This is a sample packet that I’d never opened before. As ATR is no longer around, there’s no information available other than what is on the packet.
I will say that the info about the color is spot on. Wow, how pretty! It’s a pinkish copper that is very different from any color I’ve seen on an oolong before.
The dry leaves are dark brown with the berries obvious in the mix. They have a tart, fruity smell.
The tart, fruity smell is also in the steeped aroma. I took this through a number of steeps in the gaiwan, starting at 15 seconds.
The thing about flavored oolongs is that I’m never really convinced it is worth it to do short multiple steeps because mostly the flavor is whatever the flavoring agent makes it. It’s pretty rare that the flavor changes much from steep to steep in my experience. Nevertheless, I persist.
Given the tartness of the aroma, I wasn’t expecting a sweet flavor. It’s not what I’d call sweet sweet, but it is not as tart as I expected either. I don’t feel the pucker reflex being triggered. The mouthfeel is soft and pleasant. I wouldn’t know a schizandra berry if I met one on the street, but there’s a definite tart fruitiness to the flavor. Also a woodiness, a toasty woodiness.
It was definitely interesting to try, and enjoyable as a palate cleanser between my morning teas and what is likely to be one more this afternoon. But it’s not something I would have put on my order list if ATR was still around.
Flavors: Berry, Tart, Toasty, Wood
