"Formosa" refers to Taiwanese tea - specifically meaning "beautiful island", which is apropos. "Fancy Superior" is a grade given to high quality teas, not just some superlative boasting. This is one of those teas that just exudes quality by looking at it. A veritable cornucopia of earth tones (thus the reason it is sometimes known as "Five Colors Tea"), blended together with tightly wound salt-and-pepper-grey spears, deep mahogany twists, milk chocolate colored rolled leaves -- all rather large in size, and of notable quality. The aroma of the dried leaf is wonderful - a mixture of candy-sweetness (not unlike the classic Fruit Stripes gum) with an earthy scent.

A close-to-boiling-point water temp, steeped for 4 minutes, is what K Teas recommends, and as with most oolongs, I find that suggestion spot-on for a great cup here. A beautiful amber-red cup results, and the aroma is similar to that of the dried mix - perhaps more fruit-oriented than "candy", and perhaps more heavy on the wood/earth side of things that the dried leaf as well. In the cup, the taste takes a decided bent toward that woody flavor - a nice, mild astringency akin to oak-aged wine is evident on the finish, and the fruity flavor, while much more subtle in the cup, comes through on the front of the palate.

A second infusion really doesn't lose any flavor -- just as sweet and as much character as the first cup. A kind of pears-and-raisins flavor on the sweet side, and a gentle woody quality that is perhaps more subdued than the first cup, but if anything adds more to the flavor as opposed to subtracting any.

— To purchase KTeas Formosa Fancy Superior Taifu, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

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