This tea packs a wallop. Despite being a honey-and-flower blend, it has a sturdy, spunky edge. Its sweetness is balanced with just enough deep vegetal counterpoint to make you think “hey, this is a treat, and it might ALSO be good for me.”
IS it good for you? I googled it, and I found out that oolong tea benefits “are doubled because of the combined qualities of black tea and green tea.” Which is great, because oolong is my legit all-time favorite. Sometimes it tastes green. Sometimes it tastes black. It’s a whimsical, shape-shifting Loki of a tea.
This one in particular is more green in texture, flavor, and vibe, but that sturdy base is reminiscent of a black. Green ones are sometimes wispy. This one doesn’t fall into that trap.
If you’re a person that enjoys blends, I think this would be a great oolong intro. It has that much flavor.
I shall take this tea’s optimistic vibe with me on my trip today — I’m going to Disney World! DRIVING THERE. It’s sixteen hours. Oh MANNNNN. TEA GIVE ME STRENGTH.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Perkse Coffee & Tea
Description
Golden Osmanthus (also known as Huang Jin Gui) is an Anxi oolong whose name means “Golden Flower.” A lightly roasted oolong our “Bolero” reveals an intensity with hints of honey and flowers you will find enticing and seductive.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
San Lin Xi Oolong from Harney & Sons. . . .
This tea tastes like eating a bouquet of nectar-y flowers. I have not, for the record, done this, but it’s how I imagine the experience might be, if you were so inclined. It’s light, lively, vegetal, and easy.
(Original Artwork from Super Starling inspired by this tea)
I feel like being a bee would be wonderful. A life spent in the sunshine, with a clear, tasty plan — find flowers; collect yummy pollen. Have a fluffy face. Hang out in Taiwan (whence this tea originates) with your friends in a hive. Hexagons are very hot in interior decoration right now.
Since I am not a bee (uuuuuuugh), I’ll have to savor this flavor instead.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
We are pleased to expand our offering of Taiwanese high mountain (Gao shan) oolongs. This tea is from the middle of the Nantou District, between Li Shan to the north and Ali San in the South. It is a lovely lightly oxidized oolong.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Milky Oolong from Tea Taxi. . .
When I first started drinking tea, I avoided oolongs at all costs. They were too floral or too green and just not for me. However, over the years, I have found myself more and more curious when it comes to oolongs, particularly milk oolongs which are often so simple and yet amazingly creamy.
This particular milk oolong, Milky Oolong by TeaTaxi, boasts “a subtle taste and a delicate aroma”. I steeped it per the package directions, letting the leaves steep for 3 minutes in 190F water.
At first taste, I found myself worried that perhaps this is too subtle. It came off a touch weak and not all that milky. In fairness, the “milk” oolong I had most recently prior to trying this was Oolong Creme by Sloane Fine Teas and that set the bar quite high. The more I drink, the more flavors I find. There is a definite smoothness here but I don’t know if I would go as far as to say it is “creamy”. On the other hand, I suppose “milky” is an accurate description as it is a little on the thinner side in comparison to the other milk oolongs I’ve tried. There is also a lot of floral notes here which to me appear as almost a shadow of the orchid taste in DAVIDsTEA’s Vanilla Orchid.
All in all, this tea is not bad, but also does nothing to stand out among the sea of milk oolongs. It came to me as a sample in the Generation Tea monthly subscription and the one cup is leaving me satisfied though I probably won’t seek it out again.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Taxi
Description
A subtle taste and a delicate aroma. This classic tea will make you feel as zen as a yoga session would! Namaste.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mt. Wudong Mi Lan Xiang Dancong Oolong Tea aka Honey Orchid from JK Tea. . . .
Honey Orchid, what an alluring name for a tea. That just makes you feel like this tea is going to deliver on sweet floral notes. What that name doesn’t say is this tea is also robust, rich, and full of a slight earthy flavor that mingles perfectly with the honey and floral tones.
This particular oolong from JK Tea, a tea shop dedicated to offering high quality teas to the tea community, doesn’t have any notable aromas when you first open the tea. But after brewing this tea with fresh water prepped right under boiling and allowing the tea to brew for a few minutes, this tea gives you all the loving you can handle.
Gorgeous rich but subtle earthy notes lay the ground work for these pops of sweet floral touches that you can pick up through each sip. There is also this underlying fruit note that adds to the sweetness. I greedily gulped, yes gulped, this tea down. With all the wonderful flavors being so well balanced, I couldn’t help myself.
Don’t judge this tea by how simple the flavors sound. This is one of those teas that you need to literally sit down and thoroughly enjoy without distraction to really focus on what the tea leaves are yielding. Highly recommend this tea for those that are looking for a break in what they normally drink or just to change the pace up a bit. Simply beautiful!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: JK Tea
Description
When we come to the shape of the Mi Lan Xiang Dancong Tea, if you look for some photos, you can see resemblance with dried seaweed, both in color and it’s twisted, stick-like shape, but the texture of the Tea is a bit firmer and maybe we can even make a comparison with vanilla sticks, if you can imagine them ultrathin and strained. For the taste, it enjoys strong, delicate honey aroma with light floral aroma as well; sweet taste with lingering after taste sweetness; rich & complex mouth feeling after sipping the tea liquid. For some people, it is hard to believe that such strong fruity flavor is developed naturally and with such sophisticated process, but this is true.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Eden Oolong from Tocha Teas. . . . .
The first thing I noticed upon inspection of this blend was the rose petals, they stuck out to me first. For whatever reason whenever I see rose petals, I think “relaxation”. The flavor and scent of rose always invokes relaxation for me. Upon looking at the list of ingredients provided by the company Tocha Teas, I noticed that this blend included jasmine as well! So yes, this is going to be a relaxing blend! Jasmine is always a soothing scent and flavor.
I would say that my initial assumption was correct! This blend is one that you would be served at a spa while waiting for your massage! The oolong was very light and a perfect base for the essence of floral lotus leaf, jasmine, rose, and osmanthus flowers. Oolong does contain caffeine, but this blend is still a good one to wind down with. The floral blend is soothing not only to the mind and senses, but also to the throat and stomach. This would definitely be one I would reach for if I was having some tummy upsets! A must try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tocha Teas
Description
Escape into a luxuriant garden with this fresh, lively blend of delightful oolong tea and the finest botanicals. This elegant, harmonious infusion eases body and mind, supporting a fit and trim physique while putting a blissful smile on your face.
