Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
Plucking from Taiwan peculiar Four Seasons Spring oolong tea leaves, in addition to stringent management of planting, Taiwan fruity oolong tea (Sijichun) was handcrafted to refine into circumspect & traditional oolong tea. This Four Seasons Spring oolong was strictly selected as a higher grade oolong tea, possesses particularly pure and strong fresh flower fragrance plus smooth taste which you, tea lovers, won’t miss it out.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely Oolong experience awaits when you try this Taiwan Four Seasons Fruity Sijichun Oolong Tea from Fong Mong Tea! It is a very refreshing, pleasantly sweet Oolong that provides many wonderful infusions!
The dry leaf is comprised of tiny, tiny pellets … almost as small as gunpowder green tea … in fact, when I first opened this package, I had to do a double check to make sure I was opening an Oolong and not a green tea by mistake.
The aroma of the dry leaf is more floral than fruity and based upon the name of the tea I guess I was expecting a stronger fruity essence to it. I do take in some fruit notes, but, largely, what I smell is a strong floral note. Brewed, the aroma is slightly softer than the dry leaf, but it is still more floral than fruity.
I brewed this the same way I’d brew most Oolong teas: in my gaiwan! After a quick fifteen second rinse, I steeped the leaves for 45 seconds for the first infusion, and then each subsequent infusion had a 15 second increase. I combine two infusions in one cup … in other words, the first cup is infusions 1 and 2, while the second cup is infusions 3 and 4 … and so on. The tightly wound pellets were slow to unfurl and release their flavor … making for an extended enjoyment of this tea!
The first cup was light, refreshing and crisp. Similar to the fragrance of the dry leaf, I am tasting a stronger floral presence than a fruity taste. There is a crisp … almost apple-y kind of taste to the background, but that is the only fruit notes I’m picking up on at this point. The floral tones are sharp yet sweet. A very clean tasting cup.
The second cup was a stronger tasting cup, where the fruit notes became a little better defined, as did the floral tones. This is not quite as “light” or “crisp” or even “sharp” … this is more smooth and it has a soft texture that washes over the palate. Of the three cups that I enjoyed of this tea, the second cup is my favorite … but that doesn’t mean that the first and third cups were not enjoyable. They were certainly lovely as well!
The third cup was more of a unified flavor … I noticed that the fruit notes emerged strongest here, and the floral tones softened and became almost a part of the fruit notes. There is more of a vegetative tone to this cup as well … that is to say, I taste more of a “grassy” or “vegetable” taste to this cup than I did the first two. It is not quite as creamy or smooth as the second cup … but, richer than the first.
Like I said … all three cups are very enjoyable and what I liked best is that each cup was a new adventure. This is really a lovely cup, bravo to Fong Mong Tea for delivering yet another fantastic tea experience!
Milkie Way Candy Bar Tea from Dori’s Tea Cottage
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Dori’s Tea Cottage
Dori’s Tea Cottage on eBay
Tea Description:
Just like your favorite candy bar, this tea is a yummy blend of chocolate-, cream- and caramel-flavored premium black teas. All the taste of a chocolate and caramel sweet — without the calories!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is really yummy! I don’t know if this Milkie Way Candy Bar Tea from Dori’s Cottage tastes just like a candy bar, but, I do taste the flavors of chocolate, caramel and vanilla cream, along with a rich tasting black tea base, and I am really enjoying the taste of this.
The flavoring is about on even keel with the black tea base – that is to say, that while don’t think that the black tea stands out as the strongest taste in this cup, I don’t think that the chocolate, cream and caramel flavors are overwhelming the cup either. There’s a good balance between flavoring and tea.
This is a very flavorful black tea – I suspect it is a Ceylon, but it very good quality one. It has a rich taste to it, and I don’t know if it’s this particular combination of flavors that enhances it, but I do taste an ever-so-slight smoky note as well as hint of earth. There are notes of fruit … very distant notes, but I taste them.
There is a nice level of chocolate flavoring here, and I like the way it mingles with the aforementioned slightly smoky tones. It brings out the roasted flavor of the cacao. The caramel is sweet with a vague bitter burnt-sugar note. And then there is the cream which gives the overall cup a very luscious, sweet, creamy taste.
A very enjoyable cuppa, delicious hot or cold – very nice as a latte!
Taiwan Pou Chong from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pouchong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea on eBay
Tea Description:
Lightly fermented and also lightly baked, Pou Chong Oolong Tea preserves the most freshness than any other Oolong teas. Fresh tea leaves contain a large number of beneficial elements to human body. Pou Chong Oolong Tea is produced under the most original tea-making procedure, reserving the maximum and most natural fresh nutritions, without any additives, which you can absorb the most essence of the nature, and is also the finest companion to leisure life and health.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Pouchong, and it is one of those teas that … every time I do have it … I find myself wondering why it has been so long for me to revisit it. It is so delightful, similar and yet unlike other Oolong teas. And this Pou Chong from Fong Mong Tea is absolutely amazing.
There are those who might argue with my choice to distinguish Pouchong tea in its own category, separate from other Oolong, but there is a reason that I do so. I find Pouchong to be somewhere between green tea and other green Oolong teas. It is not quite an Oolong … but not quite a green tea. It is … a Pouchong. It’s lighter than a typical Oolong, but still replete in sweet, creamy goodness. It has lovely green tones that fall somewhere between sweet grass and mild steamed vegetables, lightly seasoned with melted butter.
With the first two infusions, I found myself enchanted by the sweet, creamy taste while the greenery seemed to peek through, hinting at a more vegetative taste to come in future infusions. The second cup (infusions three and four) delivered the promised vegetative tones without coming off as a bitter grassy taste, instead, it was more like a sweet steamed vegetable complete with a soupy broth. I also noticed a floral tone starting to emerge – is that orchid? or perhaps honeysuckle?
With the third cup, the flavor became slightly more savory, with much of the creaminess having tapered off by this point. It is still remarkably smooth, but in a slightly different way than the first cup. Whereas the first cup was smooth because of the sweet creamy notes, the smoothness now comes from the uniting of flavors – the floral tones are less sharp, the vegetal tones are softer, this cup is more relaxed and soothing.
Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable Pouchong. One that is really worth exploring – and Fong Mong Tea has prices that makes the exploration affordable!
Taiwan Floral (Blue Jade) Oolong Tea from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea on eBay
Tea Description:
Plucking from Taiwan peculiar blue jade oolong tea leaves, in addition to stringent management of planting, Taiwan floral oolong tea was made by artisans to refine into circumspect & traditional oolong tea. In the process of light fermentation, blue jade oolong transpires delicate floral aroma which you, tea lovers, won’t miss it out.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely Oolong. It immediately reminded me of my oldest daughter, Amethyst, who presented me with a gift of a blooming orchid plant for Mother’s Day this year. The reason: this tea has an amazing orchid-like essence! I do love how tea takes me on a journey of joyful memories.
I steeped this in my gaiwan as I usually do with Oolong teas. The first two infusions produced a light-tasting cup. Light and floral. The softness of the flavor of the cup offered orchid notes that were a juxtaposition of both strong and yet delicate. It was a very luxurious kind of experience, like being pampered in a spa.
Subsequent infusions produced stronger flavors – the delicate introductions have made way for an intense floral overtone that is both sweet and a little sharp, and quite an exotic experience for the palate. There are hints of vegetation in the background, along with a sweet, buttery tone that develops as I continue to sip.
This is the first of many teas that I will be trying from this company – and I’m happily impressed with what I’ve experienced from Fong Mong Tea thus far!