essentials of oolong getting started
DESCRIPTION
What's in a name? Where is it grown? What are popular types of oolong? How to brew? How to store? All you need to know to get started on oolong teaTRANSCRIPT
Peony Tea S. – Celebrating the contemporary art of tea
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� Oolong tea is a category of tea◦ One of the six major categories of tea- green,
white, yellow, black, dark (often erroneously called Pu-erh which is a type of dark tea) and oolong
� Oolong is basically an earlier form of the
Chinese word 乌龙 which is spelt ‘wu long’ in Hanyu Pinyin
� Popular types of oolong include Tieguanyin, Big Red Robe and Dong Ding Oolong
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� Literally translated- ‘乌’ black ‘龙’ dragon
� Likely named after the shape of the tea leaves
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� Many fables, the tea picking hunter Hu Liang, the sleepy tea picker and the rebels
� Commonality of the tales◦ Accidental discovery- rattling of the leaves which is
crucial to production of oolong
◦ Originates either from Northern Fujian (Minbei) or Southern Fujian (Minnan)
◦ Likely to be sometime in the 17th century since by 1717, there was documented proof that oolong tea is commonly available in Fujian
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Withering
(萎凋)
Rattling or
'Yao Qing'
(摇青)
Shaqing
(杀青)
Rolling
(揉捻)
Drying
(干燥)
Detailed processes vary across regions and producers but basically production of oolong has the following 5 steps:
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� Sub-divided by geographical region◦ Guangdong
◦ Minbei (Northern Fujian)
◦ Minnan (Southern Fujian)
◦ Taiwan
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Guangdong
Province
Guangdong OolongGuangdong OolongGuangdong OolongGuangdong Oolong
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� Famous variants◦ Phoenix Dancong- Phoenix Mountain, Chaozhou
◦ Rao Ling Dancong- Rao Ling, Chaozhou
Pictured is a Phoenix Dancong- Honey Orchid Fragrance (Mi Lan Xiang)
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� Dancong or 单丛 is sometimes translated as ‘single trunk’
� Early dancong were made from same tree but in recent decades dancong come to denote tea made plucked from trees grafted of the same parent plant
� Dancong has different fragrances which gives it its name- Mi Lan Xiang (Honey Orchid Fragrance), Xin Ren Xiang (Almond Fragrance)
� These fragrances are completely natural and no non-tea ingredients are added
� Phoenix Dancong are known for their ‘shan yun’山韵- Mountain Harmony
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Fujian
Province
Minbei OolongMinbei OolongMinbei OolongMinbei Oolong
� Famous variants◦ Wuyi Rock Tea (Yan Cha) including Big Red Robe,
Wuyi Sacred Lily (Shuixian), Cockscomb (Ba Ji Guan), Wuyi Cassia- Wuyishan, Fujian
◦ Minbei Shuixian- Jian Ou Fujian
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Pictured is Wuyi Sacred Lily (Shuixian)
� Oolong tea grown within Wuyishan
� Officially definition tightened to restrict it to teas grown within the core-producing area
known as zheng yan ‘正岩’
� Famous variants include the 4 Famous Bushes- Big Red Robe, White Cockscomb, Iron Arhat and Golden Turtle, Wuyi Sacred Lily and Wuyi Cassia
� Wuyi Rock Tea are known for their ‘yan yun’
岩韵- Rock Harmony
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Fujian
Province
Minnan OolongMinnan OolongMinnan OolongMinnan Oolong
� Famous variants◦ Anxi Iron Goddess (Tieguanyin)
◦ Golden Cassia (Huang Jin Gui)
◦ Yongchun Buddha Hand (Yong Chun Fo Shou)
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Pictured is Anxi Iron Goddess
� One of the most well-known of Chinese tea
� Grown in Anxi, Fujian and is one of the most valued of all oolong
� Can be made in traditional style (charcoal baked), medium roast or the newer ‘green style’
� Iron Goddess are known for their ‘yin yun’ (音韵) – Goddess Harmony
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Taiwan
Taiwan OolongTaiwan OolongTaiwan OolongTaiwan Oolong
� Famous variants◦ Dong Ding Oolong
◦ Wenshan Baozhong
◦ Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong (Gaoshan Cha) such as San Lin Xi, Alishan, Lishan, Da Yu Lin
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Pictured is Dong Ding Oolong
� Grown in Lugu, Taiwan, Dong Ding literally means ‘frozen summit’
� The seedlings were believed to have originated from Wuyishan
� Dong Ding Oolong are known for their ‘hou
yun’ (喉韵) – Throat Harmony
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� Recommended Brewing Utensil
� Recommended size- 90 ml- 200 ml
� Recommend to serve with small cups
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Gaiwan (盖碗) Yixing Pot (宜兴壶)
GuangdongGuangdongGuangdongGuangdong MinbeiMinbeiMinbeiMinbei MinnanMinnanMinnanMinnan TaiwanTaiwanTaiwanTaiwan
Water temperature
85ºC 90-95ºC 95-100ºC 95-100ºC
Infusion time 30 sec 45-60 sec 60 sec 30-45 sec
Quantity 1/3 of utensil
1/3 of utensil
1/5 of utensil
1/5 of utensil
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Just a guide- depends on personal preference, type of tea and utensil used
1. Warm the pot with hot water
2. Add tea leaves
3. Add hot water and decant within 5 seconds
4. Discard the water
5. Add hot water again
6. Infuse for the recommended time
7. Decant into a serving pitcher
8. Serve and enjoy
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TypeTypeTypeType ShelfShelfShelfShelf lifelifelifelife Storage MethodStorage MethodStorage MethodStorage Method
‘Green style’ 6-12mths
Double seal in air-tight opaque containerand store in a fridge at circa 4-10ºCWhen removing from fridge, wait half an hour for leaves to ‘warm’ to room temperature before removing from container
MediumRoast
18-24mths
Store in cool, dark, dry, air-tight, odor free container
Dark Roast Improves with age
Store in cool, dark, dry, air-tight, odor free container
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� To be discussed in a later post on www.peonyts.com
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