Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea from Taiwan
Tea Description:
Wu Ling oolong tea (wu-long tea) is our best tea in our regular collection. Wu Ling is a mountain area in Taichung county and its high altitude (more than 2000 meters) contributes to the ideal growing conditions for wu long tea.
Another reason why Wu Ling wu long tea is of such fine quality is the soil of the Wu Ling area. Wu Ling was a fruit producing region for many years until economic conditions favored imported fruit over home-grown apples and pears. Former orchards in the Wu Ling area were converted into oolong tea plantations, and Wu Ling wu long tea is renowned for its fruity quality.
Wu Ling is located on Mount Li (Li Shan or Pear Mountain) and wu long tea from Mount Li is the most prized wu long tea in Taiwan. It is ideally suited for gong fu style brewing and can be re-brewed up to eight times while still retaining plenty of flavor.
More information about the Li Shan area of Taiwan (including a section on Wu Ling wu long tea) can be found on this website about Wu Ling farm.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wu Ling Oolong is a very subtle tea with sweet notes of vanilla, cane sugar, and pear. Now as good as that sounds, don’t think that these notes are going to jump up and do a jig on your taste buds. This tea has a polite mannerism that evolves through multiple steeps and must be sipped slowly and savored for each succulent note.
Of course this tea is best brewed gong fu style and through the multiple steeps produces more notes to enjoy.
As you enjoy infusions you will find notes that range from sweet, as I mentioned above, to spicy, nutty, toasty, bake-y, floral, buttery, and fruity.
This green oolong still has a nice roast-y flavor, but unlike it’s darker counterparts is much more delicate and more vegetal in flavor.
This tea is quite complex and layered, some have said it is a bit too confusing for them while others absolutely adore it. Personally, I find it quite enjoyable but more so when I really have time to relax, such as while reading, or enjoying the outdoors. It allows me time to really savor each note as it comes forward.
I especially love this tea because I have an intense sweet tooth and butterscotch candies are one of my favorite candies. Between the cane sugar note, and the butter note, I do taste butterscotch candy in this tea every so often.
In dry form the tea has a wonderful aroma, steeped the color of the tea is a very light yellow, leaning toward a deeper golden yellow in forward steeps. Interesting how the tea becomes darker not lighter in progressive steeps. It only goes to show what a good tea this is since it has such staying power and continues to give off its bounty of notes. The leaf once steeped really expands allowing you to see how each leaf had been carefully rolled into the tiny nuggets. The aroma of the steeped leaf is my favorite of the two aromas between dry and steeped as it gives off a deeper darker note of extra crispy toast. It is no surprise that I prefer this over the pre-steeped state as I do normally prefer darker oolong.
For a green oolong however, this tea is top notch and I will throughly enjoy the rest of my many steeps to come.
Tie Guan Yin Iron Goddess Oolong from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Tie Guan Yin tea is a type of Oolong tea, and is – deservedly – one of the most revered and sought after type tea in China. Sometimes also written as Ti Kuan Yin or Iron Goddess Oolong Tea. Apart from its amazing taste, this tea also has great health benefits, being high in amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants.
more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Lord this tea smells so very good! That is in the dry leaf state! Don’t even get me started on the steeped leaf! I am weak in the knees at the aroma of this tea.
It has almost a brown sugar, or maple like essence. Oh my!
When steeped however it also develops some more notes such as floral, but not overly so, and vegetal, but again its not so vegetal that those who are not fond of green tea would be turned off.
To me, the predominant notes are of dessert-y, baked good aromas.
This is a tea that not only can be steeped many times, but deserves to be steeped many times! Having a gong fu session is best with this type of tea as each steep releases different notes, different characteristics, different elements trapped within the tea. It is our duty to release each and every one to be enjoyed fully.
Now it is no secret that I adore Teavivre teas but this specific tea is one of my favorites from them.
The first steep provides a light infusion of crisp floral and vegetal notes that are only slightly buttery. There is a slight yet noticeable lime note in this infusion but it is not tart, just juicy and bright. The lingering after taste is that of steamed greens, almost a celery flavor, very fresh from the market tasting.
Now if you are not using a gaiwan or yixing pot be sure you are using a large enough brew basket as these leaves really expand, a lot! Seriously, lol even my Gaiwan was a bit too full with this leaf! This however is not a bad thing.
Steep two is very similar to the first steep, however providing a slightly more buttery and nutty flavor. The mouthfeel is also slightly thicker and heavier. Drinking this tea makes me want to reach for some butter cookies. It just seems to be the perfect pairing! I only wish I had some.
Steeps three and four are where the flavor profile really begins to shift, with new notes emerging. There is a fruity essence coming forth and that all to well known to me flavor that most all oolong have is really forefront. A flavor that is difficult to describe and only those who have sipped a good oolong can understand.
Oolong is my favorite type of tea. I love the earthiness of it similar to puerh, the sweet vegetal notes like that of green tea, the fruity notes that you can find in many teas types, the boldness of a black. With the delicate nature of a yellow or white tea, with distinct flavor notes all of its own. Everything I love about all other teas can be found right here in an oolong, and this oolong is top notch.
Steeps three and four become more buttery with a more rich mouthfeel, savory from herbaceous notes, the floral has relaxed a little but is still an undertone to the cup. The vegetal is not as strong either but is replaced by a nuttier flavor yet in the after taste evolves again! I will get at least two more if not three or four more steeps out of this leaf and I look forward to each one!
Such a delightful, expressive cup.
