When I was young, I was a great fan of hot chocolate, but hot chocolate is troublesome to make if you are making real hot chocolate (with milk & everything). I tried coffee once or twice, but it was even more disgusting than beer. Herbal teas were drinkable, though, and I slowly graduated to green tea. Then one day a my mother bought a Bigelow box set of teas which happened to include an oolong tea.

I instantly fell in love with oolong—not quite as raw and grassy as green tea but not so bitter & disgusting as black tea. (Not that green tea is bad; I still liked it, and all my favorite oolongs tend towards the green side of the oolong spectrum. I just prefer oolongs.)

In roughly chronological order:

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong First Grade (★★★★☆ / ★★★☆☆) A very nice tieguanyin (which is one of my favorite kinds of oolong). The flavor is straight oolong: in between green and black, with a tiny bit of sweetness. One of the best I’ve had. Handles re-steeping well. (It is largely the same as the second-grade, but the second had a sort of ‘woody’ taste to it that the first doesn’t.) On the strength of this tasting from 2009, I ordered 400g of it in 2012 to be my standard tea when I ran out of samplers; to my great disappointment, it does not taste as good as I remember it. I don’t know whether my palate has become more demanding or whether the quality has fallen. An online acquaintance happened to order some at the same time, and was very satisfied with it, suggesting the former.

Tindharia Estate Oolong (★★★☆☆) Nothing memorable.

Bao Jun (★★☆☆☆) Like the Tindharia, nothing memorable. In fact, this was pretty weak in flavor.

Formosa Heavy-Baked Ti-Guan-Yin (★☆☆☆☆) Far too bitter and dark and ‘burnt’ tasting!

Formosa Jade Oolong Imperial (★★★★★) The finest Jade Oolong that we have ever sampled. Those who are looking for the best of what Taiwan can produce will want to try at least the sample size (12 grams). The first time I ordered a sample, I thought the Imperial was extremely good—one of the, if not the best, oolongs I’ve ever had. But also expensive, so I did not order it again for several years. Again I was struck by the wonderful complex fragrance one inhales as one opens the bag. I wasn’t quite so impressed the second time, having had many more oolongs since then; it is indeed excellent, but I have to stand by my original appraisal that it is too expensive.

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong Second Grade (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Just slightly woody. Otherwise, a solid good oolong. Downside is that it does not resteep so the price advantage is less than appears.

Osmanthus Oolong Se Chung (★★★★☆) It’s a solid oolong, but the floral taste (I don’t know how to describe the osmanthus flavor) really makes this for me. I like to mix a little of it into some of my other oolongs, though it’s not the best re-steeper I’ve ever had. This was my default oolong for a long time because 500g was just $18. One of the downsides of buying in such bulk is that the osmanthus fragments exhibited a Brazil nut effect and the last hundred cups were more osmanthus than tea.

Fen Huan Dan Cong (★★☆☆☆) The description promises a strong flavor, but perhaps I prepared it poorly because the flavor struck me as weak, nor did I particularly notice any peach. I was disappointed; I’d’ve been better off buying some more of the Osmanthus or 1st-grade Imperial.

Season’s Pick Tie-Guan-Yin #132 (★★★☆☆) A solid oolong somewhere between the Second and First Grade oolongs

Fancy Oolong Imperial (★★★★☆) Very good; similar to the First Grade Imperial oolong.

Benshan (★★★★☆) I bought this and the roasted barley tea (see later) from the Rainbow Grocery Cooperative when I was visiting my sister in San Francisco. Benshan is a fairly green oolong and right up my alley, although it struck me as lacking the slight sweetness and floral overtones I expect from the best oolongs. But regardless, it was pretty tasty, and adding a little bit of the barley made the benshan oolong even better.

Iron Buddha from Teavana (★★★☆☆) Standard oolong; nothing memorable.

Oolong Fine Grade (★★★☆☆); standard oolong

Formosa Amber Oolong (★★☆☆☆); too black-tea-like

Formosa Jade Oolong (★★★☆☆ / ★★★★☆); quite tasty, in the same vein as the First and Second Grade oolongs (although not as good)

China Oolong Se Chung (★★☆☆☆); just as described—too woody for me

Ruan Zhi Thai (★★★☆☆) I didn’t expect much of a Thai tea, since I’ve never heard of oolongs from Thailand before. To a little surprise, I found it to be a completely normal oolong. Nothing floral to the taste, just a plain ordinary oolong. I would not have suspected you of lying if you had told me it was a Formosan oolong.

Superior Competition Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong (★★★★☆) Very good oolong. Comparable to the First and Second grade Imperial oolongs, without doubt.

China Oolong Organic Eastern Beauty (★★☆☆☆) A disappointment; nothing special—the subtle notes are too subtle for me.

Tie-Guan-Yin Special Tribute (★★★☆☆) Rolled leaf-balls. Similar to the Oolong Fine Grade; but has a somewhat mysterious floral taste I can’t really compare to anything. Doesn’t seem to re-steep very well.

Wuyi Golden Guan Yin (★★☆☆☆) Loosely rolled long leaves; weak flavor with nothing of interest about it. (I’ll agree with the Upton’s description that it’s not bitter, but calling it ‘sweet’ or having a ‘raisin-like’ flavor is just hyperbole.) Disappointing.

Floral Jinxuan (★★★☆☆) At first, I thought this was ordinary, but upon resteeping I noticed the promised floral notes—they reminded me strongly of the osmanthus oolong.

Formosa Oolong Spring Dragon (★★★☆☆) Like the Special Tribute, but weaker in flavor, I think.

“Tea at the Empress” (★★☆☆☆); I picked up this dark blue cylindrical tin of teabags somewhere or other. It doesn’t even specify what kind of tea it is, but apparently it has something to do with a hotel, and claims to be from “The Fairmont Store” (although no item is listed similar to the tin). It’s not very good oolong. It starts off fairly bitter and doesn’t improve, but at least it doesn’t get too horrible as it resteeps. Regardless, I don’t know where I would get more and I would not get more if I knew.

Empress Guei-Fei Oolong (★★★☆☆) At 5 minutes of steeping, a pretty ordinary oolong; by 10 minutes, a strong floral taste had developed. Continued steeping made the flavor weaker and bitterer (as one would expect), but no other changes. It reminded me of the osmanthus oolong. During the second tasting, the floral flavor was not as overpowering; I was careful to use the same tsp amount of tea for each of the 9 teas, which suggests that perhaps last time I used too much of the Empress. Not bad at all, I may order it again.

Oolong Choice Grade (★★★★☆) At 5 minutes, another ordinary oolong, but by 10 minutes, the flavor has not become bitter but rather continued to develop into a very oolong flavor. Little change with re-steepings. In the second tasting, I noted that it was ‘a sharper blacker flavor than Anxi and Empress’. A good oolong, might be a candidate for my ‘standard’ tea (but would need to check prices of the others).

Formosa Oolong Choicest (★★☆☆☆) The 5 minute steeping tasted both woody and floral, an odd combination which bothered me (I had expected more—it cost twice what the Oolong Choice Grade did). The 10 minute steeping wasn’t much better: it was sweeter tasting, but the stem/wood flavor was even stronger, and it didn’t improve or change very much at any subsequent steeping. It’s possible I prepared it wrong or picked a pinch of stems, but it seems unlikely I will pay the premium for this tea when I am not sure I can even describe it as ‘good’. (In the second tasting, I noted only that it was ‘slightly sour’.)

“Anxi tikwanyin” (★★★☆☆) Another gift from my sister. This is a mild medium oolong with relatively little floral taste compared to everything else I’ve been testing. As expected from the Anxi county tea region, their Tie-Guan-Yin is perfectly acceptable.

