Hi everyone! I'm new to the site, suggestions needed :)

Unfortunately that one’s mostly a myth too. It’s frustrating because many active tea companies continue sharing this ‘information’ as fact even though science has debunked it. The longer you steep it the less caffeine remains BUT the flavour goes too. Here are a couple threads that went into detail:

http://steepster.com/discuss/5043-re-steeping-and-caffeine
http://steepster.com/discuss/3060-sorting-through-the-myths-caffeine-in-tea
http://verdanttea.com/whats-the-real-deal-with-caffeine-in-tea/
http://www.elmwoodinn.com/about/caffeine.html

There are more on Steepster but the search function is being difficult. You’ll figure out what works for you. :)

Thanks for posting those links, they’re going to be helpful. Really, I’d hate to over-steep the tea because then, as you note, a lot of the flavour is then lost!

I also have the milk oolong from thePuritea (I haven’t tried it yet, though)! Along with 9 more tea samples I got from them… isn’t it a shame they are closed now? :(

Yes it is… It is even more of a shame because I really liked the milk oolong! It is the first milk oolong I have ever tried, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I will definitely be jumping on the milk oolong bandwagon and trying out some more! I got some more samples from them as well, but the only other one I tried was the Darjeeling, which I wasn’t impressed with. This was also the first time that I tried Darjeeling, so I don’t know if it just wasn’t a high quality Darjeeling or I just have a taste for Darjeeling, so I’ll have to do more research on that one as well. I had my husband try some and he said it just tasted like regular tea lol

One of the highest rated teas (all teas) here is Mandala’s Milk Oolong. If you are hunting for one, I would give theirs a try. :))
http://steepster.com/teas/mandala-tea/22442-milk-oolong

I must say I really enjoy all the samples I’ve tried from them so far and that is Assam, Darjeeling and Jasmine Golden Yunnan… I am just starting to get into all kinds of black tea, and I think I like the Golden Yunnan out of the three the most, although Darjeeling is sure extremely enjoyable to me! Not sure about the Assam, but I only had one cup of it so far, and I don’t think I was very focused on it anyway.

And yes, there seems to be a lot of places that sell good quality milk oolongs, so I am sure you can find a great one elsewhere :)

Dexter I saw that and I have been seriously considering placing an order with them just so I can get my hands on some of that! Have you tried it?? And Kat what is Darjeeling supposed to taste like? Maybe I just didn’t use enough, I used like 1.5 teaspoons, so I will try it again and use more! Maybe I will have better results with that.

Sorry for the late reply, missed your question. :)) I have this milk oolong in my cupboard – I too am curious, but I haven’t tried it. Green oolongs aren’t really my thing. What I can tell you is that Mandala teas in general are amazing. Garrett (the owner) is a wonderful person, their customer service is above and beyond. If you look at my tea ratings, and click on top rated – of my top 10 rated teas 7 are from Mandala. I have nothing but possessive things to say about them. I would have to assume that if Steepster has rated that oolong really high, it must be a good one. :))

That’s ok:) curiosity got the best of me and I had to order it! I got it a couple of days ago and I love it! I was super impressed with Mandala’s quick shipping and great customer service, and will definitely order from them again. So what are some of your favorite teas?? In other words, what else am I missing lol

What else are you missing? That’s a good question. If you asked 100 of us you would get 100 different answers. It’s all personal taste. My favorite tea is probably not going to be your favorite tea. If you look at my ratings they probably won’t match what I’m about to say, tastes change, impressions change but some of my absolute favorites are:
Mandala – Noble Mark Ripe Pu’er Blend 2011 – fav pu’erh
Mandala – Big Red Robe Fancy Grade Dark Roast – fav oolong
Tao Tea Leaf – Jin Ping Gongfu – fav black
Cornelia Bean – Dragon Fruit – fav tisane
Harney & Sons – Soba Cha – Buckwheat Tea – fav something weird
Camellia Sinensis – Ombrelle de Papier – fav flavored white
Coconut Bongo – Tealish – fav flavored oolong

There are too many flavored blacks to pick a favorite – Moose Tracks – Herbal Infusions, Soho Blend & Florance – Harney & Sons,
Loashan Chocolate Genmaicha – Verdant (is that a flavored black? dunno it is in my world)

I’m not really into green oolongs, and it’s not something I would drink every day – but Mandala Colored Species changed my world a bit.
Mandala Tea Silver Buds Raw 2011 – has to make this list somehow.
David’s Coffee Pu’erh and Kanpe have a special place in my heart.
My fav pumpkin tea is Della Terra – Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie

Off the top of my head, those are some of my favorites (did you notice how much I LOVE Mandala). The best advice I can give is to read tasting notes, see why people like/dislike a tea – then compare that to your tastes. Buy small samples until you find your favorites. Try the same type of tea from different sources. Keep asking questions, keep looking for opinions. If a tea makes several peoples top 10 list then it’s probably good.
Good luck with your quest…

Ha, sorry! I just noticed that you asked me a question. Unfortunately, my answer will disappoint you because I have no idea how darjeelings are supposed to taste! :D I read somewhere that they are supposed to be naturally sweeter than Assams and Ceylons and definitely less smokey… I have only had this one darjeeling from this one company and all I know is that I like it :)

Dexter- thanks so much for all the new ideas! I love to hear what works for other tea lovers, and I will definitely be trying some of the teas that you mentioned. I see another order to Mandala in my future, once my milk oolong runs out. And Kat it’s ok! I have figured out after trying 3 or 4 that Darjeelings are not my thing right now, but my husband loves them, and while he is nowhere near the tea lover that I am, at least now I can get him to drink some with me :)

Me too Jen :) I have already started!

Whatever it takes to help out, I suppose. Oh, the burden. ;)

I know right? Lol! Where are you ordering from?

Butiki and Adagio—the latter lets you buy samples, which makes me a happy kitten. A friend and I were going to run up to Petali but I actually came down with some sort of bug Saturday night and—well, I’m glad I already had some tea hanging around! How about you?

I haven’t ordered from either one of those places but I have seen lots of ppl on here saying good things about them! Have you gotten your orders yet? I ordered from Upton Teas, Fusion Teas, Mandala Teas, 52 Teas, Davids Teas, Tea Vivre and Golden Moon Teas. They were all small orders and sample sizes though, although I did go a little crazy… I just want to try all the teas! Lol! I haven’t gotten some of them yet but so far I have really liked Very Velvet Oolong by Fusion and both of the teas from Mandala, Jasmine Dragon Pearl and Milk Oolong. And I also got sucked into buying more Teavana bc of that 75% off sale they are having. I just couldn’t say no, even though I am trying to move away from Teavana and try new things. Keep me updated on what teas you like from your orders :)

Yes, the Butiki and Adagio came in. Ordered from Della Terra over the weekend when they posted a sale and am looking at some of the same places you’ve bought from. The only one I’ve had time to try during all of my catching-up was Butiki’s Mango Lassi, which I really like the more I sip it (need to write my review, but I want to try the 2nd steep first).

It’s good I didn’t know about the Teavana sale! They do have a few teas I like.

Oolong is something I’ve not yet tried, but IIRC Butiki sent a sample along to me of one of theirs, so now is my chance. :)