jLteaco (fongmongtea)

I used my usual method for the gaiwan, with about 2g of leaf, a rinse, and 30ml of water at approximately 85 degrees Celsius to begin infusing. I add water in 15ml increments as needed, making sure the leaves have space to open. I began with a 10 second infusion time, adding 5 seconds per steep for a pattern of 10, 15, 20, etc.

This is another oolong that produces a pale yellow liquor – very pale, with just a hint of green. The aroma is sweetly floral, reminding me of springtime and cherry blossoms, and maybe peaches, and a light mineral taste. The actual vegetal greenness of this oolong seems a little subdued, with the fruity and floral aspects front and center. The liquor is smooth and creamy, and my first impression is of delicacy. That’s the word I’d sum this tea up with, delicate. Sweetly floral and fruity, delicate and somehow light and airy.

The sweetness reminds me of cherries and peaches, also honey. It seems to intensify over the first 4 infusions. There’s something very clean about this tea, and also something like perfume. By the fifth infusion, the mineral note started to come forward more. The floral and fruity notes begin fading after infusion 7, leaving my final two infusions tasting more of minerals and foggy mountain air. This is a complex and intriguing cup, as I’ve come to expect from Fong Mong Tea.

I prepared this tea in a gaiwan using 2g of leaf and 30ml of water at 80 degrees Celsius to start, adding to the water amount as needed in 15ml increments when the leaves opened up. The liquor begins very pale, delicate, yet flavourful and creamy. A refreshing bouquet of light floral, verdant vegetal notes, something sweet and fruity but mostly honey. The honey is the dominant lingering aftertaste.

I infused these leaves 10 times for this tasting. The liquor remained pale throughout, deepening in colour just slightly as time went on, but the flavour is the real story here. Consistent, sweet, very much of a honey flavour and just a little bit of almond peeked out midway through the tasting. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy yet light at the same time. This was a highly enjoyable tasting that left me eager for more.

With the gaiwan I opted for brewing using water at approximately 80 degrees Celsius. I used 2g of leaf and gave the leaves a quick rinse in hot water before steeping the first infusion, which I let sit for 15 seconds. The colour of the liquor was a pale golden yellow reminding me of straw. The flavour was richly floral sweet, the beautiful Jasmine at the forefront of springlike vegetal notes and a sweet cherry finish. There’s a bit of honey in here too.

This lovely flavour continued across all infusions as I continued, added 5 seconds to the steep time with each infusion. I think this might be my new favourite oolong, actually. by the 5th or 6th infusion I noticed some mineral notes starting to show through. That sweet floral and cherry has beautiful longevity. By the 10th infusion the mineral note was stronger and the other flavours were waning so I made that my last. By this point I was very impressed with this oolong.

For my first tasting of this particular tea I used a gaiwan. I used 2g of leaf, and gave them a rinse with hot water before infusing. To infuse, I used water at 85 degrees Celsius, and began with a 15 second infusion time. The liquor was yellow but somewhat pale. The flavour, I found, was a bit unique. It tastes even cleaner than it smells. There are definitely floral notes in here, and I also taste minerals, it’s sweet and this first infusion is a bit perfumey to. There’s a vegetal flavour at the heart of this tea somewhere between green beans and edamame. The flavour is light but very enjoyable and satisfying.

Continuing on, I add 5 seconds with each new infusion, and the liquor’s pale yellow hue begins to strengthen. I taste more floral and minerals. The mouthfeel is buttery and smooth yet there’s some astringency at the back of the mouth that lingers, to go with the lingering floral aftertaste. Using this method I continued to 9 infusions, letting the final infusion sit for several minutes. This final cup’s flavour was more mineral in nature, and a lovely note to finish off on.

I prepared this tea using a gaiwan with 2g of leaves. I used water at approximately 90 degrees Celcius, beginning with 30mls for the first couple of infusions, increasing the amount in 15ml increments as the leaves opened up. After a quick rinse, my first infusion was 15 seconds. The liquor was quite pale on this first infusion, but the flavour was there and abundant.

There is a creamy texture to this tea’s mouthfeel, but it’s not all that thick. More smooth and somewhat light, and very refreshing. The flavours are of course vegetal, floral, and fruity like apples and spring blossoms. My main impression however, is of honey, and that sweet honey note lingers in the aftertaste. I added 5 seconds with each subsequent infusion, once again finding that common thread of quality and consistency that I’ve found in the past with Fong Mong Tea. I continued on until the 8th infusion, by which the leaves seemed pretty spent. This is a delightful oolong!

