Flowering teas originate from Southwestern Yunnan Province. Flowering teas are prepared primarily for their aesthetics; often in glass / transparent vessels so that the blooming of a flower right before your eyes within seconds can be fully enjoyed. The tea leaves are harvested and while damp, they are sewn into various shapes and bundles with cotton thread. One single, more elaborate bundle may take as long as ten minutes to sew. Flowers commonly used are globe amaranth, chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily, hibiscus, and osmanthus. Flowering teas can be refreshed several times, and do not get bitter with extended steeping. The taste profile is usually light, fragrant, and aromatic. Here I have posted pictures of my steeping of Canton Tea’s Sweet Osmanthus.

This flowering tea is in the shape of a bulb. It is made up of silver needle and orange osmanthus flowers so I steeped it at 88C. The aroma coming off the pot smelled very sweet like nectar and a little like medicinal herbs. It did not smell floral at all.

The infusion was a light orange colour similar to the colour of the osmanthus flower that emerged from the bulb. This is interesting for a silver needle. Most infusions of industrial white teas are yellowish-orange but not premium quality white tea which brings up the point of the quality of the tea that goes into flowering teas. I would think that they are on the lower end as the point of flowering teas is more for aesthetics than for taste.

The bulb opened up completely in about 3 minutes, just enough time for the tea to steep. The website said the tea tastes like lilies and orange osmanthus. I do not know what that tastes like but this tea did not taste floral or fruity, or crisp or refreshing but it is on the opposite end – more robust, grounded, a hardier taste. It tastes a bit like sugar cane. Not bad if that is what you like. Sometimes I opt for the less fruity and floral teas myself.

You can purchase the Sweet Osmanthus Flowering Tea directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

My preference when it comes to pu’erh is certainly for a nice cooked and aged pu, but all the same, this 2004 Ji Xing Yi Wu sheng pu’erh was a gift from a friend and came highly recommended. So I decided to first give it a shot in my gaiwan and take it through it’s fragrant paces.

After the first infusion, the wet leaves smell a bit smoky, like burning logs, and quite musty. The infused liquor is a lot lighter, still with mustiness. My first cup left my mouth with a distinctive dry feeling. The earthy, vegetal taste is quite full and leaves a lasting impression on the tongue. Quite frankly, this pu’erh has the biggest aftertaste of any pu’erh I have ever had.

For the second infusion, I let it steep for 30 seconds, which I found to be a bit too long for this tea, when using the recommended amount of 3-4 grams. 20 seconds will be certainly sufficient for the first few infusions. This second, strong infusion very much emphasizes the dry notes of this tea. As I finish this infusion, I very much enjoy how robust the flavour of this uncooked pu’erh is.

After five additional steepings, these leaves were beginning to lose much of their robustness. Canton Tea Co.’s website does recommend at least six infusions for this tea. Overall, this tea was an excellently smooth example of a tasty raw pu’erh. My rating for this tea is 85/100.

You can purchase the 2004 CNNP Ji Xing Yi Wu Raw Beeng Cha directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

“A perfectly balanced blend of superb Assam teas steeps a great cup, morning, noon or evening. Enjoy with milk and a touch of sugar.” This description from Tea Forte sums up what I said when I first took a sniff of the dry pyramid and then my first sip “balanced and surprisingly mild for an EB.”

Two minute infusion time yielded a dark brown brew that tasted like it needed an additive. I reached for milk and viola…perfection in a cup. I did not add sugar, but if you like sweet in your tea then add away, this tea could handle whatever you throw in your cup!

This particular blend is made with different types of Assam leaves. This may be why I do not think it is very robust. My PG Tips are much more robust than this tea. The combination of the same type of tea results in a balanced brew, one that I am enjoying very much. Mild is the word I would use to describe this tea. The second and third infusions reveal a brownish red brew in my cup. As I sip this cup, coffee comes to mind: The richness of coffee. Memories come flooding back of “milk coffee” that is what my Grandma called the coffee/milk mix that she put in my bottle when I was a baby. I have always blamed “milk coffee” for my 5’1″ height!

