Thanks you for such a lovely detailed reply. Your suggestions make sense to me. I roast my own coffee and have experienced the effect of roasting on the potency of caffeine. Lighter roasted coffees retain a stronger caffeine potency despite the perception that a darker roast is somehow 'stronger/more potent'. In some countries, raw unroasted coffee beans are ground into a powder and blended to produce a poweful caffeine filled concoction (their version of an energy drink).Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑Wed Jan 01, 2020 6:16 pmI am drinking an aged oolong (from 1998). To me it feels gentle. I drank it twice in Tainan with several tea masters aged 50 - 75 years old who drink this tea in great quantity in tea sessions lasting a few hours. Some of them only drink aged, roasted oolong (LIshan because they are from there).
I've been told that there was a time when many people in Taiwan only drank roasted tea, that its taste is what they associate with good tea.
Most importantly for you, oolongfan, it is likely that such tea may not mess up your body. I don't know for sure; &, probably nobody could really say. I know for sure that I can drink it all day without any problem.
Of my 3 aged oolongs, the oldest is the gentlest, as seems logical. I use water 2 degrees higher than I do for the other 2 & steep a little longer to get enough flavor, which is simply an excellent taste of roast without char. (The other 2 are not quite as simple in taste; but, all are similar.)
Anyway, in one person's experience by use & by what he has perceived, aged roasted tea seems easy on the body.
It makes perfect sense that a roasted aged tea might have a gentler impact on my endocrine system. I have tried to aged roasted oolongs from Norbu from the '70's and '80s which I recall being very gentle. At the time I had elevated cortisol so I was not drinking as regularily as I am now...so sadly did not really get to experiment. Now that things are more normalized and I am drinking on a weekly basis again, aged oolongs will be on my list to try.
If it is OK with the mods, can you post a link to your aged oolongs. I have, sadly, not yet tried any of your teas and would like to do so, especially any aged ones.