T Stands For an oolong tea review

 

We are once again meeting at my dining room table, where today I will be sharing a review of oolong tea.  I have still not totally recovered from the effects of my food poisoning, but I promise I will be by either tonight or tomorrow. 

This all started when I received this box from San Francisco, by way of China.

I was told if I gave an honest review, this company, iTeaWorld would supply me with both oolong and black tea.

I was already in love with the boxes.  I can see altering them

 

once I drink all the tea.

The company sent black tea, too, along with the brand history, which I will share next week.

 It was time to assemble the items I would need for making perfect tea.  I'm not sure this is porcelain, but it's what I'm using.

It was time to read the instructions.

I went to all the trouble of finding a 5 gram weight.  I was about to bring out my scale when I realized I didn't need it.  The weight on the bag was 3.5 grams.  DUH!!!

It was a bit difficult getting all that tea in the ball, but I finally made it.  Then it was time to heat the water.  I saw I had to use distilled water in the cup, even though I was just "cleaning the leaves."

Three seconds.  Just enough time to take a single photo and hope for the best.  You might have noticed my blue PBS Kansas mug from before.  That was when I thought the water was to heat the teacup only, not clean the leaves.  Since I learned I was to place the distilled water and tea in a container, I decided on a container that I wouldn't mind getting both tea and water in it.

Second brew,

third brew,

fourth and final brew, although I could have done this up to 10 times.

What did I think of this tea?  First, it was smooth, almost like silk.  It was, however, a bit too watered down for my taste.  The first tea I ever drank was oolong.  Sounds weird since I grew up in a very British household.  My grandparents (grands raised me from birth) only drank coffee, and to get me to drink milk, of which I wasn't fond, my grandmother put a bit of coffee in my milk.  Soon it was as much coffee as milk, then less milk and more coffee.  You can see I've been a caffeine addict since I was in the 9th grade.

But I am here to evaluate the oolong tea.  The first oolong I had was "in your face" bold.  This tea was not like that.  It was subtle and dare I say weak.  I know some like weak or subtle tea.  I on the other hand, am into bold.  It had a good taste, it just wasn't strong enough for me.  Perhaps if I continued through all the brews, I would like it better.  I might do that next week when I evaluate the black tea.  I will also share the history of iTeaWorld.  

I also want to thank Zoey who was my contact with this company and the huge amount of tea she sent me.  Some who drink tea on a daily basis will find this tea quite pleasing.  Even if I am drinking loose leaf tea, which I prefer over tea bags, and I drink it several times a week, it will take me a LONG time to drink every bag she sent me.  Further, I am a simple tea drinker.  Even though I have all the accouterments, I want something less complicated than what I went through for this tea.

It's now time to share your own drink related post.  It can be gifts you received, photos, a place you visited, movies, postcards, mail art, junk mail, catalogs, books, sketches, mixed media, drawings, paintings, handmade cards, tags, scrapbooking, or other art that is digital, hybrid, or traditional, a favorite mug, cup and saucer, teapot, coffee pot, or even a wine glass. Regardless, please join us by linking below.  Bleubeard and I will gladly visit, as will other T participants.  Please link only your T post and not your blog in general.  Bleubeard would like to remind you that old photos are acceptable because they may be taken any time, not just on Tuesday and not just this year.  Please remember to visit your fellow T participants. 

 

 

I realize it's a bit late, but it's also time to dig up your Second on the 2nd post.  Any length, any genre is acceptable, as long as it's been published sometime in the past.