Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s a special treat–Fujian oolong blended with real freeze-dried kiwi, marigold petals and organic kiwi- and cheesecake flavors. A little tart, a little tangy, a little sweet, and all delicious!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I can’t say that I’ve ever had a kiwi cheesecake. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a kiwi cheesecake except for the photo on the label. But I love kiwi (and it’s a fruit flavor that is not often used in a tea!) and I love cheesecake … and I love Oolong so I felt fairly confident that I’d enjoy the tea created for the week of August 25.
The aroma that filled the kitchen when I opened the pouch was a sweet, fruity scent. I could smell the kiwi and I could smell the sweet, creamy notes. To brew this, I didn’t grab my gaiwan as I normally would with an Oolong because I figured I didn’t really need it with a flavored Oolong. Instead, I used my Kati tumbler. I measured out 1 bamboo scoop of tea into the basket and heated the water to 180°F. I debated with myself on whether or not I should do a rinse, ultimately, I decided to go ahead and try rinsing the tea for 15 seconds and then discarded the liquid. Then I steeped the tea for 3 minutes.
The brewed tea has a much softer scent than the dry leaf. I barely smell the kiwi and I worried for a moment that maybe the rinse rinsed the flavor right off the leaves! Fortunately, it didn’t! I may not be able to pick up on a strong kiwi fragrance but I can definitely taste the kiwi.
I can also taste the cheesecake! There is a creaminess to it which is probably not just because of the flavor but because of the natural creamy notes of the Oolong tea. I get a light, tangy cream cheese flavor. The only thing I find myself missing here is a note of pastry or graham cracker crust. There is a light buttery tone but I attribute that to the Oolong and not so much to the flavor of the pastry. I find myself searching – in vain – for the crust of the cheesecake. Normally, when I am trying one of 52Teas’ cheesecake blends, I can pick up on that crust taste. This one, I’m not.
Perhaps it’s because I did the rinse. Next time I brew this, I think I’ll try it without the rinse and find out if that improves the overall cheesecake-y-ness of this tea.
But really, the flavors of creamy, sweet, tangy cheesecake and sweet-tart kiwi are both represented very well here, and I like that while I do taste these flavors, the flavor of the Oolong is not lost. It’s a sweet and smooth Oolong. I am picking up on light floral notes from the Oolong and I like the way these delicate flowery tones play in the cup. The Oolong seems to add depth to the kiwi notes and it was the right choice for the base for this blend.
This is a really unusual but very enjoyable cup of tea.
