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 is hands down my favorite Tea! A Smooth, light oolong with sweet honey notes. I'm not a fan of green grassy teas, so this oolong is perfect! A little darker but sweet and fruity. Well worth the extra cost as you can get multiple sterling's out if your leaves.
The scent reminded me of figs and plum. The brew itself had more of a muted fig and honey taste. I was able to use the same leaves for three infusions.
I like this one. It s has a light flavor to it which makes it easy for tea beginners.
If wine grew on tea bushes, this would be it! Complex is an understatement when describing the properties of this tea - mysterious and ever-changing, it flirts with both tongue and senses. Dry, the scent of the leaves is that of raisin and prune but steeped they tell a far different story! After a pre-wash of 3 seconds to 'awaken the leaves', I steeped for 3 minutes. The aroma of the pale golden brew that of barely-there honey, a hint of shy pear and crisp fall leaves on a cloudless day. It had zero astringency whatsoever. I could have sipped that oh-so-delicate liquor with pleasure, adding nothing but I chose to steep for another 2 minutes for a total of 5 minutes. And now the scent - OH MY!!! It blossomed to that of rich honey in the forefront with rose and elder-flower subtly slipping in behind. On the tongue the clear topaz brew tasted of sweet honey, peach and pear. As I sipped, the taste of green apple emerged and the scent of freshly-mown clover (banana-like rather than grassy) mingled with the fruit and honey notes. This is an exquisitely-fragrant, floral tea with nothing perfume-y about it. No need for heavy sweetening or milk, but I did try a touch of both towards the end to balance the (VERY slight) astringency that developed, which brought the scent of roses to the forefront. I should note: I used 2 teaspoons of leaves rather than the recommended 1 per cup and yet this could never be called robust or dark. Perfect to fill you with light on a long, rainy afternoon. (updated to add: I just re-ordered 2 oz of this and found the leaves every bit as whole as the sample was and just as delicious!!! VERY pleased)
What can I say? This is my favorite Adagio tea, hands down. The flavor and aroma are rich and deep, redolent of peaches. It's well worth the slightly higher price.
love it! Definitely one of my favorites! I typically get 3 infusions from one steeping!
I had such high expectation on Oriental Beauty and I couldn't wait to get this tea from Adagio. After trying a few times, unfortunately I couldn't find anything special from this tea. I tried 200 F / 3 min first and also tried higher temperature later. I expected unique and strong aroma and taste but felt that something was missing. I will keep exploring but probably won't order this again.
this is a wonderful tea. just the one to sit and relax enjoy sipping, closing your eyes and savoring the wonderful flavor.
Nice fruity oolong tea with full peach and stone fruit flavors
A nic fruity oolong with lots of sweet peach and apricot, mimeral finish
I may or may not reorder this one - it does have a nice rich flavor. Be careful not to over-brew!
Nice flavor. Lingers sweet in the mouth. Still flavorful on second brewing.
This is ok for a oolong just not my cup of tea. Just has too much of that green vegi taste for me.
A tasty example of a bai hao, strong autumnal notes of apples and pears with a bit of pumpkin. Doesn't stick around for a lot of steeps which is sad.
I love it. I drink it daily. Cant get enough of it.
this is an awesome Oolong tea! I love it. It ranks up there with Oriental Beauty in the Master's blends. Wonderful cup and I steeped it about 3 times - still great flavor. I steeped 2-3 minutes and increased the time on 2nd and 3rd cups
Makes my tummy feel good. The tea last a few days.
A very pleasing smooth cup. Same leaves can be brewed a second time for an equally good flavor.
Delicate and soothing. Really nice after dinner. Especially nice after an Asian meal
I received a bag of this tea as a gift. To my knowledge, it's my first oolong, so I can't make comparisons, but I loved it and have just ordered another bag.
Smells rich, with hints of fruit and chocolate. A mellow and warming cup, very pleasant.
This is a pretty good oolong tea with a lovely aroma.
I understand why it is so highly sought after. Best sipped when warm for the full experience, the flavors seem to dance on your tongue. Use sugar sparingly if you are inclined.
This is a refreshing and pleasant tea. Relatively sweet for a green.
