Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
This Dong Ding exemplifies the union of sweet and savory flavors that are a hallmark of Taiwanese oolong craftsmanship.
Taiwanese oolong is an incredible and worthwhile counterpoint to the Tieguanyin growing cross the straights in Anxi. While mainland oolongs tend to be more floral, Taiwanese oolongs edge towards savory. In love with the unique taste, we are pleased to have found this standout example despite difficult growing conditions in Taiwan this past year.
The wet leaf aroma is like being in a small bakery with rising whole wheat walnut currant bread in the oven and redwood bark’s warm smell wafting though an open window. The first steepings start with a bright raspberry tartness followed by a darker note of flax and spicy green peppercorn. These initial flavors swell and then diminish leaving a sweet whipped cream pound cake aftertaste.
Later steepings expand upon the spicy flavor with the sweetness of red bell peppers and the savory satisfying taste of fried cactus paddle. The aftertaste moves towards sweet corn bread and lingers long after the tea is gone.
NOTES: pound cake, raspberry, peppercorn, corn bread, flax, cactus
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A tea like Taiwanese Dong Ding Oolong from Verdant Tea must be experienced over several steeps, otherwise you will miss out on so much flavor and complexity. I won’t say that this is my all time favorite tea from Verdant Tea, but it is very nice and should be experienced.
I will start by saying I am a little disappointed that I never got those pound cake notes, corn bread notes, or even really any raspberry notes, but what I did get was flavorful, and delicious.
Early steeps give off a nice light flavor, white floral notes, a dash of a pepper note, but only very slight, and a wonderful earthy note like well nourished soil, not to be confused with dirt. This Taiwanese Dong Ding by Verdant has a perfectly sweet flavor, not too sweet, but just right. To me this resonates most as a floral milk oolong.
It is slightly vegetal, with some nutty goodness, and in later steeps becomes even more milky and creamy with a full mouth feel. It is weighty, buttery, slightly astringent, and really quite good. I still am looking for some of those dessert notes, but sadly not finding them.
Toward steep four and five I am still getting a wonderfully flavorful cup which becomes even more creamy, maybe this is where the cake note comes in – through all the creaminess, but for me I wish it had a little more because while it is creamy, it never quite develops into a full on cream like flavor, rather teases and hints at it. Perhaps if I were finding that raspberry note I would enjoy it more. This is not to imply I am unhappy with the cup, but I would have been more happy had I not seen those yummy notes that I am missing out on.
This is a really nice flavorful cup with key notes on my palate being floral, creamy, milky, and vegetal. Its not nearly as strong as other Dong Ding I have had, and I do love Dong Ding Oolong. Of course this is a lighter roast but even still it is lacking many of the qualities I am used to in Dong Ding. Again that is not to say I don’t like it. I like it a lot, but I am confused a little by this tea. I plan to work with it more to see if I can uncover more of what it has to offer.
Organic Silver Needle from Art of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Tea Description:
Organic Silver needle is the most sought after white tea and is only harvested for a few days each year in the northern district of Fujian, China. This magnificent tea has a light golden flush with a unique savory aroma and a woodsy body. The finish is pleasant with a lingering, yet balanced sweetness.
Water Temperature: 175-185 F degrees
Caffeine Content: Medium
Steep Time: 1-3 minutes
Suggested Serving Size: 1 Tbsp/8oz
Ingredients: Organic, Fair Trade Chinese White Tea
Origin: Fujian, China
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Organic Silver Needle from Art of Tea surprised me! I am not a huge fan of white teas. Well I suppose a more accurate statement would be that there are few white teas I have found that really wow me. I have found a few though! This white tea sort of wow’d me, it more so surprised me, confused me a little, and has made me want to drink a lot more of it to really understand it. Why all the confusion you may ask? Well to begin with the dry leaf is stunning, white, downey, soft, cuddly, lol yes, cuddly. It makes me wish I could buy enough to just pour all over my bed and lay upon it at night. Its so dreamy! But that is not what got me. What “got” me, is that the initial aroma of this tea is of cucumber! And that is exactly what it tastes like to me as well. Fresh, watery, cucumber! Yet, wait for it, its not watery at all! Its rather quite creamy! Creamy, fresh, mouthwatering cucumber!
