Tea Blog

Name: Pomegranate Oolong

Brand: Harney & Sons

Type: Oolong, flavored

Form: Pyramid tea bags

Review: Pomegranate is currently a popular beverage flavor, and well it should be. It is slightly sweet, tangy, and robust, making it a refreshing thirst quencher indeed! The problem with using it as a tea flavoring is that it can overwhelm the taste of the tea. Fortunately, Harney & Sons wisely used a Ti Kuan Yin oolong as the base for this blend. Ti Kuan Yin, also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy, is a tea with enough flavor of its own to stand up to the pomegranate, and enough body to give the tea some body so that it doesn’t taste like watered-down Kool-Aid.

The tea infuses to a pretty greenish gold color and a medium body, and, as expected, the pomegranate does dominate in the nose. However, it does not dominate on the palate, but balances well with the oolong. The result is a floral, tangy and somewhat buttery tea. It is refreshing, but also heartening: It is the sort of tea that you could drink in both cold and hot weather. It also works as a sipping tea, but can pair well with food. I enjoyed a glass of iced Pomegranate Oolong with a chorizo scramble one hot morning, and it really hit the spot.

Preparation Tips: I’d recommend using water heated to 190F to make this as a hot tea. Ti Kuan Yin oolongs are long lasting, so don’t be afraid of multiple infusions. Pomegranate oolong also makes a lovely iced tea, but I suggest the hot brew method of tea making, rather than allowing to infuse overnight in the refrigerator.  Cold brewing this tea results in the pomegranate flavor dominating the oolong, which is not the way things ought to be.

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