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Alex Zorach

RateTea Editor

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Member since Sep. 1st, 2009. Reviewed 1448 teas.

Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Taiwan / Formosa

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Page 1 2 3 of 3 pages with 75 results

Picture of Taiwan Lapsang Souchong Black Tea

Taiwan Lapsang Souchong Black Tea from Organic Herbie

Style: Lapsang Souchong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

41 / 100 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 1/5
Nov. 14th, 2018

This tea sorely disappointed me and left me feeling sad and empty. I thought from the description that I was going to like it, but the description was somewhere between severely misleading and blatantly wrong. Thank you to Organic Herbie for the free sample. But PLEASE, update the description for this tea because it is...

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Picture of Almond Oolong

Almond Oolong from Adagio Teas

Style: Flavored Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

72 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Oct. 26th, 2018

Thank you to my friend Joe for giving me this sample!

The aroma of the dry leaf is intense and intoxicating, an intense fragrance of marzipan or sweeet almond, like stinging your nose in a bottle of amaretto or almond extract. It's pretty much all flavoring; I can't discern any qualities of the underlying tea from t...

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Picture of Black Tea Bar (Loose-leaf)

Black Tea Bar (Loose-leaf) from Ten Ren Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

89 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 21st, 2018

I bought this at the H-Mart in Metuchen, NJ. The label didn't give me much of an idea of what to expect; all I knew was that it was Taiwan-grown black tea and was inexpensive. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this quickly became one of my favorite teas for daily drinking. I highly recommend it and would gladly b...

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Picture of Winter Mountain White Tea

Winter Mountain White Tea from Health & Tea

Style: White Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 2nd, 2017

Wow, this is probably the least-processed tea I have ever seen; it looks like you just plucked leaves and buds right off a tea bush and dried them and popped them in a bag.

The dry leaf has a pleasant smell; it smells a little bit like generic dried leaves from the garden, but there's also a pleasant floral scent mo...

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Picture of Choco Black Tea

Choco Black Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 22nd, 2016

I loved this tea, which I was excited to receive very recently as a sample from Health & Tea. I love this company's offerings and each year I have continued to become more impressed with them as I've seen their catalog expand. This tea was rich but mellow, complex but smooth, and the main word I'd describe it with is...

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Picture of Formosa Pouchong

Formosa Pouchong from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

47 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 16th, 2015

This tea was a disappointment and I don't recommend it. I sampled and reviewed this tea some time ago but forgot to post the review.

Dry leaf consists of long, intact wiry leaves with a slightly dusty look, and smells very different from any other pouchong I've tried, an intense smell of jam or fruit preserves, lik...

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Picture of Smoky Mist Oolong Tea

Smoky Mist Oolong Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

70 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 29th, 2015

An interesting roasty oolong that had some flavor characteristics of aged oolongs. Thank you Kelsey for sharing this one with me. I really enjoyed the aroma, but I found it too sour for my tastes.

The dry leaf looks and smells like a typical moderate-to-dark roast oolong of good quality.

The brewed cup is really ...

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Picture of Jade Oolong (Four Seasons Spring)

Jade Oolong (Four Seasons Spring) from Rishi Tea

Style: Four Seasons Oolong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 31st, 2015

Outstanding. Probably the best Four Seasons oolong I've ever tried. Rishi consistently impresses me with their oolongs! Thank you to Kelsey for letting me brew this from your sample.

The dry leaf is a beautiful green color, very tightly rolled, and has a strong aroma suggesting shortbread cookies and a hint of sp...

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Picture of Oolong Formosa

Oolong Formosa from Sahpat Teas

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 31st, 2015

A decent, run-of-the-mill oolong that tastes a lot like the ones served in Chinese restaurants. Sample from the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Festival; thank you to Sahpat Teas and Kelsey for sharing this one with me.

Leaf looks finely broken, and doesn't have the strongest smell, but upon brewing, becomes very aroma...

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Picture of Serene GABA Tea

Serene GABA Tea from Health & Tea

Style: GABA Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

47 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Mar. 23rd, 2015

Odd, just odd, and I didn't enjoy it very much. My first experience with GABA tea.

The dry leaf of this tea looks brown, like a moderately roasted oolong, and has a faint nutty aroma with hints of gingerbread cookie dough.

Upon brewing, the main thing I notice is the lack of obvious oolong aroma. The aroma is v...

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Picture of Garden Green Tea

Garden Green Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Green Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 18th, 2015

A very different green tea that was mellow and pleasing to drink, yet had some unusual aromatic notes.

The dry leaf is tightly rolled and looks a lot like an oolong to me. Just looking at the leaf, I'd have a hard time telling this apart from a modern green oolong, but it does smell more like a green tea.

Fascin...

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Picture of Pomelo Delight Black Tea

Pomelo Delight Black Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Flavored Black Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 12th, 2015

An intriguing tea that was unique, yet very easy to brew and drink!

The leaf looks more like a moderate-roast oolong than a black tea, both before and after steeping. It has an interesting aroma, very pleasant. Normally, citrus-flavored teas are blended with the fruit itself, zest from the peel, or extracts from t...

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Picture of Bao Zhong Oolong Tea

Bao Zhong Oolong Tea from Rishi Tea

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 5th, 2015

I thought this tea was exquisite, probably my favorite Bao Zhong ever sampled, and among my favorite greener oolongs.

