Black Pearl Sumatra

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Apple, Burnt Sugar
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Dexter
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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13 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I need to buy some of this. Mostly because we had an issue in the afternoon that ate up 5hours of my life and resulted in my tea drinking being interrupted. All my thoughts on this one are out...” Read full tasting note
    87
  • “Huh. Apples? I totally didn’t get that. What I got was a delicious sweet black tea of yumminess. One that looks like it will re-steep really well. Thanks, Dexter3657! I appreciate the sample. :)...” Read full tasting note
  • “This is sold as an oolong at Tealux, but I’m unsure if it should be listed as a black tea instead. It’s rolled and looks like it’s oolong, but the taste tells a different story. I’ve had dark...” Read full tasting note
    86
  • “I thought this was a black tea, so I treated it like I would any other black tea. I added a touch of creamer. It tasted a little sour to me, so I wasn’t too impressed. Then I logged on and...” Read full tasting note
    83

From Tealux

This beautiful Sumatran black tea is grown in the mineral-rich, volcanic soils of Indonesia. This tropical paradise, produces a black tea that is naturally sweet with the taste of Washington Red apples. Great iced or hot.

About Tealux View company

Company description not available.

13 Tasting Notes

87
15019 tasting notes

I need to buy some of this. Mostly because we had an issue in the afternoon that ate up 5hours of my life and resulted in my tea drinking being interrupted. All my thoughts on this one are out the window but i did gulp it down and kept checking my mug to see if any was left…so that’s a good sign! thanks teafairy!

JustJames

=0) been there!

Dexter

I really like this one – it’s mostly black, but a little oolong – confusing to me, but a really good tea. :))

Sil

yes! i really liked it

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2291 tasting notes

Huh. Apples? I totally didn’t get that.

What I got was a delicious sweet black tea of yumminess. One that looks like it will re-steep really well.

Thanks, Dexter3657! I appreciate the sample. :) Just another thing to consider adding to my Tealux birthday order. Heh.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
TheTeaFairy

Haha, I know right, what apples,I remember trying to find that too, so funny! Plus if you do find that note, they have to be “Washington” apples??? Common! But you’ve said it really well, it’s «delicious sweet black tea yumminess»
(Oh, birthday orders are so exciting!!)

OMGsrsly

:) Birthday orders are so dangerous, too! I’m going to try to keep it at the free shipping threshold.

TheTeaFairy

Yes they are very dangerous…like we need one more excuse to indulge and loose control «Well it’s my brirthay, i can order if I want to» type of attitude, lol.

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86
359 tasting notes

This is sold as an oolong at Tealux, but I’m unsure if it should be listed as a black tea instead. It’s rolled and looks like it’s oolong, but the taste tells a different story. I’ve had dark oolongs that were closer to black teas, but this one has crossed the border it seems! Feel free to enlighten me if you know more please :-)

So first sip got me so confused, I googled it to find out more. I hardly found any information, but it seems I’m not the only one who can’t make up her mind about it! Some shops have it listed as black tea, some as oolong. Nevertheless, it is the same tea, grown in volcanic Indonesian soils. And quite frankly, (though it got me curious enough to look it up) in the end, I don’t care if it’s completely oxidized or not, it just tastes happy to me!

The liquor is a deep amber sunset, very orange pekoe like. First impression (meaning this is what I think of while I close my eyes, inhale the aroma and drink it): cinnamon, brandy, raisins, big fruity notes and so sweet! It’s just superb and it produces a rich flavorful cup. Now, did I find the described Washington Red Apple in there? No I didn’t, that’s a little too far fetch for my taste buds! But it reminds me a lot of Taiwanese Assam, maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to it. It has no roasty or nutty characteristics, and not a tiny little bit of astringency, even in that forgotten 10 min. 2nd steep! If anything, the burst of flavor described above increased tenfold, very forgiving!

A new treasure tea that will be added to the permanent collection!

Wish I had bought a pound instead of just a sample, I would sprinkle all of you Steepster friends with these little nuggets so you could have a chance to taste it!

Talking about black, I am on cloud nine right now, just found out The Black Keys are playing outdoors in my area in July. Guess who’s going? Oh yeah, this Fairy is a happy one, doing «sauts de joie»!!

Good tea… summer…picturesque outdoors venue… epic music…all the right ingredients for a good life recipe :-)

Cheers everyone!

