Six Summits

Last night was surprisingly cold for Quito, Ecuador. It rained all afternoon and it got so cold at night that I actually put on a jacket inside the house! (We have no need for air-conditioning or heating because it never actually gets THAT hot or cold. In a way, that really convenient, but also I really miss the cold and snow…) I was really happy for the cold because it meant I had a great excuse to curl up in a blanket and sip a hot cup of tea!

I decided to go for this tea. I had tried the version with no berries in it a few years ago (and I am happy to see that the berries have been once again taken out of the blend!), but ordered it last time I got tea from Teavana and I was super sad to see that it was full of berries. Almost as many berries as tea leaves… My first reaction was shock. I couldn’t believe that I had payed that much money for 50% oolong and 50% raspberries… I wanted tea, not fruit… Oh well… After getting over my disappointment I tried to figure out how much dry tea I should use for my usual 16oz of hot water. It was hard for me to figure out because the amount of berries in each spoonful looked so much more plentiful than the tea. I decided to go for 3 teaspoons to make sure enough oolong made it in to my cup.

I steeped the first brew for 2 minutes in boiling water. I haven’t mentioned before that since Quito is at such a high altitude (3000 meters above sea level) water boils at 194F. Which means that all my temps are off by a bit when I talk about boiling water.

The brewed tea was a nice pinkish color, probably all due to the ridiculous amount of raspberries in the leaves. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually did smell oolong and raspberries in my cup!

The taste was better that I thought it would be. My complaint would be the added sour sensation that came with the fruit. After I got over that, there was a delicate raspberry flavor followed by a tiny bit of woody ending a sweet oolong afertaste. I love that I still had the oolong experience in my cup! It could have been much better if the tart, sour pieces of berry weren’t there to interfere.

The second brew (3 minutes) was more oolong and less berry, which I approved of. There still was a bit of tartness that felt out of place, but the oolong was tasty enough to keep me from focusing on it. Thankfully. The first flavor I got was tiny bit grassy, which I wasn’t expecting, but enjoyed. The sweet aftertaste to this oolong was stronger in the second brew.

I had a third brew of it this morning (forgot it brewing so I have no idea how long it brewed… ooops…). Even though the leaves steeped for a while, I didn’t get any bitter. I enjoyed it just as much as my second cup.

So, to sum it all up, it was good, but could be better. It is a decent oolong and as far as flavored oolongs go. I don’t think I will be paying for it again, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. : ) Maybe one day I will decide to try the non-raspberry pieces added version again… Maybe.

Steep Information:
Amount: 7 tsp
Water: 1200ml at 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: berry, toasty
Flavor: berry, bitter, toasty
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: berry, astringent
Liquor: translucent orange-brown

It seems to have had it’s recipe altered over time and then gotten discontinued.
I believe I purchased it because it was nice iced. It’s not bad, but not remarkable.

Resteep:
1200ml at 195°F for 6 minutes
slightly bitter raspberry, still nice and toasty, smooth, a little nutty

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.teatra.de/2013/01/23/teavana-loose-lea-oolong-tea-six-summits-oolong/

Cold brewed this today like I threatened. It’s much nicer this way, and if it’s ever on sale again I might pick some up just for this purpose. There’s still a slight bitter note at first, but then that mellows out into a smooth flavor with a sweet berry taste. It doesn’t quite manage to taste natural but it’s certainly more interesting this way.

Unfortunately my opinion of this one is slightly influenced by the good oolong I had before it (which I can’t find on here because the label is completely in Chinese). Not sure it works as an oolong exactly, but it’s interesting as a flavored tea.

I had a small cup of this this morning, and had planned to resteep all day. But I must not be in an oolong mood because I sure haven’t continued one with it! It was kindof berry flavored, at least. I’m blaming the weather. I’ll have to have something iced this evening.

I’m a huge fan of this one. It’s got all of those awesome layers that come with the territory of being an Oolong tea, which I’m greatful for. If you pay attention, you’ll really get into the deeper flavors, which are awesome. There’s definitely a lot of dark berry flavors (blackberry, pomegranate, etc) on the down-low.

I also love the fact that you can steep this tea multiple times. It’s got great “replay value”. You can tell from the first sip that it’s a really high-quality tea.

This oolong from Teavana is a new one for me. Despite a fruity scent to the dry leaves and dried raspberries blended into the mix, this tea doesn’t really smell like raspberries and it doesn’t taste fruity at all. I certainly enjoyed what seems to be a good quality oolong with a very rich, nutty flavor, and I’ll be drinking this again. It’s a quality oolong regardless of fruity essence or lack thereof. Haven’t yet tried multiple steepings, but I think this tea would hold up well to multiple infusions. Thumbs up, Teavana!

This is the tea that made me like tea. The “original recipe” (green oolong and raspberries) was the perfect subtle balance. It didn’t specifically taste like raspberry, but there was definitely a little something extra to the leaves themselves.

If you’ve tried the “new version”, I’m sorry. Teavana has added strawberries to it, and has shredded the fruits instead of leaving them as whole dried pieces. It looks like Special K, and just about tastes like it too. Luckily enough people have complained, and in October or so it will be going back to the original!

My ratings are for the “old” version. It’s light, and less floral tasting than a Tieguanyin, but with the flavor of dark green like a forest after rain. The smell is very clean, with just a little sweetness at the end.

Just talking about it is working up my appetite. After I finish this mate I’ll have to go fire up my Yixing for this tea. :)

Mine had no berries in it, unlike what is currently pictured on line – did they add flavoring before?

A solid but otherwise mostly unremarkable oolong after the 2nd or 3rd steeping. The leaves do have a lot of patience, however, so it lasts a long time. The first few infusions have some aspects of note, however.

Infusion 1 – whereas the dry leaves have that strong berry aroma, once brewed it changes to more of semi-sweet greens, like black cherry leaves, while the liquor’s aroma is similar but milder. The taste is of a light oolong with notes of Cap’n Crunch berries. Don’t add lemon to this one boys and girls, as it brightens it up but puts some astringency in the spotlight.

Infusion 2 – the black cherry leaf aromas have been replaced by fresher barely-sweet notes, a bit like flower greens. And while the liquor smells a bit like a distant draft coming from a hot and humid floral greenhouse, the flavor is pleasant like stepping inside said greenhouse. The berries are gone now. This is a berry-less greenhouse ;-) Nice easy sip, no adulteration needed, and would make a good base for lighter or mellow iced teas.

Once you get past 3 steepings, it has incredible patience and keeps on producing cup after cup, but nothing remarkable to note. I got to infusion 7 at around 10 minutes before I got the first hints of bitterness or astringency. Looking at the photos, #7 still looks like the third steeping, and until I line them up side-by-side next time I believe the flavor profile was pretty consistent after #3 as well.

I keep forgetting I have this amazing tea. It really is light, fruity and green. I really like it but wish it wasn’t so expensive. I guess when Monkey’s pick your tea, you pay the price.