Smelling warm, a bit woody and roasty with a lovely charcoal aroma, I tried this tea in a gaiwan, using 2g of tea. I rinsed the leaves and then covered them with 30ml of 80-degree Celsius water to start, increasing the amount of water as needed so the leaves would have ample room to open. The first infusion was 15 seconds, and gave a light, clear golden amber liquor. The flavour on this first infusion was already copious.

It begins warm and nutty, a less pronounced and more nuanced charcoal note, but becomes somehow cooling and for me at this tasting a bit sweat inducing, starting at the back of my neck. It tastes a more like a green oolong but still reminds me of a Wuyi Yancha. This is a very rich and complex tea and a delightful flavour experience. There’s a lovely consistency in the infusions with this tea. I added 10 seconds to each infusion and found that worked very well. By the 7th infusion I felt the mineral flavours were taking dominance and the rest of it was fading, so I made my 8th infusion the final one.

Oriental Beauty is quite an indulgence. The dry aroma is distinct and pleasant, with floating notes of fruit and honey.

As of writing this I’ve tried this tea on two separate occasions with slight method differences, but using a gaiwan both times. The first time, I used cooler water and relatively short infusion times. This brings out a much lighter and delicate flavour, similar to a first flush Darjeeling. I began using 3 grams of tea per 90ml of water, and a 30 second steep time, increasing by another 30 seconds with each infusion. The result was light, fruity sweet with honey. There was no bitterness at all in this tea, and it has a lovely smooth mouthfeel. With this method I stopped at eight infusions, having enjoyed it very much, but also eager to see what hotter water and longer steep times would draw out of this tea.

For my second tasting, I used water just under a boil and longer infusion times, beginning with two minutes. Once again I used 3 grams of tea and 90ml of water. The above picture is from the first infusion of that second tasting. Right from the start there was a much deeper color to the liquor, like amber honey, where the first tasting began quite pale. The flavour using this method was much more rich and bold, but maintained that distinct honey and fruit flavour. Simply delightful!

I tried this tea both using flash steeping and long steeps. With flash steeping, I used 3g of tea and 60ml of water, gradually increasing as the leaves opened up. I rinsed the leaves before infusing, with a first infusion time of 15 seconds, adding 15 seconds with each infusion.

The liquor started out very pale during the first few infusions, gradually taking a more golden yellow hue as the leaves unfurled. The dry leaf didn’t let me know what I was in store for when I drank this tea. The flavour was distinctly sweet and fruity, like pears or peaches, and of course, as this is a green oolong it had those familiar vegetal notes. It was also super smooth and had a milky mouthfeel.

I carried on for seven infusions using this method and was surprised again at how consistent the flavour was – something readily found with Fong Mong’s excellent teas. It almost seemed like you could keep reusing these leaves forever, but at the seventh the flavour was beginning to fade a little. I chose to make the eighth infusion a marathon and allowed it to steep for 10 whole minutes. The result was even more flavourful than I expected! I thoroughly enjoyed this tasting.

I first tried this tea using a flash steeping method. For this tasting I used 3g of tea and 50ml of water per infusion. Fong Mong Tea recommends a water temperature of 85-90C for this tea. I used longer infusion times than I normally would for flash steeping, giving the tea a quick rinse before beginning with one minute for the first infusion.

The result was quite fantastic. The liquor begins a pale sunny golden yellow, tasting at once vegetal and floral, with a bit of fruity and mineral notes and fresh air. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with zero astringency. There is no hint of bitterness, and it’s very refreshing. The next infusion sees the leaves continue to unfurl and this tea really shines. This is definitely a superior quality tea. The liquor starts to darken just a touch, but the flavour is consistent and delightful over the nine infusions I did during this tasting. By the sixth infusion, I found it was becoming a little bit squeaky, but the astringency remained pretty low.

For my first tasting of this tea, I used a teapot method with 1.5g of tea per 8oz of water, and hot water brought to a boil and then cooled. Fong Mong Tea recommends a temperature of 60-70C. The liquor takes a light honey yellow hue. Giving it three minutes to infuse, I found the first cup was more flavourful than expected, with a harmony between savoury and sweet notes and a sweet fruity grape flavour. The mouthfeel was smooth with just the slightest amount of astringency.

