Whiteantlers was dear enough to lend me some. The first steep is the best, though this is not the greatest flavored milk oolong. It is a touch less veggy than a Quangzhou, but still super veggy. The later cups were not as good, but I surprisingly appreciated it even against a great white tea cake. Otherwise, it is pretty typical for a flavored milk oolong, just a tad bit weak and too vegetal for my tastes, but fruity and creamy enough to please me.
People who liked this
Comments
Have you found a replacement for the Mandala Milk Oolong yet? What is your second favourite? Do you have a top three?
Supposedly Mandala will return but it has been a long while now. I had figured if they didn’t return for Black Friday they would return for Christmas. Someone on Steepster must have more information on them than I do.
What-Cha’s Taiwan Milk Oolong has been the substitute for now, but I haven’t liked it as much as I did the first time I sampled it. It’s still one of my personal favorite milk oolongs. The Chinese one What-Cha offers is also not bad-it’s more of a soft mango candy whereas What-Cha’s Taiwan milk oolong is liquid coconut oil. The sample I got was a winter crop and flavored, but the spring crop is still pretty solid. It is more nutty than Mandala’s, but in the same buttery parameters though more coconut sweet than toffee sweet.
There was also one that me and a few other people found that was almost the same from Dragon Tea House on Ali-Express. I swore it was the same damn tea. I haven’t bought from Mandala as a result.
But my preferences for the flavored milk oolongs have honestly changed. I’ve basically wanted something like the Lishan What-Cha currently offers, or an Alishan I had one time. They were the perfect balance between honeyed, floral, creamy and green. Shan Lin Xi’s used to do that for me, but this year has not been as impressive as last year.
The flavored oolong I really want back is A Quarter to Tea’s Apple Panna Cotta Jade Oolong, but that was a limited edition. Lauren does however have a few more blends using the same approximate base, with one of them being On Wisconsin. It is a honey flavored cheesecake oolong. I’m going to ask Lauren how it compares because I honestly can’t decide if I want to purchase it, get a bunch of oolongs from Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company, get another huge order from What-Cha, get a few oolongs like the Dayuling from Berylleb, or get more of the Dong Ding from Golden Tea Leaf. The Dong Ding from Golden Tea Leaf basically tastes like sweet cream which is impressive. A part of me also wants the Old Style Dong Ding from beautiful Taiwan because its cheaper, and Andrew did say that that particular variety has been good this year.
Do you want my top 3 teas overall now or milk oolongs?
I also have four notes I need to write
Both, please. And yes! QTT’s Apple Panna Cotta Jade Oolong is seriously divine. I have been awaiting its return with bated breath.
Thank you for alerting me to Golden Tea Leaf Co. Yet another addition waiting to happen.
Forgive me, it’s late and my eyes and brain are done for the day.
I’m at the point where top 3 shifts, but I’ll give it my best.
Best Flavored Milk Oolong:
Toss up between the Mandala Milk Oolong (which might be the same as Dragon Teahouses’s Taiwan Milk Oolong) and What-Cha’s Taiwan Milk Oolong
What-Cha’s Chinese Milk Oolong (the name is more specific)
Favorite White Tea:
The Kenya Rhino
Straight Black:
A Black TieGuanYin no idea where from
The Golden Snail I JUST rated from What-Cha
Flavored:
Nostalgia
French Toast Dianhong
Green Oolong:
Depends on the season at this point. You know the quest and existential crisis I’m going through. What-Cha’s Lishan so far matches the best price profile. You brew it between Eastern and Western timing, but it yields multiple cups with strong flavor and aroma.
I also highly recommend Eco-Cha’s straight Jin Xuan. It is the most floral I’ve encountered. And the rest of their tea is good quality.
I also will sample some of Quarter to Tea’s new Jade Lineup.
The Apricot Tart Jade and On Wisconsin specifically
Thank you, Daylon, for humouring and informing me. :)
I did try What-Cha’s Taiwanese milk oolong some time ago. Perhaps it was a different batch from the one you got. I didn’t find it all that, but perhaps I need to give it another go. Alistair’s teas are generally quite awesome.
I’ve been a bit more into black teas these days, but I imagine the pendulum will swing yet again to oolongs soon. Especially, I feel a milk oolong phase coming on in the near future.
I did order Nostalgia in my last LP order, but there was a hiccup and it didn’t arrive with the other items. I will try again.
I look forward to hearing your impressions of the new QTT jades. I don’t always agree with your spins on things, but they are always of interest and provide pause for reflection in one way or another.
Another question, do sweet oolongs have same impact as sweet foods on blood sugar and such? Have you done any research on this?
There have been a few studies suggesting that tea might generally lower bloodsugar, but that’s what I’ve seen so far unless I have a lot of tea on an empty stomach. Same with coffee, but I have to practically be fasting. Most studies that I’ve superficially skimmed link the blood sugar lowering to the caffeine anyway.
Some vendors have described how the roasting processes alters the natural sugar quality in the leaves,but I have yet to find any specifics. I think I’d have to ask one of them myself. Otherwise, the caffeine on an empty stomach is the only real thing that has impacted me.
