Monkey-Picked Oolong

I’ve tried to like this tea. I’ve mixed it in things, I’ve made it in Yixing teapots…but somehow, all I seem to get is the flavor of dirty bathwater. No orchid as far as the eye can see.

I still need to try a few more ways of making it (wonder if it would taste better in glass?), but so far, this tea is a no for me.

My boyfriend and I broke down and brought a pound of the Monkey-Picked Oolong and blended it with a Raspberry Mate. I have to admit it is very soothing for our often irritated digestive systems. But being new to the tea-drinking culture, we are desperately seeking the advice of others for teas that won’t break the bank!!! Any suggestions are welcome. So happy to be apart of this awesome website:)

Im not a huge fan of most of Teavana’s teas, however, this is definitely one of their better ones.

I recently purchased this tea from Teavana to see how well their Ti Kuan Yin stacked up to others in the market. While certainly not a bad tea, I had a few complaints about the quality of this particular one.

The dry leaves had a faint floral aroma, tightly curled up, with a light green/dark green mix with some splotches of brown.

I prepared this tea according to the suggested steep time of 3 min and using 195F water using a gaiwan.

The resulting brew gave me a clear dark yellow-green cup with a faint floral aroma. As with my other TKY’s, I intended to brew the tea at least 7 times.

My first cup was sweet, floral, with a slightly creamy texture and a surprising hint of milky flavor (like those present in the famous “Milk Oolongs”). My second cup retained its sweetness and floral aroma but was much less creamy and with no “milky” hint. In my third steeping, the brew became quite bland, retaining just a hint of the floral taste. In my fourth cup, the tea became just a hint of what it once was and now had a faint bitter taste in the background. From this point forward, I knew this tea wouldn’t make it to the seventh steep. I decided to steep it two more times and the resulting brews in the 5th and 6th cup were pale green cups with no aroma and small hints of flavor. I didn’t bother with a seventh cup because by now, my tea just tasted as slightly flavored hot water.

I checked on the wet leaves and while Teavana claims of “unbroken, evenly sized leaves,” this tea was made of nothing but broken pieces of leaves, a few steams, and two or three well preserved leaves . The leaves also felt quite fragile to the touch.

Overall, My first cup was pretty enjoyable, although not as complex as others I’ve tasted but still quite good. The only problem I have with this tea is that it releases most, if not all, of its flavor in the first cup making the subsequent cups just a far cry of what it once was. I feel this tea would be great as an everyday oolong, but the price ($25 for 2oz) and claims of quality (highest grade of oolong in the world) does not match its value.

I love this tea! I drink at least two cups every morning. The flavour is wonderful; stronger than some oolongs with a good soft aftertaste. Definitely more vegetal than flowery but it does have that classic hint of orchid taste and aroma. I like this up to the fourth infusion. An absolute staple for me.

This tea is always so clean and crisp. I’m really not sure how else to describe it. It’s quite light as far as oolongs go, but I love it for that. It still has the depth and body of a traditional oolong, but is a bit lighter taste wise.

I think my favorite aspect of this tea is the aftertaste when I’m drinking it iced. The initial sip hits the tip of the tongue, but the aftertaste plays with the whole body of the tongue; starting in the back and bouncing back and forth before it settles on the front again. My whole mouth is filled with that uniquely oolong flavor and I smile.

Steeping note: I brewed this tea at double strength because I was pouring it over ice.

I’m going to hold off on recommending this tea purely because I’m sure there are oolongs just as good or better out there that are more affordable.

ETA: Second steep just as good as the first <3 And I love how much the leaves expand.

Firstly: note that the first steeping of this might as well be thrown away. The first rinse I’ve not been able to get anything other than the promise of a better steeping next. The second steeping, on the other hand is quite the opposite, with a surprisingly subtle flavor that I enjoy before a cheddar omelette in the morning. This has been my second loose leaf tea purchased while living in Tampa, the first being a stalwart sencha from a tea boutique on the north side near one of the larger campuses, who’s name escapes me.

I will try this same tea from a gaiwan and see how it fares.

I don’t normally like Teavana products; they’re (in my opinion) overpriced and too often fruity. But as they are the only tea shop local to me, I decided to stop in when I was out of tea and didn’t want to wait for an online order.

I really surprised myself when, after a sample, I spent an exorbitant amount of money on a small amount of this stuff. But honestly, I don’t regret it. It’s flowery – but not too flowery. It’s mild – but flavorful. And man, is this oolong smooth. I probably won’t purchase it again because of the price, but as I always steep it for at least 3 cups, I don’t feel too bad about indulging myself just this one time.

This is a good, not great, Ti Quan Yin. The leaves are rolled in traditional oolong style and the aroma is somewhat more mild than others of the same ilk. The brewed cup is a yellow-green and taste is relatively smooth and buttery with a light earthy undertone. Unfortunately I must factor the pricing into this review – it is just too much of a ‘Really?’ to ignore. For this price or even less one can get a Top Ti Quan Yin which is immediately and noticeably richer and more savory with a sweeter floral accent and brighter aroma. That said this tea does feel full and soothing on the tongue and I find it better suited to evening consumption 30 minutes or so after a light meal, paired with some biscotti (almond and chocolate hazelnut IMO).

I believe my Ti Quan Yin purchases will be elsewhere based upon what you get for the price here.

Tried some of this at the brother’s house, three infusions. A serviceable ti kuan yin, but it didn’t blow me away. Maybe next time drink it with something a little more classy than pizza.