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For the past couple of days, I have been taking a break from oolongs in order to spend a little more time on both white and black teas. I’ve been drinking a white Darjeeling from the The Tao of Tea that I found to be absolutely lovely, but I have also been drinking this Ceylonese black tea. It has not impressed me nearly as much.

I tried preparing this tea several different ways. Since the results I got with each preparation did not seem all that different, I ended up sticking with the vendor’s suggested method. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 200 F water for 3 minutes. I also tried 4 and 5 minute infusions, but again, they did not seem to be much different. Even though the vendor suggests that one can get 3-4 infusions from 1 teaspoon of this tea, I did not attempt it. One infusion was enough for me. I had no interest in spending more time with this tea than I absolutely had to.

The infused liquor showed a dark, coppery amber in the glass. The nose was very mild. I was just barely able to detect slight aromas of cream, straw, herbs, lemon, leather, wood, and malt. In the mouth, I picked up fleeting sensations of cream, straw, herbs, leather, lemon, malt, toast, wood, and roasted nuts (walnut and hickory). The finish was very clipped and somewhat astringent, offering lingering impressions of toast, roasted nuts, wood, and leather.

I really did not feel like there was all that much to this tea. In terms of aroma and flavor, there is not much there. Also, I found the astringency to be a bit distracting. Furthermore, I found this tea to be very thin-bodied. I normally do not like teas that are very slight and watery in the mouth, and to me, this one is. So, when I look at this tea as a whole, I am left with a thin, bland, astringent tea that does not at all meet my expectations. I loathe giving low scores and poor write-ups, but I felt forced to do so in this instance. Based on my experience, I do not think I would feel comfortable recommending this tea to anyone.

This is the first white tea I have had in a long time. Normally, I stick with traditional Chinese white teas, but when I saw this white Darjeeling from The Tao of Tea, I could not pass on it. I love Darjeeling teas and really wanted to try something new, so I was more than a little intrigued by a white Darjeeling. Fortunately, this curiosity purchase was well worth it.

When it came to preparing this tea, I was a little unsure how to proceed. In the end, I opted to brew this tea gongfu style. I know that some people would raise an eyebrow at the idea of preparing a non-Chinese tea gongfu style, but I did this for two reasons that seemed solid enough to me. First, I had never brewed a white tea gongfu style prior to this, so I wanted to see how it went. Secondly, I thought brewing a tea like this gongfu style might focus the aromas and flavors more than a Western preparation. After a brief rinse, I steeped approximately 5-6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 170 F water. I followed this initial infusion with 6 subsequent infusions with an increase of 5 seconds per infusion (15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 seconds).

In terms of both aroma and flavor, the first infusion was very strong. I detected a faintly grassy, herbal aroma underscoring more pronounced scents of Muscat grape, white peach, apricot, cream, oats, fresh flowers, and mild spice (somewhat reminiscent of nutmeg). On the palate, there were well-integrated notes of apricot, white peach, Muscat grape, honeydew, cream, honey, nectar, butter, oats, and nutmeg, with hints of grass, hay, and herbs on the finish. The next two infusions offered more of the same, but with way more balance. I definitely noticed a subtle increase in the strength of the grass, hay, and herb aromas and flavors. The final four infusions saw the tea moving away from its pronounced fruity and floral character toward alternately creamier, grassier, and more herbal aromas and flavors. From the third steep on, I also noticed a subtle minerality begin to emerge. It grew a little stronger with each subsequent infusion, but never really dominated the nose or palate. Instead, it was always underscored by traces of most of the other aromas and flavors.

To be perfectly honest, I could probably have gotten at least 1-2 more infusions out of this tea, but opted to cut my session a little short. I could see the direction the tea was headed and felt confident that it did not hold any surprises for me at that point. I like this one. As a matter of fact, I really like this one. It has some of the fruitiness of a Darjeeling, but it also displays the subtlety and depth of a good Chinese white tea. I can honestly say that it kind of reminded me a little bit of the more familiar Silver Needle white teas from China, but with more sweetness and a more fruit forward character. If you are a fan of white teas and want to try something a little bit different, I think this tea could really hit the spot.

I ordered a sample of this tea from Harney and Sons a couple months back, and in a concerted effort to reduce the number of teas I have left in my cupboard, I decided to take a break from oolongs and give this tea a chance. Those of you who read my reviews have probably noticed that I do not review Ceylon teas all that frequently. There is a reason for this-I don’t tend to like them as well as many Chinese, Indian, and Taiwanese black teas. Still, I wanted to give this tea a fair shot, so I did my absolute best to ensure that my bias against Ceylonese black teas did not get in my way when it came to reviewing this tea.

