Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Oolong & Green Teas
Where to Buy: McNulty’s Tea & Coffee
Tea Description:
Our Special Mixed Tea is a blend of Formosa Oolong, Japanese Sencha, and China Black. This formula has been with the store since the 1940’s.
Taster’s Review:
When I first received this tea, I was a bit unsure about its contents. The tea looked black, but it smelled a bit like Oolong and green tea. So, I wrote to McNulty’s to find out more about this blend, which is categorized on their website as only a black tea blend, hoping to gain a little more insight about this tasty tea. They wrote back promptly, and the above description is their response.
This is indeed a tasty blend. The black tea tastes a bit lighter than a typical China black tea, and I suspect that has a lot to do with the fact that it was sharing the brewing space with an Oolong and Sencha.
I taste a toasty flavor to this – nutty – which could be from the Sencha, or it could be from the Oolong. There is some earthiness to the cup as well as some light fruit tones. Light peachy tones, and hints of flower.
Overall, a very pleasant tea. I brewed this before knowing what teas were inside, and again, I brewed it thinking it was a black blend. So I used boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville. However, the high temperature did not seem to scorch the Sencha, as I did not taste a hint of bitterness nor an indication of scorching. Just delicious tea with a pleasant sweetness all its own; no need to sweeten! This is really quite delightful!
Fig Formosa from Teas Etc.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teas Etc.
Product Description:
Full whole leaf quality Taiwanese oolong is the perfect base for the rich taste of Smyrna fig. The addition of cornflower and poppy flower petals add rich color and a natural sweetness enhancing the visual and taste character.
This blend is a complete departure from your typical cup of dark oolong tea and a pleasurable experience whether served hot or cold.
Taster’s Review:
I absolutely love figs. I have very fond childhood memories of them. For a brief time, I lived on a farm and there was a fig orchard on this farm. So on any given afternoon, I could be found in the orchard, picking a fresh, ripe fig and eating it, right there in the orchard. It was one of the most incredible culinary experiences of my life.
Unfortunately, when I go to the supermarket now, I can never find figs that match that memory.
But… interestingly enough, this tea does! This tea tastes so much like those figs that I remember … and because I’m drinking this hot, it even has that warmth from the sun that I recall from those figs. Wow!
The Oolong seems a perfect match for the flavor of fig, as it is smooth and rich but doesn’t overwhelm the delicious flavor of fig. It is sweet and luscious. This is so true to the flavor of fig that I can almost taste the seedy pulp from the fig, I can almost feel that texture.
I do miss those figs from that farm so much, but, I think I may have finally found something that will pay tribute to that flavor that I miss so much and let me indulge in a very memorable tea at the same time.
Cinnamon Apple Oolong from Teas Etc.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teas Etc.
Product Description:
A sumptuous blend of Formosa oolong, sweet cinnamon and juicy apple.
Chunks of green apple swirled with sweet cinnamon pieces and whole leaf, high quality Formosa oolong makes this as nice to look at as to drink.
Aromatic and deliciously satisfying.
Taster’s Review:
This tea smells like my gramma’s kitchen after she’s baked an apple pie, and it tastes like someone put her apple pie filling and some Formosa Oolong tea into a blender and took it for a whirl until completely liquified. YUMMY!
The Taiwanese Oolong base seems a good choice for the flavors of green apple and zesty cinnamon. It has a smooth, rich flavor and it’s natural fruit tones accent the tart apple very well, providing just enough sweetness to keep the apple in balance.
The apple is a tart apple – perhaps Granny Smith? That is what it reminds me of. Not quite as tart as Gravenstein apples, but more like the tart-with-a-touch-of-sweet apple you’d find in an apple pie. And the cinnamon is not a spicy-hot cinnamon. It is a warm, inviting spice that enhances the overall flavor of the cup.
This tea screams Autumn to me, but it is an ever-so-soothing and gentle scream. I love this time of year, and I am loving this tea. Teas Etc. continues to impress me!
