Oolong Tea

Tea Review: Wuyi Dark Roast

Oolong Tea

Name:  Wuyi Dark Roast

Type:  Oolong

Region: Wuyi mountains in Fujian, China

Bought At:  Samovar

Price:  $21 for 2oz

First Impressions:  Dark Leaves, Roasted, Earthy Smell

Review:

Has it ever been a while since I have tried to review tea! This is part of a large tea order I bought from Samovar a while ago, so look for some more reviews coming soon. Wuyi Dark Roast is a different kind of oolong tea than any I have had before. It is dark and has a roasted scent and flavor that is usually found in black teas. Along with that it has a sweetness that is more similar to a greener oolong. It makes for a nice combination, a light tea that still has a full flavor. Definitely worth a try.

My Rating:

4  / 5

Tea Review: Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess”

Oolong Tea

Name:  Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess”

Type:  Oolong

Region:  Anxi, Fujian, China

Bought At:  Teavivre.com

Price:  $10.50 for 3.5oz

First Impressions:  Tightly compacted, very green leaves

Review:

It has been a little while since I have had any oolong teas, so it was nice to have one again.  This “Iron Godess” tea has a bright, leafy, almost floral aroma, and brews to a very vibrant yellow color.  It has a very mellow but still pronounced green tea taste, but it has a heaviness  to it that distinguishes it from a green. A very good tea, I can see this filling the gap between wanting more flavor than a green but not the caffeine of a black.  Overall, it had everything I would look for in a oolong tea.

My Rating:

4  / 5

–brent

*Disclosure (And Thanks!): This was part of a free sampler I got from teavivre

Tea of the Week – Almond Oolong

Oolong Tea

Name: Almond Oolong

Type: Oolong

Region: Taiwan

Bought At: Adagio

Price: $2 for a ten cup sample

First Impressions: Sweet, Nutty smell

Review:

This tea really takes the sweetness of the almond a little too far. It’s a good tea, but the almond flavoring completely overpowers the gentler Oolong tea.  That aside, it is a very pleasant cup, smooth, not too much caffeine, and it leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Adagio hit really close to a great tea here, just made it the almond little too strong.

My Rating:

3 / 5

–brent

Tea of the Week – Wuyi Dark Roast Oolong

Oolong Tea

Name: Wuyi Dark Roast Oolong

Type: Oolong

Region: Wuyi mountains, Fujian, China

Bought At: Samovar

Price: $4 for a “one pot” sample

First Impressions: Dark, very earthy smell

Review:

The first thing that was interesting to me was that the instructions said to rinse the leaves with boiling water to “awaken” them.  I had heard that some people do this, but have never seen it on the instructions of any before.  Regardless, once brewed the tea was a dark cup, with a very heavily roasted smell (hence the name I suppose…)  Given the darkness and roasted smell, I was expecting something with a fairly bitter aftertaste, not so.  It actually was quite smooth, very full, and good.  I was expecting a lot more powerful taste but it is actually very mellow. I also enjoyed that you could make multiple cups from the same leaves, I think it helps justify the higher cost. Overall very good, not really what I was expecting, but good!
My Rating:

3.5 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

Tea of the Week – Fujian Jasmine Pearl

Oolong Tea

Name: Fujian Jasmine Pearl

Type:  Oolong

Region:  Taiwan

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $29 for maestro sampler set (4 teas)

First Impressions:  “Pearl” shaped leaves, floral smell

Review:

Another first for me, I’ve never had a Jasmine tea before.  The first thing that was surprising to me was just how strong the jasmine scent is, both from the leaves and the tea when made.  It smelled like I had just picked a bunch of fresh flowers!  The tea has a unique, light, flowery flavor.  It was very light, similar to last weeks Formosa Pochong, but definitely has a sweeter aftertaste.  While I can’t say I’ve ever eater a flower, I definitely think this is what it would taste like.  The smell was actually a little overpowering to me, but I would imagine this would be great for a Jasmine tea lover.