“Momo Oolong Super Grade”, Lupicia Fresh Tea (★★★☆☆ / ★★★★☆) As the name indicates, this is a peach-flavored oolong. I bought a bag of 10 teabags during Sakura Matsuri 2012. I wondered if $15122012 was too much to pay, but the bag seemed oddly heavy and the back said each bag had 2g of tea in them! 2 grams is a lot, and 20g is more reasonable for $15122012—similar to Upton’s samples when S&H is included. (When I checked online, I saw the loose tea was $16132012 for 50g. Oh well. Finder’s fee.) The bags were the first I’ve seen made with a plastic mesh, and when I brewed the first one, the taste was far too strong. It was without doubt peach-flavored. For the next batches, I cut open the bag and used a fourth of the contents. This made a much more reasonable flavor, which holds up well under resteeping, and the peach-flavor is not as artificial-tasting as the other peach tea I have now. One thing I’ve learned after drinking many mugs is that this tea quickly becomes flavorless—it doesn’t hold up under resteeping; this may be because it was designed for quick release as tea bags—but hopefully the loose tea is unshredded leaves and this would be less of a problem. When I run out of tea, I may order a batch of Lupicia since besides the Momo Oolong, they have some oolongs I haven’t tried before.

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong Special Grade (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆) Floral, but oddly it also tasted sour. Not recommended, to say the least, but perhaps the first tasting was simply an aberrant cup. On later tastings, I didn’t notice further sourness, and it seemed more acceptable. Dosing is difficult because the large whole leaves are very tightly wrapped but sometimes are just stems, so it is easy to add too few or too many. I retried a sample of this in November 2019, because I couldn’t believe that a decent-sounding oolong would be so bad. It wasn’t, and was mch better, but was still a bland TGY.

Tie-Guan-Yin Vintage Style, Floral Tie-Guan-Yin Superior (★★★☆☆) Neither left a strong enough impression to review although the Floral Superior lived up to at least the first part of the name; they were both similar to the Special Grade. At times during this tasting, I wondered if Upton had screwed up & they were the same teas (but they couldn’t’ve been because the tea leaves were visibly different). The Floral Superior does not handle resteeping well, quickly losing flavor.

Super Fancy Oolong (★☆☆☆☆) Indescribable taste, but whatever it is, makes it bad.

Roasted Oolong (★★★☆☆) Pretty much as expected: a standard oolong taste with a smoky aftertaste. Smoky oolongs are not my cup of tea, but I had to try. The upside is that it turns out to resteep very well, and the smoky aftertaste slowly changes to a sweeter honey-like aftertaste.

Magnolia Blossom Oolong (★★★☆☆) The magnolia flavor is strong with this one. I was surprised to instantly recognize the flavor, because as far as I knew I had never had anything magnolia-flavored before. The flavor itself leaves me mixed—I sort of like but also sort of don’t. This may be one of the teas best consumed only at intervals or mixed in with another. It doesn’t resteep well, almost immediately losing any flavor.

Pre-Chingming Da Hong Pao (★★☆☆☆) Floral and weak. More green-white than oolong.

Organic Da Hong Pao Oolong (★★☆☆☆) A stronger Pre-Chingming Da Hong Pao, which then undercuts the improvement by tacking on an aftertaste which is not smoky but burnt. In general, this batch of oolongs was a disappointment: either boring or bad. I may finally have exhausted Upton’s oolong catalog.

Revolution “Dragon Eye Oolong Tea: 16 single cup Infusers” (★★★☆☆) A Christmas gift, this flavored oolong comes in the nice little plastic mesh bags that non-loose-tea products seem to be moving towards these days. The Se Chung and Shui Xian blend is heavily flavored with safflower, peach, and apricot for a somewhat overwhelmingly floral taste which makes it hard to judge the underlying oolong (it seems OK, but not great). Seems to handle a few resteeps well.

Discover Tea’s “Ti Kuan Yin” (★★★☆☆) A perfectly ordinary and satisfactory oolong; it handles steeping well and delivers a cup medium between green and black. While I was at their Williamsburg shop, I had a cup of their “Glenburn Moonshine Oolong”; it’s hard to judge from one cup you didn’t make, but while the leaves have a lovely silver fuzz and the brew was pretty good, I didn’t like it sufficiently to justify the 2-3x premium over the tie kuan yin.

Spice & Tea Exchange, Coconut Oolong (★★★☆☆) Bao Zhong oolong with coconut extract. I am not a fan of coconut flavor and bought it out of curiosity when I wandered into their Williamsburg shop before Christmas 2013 (I also bought an ounce of their genmai-cha). It was better than I expected: the coconut is a light overlay and not overpowering, and the base Bao Zhong seems to be fine.

Tao of Tea, “Green Dragon Oolong Tea” (★★★★☆) Solid oolong, much like a tieguanyin with the floral after-taste I love so much in oolongs. Resteeps normally without becoming too bitter.

Tao of Tea, “Black Dragon Oolong Tea” (★★★☆☆) A black tea in all but name; very similar to the Amali African Queen. Steeps perhaps twice. Didn’t much enjoy, but not as bitter & unpleasant as most black teas.

Tea’s Etc, “Ginseng Loose Leaf Oolong Tea” (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) I hadn’t tried a ginseng tea before, and when this one popped up on Amazon, I thought I’d give it a try. While I strongly suspect the health benefits of ginseng have been overblown , the flavor might still be nice. The tea comes in coated pellets, with some wisps of straw-colored plant matter which I assume are ginseng itself. The ginseng flavor is sweet, mild, fruity & difficult for me to compare to anything (I guess I should just describe it as ginseng-like!). I think I like it, although like the coconut oolong I wouldn’t want to drink too many cups in a row of it.

Daniel Clough, Golden Lily Wulong (★★★☆☆) 1 of 4 oolongs gifted me by Clough after his travels in China. Interesting and not what I expected, since the tea looked more like a tieguanyin. The Golden Lily almost doesn’t taste like an oolong at all: it tastes sweet, perhaps like honey?, and something harder to describe—googling, it seems the usual description is milky, which on further reflection seems like it’s a good analogy.

Clough, Lan Gui Ren ginseng (★★☆☆☆) A ginseng oolong like the previous Tea’s Etc; there’s no ‘straw’ in it, and the coated pellets are much smaller, although unlike the other, the pellets do open up into tea leaves. Weakly ginseng, sweeter, and almost completely tasteless after the first steep. This one was a disappointment; I hope the other ginseng turns out to be better.

Clough, unknown ginseng (★★★☆☆) A normal foil baggy of little ginseng pellets; no straw, small more irregular pellets, green color. Similar the Tea’s Etc one.

Clough, unspecified TGY oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) A vacuum-sealed small sample (10g?) of Chinese tea; I didn’t recognize any of the names or characters on it (I took a photo just in case it turned out to matter). The first steep is a fairly tasty tieguanyin, but subsequent steeps are absolutely tasteless, which meant I used it up quickly.

Tao of Tea, “Wu Yi Oolong Tea” (★★★☆☆) Very similar to Tao of Tea’s “Black Dragon Oolong Tea”, which I didn’t much like either, but is better than the usual black.

Summit Tea Company, “Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea” (★★★☆☆) Medium oolong, somewhat floral, survives only one steep, not terrible but fairly weak flavor. Tie Guan Yin on a budget: I’m not sure if one can do better for cheaper, but one could easily do better.

