Lion select Send Message

There’a a major flaw with the marketing of this tea. It is called “Wuyi Oolong” but the ingredients say it is “Pure Silver- Tip Formosan Oolong leaves made from the WuYi tea varietal.” First, there is the issue that there is not just one varietal used for Wuyi oolongs, so I’m not sure what “the WuYi tea varietal” refers too. It must be a transplanted tea from China’s Wuyi region to Taiwan where it is grown and made into a Formosa style oolong. Okay, fair enough, but that is either some deceptive or uninformed marketing to call this tea “Wuyi Oolong”, as it is not what most tea drinkers know as a Wuyi Oolong, a class of oolong teas produced near Wuyi Rock in Fujian province China. As Wuyi oolongs can fetch a pretty penny, it would seem this tea from Republic of Tea is attempting to imitate that to exploit the wallets of less-informed tea drinkers who have heard the hype about Wuyi but have no idea how to tell a real Wuyi oolong from a Would-Be Wuyi. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not usually one to jump to accusations toward tea companies when the information seems inaccurate or misleading, but when it comes down to these mass-production type companies that sell their wares at overpriced places like Whole Foods, where the target demographic is often less informed than they are affluent and trend-chasing… I’m a bit more skeptical. Oye…. kind of rubs my fur the wrong way, but let’s get to the tea itself.

I had a bit of a dilemma figuring out the way to brew this, as Wuyi oolongs are usually brewed with very short infusions in the Gongfu style, and a lot of leaf, while the Formosa style oolong uses relatively less leaf and longer infusions, from most brewing recommendations I’ve seen. I tried it both ways and it definitely lends itself to the longer infusions, not short ones, so I brewed at 45 seconds, adding 15 each time. The leaves of this tea smell strongly of figs and berries. The scent is deep, dark, and fruity, very pleasant. The first infusion has a honeyed sweetness and the taste of dried fruit, hints of fig and golden raisins. The color is a gorgeous golden yellow and the mouthfeel is syrupy and thick. There is just a light flavor of peach, not nearly a “pure peach” flavor like Republic of Tea describes, but it is certainly fruity and sweet. There’s a hint of astringency, but it fades after a few infusions, and by the 4th or 5th it becomes even more mellow, sweet and fruity.

All things considered, I am surprised how much I enjoy this Would-Be Wuyi. For all the deceptive or inaccurate marketing and the steep price tag (compared to the rest of Republic of Tea’s line, this was the highest priced tea in the bulk bins at the store) it is still a pretty good tasting tea when all is said and done. The price is comparable to some authentic Wuyi oolongs though, so … I’ll let you be the judge on whether or not that’s worth it. At the time I’m writing this, they are charging $20 for 50g (1.75 oz). Sheesh.