My Rating:
3  / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

*Disclosure (AND Thanks!): This was part of a free sampler I got from Adagio to preview.

Tea of the Week – Formosa Pochong

Oolong Tea

Name: Formosa Pochong

Type:  Oolong

Region:  Taiwan

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $29 for maestro sampler set (4 teas)

First Impressions:  Sweeter smelling, grassy

Review:

A very light oolong tea, Formosa Pochong reminds me more of a white tea than a green.  With absolutely no smokiness or bitterness, it was very smooth and pleasant.  It hints at different flavors more than anything, making them a little hard to describe.  One distinct characteristic I noticed is a very sweet aftertaste that lingers for quite a while.  I think this is probably my favorite oolong so far, and maybe my favorite from the maestro collection.

My Rating:
4  / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

*Disclosure (AND Thanks!): This was part of a free sampler I got from Adagio to preview.

Tea of the Week – Fujian Ti Kuan Yin

Oolong Tea

Name: Fujian Ti Kuan Yin

Type:  Oolong

Region:  Taiwan

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $29 for maestro sampler set (4 teas)

First Impressions:  Looks similar to Fujian Ali Shan, but has a slightly sweeter smell

Review:

Another Oolong this week – Fujian Ti Kuan Yin.   Similar in shape to Fujian Ali Shan, expected it to be pretty similar, but wasn’t sure.  After tasting I discovered it has a very delicate flavor and doesn’t have the sweet notes the leaves smell hinted at.  Also missing (happily) is the foul aftertaste that I found accompanied Fujian Ali Shan.  Nicely mellow with a slightly roasted finish, this was a pleasant tea to drink, but doesn’t immediately jump to the top of my list.

My Rating:
3.5 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

*Disclosure (AND Thanks!): This was part of a free sampler I got from Adagio to preview.

Tea of the Week – Fujian Ali Shan

Oolong Tea

Name: Fujian Ali Shan

Type:  Oolong

Region:  Taiwan

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $29 for maestro sampler set (4 teas)

First Impressions:  Pellet-Like Leaves, Slightly Sweet Grassy Aroma

Review:

First off, wow do these leaves “grow” in the water.  They go in as tightly packed little balls, and they unfurl to fill the whole container – interesting to see (well maybe “interesting” isn’t the right word, but it was neat).  Anyways, on to the tea.  My first tea from the lighter Adagio Maestro Sampler, Fujian Ali Shan, was really good.  Warm and mellow, it wasn’t really either sweet or bitter.  This tea goes down really smooth, it hints at a greener grassy taste, but stops short of it.  One thing I didn’t like was a slightly foul aftertaste, although not strong enough to make me dislike the tea, it was there.  Overall, another good oolong – I think oolong is slowly passing black as my second favorite tea.

My Rating:
3.0 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

*Disclosure (AND Thanks!): This was part of a free sampler I got from Adagio to preview.

Tea of the Week – Wuyi Da Hong Pao

Oolong Tea

Name: Wuyi Da Hong Pao

Type:  Oolong

Region:  China

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $29 for maestro sampler set (4 teas)

First Impressions:  Dark Leaves, roasted smell

Review:

The last in my maestro set #2 from adagio, Wuyi Da Hong Pao is the first oolong tea I have tried.  Somewhere between black and green tea, oolong should be interesting.  Wuyi Da Hong Pao smells a lot like most greens, but with a little bit darker, almost roasted touch.  The taste was mellow and warm.  It definitely fits right between green and black teas, with a strong taste but a nice smooth finish.  The flavors are woody and roasted; the aftertaste is long lasting, but not unpleasant.  A good tea, I wish I had more experience with oolong teas so that I had something to compare it to, but I guess that will come with time.

My Rating:
3.5 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

*Disclosure (AND Thanks!): This was part of a free sampler I got from Adagio to preview.