Mountain Organic Indonesian Oolong Tea

I believe this tea may originally come from PT Harendong Farm and if so, it’s a fine Oolong. Great everyday sipper and in my opinion best brewed in a Mini Gaiwan for short bursts at a time. Try starting at 5 seconds after washing the leaves and go from there. The flavors tend to all play nice together in the Mini and you get a feeling of eating a beautiful dish of Chestnuts, Honey and Cows Milk with sweet Korean Seaweed as the appetizer all in a floral garden surrounding:)

This is a solid oolong from a teabox a whiillleee ago. Sadly, nothing too distinct about it. I think the scent of the dry leaves was more distinct than the flavor. The leaves unraveled quickly. The three steeps were pretty consistent. The color of the mug was a deep yellow so I expected more flavor than there was. A good one but nothing to make it stand out from the oolong pack. Nothing much to say about this one, but it was from a tea box so I thought I should post a tasting note.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 8 min after boiling // rinse // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple min a.b. // 1 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 1-2 min

I’m going start by saying this tea frustrated me. I really wish this company would label a little more better. My oolong and green himalayan tea had the exact same label. Also, the leaves look practically identical. I had a lot of trouble brewing and was very worried that I was brewing a Green in my Oolong Yixing. I figured it out though, so now onto the review.

The leaves are small vibrant green bundles. They have a slight vegetal aroma and some earth tones. I brewed in my Yixing pot gong fu style. I steeped in increments of 10 seconds. I washed the leaves and allowed them to breathe. The aroma was something unique. I could smell a smooth bright tone of honey and nectar. It reminds me a fresh TGY. The leaves unfurled to beautiful long green fingers. The aroma of spring rose out of my lil pot. The flavor profile is incredible smooth. It leaves your mouth with a soothing sensation. This warm brew tastes of honey and sugarcane. The liquid has a thick milk like sensation. I can hint at undertones of honeysuckle and warm grass. The liquor is a brilliant jade topaz. It refracts the light well and seems to hold energy in it. This has a very subtle flavor and is calming. The most distinctive quality is the way it covers your mouth as a sweet syrup. It leaves a caramel, maple aftertaste that lingers long after drinking. I enjoyed this brew, and I would definitely get more. I only hope I can tell the difference next time and not be so worried, hahaha.

I’m finishing up this sample, and realising I didn’t actually rate it before. Weird. Anyway, this is a pretty nice green oolong: sweet, creamy, floral, and slightly vegetal. It’s not the most interesting or complex oolong I’ve ever tasted, but it’s very good, and I think it would make a nice daily drinking tea. Hmm, I may have to make another Tea at Sea order after all. :)

Sumptuous is the word that comes to mind when I drink this tea. Every stage of brewing is a lovely aesthetic experience, from first steeping to last sip.

I bought 50g without a tin, and the dry leaves have little scent, though I may get a whiff of light fresh grass here and there. I seriously take my time with smelling it as it steeps, it’s just so enticing. I get smooth aromas of fresh baked bread, buttered corn and sweet hay, with hints of honey.

The leaves are beautiful as they unfurl, gleaming in my strainer. I typically add 1 tsp or so of sugar, as I find it brings out the creamy flavor I enjoy.

The first sip fills my mouth with honeysuckle, calendula, and sweet cream. More of the fresh baked bread is present, and maybe hints of marine, as others have mentioned. I’ve never drunk a tea quite like this, with a buttery smooth flavor that I find difficult to put down.

The second steeping is similar to the first, though the honey-floral flavors are turned down, and the mineral hints coming to the fore.

The third steep is more mineral and marine, still smooth. I typically stop here, as I prefer the butter-cream flavors of the first and second steeps, but it’s still very good.

All in all a fantastic experience, and a tea I’ll have to have close at hand for the foreseeable future!

This is both refreshing, with its bright orchid scent and flavor, and creamy. I love orchidy oolongs and this one holds a very pleasant, though single, flavor note with the faintest hint of something more complex and warming, almost but not quite spice. This would be a good tea to have as a standard. Thanks to Tea at Sea for the sample!

Lewis & Clarke TTB

I figured I’d try the oolong immediately after the green, just so I could compare the two more easily. The leaves look very similar, but I think the oolong has more of a yellow tinge while the green version was more green. The dry scent is different, this tea smells very sweet and creamy with peach notes. I decided to do a 4 minute steep this time since 3 minutes was too short with the green. In hindsight, that doesn’t really make sense since the temperature was higher for this one… lol.

Brewed, this tea smells very creamy and fruity with a slight floral edge. There’s a bit of vegetal wavering about in the background, but it’s not the main flavor here. I think 4 minutes might be too long for some people, because mine has a little bit of a vegetal bite, but I actually really enjoy it this way! It’s not really bitter, but the vegetal flavor is stronger and more grassy than it otherwise would have been. The texture is, of course, creamy and luscious, and there’s a fair amount of peach flavor. The floral comes in at the end, as per usual, to rain on my parade. Lol!

L&C TTB

I was not feeling very well by the end of the work day. I left early. I came home and napped. When I woke up, I wanted oolong in my cute clay teapot. This oolong was in the TTB and as generic as it was labeled (it’s old packaging and is just labeled “The Oolong”) but it was the option available, so I went for it.

Now I want more of this tea.

Other teas from the teabox I have enjoyed and I would probably get. This one I will make sure I get some more of.

Short, quick infusions in my clay teapot.

The first few infusions were decent. Green, creamy, nice.

But then.

about the fourth or fifth infusion, things changed. Sweet. Really sweet. Delicious. I rarely get honey like this. Fresh. Floral. SWEET.

So good.

I was getting sloshy, so I stopped and waited a while. Re-warmed everything and infused some more.

Still outstanding.

Love this tea! Nice and floral and sweet. I think I steeped it about 6 times.

Ah….I had been saving this for a rainy day – which turned out to be day 1 of 3 days of back to back meetings… Too bad it’s only a sample because it is really good! Heavy on the floral notes, but I like that in a green oolong. It kind of reminds me of an orchid oolong I loved a while back but can’t find anymore. Perhaps this one is a new contender.