Art of Tea, “Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong Tea” (★★★★☆) Reasonable Tie Guan Yin, very green, nice floral aftertaste; sensitive to temperature, though, and easily prepared too hot. Probably can do better quality vs price-wise. Container is a bit flimsy and if it falls to the ground, will spill contents all over (as I found out the hard way).

Tao of Tea’s “Royal Phoenix Oolong Tea” (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Toasty texture, fragrant aroma and sweet, high-bounce taste similar to nectarines and peaches. Origin is Guangdong Province, China No reviews, but I thought the description sounded promising and Tao of Tea has earned a little bit of trust, so I took a gamble with it. The leaves are long stringy black leaves. It resteeps well. My initial impression was that the flavor is indeed somewhat sweet and, grandiose name notwithstanding, it tastes like a middle of the road oolong with no particular additional flavors or aftertaste—just sort of oolong-y. I was disappointed: OK, not good I think I must have prepared it badly the first few times (perhaps too hot or steeped too long) because as I drink the rest of it, I’m enjoying it more and the flavor seems closer to the floral sort of Tie Guan Yin flavor I like most.

Huang Jin Gui Oolong (★★★★☆) This premium Oolong is produced in Anxi county of Fujian province, with a light oxidation level of less than 20%. The name Huang Jin Gui translates to “golden osmanthus,” referring to the cup’s light gold hue and the osmanthus-like aroma and flavor. (This and the next 3 are all Chinese teas.) Description is entirely accurate for once. I liked it.

China Tie-Guan-Yin Organic (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) This organic selection has a sweet aroma with hints of tropical flowers and a suggestion of toasted coconut. The cup has interesting notes of stone fruit, golden raisins, and walnuts. The finish has a fruity/floral quality, which is balanced by a light mineral note. Regular TGY. I don’t find the complexities that Upton’s described, but it’s fine.

“Wu Yi” Water Fairy Oolong (★★★☆☆) While not a true Wu Yi Mountain tea, this Fujian province Oolong is a flavorful and affordable alternative. The dark, chocolate-brown leaves produce a dusky ecru liquor with a harmonious flavor profile, accented with a sweet, lingering finish. Some who have enjoyed this selection have commented about nuances of honeysuckle, citrus and peach. On the black end of the spectrum; it’s not as bitter as the previous Wu Yi I tried, which I am grateful for and makes it reasonably drinkable, but this one settles it: Wu Yis just aren’t for me. Time to give up on them, and probably time to start avoiding any oolong which is sufficiently oxidized to be described as black or chocolate-colored.

Zhang Ping Shui Hsian Oolong (★☆☆☆☆) This loosely-rolled Fujian province tea is tightly packed into paper-wrapped “bricks”. Infusing reveals bold, skillfully crafted leaves with a fresh aroma and a hearty cup with a lilac/hyacinth fragrance. The sweet finish has a delicate suggestion of cardamom. I thought this sounded cute—paper-wrapped bricks of tea, a throwback to the traditional methods of packaging and storing tea in China. And it sounded quite good too, a greener oolong right up my alley. But this one was a serious disappointment! The bricks turn out to be a lot of small bricks, and they are a pain to work with; you cannot simply reach in and get some tea, you have to break off compacted chunks of tea, which are hard to measure right and scatter debris (if you do it outside the bag, it’s a mess to clean up, and if you do it inside, the dust will fall to the bottom). I could put up with this format except to my perplexity, the tea seems almost tasteless, not “hearty”; I tried steeping at a variety of water temperatures (though Upton’s calls for 190°, which is not exotic or unusual), convinced I was simply preparing it wrong, but none of them did the trick. (To avoid death by a thousand cleanups, I wound up crushing all the bricks by hand in a big bowl and then pouring them back in.) Expensive, messy, and tasteless.

Tranquil Tuesday: Phoenix Honey Orchid Oolong (★★★☆☆)

Golden Dragon (?): Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea—Iron Goddess of Mercy (WuLong) (★★☆☆☆) Tasteless in much the same way as the Zhang Ping Shui Hsian Oolong was—not a bad taste, but hardly there. Last perhaps one steep and then even the weak flavor is gone. Mine came in a mostly-unlabeled foil bag (so I have no idea where it’s really from), and the reviews for the tins are more positive, suggesting I was sent a lower-quality alternate tea.

The Tao of Tea, Osmanthus Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆) Doesn’t compare well with Upton’s osmanthus oolong. Same problem as the Tao of Tea genmai-cha: the added flavor (osmanthus) is almost untastable and the base tea is nothing to write home about.

Yamamotoyama, Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆) Conveniently available in grocery stores, and not as bad as one might expect of bag tea. On the black end of things, without any of the green or floral tastes but more of a robust kukicha-like flavor.

Pre-Chingming “New Style” Fairy Oolong (★★★☆☆) From Hunan province, this 2015 special production Pre-Chingming Oolong is notable for its outstanding aroma and cup. The flavor notes are intense, with a pronounced orchid/lilac quality as well as a light mineral hint. The finish lingers pleasantly and sweetly. A strong aroma whose floral qualities reminds me of the even more intense scent of the Jade Imperial; I find the flavor more akin to jasmine than orchid. Beyond that, the flavor is mild and meek, and green. Overall, I don’t think the floral aroma makes up for the lack of other distinction in its flavor.

Pre-Chingming Fenghuang Dan Cong (★★★☆☆) From Guangdong province, this venerable-style Oolong tea is made from ancient “single trunk” Camellia sinensis trees. Notable for its peach-like flavor and a pronounced sweet character, this 2015 harvest is suitable for multiple steepings, as with the Gong-fu method. Remarkably sweet, this takes oolongs to a place I did not expect them to go. It is even milder than the New Style and there is a definite fruity flavor to it which I can’t pin down beyond citrus-y, although I don’t think “peach-like” captures it. Here too, while distinct, the flavor does not capture my heart.

Select Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong (★★★★☆) The leaves of this selection display a range of color, with tans, dark olive greens and browns. Rolled in a semi-loose fashion, this tea is processed in the Muzha style (i.e., with a finishing light roast). The smooth liquor is sweet, with both fruity and flowery notes. The finish is clean and lightly sweet. Produced in Anxi, Fujian province. A solid, standard TGY: dark green liquor, resteeps well, and has the virtue of a good TGY in combining the characteristic floral overtones with a robuster main flavor. There are better oolongs but not terribly many.

Jasmine Oolong (★★★★☆) The base tea of this offering is a quality Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong with light oxidation, expertly scented with jasmine blossoms. Most of the blossoms are removed after scenting, which results in a smoother cup. The liquor is a fine marriage of orchid, jasmine, and other floral notes. A strong jasmine you smell as soon as you open the package, which overwhelms the oolong without being bitter or grassy. I’m developing a fondness for jasmine, and this hits the spot.

Tie-Guan-Yin Standard Oolong (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆) This Oolong tea has a neat appearance, with evenly rolled leaves ranging in color from dark olive green to a lighter lime green. The clear infusion is light, with a green-yellow hue. The pleasant flavor has notes of almond milk and light floral/citrus hints. Produced in the Fujian province of China. Thoroughly mediocre. It’s not cheap enough to offset how it’s not much of a TGY and doesn’t resteep. It makes a good TGY cup if you use twice as much as usual but that further destroys the cost advantage.