When I used the flash steeping method, I soon discovered I like longer steeps better with this tea. Shorter steep times give more delicate flavour and is still very enjoyable, but I preferred the full flavour of the longer steep. I did do seven infusions with flash steeping, starting with a 20-second infusion and adding 10 to 15 seconds with each following infusion. Going forward I’d also use 3g of tea instead of 1.5g – the flavour is excellent and having double the flavour would just be that much better!

Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped the entire 6 g in a 120 ml teapot at 185F for 20, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus a couple long infusions.

Wow! The sample nearly fills my teapot to the brim! The first steep has notes of baked apple, brown sugar, and pleasant sourness with a long, sweet/sour aftertaste. Maybe because of the baked apple associations, I get some nutmeg in the second steep. The next couple rounds add a yeasty flavour, which turns into honey and GABA tanginess in the next several infusions. The tea keeps this profile until the end of the session, when a bit of malt is detectable.

This is a smooth, easy-drinking tea that would probably be great cold. Whether you enjoy it will largely depend on how you perceive the taste of the GABA processing, which is noticeable. I found it to be pleasant and mellow, although I prefer other tea types.

Lishan is among my favourite oolongs, and if it weren’t so darn expensive, I’d drink it a lot more often. Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The dry leaf smells promisingly of heady flowers and stonefruit. The first steep is mild, with notes of brown sugar, orchid, herbs, grass, and butter. A soft fuzzy peach emerges in the second steep, along with stronger grassy and balsam notes. There are also hints of spice. The next couple steeps have a great balance of peach, apricot, spices, balsam, and veggies. As the tea fades, the vegetal and balsam notes take over, though it doesn’t become overly astringent.

This is a lovely fruity Lishan with decent longevity. I particularly enjoy those peach/apricot flavours, which, along with tropical fruit notes, are the Holy Grail of my oolong quest. Given its price point, this tea provides amazing value.

For someone who loves floral oolongs, I don’t drink many flower-scented teas, maybe because I had a few in my early tea discovery days that tasted like they were drenched in cheap perfume. Thanks to Fong Mong for letting me give these teas another chance. I’m actually surprised that others haven’t reviewed this jasmine oolong before (or maybe it’s under another name and I can’t find it in the database).

The 6 g sample I received presented a brewing quandary. I have no medium-sized vessels, only small gongfu teapots and large 355 ml mugs. I usually use at least 4 g of leaf for these mugs, which would have left a measly 2 g for another, probably disappointing session. Instead, I opted to brew the whole shebang in 185F water for a number of short steeps: 1:30 minutes, 2:30 minutes, 4:00 minutes, 6:00 minutes, and 8:00 minutes.

The first steep hits me in the face with its fresh jasmine aroma, and the taste follows through. Although I get some creamy and vegetal notes, the main impression is of heady jasmine. The tea is not in the least astringent. The second steep is very similar, though perhaps not quite so floral. By steep three, the fact that it’s an oolong is becoming more apparent. Steeps four and five reveal more grassy and vegetal flavours, but the fragrant jasmine is still very evident.

This is a highly refreshing tea that would be excellent iced. The jasmine seems real and not overly perfumey, although it does overshadow the oolong almost completely.

So does this mean I’ll seek out more of these teas in the future? Maybe, though I still like the complexity of straight oolongs. Nevertheless, I’m glad I got to try it.

For someone who loves Taiwanese oolongs, I haven’t tried many Baozhongs, possibly because I’m unsure how to brew them. Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample, which is perfect for this cool spring day. I steeped 6 g of these long, mostly unbroken leaves in a 120 ml teapot at 176F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The dry aroma of this tea is intensely buttery and sweet pea floral. The first steep has sweet pea, lilac, butter, grass, and vegetal notes. The second is more herbaceous, with a long, floral aftertaste. Upping the temperature to 180F in the next few steeps brings out notes of pepper and what could be called lime; it also makes the tea more vegetal. The crisp, vegetal and floral balance persists until the end of the session.

This is a nice, uncomplicated tea that’s a cross between an oolong and a green. For me, the heady florals are the best part of the drinking experience, and the aroma lingers in the cup after the session is over.

