Monkey-Picked Oolong

It is important to note there is no way I can afford this tea. It would also lead to divorce between the Mr. and I in a heartbeat and at $25 per 2oz you may see why. So this is one of those teas I purchase by the cup when I visit my local Teavana. Of course the young man behind the counter tried his darndest to get me to buy a pound of it. It wasn’t happening.

I had this iced. I’d never had it before so I went with the young man’s suggestion of prep including sweetener or no sweetener. Thankfully he went with no sweetener. I must admit it was a supper smooth Oolong that I truly enjoyed. It hit the spot after a truly rotten day spent at an event I would have loved to pass on (long story there). I would get this again, but I wouldn’t buy it to make at home….not for that price….unless of course the Mr. ok’d it.

It should not come as a surprise that I have drank this many many times, at work and as well as at home (though I have never actually purchased it except in the Forbidden Kingdom Collection when it was 50% off). I’ve sold plenty of it and for that I am sorry. However I have somehow not gotten around to reviewing it.

That being said, I’m going to try not to be too negative here. I did short steeps with this one today and I must say my gongfu was pretty good, for as little water as I was using the leaves got some good motion. The leaves didn’t give off much scent when dry and weren’t anything special wet, but my gods did that first cup smell good. It smelled like the High Mountain Alishan I had the other day and I just leaned back in my chair and let myself get lost in the vapors.

There. I have said something nice, unfortunately it’s the only thing I have to say. There was no sweetness to be found in this cup, no butter or creaminess in the ones to follow and hardly a trace of orchid. To be fair the leaves are probably quite old, but I have never found any of those qualities except the orchid notes in Teavana’s MPO.

The flavors on this are a bit hard to describe, they are rather vague, not particularly vegetal nor floral nor woodsy nor herbaceous but the second infusion was more savory. For a second I thought it was going to be buttery, but it was much to dry for that. Teavana describes this tea as smooth and while I wouldn’t call it astringent, the mouthfeel on this tea is probably the most disappointing part. I steeped this probably six times today and it didn’t produce anything else noteworthy.

I will mention that the leaves were more broken on this batch than I am used to seeing. Also the color is laughably dull compared to Verdant’s Spring Harvest Tieguanyin that I brewed right after it, verdant indeed! As others have said, Teavana’s MPO is not a bad tea, but it’s also not worth the price nor the hype and is certainly not “the rarest oolong in the world”. I had the exact same reaction as JubJubs when I read their newsletter a while ago. http://bogosiposo.tumblr.com/post/22471844251/teavanas-monkey-picked-oolong

I have to admit, one of the good things about being home is getting to raid my dad’s tea – my dad, who got tricked by the Teavana employees into buying lots of tea… XD
And, seeing as I can’t justify the price of this tea myself, I’m just drinking his! (he said I could. And he can drink whatever of mine he wants haha)

Smooth and a little flowery on a first steep, and then on a second steep, the butter comes out. It’s not my favorite. I don’t love it. But I will definitely drink it as long as its around!

I almost didn’t recognize this as a Tevana tea – where’s the pound of dehydrated fruit and spices that’s normally floating around in these things?

In any event I was looking for something this afternoon that was mild and easygoing and this certainly has fit the bill. A nice green oolong, very clean tasting, and vegetal. I am getting a bit of nutty flavor in the finish. A classic tea with a great taste. I would certainly consider purchasing this if I ever place another order with Teavana.

Seems every Teavana review i read is about how pushy they were or how terrible their tea is. I’m not sure if my experience is better a- because my store use to be a Teaopia or b- I’m always in there when the manger, who happens to be a friend of mine is working. I’ve only ever had one employee get on my nerves and it really wasn’t that bad.

So onto my review. I’ve tried this in store once or twice because they usually have it as a sample. I was convinced I loved it & needed to buy it, but I couldn’t justify the $22/50g that they wanted. So thanks to Sara, I got to try this one before spending a fortune on it.

I swear in store in was better. Not quite as floral like & more buttery & earthy. Maybe for once I will do a second steep on my leaves.
This was good, however a little too floral for me. I had a hard time drinking my full mug, so this is something I would have to brew up for smaller cups.
I really don’t think I would spend the money on this one, but really am grateful to have tried it.
However we’ll see how steep 2 goes.

ETA: did my second steep on the leaves yesterday morning. basically tasted like I put orchids in a juicer & drank it. not one I will resteep

Received some of this from silvermage2000 in our swap. I’ve always been curious about it but never purchased it, given its high cost.

