Citron Oolong

This is all Fruity Pebbles (which I think are slightly more flavorful than Fruit Loops. But same idea). Luckily, it’s fresh and floral and not soapy or counter cleaner-y.

The oolong adds a bit of buttery smoothness, but this blend is all about the citrus.

WHOA. Citrus.
Fruit Loops? Ok…I’ll buy it. This sure is interesting…or should I say striking!? Regardless…it’s different…rare…obscure!?

I think I would like this from time to time, sure…why not!?

The taste of this tea isn’t at all tart or sour so it’s in no danger of venturing into Tazo’s Sweet Wild Orange territory thankfully. I think I am picking up some slightly floral notes but they’re very subtle much more so than what I’d expect from all those jasmine blossoms in the tea.

The oolong hardly looks like it’s even there in the dry tea, but it really unfolds a great deal as the tea steeps so that in the end it’s taking up much of the space in my strainer.

The resteep (@ 4:30 min) was nice and strong too, and I think this tea could probably handle another one or two steeps after this if I felt so inclined.

The Final Sipdown: Day 2.1

I’ve been trying not to read my prior logs on some of these samples that I have previously tried [this one coming from Auggy almost a year ago – how time flies!] but sipping on this one I immediately think, “Oh yeah, Froot Loops.”

And yet, children’s breakfast cereal comparison aside, there’s some kind of…sophistication, about this tea. Additionally, though I typically don’t like messing with my tea, this would probably taste fantastic carbonated and I really should give it a go chilled because I bet it’s pretty tasty that way. The tea has such a light, citrusy, refreshing quality about it and for me that’s somewhat lessened by drinking it hot. Hot citrusy things make me think of either Thanksgiving/Holiday dishes, or things you drink when you are sick. Cool citrusy things make me think of cooling off and refreshing yourself during the summer, and so I think I would rather like this chilled.

I’m eating meatballs right now, which typically read as heavier, almost wintry type fare. Thinking I’d finish the tea off and grab some water, the last of my cup overlapped with when I was done cooking, so I decided to try the two together to see how it paired. The result was surprisingly pleasant! The tea, which seems rather lightweight on its own, was really heightened for me by eating it with something bolder and spiced. Quite interesting indeed, and now I find myself going for a second steep to finish off dinner and place a cup in the fridge so that I can try it chilled later. I might as well do it now because I have no more left to try as this sample is GONE.

What’s that?

Gone!

Day two, sample one, down the metaphorical drain! The Final Sipdown is shaping up to be extremely cathartic. [Also, as I reread my old log now that this one is essentially done, this might be due for a slight ratings bump. I should stress, like other Steepsterites have before me, that the oolong is essentially nonexistent in this tea, but it is nevertheless enjoyable. I’ll try it chilled before I see where it falls.]

ETA: Forgetting to comment on the aftertaste – for me it falls somewhere between lemony and limey with just a whisper of sweetness. Almost like you sucked on a lemondrop five minutes ago.

ETA2: Chilled, this is like lemon water without any sour taste and a clean finish. No sweetness to be had, but I think that if I found myself buying this to make it chilled, I would lightly sweeten the tea when I made it. Whether or not I like this enough to buy it or not is another story, but seeing as how my next Rishi order is likely to be soon, it may find its way in there. Aftertaste hints again at Froot Loops and/or Fruity Pebbles.

Samples Downed: 4

Woah. This tea is one of the more interesting ones I’ve had in a while! COURTESY OF AUGGY, who is amazing, if you didn’t know this already. Seriously amazing. Tea goddess. Not lying.

So I had a rough night last night, and as a result, I probably only got three hours of sleep. Can you say, “BRAAAIINNS?” Yeah, nearly comatose. I needed a pick-me-up. And since Auggy’s Citron Oolong was just sitting here, looking sad and neglected, I figured I’d steep some up. Cause that’s what we do at Steepster. We steep tea. Then think we’re important enough to log our thoughts. I don’t know where I’m going with this.

Anyway, I measured out the required 1 tbsp (and my eyes bugged out at how HUGE the tablespoon looked this morning – read: I AM NOT AWAKE) and dumped it into my IngenuiTEA. The leaves are little crackled-up balls, like someone made tea spitballs and then threw them into the mix. And there are lots of flowers. Lots. They’re very cute and delicate. The tea, overall, is very pretty dry. The smell was really citrus-y but light. Not like Lysol or a cleaning agent. I can’t really describe it.

