One cold and wintery evening I decided to dive deep into my loose leaf stash and randomly choose one I hadn’t had in a good, long while. The one I choose from the heap was this Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Origins Tea which I haven’t been able to locate online for a long time.
Some tea lovers say it’s a perfect middle ground to a black tea and a green tea but it’s actually an Oolong! Tricky, tricky…little fellow…but oh-so-comforting and satisfying!
Other tea fans say that Tie Guan Yin is arguably the most famous oolong tea with an aroma of baked bread with a floral, buttery finish.
I agree with both stances. It’s a little bit green, a little bit black. It’s not too weak and not too strong. It offers that semi-bakey, yet somewhat creaminess, too!
Could this be the Jekyll and Hyde of Oolongs? Perhaps! But for now…I will just call it a solid cuppa and enjoy it for what it is…Tie Guan Yin…a marvelous Oolong!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Origins Tea
Description
Grown in the high mountains of the A Li Shan region of Taiwan, this tea is also known as the “Iron Goddess of Compassion”. This tea will almost certainly become your favorite roasted Tie Guan Yin. Nice deep roasted fragrance, comes off a bit nutty with the charcoal aroma, along with a bit of floral in the background. Really nice mix of floral notes, fruity/herbal terpene complexity, and underlying roasted aroma.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Takarabako Tea Farm: Organic Shimane Oolong Tea from Yunomi. . .
May I introduce you to…Takarabako Tea Farm’s Organic Shimane Oolong Tea…sold online from our friends at Yunomi.
Upon opening this package of loose leaf I thought the dried leaves were a little while and crazy for an oolong but I thought that was something that really set it aside from others, too!
It smelled a little airy and floral and grassy all at once. Much like if you were laying in the middle of a meadow while spring is blooming!
The flavor was comparable to a earthy green tea but had an hint of dryness and heartiness to it that some black teas have. It made for a very complex cup to contemplate. I guess you could say that it’s a ‘real thinker’.
This is the second tea I have had from the Takarabako Farm. The farm was established in 2003 as a subsidiary of the landscaping company, Matsuura-Zoen, Takarabako Tea Farm is located in the Oba Sorayama district in the southern part of Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. The farmers conduct circulation type agriculture mainly based on tea and persimmon in addition to processing the crops and selling them directly to local consumers.
The president Kouichi Matsuura has five employees and carries the following Certifications: Eco-farmer certified by Shimane Prefecture, Organic certification of JAS (Tea, Persimmon) for agriculture, processing and packing, Local GAP certification by Shimane Prefecture, Excellence Award for the 19th Japan Environment Preservation Agriculture Promotion Competition.
For those who like unique Oolongs I would highly suggest trying this at least once!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Description
Takarabako Shimane Oolong tea is both thirst quenching like green teas and mouth drying like some black teas. It’s amazing how many different characters are connected in this tea to create something very unique. It’s more herbal-tea like than regular oolongs, very light with the actual taste floating somewhere in the middle of the gulp, perfect for everyday drinking in early autumn days or wintery spring. You can use the same leaves for at least 4 times. Love it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
High Mountain Oolong from Qi Aerista. . . .
This tea is sturdy and sophisticated, like a sweater vest on a college professor who is woke to the kids’ causes. It is tasteful. It is educated. It knows how to reap the health benefits of green tea AND black tea.
There are notes here of plum, stone, moss, and maybe some algae, which I say with utter love and absolutely no derision. It’s earthy and wet and vegetal and a little bit juicy.
It somehow manages to make me feel like I know what’s going on. Like drinking it has made me a better person. Like maybe, very slightly, I have it together.
I do not, just to clarify.
I do not at all.
But the tea is very nice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Qi Aerista Tea
Description
Our High Mountain Oolong is grown on Xiyan mountain in Dapu county. This beautiful county is known as the Shangri-La of the Hakka world, where Hakka is one of the ethnic subgroups in China.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Xi Ding Oolong Tea – Tea from Taiwan. . . . .
Hello, readers! I am here to bring you another oolong tea but from a company that really knows their stuff. According to the website, they have been in business for a good twelve years so to me that is impressive. Now what got me to try out this tea out of all the others on my tea shelf is that I felt that I have never given pure oolong tea a chance. I know that my sister drinks almost five cups of it a day so in lieu of the other oolong blends that I have tried I figured why not give a pure cup a chance?
As the site details, this oolong has a very distinct taste. It is very pungent when you first open the bag but don’t let that deter you for it mellows out when it is brewed. This brew does have a mellow, subtle start but it finishes with a sweet aftertaste. A sweet that I cannot put my finger on. I would say that this tea for me personally would be a builder tea, the best ingredient that I can think of off the top of my head would have to be a mint of some sort. I think that spearmint would be the best, for its sweetness would be a perfect compliment to the oolong.
Now for prices, I can’t be exact since all their oolong blends are named by their time of harvest. The best estimate I have for you is to base it off the Li Shan Feng Oolong tea which the top three prices are as follows; $36.99 for 75 grams, 150 grams for $69.99, and 300 grams for $134.99. But don’t fret for it looks like their samples retail for around $4.59 which is good for about 2-3 cups.
In conclusion, I think this is a great tea and tea company to try out if you are out for an authentic oolong tea. It is a pretty penny but for the authentic oolong consumer, I think this brand should be at least worth a shot.
See you for the next cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea from Taiwan
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
