FONG MONG TEA

This smells like a fresh summer meadow!

It’s a greener tasting Lishan-Oolong – that’s for sure! I’m totally ok with that, too, btw!

Mostly green-oolong-tasting…slightly vegetal, slightly floral, a speck of pepper taste! Energizing! YAY! Feels like Freedom in a Cup!

Thanks to Fong Mong Tea for this sample!

I’ve been on a bit of an oolong kick lately, but at the moment my permanent collection is mostly greens and herbals. I dug through my sample box until I found the last one from Fong Mong.

The leaves are dark brown and tightly rolled, and there are little stems mixed in with the leaves. It smells dark and kind of earthy, (the word “snail” comes to mind) but I’m also getting the feeling of seaweed, like ocean rocks covered in bracken and barnacles.

Steeped 6g/10oz, 180deg, 3min.

It tastes dark to me. There’s an earthiness, woodsiness to it that I’m not entirely fond of. I can certainly taste the charcoal flavoring here. I think it’s just my personal preference for the lighter, greener oolongs speaking. I’m also getting some honey notes and a toastiness not unlike a genmaicha.

All in all, it satisfied my oolong craving, but it’s not something I have a burning desire to keep in my collection.

Roasty.Toasty, Semi-Charcoal, almost quesi-Wuyi Rock-esque type oolong. It’s a good one! Yet another winner from Fong MonG!

Thank you to Fong Mong for the sample.

I’m getting a little fruity notes from this one, but not too much. It definitely has that unmistakable oolong taste. It’s a little bit creamy, too. I’m getting a slight bitterness, which makes me wonder if I steeped it for too long. I did the recommended 6 minutes, but that seems a little high.

This one is a nice Ti Kuan Yin, it has greenish floral notes that are very subtle and sweet followed by a toasty nuttyness, very buttery smooth mouthfeel. I like this one I think I want to buy some more. It reminds me of my favorite oolong :-). Also this one can make several tasty steeps pending in how you steep it. I let a cup of it go cold by accident and that wasn’t bad at all just the floral notes really come out when its cold.

I have tried a couple of different Sun Moon Lake Black teas now, and I’m really enjoying them. They are certainly unique!

I love the aroma – rich and delicious with hints of fruit, and a little earthy, with notes of wood in the distance. It has a warm, comforting kind of fragrance.

Delicious. Sweet fruit notes, hints of sour, bold and invigorating while at the same time soothing. Hints of chocolate and an earthiness to it that reminds me of mushrooms. It has a woody/vegetative kind of taste too. It’s nice and complex… it has enough interest to it that it keeps me sipping.

Thanks for Fong Mong Tea for this sample, I have been delayed in reviewing them because I want to ensure that I had a couple hours over which to do multiple steeps.
This tea came in lovely little balls with not too much of a fragrance.
1st steep: colour is a pale green, deliciously sweet smell. The main flavour is a sweet citrus-y flavour- almost lemonade-esque. Not too much in terms of vegetal flavours yet.
2nd steep: More earthy notes came through, less sweet but the citrus is still there
3rd steep: All sweetness is gone, earthy citrus-y taste, pleasant enough but I like my oolongs sweet.

Overall, this is a good oolong, but not among my favourites. It wasn’t sweet enough for my liking, but it was still a nice cup.

I’m finally starting to feel human! YAY!

As for this tea…I’m really liking it! I don’t think it’s one of the more intense charcoal-oolongs I have tried but I still appreciate the process regardless.

This is sweet and cooling to the system!

OH! There it is! There’s the charcoal! It took approx 4 to 5 mins at room temp after infusion was complete – not at the beginning of the sip or the end of the sip – but – right smack dab in the middle of the sip! It’s not over powering but much more noticeable than it was at first sip almost immediately after infusing.

I’m not picking up on the ‘minty’ sensation others are referring to – probably because I take MINT literally as I am a MINT FREAK. I can taste how it is cooling, tho! That’s a neat characteristic!

