I used to love me some Milk Oolong - at least until I came to Taiwan.
In the other countries where I had it - bought both in specialty tea houses and supermarkets - there was a genuinely creamy taste to the naked tea.
I’ve bought several brands of the stuff while here, all highly disappointing. The characteristic/namesake “milky” taste is nowhere to be found.
I’d presume that since the tea originates in Taiwan, that this is the real taste, and that the foreign brands had artificially added the flavor, save for the fact that the tea is named specifically for its milky flavor.
So I think that I must be barking up the wrong trees - admittedly, Carrefour, but as the 3-4 brands they have been categorically lacking in any “milkiness” whatsoever, I’m hesitant to spend 3-10x more at specialty places without a recommendation.
Is there any place to get Milk Oolong here which actually has a distinct milkiness to it, or is it really that subtle as to be basically undetectable?
Were you brewing it from leaves you purchased or you were just buying it in a drinks/bubble tea shop ?
You can get decent jinxuan oolong and other Oolongs in many Taichung drinks shops. But you probably need to choose the better stores which focus more on quality tea.
As for buying loose leaf I’m sure there are many choices.
Vast majority of oolong sold is actually grown in Vietnam and possibly China.
It really tastes like you’re drinking milk (or some milk derivative) when you have just the tea itself. That’s the magic of it.
It’s not like for example the (Royal) Milk Tea you find here which is a concoction of tea that has milk in it - Milk Oolong tastes creamy/like milk with no milk added.
Except that, ironically, I haven’t been able to find some with that distinct taste in the country it comes from, thus the thread.
I don’t think it will ever be very milky just a slight hint (I also don’t recall any milkiness either).
Just like tieguanyin has a slightly irony texture ,or dongfang mei ren with hints of honey.
Thanks, I will check them out. Are there any other notable names?
I’d think so too, except I found it pretty consistent in multiple countries and continents across both tea houses & supermarkets alike - totally loose and sold branded in sachets, respectively. I actually thought it would be more popular here as well.
I don’t drink milk, and even if I did, this not only tastes better, but has no nutritional value (notably, calories, carbs), so it’s dietarily free.
The Chinese version of the Wikipedia article that OP links to calls it Taiwan Tea Number 12 (台茶12號, Tái Chá Shí’èr Hào). I’m lost about how a person would actually find and order that kind of product.
Well, these folks appear to have offered it, but it looks like they’re sold out of it at the moment:
