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I got this on sale, and I mainly got it for the L-Theanine supplemented in it. That amino acid with the chamomile makes this to be a pretty potent sleeping potion at least for me. I also like caramel, and the ingredients did not look half bad.

The cup is fairly sweet on its own and the caramel is palpable, but so are the herbs which may be a welcoming sign or a turn off for some people. Again, this stuff knocks me out, but that might not happen for everyone. More of a tea for newbies and those craving sweets at bedtime. For other people, no matter how experienced they may be, might think that the blend of herbals is too distracting, or the sweetener in this is too herbal and artificially replicated.

This is one of the better Pu-Erh’s I’ve had, and honestly, it reminds me more of a green tea with the same grassy, bittersweet tang. I definitely get sour notes, and it is also fairly sweet like a pineapple skin. Tropical might be a way to describe it. I am glad that I sampled this and I think it deserves a fairly high rating, but I am not a huge fan of it merely put of preference. This tea might be a better introduction to Pu-Erh- it’s more grassy or even broth like than musty.

I had this from a friends, and this was a nice combo. I tasted the white tea distinctly having the sweet hot hay notes it normally has, which in turn provided the soft body for the pear. It tasted like hot pear juice, and did not need any sweetener. I got two good steeps out of it. Something that I would want again, but not something that urges me. Good flavored tea. Tea purists, be warned.

This one grew on me. I taste the same notes, but I had more of the Fujian Black tea giving it that cocoa edge, while the oolong gives the weird coconut woodsiness to it. It’s more coconut like lighter at about two minutes and fifteen with one heaping teaspoon, but darker for three minutes with more of a vanilla leather quality. Yeah, I’ve been a hypocrite and using fancy tasting note vocabulary, but vanilla leather is not really an exaggeration. I personally taste the cocoa again, but I think it maybe because I’m towards the bottom of the package where a lot of the vanilla an black tea sits. I still taste the Da Hong Pao as being fairly dominant though, but it reigns co-dominant with the Fujian which I really like.

The other tasting rule I broke is adding coconut milk creamer. I did this when I nearly finished the cup, and holy crap it actually works. It does not overpower the flavors at all with a splash. It could just be me, or the stuff I used which was the So Delicious Barista Unflavored Creamer, but the tea taste doesn’t fall back. Sugar didn’t detract anything either. I continue to prefer the tea straight now more for health reasons than taste preference. Makes a great desert tea, or bubble tea (What Blasphemy is this!)

Anyway. I miss the Dark Chocolate Oolong. My favorite… I also miss Irie’s Oolong as one of my favorite darker oolongs, but I am satisfied with this for now. That means for now: not the too near future. Andrew, I’m excited to see how you make this next time. Good Lord, do I have the ability to temperate my decadent tastes?

Tasted like a Tie Guan Yin, which it is. I wanted a little bit more power, though I tasted the honey and nectar element to it. Again, the serving size was too small on my part. Overall, smooth, thick mouth feel and more honey with little bits of floral. I’ll come back to this one like with the others I’ve had recently.

Really nice oolong, and Andrew, this was a great one that I had to try. A little bit more floral than the other ones I’ve had, but still mildly fruity, with a weird vegetal caramel character in the aftertaste. The company’s mention of a resemblance to Tie Guan Yin is also pretty accurate. Nice leaves, faint fragrancy, light flavor profile, decent resteep-ability, and complexity all make this a high rating. A lot of people would like it, though I think that newer tea drinkers might be looking for something heavier, and a black tea dominant person would be underwhelmed. Obviously for oolong lovers and green tea lovers looking for new horizons.

My only hesitation is my bias to the tung ting Liquid Proust Teas Elixir #9. I was looking for a more nectar like profile which is more in super green oolongs. With that said, this one DOES have a nectar taste, it was just fainter and I could tell that leaves were a little more roasted (barely more). As with the Misty Mountain, I think I have to go back to this one again and use less water and or more leaves. I was trying to slow down my tea usage, and I did, but I need to figure out better parameters to do so.

With a full tea spoon, it’s closer to a tropical fruit nectar, specifically mango with a side of coconut shavings…if that makes any sense. I got it more in steep two the second time drinking it. I’m enjoying it a little more the second time.

Andrew boasted that this tea would change my perception of others, and that it might be the best tea I’ve had. Well, it changed my perception of mountain teas, but not the fact that Tie Guan Yins are my favorite. Okay, enough of my bias. On to the tea.

The first steep at three minutes was a lot like other mountain teas I’ve had- floral, light, vegetal, creamy, and lingering. Then the aftertaste kicked in, and it was a more floral, cucumbery, osmanthus like sweetness. The later steeps had more and more of that element until the last steep, which was very clean, pure, and spinach like. Mountain air comes to mind.

I kinda wanted more flavor, but I have more of this, and I’ll adjust the brewing suggestions based on Andrew’s advice (which you will probably give to me soon after this post). So glad I tried this, and I definitely enjoy mountain teas a hell of a lot more.

Liquid Proust sent me another lovely sample, with lovely leaves. I brewed it six times gong fu, two of those brews being a cold ones overnight. Changing, gorgeous, and nearly divine. This is how I like my teas, oolongs in particular, which brings back my fondest memories. I kinda got tea drunk after this one, then felt a great sense of connection and peace. Yet that’s the qi, i.e. caffeine or whatever energy you like to call talking.

This tea has and shall become something special. That’s all I can say for now.

Sweet pea is what I get more from this one. This is one of the first Baozhangs I’ve had, and it is pretty darn close to being a green tea in terms of taste, but with the crisp, light character of an oolong. I used a morsel of a bare teaspoon since the leaves were so large. It was also sweet and grassy like green beans. Overall, this one was really pleasant and one that I would likely drink again.

I think a green tea lover or someone who likes their teas light, and fragrant would go for this one. I’d recommend the oolong to a lot of people just so that they could try it, though it might not blow their socks off. Otherwise, they’d be tranquil.

Andrew is continuing the tour de oolong, and brought me by a nice stop. Smelling and tasting this reminded me of a description on the Mountain Tea: " it is light yet buttery with lingering flowery finish of morning gardenias and warm milk." I know it’s another company, but those are the words that stick out in my head. Gardenias and warm milk rings, granting an instant visual of spring. This one took a little bit to steep with an approximate tea spoon, about 50 seconds to get the full profile. I got it up to three, and the third one soaked for about four to five minutes to get the exact same taste.

A lot of the reactions to Four Seasons Oolongs are underwhelming, and I may have had one other before, but just that one. The only other standard I can measure this to is the Tie Guan Yin’s I’ve had. This Four Seasons had the same floral character a certain Tie Guan Yin with a more prominent milky note and mouth feel. Now, I only prefer Tie Guan Yin regulars slightly if, and only if they have the Hawaiian plumeria taste and aroma I long for. And this one serves as something altogether different, distinct, and good in its own place.

Andrew, I knew that you would convert me to the Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company. You have, and few might compete.

Note to Mountain Tea Company- there’s still a lot of stuff I want to try from you guys…
the same goes for Beautiful Taiwan and several others.