As it cools even more at room temp – a bit warmer than luke-warm – I can start tasting a semi-nutty flavor at the beginning of the sip-process!

This is a neat tea that morphs and changes often! That’s what I like about it!

Thanks to Fong Mong Tea for this very generous sample!

Several months ago a friend sent me a sample of a Tung Ting that I loved. Of course, the tea shop is halfway across the country and doesn’t have a website. Since then the memory of that tea has been sitting there in my head, and I’ve tried oolong after oolong looking for a similar one… but I was always disappointed.

Until now.

Oh, I love this. The leaves are small and tightly rolled, shiny and bright and soft green. I used the whole 6 gram sample for 16oz, brewing western style because the bowl part of my tasting set has disappeared!

The scent is very light, sweet and a little green, with light floral notes. And the flavor is also very light and sweet, with a base “oolong” sort of flavor – warm and green. It’s like a spring day, when the air is cool and the sun glints through the grass and the wind smells vaguely of the sea.

Fantastic oolong, and I’m so glad to have tried this! Thank you Fong Mong Tea!

Sweet and warm and soothing.

Oolongs are a very calming breed of tea.

Made the last 3 grams of this western style with the below prep details.

I think overall I’m a fan of the shorter, multiple steeps. Green oolongs in general tend to be too vegetal for me to enjoy when I brew them longer. Maybe I’m brewing at incorrect water temperatures or too long. I think I need to play around with oolongs a lot more than I do.

I did enjoy this more the first time I brewed it at the shorter steeping times.

Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped it for a little less than the time suggested as it seemed like a long time for an oolong. There was a slight vegetal smell to the dry and steeping leaves as well as something flowery too. The taste as others have noted was slightly sweet and floral. I enjoyed it. It was also very smooth (I had it iced since we are “enjoying” quite the heatwave in Upstate, NY! I have enough left (I hope) for a hot cup of this that I will need to enjoy in my basement!

This is an OUTSTANDING Oriental Beauty – sweet, deliciously peach-like and honey-esque. Sweet, luscious and wonderfully complex! The peach and honey tones are strong right from the start, and once the palate becomes accustomed to these flavors, it starts exploring the other notes: earth, flower, and a creaminess that melds beautifully with the peach-y tones.

Each infusion is a delight… I’m on my fourth infusion now. By the third infusion, I noticed that the mouthfeel began to lighten and it became slightly less creamy… in fact, the flavors began to meld together and become unified… creating less diversity but a more luscious, enchanting flavor.

I love this tea.

Ooh! This one’s really good! It clearly tastes like an oolong, and I definitely taste a fruitiness moreso than floral taste. This is really, really delicious! I’m actually rather surprised! The aroma is also fruity rather than floral. I’m really pleasantly blown away by this one! It’s also deliciously buttery and good. Man… I’m so impressed! I would buy this again in a heartbeat :) I used about 3g of leaf (maybe 4 by accident?) in about 8 oz., maybe less, water, at 94C. Yum! Going to go do another couple infusions now. Thanks to Fong Mong Tea for this sample!

ETA: Second infusion (94C/3 min I think, or possibly 4) is not nearly as tasty :( Smells like an oolong, tastes like a weak oolong that has somehow been oversteeped. I’m a bit disappointed. The first infusion was spectacular. Downgrading the rating a bit, because I expect at least 3 good infusions from an oolong, otherwise it’s not worth my while as they are typically expensive. It’s possible that I used too much water, and did use 4 min which was too much, but I’m not sure. I’ll try a third with quite a bit less water.

ETA again: Sadly, disappointed with the third infusion as well. There’s a bit of oolonginess, but it’s just not up to par with other oolongs I’ve had. I’m so disappointed because that first infusion was worthy of a high 90 rating.

