Fujian Orchid Customer Reviews

After gently dipping my toes into the oolong scene, I've really started to appreciate the complexity and variety of this partially oxidized wonder. This tea is certainly no exception.

Fujian is quickly becoming my favorite source for teas of all varieties but the subtle sweetness and delicate floral notes makes this one stand out among the others I've tried. It's not in-your-face with its notes like a lot of floral teas tend to be (especially teas with floral notes derived from the addition of flowers in the blend).

It's the perfect tea for an oolong lover who's always appreciated the understated grace of the orchid from afar. Now I'm finally getting a chance to get acquainted up close.

12 helpful votes

This is a really mellow, smooth tea. Very good for unwinding after a long day at the clinic. lightly floral, close to jasmine but not quite the same.

4 helpful votes

The smell of this is amazing, a floral, earthy aroma. The taste is kind of underwhelming, though. I get some nice undertones, but the main flavor is just kind of muddy to me.

1 helpful votes

This isn't a super exciting tea blend with all kinds of fun flavors, but it's really amazing anyway. It is sort of floral and tastes like a green tea to me. It's not something I would have thought I would really like (I got a sample through the CommuniTEA.) I'd definitely drink this again. Even the kids liked it (without sugar!)

6 helpful votes

I was all prepared to not like this tea. I opened the packet and smelled that grassy scent...ugh. But...I love teas that unfurl and I don't rate teas that I don't actually try first. Had a great time watching the leaves unfurl as my tea steeped (3 1/2 minutes at 185 as my kettle doesn't have a 180 setting). Put it in my mug, added a bit of stevia just in case it tasted like grass. And...OMG...this tea surprised me! No grassy scent, a lovely sweet aroma and a light, silky smooth taste! This is why I made a rule that I try every single packet. Sometimes a tea I think I'm going to dislike turns out to be wonderful. This is one I will order! Mmmm. Light oolong flavor with a bit of a floral sweet nuance to it. And, it unfurls beautifully while it steeps!! Great tea!

25 helpful votes

I don’t know what’s better, watching it unfurl and drinking it? This one definitely went in my cart and will be added to my collection soon. 8oz brewed for 3 mins is perfect any highly recommended. If you love white teas and non grassy greens, you’ll love this.

2 helpful votes

This tea is fantastic, and in my opinion, unparalleled in terms of value, quality, and complexity of flavor. Drink it on a day when you have time to enjoy the tastes of multiple brews, and you will fall in love:

The first brew left most of the leaves rolled up, but produced a pale golden liquor, sweet and floral, like honeysuckle with a nuance of vegetal flavor and no mineral component. It was light with little of the depth I expect from an oolong.

A second steep left about 75% of the leaves unfurled and brought forward vegetal flavors with a bit of orchid taste in the background, rolling around on the top of my palate. The second was the deepest, richest, most “classic oolong” brew. As the tea cooled, I noted a bit of nutty/mineral flavor.

By the third brew, all leaves were completely open, taste was lighter overall with vegetal and floral flavors about equal. Honey flavors became notable as tea cooled. The third steep introduced a creamy/buttery/nutty flavor that produced a wonderfully rich mouthfeel.

Fourth steep was still rich and deep, even more buttery with prominent a mineral, almost salty taste present. Hay and orchid tastes passed into the background and there was only a faint hint of nuttiness. It tasted more creamy as it cooled.

The fifth steep was grassy and nutty, with an almost seaweed taste, prominently mineral, less floral, but still rich in flavor. Iced, this tea is subtle, sweet, mellow, and nutty. After brewing, dunk spent tea leaves in cool water for a refreshing infusion encore.

This is a tea I'd love to come back to again and again, enjoying different flavors coming out over time. Brew leaves loose in a pot, straining right before drinking. And consider ½ tsp in 4 oz water if you want to experience the full bouquet of flavors without getting overloaded by tea volume.

18 helpful votes

What a lovely tea. Fresh scent out of the bag with little balls of tea. Didn’t seem like much tea but the leaves unfurl quickly to fill the whole steeper. I steeped this 3 times and could probably have gotten away with a fourth time. I will be buying some of this tea. So happy it was part of the community.

5 helpful votes

I’ll be buying a pouch of this with my next order. My favorite tea of February so far. I loved the actual brewing - started out as little pellets and unfurled into very large leaves. It’s a smoooooth tea with a fantastic floral taste.

