Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Butiki Teas
Product Description:
This oolong originates from Taiwan and is infused with mint. Mint Oolong is a fragrant tea that is sweet, refreshing, and tingles the tongue.
Recommended Brew Time: 4 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 180 F
Tasters Review:
I have been looking for a Mint Oolong for a LONG time like this one!
Strong Mint and plump Oolong…plain and simple…well, not really plain…but simple. It’s the classic case of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly) and it works!
If you are like me and LOVE mint you will probably like this one! The mint is intense but that is EXACTLY what I was looking for being a MINT LOVER.
Because I haven’t found as many Mint Oolongs or ones that are readily available I am rating this high…not only for those reasons but because I DO like this very much! It’s very refreshing, very mint, and very tasty!
I can check another items of my “Tea Bucket List”…I have found an awesome Mint Oolong! Thanks Butiki Teas!
Jin Jiang Da Hong Pao Tea from Valley Tea
Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Tea Valley
Product Description:
A “Jin Jiang” (gold award) winner in the prestigious 2008 Wuyi Mountain People’s Choice Tea Competition, this Da Hong Pao is nothing short of excellent.
The aroma of the Jin Jiang Da Ho Pao can be described as roasted and smoky; a tease of the tea’s true potential. A pour of boiling water reveals a delightfully sweet aroma that will permeates through its immediate surroundings. The brew delivers a full body flavor with the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness. One sip and it is obvious why this is such a prized Da Hong Pao.
While the Jin Jiang Da Hong Pao’s flavors remain complex, the brew is more temperate compared to the Dao Tian Da Hong Pao; a characteristic that is more commonly preferred.
Tasters Review:
Jin Jiang Da Hong Pao Tea from Valley Tea smells a little sweet as well as a little smoky and a little woodsy.
It’s a very nice light brownish-yellow once infused.
The taste is very nice, too! A has a sweet-woodsy type flavor. It has a mysterious malty-ness to it even.
As it cools for a minute or two at room temperature…it seems to get sweeter and even BETTER than it was before…it seems with each sip it gets better and better.
This is a great Oolong! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Oolongs! If you haven’t tried Oolong Tea – perhaps this is the Oolong you need to get into the swing of things!
Yongchun Fo Shou (Bergamot) Oolong Superior Grade Tea from Life In Teacup
Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Life In Teacup
Product Description:
The origin of Fo Shou tea cultivar is a mystery. Many people say it was obtained by engrafting tea tree with Fo Shou (bergamot) tree. The engrafting theory of Fo Shou oolong has never been proved. But the characteristics of this tea do remind a drinker of fragrance of Fo Shou fruits.
Brew method:
1a. Oolong, ball-shaped dry tea leaves
- Vessel: gaiwan or small teapot
- Water temperature: newly boiled water (above 95 °C or 203 °F)
- Amount of leaves: 5 gram for every 120ml total volume (Or reduce the amount to 3 gram for some heavy oxidation and/or heavy roast products)
- Warm-up infusion: pour hot water in the vessel, and immediately drain it. Wait for about 1min. before starting the next infusion.
- Time for each of the first 3 infusions (after warm-up): 20sec. (Or reduce the infusion time to 10-15sec. for some heavy oxidation and/or heavy roast products)
- Extend infusion time based on taste for later infusions. Most oolong tea can well last for at least 5-7 infusions.
Or:
- Vessel: mug
- Water temperature: (same as “1a”) newly boiled water (around 95 °C or 203 °F)
- Amount of leaves: 15-20 grains of dry tea leaves
- Steep time: 1-2 minutes
- Re-steep: when there is 1/3 liquor left in the vessel, add hot water to re-steep.
Tasters Review:
Plain and Simple…I LOVE THIS. I would rate this above 95% any day of the week!