Formosa GABA Oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Japanese researchers created GABA tea serendipitously in the 1980’s. Wanting effective methods to preserve tea, not fully fermented leaf was exposed to nitrogen. The glutamic acid inherent in tea was transformed to Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, or GABA for short. This selection is notable for its broad and interesting flavor profile, with notes of mango, peach and guava. The cup has a creamy body with a pronounced, lingering sweetness. It’s unusual to see a tea with an origin story fit to rival a superhero’s, and GABA itself is an interesting chemical with the potential to augment tea’s theanine as an anxiolytic (although the much greater efficacy of phenibut suggests GABA on its own may be impotent); as soon as I read the description, I knew I had to try it. This one of the two GABA teas Upton’s carries (the other is “Japanese Green GABA (Gabaron)”); I regret not ordering a sample of the other as well, so I could compare them to each other and to other green/oolongs and get an idea of what part of the taste or effect may be attributable to the nitrogen/GABA process and what is part of the underlying tea which happened to get processed that way. (I have noticed that when it comes to additives or different processes like genmai-cha, the base tea determines how much I like it as much as the additives and that they often are of lower quality; so when I dislike something, it may be the additive, or it may be the base tea. So I need to try at least two, or dislike intensely what is clearly the additive, before I can be reasonably certain and ignore that category henceforth.) The flavor itself is as described, with a fruity rather than floral overtone. Eventually I ordered the Gabaron to compare side by side. The Gabaron tasted like a normal enough green tea, and I couldn’t detect any similarities.

Se Chung Oolong Classic (★★★☆☆) This is a great everyday Oolong at an attractive price. The neatly rolled leaves yield a golden-yellow liquor with a light floral aroma. The medium-bodied cup has a sweet vegetal quality with woody hints and fruity undertones. A pleasant astringency lingers in the finish. Regular oolong, not much flavor

Formosa Jade Oolong Supreme (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Those who appreciate the finer grades of Tung-Ting style Oolong will find this one an exceptional value. The flavor is surprisingly more refined than item TT86. Honey-like, floral.

Standard Grade Formosa Oolong (★★★☆☆) A classic restaurant grade tea, with a smooth character, and classic Formosa Oolong flavors. Priced for everyday use, this selection is an excellent choice for its value and quality. Woody with some smoke.

Formosa Amber Oolong Select (★★★★☆) This grade of Amber Oolong (Wu-Long) has more complex flavor and finer leaf style than our TT55. Highly recommended. Floral, sweet aftertaste, handles long steeping well.

Season’s Pick Oolong Fannings Organic (★★☆☆☆) Reminiscent of a roasted Tie-Guan-Yin, this fannings grade Oolong infuses in one to two minutes. The smooth cup has an earthy molasses character and a light red apple note, with hints of honey and pecans. The lingering finish has a slight minty note. (Fannings are very fine, almost dust-like tea.) Steeps almost instantly, dark brown liquor. Bitter with a coffee-like aroma, it tastes exactly like black tea and not at all like an oolong, even one of the darker and smokier ones.

Thurbo Estate FTGFOP1 Darjeeling Oolong (DJ-300) (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆) This tea is an attractive mix of well-twisted, wiry leaves, decorated with downy silver buds. The light amber cup has a pronounced sweet aroma with light fruity notes. A smooth, creamy mouth feel introduces flavor notes of stone fruit and nuts, which some have likened to pecan. A highly unusual Indian oolong. Medium brown liquor, not particularly black-tasting. Some unidentifiable funky overtone for me that triggers association with mold and wet dogs and puts me off despite the admittedly nice white-tea-esque visual appearance of the leaves.

Belgachi Special Assam Oolong (★★★☆☆) This is a rare production of Oolong style tea from Assam. The leaves are beautifully made, with a color range of multi-hued browns and some silver and gold tips. The liquor has a light sweet note, which deepens into a complex flavor profile with caramel hints. This tea is produced by hand using old-time methods, including drying over a charcoal fire. Similar to the Darjeeling in unusual origin, appearance, and liquor color. It lacks the offputting overtone and has a sweeter and pleasant taste.

Tao of Tea: Frozen Summit (★★★★☆)

Tao of Tea: Oriental Beauty (★★☆☆☆)

China Black Tea Tie-Guan-Yin (★★☆☆☆) Produced from a cultivar used for Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong, this black tea selection has an interesting, complex aroma and flavor. The large, midnight brown leaves yield an amber cup with an aroma of chestnuts and wood. A refreshing minty suggestion complements the nutty/woody flavor notes. Oolong lovers will delight in this unique offering. Black leaves yielding a standard bitter and unpleasant black tea, with no discernible connections to normal TGY oolongs, really emphasizing the difference that the processing makes between green/oolong/black.

Pre-Chingming Fairy China Oolong (★★★★☆) This offering is a 2016 special production Pre-Chingming Oolong from Hunan province. The striking, dark-olive leaf is quite bold and fully intact. Intense orchid/lilac notes are pronounced in both the aroma and the smooth, buttery flavor. Subtle nuances of stone fruit and vegetal hints round out the flavor. Long green leaves producing equally green liquor reminiscent of gyokuro’s ‘grassy’ overtones but with definite floral aftertaste. Resteeps not too well.

Japanese Oolong Organic (★★★☆☆) This unusual tea has dry leaves of differing shapes and colors. The end result is an outstanding cup with a complex flavor profile that is unmistakably Oolong in character, with woody hints, delicate floral notes, and a sweet lingering finish. Like the Standard Grade Formosa Oolong, this is a basic oolong heavy on the woody flavor and somewhat stem-y. A decent cheap accompaniment to a meal but not a great oolong.

Eastern Beauty Oolong (★★★☆☆) The bold leaves of this limited production ‘Eastern Beauty’ Oolong yield an amber-gold cup with a sweet, rich character. Heady notes of ripe fruit and honey are present in both the aroma and the complex flavor, which finishes with a light suggestion of spice. Meh. Not nearly as flavorful as other Eastern Beauties.

Clipper Ship Tea Company: Oriental Beauty Oolong (★★★☆☆)

Ginger’s Oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) When we added ginger to our peachy and delicious Formosa Oolong, we created Ginger’s Oolong, a fun and flavorful spin on our popular Peaches & Ginger tea. Kosher. Details: This is an old blend done over ten years ago. Our Peaches & Ginger is a popular black tea blend. So we thought, “Formosa Oolong has peach notes, lets add some ginger root.” Thus Ginger’s oolong was born. Dry Leaves: Dark brown leaves. Liquor: The ginger in this tea makes the liquor slightly darker, a medium brown. Aroma: The oolong provides the dark peach notes and the ginger gives spicy aromas. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated Body: The oolong is medium bodied. Flavors: The subtle flavors of peaches and toasted nuts are nicely contrasted by the ginger. Harney & Sons is an American tea retailer much like Upton’s in being primarily mail-order based in the Northeast founded around the same time, carrying specialty teas, and offering samples for most of their items; it tends to specialize more in offering blended/scented teas and black teas in a British style than Upton’s extreme variety (eg relatively limited species count in tisanes, and not many whites or pu’erhs or odder teas). I took advantage of a Christmas sale to buy samples of most of their green & oolong teas, and some of the herbals I hadn’t tried like bamboo and chrysanthemum. The samples don’t come with listed amounts, but weighing a few, they mostly come in at 5-7g. Gingery but not overpoweringly so.

Rou Gui Oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) It is a pleasure to offer again Rou Gui Oolong. We love its roasted fruit flavors. It is made in the same area as Da Hong Pao: the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian in China. Dry Leaves: Twisted, dark brown leaves. Liquor: Amber. Aroma: Roasted apricots. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium. Flavors: Apricots & Peaches.

