TeaSource

Had a few steeps of this last night, and I totally forgot how much I love this one. I was just trying to sipdown on some older tea I had to make room for a few bags I have yet to open, BUT as soon as I tasted this one again I decided that I’d need to order more. Smooth, sweet, and so yummy!

The dry leaves actually seem grayish-blue in color and are very tightly rolled – they almost look like pebbles! Once brewed they expand slowly. The smell of the brew isn’t much, I’ll admit. It’s all in the taste!
It’s a smooth green-ish oolong (it doesn’t have a huge vegetal presence), with hay notes and DELICIOUS licorice aspects at the end of the sip! Goodness, how I love the aftertaste of this one.

Glad to say this is still one of my favorites and hasn’t diminished over my months of tea tasting. Hooray!

On a personal note, I only have two finals left before I am graduated and free from college! Super excited, but super nervous about real grown-up life starting. Gotta find me a real job and say “Good-bye” to Ruby Tuesday. ;)

Good luck on finals for all those in school, and Congrats to all the graduating seniors out there!

i noticed the first steep at 2 minutes was not very strong at all. I steeped a second time at a little over 3 minutes and it was wonderful nice sweet touch but very light. I will try a first steep and 3 minutes next time.

When I want a tea that I can brew for a long time and have no bitterness, this is my go to tea. I put it in my brew cup and just sip it until gone. It gets very dark and flavorful.

No notes yet.

Initially, I didn’t have much interest in this tea, but with repeated tastings, I have come to quite enjoy the mintiness. It is a nice comforting cup in the cold mornings.

This is a tea that one has to be in the mood for. That said, when that moment happens, I thoroughly enjoy the smoky flavor and smell.

I love this tea both hot and cold. It is so pleasant both in the mouth and the nose.

This is a super amazing flavored Assam tea. I like my Assams malty and flavorful without much if any astringency. I control the later by keeping my steep time under 2:30 minutes. I have tried many Assams and some are great and some not so. This one has a variety of flavor notes… yams is perhaps the strongest, chocolate and plum, giving a nice sweet finish. This is one of the best Assams I’ve tasted from the 2012 harvests.

Another Thank-you to Emily M for sharing this unique oolong. This is my final sample from her and it is so different from anything I’ve tried before. When I first looked at the leaves, they looked like little pebbles from a fish tank. haha.

There is a slightly herby, slightly earthy, and a little spice… all in a smooth green oolong base. Its pretty cool. I’m doing a 2nd steeping to see how it tastes next. I was careful to not steep in boiling and watch my times on this one and so far it has behaved rather well. This was a lot of fun to taste, thanks Emily :-)

I need to get more of this tea, I drank the last of it the other day. Either hot or cold it’s good. No sweetener needed. A great tea to drink late in the day without any caffeine to keep you up.

A lot of cinnamon taste, hints of citrus. The cinnamon is stronger with the second steeping.

Pah on milk and sugar! I’ve rediscovered this tea after running out of Darjeeling. I actually quite like it this time around. I’m still not quite certain what it is that is just beyond my reach in aroma. This has turned out to be a tea I can ‘oversteep’ for a little bit and it doesn’t negatively impact the flavor of the tea too much.

It is a good tea, but I don’t care for the added vanilla. It was in the cupboard so I tried it again.

Approaching sipdown already! =(
This one goes so fast when it’s in my cupboard. About two cups worth left, and I’m going to make them last… I hope.

This tea is on the black side of oolongs. In fact, I read that Brandy Oolongs are oxidized from 85 to 90 percent. So if Pouchongs embody the green exteme of oolongs, Brandy Oolongs are at the other end. Personally, I loved the tea, and would rate it at the high end taking only my own tastes into account. But I share these teas (and the expense) with my aunt, and she didn’t like this one at all. The label and description on the site says this tea has a “phenomenal floral/stone fruit aroma.” My aunt doesn’t like flavored teas. I could swear I tasted peach in this. It definitely had a floral/fruity quality more pronounced than in an unflavored tea I’ve tried. Which is a lot of what I did like—and I suspect precisely what my aunt did. So, since I try to rate these to help me decide which teas to purchase again, I’m docking this so it’s just out of that high rated range. But personally, I thought it a winner.

