Maracuya Passion Oolong (Teavana)

Teavana is an interesting conundrum of a tea destination. While their sales practices leave me dissatisfied, I really like the teaware they sell and on occasion I find a tea of theirs I enjoy.

A review of Teavana, their stores and sales practices is not something I’ll undertake here today. Rest assured, I will pen a post in the future on these topics.

Teavana isn’t known for the highest quality teas. Instead, they use lower quality tea and blend it with lots of little things to create some rather interesting Tisanes (teas blended with stuff that’s not Camelia Sinensis).

The Maracuya Passion Oolong I picked up at my Cincinnati area store is one I have found enjoyable. It’s aroma is pleasant and smooth when dry. It reminds me of guava and papaya.

When infusing Teavana recommends steeping one teaspoon of this Oolong for only three minutes at 195 degrees fahrenheit. I’ve found it more flavorful at closer to 3:45 seconds. Your results may vary.

The aroma, once infused, is tart but sweet. The flavor comes out tart like the first few seconds of a Sour Patch Kid. This causes a drying of the palate I hadn’t been expecting. The flavor is also a bit lighter than expected. Even with the additional steeping time. There’s a slight maltiness to the texture as well.

I would recommend this tea to fans of Citron and Citrus teas and those who enjoy the malty briskness of a full bodied Assam.