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UPDATE – tried this today with almost double the quantity of leaf I normally use and lower water temperature. Got 4 great infusions out of it with no astringency. The first infusion straight up tasted like gyokuro, full of rich umami flavor. I steeped it at 155 F for 45s. The second steeping was a quick one, 30s at about 165 F. Much fuller, matcha like strong vegetal flavor. There is the slightest hint of bitterness as it goes down, but not unpleasantly so. The third steeping, 45s @ same temperature, was like regular sencha. Grassy and sweet. The tea went flat on the 4th steeping. It had a light, brothy character. Still good, but not as memorable as the earlier infusions.

Upping my rating as this tea continues to impress me and is a regular in my green tea rotation.

My search for the perfect wuyi oolong may finally be over, at least for now! I’d been savoring my sample from WP for a while now and immediately ordered some during the Black Friday sale because this tea is just that good.

This is a very smooth and pleasant tasting tea. No harshness or ashy taste like wuyi oolongs often have. The roasting here is exceptionally smooth. The tea has a sweet rock flavor and a clean mineral finish. Notes of burnt sugar can be detected in later steeps.

A warm, comforting tea that’s perfect for chilly winter days.

Got a sample of this with my last Verdant order.

So far all of the Laoshan greens I’ve tried have been outstanding and this one was no exception. The unique needle like leaves are a little hard to measure out, but I reckon I used roughly two teaspoons or enough to cover the bottom of the gaiwan. This tea brews up mellow and sweet with a nice vegetal flavor reminiscent of fresh lettuce. The wet leaf has a faint aroma of seaweed and soy. The flavor really pops with the second steeping. The vegetal flavors become brighter and more nuanced. This steep is invigorating in its freshness and crisp, clean taste and is my favorite by far. Third steep and the tea transitions to a a stronger vegetal taste yet still remains sweet. Flavor starts to fade in later steepings although it’s still very drinkable.

If I had to choose between this and the regular Autumn Harvest Laoshan, the Laoshan Pine Needle wins by a hair. I enjoyed the sweeter, more complex vegetal character of this tea.

This is a delicious oolong for when you’re in the mood for something light and sweet. The dry and wet leaf are intoxicatingly floral. The flavor of the tea itself is reminiscent of TGY minus the heavy body.

First Steep: Opens with a bursty of fruity, honeysuckle-like sweetness then becomes vegetal with a touch of seaweed as it goes down
Second Steep: Sweet and grassy. The floral notes open up, full of gardenia and lilac.
Third Steep: The fruit and florals begin to fade a bit and the tea takes on a more vegetal character
Fourth Steep: Flavor is still there, but noticeably flatter
Fifth Steep: Mostly vegetal with a tiny mineral hint to remind you this is an oolong
Sixth Steep: All of the flavor has been wringed out by now

This tea is quite versatile with brewing. I’ve had good success brewing it gongfu, grandpa style, and western style. Unless you’re doing gongfu, I recommend drinking individual steeps as the nuances of the tea seemed to be lost when steeps were combined.

The only negative is the price is a bit much at $11 for 25g. Not a good value for the money.

I have to say Laoshan greens are beginning to rival TGY as my favorite teas from Verdant. I was blown away by the spring harvest and waited with great anticipation for my autumn order to arrive.

I steeped a scant teaspoon of leaves in a 4 oz gaiwan at 165 F for 1 minute with the lid off. This is my usual method for brewing Chinese green teas. I feel lower temperatures bring out more of the sweetness of green tea and less of the swampy/brothy flavor it can sometimes have.

The flavor of the tea is marvelous. Creamy soymilk, fresh, very clean and crisp from start to finish. There is a nutty undertone that I can’t quite put my finger on. Verdant describes it as oats and wild rice but to me it evokes the flavor of coriander or sesame seeds. The mouthfeel is dry and extremely smooth. I was struck by the distinct soymilk flavor which I haven’t encountered before with other green teas. It dominates the early steeps before transitioning to a more vegetal taste.

Compared to last spring’s tea, this one is more on the savory side. Spring laoshan was sweeter and full of bright spring vegetables. I preferred the spring picking but the autumn is a wonderful tea in its own right. It gets you a lot more mileage. It keeps going strong for several steepings and perfect for grandpa brewing.

Ok, I’m issuing a retraction: this tea isn’t bad once you adjust the quantity of leaf. Like with most dark oolongs, I couldn’t drink a full on brew and had to use 1/3 of the amount of tea leaves I usually do.

It tasted a lot better this time around. The earthy notes are softer and sweeter and I can actually pick up some of the fruitiness that is strikingly similar to dried plum. I get notes of honey and caramel/burnt sugar in later steepings which are quite delicious.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but I’m happy to have found a way to make GABA oolong work for me. The relaxation effect is for real and I and I can tell this will become my go-to nighttime tea and insomnia cure.

I spent my entire stash trying to figure out a way to brew this tea without bitterness and on my last cup I finally got it. Very brief steeps mixed together bring out the depth that was missing. The tea somehow became brighter and cleaner and the strong vegetalness faded. A very enjoyable oolong tea indeed!

If you like oriental beauty, then GABA oolong may be the tea for you. It’s got that black tea-ish flavor which I don’t really care for. Actually reminds me of darjeeling, with a slight sourness and woodsy tobacco kind of flavor. Though I don’t normally use sweetener, I found a little honey helped take the edge off the tea.

As for its calming effects, I did feel this light almost giddy sensation afterwards followed by drowsiness. I don’t know if that was the GABA doing its thing or a placebo effect.

I’ve got my half-spent leaves cold steeping right now and am hoping it will taste better iced. Overall, this is not my cup of tea but I’m intrigued by the medicinal effects. I think underleafing and adding some spices along with sugar would help make this more palatable.

I’d never heard of Pomelo flowers, but this tea caught my attention as I was browsing Taiwan Tea Crafts. Its description sounded similar to orange blossoms from which perfumey orange flower water is derived and just happens to be one of my all-time favorite culinary flavorings. It’s a flavor I’ve long sought in tea but alas most teas labeled orange blossom are actually flavored with citrus fruit, not flowers.

TTC’s citrus flower oolong didn’t quite taste like what I imagined but that doesn’t matter because the flavor is unique and enjoyable on its own. This tea smells and tastes like a bouquet of wildflowers. Subtle notes of jasmine float in the background and hints of crisp citrus emerge as it cools. A very pleasant and refreshing tea that leaves behind a syrupy, flowered aftertaste.

Getting the steeping parameters down is important to getting the most out of this tea. The wildflower tones, while delightful, can be almost cloying if you overleaf as I initially did. After some experimentation, I settled on 1.5 tsp of tea per 4 oz for steep times of 50s/40s/50s/60s/70s/90s.

Kudos to TTC for another impressive floral scented tea!

Received this in a swap with LiquidProust.

This is a buttery high mountain oolong with a sweet, thick liquor. It has a subtle pear like fruitiness and faint floral notes. It’s similar to BTT’s LiShan but this one has a heavier body. Steeped gongfu, I got nearly two pitchers out of it which is pretty good. This is probably my favorite BTT oolong so far. However like many of their teas I felt it lacked a bit of complexity. It’s overall a very pleasant cup, but with so many impressive offerings out there from other oolong players, it’s just not something I’d stock up on.