Taiwan Pou Chong Oolong Loose Tea

Thank you Fong Mong Tea for this Generous Sample!

This fine Oolong is baked and required a 6 minute steeping time for the type of pot I was preparing. Even dry, the leaves were fragrantly floral and held the promise of delight inside.

When ready, the liquor was very clear and light gold with a tinge of green. The scent was lilac but not strong. Somewhere there was a vegital scent peaking out.

The taste was silky with a floral presence more like a warm breeze than a bouquet of flowers. Towards the end of the floral taste I caught the scent of apple and cinnamon. There was a vegital flavor so tiny that it reminded me of having had buttered green beans for dinner then drinking tea for dessert.

I stopped to consider this tea. I waited for the tea to comment.

I was now aware again with the juicy tea suddenly becoming active. Then the tingling began. My whole mouth and my lips began to tingle and burn lightly with a tannin that had no bitterness. It was as if a rope was pulling me back to the tea and I had to drink more. I wanted the creamy sweet goodness again.

I noticed later that using a glass cup, as the tea cooled when I took a sip the tea coated the glass in a way that wine does. I’ve never noticed a tea doing that before.

Another thing I noticed with this tea is the nose effect.

Jim Marks commented on how much we taste with our nose. That might sound funny to some people, but it’s true. I think that’s what has helped me charge ahead with learning about tea’s the most. Working in 2 Wineries, I had to learn to taste with my nose and talk about levels of flavor in wine. When you do it 8 hrs a day you learn! Tea is the same.
Example:
I put my nose into this cup of Oolong and inhaled/exhaled… in and out making lots of steam. I found the scent of a trunk in an attic with pressed flowers and a little bitty hint of moth ball.
It’s a good thing to really get in and experience as much as you can with tea. Drink, smell…consider.

A fantastic Pouchong. Sweet and light and crisp. I am now on my third and final cup, which is the combination of infusions five and six.

The first cup (infusions 1 and 2) was very creamy and succulent, reminding me a bit of a milky Oolong but not quite as thick… this is what I enjoy so much about Pouchong, is that it has the lightness of a green tea, with some of the delicious creamy notes of an Oolong. It brings the best of both worlds into one cup.

The second cup (infusions 3 and 4) was a bit more vegetative, offering a flavor that is somewhere between sweet grass and mild steamed vegetables that are lightly seasoned with butter. Sweet and delicious. Not quite as creamy as the first cup, a little more on the savory side this time – a bit like broth. Somewhat sharp floral tones have emerged, but they are subtle. Subtle and yet sharp. Very nice contrast.

The third cup (this cup! Infusions five and six) is slightly more floral than the first two cups were, but the floral tones are not quite as sharp as they were in the second cup. The flavors in this cup seem to be melding together, uniting, becoming smoother. Not nearly as creamy as cup number 1, but, still very enjoyable. In fact, this one might be my favorite of the three cups.

An excellent Pou Chong!

Nom, hot oolong tea. How I’ve missed you. The weather hasn’t cooled down so much. Only a little from the recent rainy days, but still, it’s cool enough that a cup of hot tea doesn’t feel like torture. Plus the fan blowing in my direction doesn’t hurt things.

This cup of tea has the lovely green oolong aroma that I adore. Floral and vegetal and sweet and yummy. The color of the brewed tea is very lightly green, which I’m beginning to see is a trait of Fong Mong’s green oolongs. The taste is delectable. You are hit with a round sweet floral flavor. Then you notice the green vegetal spring-like flavor as the tea moves to the middle of the tongue. On the swallow, you feel the fruitiness and the barely drying and luscious quality of the texture. Don’t know why, but green oolongs often remind me of papaya. Papaya are sweet and floral and slightly vegetal in flavor so I guess the general flavor profile matches that of a green oolong.

Thank of for the generous sample, Fong Mong Tea. This is really delicious. :)

Dry – this smells like perfume.
Wet – this smells more like a cologne

The taste isn’t very heavy but it’s satisfying. There are black pepper notes and floral notes right off the bat. Underneath I can pick up on a CANNED buttered green beans type taste…and yes…there is a difference between what I taste in Canned Green Beans, Fresh, and Frozen…this seems to be more of a canned.

I think this is just fine and dandy!

