Review: Boston Tea Company Vanilla Almond Oolong

Dec 14

Review: Boston Tea Company Vanilla Almond Oolong

Laura’s Teaview Snapshot

"This is primarily a nutty oolong with just enough vanilla to make it interesting. It has a very creamy mouth feel."

Laura’s Teaview:	8/10
Other Teaviews:	Vanessa gave it 7.5/10, Brad gave it 6/10, Katie gave it 7.0/10
Your Reviews:	Add your review »

"Premium Chinese Sencha whole-leaf oolong tea is carefully hand-rolled and blended with natural almond pieces. Aromatic calendula flowers petals are added to enhance the fragrance while natural vanilla and almond essences brighten the slightly sweet and toasty flavor, resulting in a unique brew that is a delight to all the senses." ----Boston Tea Company website.

I had a lovely day today. I went with my sweetie to see the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. It was a sunny autumn day and everything went to plan...traffic, parking, babysitter showed up, the outcome of the game, etc. My latest batch of samples showed up yesterday and this is the one that caught my attention for an after-dinner cup of tea. Boston Tea Company is one that I had never heard of before and, as a girl who loves some flavored tea blends, they have a number of blends that sound scrumptious. My sample package looks to contains a dark, roasted smoky oolong....probably a Formosa offering? It also contains the calendula flower petal shreds and some almond slivers. The aroma is primarily a nutty one with maybe some hints that there is a bit of vanilla in there.

I prepared this with water that was steaming and had some bubbles making their way to the surface. I infused this for about 3.5 min. The cup brewed up to a nice golden color. The aroma of the wet leaves was a bit smoky and roasted. The flavor profile is delicious. This is primarily a nutty oolong with just enough vanilla to make it interesting. It has a very creamy mouth feel. The nutty and vanilla flavors work nicely against the light roast of the oolong itself without crossing into an area where it tastes fake. I found this cup to be very satisfying. I think this oolong might be one that can handle slightly hotter water temps so in the future I would experiment with brewing parameters.

When I prepared the second infusion, I decided to test my theory on water temps and increased the temperature to cut short of boiling and stuck with a 3 min infusion time. The second infusion was also quite delicious. The nutty flavor of the oolong again took centerstage but was a little deeper and you can taste a bit more of the roastedness. The vanilla is still present but a bit more mild than in the first infusion. It's presence was a little more noticeable than I actually thought it would be. The creamy mouth feel is much less pronounced. For that reason alone, I preferred the first infusion over the second one. I think this one will definitely hold up for a satisfying third infusion and beyond.

Overall, I found this blend to be a very satisfying dessert oolong. I loved the nuttiness of any flavorings along with the oolong base. This had just the right amount of vanilla so as to complement, but not overwhelm or taste fake. I also especially loved the creamy mouthfeel that accompanied the first infusion. I will definitely consider purchasing some of this in the future.

— To purchase Boston Tea Company Vanilla Almond Oolong, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.