of course they are all different. Here I go to trudge back into the kitchen, throw it out, and brew something else. I really need a good cup of tea. THIS isn’t it!

This is indeed a peculiar tea. The dry leaf is very very pretty, though to describe it as purple would require some imagination. The aroma is both earthy and spicy, smelling of tobacco and cinnamon. The flavor is full and complex; at first biscuity, almost tasting of potato, also peppery and musky. (I found that a shorter steeping time – say 2 1/2 minutes or so – gave a less potato-y brew.) The cinnamon-raisin note comes as an aftertaste, which is at the same time almost vegetal. I’ve never tasted a tea quite like this one, and was not initially turned on to it. After a few cups, however, I’ve grown to really like it. I think it would make a good breakfast tea.

I believe it would be a bit of a mistake to only try this tea solo…sort of like certain Scotch selections. I strongly recommend trying this purple (or not really purple) oolong with some decent chocolate…something above 70%, OR a mild cigar (yes, I said a cigar…get over it if you don’t like it). Chocolate will bring out the cinnamon and floral in the tea much better (at least the stuff I was eating with it did), and a Cigar or some decent straight pipe tobacco in a pipe actually sweetens the tea quit a bit since you’re not noticing the smoky/tobacco/musky flavors that are in there as much.

Secondary note. I find it useful with teas like this to run a brief rinse, or actually if I’m feeling in an interested mood on this one I’ve cold brewed it for a while on the first steep and then used “standard” temperatures.

This was done in 190 degree F water with a three minute steep, and the resulting brew had a nice caramely color, but had a musky, earthy, roasted aroma. The flavor of the tea reminded me of roasted nuts (I was actually reminded a lot of TeaSource’s Roasted Chestnut tea), and the liquor was very smooth with a sort of sweetness that left a somewhat honey-like aftertaste on my tongue. The tea had subtle notes of deep, rich, earthy minerals beneath the sweeter, toasty, roasted nutty flavors. I found the tea very enjoyable! Smooth and nutty, with many of the appeals of a darker tea without the astringencies or bitterness. I think this would appeal to fans of nutty, earthy flavors that don’t like flavored blends.

Seeing as how purple teas are somewhat rare… I had to try this. It’s very smooth. Has a woodsy start with very interesting tones to it. Some I’m not quite able to describe. Though I’m not usually a fan of the darker oolongs even I can appreciate how good this one is.

This tea definitely is very similar to the aged Oolongs I’ve tried from Butiki (particularly the 1991 Da Ye Aged and 2003 Reserve Four Season). Its roasted woody charcoal notes are complimented nicely by a smooth feel and hint of butter. Very robust and deep in flavor and depth. Though not as strong as, say a Lapsang for example, these bold flavors seem to be not everyone’s favorite (as evidenced by some other reviews here..), but if you enjoy a dark Oolong once in a while then I’d definitely recommend this. . Thx Liquid Proust for the sample.. planning to order more of this in my next AoT order!

4g/8oz/190F/3min