It is good though, but not something where I’m like, oh I have to go out and get this now. I’m sure there are many cheaper alternatives that might even be better. I’ve only had one TGY but I kind of like the taste of this better, it seems more buttery. Now I’ll know to explore similar oolongs with an “orchid” taste then!

This is good on the second steep but I’m afraid that very shortly it won’t be worth resteeping :( Sure enough, on steep #4 it tastes like absolutely nothing.

My co-worker was generous enough to bring this tea to work so I could try it today. When tea is more expensive, there is always that curiosity whether it is worth the money. Although, I think this tea is very tasty – earthy, buttery, and grassy. I think its comparable to other Oolongs that are less expensive. As always I’m thankful to just try different tea and unfortunately this doesn’t make the cut to be a staple in my cupboard mostly due to the pricing.

Teavana has created the illusion of super high quality by comparing this mid-quality tea with their other super-low quality teas. The illusion is partly due to the blindness of the majority of customers who have tasted nothing better. I am here to tell you that if you enjoy this tea, then fine, but if you are willing to pay the price that they ask for it, then you are being ripped off and lied to. Let me explain.

A good tieguanyin (what Teavana calls their “Monkey Picked”) will yield no bitterness after the first brew. Rather, its buttery mouth feel and floral aroma would be backed up by almost umami flavors. Furthermore, over subsequent steepings, the umami flavors will be enhanced up until about the fourth steeping.

Teavana’s version of this tea, although it has the buttery and floral qualities, does not have the complex umami flavors. Rather, the tannins are out of balance, and the carefully discerning palate will notice a thin bitterness in the back of the mouth. This bitterness increases over several steepings. A truly high quality tieguanyin would not have this characteristic. The fourth steeping was simply flat, and this is how I know that Teavana’s Monkey Picked oolong is not worth the price that it fetches. At the same price, a tieguanyin could be found that yields 10-15 steepings if brewed properly.

Backlog # 6
I can’t remember much about this tea, I have the notes written down somewhere. I’ll update it when I have the chance… but overall it was a little too fruity for my liking. Reminds me more of a Formosa, or Long Life Oolong from DT, than a TGY really. Decent enough but it’s so standard!
I would never buy any for the house since I have much more affordable alternatives available to me at home. For that reason, it gets a lower score… maybe five points off?

I am new to steepster, so my note may not sway many tea drinkers. This oolong is definitely one of my “go to” teas, due to its’ refreshing nature. I enjoy this tea in the mornings and afternoons due to its’ ability to pick up my mood.

This remains one of my favorite “monkey-picked” teas; however, the taste is altered on the second steep.

Happy steeping!

I received some of this tea from Doulton – thank you very much!

Beautifully golden liquor. Sweet, smooth and delicious. An excellent Ti Kuan Yin.

This was a very smooth oolong with a lovely flavor! I did not not pick up on any bitterness at all. It is very light in color and heft, but has nice body. This is a great cup to enjoy “all by itself” or with something very light.

Though it was quite good, I can not say it is a good bargain! It is very price-y compared to some very good oolongs, like Republic of Tea Wuyi Oolong.

I got this from Rachel Thank you!!!!!! I’m glad I got to try more teas!

Have I been spoiled? Wah! No!

This tea tasted like hot water with a hint of cardboard… It got better as I went onto my 2nd and 3rd steeping. It became more floral but the cardboard aftertaste was still there. Is it my gaiwan? I have enough sample left to do another steeping session. I’ll use a different vessel… So strange…. Or its my spoiled taste.

Either way, I can’t rate this right now :)

I’m at my brother’s house, and he made a pot of this for all of us to share. It’s good! I don’t quite agree with the price point, but I wouldn’t turn down a cup or two!

Edit: i just read the description for this tea…it’s a ti kuan yin! I thought so… Good thing he’s coming home with me, I have some tky that will knock his socks off (I’m looking at you, Verdant Tea).

Thank you LiberTEAs for this one! :)

It is a pretty average monkey-picked oolong. Smells slightly floral and tastes a little sweet. It’s a nice medium strength taste from start to finish.

In my opinion, Ti Kuan Yin is the tea people usually first think about when they hear “oolong” (pertaining to the green side of oolongs of course). I was given a bag of this for my birthday, and was happy with it.

This is a “less expensive” oolong, compared to other Iron Goddesses. It is a nice place for a beginner on oolongs who want to try Ti Kuan Yin. If you want Ti Kuan Yin but are a bit on a budget, this is a nice option if you do not have any local Chinese tea houses around you.

