This Taiwan tea, also called Fancy Formosa Silver Tip or Oriental Beauty, is one of the world's most prized oolongs. More heavily oxidized, yielding luxurious floral, peach-pit fragrance. Incredibly sweet and lush, delicate warm spicy undertone.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Formosa Bai Hao, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
This tea is ceremonious! Single leaf teas are to be savored and enjoyed. This one didn’t disappoint. Multiple steeps gong fu style allows for a variety of flavors to savor. Perfect peach notes made for a relaxing summer day. Happy sipping!
This was a smooth enjoyable oolong. Reminded me more of a black tea, which I prefer. Sometimes it's just nice to sip a tea on it's own without it being blended. Great tea this morning and got many steeps !
I would rate this tea a 5.5/10. This isn't something I would buy but it was an interesting taste test.
A smooth, earthy oolong with a strong natural sweetness. I got more vegetal and hay like flavors, and not so much fruity or spicy as noted in the description. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 3 min @ 195F)
Love this one. Such a light and delicate flavor, great for multiple infusions and enjoying throughout the day.
Warm, toasty and naturally sweet. I'm currently drinking my second steep and the tea doesn't seem any weaker compared to the first.
A nutty oolong with some malt notes -- pleasant cup of tea!
A delicious, strong oolong that taste almost like a black tea.
Drinking this tea confused me. It smells fruity but when sipping it and swirling it, I taste almost a cherry/red fruit. While I don't taste the spice, maybe because my mind is so focused on the fruit, but it's not an unpleasant tea unless you let it cool. This is a tea meant to drink hot. The only hint of a spiced heat lays on the back of my tongue where you want to scrub away the taste but can't reach
A light flavored tea with a nice earthy aroma. (3 mins @ 190°F)
190 degrees for 3 minutes. Sweet, buttery and floral with hints of tobacco and plantain. Apricot and honey flavors were also present. This one is meant to sip slow and appreciate. A beautiful tea experience!
A rich aroma reminiscent of autumn leaves arises from the leaves as I pour the hot water over them. The tea steeps into a lovely amber color that belies the taste. One sip and I immediately understand the moniker Champagne Oolong despite the fact that my tea is still scalding. Despite the light color, the tea is smooth and rich in flavor without feeling heavy. Though the flavor isn’t what I think of when I think of a typical oolong, it’s not like a black tea or a green tea. This oolong is it’s own thing entirely, a unique flavor I’ve not encountered before. It’s at once herbal, floral, and even a little fruity. How can a tea be all of them at the same time? Though this tea has a natural sweetness, I add a little honey to a second steep, and it blends in well with the flavors of the tea. Brewed carefully, this tea will hold up to multiple (at least three) infusions. Certainly, this is a tea to be sipped slowly, savored, and contemplated. If you believe in saving things for special occasions, this would be tea for that. Better yet, save this tea to make moments special. (2.5-3 minutes @ 190°F)
To me this tasted like a type of black tea. It was just ok.
This is an easy drinking dark Oolong. I enjoy the flavor notes and imagine it would be delicious with a spot of milk.
Sipping along with the CommuniTEA today: I notice essence of leather and subtle wet hay/barnyard scents wafting from the dry ingredients and packet. Once steeped for 2 mins at 190° F, I notice a slightly spicy vanilla honey on the nose of my cup. When I take a sip, I indulge in a rich, honeyed tea with subtle mushroomy/vanilla bark tannins on the finish.
I love the aroma and taste of this tea. Oriental Beauty is definitely what it is! No condiments needed. It needs to be sipped straight. My morning is made!
Wow! This tea is awesome. The aroma and flavor are very sweet and floral but not in an overpowering way. I was reminded of lahua honey. I would wear the scent as a perfume. A lovely light oolong tea for a spring or summer day.
Another smooth, elegant tea! To me it’s got a slight woodsy richness. Oolong safe usually too green for me, but this one is perfect.
CommuniTEA Sample: Love this oolong. It’s more oxidized than many of them so is closer to a black than a green. That said, it has great flavor depth and allows for many steeps, each with possibly a different profile. A great tea to slow down and enjoy.
The dry tea has a savory aroma. The whole small leaves are dark green and light brown. The steeped tea has a somewhat vegetal fragrance. The tea liquor was a dark amber almost brown. A nicely balanced depth of flavor. The tea had malty, nutty flavors. A smooth mouth feel, with a long lasting sweet aftertaste. It holds up for many steeps with different flavors taking turns in the lead, I enjoyed the second steep the most, although every cup of this tea is delightful. Another enjoyable cup of tea.
Sweet, malty fragrance and taste. Love this tea! Steeped at 212, 3 minutes. Came out perfect! So smooth and relaxing! Definitely adding this one to my wishlist!
Floral hued oolong
Honey bringing peacefulness
Sip, relax, and breathe.
Live in the present
Can't we all just get oolong?
