Oolong Tea

I have a tradition of taking my nieces to tea when they reach double-digit birthdays. But this week, we had one big blow-out birthday tea for all the nieces as everyone was together for the holidays. (My youngest niece, Abigail, who is six, was able to ride the coattails of her older sisters and cousin with a big smile.) We had a grand time getting all dressed up and going out for a fancy afternoon tea.

However, a few weeks earlier I had read an article about oolong tea that piqued my interest. I'm normally a fan of hearty, loose-leaf black teas--a legacy of my college semester in London. Oolong is a range of semi-oxidized teas that fall somewhere between green and black teas, and they only account for a small percentage of U.S. tea sales.

Part of oolong's lack of wide acceptance can be traced to a fear factor. Unlike green and black teas, which require one steeping, oolongs benefit from multiple infusions. That is because the leaves are picked when they are bigger and thicker, and multiple rounds of hot water help the flavors blossom and intensify. As a result, the Chinese and the Taiwanese like to drink oolongs gong-fu style. The words, which are sometimes written as "kung fu" (like the martial art), mean a skill acquired through practice.

Gong fu looks complicated but essentially involves brewing the tea in several rounds in a small clay pot. Hot water is poured over the leaves, which are allowed to steep for anywhere from 20 to 90 seconds. In Taiwan, the tea is then poured into a small ceramic cup to cool and then is poured into another small cup for drinking. Tea drinkers sniff the emptied cup to take in the intense aromas, then drink the tea. The process can be repeated up to 15 times.

A Wulong tea from the mountains of Taiwan, for example, will start out fragrant with a hint of honeysuckle, then develop peach, apricot, even earthy flavors. A Tiguanyin, a classic style of oolong, smells like raisin with a hint of smoke, tastes like nectarine, then develops a mild, malty flavor.

The article says tea connoisseurs love oolong tea. Therefore, I have been issued a challenge. Can't wait to explore a new way to enjoy tea!

Comments

[Judy]

I make it a point to order oolong when I'm eating out at Asian places. Now, I more appreciate what's involved in the proper drinking of this tea.

[claire]

eugene's favorite tea is 'tie guan ying' which is a type of oolong tea... u have to come over for some next time. though we don't do the whole tea process...

[Andrea]

On our recent trip to China, we learned that you can reuse the same tea leaves 5-7 times depending on the strength of each pour (which was fast!). I thought this made Oolong an especially practical tea! I also recommend Jasmine and Pu'ur tea. The Chinese put their worst tea in bags, so always buy loose leaf!

[Mrs. U]

I LOVE all your tea posts!!!!

Anyway, I'm slowly getting into oolong myself. Not sure where you purchase your tea, but I highly recommend www.adagio.com. They have a great site (and discussion board) that explains each of their teas.

Oolongs are a little intimidating, but I've found Oolong #18 from Adagio quite nice!!

Happy tea times!

His,
Mrs. U

[Angela]

I don't know where you source your loose leaf teas from, but Rishi Tea and the Pursuit of Tea are two of the best companies I've found. Rishi is available at most Whole Foods and is amazing. If you can find it, the Iron Goddess of Mercy or the Amber Dragon from Rishi are some of the best teas available. Also for the price their Wuyi Oolong is fabulous. I hope you enjoy getting more into the world of oolongs... they are diverse and complex. It is a world I love to indulge in.

[Eva]

I love oolong tea in my cute little yixing teapot. If I collected something just for the sake of collecting, it would be those teapots. I love them!

[Sakura]

In Japan I enjoyed iced oolong tea, which is easy to buy in many of the vending machines to be found on every street corner out there.. I live in London UK and after much hunting managed to find oolong tea (including bottled iced tea) in Japanese grocery stores - a benefit of living in a multicultural city!