I prepared this tea using a one step Western infusion. I steeped approximately 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 212 F water. I tried a couple different steep times when making this tea, all in the 4-5 minute range. The specific preparation I am reviewing utilized a 4 minute steep time. I thought that one was the best and most balanced. Note that I did not resteep this tea. Again, I generally do not resteep black teas unless specifically recommended by the vendor.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the little tea pouch was that this tea contained not only leaves, but intact stems and flowers as well. It was a nice touch and really added to the aroma of the tea. The infused liquor was a rich golden amber with a slightly brownish tint. On the nose, I picked up pronounced aromas of herbs, toast, malt, leather, orange, lemon, and honey. There was also a faint tea flower scent. In the mouth, I detected distinct notes of orange, lemon, herbs, toast, malt, cream, roasted nuts, leather, honey, apricot, molasses, and tea flowers. There was also what I thought was a mild spiciness, but after trying this tea a couple different ways, I still could not be sure. Maybe it was just me. The finish emphasized brisk floral, citrus, and toast notes with a pronounced astringency that imparted a lingering dryness.

If I can say one thing about this tea, it is that it is unique. The inclusion of intact stems and flowers gives it a little extra something visually, on the nose, and in the mouth that is hard for me to explain. It almost gives the tea a rustic quality that is very endearing. Otherwise, the mix of aromas and flavors is good, though nothing I wouldn’t expect from a typical Ceylonese black tea. If you are a fan of Ceylonese teas and looking for something a tad quirky, I could see this being up your alley.

I received a 5 gram sample packet of this oolong following a mix-up with a recent order. Prior to the introduction of US forwarding, Verdant, as I’m sure pretty much all of you are well aware, shipped their orders from China. Well, an order of mine from May simply disappeared. When I say that it disappeared, I mean the order had been filled and was shipped, but it could not be located in the China Post system period. There was no record of it anywhere. So, the folks at Verdant Tea were gracious enough to work with me, refunded my order, and as compensation for the lost order, tacked a ton of free samples onto my next order. This was one of them.

I prepared this tea gongfu style using the suggested brewing method on the Verdant Tea website. Since the other two reviewers on Steepster seemed to have concerns about the strength of this tea’s flavor, I opted to use the full 5 gram sample in my 4 ounce gaiwan. I like my oolongs strong, as those of you who read my reviews are well aware (5-6 grams in a 4 ounce gaiwan is normal for me). Following the rinse, I steeped the full 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 208 F water for 10 seconds. I followed this infusion with 7 additional infusions at 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 seconds respectively.

Following the rinse, I detected intense aromas of ginseng, nectarine, green apple, toasted sesame, kale, spinach, artichoke, sweetgrass, and marigold, with perhaps a hint of chrysanthemum. The initial infusion produced a similarly strong nose, coupled with intense notes of toasted sesame, alfalfa sprouts, artichoke, kale, fresh spinach, watercress, sweetgrass, and damp hay balanced by much subtler notes of marigold, chrysanthemum, cream, butter, green apple, nectarine, white grape, and ginseng. The second and third infusions presented a much fruitier and somewhat more floral nose. In the mouth, I detected stronger notes of green apple, nectarine, marigold, white grape, cream, and butter, balanced by slightly more reserved notes of toasted sesame, watercress, sweetgrass, kale, spinach, hay, and artichoke. The fourth infusion was, for me, where this tea started to go downhill fast. The tea began to lose its savory, herbal, fruity, and floral characteristics quickly (though they never entirely disappeared) and began to increasingly emphasize grassy, vegetal, and mineral aromas and flavors. I made it through a full eight infusions, though I pretty much lost all interest after six.

I do not really know what to say about this one. Despite some of their flaws (marketing gaffes, unbelievable claims, etc.), I tend to be a big fan of Verdant Tea. I am even a big fan of Master Zhang’s collection, from which this particular oolong comes. I more or less loved the regular Mao Xie Verdant offered this year, and tend to be something of a fan of Mao Xie in general, but this reserve version started off really strong and turned into a total disappointment in my eyes. I think the fact that this is presented as being a step above the regular Mao Xie makes it even worse for me. I tend to not be a big fan of labeling tea based on some opaque measure of quality on the part of a particular farmer and/or vendor, so terms like “reserve” mean very little to me. To be perfectly frank here, this tea reminds me of why I feel this way. I simply can’t recommend this one. If you have to try a Mao Xie from Verdant and do not want the traditional roasted version, wait for the next release of Master Zhang’s regular Mao Xie or see if you can find someone willing to swap a few grams of this year’s release.