I really enjoyed this one it’s very nice some earthiness with astringency of a black tea and roasty oolong nuances. Nutty smooth on it own and slight fruity notes with sweetner added almost muscatel some one else said like “licking a grapevine” thats was about right not in a bad way at all tho. Many steeps for this one I enjoyed the first steep to me could have even been tossed and considered a rinse because the second and third steeps were much more flavorful. Wonderful tea I want to get some more of this.

No notes yet.

A review Charcoal-baked Dong Ding Tea by Fong Mong Tea

I am finally having a cup of this Dong Ding Tea. In opening this last sealed packet, I am noticing the charcoal scent that is coming from the small pouch. As I pour out the contents into the palm of my hands I smell the charcoal. It is very nice, it makes me think of folks who are able to barbecue on an open pit or a charcoal broiler. I do not own these things but I have been around them.

I had my small pan filled with pure freshly cold water and I left it to boil slightly for a few minutes. I take my trusty mug that was freshly washed and put some of the Dong Ding tea rolls in the cup and I pour some of the water into the cup and left to steep for a few minutes.

I continue to smell the charcoal scent from my fingers, which seems to be coated with it. After about two minutes I remove the cover from the tea and yes the leaves are fuller in size, but still curled not full leaves as the previous oolong sampled.

This tea has that lovely golden orb color; liken to an egg yolk or cantaloupe melon. And the smell is definitely of charcoal and in taste it is the same as well.

1st infusion tea smells and taste strongly of charcoal and it is smooth. It is a pleasant cup.
2nd and 3rd infusion brings about more of the mellow-honey in that it is softer with not the harshness of the charcoal roasted flavoring. So heartiness and robust is more so with first infusion and with later infusion what is left is a soft-yellow dew of an oolong tea; that being Dong Ding tea.

The color of this tea was by far the most exciting to see. Visualizing the yolk of an egg, freshly cut Cantaloupe melon or the golden glow of the sun is what is captured and projected into this cup, my cup of tea for the morning.

I must thank once again the folks at Fong Mong Tea for allowing me to experience their teas from these samples sent to me. These oolongs have all been memorable and enjoyed by this reviewer. They are good teas.

This is tied with the Pou Chong for favorite sample from Fong Mong Tea!. Thank you, Fong Mong!

I made this gong fu style this morning. A quick rinse, maybe five seconds, released buttery aromas, and the scent of sweet green veggies.

I kept the steeps fairly short and made five so far, tasting a sip in my tiny cup as I first poured it, then adding the remaining tea in the pitcher to my tetsubin to meld each steep together so that I will have an impression of the flavor western style as well.

The liquor is a soft golden color. The aroma is buttery sweet greens, and there is a slight astringency, not unpleasant and quite possibly due to my steeping. This is excellent and very enjoyable.

There is a sweet fruit flavor that rises in the throat after drinking this. Delicious!

Thank you again for the opportunity to sample your tea, Fong Mong Teas!

I would like to thank Fong Mong Tea for this delicious sample. I knew I was in for a treat when I smelled the dry leaf aroma. It was FAN-TAS-TIC! This High Mountain Oolong has a deeper roasted aroma, which is exactly what I was looking for. :)) The wet leaves smelled even more A M A Z I N G! The aromas ranged from a roasted quality, stoned fruit, and flowers [like lilacs…….or possibly closer to orchids]. The cup is a yellow-orange color, and I didn’t smell much aroma from the cup-perhaps my sinuses were misbehaving. :(( The main flavors seemed to be lightly roasty, with a decent peach aspect, that was smooth and delicious on my palate!

My second cup was steeped the same as the first cup. The wet leaves smelled even more intense as the aroma seemingly filled the room! All the aromas intensified, but the aroma was sweeter-like that of a sweet ripe watermelon. This additional aroma was not pervasive, but coexisted harmoniously with the other aromas. The flavors were stronger as well. I experienced what I believe to be a mineral quality in the flavor, along with a stronger peach flavor, which balanced quite nicely as each coated my tongue. This was the best cup and a very satisfying, juicy cup. :))

The third cup exhibited less roasted and more fruity/floral aromas, which were still impressive. The cup flavors were less mineral and peachy, but still smooth and delicious, with good, milder stone fruit flavor and minerality [1.5 minutes at 195F].

