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“Today has been kind of a crazy day, and I haven’t been able to take a moment to make myself a cup of tea! This is the first cup of the day for me! So for my first cup, I decided I needed Oolong! ...” Read full tasting note
“I think I might love this tea. Every time I make this I discover something new about it. It’s almost as if I were drinking a different tea every time. I will definitely be exploring the world of...” Read full tasting note
“Thank you so very much to Jenn-Cha for sending me a sample of this. The tea is really a sort of dark purple-brown color when brewed. And it’s also that rarity for me: a truly unique tea. It’s...” Read full tasting note
“This is delicious although I’m not seeing the purple color claimed by Old Wilmington. My first oolong! I got sidetracked by the discussion on gaiwans and gaiwan alternatives so I put of brewing...” Read full tasting note
Amethyst is an amazingly rare, purple oolong. Originating from Indonesia, this tea offers an intense purple infusion that is a treat for the eyes. Additional oxidation along with pronounced notes of amber, musk and cinnamon help to provide the rich flavor and tasteful indulgence that is sure to follow!
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Today has been kind of a crazy day, and I haven’t been able to take a moment to make myself a cup of tea! This is the first cup of the day for me!
So for my first cup, I decided I needed Oolong! I received my package from Old Wilmington Tea the other day, and I was just thrilled with their presentation. And not only did I get a free sample of tea, but a free sample of tea mints too! I like it when a company pays attention to the little details like this – it’s so special … it’s better than getting something I ordered … it’s like getting a gift!
Fun!!!
Anyways, THIS tea is the reason I placed the order with Old Wilmington in the first place. I saw someone else write a tea note about Amethyst tea… and I knew I had to get it. I probably would have even ordered it if it were a Lapsang Souchong! haha! You see… my daughter’s name is Amethyst. :)
But… as a bonus… not only is this tea named Amethyst… but it is an OOLONG tea too.
A very deeply oxidized Oolong, it possesses a delicate smoky quality to it and a slight earthy quality as well. There are buttery notes as well… but it is more of a savory buttery flavor rather than a sweet one. A very pleasant nutty tone as well. I’m really liking it.
Delightful!!!
Many more happy infusions to follow!
I think I might love this tea.
Every time I make this I discover something new about it. It’s almost as if I were drinking a different tea every time. I will definitely be exploring the world of dark oolongs more because of this tea, in fact I have now dedicated my first yixing to dark oolongs and have a second dark oolong on it’s way.
But anyway, on to this tea.
I must admit that I have absolutely no idea what the water temperature was. It was warm enough to be steaming but certainly not boiling or even simmering. To be quite honest I had intended the water to be warmer but…um…ran out of propane to run the stove. Heh. Oops.
Knowing I’d only manage one steeping, since there was no propane left to heat the water again, I did a 15-20 second rinse to open the leaves a bit and warm the pot. Oh yes, did I mention I was using the yixing for this? Anyway, after a 10 minute steep I poured the liquor out into my cup, this one was a bit deeper than the cup I had been using before, and what do you know…the color was a deep red-brown. I could definitely see how someone could call that purple. The flavor was lighter than my previous experience with this tea, likely because of the lower water temp. It was sweet, mellow, a bit malty, earthy, and a tiny bit nutty.
I have saved the leaves so once get some way to heat water again I’ll update this with subsequent infusions.
This is a tea that I MUST get! Sounds delightful!
Huzzah for electricity. I rescued the old coffee-maker from my husband’s truck (hasn’t been used for coffee in years and has had at least three good scrubs and many many gallons of plain hot water through it since) so I could continue having tea this weekend. The following notes are from Friday morning.
2nd Steep: 10 minutes, temperature around 200F
The liquor is still the deep red-brown as before. The taste is malty, earthy, slightly smokey. I think the smoke might be because the water is warmer than before but I steeped for the same amount of time.
3rd Steep: 8 minutes, temperature of about 200F
Again, dark red-brown but the taste is mellower, rounder, with a hint of fruit and a touch of fresh baked bread.
4th Steep: 8 minutes, temperature a bit cooler, perhaps 180-190F
The color of the liquor is a bit lighter; the taste, sweeter, malty, like tasting an early summer day in mixed forest.
The following notes are from Friday evening.
5th Steep: 8 minutes, temperature of about 200F
A slightly lighter red-brown than before with a lighter flavor. Sweet, malty, smooth, with a slight hint of honey
6th Steep: 10 minutes, temperature around 180-190F
The liquor has lightened now to a lovely amber but the taste has remained the same as the last steeping.
Thank you so very much to Jenn-Cha for sending me a sample of this.
The tea is really a sort of dark purple-brown color when brewed. And it’s also that rarity for me: a truly unique tea. It’s delicious and I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. The Old Wilmington Tea Company describes it as being musky, which it is—in the very best sense. It smells as if the tea had been grown in the middle of a vineyard, with a rich, deep fertilizer. I would not say that the tea is like wine, but it does leave an after-taste quite reminiscent of a big Tuscan wine. It is not merely the color! I also note a particular taste which is NOT unpleasant but which I can only describe as Korean buckwheat noodles served with an Italian wine.
This tea is clearly cosmopolitan and sophisticated!
This is delicious although I’m not seeing the purple color claimed by Old Wilmington.
My first oolong! I got sidetracked by the discussion on gaiwans and gaiwan alternatives so I put of brewing this for a few weeks. This evening I just gave in and tried it in a French press, steeped for about 2 minutes. Yes, I saved the leaves and will be trying multiple infusions!
I wasn’t expecting the rolled leaves, for some reason. And I noticed that some floated to the top of the water and others sank immediately and stayed there. They unfurled quite slowly – another reason I’m encouraged by the possibility of multiple steeps. That’s a new concept for me!
What I taste is sweet, mellow Tea with a capital T. Maybe a slight hint of smokiness. I’m trying to understand what others mean by a buttery flavor. It’s definitely very rich-tasting. Is that part of it? I get a sweet, almost flowery aftertaste. Or, no — winey?
Not feeling the need to add anything to this. Just enjoying the tea. I will definitely be ordering more.
oooh, I’ve had these purple oolongs before and I think they’re yummy!
I actually fell asleep last night still thinking about this tea. That’s seriously weird. But I still haven’t tried a re-steep and now I think it’s too late even though the leaves have been refrigerated. Maybe I’ll start over tomorrow.
You started your oolong journey with something fairly unusual :)
Not all Oolongs are buttery. A purple leaf may not produce a purple tea either. I’ve learned that one. I have a purple Pu-erh…it makes regular looking tea. Some Oolongs get buttery or silky feeling on the tongue only when they cool down. Some get better as they cool and some get astringent. You never know. Part of the fun of discovery.
So, “buttery” is a texture rather than a flavor? This is all so unexpectedly esoteric to me! I think I’m going to have to schedule a class down the line some time.
After the second infusion, I looked at the leaves, and they still have at least one more infusion to go (they aren’t even completely opened up yet!) The tea is still very flavorful – delicious… and I can definitely see why they called it Amethyst. The leaves look quite purple… as does the brewed liquor. A very pleasant Oolong.
I’ve gotten up to six infusions from it. Glad to know someone else is enjoying this too!
Your daughter has a beautiful name :)
Thank you Jenn-cha! I managed five infusions out of it last night before it was time for bed. I think I could have gotten another infusion from it. These leaves are so slow to open up completely – telling me that they have so much flavor in them. They’re so beautiful.
Ohh, loving Amethyst as a name for your daughter!
Do you have any of this left by chance!?
No… sorry… I only had a small package of it (sample size) and it’s gone. :(
No worries :)