TeaSource

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.

I don’t like oranges… but I love this tea. So comforting.

A nice berry tea, but I’m very disappointed that the description of the tea talks about a spicy kick from the peppercorns, which seem to have brought nothing at all to the party. Maybe if I picked them out and cracked them while my water was heating.

Details:
Kettle: Breville Tea Maker
Temp: 200
Steep Time: 1:15 min
Type: Dark Tea, Disk

First Steep: ~1:15, mellow and very light color and flavor. Nice earthy base notes and very slightly floral.

Yay! Ok, so I think I’ve figured out that unless a tea tastes strongly of cinnamon it’s not really worth my time… I seem disappointed with all the others. But this, I really enjoyed. The cinnamon is definitely the dominant flavor, but you really get the orange coming through at the end. Mmmm, spicy.

Umm. Wow. Starting to think I am brewing all of my teas incorrectly tonight. This tasted like I had steeped a plastic bag in hot water. Maybe the plastic bag had once contained apples. Yuck. Maybe I’ll try again another time, just in case.

This is the first time I’ve tried a yellow tea, and it’s funny, it’s exactly what I imagined it might be like—a cross between white and green tea. It has white tea’s mildness, its lightness, but there’s a slight grassiness (not in a bad way, and that’s a taste that usually puts me off.) I like it—a very refreshing tea somehow, although not I think destined to be a favorite.

Looking at how this steeped up I get why the Chinese call what we know as “black” teas “red.” Because that’s exactly how it looks—red. And I wouldn’t quite say it tastes that way, although there is a spiciness to it—more than what I remember of the other Ceylon Vithanakanda I tried. Otherwise, like that one, this makes me think of the most basic of basic teas. A Lipton or Tetley with substance and class. An ur-Black tea that could stand for the entire class. A very enjoyable tea, although lacking the kind of character that makes me want to order it again.

Reminds me of the Hong Mao Feng I’d tried and very much liked. There’s this smooth almost chocolate note to it, together with a spicy bite to it. Not unduly earthy or smokey—a very enjoyable tea.

My aunt was put off by the smell—she likened it to cat piss. I wouldn’t quite put it that way, but it is pungent—very smoky. It does taste a lot better than it smells though. A bit chocolate or caramel in taste, with the earthiness I’m beginning to realize is very characteristic of most China Black teas. I think I’m getting more used to that taste, but I think its absence is precisely why I tend to prefer Indian teas.

I can only echo the other reviewer. This too reminded me of a Mao Feng tea—Hong Mao Feng. It had that kind of mellow smoothness to it. It had a bit of the earthy taste of of Dian Hong or the Empire Keemun I tried recently, but it’s a milder taste, with a chocolate note that is fine as a self-drinker but I think would partner well with milk.

I found this chocolatey, earthy, a little smokey. It reminds me a lot Dian Hong, a Yunnan tea we tried—and did not like. My aunt’s reaction was that this tea was “rough”—as opposed to the “smooth” blacks such as Hong Mao Feng, Ceylon, Assams and Darjeelings we’ve enjoyed. I do find though that this partners wonderfully with milk. My aunt likes her tea plain though, and since I like to get teas we both like, I doubt this is one I’ll be getting again.

This tea is wonderful! I’m a big Oolong fan, and this particular Oolong made me a happy camper when I first tried it. It brews a nice, smooth cup. VERY smooth. I don’t know how to quite place the taste. It’s not what I would call sweet or overly floral (thank goodness!). It’s got an earthy (not grassy) tea leaf taste, which is very light. This basic taste becomes extraordinary with the aftertaste, where a bit of the licorice root comes through. It’s not strong, but it makes your whole mouth feel cool, and provides for a semi-sweet and very interesting finish.

Sorry I can’t be more specific with the taste… I can’t quite figure out a way of describing it. I fear I’m not doing this tea justice with my review. sigh
Oh well. It’s a great, relaxing cup. As I’m almost out, I’ll have to look into getting more!

NOTE: Don’t steep this tea for too long, and definately don’t use boiling water. The tea picks up an overpowering/astringent quality and loses it’s smoothness.

I was disappointed in this tea, I didn’t find it very creamy and found less than even a hint of chocolate. The mint was so overpowering I could hardly taste anything else. Maybe I had gotten a bad batch since everyone else seems to like it?
I use it to make mint cocoa with powdered hot chocolate mix.

I started drinking this tea recently but it’s quickly become my favorite tisane. All the herbs blend together perfectly, nothing overpowering the other herbs, an aftertaste like birch beer. Tastes good hot or cold, though it tastes a little sweeter if you let it cool. It doesn’t need any sweetener, though I sometimes add a little honey.
I usually steep it 6 minutes but it can probably steep for less than that, I’m used to black teas and this tea looks light yellow in my glass pot but it’s stronger than it looks. This tea can be steeped at least twice and still taste as strong as the first steeping.
This tea is something of a cure-all too.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I’m not usually a fan of scented or flavored teas and Earl Grey has never been high on my list. But this tea is perfect when I want to fill my face with aroma and flavor (and a little milk and sugar to boot). It’s so bold and tasty. Great alone or with some cookies on the side as an after dinner snack.