2 helpful votes

nice smooth tea very relaxing to drink. I like this a lot better than yesterdays tea

1 helpful votes

It was good but not my favorite. More of an earthy flavor

1 helpful votes

Didn't have much flavor to it if I'm honest. It smelled grassy which I wasn't a fan of, but since there wasn't much flavor, it was drinkable. Did get floral notes as an aftertaste, which was nice.

1 helpful votes

Watching the leaves awaken and unfurl in the water is a rejuvenating experience in itself - and then you get to drink the tea!

This is a shy and gentle tea, with a delicate floral flavor, similar to jasmine. It has a smooth and silky mouthfeel all the way down. The flavor is so light you can almost miss it if you're distracted, so this tea politely requests full attention.

Perfect for encouraging moments of quiet reflection as you enjoy multiple steeps.

2 helpful votes

Delightful.  Smells amazing dry, very fragrant steeped as well.  My experience was that this cup was lightly floral with just a touch of a toasted sesame note, very smooth, with a really enjoyable velvety texture.  For me, this was less floral than a jasmine tea or than golden flower, which is why I say lightly floral.  Drinking this tea is like sitting outside on a warm and sunny late Spring afternoon, on this blustery February day.  I like a tea that has the added bonus of transporting me to a different place and time.  I enjoyed three lovely steeps.  (3.5 mins 1st steep @ 180º, 3 mins for subsequent steeps) 

21 helpful votes

The CommuniTEA packet for the day was another single ingredient variety: Fujian Orchid Oolong.

The small rolled green leaves unfurled easily when steeped as the packet recommended, using the VelociTEA white tea button at 180°F for 3 minutes. The lightness of the brew was immediately apparent in that the color was very light green bordering on a white tea. The flavor was fresh and bright, with a smoothness similar to a Milk Oolong. Delicate buttery and floral green tea leaf flavors dominate the cup. The mouthfeel is very smooth and buttery at the start, slowly morphing into a light astringency. The finish is clean and lingering with some light floral notes.

This Oolong is very delicate and mild when steeped as recommended. Curious to see what else I could extract on the second steeping, I tried using the higher Oolong temperature of 195°F for 4 minutes. This time the tea produced was a much deeper shade of green. The scent was still lightly floral with a more leafy green Oolong smell behind it. The first sip was still mild and creamy but with a bit more green tea potency. This time it's much more similar to a Milk Oolong in flavor, yet not as silky smooth as the first steeping. There is more astringency and more floral vegetal flavor. Overall, this is a mild and pleasant Oolong that can withstand multiple steeps well.

8 helpful votes

The oolong in this tea is wonderful. The orchid is not so much. For me, it tastes like perfume. Thankfully, it's not a main, overpowering taste. I would love the oolong by itself. That would be great.

10 helpful votes

I knew right away how I was going to brew this tea...in something clear! Watching the tight little bundles unfurl is relaxing and cool. 😎 The aroma was light and floral. The flavor... slightly jasmine. A very enjoyable cup!

20 helpful votes

The tea smells great in the package. Once brewed it smells fragrant and floral. Not bitter at all. I added some sugar to bring out more flavors and it was delicious. A wonderful oolong at a good price.

4 helpful votes

I’m not super well versed in oolongs, and I am regretting that right now. This tea is perfectly light and floral and an absolute pleasure to watch unfurl. I’m definitely getting more, and hopefully going to get some other oolong varieties because of they’re all like this, I’ve been missing out! Steeped 3:30 @180F, two steeps so far and still flavorful

3 helpful votes

I absolutely love this oolong. It's got a wonderfully delicate, yet still rich, flavor and a very smooth mouthfeel. There is a light floral note that reminds me of a visit to an orchid house many years ago. It handles multiple steeps well and is perfect for savoring throughout the morning or afternoon. (3 mins at 175 F; no additives)

4 helpful votes

As a general rule, I love oolong tea and dislike green tea. The green oolongs always end up firming falling on one side of the fence or the other, until this one and it falls on both. The first steep falls into the love it category, and that is what I'm basing my rating on. It was light and smooth, with a soft mouthfeel and a delicate floral scent and taste. There were mild toasty notes in the background, and overall a lovely tea to sip. The second steep falls into the dislike category. All the floral notes are gone or hiding behind a very grassy, spinach heavy flavor that I just do not enjoy. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 2 min @ 195F)

14 helpful votes

Today’s CommuniTea offering had us sampling a lovely oolong. I have really enjoyed experiencing some of these more elegant teas. It’s a gift to all senses-visually watching as the tea leaves burst out in their elegant water ballet, smelling the fragrant aroma that spills forth, and tasting the tea elixir, embracing the changes as the temperature cools. This one was a delight to the senses, a gentle reminder to stop and smell the orchids!

