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I bought this in the airport in Taipei and since I can only read english, I didn’t realise that they were tea bags rather than loose tea. Not that it matters, there is a generous amount of quality tea in each bag and can just as easily be cut open and used loose if preferred.

I’ve never had an osmanthus oolong before but I really enjoy it. I can’t quite explain it but this tea is more relaxing to drink than any others I have tired. Now that I’m down to only one bag left I’m searching for sources in Australia.

A lovely mild white tea. I brewed with tap water this time around and the earthy flavour of my water overpowered the tea a bit. I much prefer it made on filtered water.

A really wonderful darjeeling with an almost smoky taste. I ordered off the menu in the cafe so don’t know the brewing specifics of this tasting but will experiment at home soon.

I’ve had this tea for a few months but didn’t understand it until now. It looks remarkably similar to koala droppings and the vague instructions on the packaging only gave a steeping time of 3-5 minutes which resulted in a pretty ordinary cup of tea.

The ginseng on the first brew is far too intense for me and because the leaves are rolled so tightly, the oolong doesn’t really come through until the 2nd or 3rd infusions. My preference is to rinse the leaves in cold water for a few seconds prior to brewing in order to open up the leaves slightly and to lessen the strength of the ginseng. I brew at 2 minutes for the first infusion as any longer the ginseng is still too strong for me and increase time with subsequent infusions.

Interestingly the first few brews are quite sweet in a way very similar to fennel root and I’m pretty convinced that the tea contains fennel root as well as ginseng. The combination is nice and it is now a tea I enjoy.

This was a favourite off the tea menu in the cafe so when I saw it was being discontinued I snapped up a few packets. Unfortunately for me I am now at the very end of my stash.

It has a really wonderful fresh flavour, a little fruity and not too astringent. I’m sad that it is gone but am really looking forward to exploring other Darjeelings now.

For me this is a bit of an odd one, it is delicious but I never seem to reach for it. The apple component is tart which is a nice change from very sweet fruit flavoured teas and tastes great with the cinnamon.