Name: Coconut Pouchong
(Podcast review available at Blog Talk Radio)
Brand: Golden Moon Tea
Type: Oolong, flavored
Form: Loose leaf
Cost: 2 ounce tin is $15.99 (quantity discounts available)
Review: For those who are huffing and puffing about a tea company that flavors oolong, particularly a pouchong/bao zhong, you will just need to put a lid on your teapot and stew. I love this stuff.
Flavored oolongs aren’t a bad thing, actually. To use a musical analogy, oolong is like a strong bass player in a band. You may not notice the bass in the midst of thundering drums or wailing guitars, but you would definitely miss it if it went away. The depth and stamina of oolongs do a nice job of giving flavored teas the structure that they need.
(And since oolongs have great staying power, they give you a bit more bang for your buck in the form of multiple infusions.)
In the case of Coconut Pouchong, Golden Moon did a couple of things right: The first thing they did right was pair pouchong, an already sweet leaf that produces a full-bodied, creamy brew, with the coconut flavoring. The flavors compliment each other beautifully.
The other thing they did was to eschew the addition of dried coconut to the tea. This looks cool, but the dried coconut can go stale fast, resulting in a disagreeable flavor. According to Golden Moon’s website, their flavoring is derived from real coconut milk: The coconut nose on this tea has a decidedly toasted quality that reminds me of coconut bread or baked coconut bar cookies. Yum.
In any case, the dry leaf is very pretty: Twisted dark green leaves with a sweet, toasted coconut nose. It infuses to a full-bodied, light yellow/green liquor. The nose is incredible, making the act of just bringing the cup up to my mouth a real pleasure.
Incidentally, this tea is great iced, and I strongly recommend serving it that way. More adventurous tea-drinkers might want to try adding some rum to make a tropical cocktail. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I won’t be putting any rum in this tea. But it’s one I’ve actually sampled, and I too think it was a fine tea. Apparently it won a prestigious award a couple years ago. And I agree it’s worthy of some acclaim even if it is a flavored Oolong.
I love this review. You are very funny and the tea sounds great.
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