Blue People

WOW!!! This tea is sensational!

It’s almost impossible to describe, and I don’t see how anyone could dislike it. It has a clean, crisp, sweet flavor going down. But the aftertaste is what’s so fantastic!

The aftertaste is so unique and different from anything else I’ve ever had. It sort of cools your tongue and refreshes your palate, while at the same time being incredibly flavorful and delicious.

I don’t know about the tea being a good alternative to an energy drink. Yes, it has ginseng added to it, but oolong is naturally very low in caffeine. I can drink it right before bedtime and still fall asleep with ease.

It’s pretty expensive as teas go, but it does have a very long shelf life (around 3 years). As with most teas, it’s better the fresher it is. But you can brew the same tea leaves up to seven times! In my opinion, it tastes best on brews 2-5. Funny that the first brew isn’t the best, huh?

But truly, this is a lifetime favorite. Brew it in very little water for 15-30 seconds, and you’ll have magic. Trust me, this tea is worth a trip to a Vital Tea Leaf shop all by itself.

Just don’t buy their Piao I Teapot to brew it in. Yes, it’s so simple and cool. But it breaks really easily after just a few uses. Instead, go for something like Teavana’s Classic Comfort Touch Tea Strainer with lid. You’ll be much happier in the long run, and the large open strainer allows the tea leaves to expand more than a small tea ball would.

Our host at the Vital Tea Leaf tasting room in San Francisco China Town loves giving this tea to visitors because it’s so unique. I consider myself to be a tea connoisseur, and I’d never tasted anything like this.

His brother calls it “party in your mouth tea” because the flavor changes dramatically with each sip. It starts out with a nice Oohlong flavor, but the aftertaste is wonderfully sweet from the licorice root. Additional sips will continue to change in taste.

This is one of my favorite teas to help me focus through my work day. I also love sharing it with friends because it’s so unique.

A better-balanced blend of ginseng to oolong than most “emperor teas” of this variety. The base oolong isn’t of the highest quality, but then you wouldn’t want it to be as the subtleties would be wasted underneath the blanket of sweet ginseng. It’s a nice pick-me-up or something to drink when your palate isn’t clean enough to appreciate more refined teas. A fun and comforting tea. It’s a tea I’d buy again from Vital Tea Leaf

I drink this tea nearly every day, and go through a 4oz canister every couple of months. Last time I stopped by Vital Leaf to get a refill they suggested a adding a pinch of rose tea for a new flavor. It adds a lovely floral note to the ginseng sweetness.

Run over with hot water first, seep only ten seconds in a smallish cup, then take a sip and breathe in slowly over your tongue. You will experience an inexpressible kind of sweetness. After your first cup, you can seep again six or seven times, ten seconds at a time, until the flavor is gone.

The oolong itself isn’t my favourite (or maybe this tea is just old) but I enjoy ginseng tea once in a while. It has such a nice peppery, biting, gingery sort of flavour. It tastes herbal but in a good way. It does have bitterness to it, but the oolong balances that slightly. I think this one is best not brewed too long and possibly with some soy milk to counter the bitterness. I wouldn’t mind the bitterness except that it stays with you for a long time after each sip.

Very interesting! The flavor upfront is a nice mild oolong, nothing special, mouthfeel like plain hot water. Holding it in your mouth for several seconds yields a wonderfully intense, smooth, honeyed licorice aftertaste.

The leaves expand like crazy, so use a big strainer!

This was another from the tasting session at Vital Tea Leaf. I have only had Blue People one other time from another company and I didn’t care much for it. This still would not be one I would pick out to take home. I know it is the ginseng that I’m not liking. The quality of the tea seemed high and the ginseng was not overwhelming but could definitely be picked out from the flavors. My mother really liked it though and bought some to take home. So while it isn’t my thing, if you like ginseng oolong, this may be one for you!

This tea is amazing! After about 10 seconds you get a nice honey aftertaste. Great tea to wake up to. And Kenny over at Vital tea is an awesome guy. I highly recommend going in for a tasting if your ever in SF chinatown.

I first tasted this tea in Seattle at Vital Tea Leaf. They have a wonderful sit-down tasting complete with gong fu and you get to try lots of different teas. This one stood out among all the ones I was tasting. I started getting a warmth and a serious high off of it. It is so sweet and fantastic. The qi alone is worth drinking this tea but it is also a fabulous high mountain Oolong that is super sweet. It is blended with high quality ginseng powder.
The lady told me there are different qualities and types of ginseng so you can get different effects from them. I bought some of this to take home and am super pleased that it is brewing up to taste just like her brew did. I love it.
Dry Leaf: smells so good, it is little rolled Oolong nuggets coated in a moss green colored ginseng powder.
Method: 195F – 10 oz ceramic Gong Fu pot 45" steep 1 tsp tea per 8 oz water Steeped 3 times but can go up to 8
Wet Leaf: Large dark green leaves that some have been cut and would appear some have been leaf bitten which might be contributing to the sweet scent and flavor.
Liquor: Light golden color with a sweet scent.
Flavor: Sweet and delicious Oolong. This tea affects you with qi. It has a sweet aftertaste—all the while you are really focusing and getting a bit high lol. I really feel it in my eye area and Crown Chakra area which is really cool.
Definitely going into my cupboard.
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7/17/14
Having some of this today and I needed it after a bad sleepless night!!!! It’s helping big time!!!