Hmm, interesting. I was under the impression that studies have been done on green teas mostly and their beneficial impact on health, heart, and such. Regarding sweet oolongs, I suppose some things are better not to know. :)
Interesting question though.
Have you found a replacement for the Mandala Milk Oolong yet? What is your second favourite? Do you have a top three?
Supposedly Mandala will return but it has been a long while now. I had figured if they didn’t return for Black Friday they would return for Christmas. Someone on Steepster must have more information on them than I do.
What-Cha’s Taiwan Milk Oolong has been the substitute for now, but I haven’t liked it as much as I did the first time I sampled it. It’s still one of my personal favorite milk oolongs. The Chinese one What-Cha offers is also not bad-it’s more of a soft mango candy whereas What-Cha’s Taiwan milk oolong is liquid coconut oil. The sample I got was a winter crop and flavored, but the spring crop is still pretty solid. It is more nutty than Mandala’s, but in the same buttery parameters though more coconut sweet than toffee sweet.
There was also one that me and a few other people found that was almost the same from Dragon Tea House on Ali-Express. I swore it was the same damn tea. I haven’t bought from Mandala as a result.
But my preferences for the flavored milk oolongs have honestly changed. I’ve basically wanted something like the Lishan What-Cha currently offers, or an Alishan I had one time. They were the perfect balance between honeyed, floral, creamy and green. Shan Lin Xi’s used to do that for me, but this year has not been as impressive as last year.
The flavored oolong I really want back is A Quarter to Tea’s Apple Panna Cotta Jade Oolong, but that was a limited edition. Lauren does however have a few more blends using the same approximate base, with one of them being On Wisconsin. It is a honey flavored cheesecake oolong. I’m going to ask Lauren how it compares because I honestly can’t decide if I want to purchase it, get a bunch of oolongs from Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company, get another huge order from What-Cha, get a few oolongs like the Dayuling from Berylleb, or get more of the Dong Ding from Golden Tea Leaf. The Dong Ding from Golden Tea Leaf basically tastes like sweet cream which is impressive. A part of me also wants the Old Style Dong Ding from beautiful Taiwan because its cheaper, and Andrew did say that that particular variety has been good this year.
Do you want my top 3 teas overall now or milk oolongs?
I also have four notes I need to write
Both, please. And yes! QTT’s Apple Panna Cotta Jade Oolong is seriously divine. I have been awaiting its return with bated breath.
Thank you for alerting me to Golden Tea Leaf Co. Yet another addition waiting to happen.
Forgive me, it’s late and my eyes and brain are done for the day.
I’m at the point where top 3 shifts, but I’ll give it my best.
Best Flavored Milk Oolong:
Toss up between the Mandala Milk Oolong (which might be the same as Dragon Teahouses’s Taiwan Milk Oolong) and What-Cha’s Taiwan Milk Oolong
What-Cha’s Chinese Milk Oolong (the name is more specific)
Favorite White Tea:
The Kenya Rhino
Straight Black:
A Black TieGuanYin no idea where from
The Golden Snail I JUST rated from What-Cha
Flavored:
Nostalgia
French Toast Dianhong
Green Oolong:
Depends on the season at this point. You know the quest and existential crisis I’m going through. What-Cha’s Lishan so far matches the best price profile. You brew it between Eastern and Western timing, but it yields multiple cups with strong flavor and aroma.
I also highly recommend Eco-Cha’s straight Jin Xuan. It is the most floral I’ve encountered. And the rest of their tea is good quality.
I also will sample some of Quarter to Tea’s new Jade Lineup.
The Apricot Tart Jade and On Wisconsin specifically
Thank you, Daylon, for humouring and informing me. :)
I did try What-Cha’s Taiwanese milk oolong some time ago. Perhaps it was a different batch from the one you got. I didn’t find it all that, but perhaps I need to give it another go. Alistair’s teas are generally quite awesome.
I’ve been a bit more into black teas these days, but I imagine the pendulum will swing yet again to oolongs soon. Especially, I feel a milk oolong phase coming on in the near future.
I did order Nostalgia in my last LP order, but there was a hiccup and it didn’t arrive with the other items. I will try again.
I look forward to hearing your impressions of the new QTT jades. I don’t always agree with your spins on things, but they are always of interest and provide pause for reflection in one way or another.
Another question, do sweet oolongs have same impact as sweet foods on blood sugar and such? Have you done any research on this?
There have been a few studies suggesting that tea might generally lower bloodsugar, but that’s what I’ve seen so far unless I have a lot of tea on an empty stomach. Same with coffee, but I have to practically be fasting. Most studies that I’ve superficially skimmed link the blood sugar lowering to the caffeine anyway.
Some vendors have described how the roasting processes alters the natural sugar quality in the leaves,but I have yet to find any specifics. I think I’d have to ask one of them myself. Otherwise, the caffeine on an empty stomach is the only real thing that has impacted me.
Hmm, interesting. I was under the impression that studies have been done on green teas mostly and their beneficial impact on health, heart, and such. Regarding sweet oolongs, I suppose some things are better not to know. :)
Interesting question though.