Coconut Oolong (Organic)

Oh, my. This is bloody delicious. It’s also my third coconut Oolong in a week.

I’m at that point where I have so many teas that I can’t recall what’s in my cupboard, and that the less-than-stellar ones never end up getting used. So there is just a backlog of mediocre teas I try to force myself to drink while the new ones and samples pile up.

And THEN I realized that I had a Tao Tea Leaf voucher expiring March 1. Oh dear. I knew I wasn’t going to have time to visit the store in the couple days I had left to use it, so an online order it was. I’d never tried anything from them before and obviously don’t have any big vacancies in my collection, so I thought lots of samples was the way to go. This left me with the box that arrived today, full of no fewer than 20 samples and three 25 g bags. It’s also left me still never having visited the store, though their online customer service was really great. They were helpful by e-mail and my tea came very nicely packaged and quickly, with a 5% off coupon.

Anyway, this tea. I was going to save it until I finished the Tealish Coconut Bongo, I was. But when I opened my Tao package I lost all control and opened the packet for a sniff. It was so overwhelmingly aromatic that I immediately had to have some. I’d just boiled the Zojirushi so I went gong fu with this one, so it’s not really a direct comparison to the two previous coconut Oolongs I’ve had. But it’s enough to say that it is very similar. The same sweet, toasted coconut flavour on top of fresh green Oolong. These might be my two favourite flavours in the world, so I’m pretty ecstatic to see that there seems to be a coconut Oolong niche out there. I think I may become obsessed with trying every one I can.

The only thing striking me as any different about this tea, apart from its general awesomeness, is how vibrant the Oolong is. Green and (subtly) floral, and impossibly creamy and silky-smooth. It steeps a really bright yellow-green, and tastes incredibly fresh. I will have to try it Western-style soon.

I had this tea this morning, and finally found a chance to log in to do a tasting note.

From my recall this is absolutely delish. I remember notes of the oolong…mineral, but also the roasty, toasty coconut. I can’t believe I left this one for so long, I think it will become a staple.

I have another coconut oolong in my stash, but I think this one is superior. Will have to re-visit other to compare.

While I was driving to do my weekend errands I still had roasted coconut on my tongue 20 minutes after drinking cup. Not a bad thing.

this tea evolves with distinct changes from bag opening to sipping.

-when i opened the bag i smelled roasted coconut with some oolong in the background.
-once the water was added the evolution began, but not in a way i would have predicted: the colour didn’t deepen much but took on a milky hue AND the smell went from a fierce coconut to a lesser coconut with undefinable florals.
-a 6 minute steep because i like a robust tea and this one stayed quite pale.
-cream and sugar because it is the common way i take all but greens.
-on the tongue: i taste coconut and a VERY light oolong, no bitterness, with a refined floral smell at the same time.
-the sip is smooth, as is the caffeine (as opposed to sticky on the tongue).

nicely done tao tea leaf! and a thank you to scribbles for sharing this little gem!

#2021SteepsterSipdown

I’ve missed a few of the theme days because I’ve been busy, but I seized this one as an excuse to indulge in what’s left of my tin of this tea – only a few more cups worth left. It’s so fresh, buttery and one of those perfect coconut flavours that manages to hit all of the buckets. Now that I’ve restocked DT’s Coconut Oolong, which is the same profile, I don’t feel guilty moving through this tea any more though. For so long, it filled that void for me but both teas taste eerily similar so it’s a good stash trade off.

I am not a fan of this tea. It is light bodied and thin with very little going on apart from the strong coconut smell.

Brew it and sit back and enjoy. Appealing, natural tasting coconut flavor at a level that isn’t overplayed. It smells so coconutty that I was expecting it might be overpowering on the palate and be relegated to the stash of teas I use to flavor less favored sip downs, but not so. It’s buttery and not too sweet, balanced by woodsiness and a bare whiff of smoke at the end.

Second steep: coconut fades to mild but butteriness is more pronounced and something vegetal, approximating spinach, appears.

Full flavored, bit of a complex profile, keeps your interest while also being a comfort tea. Great bonus that it’s organic.

Today was a super stressful day and when I left the office I was practically ready to explode, oh the things we have to do just to get a paycheck! Anyway I got this with my last Tao Tea Leaf order and really just wanted to try it… I love the aroma when I put my nose in the bag. Just like roasted coconut! I’ve had a few coconut oolongs in the past and have enjoyed them. This one is good too, what a yummy flavored bao zhong.

The coconut flavor is on the fresh and natural side, not fakey like the coconut oolong from David’s Tea. It’s lightly vegetal and buttery also. Overall a very enjoyable oolong and one I’m glad I ordered. I only hope it doesn’t keep me awake tonight…. 8:30 pm is a bit late for me to be drinking tea but it was such an exhausting day, hopefully I pop right into bed.

Tried half of this sample grandpa style at work. The greener twisted style oolong makes me think that it is a pouchong or a baozhong. The coconut is spot frickin’ on, like a toasted macaroon. This is hands down the best coconut oolong I have had yet. Towards my third cup, I added a teensy splash of vanilla extract. It brought the milky, creamy oolong and the toasty coconut back to life and made it downright desserty

So putting this in the wish list :P

And this is the last of my full-size bags from Tao Tea Leaf! Gotta say, I’m pretty darn happy about my choices, given that I was ordering having never tried any of their teas. :) This one is really delicious. As soon as I opened the bag and the coconut scent hit me, I was pretty sure I was going to like this, and I wasn’t wrong! The leaves are fairly lightly rolled – the 3g that I measured out probably would have come to almost 2 tbsp. The dried leaves are a combination of green and black, but once the hot water hits them they become entirely green. The scent while steeping is a gorgeous combination of sweet coconut from the flavouring, and fresh and vegetal from the oolong. I sat there, inhaling the steam while waiting for it to finish steeping, trying to think of what the combination of sweet + vegetal reminds me of. Sugar-coated flowers? Fresh sweet corn or sugar snap peas? I’m still not sure, but I know I like it. The flavour delivers what the scent promises – sweet, vegetal, coconutty goodness. Yummy. :)

I had so much green tea yesterday, it was time to try something different. This one smells really nice, like toasted coconut. It has a light, sweet flavour. The coconut is less prominent on the second steep, but it’s still nice and creamy.

Thanks for the bonus sample, Tao Tea Leaf.