As of today, I’m still mowing down the oolongs. After a solid week of 24/7 on-call duty with my local crisis response team, I was in desperate need of something to help me wake up this morning. I wasn’t feeling black tea, so I decided to stay the course and keep plowing through my reserve of oolongs. Today, this Laoshan Roasted Oolong got the nod.

This tea is from the May 2015 picking and was first released last Autumn. I purchased this one in either April or May, but only started drinking it in late July. I prepared this tea gongfu style, but kind of went against Verdant Tea’s suggestions. Following a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of this tea in 4 ounces of 208 F water for 10 seconds. I followed this up with 12 additional infusions with an increase of 2 seconds per infusion. So, steep times for these infusions were as follows: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 seconds.

The aroma of the infused brew was absolutely lovely. I detected rich, robust aromas of chocolate, black cherry, vanilla bean, cream, oatmeal, and rye toast. In the mouth, the first 3 infusions presented a lovely mixture of brown sugar, sweet potato, black cherry, candied orange peel, vanilla bean, cream, oatmeal, chocolate, toasted bran, and rye toast notes. The next 4-5 infusions were milder in aroma, offering somewhat delicate scents of chocolate, cherry, cream, oatmeal, and vanilla with a slight mineral tinge. In the mouth, I noticed that all of the flavors remained intact, but were milder, smoother, and more balanced. A slight mineral flavor had also started to emerge. Through the remainder of infusions, the aromas and flavors continued to grow milder as the tea faded. The mineral aromas and flavors started to become more dominant, though I noticed that traces of candied orange peel, black cherry, sweet potato, vanilla bean, rye toast, and chocolate were still detectable when I really focused my attention on the sensations I was experiencing.

I’m seriously impressed with this roasted oolong. So far, I have yet to be disappointed by Verdant’s Laoshan offerings. Compared to the almost equally excellent Laoshan Green Oolong offered by Verdant, this tea is stronger and more complex, and if monitored rather closely, can really hold its own in a longer session. As far as roasted oolongs go, it is also very approachable, as it lacks the overly strong roasted character that can be so off-putting for some people and it does not shock the nose or palate with turbulent combinations of aromas and flavors. All in all, I think this tea could please the oolong neophyte and the serious, experienced oolong drinker equally. I recommend it very highly and without reservation to anyone looking for a consistent and enjoyable oolong.

Before I start this review, I have to ask a question. Am I the only person that is a little turned off by the number of flavored teas DAVIDsTEA produces? I really prefer my tea unflavored and I would probably order from DAVIDsTEA more frequently if I didn’t have to wade through page after page of gimmicky flavored blends. Maybe it’s just me. At least they offer some solid unflavored teas.

The folks at DAVIDsTEA recommend brewing 1-1.5 teaspoons of this tea in 6-8 ounces of 185 F water for anywhere from 4-7 minutes. I, on the other hand, opted to brew this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of this tea in 4 ounces of 190 F water for 20 seconds. I then performed 7 additional infusions with an addition of 2 seconds per infusion (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 seconds). I found the results very interesting.

The first infusion did not really do much for me. The aroma was very mild, with subtle grass, hay, sesame, and butter aromas underscored by faint floral scents. In the mouth, I detected the expected notes of butter, cream, grass, toasted sesame, and hay underscored by slight woody and floral characteristics. Steeps 2-4 were much more robust, offering stronger aromas and flavors of hay, grass, butter, cream, sesame, and flowers (I couldn’t really determine what they reminded me of, and though orchid and magnolia kept coming to mind, neither the aroma nor the taste exactly fit that description). I also detected a subtle woodiness reminiscent of pine and a slight minerality. On steeps 5-8, the floral, cream, sesame, and butter aromas and flavors gave way to more intense grass, hay, and wood aromas and flavors. Even more vegetal notes emerged. They kind of reminded me of a combination of leaf lettuce and cooked kale. The minerality was also much more pronounced, particularly on the last two infusions.

This is an interesting, yet approachable oolong. In my opinion, it does not quite match the intensity or complexity of some traditional Taiwanese Tung Ting oolongs, but it is still very nice. I could see this being an excellent oolong for beginners because the combination of aromas and flavors is not off-putting or overly complicated, and though the flavor does indeed change over the course of multiple infusions, it does not change radically or in an unpredictable manner.