Alysha

Oh wow that should be an amazing concert!! Crossing my fingers that they come out this way!

Sil

Ill have to put this on my shopping list.

TheTeaFairy

Alysha, I checked their schedule, don’t see any tour dates for BC, but the schedule stops in july, so there’s still hope they’re heading west in August :-) I adore them!

TheTeaFairy

Sil, I’m pretty confident you will like this one since it’s the most «un-oolong» oolong I’ve ever had, LOL!

Alysha

Thanks for checking that. I’ll keep an eye out. They are one of my favourite bands too :)

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83
286 tasting notes

I thought this was a black tea, so I treated it like I would any other black tea. I added a touch of creamer. It tasted a little sour to me, so I wasn’t too impressed.

Then I logged on and discovered that it was an oolong. What?! Well, that just might change things. I put no additives in oolongs, so I left the creamer out for my second steep. Big difference. The sourness went away, and what I was left with was a deep, smooth flavour with a hint of mineral in the aftertaste. Much tastier than the first cup.

Thank you to Dexter3657 for sending me a sample of these delicious (if confusing) pearls!

Dexter

LOL This still confuses me. Package and web site say oolong – everyone else in the world lists Black Pearl as a black tea. Dunno, but I like it. I’ve ordered more. Glad you found parameters that suit you.

scribbles

The name of the tea threw me :) I guess what counts is that it’s pretty good.

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90
1040 tasting notes

I still love this tea. I still think it should be sold as a black rather than an oolong.
Regardless of what it is or how it’s sold, this is on my restock list.

TheTeaFairy

I really like this one and remember writing pretty much the same thing. I saw other retailers selling this type of Sumatra as black tea. I’m assuming Tealux supply is not fully oxidized, although it sure feels like it is…

Dexter

I agree – my first tasting note pretty much says confused… The package is clearly labeled oolong, it’s listed on the web site under oolong, but the description says “This beautiful Sumatran black tea is grown in the mineral-rich” The whole thing is just confusing. Doesn’t really matter I like it and will order more. :))

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138 tasting notes

i find with oolongs, the magic is in the cooling. when you let your cup cool, the tea opens up and you’ll experience more notes, and greater depth of those notes.

the aftertaste/after sip in this is sliiightly peach/nectarine but not quite. definitely not as peachy as in other greener, less oxidized oolongs. but it is a subtle fruity-floral, not quite orchid but you can say it is crisp. crisp like a Washington apple? Hmm i’m not sure. if i got definitive apple out of this i’d be thoroughly impressed (not to mention, happy!) but perhaps that is to be found in subsequent steeps.

this is only the first steep, and i have to say, Black Pearl Sumatra sits nicely in between a delicate black tea and an oolong. actually the ‘black tea quality’ about this is sturdy, like a dark-roasted grain, though i wouldn’t say the flavor is toasty. it’s kind of similar in overall flavor to Tealux’s Cream Irish Breakfast, sans butter or cream.

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80
268 tasting notes

Virginia hooked me up with this oolong as well! Thanks so much :)

This is a very dark oolong- almost black- with tightly rolled leaves. The aroma while brewing is strongly apple and the color of the brew looks much more like a strong black tea than an oolong. A strong burnt sugar note pops up first, followed by a distinctly apple taste. The combination is almost exactly like slightly overcooked apple chips, at least the way I make them (1/8 in slices dusted with a cinnamon sugar mix and baked). It was a very interesting oolong for me, but not one that I would purchase.

Flavors: Apple, Burnt Sugar

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83
408 tasting notes

Who are you Black Pearl Sumatra ? I mean who are you, really ?
You’re supposed to be an Oolong and you look like an Oolong (rolled leafs) but you taste like a light bodied black tea. Are you a double agent ? Classified as an OOlong but working for Black teas ?
You’re quite good and I am happy Dexter put you on my way. Thank you Dexter
You get some fruity notes as well, and yes apples seem to match very well to your taste even if you get some apricot as well.
You’re very delicate and lovely, you are the perfect tea to have whenever I don’t want something too heavy in the morning or in the evening.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 30 sec
TheTeaFairy

Haha! What a perfect note this was! Classified oolong….working for the Black Tea Organization.
You are right, this one is a double agent :-)

Terri HarpLady

This review made me smile :)

Ysaurella

I am very grateful to agent Dexter (ex alias 3657)for sharing this very secret Oolong with me :)

carol who

Those double agents! Perhaps we should let the Tea Justice League know about this. However, it sounds like they are a benevolent.

