I have been curious about this tea for awhile, as I have not seen Wuyi wulong teas available in tea bag form before. I was curious to see what the basic character of this tea is, as there are several major types of such teas from the Wuyi region. I expected it to either be of a Shuixian or Dahongpao type.

This Foojoy Wuyi Oolong is definitely of the Shuixian type, or at least has the characteristics of Shuixian. It is interesting to try this tea, because I have been drinking premium loose Shuixian recently. So the big question is, how does this Foojoy tea bag version stack up against the "real thing"?

To begin with, the tea pours to a dark amber color, a bit darker than a loose Shuixian. The aroma is a bit flatter as well. A fresh and loose Shuixian will be a bit harsh, which is why they are often aged. This tea bag version is not really as harsh, but also lacks some of the liveliness and subtleties, to be sure. The taste follows the same characteristic differences, being a bit flatter and simpler.

For those whom these comparisons mean little to, the basic character of this tea is between a traditional wulong and a black tea. This is because the Wuyi wulongs are roasted further. As such, they tend to have more "dark" qualities, and to not be so smooth. They also have a little woodiness and subtlety. In all, it is a classic type of wulong, but one should be aware that this is quite dark tea.

Overall, this tea is very faithful to the basic style, but is not really as good as the high quality real loose tea. That doesn't matter, though, frankly, because they suit different purposes. If someone likes Dahongpao, Shuixian, or other Wuyi types of wulong tea, then (as far as I am concerned), this is the only tea bag tea that, and it is definitely good quality for a tag bag.

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