Good starter oolong tea
I really like the 2009 Spring Nantou Four Seasons offered by Floating Leaves Tea website. It has a nice, pronounced flavor, buttery mouthfeel and good fragrance. I highly recommend it.
Re: Good starter oolong tea
What's a "starter" oolong? My first oolong was the dark oolong served in Chinese restaurants. When I started buying my own tea I got hooked on Ten Ten's Ten Wu teabags, which is still my favorite tea I've been able to buy in teabags. When I got more into loose oolongs, this whole world opened up...
I have no idea what I'd recommend someone to start with first though...I'd say start inexpensive and go up from there. I think that darker oolongs were easier for me to appreciate...the lighter oolongs (with the exception of Ten Ren's Ten Wu in teabags), in my experience, were an acquired taste, even though over time I came to appreciate them more than the the darker ones.
I think this would be even more true of people who are used to black tea, but...I have always preferred green to black tea, and I still found it harder to get into the lighter oolongs...amber oolong, tung ting, it often tasted strange to me. I recall tung ting tasting soapy, and amber oolong tasting like wood varnish. And when I first tried Se Chung it tasted skunky and weird. The same teas I later fell in love with. =)
But everyone is different. The first time I tried Feng Huang Dan Cong, I thought it bizarre...but my mother, also a tea lover, liked it from the first sip! Now I like all of these teas!
I have no idea what I'd recommend someone to start with first though...I'd say start inexpensive and go up from there. I think that darker oolongs were easier for me to appreciate...the lighter oolongs (with the exception of Ten Ren's Ten Wu in teabags), in my experience, were an acquired taste, even though over time I came to appreciate them more than the the darker ones.
I think this would be even more true of people who are used to black tea, but...I have always preferred green to black tea, and I still found it harder to get into the lighter oolongs...amber oolong, tung ting, it often tasted strange to me. I recall tung ting tasting soapy, and amber oolong tasting like wood varnish. And when I first tried Se Chung it tasted skunky and weird. The same teas I later fell in love with. =)
But everyone is different. The first time I tried Feng Huang Dan Cong, I thought it bizarre...but my mother, also a tea lover, liked it from the first sip! Now I like all of these teas!
Dec 31st, '09, 23:12
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Re: Good starter oolong tea
I would agree with starting with a darker Oolong if you are used to black tea's. maybe even like floating leaves Taiwan WuYi. It was quite tasty. I also prefer the greener Oolongs myself ..Having some LiShan right now..but its all a matter of taste I suppose.
Re: Good starter oolong tea
The first good tea I ever had was a greener TGY after only drinking tea in tea bags, mainly blacks and green tea. It changed my perception of tea and opened the door into this interesting world.
Much the same happened with wine. I knew only ordinary wines and then someone bought a 1967 Corton which is a Burgundy wine from France. Then I knew what all the fuss was about!
Much the same happened with wine. I knew only ordinary wines and then someone bought a 1967 Corton which is a Burgundy wine from France. Then I knew what all the fuss was about!
Re: Good starter oolong tea
AlexZorach <<What's a "starter" oolong?>>
Good point, Alex. I suppose it's marked by a pronounced flavor rather than by something that's delicately nuanced. But to each their own.
Good point, Alex. I suppose it's marked by a pronounced flavor rather than by something that's delicately nuanced. But to each their own.
Jan 4th, '10, 09:25
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Re: Good starter oolong tea
As long as it's something tasty and doesn't scare one off from oolong forever 
I once had some teabag green tea and thought, there must be lots of people who tried this once and swear they would never have green tea again in their life time
I once had some teabag green tea and thought, there must be lots of people who tried this once and swear they would never have green tea again in their life time