The dry leaf is quite fragrant, with a pleasant floral and vegetal aroma, and a hint of roast.

Upon brewing, the tea takes on a greener character than suggested by the smell of the dry leaf, and t...

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Picture of Formosa Oolong Tea

Formosa Oolong Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 17th, 2015

A versatile tea, rich but mellow, that I can see enjoying in any weather.

The dry leaf has unusually big rolled leaves that look more loosely-rolled than most ooloongs, and has a pleasant nutty aroma with vegetal and floral notes.

Upon brewing, produces a delightful, full-bodied cup with a rich nutty aroma. Ther...

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Picture of Ruby Black Tea (Whole Leaf)

Ruby Black Tea (Whole Leaf) from Health & Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

100 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Feb. 13th, 2015

This is the best Ruby Black tea I've ever had and among the best black teas I've ever had. I was very impressed by last year's batch, but that was broken-leaf, and this one consists of large, whole leaves, and it's in a completely different category.

The dry leaf of this is incredibly aromatic, with a sweet, vegeta...

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Picture of Orchid Bao Zhong Oolong Tea

Orchid Bao Zhong Oolong Tea from Octavia Tea

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 22nd, 2014

Sampled in Velvet Sky in Jenkintown. Bao Zhong, or Pouchong, has been one of my favorite types of tea since I tried it, but I'm occasionally disappointed by it, and this is the fourth-worst example of it that I've tried. That may sound specific, it wasn't all that bad, but it was not close to my favorite example of t...

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Picture of Honey Black Tea

Honey Black Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

94 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 13th, 2014

A sample from the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Expo, and wow does it deliver on its name! An extremely smooth, naturally sweet, and somewhat peculiar tea, unlike any other.

The leaf is big, thick, and twisted, and takes up a huge amount of space relative to its weight. The leaf is completely unbroken, except for a ...

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Picture of Four Seasons Oolong Tea

Four Seasons Oolong Tea from Health & Tea

Style: Four Seasons Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 9th, 2014

I wrote this review last year, and somehow forgot to post it!

I tried this tea at the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Festival, and enjoyed it. I also took a sample, which I've since brewed a number of times.

Dry leaf smells a lot like a lightly-roasted traditional oolong, smelling pretty woody. Upon brewing, has a...

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Picture of Bio Pao Chung Pouchong

Bio Pao Chung Pouchong from Teehaus Bachfischer

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 21st, 2014

I loved this tea, and it was also very reasonable in price.

Dry leaf has an incredibly pleasant nutty and toasty aroma, much more toasty than any other pouchong or bao zhong tea. There's also a hint of honey and flowers.

The brewed cup has a beautiful balance of floral and nutty, toasty tones. There's a mild, h...

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Picture of Tung Ting Oolong Tea

Tung Ting Oolong Tea from Teapigs

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Jul. 13th, 2014

Whole-leaf tea in a sachet: this is an excellent rarity, in that it's outstanding green oolong in a tea bag.

I thought this tea was wonderful and among one of the best teas I've tried in a tea bag to date. The leaf is tightly rolled, visible through the sachet, and unfurls when brewing. Although the pyramid shape ...

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Picture of Dong Ding Oolong Tea

Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Eco-Cha

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

90 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 3rd, 2014

This tea just smells so freaking good. It is potent and tends to brew up strong, very roasty, so I recommend going easy on the leaf and/or the steeping time.

The cup is rich and dark cup, and the aroma is very complex, especially if sipping it gradually. Smells like roasted vegetables with a hint of the spent gunp...

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Picture of Jin Xuan Milk Oolong

Jin Xuan Milk Oolong from Octavia Tea

Style: Milky Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

77 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 27th, 2014

A relatively mild, easy-to-brew oolong with a milky fragrance and lemony tang.

I recently tried a Jin Xuan oolong from the company Eco-Cha, and comparing it with this one was like night and day, as much as you can get with a green oolong. While that one was buttery, this tea was milky.

The dry leaf is very tight...

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Picture of Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Black Tea

Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Black Tea from Eco-Cha

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Jan. 27th, 2014

A complex, strange, evolving tea, both unexpected and a bit inaccessible. Try as I might, I cannot mentally perceive this as a black tea...it still screams oolong to me. I find I enjoy it much more if I think of it like an oolong. But, thinking about it like an oolong, it tasted too much like a Bai Hao (Oriental Bea...

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Picture of Tsui Yu Jade Oolong Tea

Tsui Yu Jade Oolong Tea from Eco-Cha

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 22nd, 2014

I loved this tea...it is extremely green and light for an oolong, and has a distinctive "tropical greenhouse" aroma. A little picky about brewing, but worth it because the results were pretty astounding when I figured out how to brew it to my liking.

Intensely floral and vegetal, like the inside of a greenhouse fil...

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Picture of (Shan Lin Xi) High Mountain Concubine Oolong Tea

(Shan Lin Xi) High Mountain Concubine Oolong Tea from Eco-Cha

Style: High Mountain Oolong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

90 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 16th, 2014

A roasted tea with a mellow, warm, homey quality. I thought this an exceptional tea, definitely my favorite one sampled from Eco-Cha, but ranking among my favorite oolongs ever sampled.

The dry leaf smells of rich roast, with a background of honey-like qualities.

Upon brewing it becomes much more complex. Aroma...

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