Darjeeling 2nd Flush Castleton Moonlight from The Tea Smith
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Tea Smith
Tea Description:
Darjeeling had improved weather conditions this year, and the 2nd flush is a real treat this year. Fresh from the fields, Castleton again has produced a fine sweet tea. The care taken to produce this tea is evident in the beautiful leaves and complete budsets throughout.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is such a surprising tea! An excellent white leaf that really has stunning taste!
Notes of peach, grape, honey explode with a lovely lingering flavor.
The white tea is interesting – much more robust than your average white tea.
It does have a very nice darjeeling flavor yet a bit more buttery and vegetal than a black darjeeling. What a combination! I did not even know such things existed haha. I am glad I do now and I am glad I got a full 2 ounces of this or I would be ordering more right away!
Now this is one of The Tea Smith’s more “pricy” teas but I tell you what its still a fair price compared to other tea vendors. At a little under 7.00 per ounce, for such a high quality tea, you can’t beat it!
This is most definitely one of those teas you sit with, using your gaiwan or gong fu set up, or cherished china. It is deserving of the best you can brew it with, giving it the attention it deserves. Truly a refined tea. However I feel I could absolutely serve this up to my black tea only – bought in the grocery store – in a bottle friends and they too would love it. Perhaps they would not appreciate it for all of its elements, notes, and flavor profile, but they surely would enjoy every sip, or guzzle as they probably would prefer it iced, which would also be lovely.
Each steep, as with any high quality tea, provides new discoveries and layers of notes, some being of melon, some of berries, some more grassy, or savory, yet with each steep, now up to 4, I am getting more and more that I love about this tea. At one point it was giving over a wonderful honeysuckle note.
The leaf itself both in dry and moist form is gorgeous. Curly leaves of green with some white throughout with hints of almost lime green. I personally do not feel the photo does it justice. This is one I feel I will have to keep sampling to fully discover but it is one that is worthy of reviewing here for you and I highly recommend this tea for you to try.
Hua Gang Oolong from Tea From Taiwan
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea From Taiwan
Tea Description:
This premium-quality oolong tea is grown in the Li Shan mountain range at an altitude of 2400 meters. The climate of these high mountains is ideal for growing fine oolong tea. The cool air and high humidity produce a tea with full, robust flavor and long-lasting aftertaste.
The brewed tea has an exquisite aroma and brews to an appealing amber liquor. The leaves can can be re-brewed many times while maintaining a full flavor.
Tea grown on Mount Li (Li Shan or Pear Mountain) is the most prized oolong tea in Taiwan. It is ideally suited for gong fu style brewing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea is so sinful. Sweet, dreamy, creamy, like buttered popcorn. Before even taking a sip, I’m in love.
The after taste is of such a crisp green grassy flavor, like after a light morning rainfall. Not a gloomy rainfall but a summer sun shower. Everything is bright, clear, and clean smelling.
Like a summer shower, spirits are lifted and worries drift away when sipping this lovely tea, and like the summer sun, the color of this tea is golden yellow, beautiful.
There is an element to this tea that reminds me of genmaicha, its that toasted rice taste that resembles popcorn. Its one of my favorite flavors.
I also want to mention the floral aspect of this tea. A Steepter friend of mine mentioned geranium flower and I could not agree more!
There are also spicy and herbaceous notes to this tea as well. Slightly like cinnamon that tingles the palate and leaves it just a tad bit warm. The herbaceous notes come through most in the after taste and linger with the geranium note.
The only thing I am saddened about right now is that my sample is gone. This is truly a tea to be coveted and I would love to see this in my regular stash.
It is truly a complex and complete tea, layered in flavors, each time you peel back one layer another presents, all cumulating into one delicious experience.
Rui Feng Jin Xuan from Tea From Taiwan
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea From Taiwan
Tea Description:
Winter 2009
This is a Jin-Xuan tea from Rui-Feng in the Alishan tea district.
When Jin-Xuan tea leaves are lightly roasted during processing, they have a unique milk flavor which is called nai xiang or milk oolong.
Rui-Feng Jin Xuan has a slightly astringent flavor which mellows with subsequent brewings. The milk flavor is evident in the aftertaste, and combines with a pleasing herbaceous aroma for a complex flavor which changes slightly with each brewing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was delighted when I opened the box and saw the pretty packages this tea arrived in! I love decorative, pretty things and when tea comes in pretty packaging I squeal. Okay I’m a girl, but truly the packages were so pretty I didn’t even want to cut this one open to try the tea. However, you are here to read about the tea so here it is:
A lovely light oolong that is easy on the palate. This won’t be the most taste bud busting oolong you try but if you appreciate an all natural milk oolong with subtle, more delicate flavor notes then this is for you!
There is a lovely lilting floral note that dances playfully with a very slight buttery note. These notes are backed up by a very airy green flavor. When mixed with the floral notes it is reminiscent of sniffing a bouquet of herbaceous flowers, sweet yet lightly savory.
The after taste is refreshing and makes for a lovely after dinner tea.
While it is not in your face with flavors that are popping all over the place it is somewhat surprisingly soothing. A nice mediative tea.
I also feel this would be a great tea to use as an introductory oolong to those just trying oolong for the first time. What it lacks in shock value of that “in your face flavor” it makes up for with its delicate palate of not being too overpowering.
One could arguably say that the true design of this tea is for those who want to sit back and savor something more complex than a tea that vies for your every bit of attention. Yet some may argue this tea lacks complexity by being so laid back.
Which ever side you fall on I can say that this tea offers pleasant aromas, sweet milky indulgence, floral notes that are quite beautiful, and airy, grassy, vegetative green flavors that please the palate wonderfully.
This would not be my all time go-to oolong as I do fall more on the side of the obvious flavors yet there is something about this tea that makes me sit back, relax, unwind, and enjoy the polite mannerisms it offers.