Oolong Shot

Oolong Shot is a blue tea, as in, not green or black. This tea, according to the can, is semi-oxidized. It's darker than green, but lighter than black tea.

Dr. Andrew Weil is a big proponent of the Ito En brands of teas. His image appears on the cans and on the website.

This is a simple ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, made of purified water, oolong tea and some added vitamin C (ascorbic acid.) You get 130% of your daily value of vitamin C in a 6.4 oz (190ml) can. You also get 40 mg of caffeine. That's bit more than a 12 oz Coke, but about half of a typical coffee.

Like the merlot juice from earlier, the big marketing push here is for a healthy dose of anti-oxidants. In this case, polyphenols. Studies continue to determine the efficacy of ingesting polyphenols on human health. Can it hurt? I don't know.

I do know that this little can of tea cost $1.07. Not bad, but it is mainly water. At $21.40 a gallon, I'm expecting something special.

Presentation/Appearance - 6/10 Nothing

special in the appearance. This is a dark gold, nearly brown translucent tea. Clear, pretty, not homely. I served this in a rocks glass because I did not have a see-through coffee mug. I will remedy this situation shortly.

Smell/Odor/Aroma - 7/10 Earthy, just the way you would expect. There is something spiritual about this odor. It brings back memories the way grass, cinnamon, or hickory smoke do. It smells of autumn as leaves fall and rot. It smells of spring, when the earth is turned for planting. I should stop before I write an embarrassing poem. I've had other teas, fresh brewed that present this aroma more strongly. But for an RTD tea in a can, this is impressive. Spouse says it smells "dusty"...different noses, no?

Taste/Flavor - 5/10 The can was labeled best before April 21, 2010. I have no idea when it was canned. The earthly oolong flavor is there. The water is plain and simple, but I detect a metallic taste. I'm not enough of an expert on tea to know if this is natural for the particular leaf, or is this part of being canned in steel.

Finish/Satisfaction - 5/10 The metallic taste dominates the finish. The bitterness is even and would be near perfect is the steely finish wasn't in the way.

Overall - 5.35/10 This is not terrible by any means, but there are better tasting teas out there. Think of the Oolong Shot as a convenience tea, rather than a staple. It is worth spending the extra time heating water and brewing your own.

I'm going to continue to review Ito En beverages, including their other RTD tea: Sencho Shot.

Anyone have any recommended teas in a can?