I love it when teas invoke a fond memory. Holding a hot cup of tea reminds me of my Mother, thoughtful as she embraced her morning cup planning out the quilt she would work on that day. I am so glad the cooler weather is upon me, I missed holding my morning cup this summer. Thank you Tea Forte for all the nice memories this morning!

You can purchase the English Breakfast directly from the Tea Forte website.

The dry leaves are two inches in length, black in color and appear to be tightly rolled. The smell of the dry leaves is sweet.

A two minute infusion reveals a champagne colored tea, the smell is nutty. It reminds me of a Genmaicha.

Three minute infusion deepens the color in my cup. Now, the taste is meaty and full bodied. The leaves are still rolled.

Four minute infusion and the leaves have unfurled completely. The brew is back to the original champagne color. The taste is now much lighter than the previous infusions.

Five minute infusion and the taste is similar to the last, a light smooth oolong.

Since the leaves are long and wiry, be careful of the amount of leaves that you use in your infuser basket. Someone once told me to use half the amount of leaves for oolongs than you would other teas. The reason for this advice is that the oolong leaves tend to be more tightly rolled than other teas. The leaves unfurl with each infusion yielding a different layer to the tea. Using a smaller vessel to brew an oolong tea is also good advice and it will allow you to enjoy the many aspects of an oolong with very little leaf in your brewing vessel. I used my Korean Seokjung (clay tea set) to brew this wonderful Phoenix Oolong.

You can purchase the products directly from the Tao Tea Leaf website.

Dry leaf reminds me of fresh cut greens.

Brewed this sample in my IngeniTea and made it into iced tea.

2 minute infusion yields a pale yellow infusion.

This is very much a green oolong, not sweet, not too bitter.

This tea really reminds me of crisp, fresh cut grass.

Good for multiple infusions. The bitterness fades with each infusion, making this oolong more enjoyable the further you go. Try it, Experiment. Enjoy!

You can purchase the Yellow Gold Oolong Tea | Huang Jin Gui Wu Long directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

I have had this tea for a few weeks but wanted to wait for the perfect occasion to try it.  Mark T. Wendell has a reputation for exquisite teas and seems to import only the very best.  In business for over a hundred years, it wins customer loyalty by superb service and quality.  I’ve long been a fan of their black teas but have yet to try one of the oolongs.  Today was a grey and gloomy day which called for a special tea to provide sunshine within.   Mark T. Wendell’s Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong  was a much more than satisfying compensation for a dank chilly afternoon.

The first thing I thought when I saw this tea was, “Ooh, Extra Fancy?” This is the first plain dark oolong I’ve had the pleasure of trying so I’m really excited to see what I think.

The leaves were long, dark, and twisted with a few light green/gold pieces thrown in just for fun. The scent of the dry leaf was light and toasted. This is a tea that really needs boiling water otherwise it will taste extremely weak.

The first infusion was very smooth and not astringent, which is a problem I’ve had with the first infusions of a few flavored oolongs. The toasted scent has carried over to the brewed tea and is now taking on a wood-like quality.

My favorite thing about oolongs is their ability to change personalities over infusions. However, this one didn’t change much at all. I was really looking for some type of sweet note or just anything different from one infusion to the next, but I was a bit disappointed. In addition, it was only able to withstand 3 infusions which surprised me a bit since it was an unflavored oolong.

I will say that if you aren’t expecting any surprising tastes, this oolong is quite drinkable. I’ve been drinking it while studying because it is very smooth and I don’t have to add a bunch of stuff to it before it tastes good. I was excited to try it, but I think I’m still looking for my perfect oolong.