Ysaurella

agree Carol,the tea justice League should know about this :)

Dexter

I’ve stopped trying to figure out what side this one really works for, it’s just a fun little friend to have aroung regardless of it’s alliances. :))

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90
737 tasting notes

Oh my goodness…this tea…it tastes like that Assam tea I had the other day. Ahhhh Virginia you’re gonna make me spend so much money on these websites! XD

Dexter

I love this one too!!! Were you drinking the Assam #8? That’s my favorite Tealux Assam. Tealux has tons of really good straight teas…

Ost

Yeah I drank that a few days ago. I loved it. Man…Gotta order from so many places xD Can;t wait to get back to work so I can put in some big orders! Health do not fail me now! XD
Are there any good teas from there that you’d recommend, Dexter?

Dexter

Obviously it depends what your personal tastes are, but if we both like two of the same ones, we might have similar tastes…
Jin Jun Mei is expensive but AMAZING!!!
http://www.tealux.ca/jin_jun_mei_lapsang_golden_eyebrow
This one is showing out of stock – if they get it back in I will be grabbing some – really nice “golden” black
http://www.tealux.ca/imperial_mengku_pure_old_tree_golden_buds_tea
I like this one as an everyday, nothing special, inexpensive, can’t hurt it with poor steep times, but is still a SOLID black tea.
http://www.tealux.ca/fujian_beauty
In the spirit of Black Pearl Sumatra – a dark oolong that is so dark it comes across as a black. This aged oolong is FANTASTIC.
http://www.tealux.ca/20_years_aged_roasted_oolong

That’s a few of my favorite “dark” Tealux teas. In general I like their straight teas more than their flavored ones – not sure if you are into flavors or not. If so, this one is so weird and interesting, I highly recommend you give it a try…
http://www.tealux.ca/white_strawberry_sassafras

I hope that your health holds so that you can get back to work. :))

Ost

Virginia actually game me a sample of the first one you mentioned…I have yet to try it. Ahh! Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll have to try those next time I order! Yah! I’m excited! Thank you so much! :D

Dexter

Not sure if I should be enabling or not but Tealux is having a Falther’s Day Sale right now. 20% off teas (not teaware) until 08Jun14. Code MYDAD
They do have sales pretty regular, if you are going to order, I would wait for a sale… ;))

Ost

I feel like all I’ve seen is them doing 20% off sales…do they ever do anything more than that?
Either way I’ll probably have a wait a couple months…because half the teas I like from there now are expensive xD So might be a big order xD

Dexter

They do 20% off pretty regularly – like about once a month. I’m not sure if they’ve ever done more than that, but if they did it was probably Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but I’m not sure.

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80
237 tasting notes

The dry leaf has a black tea scent. I wish I could write something ultra poetic about the dry leaf scent, but I still have trouble picking up specific scents from a black dry leaf. This is oolong? Interesting. It smells like black tea. It looks like black tea…Hm…

The cup’s aroma is simply to die for. Sweet potato, raisins, a very rich sweetness that one would attribute to syrup. Is that a bit of mushroom there? Just a tiny tiny bit? Yes it is!

This tea is so thick! It’s smooth, velvety and thick. What oolong? All I’m tasting is…Huh. I couldn’t even say. Well that never happens. I can’t pinpoint specific flavours, but what I can say is: it’s good. Like REAL good. And I can’’t get over the texture of it. Also, I do not pick up any astringency, much less bitterness. It does leave me with a dry mouth however. About this being an oolong, I can maybe discern a slight aftertaste that one would associate to oolong, but for the rest, this tastes like a good black tea.

Imma resteep this real quick.
Maybe bring some more specific flavours out.

TheTeaFairy

Yes, I agree this one is a little confusing. But it makes an excellent cup, a real “passe-partout”, good for any occasion.

Dexter

I am so glad that I’m not the only one that finds this one confusing….Love it, but it’s confusing…

Virginia

Definitely a bit of an eccentric this one. I think to get the best experience out of it you just have to stop what’s going on in your head and let it take over. I know when I was at the bottom of the cup I was disappointed because I felt like I spent too much time trying to analyse it and figure it out, as opposed to letting myself enjoy. When it was done, I felt like I missed out on a really good cup.

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