The last cup sill possessed decent wet leaf aroma, which was quite surprising. After soaking these babies [tea leaves] until they begged for mercy, I was greeted with a light peachy flavor and a light astringency on the back of my palate [6-7 minutes at 212F].

This is the third of four samples from Fong Mong Tea, and the best tea experience from them so far. I really enjoyed the deeper roasted quality of this Oolong tea, with the balance of the stone fruits and flowers too [the flowery aspect was mostly noticeable in the wet leaf aroma].

It was 8 years ago today we said goodbye to my Grandpa [Paps]. I am so grateful his spirit, the memories, and all that he taught me lives on. I am thankful that he gave me a greater appreciation for tea, and a greater appreciation for the music he (WE) loved and shared! :)) Here is his favorite song if you wish to listen:

D. Ellington-Caravan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTzZKtnTnqI

Anything by Glenn Miller-his favorite, String of Pearls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PfX-nDy4aU&feature=related

And of course Frank Sinatra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH21_YzuQ5s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feSz5S96svQ&feature=related

Originally Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, June 29, 2012.

This tea served as a reminder to pay attention to what I am doing. Even if you are paying attention, if you don’t like the results try something different. I used boiling water and a 3 minute steep with this yesterday. It was gross. There were some floral notes and some roasted but then there was this whole other thing going on that was sour and a bit like gym socks meets pool chemicals.

Today I decided to use just steaming water and a two minute steep. The sip is a bit mineral tasting and milky up front which gives way roasted notes late in the sip. The aftertaste is floral leaving a cooling sensation on the breath. The overall taste is a bit thin but otherwise nice. As this cools the smoky roasted taste comes out more and fattens up the flavor. Now it is good.

The second cup with steaming water and three minute steep is the best cup yet. It is like toasted rice along with a floral taste that reminds me of the rind of watermelon. This tea, while not my favorite of the samples, was pretty good once I adjusted how I prepared it.

This was the last sample to open that I received from Fong Mong Tea. Thank you for sending these samples my way. I am now a bit more educated in Taiwan teas – and I like them

Oh lookie! ANOTHER Oolong! :)
Not that I’m complaining…it’s the complete opposite, actually!

This Oolong SURE IS a beauty! Sure…I have had other Oriental Beauty oolong before…but how is this one different? Well, the first thing I noticed was the dry leaves smelled like a formosa-type with a bit of natural citrus notes.

The taste was delightful! It’s gentle, a bit floral, but a sweeter-floral, maybe a touch of sweeter-nuttiness, too. I could also taste those subtle citrus hints, too! This is juicy and – dare I say – succulent? YUM! This is great!

Oolong after Oolong after Oolong…YES…it appears I had a LOT of Oolong to drink in my NEW-TO-ME Pile! I have made quite the dent in it this week tho! YAY!

This really didn’t have a scent to it before or after infusion.

The tea-on-the-tongue, however, was very creamy, velvety, smooth. Light on the sweetness and light on the buttery notes! This is an extremely relaxing Alishan – and I do love a good Alishan. AhhhhhH!

Toasty-Roasty Oats but on the greener side! Nice!

It’s slightly bitter but in an interesting savory sort of way.

This is pretty goo!

Dry – this smells like perfume.
Wet – this smells more like a cologne

The taste isn’t very heavy but it’s satisfying. There are black pepper notes and floral notes right off the bat. Underneath I can pick up on a CANNED buttered green beans type taste…and yes…there is a difference between what I taste in Canned Green Beans, Fresh, and Frozen…this seems to be more of a canned.

I think this is just fine and dandy!