You can purchase the Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

This is the second tea blend I have tried with Formosan and Indian teas. I am wondering about Formosa teas are. They are from Taiwan. From what I can gather, Formosa teas are oolongs. So, I am supposing that the one in this particular blend is on the black side of things. This does explain the flavor profile. I was not expecting an oolong to be in this tea. I think a shorter infusion in my smallest teapot would be a better brewing method for this tea.

I was right, less leaf and a different brewing vessel improved this tea. I treated the leaves as I would if I were brewing on oolong: less leaves, cooler water, small tea pot.

Ok, now to the review of this tea.

Amber colored liquid poured from my teapot to my cup. First smell is of a traditional tea smell. No fancy additives taking away from the tea leaves. The sip revealed an earthiness that is hard for me to pinpoint. If you could taste water running over smooth stones, that would be this tea. It is simple tea with many layers of flavor.

The astringency is there, but I expected that with this blend. All the teas are bold in their own right and then to have here all together in one blend, this is one tea that definitely says Good Morning in a BIG way.

This will have to be a weekend tea for me. Time is a factor for me during the week, this tea will cause you to ponder the story of the tea leaves and solve the problems of the world. With each new infusion, another dimension unfolds. The second infusion is milder. I don’t see this going over two infusions and still being viable. I suppose the reason for this is the other two black teas as I rarely think that black teas taste good after two infusions.

All in all, this tea is good. If you are curious about oolongs, this may be a good starting place. It tastes like an oolong but has all the characteristics of black tea.

You can purchase the Winey Keeman English Breakfast directly from the Grace Tea Company website.

Dry leaf appearance: dark green, flat leaves with pineapple, brown rice, cardamom, bamboo shoots, red pepper corn, papaya and coconut. The smell transports you to an island vacation. I suspect that the coconut is the reason my teapot had a “mini vacation” to a tropical paradise!

This brew is clear with a light taste. Pure enjoyment can be found with this tea. I find myself wanting it each day around 8:30 PM, which indicates to me that the caffeine level is low and the tea itself is relaxing.

Good for multiple infusions.

You can purchase the Bamboo Shoots directly from the TeaFrog website.

I have had this tea for a few weeks but wanted to wait for the perfect occasion to try it.  Mark T. Wendell has a reputation for exquisite teas and seems to import only the very best.  In business for over a hundred years, it wins customer loyalty by superb service and quality.  I’ve long been a fan of their black teas but have yet to try one of the oolongs.  Today was a grey and gloomy day which called for a special tea to provide sunshine within.   Mark T. Wendell’s Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong  was a much more than satisfying compensation for a dank chilly afternoon.

The leaves are long, slightly twistes, and have a magnificent dark chestnut color  with some pearly silver tips.  They slowly unfurled and majestically filled the tea pot, creating a dark golden liquor.  Although the odor and aroma was not pronounced, the taste of the tea was simply lovely.  The best adjectives that sprang to mind were  regal and stately.   By that, I mean that the tea is clearly a “king” or “queen” of the oolong family.  The taste is both self-assured and a little bit playful in that it can smoothly segue from a woodsy taste to a floral one to a fruity one.   The different waves of flavor are typical of a leaf that has been exposed to sophisticated and careful growing methods.  

The multiple layers of taste and flavor assure that you will have a remarkable tea experience with Mark T. Wendell’s Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong.  I had several infusions.  Although the tea does not need sugar at all, I experimented with adding some on the third infusion and it did not spoil the tea at all–the Demerara sugar added a bit of a jam-on-toast affect to the tea which was delicious and it did not take away from the strong elements of the tea.  I than added some milk and the tea stands up very well to the milk.  For those who like a milky or creamy tea, this tea’s wealth of flavors are not diluted by the milk.

Mark T. Wendell’s Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong tea is a splendid investment if you want some impressive flavors to brighten your day.  If it were a liquor, I would call it a champagne.  If it were a painting, I would call it a classical Dutch master.  If it were music, I would call it Mozart.  

You can purchase the Extra Fancy Formosa Oolong directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.