It is pretty much known at this point that Tieguanyin is one of the most popular and historically revered oolongs on the market. I don’t really need to tell anyone that. What some people may not realize, however, is that the methods used to produce Tieguanyin have varied considerably over the years. Today, many of the Tieguanyins on the market are produced in the so-called contemporary or green style. These teas are not heavily roasted and are often designed to showcase the aromas and flavors produced during a particular year or growing season. From these teas, one can expect lots of rich, creamy aromas and flavors as well as delicate, sweet floral tones. This tea, on the other hand, is produced in the traditional style, meaning that the tea is more heavily roasted. Obviously, this is going to taste very little like many contemporary Tieguanyins.

I prepared this tea more or less according to the gongfu method recommended on the Verdant Tea website. I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 208 F water for 10 seconds following a quick rinse. I performed nine additional infusions with an increase of 2 seconds per infusion (10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 seconds). I would have kept going for at least a couple more infusions, but was pressed for time. It is important to note that I did rotate the leaves after the fifth infusion in order to reinvigorate the tea and keep it from settling in on itself.

The initial infusions produced an extremely aromatic liquor. I picked up really deep, complex aromas of butter, hay, wood, cinnamon, vanilla bean, graham cracker, cream, orchid, violet, caramel, coffee, ripe banana, and minerals. In the mouth, the early infusions were bursting with flavor. I easily detected notes of butter, hay, grass, wood, coffee, minerals, smoke, kettle corn, vanilla bean, cinnamon, caramelized banana, orchid, violet, cream, and roasted nuts. I know that I sometimes chuckle at Verdant’s tasting notes, but honestly, I found the descriptions of caramelized banana, graham cracker, cinnamon, and violet in the flavor of this tea to be amazingly accurate. The middle infusions packed robust aromas and flavors, but were smoother and more balanced. I began to notice the floral and cinnamon notes recede somewhat, though the other flavors described above remained distinct. I did, however, note that the hay, grass, butter, and mineral notes grew steadily more pronounced on these infusions. The last couple of infusions saw the mineral, grass, hay, kettle corn, and butter notes remain, though they were underscored by persistent hints of cinnamon, vanilla bean, wood, coffee, and caramelized banana.

For me, this tea was a lot to take in, but I really enjoyed it. I have at least a little bit of familiarity with the more traditional roasted Tieguanyins, and I can honestly say that I do not have much of a problem with this one. I will say that this is not a tea I could drink every day, or even on a regular basis. There is just so much going on with it that it can be a little daunting to try to analyze all of the sensations I get from it. I can’t help but grade it highly and recommend it, however, because it is very complex, very unique, and very tasty in its own slightly peculiar way. If you are a fan of roasted oolongs, definitely try this one, but if you are a fan of the sweeter, more floral contemporary oolongs, you should still not pass on this one. It may not convert you, but you at least may be able to gain an appreciation and understanding of the traditional preparation.

Earlier in the year, I was both surprised and delighted that Steven Smith Teamaker was again dabbling in oolong and pu-erh teas. Normally, I think of this particular vendor when I think of high quality black teas and black tea blends, although I also have a soft spot for some of the tisanes, green teas, and white teas they offer. This year, they have three oolongs and one pu-erh available. This Taiwanese high mountain oolong is the only one of the bunch to come from anywhere outside of mainland China. It is produced from the Golden Lily tea cultivar, which I tend to associate with the creamy, buttery Jin Xuan oolongs I tend to love.

I prepared this tea using a slight variation of the gongfu method I used to prepare the Jade Oolong from Tealyra. I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 190 F water for 20 seconds following a quick rinse. I kept this session short. I only performed 5 additional infusions at 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 seconds.

The first thing I noticed about this tea was that the aroma of the wet leaves really betrayed that this oolong was prepared from the Golden Lily cultivar. The aroma was very light, but emphasized a combination of cream and butter underscored by sweetgrass and a melange of fruits. In the mouth, the first couple of infusions offered light, airy notes of white peach, papaya, mango, apricot, cantaloupe, honeydew, honey, cream, custard, sweetgrass, and something very much resembling flower nectar. The middle infusions offered a more balanced array of aromas and flavors. On the nose, I picked up a slightly heavier fruit presence to balance out the cream and custard aromas. I also noted a slightly more pronounced vegetal scent, as well as a hint of very light minerality. In the mouth, I noted light notes of cream and custard balanced by fruit, nectar, and honey with more pronounced notes of sweetgrass, as well as leaf lettuce and minerals toward the finish. The last two infusions offered a milder and more vegetal nose with a more pronounced mineral aroma. In the mouth, I picked up on extremely delicate, fragile notes of sweetgrass, lettuce, and minerals underpinned by incredibly light floral, nectar, melon, peach, and honey notes.

