Formosa Pouchong

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Orchid, Butter, Flowers, Plants, Floral, Green, Vegetal
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Michael
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 15 sec 3 g 8 oz / 226 ml

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21 Tasting Notes View all

From Adagio Teas

Oolong tea from Taiwan. When Portuguese explorers 1st discovered Taiwan they gave it the name Formosa, or “Beautiful Island” The oolong teas grown here continue to be called by this name. The least processed of Formosa oolongs are termed pouchong. This incredible pouchong is a lightly oxidized tea w/ large wavy, loosely twisted, dark green leaves. The dry leaf offers an aroma reminiscent of the 1st buds of spring rising from the wet earth. Proper brewing yields a brilliant, if pale, golden-green liquor and a taste that is mild and softly floral with medium body and no astringency. As the liquor cools your palate will be rewarded w/ a buttery sweet finish that lingers on the tongue.

3g/8oz 205 degree F water for 1-2 min. Good for multiple infusions.

About Adagio Teas View company

Adagio Teas has become one of the most popular destinations for tea online. Its products are available online at www.adagio.com and in many gourmet and health food stores.

21 Tasting Notes

100
865 tasting notes

In honor of today’s Steepster Select, I decided to go thru the set again. Light and smooth, slightly crisp. A great choice for a not all that warm summer day when you still want hot tea… although this entire set would be amazing iced as well. Not to mention it’s a gorgeous tea to watch steep!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

2nd infusion, 4 min. Slightly lighter liquor, slightly sweeter flavor. Yummy!

Cofftea

3rd infusion, 5 min. Pretty much like the 2nd.

Cofftea

4th infusion, 6 min. Like the past 3- perfect w/ lunch.

Cofftea

5th infusion, 7 min. Still no change.

Cofftea

As I’m drinking this infusion I’m getting a thicker mouth feel… interesting… and delicious!

Cofftea

6th infusion, 8 min, Slighty thinner mouth feel than infusion 5, but thicker than the 1st 4.

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83
911 tasting notes

The dry leaves smell fairly uninspiring. A little floral and perhaps a bit of salty plastic (the type of plastic that they make Cabbage Patch Kids faces out of). Post brewing, though, is a much different story. Sweet, floral, creamy.

The taste isn’t as thick as some pouchongs I’ve had but it is very tasty. Creamy, green, it is simultaneously a warm cuddle and a happy puppy. The front end is somewhat heavy, thick and creamy with floral and some sweet milk-oolong-like notes. Then the second half of the taste brightens up, tasting less cuddly/cloudy and more clear/springy as it brings up hints of white grape and gardenia and a faint astringency after the sip.

I tend to like my pouchongs on the richer side of the spectrum and the end note here makes this one seem brighter, but I really like it. I’d like to see what it would do at a lower temp – if I could get a little more cream, a little less grape – but I’m pretty sure that no matter what, I’m going to enjoy working my way through the sample.

Second Steep (1min) It tastes wilted and boiled. Not even worth drinking the cup. Boo.
5g/10oz

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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77
1908 tasting notes

Adagio’s Masters tea collection claims to be a cut abouve its normal teas – it certainly is a cut above their usual prices so I wanted to see if the teas were actually worthy the price before I forked over the money for a whole tin.

The appearance of the tea is certainly a cut above your basic green oolong – the leaves are beautiful jade-green twists that unfurl into large, whole leaves. The first steep is quite light with a very faint lilac scent with much of the same daintily-sweet floral quality to it.

The second steeping (@ 2:30) is fuller but it retains that floral quality without tasting or smelling like a cup of perfume. It’s still quite a ‘light’ tea compared to other oolongs that I’ve tasted and it feels quite smooth and clean in the mouth with no unpleasent aftertastes.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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67
431 tasting notes

What a wonderful vegetal tea. So clean and crisp. I will continue to drink this tea.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

Got clean and crisp, Not earthy though.

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas

You are right I used the wrong word. Thanks, I have corrected to what I meant to say.

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88
46 tasting notes

Got this as part of Adagio’s Maestro Collection Sampler 1 and have been eager to try it. My patience has been rewarded with this tea. The flavor makes me reminisce some vegetal green teas while being a very complex and multi-layered oolong at heart. The first steep resulted in a light liquor and a sweet aroma and the 2nd and 3rd steeps became much more floral while losing the “green tea” flavors. Very much enjoyed this tea and look forward to experimenting with it more in the coming days.

I followed Adagio’s recommendations of 205º for 2 minutes, using 3g leaves/8oz water.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I wonder how this differs from their other pouchong…

Kyle Stern

Good question, can’t answer that one though. This is the first Pouchong from Adagio that I’ve had.

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82
10 tasting notes

Oolong tea from Taiwan. The tea leaves are dark green color. Beautiful looking tea leaves. This oolong is very similar to a green tea.

Nose and Color: Very light color
-Just a slight pale green hue
-Looks like plain water almost
-I was very surprised
-Slight floral hints similar to the jasmine pearl in the same collection

Tasting:

-Second steeping is highly recommended. Adagio says it will fully unfurl the leaves and the floral notes will really come out.
-After trying multiple steeping I agree that the floral notes really do come out a lot more but the green tea flavor is lost a little bit.
-Tastes like a very light version of formosa ali shan. This flavor profile makes sense as they are both from the mountains of Taiwan.

Full Review here: http://www.indieteas.com/home/2010/4/12/tea-review-16-adagios-formosa-pouchong.html

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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80
123 tasting notes

Wonderfully light and floral with a slight butter aftertaste. Second steeping really transforms into an almost jasmine like floral taste and you lose the butter quality. It definitely costs enough, I’ll have to do a comparison with their standard pouchong back to back but this one does not disappoint and it holds up well to many resteepings.

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86
120 tasting notes

Light beige green brown. Pretty aroma. Cloud like, steamed sticky rice, a hint of jasmine blossom. Body is good but not as supple and juicy as the ali shan or fancy bai hao for instance… a little brisk, tannins may be masking juiciness of body. Very solid though. Second steep a definite step down.

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65
5 tasting notes

Buttery mouthfeel. The characteristic orchid notes are present, though always fleeting, and layered with faint toasty and spice notes. The floral notes popped in the third steep, but disappeared by the fourth. Very planty, minerally fourth steep; the fifth was just sad leaf juice. It’s a good tea, but I’ve had better pouchongs, and I’m not sure it’s worthy of its “Masters Collection” status/price.

Flavors: Orchid

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86
25 tasting notes

Great tea!
I’ts the first time i taste Pouchong and it’s definitely a style i must explore.

Wet leaves had me worried; smelling a bit like greens cooked on an open fire. But that smoky note does not carry over to the tea.

At first, it’s a delicate and sweet infusions. It re-steeps with more body to a milky and floral cup. Light yet complex enough to keep you intrigued, the mouthfeel moves from mineral to chalky to powdery in the most enchanting way.

I would recommend slightly longer steeping times.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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