🍃 Raspberries In Your Cup 🍃
Posted by Dani Noto on
Do you like raspberries? I sure do. I enjoy the actual fruit a lot, and I enjoy my Raspberry Oolong Tea.
As the weather starts warming up here in the south – we’re on our way – my taste buds start turning toward the fruitier side of my tea offerings. One of my favorites is Raspberry Oolong Tea. This tea is filled with a delicious raspberry flavor. It is excellent, either hot or over ice.
This tea is a Ti Kwan Yin rolled oolong, also known as Iron Goddess of Mercy (you’ve just met your quota for learning something new today), with dried fruits, flower petals, and raspberry flavoring.
Because it is an oolong, this tea is best when brewed with not quite boiling water and steeped for about 3 minutes.
As the tightly rolled leaves will unfurl to about four times their size, please make sure you have a basket strainer large enough to allow that to happen.
You can steep this tea for a second time, and the leaves will continue to open. It’s fascinating to see how small they are when they start and where they end after two steepings. If you prefer a lighter brew with just a hint of raspberry flavor, steep this tea for only 1-2 minutes. I prefer a slightly more robust flavor, so I opt for the one to two steepings with a longer brewing time.
If you enjoy iced tea, I usually brew this tea hot and then let it cool down naturally. When it’s reached room temperature, I refrigerate it to continue the cooling process. Once totally cool, I pour the tea over ice.
Oolong tea is not black or green tea but meets somewhere in the middle. Oolong teas also have some great health benefits.
If you do a little research, you will find that some studies show oolong tea stimulates fat burning and increases the number of calories your body burns by up to 3.4%, which is great if you’re watching your weight or want to drop a few pounds.
Oolong tea is also high in an amino acid called L-theanine. Studies show this compound can help with improved brain activity, better sleep quality, and reduced stress and anxiety.
Oolong tea may also help improve our gut microbiome, fight cancer, and reduce cholesterol, which, in turn, can support heart health and increase bone mineral density.
The list can go on. But it suffices to say that oolong tea is an excellent tea to add to your repertoire.
If raspberry isn’t your cup of tea, I have six other oolongs for you to think about trying. I’m sure you’ll find one or two or three or maybe even all 7 to your liking.