Anyway, the tea did its little dance, and boy did the oolong do its dance. The leaves wasted no time unfurling and wriggling and becoming their gorgeous, russet-and-green selves.

The tea ate a lot of water. Because when I poured, my cup wasn’t as full as it usually is. But no worries! This might be one tea that actually smells better WET than dry! Mmmmm. It smells like the iced lemon cookies (those soft, squishy ones) that I sometimes have. Bake-y and buttery in a delicate lemon way.

The buttery really comes across in the smell of the infusion itself. The smell is mostly pure lemon, with this intense butter note. Hesitantly, I took a sip.

Okay, I can completely see the Fruity Pebbles comparison! Because now that I’ve read everyone’s comments, yeah, Fruity Pebbles, in sort of an awesome way. But I definitely taste delicious lemon notes, with a floral undertone. There’s a bit of orange in there too, but it’s hiding and it only really comes out if you concentrate on it with every sip. As for the oolong part… I’m not sure if I really taste it. Then again, I have little-to-no experience with oolongs, but I’m not tasting anything that rings soundly of teaness. Other people have mentioned that the oolong doesn’t really come through completely in this tea, and I’d have to agree.

I’m almost not minding that, though, because the tea is waking me up with its clean freshness and assertiveness. For all the citrus, it really is gentle, mild, and coaxing. Nowhere near the aggressiveness of something like bergamot. It’s not even really that sour or tart. No puckering here! Nor is it astringent, which is surprising, because sometimes citrus completely dries my mouth out. I’d have to say that this tea is female.

This is really, really interesting. I don’t think it’d be a daily drinker for me, but it’s fun, fresh, and eye-opening. I’m more awake and wired now than I ever was before, and I did it while drinking an awesome tea from Auggy (who is 3 for 3 with tea sent to me [that rhymed, lawl])!

This smells like Tang. I opened the tin and it was like, “what the heck my tea smells like powdered, sugary drink mix.” I wasn’t really sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but it has some good reviews so I certainly wasn’t going to put off trying it!

This is a really pretty tea, at least half of my tin is jasmine blossoms which are so cute. It looks like potpourri—I want to put it in a little bowl and my house can smell of Tang. It’s a lot less Tang-y smelling once brewed, and the jasmine comes out more. The citrus is even less prominent when you taste it. It’s still there, but pretty soft. I taste a lot more orange than lemon, with tons of floral jasmine in the background. The citrus and floral elements blend together perfectly, and this is a smooth, mellow tea. These are two flavors I really like, but there’s a problem—I can’t taste the oolong base at all! I love oolong, and this really could be listed as a Citrus Jasmine herbal blend and I’d believe it. I’d definitely rate it a lot higher if there was, you know, actual tea flavor. I was a little disappointed when I first drank this, but I think I’ll enjoy it more next time now that I know what to expect.

Last time I did an about 50/50 mix of this and a plain green oolong to try to get more oolong taste in this. I didn’t think it made that much of a difference so I made it straight today.

Now I know that the mix last time did make a difference. I think having more regular oolong in this gives the flavor more depth, makes it more interesting. It’s still tastes like a big bowl of sugary, citrusy kids’ cereal but it has a more solid base. So a more interesting sugary kids’ cereal.

Go Fruity Pebbles!

I’m feeling a little sickly today, so I thought a touch of citrus might do me good. I can’t really taste the oolong due to the overpowering citrus, but I like it. Citron Oolong smells very clean and lemon-y. The taste is like a mild Fruit Loops/Fruity Pebbles kind of thing. Both wet and dry, the leaves and the flowers in the tea are very pretty to look at.
I’m a big oolong drinker, and I wish the oolong stood out a bit more…but this one is still a keeper.

Great crisp and refreshing taste, It’s a great summer morning tea it go’s well with some nice hot toast. Or it is also a fantastic cold tea, with an almost lemonade taste it is great after a long day in the garden or yard work! It’s also fairly cheap at Whole Foods!

Nice clean taste, not soapy but floral and fresh. The citrus smell is stronger than the citrus taste though. The blossoms add floral notes in the finish.

This is a tea to smell and drink at the same time. It gives a great throat coat on these cold icky days.