Wu Ling (武陵) Oolong Tea

I haven’t forgotten to review this one! thanks for the samples! The oolongs from Tea From Taiwan are the best quality. It’s amazing that even though they are so similar, they are also very different. This one smelled very sweet in the package! Also, even in the samples there are these little packets of something to keep the oolong fresh… almost like how new shoes come with that in the toes! Not to liken this tea to shoes or anything!

First steep // water is very cooled // 45 sec. First and foremost this is very sweet and smooth, silky! It’s almost like a lighter milk oolong, though I don’t think this is supposed to be a milk oolong. It doesn’t have any of the floral/peachy characteristics that oolongs usually have. It’s very good, even on the first cup!

Second steep // water is cooled // 50 sec. This cup is still very much like the first… still no peach/floral/vegetal. The flavor is stronger though. The water might have been a bit too hot. It’s just very sweet, sugary, and creamy!

Third steep // 60 sec. This still isn’t very peachy/floral/vegetal but this time there was a little hint of a cinnamon sugar flavor. It couldn’t have been any actual cinnamon sugar, since my cup stayed the same the whole time. And the last of the cup was a hint of peach! This one was a very light flavored oolong… not as complex and changing as so many of them are.

I bought two sampler packs from Tea from Taiwan and I confess a lot of them do taste similar but this one was definitely different. For one thing it smelled so fresh and clean and VERY vegetal when I opened the bag, kind of like boiled spinach.

Due to these factors I decided to give my first steep only 60 seconds in approx. 180 F water. It’s a nice light infusion but it really is vegetal, sweet and clean. It has a bit of a “roasted” or charcoal quality. hmmm. I really like this one a lot. It is also one of the more expensive teas on their website (just my luck!)

For the second steep I decided to keep it light, only 30 seconds to see if I could capture some of the elusive fruit flavor. I am getting a little bit of melon and now it has a slightly floral aroma but I want the charcoal back!

Third steep: I am going for the gusto. Two full minutes brings back more of the delicious flavor here. This is a tea that takes you on adventure. Now I am getting a buttery popcorn flavor.

This one is very enjoyable so I am adding it to my shopping list although $29 for 75 grams is a bit steep for me. It’s very tasty though and according to the website you can steep it 8 times…

Interesting that some other tasters found it boring, I am not bored in the least! :)

What a lovely well mannered tea! So many wonderful notes to savor! From sweet, like sugar cane and vanilla, to buttery, toasty, I mean really if you have a favorite flavor note you are likely to find it in here!
It is complex, and gong fu really IS the way to go with this one.
Sip it when you have enough time to enjoy everything it has to offer!
Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 12th.

No brewing directions so I’m just using my general oolong parameters. I know it says this is ideally suited for gaiwan brewing, but honestly? I’m too lazy to do it right now. Western(ish)-style it is! I’ve got almost 8g in this sample so I’m going to split it about in half which means I get to try this heavy on the leaf. Should give me hints of gaiwan possibilities.

This smells so good. The dry leaf is sweet, fruity, buttery, a hint of something spicy. Maybe a dark floral? It makes me think of a milk oolong crossed with a pouchong. Brewed up it smells sweet and light and floral but there is a tickle of a dark, rich scent underneath.

Taste-wise, I was expecting something more like a light floral Tung Ting oolong but it has a slightly darker taste, more like some Ti Kuan Yin I’ve had. But at the same time not. There is a buttery flavor in there that reminds me of a good Ali Shan I had from Red Blossom. This is really hard to describe because there is so much going on – the base flavor is that of a less delicate green oolong. But there is an under-note of a rich, buttery and green thickness. And a top-note of spicy floral sweetness with almost a hint of fruity sharpness that makes me think of the Fuiji apple I had at lunch.

This tea has lots of depth to it, which I find is not always true of lighter oolongs. This is borderline delicate but I think falls ultimately on the rich side, not the delicate side. It’s not quite a sip-it-quietly-and-contemplate-beauty tea for me. More like a mmm-guzzle-it-down-and-wish-I-had-made-a-bigger-cup tea.

Second steep @ 2:00. The lighter note is not really there on this steep but the rich flavor is a bit more present. The tea feel silky as I swallow. Mmm.
3.9g/5oz

This tea is pretty darn good, it’s one of those that changes with each cup it was floral and grassy and sweet and really good, it smells vegetal sweet when steeping very much like sweet corn :)

I woke up this morning with a thirst for some oolong. This happens about once or twice a week. I grabbed one of those sample pouches that are patiently awaiting my attention. This one’s got a real caffeine kick to it. But I’m pretty sensitive to that stuff so most people probably won’t even notice it. hehe

This is a perfectly good oolong that I didn’t really like. I thought it tasted perfectly ordinary and a little roasty. There was some sweetness in the peachy tones, but other than that, it seemed pretty boring. The quality was good, don’t mistake me. It’s just not my thing. I didn’t make more than 2 steeps when I usually make at least four with oolongs. I’m glad it was only a sample.

PS Does anyone else find that oolongs lose flavor if stored for a while? There are ones that tasted so floral and nummy. But when I go back to it a few months later, it’s kinda ordinary. Is it oxidation? I know my tins and bags aren’t exactly air tight… Sometimes I just buy too much because the larger quantities are usually a better deal. Maybe it’s not worth it if it makes my tea taste less good later.

hrm. There’s a lot going on with this tea. It’s a very light, almost boring looking oolong once brewed up, but in the cup it tastes like it can’t make up it’s mind about what it wants to be when it grows up. It’s got dark notes, floral notes, spicy notes and honestly, it’s a bit too much for me. Complex is nice, confused isn’t.

It’s interesting, but I don’t know it would make it only my permanent shelf. I’m glad I got to try it however.

Overall – This is my second sample from Tea From Taiwan and I must say that so far I am impressed with the quality. I did prefer the first sample I tried but this was still very nice and I am glad I had the opportunity to try it. In a nut shell this Oolong is green and tastes like flowers but with a sweet and grassy edge that get stronger during it’s peak steeps.

For pictures and more information please check my blog.
http://kittylovestea.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/oolong-before-london/

This is my second sample from Tea From Taiwan. Thanks again for the generous samples!

Dry: it smells really sweet and refreshing.

1st Steep: (5 min, 98C) It tastes very ‘green’ and vegetal but I’m also some getting some roasted notes as well -much like genmaicha green tea. No, correction. It’s very toasty. These notes subside about mid-sip and give way to a pleasant floral sensation.

2nd Steep: (1 min 98C) I thought I would try a shorter steep this time if it wasn’t too late to try gong fu style. It looks as though the leaves have unraveled as much as my tea ball will allow so I doubt I’m doing it right, but it doesn’t matter too much as this still tastes pretty good. It’s far less toasty -there’s a good balance between that and fruity undertones in each sip. Very nice.

3rd Steep: (1 min 98C ) Still a lot of flavour!

Overall it’s good, and it reminds me that I do like toasted flavors sometimes, but if I had to choose I think I prefer the other Zhong Shu Hu sample.

Great quality tea, Leaves are tightly rolled. Very clean and mild, it has a buttery earthy pea flavour, like some Longjing at first. Next infusions are also nice, but not so impressive though. No astringency on overbrewing. More sour and tieguaninish. A nice tea.