85
drank Formosa Oolong by Harney & Sons
110 tasting notes

1 tsp for 4 oz

Taste test of 2 Formosa Oolongs

Adagio: Formosa Oolong #8 ($4.00/oz)
A little thin and too astringent

Harney & Sons: Formosa Oolong ($1.67/oz)
More flavorful and smoother

Again, I seem to prefer the less expensive tea! This is very convenient. I really like the Formosa Oolong flavor. Now that I know more about tea, what I can say is that this type of tea is very similar in profile to a Bai Hao oolong. However, I believe it is probably not allowed to be affected by the leafhoppers. Also, from what Michael Harney has said, it is mechanically harvested. So, it’s a much less expensive option to the Bai Hao. That said, it is also less sweet, a bit more astringent. But it is incredibly similar in every other way. When I add a touch of honey to the Harney Formosa Oolong, I can barely tell the difference between it and the Bai Haos I’ve had.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Kashyap

bear in mind that “Formosa” just means ‘from Taiwan’ and is a generic term so the quality of the teas can be vastly different in both oxidation and craft. I would not use the price as a measure of the tea’s character, as I have a ton of Ti Kuan Yin right now ranging from moderate grade to competition and the tastes and prices are vastly different and the tea itself would be merely ‘ti kuan yin’ and most people wouldn’t realize that prices could range from $30/# retail to $200 +/# retail

El Monstro

Kashyap – what are some of the best bang for buck oolongs you’ve come across?

El Monstro

(and where do you get them)

Rachel J

I know Formosa means Taiwan. But, I’ve done some research on this specific type of oolong. See: http://steepster.com/discuss/5116-michael-harney-solved-my-oolong-mystery

:)

Kashyap

K…just trying to be helpful…as for ‘bang for buck’ I find Yunnan tea sourcing does some amazing oolongs and so does Naivetea, Verdant tea, and Tao of Tea. All quality and reasonable
pricing

Rachel J

Thanks, Kashyap!

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Kashyap

bear in mind that “Formosa” just means ‘from Taiwan’ and is a generic term so the quality of the teas can be vastly different in both oxidation and craft. I would not use the price as a measure of the tea’s character, as I have a ton of Ti Kuan Yin right now ranging from moderate grade to competition and the tastes and prices are vastly different and the tea itself would be merely ‘ti kuan yin’ and most people wouldn’t realize that prices could range from $30/# retail to $200 +/# retail

El Monstro

Kashyap – what are some of the best bang for buck oolongs you’ve come across?

El Monstro

(and where do you get them)

Rachel J

I know Formosa means Taiwan. But, I’ve done some research on this specific type of oolong. See: http://steepster.com/discuss/5116-michael-harney-solved-my-oolong-mystery

:)

Kashyap

K…just trying to be helpful…as for ‘bang for buck’ I find Yunnan tea sourcing does some amazing oolongs and so does Naivetea, Verdant tea, and Tao of Tea. All quality and reasonable
pricing

Rachel J

Thanks, Kashyap!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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Bio

I happily reside in Park Slope, Brooklyn with my husband, our baby son, and our dog. I teach over 40 piano students per week at my home studio and created “Fundamental Keys”, a classical piano method book and video series.

My husband and I are vegan and have been for about 8 years. We are enjoying bringing up our little one in the vegan tradition!

I went through a major tea phase some years ago (2006-2009) and had quite a collection and tasted hundreds of varieties. Then I went off caffeine when I decided to have a baby, and after he was born I got into a nasty coffee habit. Now I’ve come back to tea, thank goodness. I’m finding my tastes have changed quite a bit since my first go at tea fanaticism. Really enjoying some of the amazing and deliciously complex teas I’ve learned about through Steepster!

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Brooklyn

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http://about.me/rachelj

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