Pomegranate Oolong (★★★☆☆) We infuse full leaves of premium Ti Quan Yin Oolong with tangy pomegranate to create this complex full-bodied blend that brews into a sweetly fragrant and silky textured cup of tea. The Ti Quan Yin Oolong we use is named after the Chinese “Goddess of Mercy”. Please note: Pomegranate Oolong in our box of 50 tea bags and our Historic Royal Palaces tin have been discontinued. Please continue to enjoy this tea in our other tea sachet collections, loose tea, or Fresh Brew Iced Tea pouches. Details: We wanted to offer a flavored oolong blend. This would make oolongs more approachable to some tea lovers. So we chose a good oolong and added the pomegranate. Dry Leaves: Rolled green leaves. Liquor: A very light clear green-yellow. Aroma: On top of the floral and citrus flavors of the tea lies the sweet citrus aromas of pomegranates. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium body. Flavors: A lovely tasting oolong that is light and refreshing with strong flavors of pomegranate.

Fenghuang Shuixian (★★★☆☆) Fenghuang Shuixian, a delicious and rare oolong tea, is widely regarded for its intense peach and spice flavor. A high point of Mike’s trips to China is visiting the artisans high above the city of Fenghuang. He enjoys seeing how they transform the big leaves into twists of brown oolong, with hints of russet. Even more, he loves drinking it! Details: This is made in one of the most southern tea regions in China. It is the pride of Guangdong Province. Made high in the Fenghuang Mountains above the ancient temple city of Chaozhou, it is this tea that the tiny clay tea pots are used with in the Chaozhou tea brewing style. Dry Leaves: These leaves are dark brown and twisted into long thin pieces. Liquor: Pale orange. Aroma: The stone fruit aroma is of fresh peach nectar. Caffeine level: Caffeinated. Body: This a medium bodied oolong. Flavors: The flavors of the Milan variety of this tea are of fresh peach nectar and it almost fizzes like a Bellini.

Top Ti Quan Yin (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Top Ti Quan Yin is the best tea out of northern Fujian Province. The finest aroma and body is what we aim for, and this year’s version has it. It is an intense mixture of butter and honey, even honeysuckle flowers, reminiscent of great Burgundy white wine. Details: One of the best jobs of the year is to decide upon this tea. Each sample is great, so it is a joy to drink. However which is the best of the best? Dry Leaves: Dark green rolled leaves with bright green flecks. Liquor: This tea brews very light, a green-yellow color that is very clear. Aroma: An intense and complex aroma of toast, almonds, honey and light citrus notes. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This Ti Quan Yin has good body that is sustained through several brewings. Flavors: A joy to drink, it is reminiscent of great Mersault wines. The aroma continues with some floral notes, and the “finish” never ends.

Ti Quan Yin Spring Floral (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Ti Quan Yin Spring Floral is delicious—and a great value. We searched through all of Anxi to find a Chinese oolong tea that captures the high floral notes and has nice body, yet isn’t too expensive. Its tiny greenish balls can be re-brewed several times. Details: Ti Quan Yins are some of China’s most famous teas. They are from Southern Fujian Province, and it was in these hills that teas were first rolled into small balls. That allowed the teas to slowly oxidize and slowly develop these great flavors. Each tea leaf goes through complex changes as it gradually dies. Dry Leaves: Light and dark green rolled leaves. Liquor: This tea brews very light, a green-yellow color that is very clear. Aroma: The scent of this tea is of lightly toasted almonds, honey, and butter combined. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Ti Quan Yin is medium bodied and may be brewed a few times. Flavors: A lovely oolong with enduring flavors of honey, butter, and almonds.

The Tao of Tea, Baozhong Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆) A light, low oxidized oolong with several texture levels on the upper palate. Smooth, toasty and buttery brew with a floral aroma and sweetness.

The Tao of Tea, Bamboo Mountain Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆) A lower oxidation, green oolong from Taiwan’s Zhu Shan “Bamboo Mountain”. Low oxidation and a light roasting contribute to this tea’s bright, floral fragrance and sweet, crisp body. Sold only in irritatingly large double packs of 114g, I put off trying these two ToT oolongs until running out of other ToTs to sample. While initially favorably impressed, they struck me as blander as time went on and a little bit sour. The Baozhong has a high stem content, and neither Baozhong nor Bamboo Mountain resteeps well. The Green Dragon is better.

For Tea’s Sake: Pretty in Pink Strawberry (★☆☆☆☆) For Tea’s Sake Pretty In Pink Loose Leaf Iced Tea Blend. Juicy and delicious strawberries are a traditional summer treat and when blended together with papaya pieces they make a pretty tasty cup of iced tea! Strawberry, 3.5oz/85g Tin. Ingredients: Oolong and green tea, papaya and strawberry pieces, plum and safflower petals, natural flavor. Grossly disgustingly sweet and overspiced to the point where I dumped out my cup as well as the rest of the tea.

Teavana: Jasmine Oolong (★★★☆☆) Well balanced infusion of crisp orchid and sweet jasmine with a clean finish This most precious of green oolong teas is made more delicate with the gentle scenting of fragrantly sweet jasmine. Creating a hint of perfumed wonder, this sublime and aromatic hand-rolled tea is nothing less than a cup of transcendental bliss. Minimally jasmine, but otherwise an acceptable oolong.

Formosa Oolong Super Fancy (★★★★☆) This exquisitely crafted Formosa Oolong is very fragrant, with pronounced peach notes in both the aroma and the tawny-gold cup. An abundance of downy, silver tips adorns the large beautiful leaves, yielding a liquor bursting with flavor and a smooth, creamy mouth feel. Notes of dried fruit as well as hints of warm spice and honey lead to a clean finish with a lingering sweetness. Aromatic and delicious, a fine Formosa oolong which resteeps well. But the price is extravagant at a dollar a gram!

Touch Organic Oolong tea (40 bags, 80g, $3) (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆) Restaurant-grade oolong; not smoky so much as kuki-cha-like. Somewhat better than expected if I use 2 or 3 bags.

Japanese Gabalong (★★★☆☆) This unique selection is created using nitrogen during the production process. The resulting leaves contain the substance GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid). The bright green leaves infuse a rich yellow-jade liquor with intense buttery notes and oceanic hints. A truly satisfying cup.

Floral Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) An outstanding Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong selection, with an appealing floral intensity. The attractive, olive-green leaves produce a fragrant, pale gold infusion with a buttery smooth mouth feel. Orchid/lilac notes are prominent in both the flavor and aroma, as well as a hint of honey sweetness.

Tanzania Usambara Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆) The bold dark leaves, laced with silvery tips, are fragrant with the scent of sweet cocoa. A warm toasty note complements a hint of almond in the aroma. A silky smooth mouth feel lingers long into the finish, which echoes with a light suggestion of flowers. While an odd country to source oolong from, the result is a sweetly dark oolong-black tea which exceeds my expectations.

New Zealand Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆ / ★★★★☆) The beautiful, handmade leaves of this unique Oolong tea are created under the guidance of tea masters from Taiwan. The pale golden liquor is fragrant with a light floral aroma. The silky smooth cup is light and flavorful with a pronounced floral character. A lingering whisper of spice completes an outstanding tea experience. An intriguingly spicy somewhat TGY-like oolong. (Unfortunately expensive.)

Glenwood Reserve Green Oolong (★★★☆☆) Large, well-twisted leaves produce a pale golden liquor with a savory aroma, hinting of flowers. The savory quality may also be found in the flavor where it joins intense buttery notes and a light vegetal nuance. Feel too inclined towards black tea-like flavoring without the promised flower hints and vegetal nuance.

