TeaGschwendner's Formosa Fancy Superior Oolong Taifu (review)

Name: Formosa Fancy Superior Oolong Taifu

Brand: TeaGschwendner

Type: Oolong, dark

Form: Loose Leaf

Cost: $19.60 for 100 grams (quantity discounts available)

Review: This tea is stunning, and not just on the palate.  The dry leaf is simply beautiful: A mix of twisty dark leaves, silvery tips, and a hint of green. The nose is sweet, enticing, and devoid of dustiness.

When infused, the tea takes on a gorgeous red-gold color which is a delight to behold. The nose is rich with wood and a hint of honey and, as the tea’s description suggests, the honey in the nose does indeed evolve into a stewed plum note on the palate.

What is interesting about this tea is its lack of roasted notes: I happen to like my dark oolongs to have this roasted characteristic, yet this oolong is far fruitier than most of the dark oolongs that I have tried. The second infusion is the best, with the fruit notes most pronounced: Subsequent infusions mellow the tea into a smooth, well-balanced dark oolong, with no one flavor dominating.

Recommendation: This tea is expensive, but ends up a great value not only because it is delicious, but also because it holds up to so many infusions.

Lacks the roasted notes of many dark oolongs, so not a great substitute for coffee. Instead, this is an oolong -lovers oolong and should be savored accordingly.

This tea seems to be particularly water-quality dependent: If you can’t get good quality water, make another tea.

Pairs nicely with whole grain toast and plain cookies.

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Tagged as: dark oolong, oolong, taifu, tea, tea reviews, TeaGschwendner