mrawlins2

Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong from Mark T. Wendell

mrawlins2 drank Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong by Mark T. Wendell

I am determined to get something out of this tea besides barely-there-wood flavored water. This tea is supposed to be “Extra Fancy”… am I missing something? Will I have another fataliTEA on my hands or will I be able to salvage what is left of my sample bag?

Okay, it is official. I know this is an unflavored oolong, but would it be too much to ask for just a bit of some sort of flavor? Some body? Something? I gave up and mixed about half a packet of white hot cocoa in the tea which makes the cocoa just a tiny bit more interesting due to the tiny wood-like taste of the tea. I will either use the remaining tea in cocoa or may just throw it out. I don’t know, but I’m docking some major points.

2010-06-24 01:19:05 -0400

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LiberTEAS 2010-06-24 01:43:10 -0400

How long did you steep it? At what temperature?

mrawlins2 2010-06-24 01:55:57 -0400

Boiling, 5 minutes. I’ve even tried up to 7 minutes, nothing.

mrawlins2 2010-06-24 01:57:45 -0400

I even almost doubled the leaf amount. Maybe I just got a bad batch…

LiberTEAS 2010-06-24 14:49:57 -0400

I don’t know. I’ve not tried this particular formosa Oolong … but formosa Oolong is one of my favorites… so it surprises me to read your experience with this one. Normally, I brew mine at water just below the boiling point (about 195 degrees F) for 3 minutes and it’s wonderful. Not quite as thick as a greener oolong would be, but, a nice flavor.

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Bio

I am a former coffee drinker turned tea lover.

Black tea is probably my favorite type of tea, but I rather enjoy most types… I’m even developing a taste for pu-erh.

Rating Scale:
0-10: This tea is either flavorless or just plain undrinkable. I will avoid these teas in the future.

11-20: I was only able to make it through a few sips before pouring the tea out.

21-30: I may have been able to make it through the first cup but the thought of having another has me cringing.

31-40: Teas in this range are not horrible, but nothing I would seek out in the future.

41-60: Would drink if offered, but would not purchase for myself.

61-70: Okay, nothing special

71-80: Enjoyable, but I have to be in the mood for these. Probably would purchase if I found a really great price.

81-90: Pretty good tea, will probably be one of my favorites.

91-95: These teas are really excellent. I wouldn’t necessarily run out and buy more of these (just because there are so many teas out there that I haven’t tried), but I would miss this tea.

96-99: Terrific, very impressive.

100: This special rating is reserved for teas that are absolutely perfect in my opinion. I will only give out a rating of 100 to one tea per category (Earl Grey, unflavored black, dessert tea, Irish Breakfast, etc). These are teas that I really want to have around.

Perfect Teas so Far:

Earl Grey: Saint Isaac’s Blend (Russian Earl Grey) from Upton

Dessert Tea: Marco Polo from Mariage Freres

Unflavored Black: Emperor’s Red from Premium Steap