Written by This is a new, semi-regular feature where I’ll review teas from the supermarket. It’s not high end gourmet tea reviews. It’s just tea from the supermarket. It can be good.
The pouchong is a type of oolong largely grown in Taiwan. It’s milder than the typical oolong and may be classified as “green”.
This particular small pack from ABC Tea, purchased from 168, was nothing special to me.
The dry tea’s appearance was crumbly, small, and a fair number of stems.
I did a steep in the microwave, using a pint glass, and it boiled over, foamed up and left a thick, foamy residue along the sides of the glass. I drank the tea, and it was OK.
I did a second batch, this time using hot water, and not in the microwave. I noticed that the tea brewed green, and then foamed a little bit at the top. It had a distinct green tea flavor, but the foam bothered me, so I poured it through a strainer, into the sink.
I added cold water, and then microwaved it. This time, there was only the slightest hint of foam, and the tea was a light honey color with just the slightest hint of green.
The tea had a mild, almost water-like flavor. It had only the slightest hint of “green tea”.
I let the remainder steep for another five minutes, and drank the second cup. The tannins had come out, as had the more floral notes of the tea.
It’s not a bad tea. It’s drinkable.
In the future, I will use water boiled in a teapot, and do an initial rinse of the tea – a 10 second steep – to clean off the residue. Then proceed to steep.