Tea from Taiwan

Better than I remember the other T from T to be! :)

Next sample. The leaves in the little packet are so lovely. Big, dark, and all rolled up. They smelled nice and lightly creamy but very fresh.

The only thing I have to compare this to is DavidsTea’s milk oolong, the only other milk oolong I’ve had. It’s not a huge departure taste-wise as far as I can tell, but it has a different body/texture. It’s not as creamy, and it’s milder, though I steeped it far less, and a bit lighter. It’s nice and soft.

I liked the first steep but after that it kind of gave out.

Great quality tea, Leaves are tightly rolled. Very clean and mild, it has a buttery earthy pea flavour, like some Longjing at first. Next infusions are also nice, but not so impressive though. No astringency on overbrewing. More sour and tieguaninish. A nice tea.

Another random Oolong sampler from Tea from Taiwan. My husband is away all day at work and then poker tonight so I’m all on my own…roll on my Criminal Minds marathon. Dr Reid ;)

The packaging for Tea From Taiwans Oolongs is always cute and shiny. Plus the foil backs make for good freshness. This particular Oolong is dark and medium brown with a green tinge. It has a dark, slight smoky and floral scent. Similar to a few of the mature Oolong’s that I have tried before but on the lighter end of being mature.

Using my Gongfu for 1 minute – first steep this tea is yellow/brown in colour and has a light wood and floral scent. Very woodsy really…like being in a carpenters shop.

Flavour is sweet and wooden, medium strength with a green, floral after taste. The sweetness is honey like but is made darker by the dominant wooden taste. It’s starting to remind me of pencil shavings.. that dark, dusky, wooden scent that they have…very similar to this Oolong.

Steep 2 – 2 minutes – Remaining amber in colour with the same wooden scent. It’s perhaps a little thicker now with more sweetness than previously.

I really don’t know how I stand with this tea…drinking wood shavings is not my ideal Oolong but at the same time it’s not disgusting. I suppose I can say it’s not something I would buy again. I can see why this has such mixed reviews. Sorry but I think this one is just not for me.

Another random Oolong sampler from Tea from Taiwan. My husband is away all day at work and then poker tonight so I’m all on my own…roll on my Criminal Minds marathon. Dr Reid <3

The packaging for Tea From Taiwans Oolongs is always cute and shiny. Plus the foil backs make for good freshness. This particular Oolong is dark and medium brown with a green tinge. It has a dark, slight smoky and floral scent. Similar to a few of the mature Oolong’s that I have tried before but on the lighter end of being mature.

Using my gaiwan for 1 minute – first steep this tea is yellow/brown in colour and has a light wood and floral scent. Very woodsy really…like being in a carpenters shop.

Flavour is sweet and wooden, medium strength with a green, floral after taste. The sweetness is honey like but is made darker by the dominant wooden taste. It’s starting to remind me of pencil shavings.. that dark, dusky, wooden scent that they have…very similar to this Oolong.

Steep 2 – 2 minutes – Remaining amber in colour with the same wooden scent. It’s perhaps a little thicker now with more sweetness than previously.

I really don’t know how I stand with this tea…drinking wood shavings is not my ideal Oolong but at the same time it’s not disgusting. I suppose I can say it’s not something I would buy again. I can see why this has such mixed reviews. Sorry but I think this one is just not for me.

Another random Oolong sampler from Tea from Taiwan. My husband is away all day at work and then poker tonight so I’m all on my own…roll on my Criminal Minds marathon. Dr Reid <3

The packaging for Tea From Taiwans Oolongs is always cute and shiny. Plus the foil backs make for good freshness. This particular Oolong is dark and medium brown with a green tinge. It has a dark, slight smoky and floral scent. Similar to a few of the mature Oolong’s that I have tried before but on the lighter end of being mature.

Using my gaiwan for 1 minute – first steep this tea is yellow/brown in colour and has a light wood and floral scent. Very woodsy really…like being in a carpenters shop.

Flavour is sweet and wooden, medium strength with a green, floral after taste. The sweetness is honey like but is made darker by the dominant wooden taste. It’s starting to remind me of pencil shavings.. that dark, dusky, wooden scent that they have…very similar to this Oolong.

Steep 2 – 2 minutes – Remaining amber in colour with the same wooden scent. It’s perhaps a little thicker now with more sweetness than previously.

I really don’t know how I stand with this tea…drinking wood shavings is not my ideal Oolong but at the same time it’s not disgusting. I suppose I can say it’s not something I would buy again. I can see why this has such mixed reviews. Sorry but I think this one is just not for me.

The Bao Zhong oolong I have is called “Branches of Serenity.” I purchased it at the Tea Centre in Courtenay (it is exclusive to them). It consists of the stems, sticks, and leaves remaining after processing Bao Zhong oolong. I brewed this in my iron teapot for three minutes, but decided to leave it for the full five, as the flavour was too light after three. Taste is almost imperceptible, though there is a faint fruit note to it. It is very refreshing, and perfect for a quiet evening.

