Oct 19
Laura’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "I think that this one is a great choice for both seasoned oolong drinkers and those just venturing into rock oolong and a little wary of the roastedness. This one stands out because of its smoothness and sweetness."
|
9/10
"Big Red Robe is the artisan Oolong of California Tea House's Oolong collection. It is the finest grade of Chinese Oolong anywhere, hand picked for perfect color modeling and complexion. If you are familiar with Oolong, once you have tried Big Red Robe, we are convinced you will recognize the difference in quality, taste and aroma to any other. Our Big Red Robe Oolong is so rich, it can be infused (or steeped) a handful of times. Like having wine from different levels of the same barrel, each new cup reveals a new layer of this tea's complexity. Most of our customers have said they believe the 2nd round of infusion on the same leaves bring out the best flavor." ---California Tea House website.YUM! It's oolong time! Anytime I have oolong it is nearly always a pleasant experience. While I make no excuses about the fact that my preference is for greener oolongs, the darker rock oolongs are growing on me. Oddly, so is coffee...well some coffee anyway. I digress. Oolong is one of those things that I don't mind running up my charge card for because it is so complex, delicious and you can get multiple infusions out of it. In fact, to me drinking oolong is a story that unfolds with each infusion. Corny, right? This Big Red Robe from California Tea House is a bit on the pricey side and might give some folks a little bit of sticker shock, but it is totally worth it.
My experience in general with Big Red Robe is that it is rock oolong lite. What do I mean by that? It is a bit more sweet and a little less roasted than a lot of the other rock oolong offerings. This one is not an exception. I prepared this according to the instructions on the California Tea House website and infused for about 3.5 min. The first infusion's cup has a taste of the the roastedness that you expect, but it doesn't get in your face. This particular offering is very SMOOTH. It has a little woodiness to it and just the right touch of sweetness.
When it comes to drinking oolong, I always have at least 2-3 infusions. Usually after 3 cups of the same thing, I am ready for something new though. Since California Tea House says that most of their customers like the second infusion best, I had to indulge. I would say the roastedness becomes secondary to the sweetness in the second infusion. There are even a few chocolatey notes in this infusion. The woodiness is lost on my tongue while enjoying the second infusion. I tend to be a second infusion girl anyway and I did prefer this infusion. I have little doubt that this will hold up for 3 and possibly 4 infusions.
Overall, this is an excellent example of a Big Red Robe and of a rock oolong lite :). I think that this one is a great choice for both seasoned oolong drinkers and those just venturing into rock oolong and a little wary of the roastedness. This one stands out because of its smoothness and sweetness. Further, California Tea House offers free shipping on any order currently. If you like greener oolongs, their Buddha Hand sounds intriguing as well.
Special Offer! FREE SHIPPING on all orders! California Tea House.
 |
Laura Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Laura's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Laura. |
Recent Comments