I suspect that I may suffer from “oolong intolerance”. Maybe this will become a popular ailment and people will start requesting oolong-free meals in emulation of me.
To find out whether my issue with oolong has been that the oolong in my experience was mediocre or low-grade, I decided to spring for a twenty-sachet box of Harney & Sons Pomegranate Oolong. I figured that if oolong and I have even a fighting chance, it could start with a flavored blend.
What I find in this cup of golden brew is the unmistakeable taste of the oolong familiar to me—oolong is oolong is oolong to those of us ignorant of its no doubt numerous nuances—with a smattering of dry pomegranate flavor mixed in. Mainly this tastes like an oolong tea to me, and now that I think about this issue, I realize that in addition to having experienced headache-y feelings after drinking oolong in the past, I also never really liked the flavor to begin with. Which naturally leads to the question: why should I care that I am oolong intolerant, if I don’t really enjoy its taste very much anyway?
Hmmm… Well, I threw caution to the wind and chugged the rest of the glass. We’ll see how I feel in ten minutes.
Update: I think that it is time for me to face the fact. I really am oolong intolerant! I feel vaguely ill, with a headache threatening to erupt on the horizon…
I should probably recuse myself from any numerical assessment of this tea, so I am erasing my original rating, since it doesn’t make sense. Clearly I am not physiologically qualified to offer advice on oolong blends!