This moment is grand
(haiku review)
They say that Darjeeling is the champagne of teas; but to me, it is Formosa Bai Hao! This tea has a very delicate, but full flavor. It is perfect hot or iced. One of my absolute favorites!
The presence of beautiful white-tipped oolong tea buds were seen in the bag. After steep, I was greeted with a handsome chestnut color cup of tea. Very slight malty chocolate flavors were noted. When warm, honey-sweet and nutty flavors were tasted. Pleasant astringent aftertastes similar to un-sweetened dark chocolate hangs around for quite a while allowing you to enjoy this tea even longer. This was a very different tasting oolong and extremely drinkable. Not bad for a “bug-bitten” 🦗tea ... you’ll have to Google this! (3 mins first steep/2 mins subsequent steeps @ 190F)
From just a few sips it is easy to see why this would be called the Champagne of oolongs. From the rich, almost silky, body of the oolong, to the hints of subtle smokey fruity 'funk' notes that come through thanks to its fermentation process. This tea boasts a high contrast of flavours that somehow manage to blend together into this perfect little cup of delight.
I enjoyed this tea as part of the Communitea pack in July 2021 and will probably be adding this to my arsenal of special occasion teas, as it really is that delicious. If you prefer a stronger tea, you can of course double the amount you are using per cup, but I think that its delicate nature really plays a vital role in its consumption.
I brewed this at 195*f for 3 minutes slightly sweetened
Very good. I do love pretty much any Oolong tea, but this one is nice and light. Very refreshing cold-brewed.
Great tea!
Nice floral, medium bodied oolong. Smooth mouthfeel, not too astringent. Good for every day sipping.
I ve had a hard time picking out the flavor of this tea, however there s definitely a fruity sweetness to it. I can only hope that this isn t like other teas where the sample is amazing, and regular 2-4oz package ends up being lackluster.
A smooth oolong tea. I did not get a strong sense of the fruity taste that this tea claims. It’s a good tea, but similar to plain black tea in many ways.
so smooth! love a couple cups of FBH in the morning on the front porch
Very interesting tea. Sweet honey fragrance with a moderate mouthful. There is a slight baking spice to the smell and flavor, which I really like. So far from two separate tea sessions the tea keep uncovering new layers. Surprisingly complex.
This is worth the splurge, smooth, sweet, and floral. Works well with multiple infusions.
A delicate tea that doesn’t lack for taste. Sweet on the tongue with an almost smokey finish.
My favorite thing about this oolong is how unique it is to me. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I understand now why it's called 'champagne' oolong. Theres this almost acidic fruity dry finish like a champagne. Very fun to taste!
A medium-high-oxidized oolong with fruity notes and barely any astringency. The resulting cup is amber in color, and provides a sweet note that is delicate but flavorful. I have been able to get three solid infusions from this oolong, and each subsequent steep seems to highlight a different flavor note. Delicious!
I was expecting something really sweet with this, and I would say that it is on the sweet side as an oolong. However, I also found it to be somewhat toasty (not nutty, just lightly toasty toward the end).
A nice tea that everyone should probably try once. The heavier oxidation makes for a darker and more astrigent oolong, but it does not have the bite and roast of a black tea. Lots of gentle floral and even honey-like aromas. The taste is similar, with a bit of peach to it. It has more warmth and earth to it than the greener oolongs, so give this a try if that sounds good to you. My only advice is be careful not to steep too long, because it becomes a little astringent/sour if you over do it.
Delicious and sweet oolong tea, nice and fruity for a delicious brew!
A very mild-flavored enjoyable everyday beverage.
Enjoyed this - full-bodied without being heavy.
Good quality, unflavored oolong tea! I followed the steeping instructions and I thought it tasted wonderful.
So so delicious! It has become my favorite morning cuppa. I've tried it different ways, and 2 tsps per cup for 2 minutes is absolutely perfect.
A wonderful tasting oolong! Delicious and smooth. Definitely worth the price.
This tea makes an absolutely oustanding first cup, but I'm docking it a star because the second steeping ends up with a much stronger mineral taste with less of the nice floral and fruity tones.
Light and delicious. Smooth, very drinkable. Almost earthy - if you’re not into earthy-tasting teas, but are looking to go that direction, you might really like this one.
one of my favorites. Floral but overpowering, and can get a good 2nd cup from the leaves
Absolutely beautiful tea that drinks smooth and easy like water and has such fruity notes. It's a darker oolong and reminds me more of a black tea. Lovely colour and flavour!
This is a very interesting tea. It starts off with a strong bitterness and dryness that is somewhat unpleasant. It’s reminiscent of black dragon pearls but much more overwhelming. It finishes on a softer tone more reminiscent of other oolongs but leaves a sour/dry aftertaste. Not completely unpleasant especially with sugar but personally it’s not my favorite especially for the price
Not much aroma in the packet, maybe slight herbal licorice notes. Brews a dark yellow. Not really any flavors good or bad.