I kind of liked this oolong, but I do have to say that I have had better. For me, the aromas and flavors were a bit too timid and delicate. I enjoyed the range of aromas and flavors displayed by this tea, but I would have liked to see greater depth. I was also slightly disappointed that the aromas and flavors faded so quickly, as I was kind of hoping for (but not entirely expecting) a slightly longer session. Still, I could see this being a good introduction to contemporary Taiwanese high mountain oolongs and would not really hesitate to recommend this tea to someone looking to get into them.

Jade oolong is a type of Taiwanese oolong that is noted for its light, floral aroma and taste. Of all the Taiwanese oolongs, jade oolong is not so much one of the rarer types, as it is one of the less popular types. Most drinkers of Taiwanese oolongs have historically gravitated toward the more heavily roasted varieties, but judging from the number of lighter, sweeter Taiwanese oolongs that are currently on the market, that trend is starting to change. For me, that is a good thing. I greatly enjoy Taiwanese oolongs and welcome an increase in the amount of Taiwanese tea on the market.

For the purpose of this review, I brewed this tea gongfu style. Following a quick rinse, I prepared an initial infusion of 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 195 F water. This infusion lasted 20 seconds. It was followed by eight additional infusions lasting 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36 seconds. Note that I did not exactly follow the traditional Taiwanese gongfu method. I was specifically trying to make sure that the first infusion was bursting with flavor and that the subsequent infusions introduced subtle variations as the tea faded. To be precise, I was trying to really focus the aromas and flavors while simultaneously testing this tea’s boundaries.

The initial infusions produced a lovely and almost indescribable aroma. To me, it resembled a mixture of honey and flowers-osmanthus, chrysanthemum, lillies, orchid, and magnolia perhaps? In the mouth, the first infusions produced delicate and superbly integrated notes of lily, magnolia, chrysanthemum, osmanthus, orchid, cream, honey, custard, sticky rice, and steamed buns with traces of sweetgrass in the background. The middle infusions were mellower, bringing out more pronounced cream, honey, and sweetgrass aromas and flavors. The later infusions emphasized heavy cream, honey, and sweetgrass aromas and flavors with faint floral underpinnings and a hint of light minerality.

In the end, I really liked this oolong. The vendor describes it as a good beginner’s oolong because the flavors are not overpowering, but I am not really sure that is fair. I can see this tea being a good introduction to Taiwanese oolongs, but I can also see it being a good everyday oolong for those who are more familiar with teas of this type. It has enough depth and complexity to really shine on its own, it holds up well over the course of a relatively lengthy session (something greener oolongs, even those of high quality, do not always do), and it displays a unique combination of aromas and flavors. Try as I might, I really could not find much fault with this tea. I recommend it highly.

Coming from Chittur Taluk in the Palakkad district of the Indian state of Kerala, this organic black tea is listed by the merchant as being one of the most unique teas in the region. I like that this is an organic tea that is very food friendly, but I do not think it really holds up to some of the other black teas coming out of South India. Still, it is worth trying.

I brewed this tea using a simple one step Western infusion. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 212 F water for 3 minutes. As readers of my reviews well know, I do not normally perform additional infusions on black teas unless specifically recommended by the vendor.

This tea brews up a clear, rich amber. I picked up soft, mild aromas of toast, cream, malt, herbs, straw, molasses, leather, brown sugar, candied orange peel, and sweet potato on the nose. In the mouth, I detected mild, integrated notes of candied orange peel, toast, cream, malt, straw, herbs, molasses, brown sugar, leather, sweet potato, and apricot. The finish was brisk and somewhat fruity with sweet potato, brown sugar, and molasses notes providing balance.

This really isn’t a bad little tea. In my time working with it, I can say that I found it to be very versatile. It has just enough flavor to stand up on its own, but it also makes a rock solid breakfast tea, taking milk, cream, and other additives well. As mentioned earlier, it pairs well with food, complimenting a range of savory dishes capably. I feel that I can safely recommend this tea to fans of South Indian teas who are looking for something a little different and/or looking for something to serve with food, though I doubt I will purchase it again. It doesn’t really have the depth of flavor that I look for in black teas and it also lacks the floral character I enjoy in other South Indian teas. Still, it’s not bad.