I bought this tea yesterday as part of a long-awaited tea splurge at my local Teavana. I decided to try it this morning as my morning tea. I surprised myself that I could actually tell the difference between this oolong/pu-erh blend and other flavored oolongs! It had that background warm bitterness that is the heart of pu-erh flavor, which worked sooooo well with all those spices.
I didn’t have long to spend brewing it (running late, again), but I drank it all through first block today… and I have been in a good mood all day, not because the students weren’t crazy… they were… but because of this awesome tea that got me off on the right foot.
The clove and the pepper interacting together are the predominant flavors. Behind them are the vanilla and the cinnamon. I didn’t get the mint at all, but I wasn’t looking for it—maybe next time it’ll be there. Overall, this was a great oolong, and a great contribution to a pretty awesome day. :)