Milk Oolong (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆) From Fujian province, this unique Oolong is composed of loosely rolled leaves with a rich buttery fragrance. The sparkling pale yellow cup has a silky smooth mouth feel with a round, complex flavor profile. A tropical fruit sweetness complements notes of coconut cream and a light floral suggestion. This tea is a perfect choice for multiple infusions. Milk oolongs continue to strike me as the ‘milk’ taste being an offputting sweet aftertaste; I think I may simply not like milk oolongs.

Fujian Oolong Supreme (★★★☆☆) From its honeyed aroma to its smooth, fruity flavor, this Oolong selection from Fujian province offers many fine qualities. A pronounced honey sweetness complements hints of pear and apple in the light amber cup. Toasty/woody nuances lead to a clean finish. Initially disappointingly woody and bitter, the flavor improves after a few minutes of steeping, revealing the honey sweetness and complex flavors I expect of a good oolong. The end result still doesn’t impress me.

Yunnan Sourcing (YS): Bittermelon Stuffed With Roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea (★★★☆☆) Ever wondered what would happen if you took bittermelon, took out the insides and left the thick rind and then stuffed it with Tie Guan Yin and roasted it? Well now you can try this lovely tea. Strangely enough it’s not bitter at all, the bittermelon rind after roasting commingles with the Tie Guan Yin forming a lovely balanced sweet dark oolong goodness! This is available in whole sections or in cut cross sections individually packed! You choose! Spring 2017 Tie Guan Yin oolong tea was used in batch! * If you order the whole sections in the plastic canister we cannot guarantee the canister will arrive in perfect cosmetic condition. Its purpose to protect the bittermelon sections during shipping. ** Individual packets contain a cross section of the bittermelon, weight varies from 7 grams to 11 grams, if you order 100 grams of individual packets you get no less than 100 grams of tea, but the number of packets may vary from 9 to 12 packets. *** Individual packet packaging (design and/or color) may differ from pictures I’d never wondered until I saw this listing, and then I did. I was too much of a coward to order a whole section, and went with 50g of individal packets of which I got ~6. Each foil packet contains a single slice of gourd with TGY stuffed into it. Apparently one simply brews the whole thing? A single slice is a hefty helping of tea and can be steeped multiple times. The flavor is distinct from reglar TGYs—the roast bittermelon adds a kind of smoky black tea flavor to it while indeed remaining slightly sweet in a balanced combination. It’s different, yes, but the total effect is that of the darker or roasted oolongs.

YS: Huang Mei Gui Wu Yi Rock Oolong Tea (Spring 2016) (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Huang Mei Gui (黄玫瑰) aka Yellow Rose Oolong tea is a Wu Yi Mountain grown tea varietal that is a cross between Huang Jin Gui (黄金桂) and Huang Dan (黄旦). Unlike an Anxi Oolong, the tea was grown and processed entirely in the Wu Yi tradition. Roasted 4 times with “rest” periods of up to two months in-between roastings, it was not offered for sale until 5 months after harvest (first week of May). The taste is smooth with a floral notes that creep in as a kind of floral sweet hui gan. Thick and sweet with a pungent feeling in the mouth, but with basically no astringency makes this tea very interesting to drink. Goes many rounds without losing energy. Harvest time: May 2016. Processing Period: 5 months.

YS: Tie Luo Han “Iron Arhat” Premium Wu Yi Shan Rock Oolong tea 2016 ($8.50, 25g; ★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Tie Luo Han (铁罗汉) or Iron Arhat is a rare varietal of Wu Yi Mountain Rock tea. It’s one of the 4 “Si Da Ming Cong” or most well known Wu Yi rock teas which also include Da Hong Pao, Shui Jin Gui and Bai Ji Guan. Tie Luo Han is lightly processed… the leaves are green with some brown and the tea brews up a bright golden tea soup. The taste is floral and sweet with ineffable nectar-like complexity! A highly rare and unique tea that surely won’t disappoint! May 2016 harvest, final roast done in August 2016.

YS: Classic “Mi Lan Xiang” Dan Cong Oolong Tea Spring 2017 (★★★★☆) Mi Lan Xiang (aka Honey Orchid Aroma) Dan Cong is the most well-known Dan Cong style. Bai Ye varietal is used and was expertly processed over a period of four months to give it a special thick, sweet and floral (orchid) aroma. The leaves are larger and broader than may other varietals and the finished dry leaf is a deep brown color. The brewed leaves are also more brown (and less green) than most other Dan Cong oolongs. This higher degree of oxidation due to roasting brings out the delicious honey and orchid taste. When you experience the wonderful taste keep in mind it’s all due to the skill of the master who lovingly processed this tea into something so special and delicious! Our Classic “Mi Lan Xiang” is a medium level of roast, with a robust taste of fruit and honey, and a lingering Orchid taste/aroma. It’s grown naturally at an altitude of 550 meters in the Wu Dong Mountains. This is a medium level of roast, classic style of processing. April 2017 picking. Zhongshan Village, Wu Dong Mountains, Guangdong Province of China

YS: Anxi Hairy Crab Mao Xie Fujian Oolong Tea (Autumn 2017) ($5, 50g; ★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Mao Xie aka “Hairy Crab” is a type of Anxi oolong tea that grows in many places in Anxi county of Fujian. Mao Xie means literally “Hair of the Crab” and refers to the hairs on the tea leaves that break off when brewed and float on the top of your cup. Mao Xie has got a thicker and sweeter taste than its more floral counterpart Tie Guan Yin. Our Mao Xie Oolong is the highest grade normally available. Autumn Harvest 2017. Gan De Village in Anxi County.

YS: Honey Orchid “Mi Lan Xiang” Dan Cong Oolong Tea (Spring 2018) (★★★★☆) Mi Lan Xiang (aka Honey Orchid Aroma) Dan Cong is the most well-known Dan Cong style. Bai Ye varietal is used and was expertly processed over a period of a month to give it a special thick, sweet and floral (orchid) aroma. The leaves are larger and broader than may other varietals and the finished dry leaf is a deep brown color. The brewed leaves are also more brown (and less green) than most other Dan Cong oolongs. This higher degree of oxidation due to roasting brings out the delicious honey and orchid taste. When you experience the wonderful taste keep in mind it’s all due to the skill of the master who lovingly processed this tea into something so special and delicious! Our Honey Orchid Dan Cong for sale here is a high grade version, harvested from 20 to 80 year old trees and bushes growing in Middle Mountain (中山) part of the Wu Dong Mountains. It is creamy and complex, with high aroma (of Orchid) and long-lasting feeling in the mouth. April 2018 picking. Zhongshan Village, Wu Dong Mountains, Guangdong Province of China

YS: Imperial Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong Tea of Fujian (Autumn 2017) (★★★★☆) This is the highest grade of Tie Guan Yin normally available. Picked in a small window of just 2 days during the spring and autumn harvest and hand-processed in small batches to achieve a high level of aroma and full Guan Yin taste! Also known as AAA Grade! We recommend you order other grades first before ordering this one… taste this side by side with Premium and Fancy grades we offer and you will taste the difference. The tea is composed of uniformly small, tightly hand-rolled emerald green nuggets! The brewed tea liquor is a lovely emerald green with floral hints and a lingering taste in the mouth and throat! Upgrade your Tie Guan Yin experience!

YS: High Mountain “Lao Cong Mi Lan Xiang” Dan Cong Oolong Tea (Spring 2017) (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Mi Lan Xiang (aka Honey Orchid Aroma) Dan Cong is the most well-known Dan Cong style. This is a high mountain pluck from older trees (Lao Cong) growing at an altitude of 1250 meters. This is a very lightly processed Dan Cong with a perfectly balanced roast to green ratio. This is achieved through several stages of low temperature charcoal roasting. The tea has a creamy natural milk taste that is countered by a bouquet of flowers and honey-like sweetness. This is an ultra-premium Dan Cong that will not disappoint even the pickiest Dan Cong aficionados! April 2017 picking. Wu Dong Mountains, Guangdong Province of China.

