Jade Oolong

I haven't had any of the Taiwan milk tea. Know a good source for the Jinxuan or Qingxin? I see some .TW sites selling from their estates but still doesn't do me any good. The first Taiwan tea I ever tasted is still seared in my brain. I think it was from a Twinings Formosa Oolong tin.

Jim

Alex wrote:

...I delete me...

At 50% roasting, what you had is Shou Cha, a ripe tea. (Above 50%, the roasting will be too strong and the Chinese say Pei Se -roasted to death). This tea probably didn't hurt your stomach at all and had a warming effect. The trick is to let such tea rest a while, so that it can recover from the fire.

At 30% roasting, baozhong is called Qizhong Oolong. It's fairly complex as it starts to feel shou, but still has a 'green' feel. I've seen very mixed reactions concerning this tea.

At 10% roasting, the baozhong is still very green, but has aquired a sweet honey taste. This is a more recent way to process baozhong. The other advantage is that with less humidity, it can be stored longer without loosing its freshness.

Stéphane

Not that I doubt you, but why am I to use a round pot for fisted Oolong and a flat one for Bao Zhong? Michael

Sorry, I'm confused by this. Are you equating roasting with oxidation?

If you are indeed talking about roasting (after the oxidation has been halted), maybe you could enlighten me about the concept of percentage when used with roasting. How would you measure this? Is there really a reliable way to say when tea is 100% roasted, aside from when it's turned to charcoal?

/Lew

Sorry for the confusion. You're correct to notice that there is a difference between oxidation and roasting. I misread Michael's post and caused this confusion. Actually, he didn't have Shou Cha then (if there was no roasting), but the more tradtional Baozhong (even though one might argue about the correct %age. In my opinion, it should be lower than 50%).

Stéphane

It's a question of letting the leaves open up in harmony during their brewing process. That's how you get the fragrance out from the leaves. This can be achieved by putting very few leaves in the pot: the leaves have enough space to unfold, but the tea may become too weak or you'd have to let it brew so long that they also release heavier flavors and astringency. So you have to add more leaves to be able to make shorter, more fragrant brews, but then you get them crammed. So you have to maximize the unfolding of the leaves by choosing a teapot shape that fits the unfolding of the leaves.

For baozhong, a flat dry leaf, a pot that is not too high is what fits its dry shape. But fisted Oolong will unfurl in all directions, like an expanding balloon. That's why it will best open up in a round teapot.

As always, don't take my word for it. Try it out and share your results.

Stéphane

Michael

The vendor said 50%; at any rate, it was far darker and less subtle than the true green lovely version I've come to know and love. The leaves in question were not highly roasted. Michael

Guys, it's like this: I type with lightening speed, using ganglia situated near my elbows. My brain, such as there is of it, is seldom if ever involved. Consequently, pots turn into posts. Sorry. (Actually, come to think of it, many of us contribute flat squat posts now and again.) Michael

I've heard this said only by Taiwanese guys. I think it's just a difference in style between the Taiwan and the mainland. On the mainland, the tea guys care little about the tea becoming unfurled completely, usually put more tea, and use shorter steeping periods. The Taiwan guys usually put less tea with longer steeping times. I've also experimented both ways myself and it usually ends up with the same flavor and consistency no matter how you brew it, if you get the variables right. Of course the argument will never end as to which way is the "right" way to do it, but I tend to prefer the Chinese way better because you can get more mileage out of your tea by just adding a little bit more tea.

As for pot shape and all that, it goes hand in hand with the above. I have noticed flavor differences between brewing in a gaiwan vs. brewing with a zisha, but as for thin and thick clay types, that would be debatable. I generally prefer to use a thicker clay for most teas to try and keep the heat in longer. I think this would affect the xiang wei (scent) more than only having different style pots.

The best way to find out about these little differences in brewing parameters is to have a group of people all brewing the same tea with the same gaiwan and the same water. This happened to me during my tea classes. What I found so fascinating is that we achieved pretty different results, but that the professor always had the best! But the quantity he would use would vary according to the tea. To make it simple, the better his tea, the less leaves he used and the longer he brewed them.

The differences are not always big, but I find Oolongs quite sensitive to changes. If you change something, there will be an impact on the flavor.

Stéphane

Hello Michael and guy out there, My first "green Oolong" was jade oolong from tea treasures. Previously I had monkey picked, and Ti kuan yin. All were new to me and all tasted very different but very good. The unique taste of the jade I dont know if it was green, or just flowery green but it showed me that all oolongs are not alike . Wow what a revelation I had no idea what diversity I getting into. Another , like you to me , a teacher, Brian from DC told me about BaoZhong. It looked partially green and brown with long slightly twisted leaves and was sweet and green and full of flavor too. Well I have come along way and have tasted many many oolongs and Jade Oolong from that online merchant showed me there are many roads. Not to mention the aged ones the darker ones the wuyi, anxi etc ect .Just Taiwan has a variety that I hope to taste every one. Bottom line for me, its what you like and what you are willing to pay for it. and like Michael says there is always a better cup of tea somewhere. Jenn enjoying a cup of zhong shu hu A light and lovely oolong from taiwan.