K S said

Oolong help

I joined Steepster a year ago today. Woot!
In the last year I have been slowly moving away from bagged. The last hold out is my oolong. I’m not sure what to replace it with. I have tried a bunch of different bagged oolongs and my favorite is also the cheapest – Yamamotoyama. It is dark and earthy with a hint of smokiness. The closest other bagged I have used is Foojoy. Similar but not as full tasting. If you are familiar with the YMY version advise me what it is (wuyi maybe) and some possible affordable replacement ideas.

4 Replies

You really should switch up to loose leaf for Oolongs especially – I think you will notice a world of difference. If you like the dark, earthy flavors, one I tried recently that might appeal to you is the Strong Fire Oolong from The Tao of Tea. http://sororiteasisters.com/2011/08/13/stong-fire-oolong-from-the-tao-of-tea/

K S said

Thanks for the suggestion. Your review does sound like something I would like. Let me add you have stumbled on the source of my delimna. The strong fire is listed as a TGY and you describe it as dark and earthy. The TGY I have tried was almost a green. Similarly I thought Wuyi described a taste but I just found out it only indicates region. Its all quite confusing.

I think you will find that not all TGY are consistent from company to company. The flavor of any tea is not only dependent upon the region in which it is grown, but the estate, age of the plant, the growing methods (is it organic or conventionally grown), and everything else in between the time that it is planted until the time it is received by the drinker (including harvesting methods, etc.) This particular TGY is roasted twice after the withering process, making it much different (even the leaves look different) from a TGY with a somewhat greenish taste and appearance.

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I agree with LiberTEAS that loose leaf Oolong is a great way to go. We at Village Tea have a Ginger Orange (chinese dark oolong, ginger root, dried orange pieces & orange essence) and Ginseng Oolong (Chinese green oolong & ginseng root). Since you are a fan of dark tea these may be right up your alley. http://www.villageteaco.com/tea/duo-oolong-ginger-orange-and-ginseng/. Also, if you use the code “twittertea” you can get $10 off your order:)

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