Jin Xuan doesn’t get a lot of attention among Taiwanese oolong fans, possibly because much of it is of poor quality. This version is from Alishan, though, and I’m hoping it’ll be more interesting. It also goes without saying that it’s not one of those artificially scented Jin Xuans that I avoid like the plague. Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped 7 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 20, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The dry, loosely rolled large nuggets have a subtle aroma of cream, corn, and flowers. The first steep has notes of cream, butter, gardenias, corn, corn husk, and grass. It reminds me of cream corn to a ridiculous extent, though with a vegetal aftertaste. The second steep morphs into soft peaches and cream with hints of gardenias and other flowers. There’s also butter and corn in the background. Needless to say, this tea is quite sweet.

The third steep returns to a floral cream corn with hints of cooked veggies like asparagus, while the next steep loses some of the corn and is heavily floral, almost perfumey. I love how this tea keeps changing! By steep five, the vegetal notes start becoming more prominent, although it’s still floral and creamy. The end of the session is almost entirely vegetal, with lettuce and asparagus in the foreground.

This is a sweet, nuanced Alishan oolong that even high mountain snobs like me can appreciate. I loved watching the flavours play musical chairs throughout my gongfu session. I highly recommend this tea, especially given its price point.

As I was digging through Tea Mountain (a.k.a. what used to be the bottom of my closet), I unearthed a few more teas that Fong Mong had sent me to review in the winter of 2018. Thanks for the samples, and I apologize for taking so long to get to them.

As my previous reviews have made clear, bug-bitten teas are my jam, so I was eager to try this roasted version. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

Dry, the dark green leaves smell like roast, honey, and faint florals. In the first steep, the roast is surprisingly subtle, and honey, floral, grain, and stonefruit notes are present. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a Dong Ding. The honey, peachy, and roasted grain notes become even clearer in the next couple steeps, as does a drying sensation in the mouth. There are also hints of nuts, wood, minerals, and char.

By steep five, the honey starts to fade into the background and the Dong Ding-like nuttiness and roast take over. Later steeps are full of minerals, walnut, and roast, but are still sweet and enjoyable.

I loved the honey, nutty, and stonefruit flavours in this tea, although I wish the fruit had stuck around a bit longer. The roast was a little strong for my liking, but it was never overpowering. This is a solid, comforting tea that I’m glad I was able to try.

Since I read on TDB that Zhu Lu is one of the most sought-after Alishan oolongs, I’ve wanted to try it, and Fong Mong is among the few online vendors that carry it. I was therefore really happy to get a free sample. I steeped 6 g in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

These small, tightly rolled nuggets have a vaguely floral aroma. The first steep is a surprise! It tastes like a floral apple pie, with baked apple, spice, light florals, cream, honey, veggies, and a drying aftertaste. The next two steeps have a thicker body and continue with the apple theme—maybe apple custard. There are more vegetal and floral notes, especially as the tea cools.

By the fourth steep, the fruit starts to subside and the tea becomes a creamy, floral oolong with spinach and apple hints. The steeps remain vaguely sweet and floral until the end of the session, though the vegetal and spinach notes gradually predominate.

This is well rounded and complex for an Alishan oolong and the apple and spices were a pleasant surprise. I now understand why teas from this area are so highly recommended.

From the product description, it appears that Fong Mong has developed this tea varietal independently of the TRES, and I’m kind of impressed. Thanks to the company for providing a sample. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

In the teapot, the large, loosely rolled green nuggets smell faintly floral. (From the consistency of the spent leaf sets, I can believe that this is a hand-picked tea.) The first steep has the beany, vegetal notes of green tea along with the milky, floral qualities associated with Jin Xuan. It also tastes kind of starchy, maybe because of the beans. This is a wonderfully soft tea with no astringency. Notes of kale, cream, and maybe gardenia show up in the next couple steeps. By steep six, the tea starts becoming more vegetal, though it’s still very pleasant.

Although I gravitate toward fruitier, less vegetal oolongs, this is a unique and easy-going varietal that would appeal to green tea drinkers. I love trying “experimental” teas from Taiwan and am glad I got to sample this one.

I haven’t had many green Dong Dings, as the roasted ones are so much easier to find. Thanks, Fong Mong, for the sample. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

In the pot, the tea smells like char, roast, and honey. The first steep is surprisingly smooth and buttery, with hints of honey, nuts, grain, and roast. The aftertaste is a bit drying. Steeps two and three continue in this vein, with hints of caramel and chestnut. By steep five, a vegetal quality emerges and the roast becomes sharper.

