Oolong

They call it the “winter petal.”  Dong Pian, in Chinese. The unexpected juxtaposition of the name lured me with its poetic charm. Behind the poetry lay a compelling story. A tea such as this could not be passed.

Jin Xuan oolong, also popularly called “Milk Oolong,” is made from a relatively new cultivar of tea developed by the Taiwan Tea Research and Extension Station (TRES) in 1981. The tea is fragrant and coats the palate with a creamy sweetness that is highly satisfying. It is easy to steep and relatively inexpensive for a high-mountain oolong. No wonder it is one of the most popular oolongs in Taiwan.

We are delighted to offer Concubine Oolong, a well regarded Taiwanese oolong from its two main manufacturing seasons, spring and winter. 

A new category of oolong in our "A Tea Master's Oolong" series is called Hung Shui (also written Hong Shui). This category belongs to the fascinating - and for newcomers often times, bewildering - world of Taiwanese oolongs. (Read here about the background to A Tea Master's Oolong.)

Hung Shui is used to describe a certain style of making oolong. Unlike many classical teas, Hung Shui is not particular to a provenance. But in some ways Hung Shui's raison d'etre has to do with the protection of another famous Taiwanese oolong that is tied to its provenance, the Dong Ding oolong.

Happy New Year!

As promised here is the first of exciting new things we are unveiling this year - a very special line of oolongs from Taiwan selected by a local Tea Master who we have known for nearly 10 years.  Over the years, we've had endless discussions about tea and swapped our favorites teas.  And last summer, we had the good fortune of meeting him while on a tea teaching mission to America.  He has generously shared his passion and extensive knowledge of oolongs.  And now with great excitement, we are proud to offer a very special collection from A Tea Master's Oolong.