Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘mark t wendell’

I love oolong, and I love finery, especially in the tea world. So when the chance to try this tea came up…an oolong, mind you, that is supposed to be one of the finest available, and available only in limited quantities, I jumped at the opportunity.

The dry leaf holds light, vegetal notes that are, surprisingly, reminiscent of a few white teas that I have tried.

The steeped liquor is a brilliant gold, with excellent clarity (the benefits of utilizing a glass vessel for steeping). It also has a darker aroma, more akin to darjeeling. Ah, but the first sip was nothing like drinking darjeeling. Light and fruity (what specific fruit flavours – I cannot quite place), the liquor slipped over the tongue easily. Incredibly soft mouthfeel combined with a surprisingly bold, yet not overwhelming, aftertaste to provide a wonderfully pleasant drink.

Steeping the tea again, for a few minutes longer (five this time), led to a brew of much the same strength and character as the first. I was pleased at the resilience and quality of this tea. I most definitely enjoyed drinking this and would certainly keep this on my list of teas to keep in stock. I give it a 90/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

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

The shape of these rolled oolong leaves was reminiscent of an Alishan oolong I once had – small, compacted clumps of leaf. They carry quite a vegetal smell, almost more like a green tea than an oolong. I started out by steeping two teaspoons of leaves in two cups of water for three minutes.This resulted in somewhat of a weak brew, so I put the leaves back in for another minute or so (I like my oolongs stronger).

This completed brew is delightful. Light and creamy oolong scent with just a hint of that original vegetal strength with a bit of peppery smell too. The liquor is a very bright and clear light brown, and the taste….ooooh my. Light and soft, it caresses the tongue while still putting out moderately bold flavours including floral, vegetal, and peppery notes all wrapped into one tasty package. If this oolong went to school, it would be said that it was a very well-rounded individual, as this is a very well-rounded tea, encompassing a variety of different flavours that all serve to complement each other.

The second steep brought out the floral notes in the tea to a much fuller extent. The taste overall mellowed out a lot and brought out a bit more of the vegetal side as well. I could easily see this tea going for at least one or two more steepings. I really enjoyed this tea, and am giving it an 80/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

You can purchase the Imperial Gold Oolong directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

There are toys you can get – the “amazing expanding dinosaur” or “mermaid that really grows” – compressed sponges that once soaked in water grow something like 400%. This tea is just like these toys. Put in two teaspoons of tea, get an entire cup of giant whole huge tea leaves. A co-worker asked me why I had a cup of wet spinach. And the leaves are good ones too – unbroken and high quality.

And the oolong these beautiful produce is pretty high quality too. This tea tastes like a less oxidized, greener brew, and has a lot of vegetal notes to it. But it also has the buttery mouthfeel you get in some oolongs, the floral notes, and the spicy aromas. Lots of things going on in that cup! It’s a complex tea, but manages to balance the various flavors into a cohesive whole.

Or, to put it another way – Yummy! This is a really nice, solid oolong.

You can purchase the Imperial Gold Oolong directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

I’ve said in the past I have enjoyed Mark T. Wendell’s Hu-Kwa and have found that to be one of the best smoky teas out there!  Well, this one is like Hu-Kwa’s younger, prettier sister!  It’s a great pick-me-up and has an oh-so-slightly smoky flavor. If you are scared of smoky teas try this one! She’s the girl-next-door!

You can purchase the Victorian Afternoon directly from the Mark T. Wendell website.

Opening the package, the dry leaves smell grassy and have a perky sweetness about them that I’m eager to try (too much time spent drinking roasted and musty green teas has drawn me from teas like this). Two teaspoons of leaves, two cups of water, and three minutes later, I had a pale green brew with a much deeper aroma than the dry leaf had. Deeper, yet still as sweet, the grassy notes linger as well.

Deliciously smooth. The grassy flavour does not overwhelm, as some greens are apt to do. For such a lightly flavoured tea, the brew seems to carry a moderate amount of thickness to the mouthfeel. However, even those light flavours are complex by themselves, making each sip a lingering pleasure, if left to settle on the tongue.

The sweetness and delicacy of the brew leave one with a very refreshed feeling, and it is a very enjoyable tea to drink. I gladly give it a 77 out of 100 on my personal enjoyment scale, and would certainly recommend it.

You can purchase the Dragonwell Green directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.