YS: Wu Yi Shan “Zi Hong Pao” Purple Da Hong Pao Oolong Tea (Spring 2016) ($14, 50g; ★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) “Zi Hong Pao” is a purple varietal that’s a naturally mutated offshoot from the classic “Da Hong Pao” varietal. It’s also called “Jiu Long Pao” (lit. 9 Dragon Robe) or Wu Yi varietal #303. It’s “medium-leaf” class of tea, not purely Assamica or Sinensis. The leaves are thick and dense with a purple/red/green color when fresh. Zi Hong Pao is a very rare tea with only about 10 mu of land in total producing this tea. The buds and leaf shoots are slow to grow and the harvest is the last of the spring harvests. Perhaps the most special aspect of “Zi Hong Pao” is the lovely delicious, thick and pungent tea that it brews. I recommend drinking the rinse. With just a 10 second rinse you are greeted with a vibrant and viscous tea soup. The second through the fifth infusions are really full and exciting to drink. The 6th through 8th infusion is still quite strong and pungent but needs to be pushed a little bit. Truly a remarkable tea in pedigree, taste and experience. May 2016 harvest. Area: Wu Yi Mountains, Xing Zhen, Cao Dun Village. Arrestingly sweet.

YS: 2014 Spring Wu Dong Shan Dan Cong Premium Oolong tea ($8, 50g; ★★★☆☆) A premium grade Dan Cong from Wu Dong Mountain in Guangdong. The tea is expertly processed from first flush of spring 2014 tea leaves. Light oxidization processing has preserved this tea’s high quality tea leaves while bring out their natural “Mi Lan Xiang” (lit. Honey and Orchid) aroma and taste. Can be infused 10 or more times without going flat!

YS: Light Roast Premium AA Grade Ben Shan Oolong of Anxi (Autumn 2017) ($6, 50g; ★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) This lightly roasted tea is made from Premium “AA” Grade Ben Shan oolong of Anxi county, Fujian. The tea was roasted for about 6 hours at a low temperature of about 55C. This light roasting gives the Tie Guan Yin a softer almost sweet taste to it. There is a slight milk aroma (nai xiang) that is present when brewed. This roasted tea is made from Premium “AA” Grade Ben Shan oolong of Anxi county, Fujian. The tea was roasted for about 6 hours at a temperature of about 48C. This roasting gives the Ben Shan a nutty and sweet taste. There is a slight milk aroma (nai xiang) that is present when brewed. Pre-packed as 50 grams per pack.

YS: Premium Anxi “Huang Jin Gui” Oolong Tea of Fujian (Autumn 2017) ($5.50, 50g; ★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Huang Jin Gui (Golden Turtle) is another varietal of Anxi Oolong tea. Lacking the slight sour-bitterness of Tie Guan Yin, it is characterized by a smooth sweet flavor with a rich slightly nutty after-taste. Our Premium grade is the highest grade of Huang Jin Gui that is normally available! Autumn 2017 Harvest. Gan De Village in Anxi County.

YS: Wu Dong Chou Shi Dan Cong Oolong tea (Spring 2018) ($7.50, 25g; ★★★☆☆) This is a new style of processing Dan Cong that shares some similarity to Anxi Tie Guan Yin. The tea is picked, and before it can wilt it is fried to start kill-green process in motion, the tea is then rolled briefly by hand and then put in a special dehydrator to stop the wilting process entirely. The result is a very green and very aromatic dan cong. The tea also has a very sweet taste, with some vegetal almost Tie Guan Yin like feeling. High quality, hand-picked Spring 2018 leaves were used! Area: Wu Dong mountain of Guangdong province

YS: Premium Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong Tea of Fujian (Autumn 2017) ($9.50, 50g; ★★★★☆) Premium Grade Tie Guan Yin is made from a genuine varietal of Tie Guan Yin from Gande village in Anxi County of Fujian province. The tea is full of flavor and aroma, smooth but with a bitter-sweet aftertaste. The first infusion should be used to prepare the leaves and warm the drinking cups. This grade is also referred to as “Grade AA” Tie Guan Yin. Premium Grade Tie Guan Yin is quite different from our Fancy Grade Tie Guan! A much higher grade with careful processing. Tea leaves are more whole and robust, more infusable. More importantly, Premium grade TGY has a higher aromatic quality, fuller and thicker taste, and bright emerald tea liquor! All our Anxi oolongs come vacuum packed to ensure freshness!

YS: Premium Grade Anxi Ben Shan Oolong tea (Autumn 2017) ($6, 50g; ★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) We have been searching for a high grade Anxi Ben Shan oolong that would satisfy even the most discriminating aficionados of Jade oolongs (very lightly oxidized), like Tie Guan Yin and Huang Jin Gui. A unique aroma and taste accompany this delicate Ben Shan… there are elements of fresh grass and fruit… a cooling sensation in the mouth and throat. Autumn 2017 tea from Gan De village in Anxi county (Fujian).

YS: Competition Grade Tie Guan Yin Oolong tea of Gande Village (Autumn 2017) ($5.50, 7g; ★★★★★) This is the highest grade of Tie Guan Yin we have ever come across. It’s unique to Gan De village and cannot be beat in terms of taste and aroma. It can be infused many many times each time yielding a distinctive thick “Guan Yin” aroma and taste. Expansive in the mouth and throat. Grown naturally and hand-processed at every stage makes this tea best of the best! Limited to just 19 kilograms in total. Comes pre-packed in 7 gram individual packs. Each pack has two layers two seal the tea in and ensure freshness. We recommend you store in your freezer sealed in plastic until the time of brewing. Autumn 2017 Harvest. One of the best TGYs I’ve tried. I’m not sure if it’s the best because it is so expensive I only dared order the 7g sampler, which went quickly. (For comparison, the Spring 2019 is $235 for 500g.)

YS: Light Roast Premium Tie Guan Yin Anxi Oolong Tea (Autumn 2017) (★★★★☆) This lightly roasted tea is made from our Premium Grade Anxi Tie Guan Yin from Gan De village. The tea was roasted for about 6 hours at a low temperature of about 50C. This light roasting gives the Tie Guan Yin a softer almost sweet taste to it. There is a slight milk aroma (nai xiang) that is present when brewed. Pre-packed as 50 grams per bag!

YS: Winter 2017 “Snowflake Duck Shit Aroma” Dan Cong Oolong Tea ($6, 25g; ★★★★☆) “Da Wu Ye” known as Big Black Leaf grows almost exclusively in Phoenix Village in the Wu Dong Mountains of Guangdong. Da Wu Ye is a medium leaf varietal and natural hybrid of local “Ya Shi Xiang” bushes and “Shui Xian” varietal. It is also called “Snowflake Dan Cong” and has the lowest harvest quantity per bush of any Dan Cong. Winter Harvested “Duck Shit Aroma” is the best candidate for super light oxidation, giving it a very green leaf with a fruity and floral aroma/taste and a creamy mouth-feel. Winter 2017 harvest.