9 helpful votes

I enjoyed a little tea ceremony in my house today. Fujian Orchid tea was an unexpected delight for a rainy day. I’m starting to enjoy oolong teas especially ones that have a light flavor like this one.

This tea, compressed and dark green, blossomed into a bounty of leaves in my IngeniTEA. I steeped a teaspoon (or 3 grams) of the miniature curlicues at 185F for 3 and a half minutes to awaken the leaves on the first steep. I made additional steeps for just 3 minutes adding a pinch from the extra gram of tea I found in my CommuniTEA packet. Each time I used 12 oz. of hot water to make a large mug which nicely refilled my demitasse cup as I sipped.

The subtle floral aroma in the packet kept its promise to be a light fragrant tea when brewed. The golden-colored liquor tasted pleasantly floral and was much lighter in flavor than jasmine. Each sip was buttery smooth and had a slight dry mouthfeel at the finish. I liked sipping the tea plain but tried it with a little sweetener. The non-sweetened version was more to my liking with its buttery floral tang undistracted by additions. I let a cup cool and enjoyed the tea that way too. This was a nice surprise today. 5 stars yay!

26 helpful votes

I love a light, delicate green! The floral flavors are very subtle but really make this blend a solid five-star. For me, it had a little bit of an earthy, almost-dirt-like undertone (nicer than it sounds!).

2 helpful votes

I love floral oolongs, and this is a very light and gentle version. There's very little astringency to the taste, and the aroma gives the idea that this tastes a lot stronger than it does. A nice evening cup, fresh and smooth but gentle enough to drink any time of day. A great oolong for beginners, and beautiful to watch unfurl in your steeper as the leaves are huge!
3mins at 175F

2 helpful votes

This oolong has a very light, slightly floral edge with no bitterness or heavy tannins at all. Delicious and easy drinking all day.

1 helpful votes

Part of the February 2021 CommuniTEA box. I got more scent from the packet than from the cup, and very light delicate flavor, only allowed to pronounce itself with the addition of a bit of sweetener. I wonder if I should have had a hotter temp than recommended on the packet...

1 helpful votes

A very fun tea. Being new to the tea world I enjoyed watching the tea expand and the smooth taste of a green tea.

1 helpful votes

Smooth, faintly floral and a sense of overwhelming calm. This tea is relaxation in a cup.

1 helpful votes

I have yet to find an oolong that I don’t like. This one is light and refreshing, more of a green flavor than an oolong. It’s kind of relaxing to watch the leaves unfurl in my cup.

19 helpful votes

This tea was just alright to me brewed with the 3.5 grams included in my communiTEA packet in about 14 oz of water at the recommended 180 degrees for 3 minutes. The flavor was unfortunately too light for my liking, although I did like the floral notes that were present. The resteep was similarly faint, but still decent. I think this would be a good tea for gong fu style brewing since there is a lower amount of water used and the flavor comes out less diluted, and may try it that way in the future.

4 helpful votes

Nice soft floral tea! I enjoyed the delicate flavor.

12 helpful votes

As you watch the tightly rolled leaves unfurl, this Fujian Orchid oolong tea does not disappoint. The floral aroma presents itself as a delicate cup of light-tasting tea. No bitterness is noted and even as it cools, remains airy and refreshing.

7 helpful votes

I think that watching the leaves unfurl as they steep is an experience to be savoured, like the entire experience with this cup of tea! From small little buds to lovely leaves, it is an experience that relaxes and makes you anticipate that first sip! The flavour is light, and slightly floral, but not perfumy or cloying. A very relaxing and gentle cup, can be sipped at any time for a moment of Zen!

14 helpful votes

The flavor was a bit weak on this one which is why I'm not giving it 5 stars. It's pretty good, lightly floral without being perfume-esque, not very earthy or anything. The resteep had less floral taste but there was still some flavor to it, not very much though.

