Category Archives: Oolong teas

Review: Teatime at Roebling Tea Room

Posted on May 9, 2012 by | 3 Comments

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A review of Mountain Water Oolong tea.

This past weekend, Katie and I went on a little adventure to Brooklyn, NY! While there were tried to pack in as many things as we could, like: visiting ‘Cuse friends, seeing the sites, art, eating, taking in the nightlife, flea marketing and TEA! We found ourselves brunching at the Roebling Tea Room in Williamsburg. This is a charming little spot that served good food and of course, good tea. Katie
and I both had what the waitress described as a “lighter oolong”.

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Overall Rating

Taste: Taste: 3.5 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 5 of 5 this tea is easy to make.

Abby says:

Temperature: Hot
Steeped: About 5 minutes
Served: Nothing added

Well, the server was right – this is oolong light. After steeping to a strong golden color this tea still had a light and mild flavor. It was very easy to drink and went very well with my meal, drunk beans. Even better than the tea itself was the unique presentation. Our tea was brought to us prior to steeping with large glass mugs filled to the brim with hot water. The leaves looks so pretty sitting atop the mug the the little ceramic white bowl. We each then dumped the leaves into the large infuser sitting the mugs and watched them steep. When finished we had large mugs of beautiful tea! If you had spotted us from another table you may have thought we were having a couple of beers with our meals.

Taste: 3.5 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 5 of 5 this tea is easy to make.

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Katie says:

What a fun tea house! Yes, like the tourist I was I took tons of photos…iphoneography.

Temperature: hot
Steeped: about 5 minutes
Served: with 2 cubes of brown sugar

When surveying the menu Abby & I chose this Mountain Water Oolong tea because it was mild and we had a full day of tea-drinking planned. After brunch we went to Moma to see some art and then off for tea tasting at Harney & Son’s store in Soho. (but we’ll tell you about that later)

This tea turned out to be a great choice! Mild yet tasty and a nice color. I very much enjoyed the flavor but did like the added hint of sugar. Although this was an oolong tea, I found it to be more similar in body to a green or white tea. It still had the unique oolong flavor but was lighter than most oolong tea that I’ve had.

Taste: Taste: 3.5 of 5 leaves: A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 5 of 5 this tea is easy to make.

Doesn’t Abby look happy with her tea & Hope with her coffee?

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Posted in Oolong teas, tea rooms

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Steeping

Posted on February 10, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Have you ever made a cup of tea that you expected to be wonderful and it ended up falling flat or tasted bitter?  It could be that you’re not a fan of that tea, OR MAYBE it wasn’t prepared optimally.  Different types of tea need to be steeped at varying temperatures and for varying lengths of time in order to produce the best tasting cup or pot.  It isn’t just the length of time that you steep your tea that matters. Other factors to consider are water temperature, amount of tea, and steep time. These will all vary depending on which type of tea you are preparing. Some teas  are more fussy than others. These will also vary between tea drinkers, as we all have our preferences when it comes to how we “take our tea”.

I love this graph found at theteaspot.com because it provides tons of information all in one spot.  Along the top axis you have the amount of tea  needed depending how you are steeping your tea, as well as the preferred water temperature and steep time.  While on the side axis you have many different types of tea listed by level of caffeine. Awesome. This way the graph can be read in different ways.  If you know which tea you want, you find it and locate the best way to steep it.  Or, if you are trying to decide what type of tea you would like depending of caffeine level, just scan the graph that way.  Note:  If you are steeping a cup of tea with a tea bag these same guidelines apply.

This is another fun way to look at how different types of tea should be prepared with the temperature listed on the tab and the steep time on the bag portion.  I found this little gem on pinterest.com.

I am guilty, just as I’m sure many of you are too, of not taking the proper tea prep into consideration when steeping tea. When it is early in the morning and I haven’t quite remembered my name yet, I am not always thinking about how long and at what temperature I plan to steep my tea. In these cases I generally go for some something simple, like a traditional black tea, or an herbal tea. These teas are fairly forgiving and if I steep for a couple of minutes too long or at too high a temperature, the flavor is not totally lost, even if it isn’t perfect.

Happy tea steeping everyone!  Do you have any tricks that help you prepare the perfect cup?  If so, we are always looking for new idea on how to get the perfect cup!

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Posted in black teas, Easy to make, green teas, herbal tea, Oolong teas, White teas

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Review: Twinings China Oolong Tea

Posted on December 13, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Overall Rating:

Taste: 3.5 of 5 tea leaves - A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 5 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is easy to make!

Abby says:

Temperature: @200 (just below boiling point)
Steeped: 3-4 minutes
Served: Nothing added

My overall rating of this tea may be a bit misleading.  I rated it 3.5 because it is a basic oolong tea. It tastes good and I enjoyed drinking it.  In fact, this oolong tea is quite easy to drink and I could easily put away several cups of it in a day.  You may be asking yourself, why only a 3.5 then?  Why not a 5?  This tea didn’t get a 5 or even a 4 from me because, like it said, it is a basic tea.  The flavor isn’t overly complex or intriguing.  Though not very exciting, the oolong bitterness is there (and lingers), thus this tea is worth drinking!

