The H&S Formosa Oolong was my first experience with Taiwanese oolong-style tea. As such, I had no idea what to expect going in to it.

Now, I'm not a really big oolong drinker. I mostly like blacks and Japanese greens. As such, my only other experience with oolong (at this time) is a Chinese TGY. Compared to that, this one has a wonderfully refreshing toasted flavour to it, almost like a less pronounced Hojicha. I suspect this is because of the presence of the stems. The scent is similar, with a far more pronounced green tea-like vegetal scent under the toasty floral black tea aroma.

It brews up just like in the picture, which is a beautiful yellow-amber, almost like liquid gold.

Like most of the "flagship" (i.e, more common) H&S products, this one is ridiculously cheap and fantastically priced.

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Alex Zorach wrote: on May 13th, 2018

Hello and welcome to RateTea and thank you for your first few reviews! I am enjoying reading them!

This tea and others typically sold as "formosa oolongs" are only one of many types of oolongs that Taiwan produces, and they're mainly sold to an audience of tea drinkers in the U.S. and other Western countries like the U.K. who are used to drinking black teas.

I think the toasty quality comes from a light roasting of the leaves, which is part of oolong production. The level of roast can vary a lot from one tea to the next.

I'm not sure what types of teas you tend to like, but there are some other, radically different Taiwanese oolongs out there, including both green ones (some very light in color as light as green teas, but with a softer flavor) and some dark-roasted ones that are oriented more towards Chinese flavor aesthetics...very different from this sort of tea (although I haven't tried this particular batch.) Harney & Sons sells quite a few different types but I haven't actually tried any of them, in spite of trying both a bunch of Taiwanese teas from other companies, and a buunch of Harney's teas!

I look forward to reading more of your reviews! And please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about tea or about the site; the contact form goes right to my email!

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