Oolong Earl Grey from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Product Description:
Oolong tea is a perfect balance of oxidation between black and green tea that produces a strong cup of tea that includes a sweet aftertaste in the mouth. This take on the traditional Earl Grey tea combines premium loose leaf Fermosa oolong tea with bergamot orange for a new twist on the classic. With the addition of Jasmine flowers to balance out the blend this is a nice taste alternative to the black tea based versions of Earl Grey. This smooth but yet intense flavor makes Oolong Earl Grey a real hit with tea lovers of all kinds.
Taster’s Review:
Red Leaf Tea has the most extensive collection of Earl Grey teas that I’ve ever seen. And as an Earl Grey aficionado, that makes me very happy … and when I browse their website, I find myself to be a bit like a kid in the candy store: not sure where to begin, because I want to try everything!
This Earl Grey offering combines the enticing flavor and aroma of the bergamot orange with Formosa Oolong. I love Formosa Oolong teas (my first Oolong was a Formosa, and it will always hold a special place in my heart), so I was fairly certain I’d love this Oolong Earl Grey.
And I do!
That being said, this IS quite different from a typical Earl Grey, starting with the Formosa Oolong base. As Formosa Oolong is a bit lighter in flavor than a typical black tea, this Earl Grey has a much lighter flavor to it. I would describe it as diaphanous, as it doesn’t possess the same strong, solid background of black tea flavor that one might be used to when drinking an Earl Grey; instead, it is more of a delicate taste. The mouthfeel is smoother and there is less astringency too.
Something else that is unusual about this tea is that the fruit notes taste different. Yes, it still tastes like bergamot orange, but there is a little more to it, and then I realized … it tastes like peach with the citrus. And that makes sense, since Oolong tea (especially the Formosa varieties) have that fuzzy peach taste to them. The combination of fruit-y notes here is really quite delicious.
The bergamot itself is a fine quality bergamot, with notes of tangy citrus. It isn’t overdone in this blend, and it doesn’t taste off in any way. It tastes very bright… perhaps even brighter than in a typical black Earl Grey because of the lightness of the Oolong. The jasmine notes are subtle; it is just enough jasmine to enhance without the cup tasting soapy.
A well-balanced blend, and an overall AMAZING tea from Red Leaf Tea! I recommend this to all Earl Grey enthusiasts out there!
Floral Oolong (Dong Fang Mei Ren) from In Nature
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: In Nature
Product Description:
Dong Fang Mei Ren translates as ‘Eastern Beauty’ and is also known by the alternative name of Bai Hao Oolong, known to make women even prettier.
A very mild oolong from the High Mountains of Taiwan. This tea has an elegant taste with a unique palate and colour, very pleasing to the eye and the mind.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this tea possesses a very unusual fragrance – unusual, but very pleasing. All at once I can smell notes of flower, wood and earth. A whisper of flower lingers in the air for several moments afterward. It is a delightful, transcendent experience. The aroma of the brewed liquor is significantly softer; however, I can still detect the faintest hint of what I experienced from the tea in dry leaf form.
These dark Oolong leaves remind me of a fancy Formosa Oolong, and after reading the description of the product (provided above) I see that the tea is indeed from Taiwan. The flavor is a bit different from the Formosa Oolong teas that I’ve sampled, though, it has a stronger floral presence which seems to replace some of the fuzzy peach tones that I am used to from a Formosa. Oh, yes, those peach notes are still discernible, they just aren’t as strong as I ordinarily would experience from a Formosa Oolong.
The floral tones are soft and sweet with a honey-esque tone in the background. There is also an earthy quality to this tea that melds quite nicely with the flowery tones – giving depth and complexity to the cup. The sip begins with the flowery note which remains throughout the sip, with the notes of earth and wood arriving about mid-sip. A note of fruity peach flavor peeks through. The sip ends with a delicious note of honey. No bitterness and only a slight astringency from this tea. The finish is sweet with a flowery taste that lingers long into the aftertaste.
A very pleasing Oolong experience. This is one I’d recommend to those who have a great appreciation for fine quality Oolong!