Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Whittard of Chelsea
Tea Description:
A truly superb robust Oolong from the Fujian Province with a honeyed sweetness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have loved Oolong teas since my very first encounter with an Oolong tea. I even remember that very first Oolong experience! It was a Formosa style Oolong, with leaves dark and curly like these, and the flavor was sublime! Sweet with peach-y notes and the most amazingly soft mouthfeel. I think it was at that moment that I realized that I truly loved tea.
Since that time, I’ve tried many teas, and many Oolong teas … and some that I enjoy even more than a delicious Formosa Oolong. I’ve tried many Oolongs from many different regions in the world. This Organic China Oolong, while it does look a lot like my beloved Formosa Oolong, it possesses quite a different flavor.
The tea starts out soft, with hints of stone fruit in the front of the sip. But as the sip progresses, the flavor develops. Nutty tones reveal themselves at about mid-sip, and by the end of the sip, I’m noticing a deep, woodsy, almost charcoal-y kind of flavor. Very roasty-toasty, and this complements the nutty tones very nicely, and gives the light fruit tones some depth. There is an undercurrent of honey-like sweetness throughout, and the sip ends with a moderate amount of astringency. The aftertaste is slightly smoky and sweet.
This tea has a very autumnal taste and feel to it – like the early days of autumn, as the weather begins to cool and the dry leaves crackle as you walk along the sidewalk. The air is filled with the smell of wood burning in the fireplaces. That is what I think of as I sip on this deliciously toasty tea … it is very comforting and wonderful.
