Formosa Amber Oolong Select

98
Percentile
3 ratings
Picture of Formosa Amber Oolong Select
Brand:Upton Tea Imports
Style:Amber Oolong
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Region:Taiwan / Formosa
Loose/teabag:Loose
Product page:Formosa Amber Oolong Select

This tea's info last updated: Nov. 3, 2017

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

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Reviewer pic93 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
(19 reviews) on

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 :)
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Reviewer pic90 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
(1 reviews) on

Nice mixture of green and black tea
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Reviewer pic93 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
(1452 reviews) on

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.
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Page 1 of 1 page with 3 reviews

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