It is also quite sweet on the palate. A warm natural sweetness that does not so much coat the mouth with a cloying sappy sugar but one that is sweet and creamy like a condensed milk. So what we have here, is a sweet, creamy, cucumber, tea. Strange I think. Usually I get a totally different flavor profile from Silver Needle!
I had this before bedtime, and I could not stop thinking about it as I fell asleep. I woke up this morning to my spent leaves, as I had several steepings, and just wanted to wake up enough to make another cup, have another session with this perplexing tea. I am not sure quite yet how I feel about it exactly. I need to overcome my pre-conceived notions of what this was “supposed” to taste like and just enjoy it for its unusual and wonderful nature unto itself. On the other hand I am craving it like crazy! A huge thank you to my Steepster friend for sending me this tea! My views may be changing on white teas, I may need to explore them with more abandon!
I am not going to say this is my all time favorite white tea, as it is so unusual, but it is one that I would like to have in my stash! I can’t wait to try this cold brewed although I don’t know if I would appreciate a milky, creamy, cucumber tea, cold. Yet I have plenty to play with so I will give it a try. Cucumber to me says summer, yet creamy and milky are more reserved for cooler months. Maybe I am just too narrow minded. Its just such an unusual flavor profile to me.
Time to make that other cup I was talking about … discovery ongoing….
Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea Flavored from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Different from our Unflavored Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea, this Flavored Jin Xuan Oolong Tea is produced by adding edible flavoring to accentuate the milk flavor. So the milk aroma of this Flavored Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong is stronger. It is better for people who like strong milk fragrance.
This Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea we selected is imported directly from Taiwan to Fujian, China. This tea meets the most strictly European low pesticide residues standard for agricultural products.
View Quality Safety Analyzing ReportThe flavor used for this Flavored Jin Xuan Milk Tea is from Mane (Shanghai), the branch company of the famous Flavours and Fragrances company “Mane”, which is founded in 1871 in the Grasse area, France.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea Flavored from Teavivre is creamy, soothing, and delicious, just what I want in a milk oolong! I really quite enjoy this tea for its creamy goodness. While I love Teavivre’s unflavored version this version provides a bit more sweetness, almost a caramel note.
I typically enjoy a darker roasted oolong as a rule however now and then I prefer something on the green side of oolongs. This is a nice departure with more vegetal notes, and buttery goodness!
Some have said this reminds them of a cream cheese frosting more than milk and I tend to agree with that assessment. There is something so intriguing about this tea flavor that it is really difficult to describe and has to be experience for yourself. Now with that said, its not too sweet, its not sappy or cloying, so don’t be afraid to give it a go if you are not one who appreciates sweeter teas. Its not even the kind of sweetness one would get from tea with honey or maple notes. The sour cream frosting flavor really isn’t all that sweet, but there is some sort of bite to the milkiness, or just a hint at a sour note that keeps me trying to dissect it. You see the more I attempt to describe this tea the worse I feel I make it sound. Its not sour like sour milk where one’s mind may naturally go to considering it is a milk flavored tea right? But its not like that either. There is nothing off putting about this tea whatsoever. Its very soothing, very mellow, very relaxing, sedating almost.
For me it brings back childhood memories of my great great grandmother’s milk toast she used to feed me when I was little especially when I had tummy aches. I still love milk toast and I love this tea.
Coconut Milky Oolong from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
A decadent dessert tea, to be sipped & savored. Our Taiwanese Milky Oolong has a smooth yet fruity and creamy taste. It’s blended with shaved coconut to create a delicate and calming experience in aroma and flavor. If you love coconut milk sweets and sophisticated oolongs, this is your tea. Discover this guiltless dessert – simply extraordinary!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Have you ever taken a sip of a tea and find that it is so good that it just totally exceeded your expectations – and your expectations were high to begin with? I mean, something that was so good that you exclaim: OH YUM! without even thinking about it?