Thanks to Fong Mong for this generous sample, and my apologies for taking so long to get to reviewing it! I haven’t ever tried a straight pouchong, only in a couple blends (primarily Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong). So my expectations are for a tasty green oolong, and that’s about it.

I used half the packet for this cup, and less than boiling water, although I’m not sure of the exact temperature. The tea produces a fragrant cup with a characteristic oolong aroma with a hint of floral.

This tea, like the others from Fong Mong, is absolutely delicious. A sweet, lightly vegetal oolong with a lingering floral, perhaps lilac?, aftertaste. And plenty of “oolong” flavour. I’m not sure if there’s anything here that would allow me to differentiate between pouchong and other green oolongs, as the flavour reminds me of the Fruity Sijichun Oolong from Fong Mong, but I really don’t care, as it’s quite tasty! It’s definitely fruitier/more floral than the base used for the Coconut Pouchong I’ve had, but I don’t think this tea would work quite as well in such a blend (or perhaps it would? Sweet coconut?)

Either way, this was delicious, and hopefully it gives me a bit of a caffeine kick to get through the remaining… 65 samples I have yet to weight out tonight (in triplicate… yeah…) Thanks Fong Mong!

Wowzer, this is good! The aroma when I opened the pouch was fantastic – my first thought was light lime, but I agree with the person who said green apples. Yes, there is that cinnamon note someone noted. I would like to make an ointment of the scent of this tea and rub it under my nose. It isn’t heavy or overbearing at all, it is just really, really, lovely.

Thank you so much, Fong Mong Tea, for the opportunity to try this tea! No one has exaggerated its merits!

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample!

For the last tea of the day, next up was this deliciously delightful Pou Chong Oolong. This mildly fermented tea is perfect with it’s mood matching light and gentle tones.

There is a certain asparagus flavor, yet something more. It reminds me of Spring Bud Green tea with it mellow grassy notes with an added floral trailing fragrance.

It is smooth enough to try cup after cup, with no lingering bitterness. The aroma is gentle in the cup, then it completely transform into a more expressive tea as it hits the middle of the tongue.

An absolutely fantastic Pouchong!

Dry, the leaves are medium-dark green and remind me of seaweed. The scent is somewhat nutty with a distant milk note.

While steeping the leaves smell faintly of green apples and the sea. The liquor is a light vivid green. Taste is light and lovely. Slightly fruity, a hint of green apples. When it cools, it becomes slightly floral. Subsequent steepings become more vegetal and nutty, while retaining a fruit aspect.

_{Free sample provided by FONG MONG Tea}

I must apologize for taking so long to get this review done. I had tried this once before and got distracted. All would have been well except that I accidentally deleted my tasting notes. So, fresh tasting today.

Dry leaves are mostly olive green with a couple of medium brown leaves and a smattering of light yellowish green leaves/tips. Leaves are twisted and are of various lengths-I would say most are medium long, but some are quite short. Dry aroma is a typical floral that you get with green oolongs. I can definitely see describing it as somewhat perfume-y.

The brewed leaf aroma is similar but more subdued. Liquor is transparent and very pale with much more yellow than green. The flavor is very smooth and somewhat sweet. I detect mainly floral and some vegetal notes. This is definitely a high quality tea. If you like Pou Chong Oolong, you will probably enjoy this tea.

I’d like to thank FONG MONG TEA again for the free samples. My favorites would have to be Sun Moon Lake Black and the Top Grade Oriental Beauty.

Next up-I received some more generous samples from Teavivre and will be reviewing them in the coming days.

Baked green apples with sugar and cinnamon. Very sweet tea, fruity. I was impressed considering the low price.

The first tea taiwon had an excellent appearance. opening the bag the smell instantly pulls you in to its almost relaxing aura. the tea is one of my first experiences with an oolong so I am extra exited to try this lovely sample. I waited patiently for around five minutes for this lovely tea to steep. To say that the color of the tea was beautiful is an understatement. The tea when served is a natural mellow yellow. the smell alone is enough to inspire keanu reeves to say woaaaaaaaaaaaah. however the most important part the taste it does not let down. The sweet tea has an humble light taste that is yet delicate and smooth. It is like walking across a silk pillow or taking a stroll through a city on a easy sunday morning. The flavors.have.a slight earthy tone but I am not sure what else however,.this tea has made me fall in love with oolong.