I haven’t forgotten to review this one! thanks for the samples! The oolongs from Tea From Taiwan are the best quality. It’s amazing that even though they are so similar, they are also very different. This one smelled very sweet in the package! Also, even in the samples there are these little packets of something to keep the oolong fresh… almost like how new shoes come with that in the toes! Not to liken this tea to shoes or anything!

First steep // water is very cooled // 45 sec. First and foremost this is very sweet and smooth, silky! It’s almost like a lighter milk oolong, though I don’t think this is supposed to be a milk oolong. It doesn’t have any of the floral/peachy characteristics that oolongs usually have. It’s very good, even on the first cup!

Second steep // water is cooled // 50 sec. This cup is still very much like the first… still no peach/floral/vegetal. The flavor is stronger though. The water might have been a bit too hot. It’s just very sweet, sugary, and creamy!

Third steep // 60 sec. This still isn’t very peachy/floral/vegetal but this time there was a little hint of a cinnamon sugar flavor. It couldn’t have been any actual cinnamon sugar, since my cup stayed the same the whole time. And the last of the cup was a hint of peach! This one was a very light flavored oolong… not as complex and changing as so many of them are.

The first thing that hit me soon as I open the bag is the aroma of this tea I’ve tried many teas with this same type of aroma but the aroma of this one was just so much stronger and much more I dunno beautiful? can you describe an aroma as beautiful? I just did :) it smells floral and green and just awesome.
The taste was really nice too, it was nice and greenish and floral at first then creamy and almost buttery with some hints of fruit like apple or pear by the third infusion it developed slightly spicy notes almost like cinnamon that really played well with the fruity notes that were still there, the creamyness was present the entire time, very interesting and super good tea.
If I had some more of this one I could play with my steep times and preparations and probably discover lots of other wonderful flavor notes notes from it. Even tho this greener type of oolongs are not my favorites I have to say that this is one of the best ones I’ve tried from Tea from Taiwan so far :)

Now I’m craving Oolong and I have a song playing over and over in my mind (White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane) whilst I’m sat here wire wrapping Quartz crystal points. This was the first Oolong I grabbed from my cupboard.

I can’t recall having much aged Oolong before but it sounds rich and deep which I’m finding delightful. In 1990 when this tea was made I would have been no more than 2 years old… wow!

As I open the vacuum sealed packet I am greeted by small dark brown almost black small tea pieces that have a strong and deep fragrance. I’m finding it difficult to answer what it smells of but it’s very familiar … soy sauce maybe?

Steeping 3 times in my gongfu for 1 minute, 2 minutes then 3 minutes.

Steep 1 – Burnt orange in colour with a smell that reminds me of cigar smoke. The taste is smoky and rich but also earthy and astringent. Sort of like Lapsang Souchong mixed with Pu Erh but on a weaker basis. Roasted chestnuts is a fairly good description.

Steep 2 – Brownish red now in colour but with that same cigar smoke scent. My husband smokes a cigar at birthdays and Christmas so I am quite used to the smell but it’s surprising how similar they are. It sort of tastes like cigar now too which is how it smells. I still like roast chestnuts though as the comparison but now it’s almost like burnt chestnuts. If Lapsang Souchong is the smokiest tea then this must be second.

Steep 3 – Again it’s burnt orange in colour with the same scent. Other than cigar or chestnut I’m finding it really difficult to describe. Muddy perhaps? Smoky and muddy? There is a little sweetness which helps to keep it on the rich yet light side. It’s also a little dry and nutty.

I think this may be one of the strangest teas let alone Oolongs that I have ever tried but I’m really getting a taste for it now. I may have to order some more of this :) Thinking about it I should have kept it for my birthday… I want some Pu Erh that is from my birth year too but money is low at the moment :( Maybe next year?

It’s been a while since I have been in the right mood for an Oolong but I am craving something light and floral at the moment. A while ago I bought a sample of most of the Oolong’s from Tea from Taiwan’s website and this one was chosen at random for my steeping tonight.

Raw this tea consists of dark green leaves that have been rolled into small balls with a sweet, creamy and vegetal scent. Just what I have been craving.

Steep 1 – 1 minute infusion – gongfu style
Pale yellow in colour with a sweet and creamy with buttery notes. It reminds me a little of fresh cabbage water so it is vegetal and green tasting but also sweet and light.

Steep 2 – 2 minutes
Increasing strength this is now very vegetal and reminds me of sugar snap peas. Also getting a bit of dryness on my tongue. Still very sweet.

Steep 3 – 3 minutes
It’s definitely sugar snap pea’s, I snack on them from time to time and it has the same flavour and sweetness. I can only describe the flavour as green but cannot explain what that means…natural…vegetal…a little floral…when you see green planted food you imagine what it tastes like and this is the same as that. Not sure if I made sense there :/

Overall it’s a nice Oolong in taste and quality but at the same time it’s very similar to plenty of other Oolong’s available on the market. I would not go out of way my to buy this again but if I ordered from Tea from Taiwan again I would seriously consider it.