Oolong Shalimar – Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.

I’m back from my wonderfully relaxing holiday and ready to drink tea again. While I was away it was far too hot for tea apart from a quick cup of Tetley every day for breakfast (not an ideal choice but the only one my hosts had).

So, having returned, my thoughts turned, of course, to Oolong. I’ll admit that my first mug (or three) was of my favourite blend – the Milk Oolong, but this morning I have turned my attention to the rather pleasingly named Oolong Shalimar by Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co.  




Ingredients: mango, rose petals

They describe it thus:

“Oolong Shalimar Flavoured Tea. A beautiful creation which will enchant every Oolong lover. In the far away Orient the name Shalimar stands for immeasurable wealth and unlimited power. The name best describes the flair of the lovely soft flowery half-fermented tea with the long slightly curled leaf flavoured with fruity fresh passion fruit. This wonderful flavour finds its counterpart in the decoration of Red Aronia berries Bright Mango cubes and Dark Red Rose petals whose fragrance lights up Oriental nights.”





This is a surprisingly dark tea for an Oolong but I’m open to trying anything that declares itself as such. Upon opening the packet for the first time you can definitely smell the fruity aroma of the mango, but I discovered that this isn’t really transferred to the cup although it does sort of come through as an aftertaste and you can smell it from a distance. 

Interestingly, considering the fruit and the rose which would normally both be quite dominant flavours, this tea is extremely delicate and despite brewing for the recommended 2-3 minutes (yep, I actually managed it for once), I found the tea to have a slight bitterness to it.

I gave the packet a good stir for the second mug, in an attempt to release the flavours a bit more and hopefully find the rose that was lurking within and sort of succeeded although the fruit is still more an afterthought than an integral part of the tea.

However, despite being such a soft blend and even with the bitterness, I do rather like it and could easily drink more. It’s not my favourite Oolong — I don’t think anything will ever surpass my love of Milk Oolongs (although I'm still searching) — but Oolong Shalimar does make for an extremely pleasant and relaxing drink and I would recommend it to those looking for something intriguing.




THIS WEEK'S DEALS

Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Co. are currently giving away a packet of 40 tea bags of their flagship Pluckley Tea with any order using the code PLUCKLEY. This offer finishes at midnight tonight.


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