This tea is nice because you know just what to expect, a tasty oolong tea!  Anyone who enjoys this style would certainly be happy with it.  It is easy to drink so it can be had alone, or with a meal.  If you like oolong tea, give this one a go and let us know what you think!

Taste: 3.5 of 5 tea leaves - A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 5 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is easy to make!

Katie says:

Temperature: @200 (just below boiling point)
Steeped: 3-4 minutes
Served: Nothing added then milk and sugar as suggested on the package

I agree with Abby! Funny how that happens more & more ;) This is a decent tasty tea but not overly strong. I think this might even be the type of tea that you could toss in your to-go mug and leave there. It would also be good to keep at work for an easy afternoon teatime break. Don’t have access to cream and sugar? That’s OK because I liked to black too. It is certainly not fussy but very reliable, dependable, and does have a mild but true oolong flavor. This would be a great tea for someone who wants to try the flavor of oolong without wanting a very strong tea. I would be interested to try this in a loose-leaf variety to see if it packed a little more punch.

Taste: 3.5 of 5 tea leaves - A decent tasty tea.
Steepability: 5 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is easy to make!

P.S. Cousin Vicki tried this tea and agrees with Abby & I too!

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Posted in black teas, Easy to make, Oolong teas

Review: Magic Carpet Tea

Posted on November 1, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Magic Carpet Tea was kind enough to send us samples of their tea for review. Thank you! Please note that we are just as critical of free teas as the ones we purchase. If we get a sample we don’t like we won’t include it on our blog.

Overall Rating:

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 3 of 5 tea leaves – this tea is a bit delicate (requires an infuser or fill-it-yourself tea bags)

Abby says:

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 3 minutes, loose in a teapot
Served: Nothing added

When the opportunity to try and review this new tea popped up we were thrilled to give it a go.  I, for one, was not disappointed.  Here we have a loose blend of Oolong tea and dried dates.  Oolong (or wulong) can be a strong tasting tea and in this case the more intense flavor is balance pretty well with the sweetness of the dried dates.  This is a nice blend because the complexity of the oolong shines and the sweetness of the dates adds a nice finish.  I really enjoyed my first cup and it was gone before I knew it!  Lucky for me I steeped enough for two cups!

Magic Carpet Tea would be great for those looking to branch out  a little and explore different types of tea instead of the ever popular black and green teas or for those who already know and love oolong.  I tried it hot, but iced is also recommended as Magic Carpet Tea hails from the hot CA desert.

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 3 of 5 tea leaves - this tea is a bit delicate (I gave this rating simply because it is a loose tea so some kind of infuser is required).

Katie says:

Temperature: @180 (below boiling point)
Steeped: 3 minutes, in infuser  (some of the tea is very fine and escaped my infuser. It is better when used in a fill-it-yourself teabag like the t-sac.
Served: Nothing added

I’ve always enjoyed the rich taste of oolong tea. It has a unique roasted flavor that is quite complex but wonderful. What is different about this tea is that the sweetness of the dates is blended with the oolong gives this rich roasted tea a sweetness and smoothness without any added sweetener…and I like my tea a bit sweet. I really enjoyed the combination of dates and oolong! One of the best parts about our tea blog has been trying new flavors and blends, and this tea was a joy to discover! If you purchase this tea give it a try iced too because they recommend it as a cool beverage. I only wanted warm tea this unusually cold fall snow-tober weekend, but come warmer weather I’ll be sure to give iced a try. Just don’t forget the t-sac! Or order their special tea bags that are perfect for iced tea makers.

Taste: 4 of 5 tea leaves – Quite a good cuppa!
Steepability: 3 of 5 tea leaves

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Posted in black teas, Oolong teas

Real Simple Spouting About Tea

Posted on October 20, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Ok, here comes another post about a magazine article.  I know what you are thinking, but give it a chance!  This one comes from Real Simple, a magazine filled with all kinds of interesting information and ways to simplify…hence the title.  Titled The Decoder: Tea and written by Amanda Pressner, the article lays out the wonderful health benefits of six types of tea.  How great is that!  Gotta love spreading the word about the goodness of tea!

Here is a basic breakdown of the article (four of the six tea types outlined):

Black tea: Most caffeinated tea at @ 40 milligrams per serving.  Health benefits – high in antioxidant compounds called theaflavins and thearubigins (linked to lower cholesterol levels) and three or more cups a day may lower risk of stroke by 21%.

Green tea: Lower levels of caffeine at @ 25 milligrams per serving.  Health benefits – tons of antioxidants and one cup of green tea a day may lower cardiovascular disease by 10%.

Oolong tea: Moderate caffeine at @ 30 milligrams per serving.  Health benefits – may aid in weight loss by helping to burn more calories.

White tea: Lower levels of caffeine at @ 15 milligrams per serving.  Health benefits – may benefit those with diabetes (a study showed improved glucose tolerance and reduction in LDL cholesterol for animals given white tea) and potential cancer-fighting and cardiovascular benefits as well.

Of course there is so much more to learn about the health benefits of tea, but I loved seeing this when I opened up my November issue of Real Simple!  Because I love tea, and I want everyone to know all about it and how great it is!  This is such a great educator and I hope it prompts people to learn more about what tea can do for them.  For more info check out the November issue!

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Posted in black teas, green teas, Oolong teas, White teas