this is quite full-bodied as far as any oolongs i’ve tried (and most have been extremely delicate in my experience) & it has a distinct character that from both the dry leaf & the steeped liquor would appear to be some kind of delicate black tea. perhaps a darjeeling (non-muscatel)? or a light english breakfast? but it leans toward that side of things. color & body-wise, this oolong reminds me a lot of a Hojicha (roasted green tea) but doesn’t have the roasty, brown rice/popcorn flavor going on, which i find myself missing.
perhaps worth noting is the fact that this tea was quite salty in the beginning before mellowing out in that aspect once the liquor cooled. it had a notable salinity though, which i definitely don’t mind. interesting!
for me, this isn’t quite a ‘Chinese restaurant tea’ or even a seemingly Japanese one. there’s a place i go to a lot called Hanami & they have one of the most unique roasted & nutty flavored teas that is complimentary with all meals. at first i thought it was some kind of green, but i’m now starting to think it could have been an oolong, or maybe an oolong-green mix. i also thought it could be Hojicha, but you never know… my never-ending quest to discover what tea they serve at Hanami continues…
anyway, this Formosa Oolong is quite dark, as is characteristic of most Formosa Oolongs. i’ve always wanted to try one & i must say i heartily appreciate it. not quite hojicha-status or even on the level of a genmaicha (not to expect that it should be) but i would happily drink this before or after a meal. definitely something nice & pleasant which is in the vicinity of a light black tea with no astringency, just a slight roasted dryness that doesn’t have the vegetality of a green tea that might veer toward bitterness. it certainly doesn’t need any additives and can be consumed as is. this is rather nice!
ETA: from the aroma of the steeped tea, i do recall a mere suggestion of honey (but one that was hiding) and later upon cooling, a slight graham cracker note.
