“Whee, posting again! Lately I’ve been mixing and stacking a lot of teas, which makes it hard to post tasting notes, but today I wanted a straight oolong so I pulled out another TeaFrog sample. As a...” Read full tasting note
“I brewed a very indelicate pot of this in the late morning to get started on things. Perhaps a pot was too much. I was bouncing off the walls. But on the bright side, I did get several social media...” Read full tasting note
“I tried this last night in my little gaiwan, but I think I need more practice before I start writing notes about teas I made using it. I’m not convinced I used the right amount of leaves, for...” Read full tasting note
“Hrm. This one didn’t do it for me. I think I’ll hold off on scoring until I try it again…. hrm. Not inspired, and the leaves look kinda tiny and broken. Meh.” Read full tasting note
Formerly known as Formosa, Taiwan is the renowned home to the best Oolong tea available today. Taiwan enjoys an excellent climate tailored for growing tea. Humid summers that are not overly hot, and mild winter temperatures combine for ideal tea growing conditions.
Production of Oolong tea is very labor intensive. After being picked, leaves and buds are spread on a flat bamboo basket and withered under sunlight for a short period of time. Leaves are then withered further at room temperature for six to eight hours, and are agitated gently by hand once an hour. Once the leaves turn red and the moisture content drops, the leaves are pan-fired for 15 minutes at a high temperature to stop the fermentation process. The last step is to roll and dry the leaves.
Formosa Oolong tea has a distinctive taste and aroma. The leaves are long and twisted, with a mix of brown, black and red, and bits of green and silver thrown in. The liquor is amber in color, with a flowery aroma with peach undertones. The taste is delicate with slight notes of peaches, and a hint of spice, and no bitterness. An excellent tea to enjoy in the evening, or after a meal. Truly the “champagne” of teas.
TeaFrog ships high quality tea to anywhere in North America. Founded in 2006 by Mike and Melanie, TeaFrog endeavors make quality tea accessible to more people, as well as educating the community about the benefits and the myths of tea.