When I saw this was a green Dong Ding, I didn’t expect any roast at all; I was certainly in for a surprise. Though the roast wasn’t heavy, it definitely imparted a charcoal, nutty flavour. According to my very limited Chinese, “Tian Xiang” translates to “heavenly aroma,” and as promised, the smell was a highlight. I’m not sure I’d buy this again, but it was a tasty Dong Ding that’s perfect for the increasingly cold weather.

To my knowledge, this is the first time I’ve had a tea from the Tsui Yu cultivar. Thanks to Fong Mong for furthering my education! I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

In the teapot, the dry, smaller-than-usual green balls smell like sweet caramel and flowers. The first steep is unusually sweet. I might actually have to use the cotton candy flavour descriptor, which is something I never thought would come in handy. Notes include honeydew, apple, caramel, cream, flowers, grass, and herbs. The second steep, which I drank cold, had more herbaceous and coriander flavours, though it was still caramel and sweet.

The next couple steeps are pretty similar. By steep five, however, the fruitiness and caramel start to dwindle, to be replaced by a slightly sweet, herbaceous, and vegetal brew with a floral aftertaste.

The first three or four steeps of this tea are unique and tasty, especially for those with a sweet tooth. However, this tea fades quickly and might be better suited for Western or grandpa brewing.

Shan Lin Xi is my favourite tea region, so thanks to Fong Mong for providing this sample. According to the attached brewing instructions, this tea is from Zhushan, which I didn’t know was part of the Shan Lin Xi region. This tea seems to be high quality, with uniform, loosely rolled green nuggets; it even has an oxidizer packet to ensure freshness. I steeped about 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The smell of the dry leaves in the teapot is of honey, flowers, and the balsam note associated with SLX. The first steep has notes of flowers, honey, apple, grass, and cream. In a previous review, Ken pointed out a nutmeg component, and while my palate isn’t that refined, there’s definitely a bit of spice. There’s no astringency and the body is slick. The second steep is even more intense and has the piney balsam taste I could detect in the aroma. This combo lasts into the sixth steep, after which the tea loses its fruity and balsam components and becomes mostly honey and florals, with vegetal notes slowly sneaking in at the end of the session.

This tea is fantastic, especially for its price. I got lots of honey, balsam, fruit, and florals, and very few of the off notes that plague high-mountain oolongs, such as seaweed, spinach, veggies, and excessive astringency, and then only near the end of the session. I’ve had much more expensive oolongs that I’ve liked considerably less than this one, and I’ll probably order an entire package when I can justify buying more tea.

For a fan of Taiwanese oolongs, I haven’t gotten around to trying many Taiwanese blacks. Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 185F for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

In the pot, the long, wiry leaves smell like grapes, sassafras, and malt. The first steep is a coppery combination of tannins, sweet grape, sassafras, cinnamon, wood, and malt, with a long, drying finish and a bit of a menthol tingle. Unlike other Ruby 18s I’ve tried, this one doesn’t taste like liquorice (which is a good thing in my books). In the second steep, the grape gets even sweeter, almost like grape jelly, and lingers into the aftertaste.

Steeping this tea at 180F reduces the astringency and makes the grape and sassafras pop even more. By the fifth steep, malt, minerals, and some vegetal notes start becoming more prominent, though the lovely grape/sassafras combination is still very much there. It only starts to dwindle in the final couple steeps, which shows great longevity for a black tea.

This is an approachable, sweet, and long-lasting Ruby 18 with lots of flavour (and caffeine). It doesn’t have the overwhelming astringency that I’ve found in other Taiwanese blacks, especially if brewed at lower temperatures. It’s also a good value for the price.

ETA: I don’t know why there isn’t a flavour option for sassafras. Should I put it under something else?

I wrote most of this review last night, but got sidetracked by the U.S. election, for which this tea turned out to be a perfect accompaniment.

I thought a roasted Tie Guan Yin would be perfect on this rainy fall day. Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample. I steeped 6 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 190F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

In the teapot, the dry leaves smell like smoke, roast, wood, caramel, and walnuts. The first steep is sweeter than I expected, with warm notes of roasted grain, caramel, wood, and a bit of char. The sip starts off sweet and then becomes roasty, returning to sweet in the aftertaste. The second steep has additional notes of honey, banana bread, and nuts. These flavours continue well into the session, with minerals and some astringency appearing around steep six. The last few steeps are all about the smoke and roast, but with enough toasted grain sweetness to make them enjoyable.

This is a very complex, satisfying Taiwanese Tie Guan Yin that I wouldn’t mind having on hand this winter.