My daughter asked me what tea we were drinking tonight. When I told her the name of this one, I got quite a stare, followed by “All righty then.” What a delight this was to make and to drink. The tea is gorgeous before you even steep it – tight, hard twists and knots of deep army green and the most delicious aroma. And then you steep it and those hard knots become giant green leaves packing the infuser basket and promising many more steeps to come.
The tea is pale in color, but a buttery fragrance wafts from the cup. The taste is smooth and creamy, not quite a milk oolong but close. And a floral fragrance lays on top of the buttery aroma. No roasted oolong this, but a fresh green one. After the sip, a soft vegetal taste rises and lingers.
I love tea like this when I am going to be drinking it for an extended time, resteeping and sharing. This is a tea that the seasoned tea drinker can enjoy, but also would be a great introduction for those who are new to fine loose leaf and oolong. Interesting, flavorful, and accessible. Although it is a more expensive tea than some, the fact that it resteeps so well makes it well worth the price for the green oolong lover. And if anyone asks what you are drinking, look wise and mystical and impress the socks right off of them as you rattle of the name of this one!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
The Nonpareil Taiwan DaYuLing High Mountain Cha Wang Oolong Tea is grown in the area at the altitude of 2500 meters, in which the climate is cold and forests grow well. This cold and moisture condition is suitable for tea trees’ growth. In addition, the soil here is fertile, meanwhile performs well in drainage. Thus the tea leaves carry a natural scent of flower and fruit.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Orchid Oolong from Art of Tea. . . .
Spring is just around the corner. At least in my neck of the woods it is. It seems like everybody is tired of lugging around the winter coats and heavy sweaters and are ready for the change of seasons. Even I’m ready to open up some windows and let the fresh air in.
With the coming of the seasons, also comes (for some of us) a change in our tea drinking habits. I’ve noticed that I’ve been craving more bright spring like teas with a floral touch lately. So the other day I prepped up my kettle and checked out Orchid Oolong from Art of Tea.
Orchid Oolong has been a tea that I’ve had my eye on for a bit so I was quite ecstatic when this tea arrived with our other Art of Tea samples. With fresh pops of floral notes coming from my Wall Tea Infuser, I knew I was in for a treat.
First sip into this tea and I couldn’t resist just gulping the rest of the tea down and devouring several infusions. A rich smooth silky texture, buttery rich touches, and a gorgeous floral finish. . . This tea couldn’t get any smoother, richer, or more alluring. This oolong yielded such a beautiful flavor that you can instantly see where this tea gets the name Orchid Oolong. . and rightfully so. Everything about this tea was simply breathtaking and so giving.
Orchid Oolong is a luxurious treat but at such a reasonable price. Highly recommend and one I’m going to have to add to my tea cabinet. The fact that this tea is also offered in pyramid tea bags makes this tea even more attractive to me. 90% of the time, I drink loose leaf but with having to get everybody to school and work. . .it just isn’t in the cards. Knowing that I have this beauty at my fingertips. . . .that is an investment I’m going to be making.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Description
Our Orchid Oolong tea is grown in the hilltops of Nantou, Taiwan. Often covered in cool mist and surrounded by crisp streams, the leaves are hand-picked and basket-tossed in a process known as oxidization. They are then rolled into kernels that wait to unfold in your teapot. The resulting tea has a unique lilac flavor that is full and smooth, with a fresh orchid finish. It can be steeped multiple times (each time unlocking a different taste), and is also available in our Eco Pyramid Teabags
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Darjeeling Red Thunder Black – Gopaldhara Estate from Conundrum Tea. . . .
Darjeeling Red Thunder Black – Gopaldhara Estate from Conundrum Tea is the first tea I have tried from this company! And I sure hope it isn’t my last! Darjeeling Red Thunder Black – Gopaldhara Estate no longer appears on the company website or shop but it certainly was a GOODY!