The package label describes this as “medium-bodied, smooth, and slightly fruity with a toasty note in the finish.” Given the name, I thought this might be the TeaSource version of Adagio’s Formosa #8. Like that one it’s certainly one of the darker Oolongs; if I didn’t know better, I would think this is a black tea given the color and taste. I’ve seen Darjeeling and Ceylons that have steeped up lighter in color. I wouldn’t mistake this in taste for either though. The Adagio Formosa #8 is described as “raisiny.” I’d say this makes me think more of caramel or cinnamon. I’d agree with the “toasty” in the description but really am not tasting a floral or fruity note as described. More than a little astringent, too. I think I prefer Adagio’s version. The TeaSource version is enjoyable, but not one I think I’ll order again. Maybe it’ll improve on a second steeping (I’ve read with repeated steepings the astringency is reduced, and the fruity/floral note more pronounced), but I prefer to order those teas that steep up well from the very first.

Description on package: “This classic tea is aromatic with fruity undertones reminiscent of fresh plums, and a toasty flavor in the aftertaste.” I can’t say I taste anything plum-like, but I do agree about the toasty flavor. Otherwise this tastes like what I think of the generic, typical ur-oolong. Very similar to Iron Goddess, in that not-green but not-black way with that astringent, mineral note. It’s a tea I’m certainly enjoying, but not I think distinctive enough that I’d buy it again.

The description on the package says: “This lovely greener oolong steeps up floral, sweet, fresh, with a noticeable silky/smooth/creamy quality usually only found in much more expensive teas.” I definitely appreciated that creamy, milky/buttery quality in it. I didn’t have the mineral taste I don’t adore in oolongs, and despite being described as a green oolong, it didn’t have a vegetal quality either. I just got in a bunch of new oolongs from TeaSource to try. I’ve tried four out of the seven, and so far this one is my favorite. Not just because I like the taste, but it has a taste that sets it apart from the generic Tieguanyin/Tung Ting Oolongs. It doesn’t displace as a favorite oolong Pouchong, Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) or Oriental Beauty. But it’s definitely one I’d order again and would like to have as a regular in my cupboard.

Yum! Just got a new batch in. So good. One of my all time favorite Oolongs. Sweet and earthy, with the most amazing cooling, light, crisp, licorice aftertaste. The leaves also don’t unfurl completely the first steeping, which makes this oolong perfect for multiple steepings! Full of flavor. Really enjoying this!

The description on the package calls this a Fujian oolong and says it “steeps up light to medium-bodied with a sweet silkiness and a hint of fresh, floral flavor.” It’s on the green side of oolong, but I liked the lack of a mineral taste. It’s a smooth oolong reminiscent of a Tung Ting or Ti Kwan Yin. It didn’t rock my world, and I doubt I’ll buy it again, but it was very enjoyable for all that.

I am a big oolong fan, and love it when I can find a flavored oolong that I love. This tea falls into that catergory. This is a great strawberry flavored tea. Not artificial tasting, which is fantastic. I love how the earthy taste compliments the sweet strawberry taste so nicely. Oolong and strawberry seem to have been made to go together, if I judge from this cup. Absolutely delicious, and obviously a favorite from now on.

On the second steep the Oolong was a bit stronger, while the strawberry was a little weaker. It was still a delicious treat, however. Yum to this one.!

The label on the package describes this as a “fine Tung Ting style oolong…medium-bodied and silky with sweet, fruity notes, and a lingering aftertaste.” It’s definitely on the green side of oolong, and really is quite pleasant—at least on first steeping, with a bit of the mineral note often found in oolongs. It’s a middling tea, one I’ll enjoy while I have it but not one I’m likely to reorder.

The description on the package says: “This is the classic Taiwanese oolong: wonderfully aromatic, smooth, silky, slightly sweet, and floral. Made from the Jin Suang cultivar, this tea is enjoyed all over the island.” We tried a Jade Oolong from Adagio that by and large we liked, even if not a favorite. My aunt frankly hated this one from TeaSource, and that’s not a word she has used before for Oolongs. She said she rushed drinking it to get it over with. I wouldn’t say I feel as strongly, but like her this isn’t one I’d order again. It had almost a fishy smell to me, and it’s a lot more astringent and mineraly-than the Jade Oolong from Adagio—a disappointment.

Description on package: “These rare downy pearls have an aroma like a spring meadow, and the liquor has a very smooth, sweet, creamy note, with just a hint of garden fresh just-picked vegetables.” This to me tasted like a cross between Yinzhen (Sliver Needle) and Bai Mudan (White Peony) since it struck me as not as strong as the last. It’s just strong enough to have my liking—my complaint with too many white teas is that they’re barely discernible in appearance, scent or taste from hot water. I do taste something faintly vegetal about it, which is my complaint with green teas, but had that smooth, faintly floral taste I like in white tea. Still a bit too subtle for my tastes though. When it comes to White Tea in the future I think I’ll stick with White Peony.

No notes yet.