Formosa Amber Oolong Select
98
Percentile
3 ratings |
|
Commercial Description
This grade of Amber Oolong (Wu-Long) has more complex flavor and finer leaf style than our TT55. Highly recommended.
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 3 reviews
93 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5Monk (19 reviews) on Dec. 11th, 2016
At first I didn't like this tea. The aroma was delicious honey, but I found the bitter earthiness in the flavor a bit off putting.
However, I tried it again the next day and used a smaller amount of tea...about 5 grams brewed in a 4 ounce gaiwan. I got 7 infusions.
This time the honey came out more in the flavor (yummy!), and the bitterness added a pleasant background. There was also a moderate but nice astringency in the finish. It held up well through the session, with steep numbers 2-4 being the peak, and yet holding it's aroma and flavor into the 7th.
I will be keeping this tea in stock as I now love it :)
UPDATE - (1/5/17) I had to bump this up to a 93 rating. It's simply one of my favorite teas... and, I've discovered, very forgiving with steeping times, temp. and amount of leaf used. I now order this one in massive amounts :)
90 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5Abby (1 reviews) on Oct. 23rd, 2010
Nice mixture of green and black tea
93 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5Alex Zorach (1453 reviews) on Oct. 4th, 2009
The dry leaves were not very aromatic, but when I brewed it...wow.
This tea has a very rich and complex aroma: bold, earthy, with some nutty and woody tones, and a floral quality as well. Of all the teas I've tried from Upton, this is the one which seems to deviate the most from its lower-grade counterpart--this hardly resembles the basic Amber Oolong. It's certainly worth paying more for this higher grade.
The flavor is smooth, but with some very pleasant bitterness; this tea is very full-bodied and astonishingly rich. It actually seems more bitter than the lower grade--but in a way that I enjoy very much. There is also a mild objectionable quality to the lower grade amber oolong that is totally absent in this tea.
I find you can easily get away with using significantly less than one teaspoon of leaves, and brewing for a shorter period. Most people might actually prefer using fewer leaves and shorter brewing time, as this is a powerful tea. It is good for multiple infusions, whether you brew a long time or not. I prefer making two cups, but if you use 1+ teaspoons/cup as recommended, and brew a shorter period of time, you can make two very flavorful cups and a third fairly flavorful one.
This is among my favorite teas from Upton yet. It's not cheap, but I think it offers outstanding value, especially given the richness of flavor and complexity of the aroma you are able to get from so few leaves.
Page 1 of 1 page with 3 reviews
