Hello Tea Friends,
I got a sample pack of Dong Ding Oolong to try from my last order with Siam Tea and today is the day to try it. Think of it as a random cupboard sample that has been chosen for the potential of greatness.
Opening the packet reveals large brown leaf balls complete with stem that appear whole. They truly are an impressive size! Also though dark they have a nice glossy shine. On sniff-spection I can smell toasted wood with soft, dry smoke.
Steeping Parameters: 5g Leaf, 320ml vessel, 85C water temperature, 3 minute steep.
The resulting tea is golden in colour with a toasted malt scent.
The first few sips reveal a soft sweetness amidst a sour, toasted wood note that lightens to an almost malt finish in the after taste. There is also a slight dryness. The sweetness carries on half way down the cup with a floral quality and lightness. I close my eyes and imagine I’m drinking flowers that were wood roasted. The sourness remains consistent which leaves a mature, sour wood note to dance on my tongue.
This Oolong was very easy to drink and tasted pure, a very nice example of a lightly toasted Oolong. Even at the end of the cup I could taste each flavour individually with just as much character as the first sip. This would make a nice everyday Oolong.
Until next time,
Happy Steeping!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Siam Tea
Description:
DMS Dong Ding Blue Pearls Oolong Tea from Doi Mae Salong, north Thailand,rolled, handpicked. Strongly reminiscent of Chinese Wuyi rock Oolong teas, in particular Da Hong Pao Oolong tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here.
Oo’Peppermint from Harlow Tea Co
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harlow Tea Co
Tea Description:
Do you love peppermint, well I hope so! This tea gives a kick of peppermint that lingers long after that last sip is taken! Oolong has long, pun intended, been known as an all around pleasing tea for those who may find green tea too bitter and black tea too strong. Love both, then oolong is a perfect combination of the two!
Oo’ Peppermint offers hints of almond and is balanced with pieces of vanilla bean. You may even see some vanilla bean seeds in your tea!
Ingredients:
Oolong tea, peppermint leaf, almond pieces, tulsi leaf, and vanilla bean.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Earlier in the month, I discovered Harlow Tea Co, an Etsy Tea shop. So far, I have been incredibly impressed by their attention to crisp, defined, well blended teas.
Oo’ Peppermint is a blended oolong, peppermint, almond, and vanilla flavors. I can’t say I’ve ever had an oolong flavored tea like this one before.
Brewed up by the parameters provided on the package, I was anxious to check this oolong out. First sip in and this tea hit the spot! This journey starts off with fresh crisp peppermint notes followed up with a nutty sweetness that does an excellent job of providing a touch of complexity to the tea. Simple subtle oolong hints are noticeable but really just lay the ground work for the rest of the flavors to play with.
Rich and full of flavor is how I would describe this blend. This tea is simple but so robust. I’m three infusions in and still loving the uniqueness this blend is offering. I’m really digging this combo of flavors. Another winner from Harlow Tea Co!
Fig Formosa Oolong Tea from Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Stylin’ Tea Blends
Tea 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.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Fig Formosa Oolong from Stylin’ Tea Blends is a tea that I should have tried a long time ago. This lovely blend is soothing my tired soul today!
I have been on an oolong kick lately. This one caught my eye with the flavoring of the fig promise. I have to say, the promise delivers but in a different way than expected.
First off, lets chat about the dry leaf. The dry leaf is a lovely sweet candy like aroma. Almost like candied figs. That was the first thought that came to my mind. So did this tea deliver on the promise of the sweet candied figs? Yes and no.
This tea didn’t exactly have a fig like flavor but what this tea does deliver on is an almost earl grey like oolong. I know, peculiar, but that is what this reminds me of. There is a resemblance to earl grey that is just too hard to ignore. I can’t say I pick up beramot oil per say. But if I didn’t know better, I would think this was an earl grey oolong! (Which I typically don’t care too much for. But this was is simply brilliant!)
The tea has a sweet yet floral like flavor that swirls on your tongue and plays with your senses. The oolong has a silky buttery feel that really lets the other flavors become the star. Really lovely. A great mix of a sweet yet floral tea with a lush decadent background that leaves you wanting more.
Like I said, this tea is really soothing my soul today and giving me all the warm feels!
Nepal Pearl Oolong Tea from Wha-Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Wha-Cha
Tea Description:
An incredibly rare and unusual oolong with a great taste of apricots and nectarine combined with a brilliant aroma. .
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Alright. . .for anybody that has this tea in your stash and don’t want it. . .let me know! This tea is amazing! Amazing pearls of tea loving goodness! If you can’t tell, I’m quite smitten with this tea.
This gorgeous tea is a lovely pearl of oolong tea that gives you a satisfying sense of what good tea is supposed to be like. Each pearl is gorgeous and I loved watching the tea leaves uncurl in front of my eyes in my tea steeper. I used two balls because I want this tea to last as long as possible. I steeped and prepped this up per the instructions on the package.
Once the tea was all prepped and ready to try out, I took my first sip. A gorgeous sip of smooth, sweet, and slightly astringent delicious notes. This is one of those teas that needs the contrast of the sweet and astringent notes but the notes are incredibly soft and subtle. Almost like that sweet yet spicy or sweet but somehow sour notes in other foods. The two complimented each other so well. Seriously, this tea is gorgeous from the very beginning.
The sweet notes are what made me just sigh with happiness. They resemble those of a stone fruit like an apricot. This is one of those teas that tastes exactly how it is described on a website. (And this is one of those teas you hoard for those days when you need some extra tea loving to get you thru the day. ) Those sweet notes of apricot just elevate the tea to a different level.
At one point, I had a meeting at work and came back expecting a cold bitter brew awaiting me and that wasn’t the case at all. I was greeted with a lovely cold oolong that just kept my afternoon going.
I’m now on infusion four and still the tea is giving. I just love it. From the moment I opened the package and saw the pearls to the moment when I first tried the tea, I was in love with this oolong. One of the best teas I think I’ve tried so far this year. That’s how good it is!
Highly recommend this one!
Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea from Tea At Sea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea
Where to Buy: Tea At Sea
Tea Description:
Organic grown in the Halimun Mountains of Indonesia at 800m above Sea-Level. Treated with natural spring water and fresh mountain air. These 35% oxidized tea leaves have a honey milk aroma, light creamy taste with a hint of marine. Wake up the tea leaves and steep around 100°C and watch how the leaves slowly unfold to extract their natural flavour. Enjoy!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea from Tea At Sea has consistently high ratings over at Steepster. I tend to agree with those high ratings but here is my take on this specific tea.
Upon opening the package it looks and smells like your average oolong but the taste is what I will be focusing in this review! First impressions on this first sip were great! First and foremost I had a strong honeysuckle flavor smack my taste buds from the very beginning. Then there were other floral and semi-sweet grassy notes to follow. In follow-up sips and at shorter steeping times I noticed more buttery, creamy, and milky type flavors come into play. An interesting find with a lingering aftertaste was the hint of peach I could pick up on as well.
As long as you don’t over infuse this one you should have ‘smooth sailin’ with this one. Pardon the pun but seriously…Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea from Tea At Sea is a nice, solid yet smooth, greener tasting oolong that I enjoyed very much!