Yongchun Fo Shou (Bergamot) Oolong Superior Grade Tea from Life In Teacup smells like a sweet-floral and mellow yet juicy fruit of the citrus variety. The Infusion color is that of a light-oolong. The taste is out of this world…a pure delight! It’s very pure, crisp, and thirst quenching. I could tell it was an Oolong by it’s taste but it’s so much more than that…it’s incredible! I really, really like this! The flavor of the oolong is one thing but the Bergamot is another. I’ve never tasted a bergamot flavor like this and I must say after tasting it – all Bergamot should taste like this! The flavor doesn’t take over the natural goodness of the oolong and the bergamot doesn’t taste fake or chemically at all!
I have also tried the other two Bergamot Fo Shou Oolongs and I think the Superior really IS superior! I like all 3 of the offerings but this one is my favorite one of the 3. Down the road I plan on reviewing the other 2 as well. BUT…in the meantime…I encourage all of your Oolong Lovers to try this one! It’s worth it!!
Wuyi Rock Oolong from Shanti Tea
Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
One of the purest teas available on the world market.
Organic Wuyi Rock Oolong is one of the purest teas available on the world market. This rare oolong hails from Mount Wuyi in Nanping Prefecture, Fujian, up along the border of Jiangxi Province. In 1999, UNESCO listed the mountain as a World Heritage Site in part owing to its outstanding biodiversity. According to the UN, Mount Wuyi is one of the world’s finest, intact, subtropical forests. Further complimenting the region’s reputation, Mount Wuyi is registered with the Chinese government as a biodiversity conservation zone. The climate of the region is relatively humid due to the fact that the mountain prevents cool air from entering the valley, and the presence of the 9 Bend River meandering through its valleys. Living with this subtropical paradise is an almost unaccountable number of species of flora and fauna. Many of the plan species living on the mountain are considered relics of a bygone age, no longer found anywhere else on the planet. In amongst this jewel of biodiversity grows the world famous organic rock tea. The tea bushes, like many other plant species, are ancient, having grown amongst the mountain’s rocky outcroppings for generations. Cultivation of the plants is almost impossible given the topography, so exceptional care is taken when handling and plucking the fresh tea shoots. The harvesters typically wear light cotton gloves when handling the leaves, which are harvested in small quantities so as not to tire the bushes. The fresh leaf is then allowed to naturally semi-ferment. The resulting flavor is at once rich, delicate, and laden with floral nuance.
Tasters Review:
Right out of the envelop this smells nutty to me…much like almond, actually! As if infuses it starts smelling more woodsy almost like a damp twig.
As for the taste…this is a hearty brew! It’s quite masculine, woodsy, slightly peppery, and a little like roasted or toasted nuts! It has a gentle-semi-sweet after taste to it too!
This is interesting, different, and pretty good! Certainly a conversation piece – no matter which way you look at it. As for me…I look at it with a smiling face! This Oolong is very nice!
Dong Ding Oolong traditional medium roast Competition Grade IV from Life In Teacup
Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Life In Teacup
Product Description:
Production Year: 2009
Production Season: winter
Production Region: Nantou County, Taiwan
Style: Traditional medium roastBrewing 1a: Oolong, ball-shaped dry tea leaves
Vessel: gaiwan or small teapot
Water temperature: newly boiled water (above 95 °C or 203 °F)
Amount of leaves: 5 gram for every 120ml total volume (Or reduce the amount to 3 gram for some heavy oxidation and/or heavy roast products)
Warm-up infusion: pour hot water in the vessel, and immediately drain it. Wait for about 1min. before starting the next infusion.
Time for each of the first 3 infusions (after warm-up): 20sec. (Or reduce the infusion time to 10-15sec. for some heavy oxidation and/or heavy roast products)
Extend infusion time based on taste for later infusions. Most oolong tea can well last for at least 5-7 infusions.
Tasters Review:
I had this for the very first time the other day and was very pleased.
This is VERY different than any Oolong I have tried! Imagine this…roasty and toasty…woodsy and leafy…hearty and strong! At first I thought it smelled like a “New Car Smell” type air freshener…but it was a little more leaf-like than that. Regardless I think the reasons this is different are the reasons I like it so much! This is tasty and interesting! If you are into roasted oolongs – try this! If you have never had a roasted type Oolong before taste it and then taste it again! I noticed that the taste changes as it cools at room temperature. I also think this is pretty good cold/iced, too!