That’s what happened to me when I took a sip of this tea. My expectations were already high … because, well, I love Milky Oolong tea, I adore coconut, and I cannot recall ever having been disappointed by a tea from The Tea Spot. But as good as I thought this tea would be, I was still not prepared for it to taste THIS good!
This is sweet and creamy and decadent … and yeah, I expected that from a Milk Oolong and a Coconut tea. And I also expected the flavors of the Milk Oolong and the coconut to meld really well together. But … oh wow! This is so creamy. Sweet and coconut-y, but not in a way where the coconut oppresses the palate and prevents it from tasting the sweet, creamy taste of the Milk Oolong.
The Milk Oolong has faint floral notes, and of course, that decadent creamy note over which those of us that love Milk Oolong swoon and vegetative notes that marry well with the other flavors of the cup. This tea offers such a pleasing balance of the creamy, sweet taste of coconut and of Milk Oolong, it tastes a bit like the creamy custard of a coconut cream pie! YUM!
I highly recommend this one to those of you who like Milk Oolong … and love coconut!
Special, Limited-Time Offer: Now through November 9, you can save 15% on your purchase of Coconut Milky Oolong from the Tea Spot! Just put the tea in your shopping cart, and use the coupon code cocooolong at checkout, and enjoy your savings … and the tea!
Osmanthus Tea from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Osmanthus Oolong combines high quality Jin Xuan variety loose leaf tea with fresh osmanthus flowers to produce a most spectacular tea. Handmade and scented using only natural methods this is an example of an aromatic tea that tastes as good as it smells.
Key Flavours: Bright soft stone fruits. Juicy peaches and ripe apricots with delicate touches of natural creaminess.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After receiving a wonderful mixed box of samples from Driftwood Tea I selected this as the first one to taste and review. When I opened the bag I was greeted with the aromas of a wonderful milky oolong! The dry leaf is quite pretty with small bits of osmanthus flower through out.
The flavor of this tea is creamy which I love in tea. Beyond creamy what I get is a candy flavor! Yes candy. It reminds me of the White Rabbit candies that my daughter loves so much. Okay I admit, I love them too except they are terrible on my teeth! Now I can have my creamy milk candy in a tea! This tea is somewhat sweet but in a natural manner of course which is so much better! I am sure that comes from the fruity flavors in the tea which I find to be far more subtle than other teas with fruit flavors, yet they are present and pleasant!
The peachy apricot notes come out much after the tea cools. They are light flavors however so do not expect a peach flavored pow in your cup.
I did not do an initial rinse and I am glad as thus far it is my favorite steep being the sweetest and most candy like out of my two steeps thus far.
The oolong base is wonderful, light, and fragrant in and of itself so the osmanthus does not totally take over whatsoever, rather just add a lovely light floral element to the tea and I believe also add to the creaminess.
Overall this is a light oolong and while I do love darker deeper oolongs I am absolutely appreciating the wonderful flavor characteristics of this lighter oolong tea! This is what I would consider a late afternoon or early evening oolong.
As I wait on steep three I wanted to mention how fast Driftwood Tea’s shipping is! I was shocked when it arrived within only a matter of days! I can’t remember for sure if it was three days or five days but it was well under a week and I have waited well over a week for teas from some tea companies right here in the United States!
This third steep is so far the creamiest. Its not as sweet nor as fruity but it is like a mouth full of silk! It has a puffy marshmallow like texture that is just so luxurious! As I reflect upon the smooth sensation in my cup I refer to the founder of Driftwood Tea’s philosophy:
Frequently I have encountered tea aficionados – pompous and aloof – seemingly preoccupied by the grade of a loose leaf, or a wonderfully exotic name, when in reality the resulting liquor that was being produced was, well, blah. For me that’s not what tea should be about.
I have now spent the last ten years searching for and sampling some of the world’s finest teas. During this time I have learned many things about loose leaf tea, yet there really is only one point which I have found to be crucial: do I like it? If you like what you’re drinking nothing else should really matter.
I for one agree, and I can say I DO like this tea!