It was an autumn flush, black tea, from Darjeeling, India. It’s been said that Autumns in Darjeeling tend to be cold and the temperatures can reach freezing levels. This causes the leaves to wither and ferment before they are even picked. Having the tea leaves processed by nature produces some very interesting tastes…according to our friends at Steepster’s Product Description…which usually comes straight from the horses mouth.
Darjeeling Red Thunder Black – Gopaldhara Estate from Conundrum Tea is bold with sweet, fruity, floral notes. The first steep was quite intense but it smooths out with the follow-up infusions. The brewed tea has a gold color and a wet-woodsy smell to it.
You know how I adore learning about all of the various tea estates and this one was no exception. The Gopaldhara Tea Estate has been owned by the Saria family since the 1950’s. Their land ranges in elevation from 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet. This gives them one of the highest elevation tea farms in Darjeeling and they are very proud of this fact. They are constantly developing their teas to come up with unique and different tastes which makes their teas stand out from the rest of the Darjeeling teas. After sipping on Darjeeling Red Thunder Black – Gopaldhara Estate from Conundrum Tea I’m certain they accomplished that with this tea. It’s completely tasty and satisfying with no additional flavorings…just straight up black tea, here, folks! And it’s a darling of a Darjeeling!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Conundrum Tea
Description
Click below to see what teas are available.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pine Oolong from Golden T Leaf. . . . .
My only experience with oolong teas has been black oolong tea. To be honest, I didn’t know there were any other types. It seems silly that I thought that now, but I clearly still have a lot to learn about teas!
This tea is very delicate, when it brews it is a light caramel color and has a very delicate flavor. Other oolongs I’ve had have had a much richer, roasted and in some cases smoky flavor. I drank this tea straight with no sweetener or cream. I really enjoyed the mild flavor. I like that green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea, so I don’t feel bad drinking it. When I tried an oolong tea awhile back, I looked into the health benefits and was blown away. Oolong can help with weight management, dental health, and even certain skin conditions. Plus it has tons of minerals in it. I would drink it more often except for the caffeine content. But I feel okay about having the occasional cup of green oolong.
This would be a great afternoon pick me up tea, or great to have with or after a meal. The delicate flavor won’t get in the way of anything you might be eating.
If you like green tea, I say give this soothing delicious tea a try and get those amazing health benefits!!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Golden T Leaf
Description
First Place Winner at the 2015 North American Tea Championship.
This is our unique blend of two types of our mountain Oolong, hand-picked and processed. This tea brews to a light melon yellow color with a floral fragrance that lingers after the last sip. An easy going tea great for everyday drinking.
15 individually packed pyramid tea bags / Box.
Health Benefits: High in anti-oxidants, boost metabolism, weight loss, stabilize blood sugar.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chamraj Estate Handmade Tea from Full Leaf Tea Company. . . . .
Chamraj Estate Handmade Tea from Full Leaf Tea Company was a tea I recently sipped on and I wanted to tell you a bit about it and my experience.
I infused the somewhat longish dark leaves for a few moments and took a sip. I noticed right away how pure and impressive this Oolong was! I was OVERLY pleased about that from the start as I was starting to get into an Oolong funk lately. This one broke down the walls!
It’s a wonderful award winning Oolong tea from Nigiri, India. I appreciated the silky smooth texture along side the amazing flavor which gave off a light nutty finish. It was fresh, crisp, and tasty!
Chamraj Tea Estate is set among rolling hills covered in dense vegetation and natural forest inter sprinkled with small villages at an elevation of over 6,500 feet. This estate is located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, South India. I LOVE trying teas from any and all estates and this one was a lovely surprise and certainly one I would add to my list of favorite straight-up Oolongs of the moment!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Full Leaf Tea Company
Description
A wonderful Oolong tea from Nigiri, India. Enjoy a silky smooth tea with the amazing flavor of oolong! A superb bespoke tea with a light nutty finish.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!