Looking for gateway Oolong

[Vulture]

As the title says I need to get a few teas to try out here.

I already tried Jasmin pearls (Jasmin #12 on the site). I am not too fond of that floury taste. Makes me think of drinking something with soap in it. (and reminds me of the mouth soup washing days of being a kid)

Thanks!

[Victoria]

As the title says I need to get a few teas to try out here.

I already tried Jasmin pearls (Jasmin #12 on the site). I am not too fond of that floury taste. Makes me think of drinking something with soap in it. (and reminds me of the mouth soup washing days of being a kid)

Thanks!

Umm yeah, no flavored or scented oolongs. Why not try the AliShan?
Or the Pouchong? Or TKY?

[kymidwife]

My gateway for Oolongs was Adagio's TKY from the Oolong sampler... coming from a background of drinking mostly black teas, I found the unique oolong flavor to be something I wouuld suddenly crave, out of the blue, and I branched out from there. I really like Adagio's TKY, Pouchong, and my favorites are Ali Shan and Oolong #18. I tend to like lighter-colored oolong brews with a greener, less roasted taste. If you go for darker more roasty stuff, the Wuyi and the Oolong #40 are really nice too.

Sarah

[Cinnamon Kitty]

Since you seem to like black teas, Oolong #8, Oolong #40, or Wuyi Ensemble might be more to your tastes. Greener oolongs will give you a completely different flavor than the dark teas that you are used to, but they are definitely worth trying.

[Victoria]

Actually I think he seems to be shifting away from black tea.
I think a nice Darjeeling will be a good black tea compromise.
Or even a Darjeeling Oolong.
And I'm betting on the lighter oolongs.

PM me your address and I'll send you a few samples.

[Trioxin]

The oolong that really peaked my interest and started to get me buying more was the roasted TKY from Just4tea (thanks Sal). Its become one of my Oolong staples.

[Wesli]

Green oolong is floral, but it's very pleasing to newbies.

[Chip]

Green oolong is floral, but it's very pleasing to newbies.

And not so newbies. There are oolongs for everyone, sometimes it takes time and $$$ to find them. Oolong 18 from Adagio is a good intro green oolong. The Alishan from Agagio is a tad darker than many Alishan and very approachable.

[Maitre_Tea]

I'm a big fan of Wuyi, especially Rou Gui or Da Hong Pao. These teas are pretty heavy hitters and are usually packed with flavor.

If you're looking for more subtlety TGY is usually a good choice, as long as it's not high roasted. Most Taiwanese oolongs are a pretty good introduction. If you like fruity flavors in your tea I highly recommend Hou De's Foshou Oolong

[Vulture]

If you like fruity flavors in your tea I highly recommend Hou De's Foshou Oolong

Yah I really like sweat teas. Trying to find a sweet tea that is full mouthed or 'rich' as some say.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

If you like fruity flavors in your tea I highly recommend Hou De's Foshou Oolong

Yah I really like sweat teas. Trying to find a sweet tea that is full mouthed or 'rich' as some say.

The Fo Shou sample that I had reminded me of my grandmother's homemade raspberry jam. It was delicious.

[betta]

If you like fruity flavors in your tea I highly recommend Hou De's Foshou Oolong

Yah I really like sweat teas. Trying to find a sweet tea that is full mouthed or 'rich' as some say.

I'm a fans of formosa oolong so I'd recommend the Tenren King Tea series.
The Tenren's King Tea series have very long and sweet aftertaste compare to TGY, LiShan, AliShan, Oriental Beauty, Concubine Oolong, DHP.
I haven't met any other tea which has such a long sweet aftertaste. Yet the aroma of the tea is very clear unaltered by ginseng aroma at all. Worth trying

[Riene]

I like the Adagio #8. It's a darker oolong, not floral but not as robust as a black.

The term "gateway oolong" is cracking me up...

[ABx]

I've found that the greener oolongs are a good introduction because they contrast so well from any tea that they've had before. They are very easily accessible, but then as one refines their tastes these oolongs also have more to offer. The Taiwanese jade oolongs have a lot of up-front characteristics that appeal to the new drinker, such as aroma, taste, and a thick mouthfeel. Later, however, you might notice the aftertaste, "after-aroma," and the way that it affects the mouth, throat, and body afterwards.

IMO there are better options than Adagio. Hou De has some of the best, though it can sometimes be difficult for a beginner to accept some of the prices. Even his low end ones are fantastic, though, so I'd say to check out Hou De. His prices are worth it, but if you just can't bring yourself to spend that much quite yet, then you could also check out FloatingLeaves.com and TeaCuppa.com. Floating Leaves has machine processed Jin Xuan and Four Seasons that are inexpensive and still quite good. Any of their others should be good as well. TeaCuppa's Da Ye is a good one (a Chinese tea that is similar, in some ways, to a Taiwanese), but I've never had a bad experience with anything from them.