REVIEW - Teavivre Oolong Loose-Leaf Teas

Growing up near Boston, it's only natural that I became a Dunkin Junkie. There is practically a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. When I moved to New Orleans back in 93', I was concerned that I would miss it because they seemed to trail off around Virginia. No need to worry - there were two Dunkin Donuts in the New Orleans area - one right down the street from my apartment and the other right down the street from my office. I couldn't have planned that any better!

I didn't become a tea drinker until after attending my first High Tea at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. I wanted to participate, so I felt it only right that I order tea, even though I could have gone with lemonade or something else. After thoroughly reviewing the menu options, I settled on their Oolong, which was referred to as the "champagne of teas" and touted to have peach notes. I was hooked from the first sip! Not only was it extremely flavorful and soothing, but I didn't need to put anything in it.

I had tried teas in the past, but they always left me feeling like I was drinking dish water. I just couldn't warm up to it, so I stuck with coffee. The Oolong came as a welcome relief. What I didn't realize at the time is that there is a wide range of Oolongs, some that are delicate and pale, more along the lines of a green tea, and some that are rich and bold, closer to a black tea. Once I started to enjoy tea, I went back and tried other varieties, thinking that I had developed a taste for it - nope, for whatever reason, the teas I enjoy the most all fall under the Oolong canopy.

When Teavivre first contacted me to ask if I would be interested in sampling their teas and writing a review, I secretly hoped for Oolong. I was slightly disappointed when that didn't happen, but as it turned out, I did enjoy most of the teas they sent. Fast forward a bit and you can imagine how happy I was when they contacted me again asking if I wanted to sample and review their Oolong.

The following are the five varieties I sampled:

Unlike with my first experience, there was not one variety that I didn't care for. If pressed to pick a favorite, I would have to go with the Nonpareil Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin. Not only did it have a lovely flavor, but in a strange way, it made you pause and think about it while you were sipping. This particular tea had a stronger aroma than taste, so as you bring the cup to your mouth, you are expecting to taste what you smell. When that doesn't quite happen, it gives you a momentary pause, and then comes a floral flavor, almost with a hint of lilac, but not in any way cloying as lilac would imply. I like that it draws attention to itself in that way and makes you take your time and appreciate it - a reminder to slow down and enjoy.

If you lean in one direction or the other - Green v. Black tea, Oolong falls somewhere in between, with green teas being un-oxidised and black teas being fully oxidised. I strongly urge you to take a walk into the center and add some Oolong to your tea repertoire. And for those of you who are new to tea, I think Oolong is the best place to start!

The first Oolong I tried was the Taiwan Jin Xnan Milk Oolong, to accompany some Cranberry-Orange Muffins.

It was with a batch of Coconut Scones that I tried my favorite of the group, the Nonpareil Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuan Yin.

When conducting a review, I always like to use the item in some sort of recipe, so I strong-brewed some of the Taiwan Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) and incorporated it into a Peach Butter. That was great on its own slathered on toast and stirred into yogurt, but then I attempted to incorporate the rest into a batch of oatmeal cookies which turned out to be an EPIC FAIL on my part!