I was so impressed by the two green teas from this company that I eagerly bought two 6 ounce boxes of oolong. The oolongs, at around $5 a tin, were both pricier than the green teas, which were about $2 and $3 a tin, respectively.

I was sorely disappointed with this tea. This is a below-average tea, even for this price.

The aroma is tolerable, it is mostly woody with a few floral notes, and some complexity, but it is the flavor and mouthfeel that kills it to me. This tea has a harsh, bitter aftertaste, and is heavily astringent.

You can minimize the astringency by proper brewing, but the result is still quite poor. Brewed as I would normal oolong tea, this tea comes out outright unpalatable.

I cannot even recognize anything remotely resembling Ti Kuan Yin or Tie Guan Yin about this oolong. It tastes just like any generic oolong, and among one of the worst ones at that. As far as I know, this could be any cheap oolong, perhaps a blend of different cultivars.

The commercial description strikes me as egregiously dishonest. I am throwing this tea out. I guess I bought an expensive tin.

I would not recommend buying the oolong teas from this brand. The green teas, however, are a steal. Much higher quality, and less expensive. I'm a bit puzzled by the inconsistency here...perhaps the lesson to be learned here is that these Chinese brands can be a bit hit-or-miss. But I'm disappointed that a store would even stock a product of this low quality. It's among the worst ones I've picked up as loose-leaf in Chinatown, which is so strange given that the two green teas from this same company were among the best.

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