I brewed this in a prewarmed gaiwan. My ritual with oolongs, are one minute ascending brews. You can brew this at two minute ascending, if you wish. I discovered that you can skip the wash on this tea, as it only draws two (three is pushing it) cups before it starts loosing it’s complex body, but it still may lead into a fifth cup sometimes. Overall, this is an enjoyable cup, it has a flowery aroma that speaks in its’ pale-yellow green liquor. It is sweet, semi-deep with a very subtle vegetable note. Very smooth take and finish leaving you with an enjoyable aftertaste.

If you want a better quality Ti Kuan Yin, to draw out more cups, I suggest your local Chinese tea vendor, commonly by the Asian supermarket that happens to be in any average American town. Online tea vendors I suggest Red Blossom Tea Co. or Zhi Tea’s Iron Godess of Mercy (a bit deeper in it’s taste). If you like Ti Kuan Yin, try a roasted one! They are very delicious, and the better quality ones are usually Chinese and not Formosas.

Like other reviewers, Formosas are usually the champ, but Chinese oolongs, tend to have a more traditional make and process, some Formosas are also slightly flavored, so beware! To end this is a well rounded average TKY, there are other viable TKY’s that would score higher for me.

Utterly expensive at $25 for 2 ounces. All the same, I tend to think of this one as my treat during a trip to Teavana. Since this is usually one of the teas that Teavana has available to try for free in ridiculously small cups, I tend to create quite the line behind me as I take my sweet time sipping down the drink. Spending $25 for something I consider a delicacy really isn’t too bad once in a while. The tea is delicious and I can almost feel it warming me from the inside out.

I stopped by Teavana in the mall today on my way to GameStop to buy another Sims 3 expansion. Finally, they’re releasing Pets!!! I can’t wait! And it’s going to have horses!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!

But anyway, I need to concentrate my excitement on tea now. I tried a handful of different samples they had out, most of them iced. As usual, I found them either too sweet, too watered down, or just otherwise not very enjoyable. But then they gave me a sample of this.

Finally, a great tea from Teavana that tastes like real tea should! This actually tasted really familiar. Before I could draw the connection, I almost walked out with a couple ounces of this. But something told me to hold off. Boy, am I glad I did!

This is a Ti Kuan Yin tea. A few days ago, I tried Life in Teacup’s Tie Guan Yin. They are quite similar indeed but have substantial differences.

The biggest difference is the price. Teavana’s is a whopping $12.50 per ounce, while Life in Teacup’s version is only $2.70 per ounce! That’s right, an incredible $10 per ounce difference!!! I couldn’t believe it myself and double checked the prices several times. How is this even possible?

But even when I compare taste, it’s a bit of a surprise. Honestly, Life in Teacup’s tastes better to me. It has more complexity, a more buttery mouthfeel, and an overall richer taste. I’ve only had the Moneky-Picked Oolong in the store so I couldn’t compare this, but Life in Teacup’s held up to multiple infusions better than any other tea I’ve had. This is a no-brainer.

Plus, I feel good supporting a smaller company like Life in Teacup. They state on their site that they don’t have money to spend on tons of marketing and advertisements. They let the tea sell itself and entice new customers with three free samples per online order!

Does Monkey-Picked Oolong taste good? Sure. Is it worth the money? Pretty much. But is there a cheaper, tastier alternative? Yep!

So, here’s the big question: which would you rather drink?

Yes, fine, I went to Teavana. So be it. And yes, I had to gently get into it with the sales clerk. I knew what I wanted, I did not want to mix my teas with their delightful selections, and no, I did not need to buy TEAVANA brand tins.

Okay rant over.

This is a pretty damned good Oolong for a store in a mall. A really nice finish at the middle and back of the tongue. Tastes like spring, just before the first lawn mowing. Seriously, it has that warm almost yellowish smell of thawing grass. The second and third steep are of course better than the first. The leaves have an interesting crinkle in them as they bloom, reminds me of the look of raw kale. Nice reddening at the edge of the leaves.

if you like your Oolongs on the greener side this is a good pick.

Still, I don’t think I can afford Teavana’s price, and the next time I’m in the mood I’ll check my usual haunt.

I purchased this tea last night for $25 for 2ounces, and brewed it last night. I must say this is the best tea I have ever had. For an Oolong Tea, this is really high quality and craftsmanship. I find Oolongs to be very bitter, but this tea really highlights what an Oolong tea should taste like. When I first brewed it, it was so light in color, and I could smell the richness and the baseness of it. When I tasted it, it was heaven. You get that basic Oolong tasted of smokiness, but it so light that you pick up the floral notes that were hiding. That bright flavor really brings out the sweetness for this Oolong. I have been waiting years to get up the guts to buy this tea (mostly for the name), and now I don’t know why I didn’t buy it earlier. I recommend this tea to anyone, it is a must have in your cupboards!