Have you ever had a nightmare so bad that it left you shaken the entirety of the next day and with an overwhelming desire to not sleep ever again? Well that was my night last night. I am quite annoyed at my brain for giving me such a nasty dream, and I didn’t even provoke it by watching something scary before sleep. I got my revenge by being upbeat and cheerful aw much as possible, haha, take that, brain!
Today’s tea is a classic tea from the island of Formosa. For those who do not know Formosa was the name that Portuguese sailors gave Taiwan, the name means beautiful and from photos I have seen it is an apt description. Formosa Oolong from Adagio Teas is thought to be an introduction to Taiwanese Oolongs, and it was certainly one of the first that I tried. The aroma of this tea is sweet with notes of loam, tobacco, raisins, old flowers (think orchids that are not rotten but are certainly on their last legs, smells heady and a little dead) and honey. There is a nice finishing note of smoke which gives this tea a real autumnal feel to it.
Brewing the little pile of leaves, in this case it really does look like a leaf pile! The aroma of the brewed leaves is woody and sweet with notes of honey, raisins, and oak. The liquid is a blend of raisins and honey, all sweet with a very delicate finish of floral.
Tasting the tea, in a way it is like a homecoming, it was not this specific Formosa Oolong that I drank all those years ago, but the similarity in taste really never leaves one’s memory. The taste starts out sweet with notes of raisins and stewed plums. This fades to a leafy and tobacco flavor which in turns fades to gentle honey at the finish. Formosa Oolong is one of those ‘everyday’ kinda teas, there is nothing overwhelmingly special about it, but it is so enjoyable that I don’t mind. I say give this tea a try if you want a comforting ‘homey’ kind of tea or if you are new to oolongs and want to see what the fuss is about.
For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/adagio-teas-formosa-oolong-tea-review.html
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Honey, Oak, Plum, Raisins, Tobacco