YS “Zheng Yan 105” Wu Yi Rock Oolong Tea (Spring 2016) (★★★☆☆) Varietal 105 is grown in the “Zheng Yan” area of Wu Yi. Zheng Yan (正岩) refers to the innermost protected area of the Wu Yi Heritage site. It’s a protected area separate from the scenic area and outsiders are not allowed inside. The “Zheng Yan Growing Area” refers to these tea gardens: tiānxīn yán/天心岩, mǎ tóu yán/马头岩, huìyuàn/慧苑, zhú kē/竹窠, bì shí/碧石, yànzi kē/燕子窠, jiǔlóng kē/九龙窠, yù cháyuán/御茶园, yù huā dòng/玉花洞, shuǐ lián dòng/水帘洞, fo guó/佛国, táohuā dòng/桃花洞, guìlín/桂林, sān yǎng fēng děng děng/三仰峰等等. Varietal 105 is a unique Anxi varietal that’s a hybrid of Huang Jin Gui and Jin Guan Yin (Jin Guang Yin itself is a cross between Huang Jing Gui and Tie Guan Yin). As such, 105 could be considered 3 parts Huang Jin Gui and 1 part Tie Guan Yin. Due to the unique soil and growing conditions within the Zheng Yan growing area, and the unique Wu Yi processing, the resulting 105 tea is very much a Wu Yi tea despite its unique Anxi origins. It should be noted that varietal 105 was created by a Wu Yi local and is entirely unique to the Wu Yi Shan area. An odd duck. As with other Wu Yis, they shade into the black territory.

YS: Ping Keng Tou “Almond Aroma” Dan Cong Oolong Tea (Spring 2018) (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Our Xing Ren Xiang 杏仁香 Dan Cong Oolong is grown in Ping Keng Tou 平坑头 Village at an altitude of 870 Meters. It comes from trees and bushes growing naturally aged 20-40 years of age. No pesticides or artificial fertilizers were used. Xing Ren Xiang “Almond Aroma” is one of the many varietals of Dan Cong that has been around for centuries. It is called “almond aroma” because during the roasting process the tea smells much like roasted almonds! The taste is crisp, bitter-sweet, with notes of honey and cream.

YS: Wu Dong Mountain “Cao Lan” Dan Cong Oolong from Jiao Di Village (Spring 2016) (★★★☆☆) Cao Lan is a special varietal grown only in Jiao Di Village in the Wu Dong mountainous area of Guangdong, and as such the entirety (worldwide) of Cao Lan Dan Cong tea is produced by less than 20 families with an output of less than 300 kilograms per harvest. Cao Lan (草兰) varietal is medium-large leaf size with obvious ridges, the leaves are sturdy and thick and require extra rolling and breaking during processing. The word “Cao Lan ／ 草兰” is a type orchid-like flower called Cymbidium elegans. Our Cao Lan Dan Cong has something akin to this aroma and flower taste. It also has a very vibrant honey sweetness to counter the subtle floral vegetal bitterness. Again very difficult to describe this tea, it just makes an impression that is very memorable and dream-like. The world of Dan Cong is truly “博大精深”! May 2016 harvest. Cao Lan Varietal. Altitude: 1200 meters. Area: Jiao Di Village, Wu Dong Shan, Guangdong.

YS: Fancy Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong Tea of Fujian (Autumn 2017) (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Fancy Grade Tie Guan Yin is made from a genuine varietal of Tie Guan Yin from Gande village in Anxi County of Fujian province. The tea is full of flavor and aroma, smooth but with a bitter-sweet aftertaste. The first infusion should be used to prepare the leaves and warm the drinking cups. This grade is also referred to as “Grade A” Tie Guan Yin. An incredible Tie Guan Yin in this price range!

YS: Phoenix Village “Mi Xiang” Shui Xian Oolong tea (Spring 2017) ($6, 50g; ★★★☆☆) A lovely spring Shui Xian from Phoenix Village in Wu Yi mountainous area. Shui Xian varietal is an older varietal that has become less popular since it’s got a stronger taste than Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui and Tie Luo Han. Our Shui Xian is grown by village elders who stubbornly keep their gardens entirely the Shui Xian varietal. The tea bushes are around 60 years old and grow naturally. This Spring 2017 Shui Xian we offer is a medium oxidation version with a “Honey Aroma” taste (pinyin: Mi Xiang) and mouthfeel. There is a hint of brown sugar, lots of honey and hay in there with a thick mineral base that delivers many infusions of lovely thick tea soup!

YS: Premium Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tai Hua Gao Shan Oolong Tea (Flavored) (★★★☆☆) Spring 2017 harvest Jin Xuan tea grown on Tai Hua Mountain in Anxi county of Fujian. Taiwanese Jin Xuan varietal tea growing at an altitude of 1100 meters is expertly hand-picked and processed in the traditional method. The tea is lightly roasted to bring out it’s milk fragrance (nai xiang) and then steamed in milk to enhance the milk flavor further!** Very aromatic tea with a subtle but lasting taste. Fujian grown Taiwan varietal! Spring 2017 Harvest. ** not Vegan! This tea may contain milk products. If you are lactose intolerant or have allergies to dairy or cow’s milk please do not buy this product!

Mem Tea: Baked GABA (★★★☆☆) Caffeinated; Tasting Notes: rye bread - raisin - apricot; Origin: Taiwan. Specially processed, stress-reducing oolong with balanced flavors of raisins, rye bread, and a bright, sweet apricot finish.

Mem Tea: Bai Hao: Silver Tip (★★★☆☆) Caffeinated; Tasting Notes: cinnamon - golden raisin - gardenia; Origin: Taiwan. This autumn picked Taiwanese tea endures a special fermentation due to being snacked on by leafhoppers. The result is rich sweet flavors of cinnamon and golden raisins with a lingering floral finish.

Mem Tea: Golden Buds Milk Oolong: Jin Xuan (★★★☆☆) Caffeinated. Tasting Notes: macadamia - honeydew - butter. Origin: Taiwan. Sourced from Taiwan, and produced from the famous Jin Xuan cultivar, this oolong is naturally sweet and rich, with flavors and scents that are reminiscent of melon and toasted nuts - most notable though, is its luxuriously creamy mouthfeel, which is where it gets its name.

Mem Tea: Fern Stream Amber Oolong (★★★★☆) Caffeinated; Tasting Notes: pear - mango - brown butter; Origin: Pinglin, Taiwan. A specially produced oolong from Northern Taiwan, this tea is rich and juicy with a roasted buttery liquor, notes of tropical fruit and a pleasant minerality.

Mem Tea: Bei Dou (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Caffeinated; Tasting Notes: burnt sugar - caramel - stewed plum; Origin: Fujian, China. This dark twisted oolong frpm the Wuyi mountains yields a heavy liquor with a burnt sugar aroma, caramel flavor, and a sweet stewed plum finish.

Mem Tea: Jade: Nantou (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Caffeinated; Tasting Notes: lilac - magnolia - candied lemon; Origin: Nantou, Taiwan. This lightly oxidized oolong has a luminescent liquor with a distinct flowery bouquet and bright flavors of candied citrus.

Mem Tea: Ali Shan (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) Caffeinated; Tasting Notes: hyacinth - pear - brazil nut; Origin: Nantou, Taiwan. This famous Taiwanese oolong is sweet and floral. The creamy golden liquor yields flavors of hyacinth and asian pears with a mild nutty finish.

Floral Huang Jin Gui (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) With a light oxidation level of less than 20%, this premium Oolong is produced in Anxi county of Fujian province. The name Huang Jin Gui translates to golden osmanthus, referring to the cup’s light gold hue and osmanthus-like aroma and flavor.

Upton: Season’s Pick Vietnam Eastern Beauty Oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆) A profusion of silver tips enhances the bold, handcrafted leaves of this unique Oolong selection from Vietnam. Fragrant notes of apricot, peach and honey introduce the smooth, rich cup, which fills your mouth with its buttery mouth feel. An ambrosia-like sweetness lingers long into the finish.