5 helpful votes

Pleasant flavor with a good aftertaste. Tastes like 'real tea'! I really like this one - it's very nice. (3 mins @ 165 F, no additions)

2 helpful votes

I'm glad to be able to finally review this tea, after having received it as a kind gift from an Adagio friend. This is an outrageously fragrant, floral oolong with tons of flavor. I love sticking my nose into the packet before steeping the tea, and the fragrance of the warm tea is a big part of the enjoyment of the experience as well. They called this tea 'orchid' for a reason! (3 mins @ 195 F, no additions)

13 helpful votes

Today’s communiTea was a simple yet delicious oolong. Such a calming tea right from the start, defujian orchid had me mesmerized, watching these tightly rolled tea leaves come alive in my glass teapot. As it steeped, an aroma, I know so well, of Floral filled greenhouses, grew in my kitchen, as each leaf slowly unfurled, filling my teapot with a beautiful light golden lining. As expected, each sip so delicate, like an orchid, holding a slightly rich, delicious floral flavor, that lingered just enough, almost that of a white tea. However, as it show off its roots, it really was just a simple oolong, my favorite, traditional Chinese tea, trying to appear as an orchid in my cup. Sipped tea plain, while enjoying It's nicely aromatic aroma. So calming. (3mins @ oolong tea setting, 185F)

23 helpful votes

It didn't smell like anything remarkable on the packet. However i can say, as someone who accidentally forgot they had their tea on steep this morning and left it WAY WAY longer than it should have been, it was still drinkable. This CommuniTEA sample was okay as a oolong and is a good beginner oolong to try. However it is not one i'd keep myself.

1 helpful votes

Such a delicate tasting tea. I really enjoyed the process of making this tea as much as drinking it. I received this tea in the February communiTEA and I wish there was enough of it to share with my coworkers!

2 helpful votes

Uh-oh. This is a green. I kinda like it. But...but...I HATE green tea!

Sweetened it with a little Stevia, and I don't get green tea, just a flowery taste. I've eaten orchids, and they taste a lot like this. This is actually pretty good! WHAT??? ME??? Like a green tea? Say it isn't so! 😉

1 helpful votes

Love this! So mellow and smooth. To me it’s similar to a jasmine green, just super smooth, less floral. Much nicer than the milk oolong we tried recently. I’d consider buying this but I may try the oolong portions sampler first to compare this tea more directly to other oolongs.

11 helpful votes

This is an interesting tea; I was unsure if I liked it because it was pretty floral tasting, but ultimately decided I enjoy this delicate, light green tea after adding a touch of sweetener.

7 helpful votes

Reviewing in my CommuniTEA packet today. I think Adagio does a good job of describing this tea. For me it is subtly fragrant with hints of jasmine and roasted rice. I agree with other reviewers that there are some similarities between this tea and the milk Oolong, just without lactic acid (buttery) notes. This tea also has a nice floral finish that lingers on the palate.

11 helpful votes

It is a nice pleasant cup, but a little too floral for me.

6 helpful votes

Pretty good tea, I did an initial rinse for a few seconds to allow the tea to wake up. Then I brewed at 180 F for 3 minutes. First steep was a bit undeveloped in terms of flavor. I then did a second steep for 180 F for 3 minutes again, this second steep was a little too much and the flavor was slighly astringent. Third steep I did 180 F for about 30 seconds, and this was pretty good. This has a dark and rich flavor to it. I made this with a teapot, so the ratio between the tea leaves and the water is higher than usual. This is pretty good oolong for a morning especially I think around breakfast. It would be interesting to play more with this tea. Solid tea

2 helpful votes

The first thing that came to mind as I smelled today's CommuniTEA packet was that it reminded me a bit of Jasmine pearls. It was a beauty to watch steep as the leaves slowly unfolded. Beautiful light golden hue, like sunshine. A simple straightforward tea with a slight floral hint at the backend of each sip. Very soothing and enjoyable tea.

18 helpful votes

Fujan orchid is a nice, smooth tea. I love how the little tea pieces become beautiful leaves in my steeper. I get a hint of floral flavor, which I like.

2 helpful votes

I don't know where all of the flavors are that other people described. They aren't in my cup, which just tasted like hot water. None of the pleasant scents of the leaves made it through the steeping process.

1 helpful votes

I've always wanted to try this. I love it! Liquid is almost a white tea. Very floral taste. The tea leaves make it easy to clean my mesh cup. I'm definitely getting this next Spring.

14 helpful votes