Just a hint of honey makes this a delightful tea. It really does take two teaspoons of leaves per cup, so this is a bit pricey, but worthwhile as a weekly treat.
This oolong was a good intro to people that have never had it
This is a unique and delicious tea. It is very well-balanced, and I can get at least three good steeps out of a single serving of leaves.
I love the taste of this tea. It has a great flavor. The best thing is you can get more than one cup from the leaves.
There is a sort of nutty, savory end note on this tea that makes it an interesting blend for breakfast.
Smooth and slightly fruity, this white tipped oolong is a favorite of mine. I have found it to be of exceptional quality while still being in the medium price range. I enjoy the rich flavor that the first steeping gives me so typically add another tsp of leaves to the second infusion.
Another of my favorites. My fav is the oolong but this formosa is good as well. Earthy tones, smooth, and lacking in bitterness. A great tea.
Light but earthy. Great for the afternoon on a crisp fall day. Not too much astringency but leaves a dry and nutty aftertaste. Really enjoyed
Lovely fragrant, can brew multiple times. This is good bai hao
This was a freebee from Adagio. Thanks for letting my try it! It was ok. I'm indifferent. I'd much rather have Fuijan Baroque or Darjeeling Summer (check my spelling on the both of these). I let this one steep for a while and still found it underwhelming. Try a sampler, that may be your cup of tea. I will not buy this one because I found (in my own limited experience) there are better tasting teas out there. Check out the price per cup for value. I haven't done that yet. I usually index my choices by that.
Very similar to the much pricier hsinchu oriental beauty at a fraction of the cost, I find that this one brews an equally excellent second cup as well. Bravo Zulu again Adagio you people never cease to amaze me with your quality to cost ratio :-)
This is a good mellow tea. Great for relaxing or work.
Strong, black, dark, but astringent and not at all tippy.
A fantastic oolong with an awesome taste, it's one of my new favorites.
My review for this tea falls somewhere between OK and BAD. It was my first formosa and I found it rather dull :-( I absolutely love Oolong teas, both green and darker. Of the dozens of teas I've had from Adagio, this has been the most disappointing.
I tried this oolong as I detest vegetal flavors. The vegetal characters in this tea is very minimal. Earthy, but certainly a darker earth like leaves and dirt, not grass and flowers.
less distinct flavor than I expected. It was recommended for those who like the jasmine pearls (which I do, very much!) and I didn't really see the taste connection.
Real smooth, has great energy, strong after-finish
I realize it's not black tea but this had an uninteresting flavor. It tasted like any black tea I could buy at the grocery store in tea bags.
LOVE this one! This is definitely one of my favorites.
This continues to be a favorite and we got it as a gift for a friend.
A pleasant, slightly sweet oolong that reminds me a bit of darjeeling. Not incredibly flavorful despite steeping for four minutes, I'll try 5 next time.
Decent quality, good taste. Wouldn't recommend to a serious tea drinker though except as something to pass the time.
I liked this flavor, but it would not be my go--to tea every day. It was smooth and not heavy at all - it just wasn't what I expected.
Formosa Bai Hao
Worthy of mention.Valedictorian status. I came across Formosa Bai Hao (there, simply written as Bai Hao) on the after dinner-dessert companion menu of The Capital Grille Restaurant in Washington DC. It appeared appropriately with the after dinner cappuccino and those intimidating port and cognac offerings. The menu accurately described it as 'honey like' and I was impressed enough to have a second cup and take home a sample. I was disappointed that Bai Hao was difficult to find online.
Adagio's Formosa Bai Hao is quite good with the depth and nectar like qualities that I admired at the moment of my first and second cups. This Bai Hao, as I make it tends to unfold (no exaggeration). the sweetness of the first warm sip differs from the less warmer 6th sip, in a pleasant way.
An unnamed and unknown Oolong was the ever present tea of fond childhood memories, savored after Chinese food dinners. It was the nameless comfort drink taken for granted, but it was never as good nor as memorable nor so worthy of mention as Adagio's Formosa Bai Hao.
I refer to this Oolong as a reference point when seeking out advice about other untried teas.
Tasted good and enjoyed it I bought it to try I prefer the the Hunan Gold as my personnel preference