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.
Very, very mild with slight floral notes but a definite black tea base.
I like this tea but I have found it to be such a delicate blend that I have trouble drinking it as anything other than a bedtime/wind-down tea. I am used to a much stronger black tea flavor that can stand up to a heavy cream and strong honey. With this I used the slightest bit of sugar and perhaps two tablespoons of half and half and even that dulled it significantly. Perhaps it's better black.
Decent tea, Ok, just far from anything spectacular. Won't be ordering again.
this is the favorite and reason for the purchase of the formosa sampler
This tea is flavorful and smooth. Light and rewarding. It was one of my first oolong experiences, and I have never looked back. Years later and this is still my favorite tea. It holds up to multiple steeping and has a really consistent and enjoyable flavor
I tried this tea based on a review, and It did not disappoint. It is like a gentle black tea, sweet and with a slight citrusy bergamot-like kick. The smell is pleasant and fruity.
Wonderfully peachy and luscious, becoming somewhat more floral with multiple infusions though not changing dramatically. It has a slight natural sweetness which I don't often find in teas, and an indulgent sort of smoothness without much astringency, making it an especially pleasurable tea.
Good flavor, very nice through a few short steepings.
A lovely and very tasty oolong tea with floral, honey, and spice notes. It's very smooth, slightly sweet, easy to drink, and good for multiple infusions. Definitely a nice special treat. For value though, I prefer Dancong Aria.
I very much want to love this tea. But it ended up being just okay. It didn't wow me like the dancong did. I liked the lightness and fruitiness of this tea, but it will never live up to the dancong for me.
I really liked this tea. I am normally a black tea drinker but this oolong really clicked with my. Very nice nose and taste. I just wish it was not so expensive :)
A smooth, tasty oolong. It seemed at first a little more astringent than I thought it would be, but mellowed out a couple of minutes later.
This tea is has an amazing taste. It is really smooth. I can see how it is one of the most loved.
Surprisingly dark and rich for an oolong, the Formosa Bai Hao is probably my second favorite oolong overall, behind the awesome Ali Shan!
This one reminds me more of plums and baked apples, with peach pit and honey in the background. It's a bit more fresh than other dark oolongs in terms of scent and flavor, but it is, without a doubt, a beauty. The leaves are very attractive as well, with the silver, brown, and tan colors. It's light of body, low on astringency, smooth, and the flavor lingers for a long time (though not as long as the dancong aria). Perfect for fall!
I've had better 'Oriental Beauty' oolongs, but I still enjoy this one. I find the trick is to use more tea than normal and steep at the highest possible temperature for a shorter time. This unlocks a full range of flavor and makes every cup a little different. Good for a few seepings too.
This is a very flavorful and unique tea that I would definitely recommend. It's one of my favorite oolongs. The flavor is very floral and reminiscent of pit fruit (peaches, plums, etc.), so the description given by Adagio sounds pretty accurate to me.
It's quite a forgiving tea. The only slight problem I've noticed is that it can give a mild chalky flavor when over-steeped or especially when too much leaves are used. I haven't noticed much problem with astringency or bitterness, as with some other teas when over-steeped.
Update: I just got a new order of this tea, and the leaves look much different from last time. They're much more crumbled, rather than the beautiful full leaves I got last time. What's with that? Broken leaves mean more astringency, so it's really quite disappointing that this happened. It's still a good tea, don't get me wrong, but it's not the PERFECT tea that it was before. I really hope this is just a one time thing and that this tea won't always seem to have been crushed before arriving at my door.
beauty in a cup. almost reminds me of a peach cobbler with cinnamon.
By far the best oolong I have every had, if I could give this above 5 stars, I would! It was so smooth and tasted like peach blossoms and honey. Well worth the price, as it withstand multiple brewings
This is a very good oolong. Bit stronger than some of the others I think.
One of the most delicate and flavorful Formosa oolongs I've had, with flowery and sweet undertones and a lingering aftertaste. It withstands steeping at a higher temperature without turning bitter, however it also loses a lot of its flavor on a second steeping.
This is an allright spicy floral oolong but not necessarily my favorite oolong I've gotten from Adagio
I love this tea, Very delicious. I drink a cup almost every day. One of my favs up there with chamomile.
There's something about Oolong #40 that keeps me coming back for it time and time again. Sweet, floral, but still bold in flavor. I much prefer this to #8
This is my favorite oolong...it definitely reflects its name: beautiful!
I really like this Oolong :) I can definitely taste a slightly sweet undertone of peach. I think this one really benefits from using shorter steeping times during the first infusions, and longer ones after that.
I love the oolongs with roasted grains to match the floral notes. This formosa ain't that but it really grew on me. Bitter orange, floral and a definite black tea note. Maybe even a hint of grapefruit. Lots going on in that cup.
Great oolong. Would definitely reorder. I didn't see a huge difference between this and the dancong aria, though.
This was my first Oolong, so it's hard to compare it to others. It's at the very least worth getting a sample. As I expected, the taste is almost a blend between greens and blacks.
I have searched for a well fermented oolong for about 4 years when my source for a Formosa Oolong no longer carried it. I found this tea to be excellent! I was very happy to find it.
This tea is decent on its own, but I really enjoyed it paired with lemongrass.
I agree with the fellow who said the quality here seems to have dipped somewhat by late 2012. Brittle and pale compared to the one I'd been waiting (and saving) for - still the best tea in the house, though.
Very good oolong tea, would definitely recommend and will reorder.
Still remains my favorite. Use very often in the mornings at work. Great classic oolong taste with no extra flavors mixed in it. I found that it lasts through 4 or 5 infusions. It's worth the extra price for sure.
Tastes more like a black tea than an oolong to me. I'd not turn a cup down if someone offered it to me, but I probably won't buy it again.
A pleasant oolong. Great for waking up, but not too much caffeine.
Also a great oolong tea. It is smoother tasting than #8. This is our special treat tea, not for everyday because of cost.
This is my second formosa tea and this is another excellent tea. Definitely a treat.
I like this oolong because it is mild and balanced when steeped and is very forgiving. It has subtle flavors buried within it and it takes a few drinks to find them all, which I find fun. I'd recommend it to anyone who appreciates complex and subtle flavors.
A bit toasty on the first infusion, but a lot more mellow as it goes along.
It does have some complex flavors. I believe this a good tea. But for my personal taste i did not love it.
This tea was not bad but unfortunately it was not to my taste.
A little more mellow than number 8 and good iced or hot. Not the best oolong but worth a try if you haven't yet.
This is a great, full-flavor Oolong tea. The scent is fragrant, and floral without being perfume-y. This was a phenomenal Oolong.
I expected moe from this tea. In the I wasn't impressed.
Good. I'm not sure it'll make it onto my regular repertoire, but good.
Very smooth with a light sweetness. I tried to sip it, but ended up drinking too fast as it was very good.
A surprisingly smooth Oolong from Taiwan, I was expecting some more earthy tones but overall, brewed an excellent pot of tea. Will be ordering again.
This is definitely a really pleasant tea. Though I keep seeing it described as fruity, my experience was definitely predominantly with nuttier flavors. I’d never had a tea before that struck me as nutty, and this was a delightfully surprising change of pace. The leaves themselves are pretty to look at
I don't usually enjoy Chinese tea, but this one has a lovely light floral fragrance and light taste. I was surprised to see that it was an oolong tea, because I have found them disappointing in the past, but this tea is lovely.
This is one of my favorites. A really delicious fancy formosa that renewed my appreciation for oolong tea.