What Oolong Are You Drinking

[Bok]

Also, have not thought of a drink (the prepared liquid) oxidizing. Interesting!

Most easily observed when an initially yellow-green high mountain oolong turns orange when left at the open air. Black tea is quite obvious as well, getting darker and darker.

After not drinking tea for several hours following my "tea work", I drank Himalayan Orange (HOR) that I have described as a black tea. After so much O.B. today, I feel the HOR is more oolong than black

I also always felt the same way, especially next to OB. I find the two kinds quite similar. HOR maybe with a little less endurance.

[Tillerman]

After not drinking tea for several hours following my "tea work", I drank Himalayan Orange (HOR) that I have described as a black tea. After so much O.B. today, I feel the HOR is more oolong than black

I also always felt the same way, especially next to OB. I find the two kinds quite similar. HOR maybe with a little less endurance.

What follows may be controversial (or not) but it does fly in the face of most conventional wisdom:

A tea is not black or oolong based on degree of oxidation and certainly not on the basis of taste. A tea is classified as oolong if it is made using oolong tea processing techniques and as black if it is made using black tea processing techniques.

The principal difference for purposes of this argument is the timing of the rolling of the tea: black tea is rolled BEFORE oxidation and oolong tea is rolled (the primary roll, not the ball shaping if it is used) AFTER oxidation. This is why 1st Flush Darjeeling is a black tea even though nowhere near "fully oxidized." And most Hong Yu is a black tea even though generally oxidized only to about 90%. As Will Battle points out in his wonderful World Tea Encyclpaedia, black tea has for years been routinely oxidized to a greater or lesser extent given the requirements of a given customer.

Second Flush Darjeeling can have many taste similarities to OB yet the former is a black tea and the latter an oolong. Likewise, to expand the argument, Hojicha is green tea even though its taste is unique and not unlike some oolongs.

Classifying teas on the basis of oxidation or taste leads to a lack of clarity and the same tea can be put into different categories by different evaluators.

Of course, all of this is just taxonomy; the real import is whether the tea is enjoyable or not whatever the classification may be.

[chofmann]

Classifying teas on the basis of oxidation or taste leads to a lack of clarity and the same tea can be put into different categories by different evaluators.

You are correct, of course, but classifying teas by oxidation is sooooo much easier to understand for the uninitiated and is correct ~90% of the time.

It is a useful 'shortcut', but, as you have pointed out, not the actual correct way to classify teas.

I'm sure we can think of other examples of such shortcuts in life, although none are coming to mind immediately.

[Victoria]

Second Flush Darjeeling can have many taste similarities to OB yet the former is a black tea and the latter an oolong. Likewise, to expand the argument, Hojicha is green tea even though its taste is unique and not unlike some oolongs.

+1 @Tillerman regarding processing and tea classification. Here is my diagram;

Black Processing
Withering　→　Rolling　→　Oxidation　→　Drying

Oolong Processing
Withering 　→　Tossing: Bruising & Oxidation 　→　 Fixation: Pan Fry Roasted/Tumble Dry 　→　 Rolling & Drying　→　Roasting or Final Drying


Never thought of Hojicha as similar to oolong, will check this out. Roasted sencha though I’ve experienced has some similar notes to light roasted Lishan.

[Tillerman]

Classifying teas on the basis of oxidation or taste leads to a lack of clarity and the same tea can be put into different categories by different evaluators.

You are correct, of course, but classifying teas by oxidation is sooooo much easier to understand for the uninitiated and is correct ~90% of the time.

It is a useful 'shortcut', but, as you have pointed out, not the actual correct way to classify teas.

I'm sure we can think of other examples of such shortcuts in life, although none are coming to mind immediately.

The reason I urge people not to use the shortcut is because there is a great deal of tea coming out of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal (and elsewhere) that purports to be oolong - but isn't.

[Tillerman]

Second Flush Darjeeling can have many taste similarities to OB yet the former is a black tea and the latter an oolong. Likewise, to expand the argument, Hojicha is green tea even though its taste is unique and not unlike some oolongs.

Never thought of Hojicha as similar to oolong, will check this out. Roasted sencha though I’ve experienced has some similar notes to light roasted Lishan.

OK @Victoria , hojicha was a bit of a stretch but it was to make a point. Your roasted sencha example is better.

[Ethan Kurland]

The reason I urge people not to use the shortcut is because there is a great deal of tea coming out of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal (and elsewhere) that purports to be oolong - but isn't.

That's a good reason. cheers

[Bok]

The problem is, no matter what the correct technical term of any given thing is, common usage and understanding by the majority will always overrule it.

For example: a tomato actually is a berry and a strawberry is botanically not a berry at all.

Most people will only classify teas into Black or Green anyways...

[octopus]

actually the other day I offered some yancha to a japanese guy who never had yancha and he really liked it because he said it reminded him of hojicha. it isn't such a crazy thing to associate

[Bok]

Having a first - a real roasted Tieguanyin from Anxi! I previously never liked the green versions of TGY from China and the traditional one seemed elusive.

Can only say it is a shame there is not more of it made this way anymore! The farmer making it is actually Taiwanese and made on order by a Taiwanese tea maker as he said he can not find anyone able to make this kind of Tieguanyin in Taiwan!

I am not sure if this is true, in any case the resulting tea is nice and very different in character to the ones you would find in Taiwan, more of dry, humble character as opposed to the fruitiness of the Taiwan versions. Smooth, clean, yet only a hint of sourness when pushed to hard.

Also miles away from a traditionally made, Hongkong processed TGY I had a while back brought over by a friend. Supposedly their top grade from a generations-old brand. Theirs is a roasted to death mess, drinkable, but not more than a slightly better version of a default-Chinatown-dimsum tea next to this Anxi TGY.

I suppose the HK one is probably also from Anxi, as there is no tea plantations worth mentioning in HK, just processed in HK, or maybe even only partly - I doubt the leaves can be transported to HK without initial processing?

Anyways, forget about that one, the Anxi TGY is nice! Even a bit cheaper than the average Taiwan made TGY! Demand for TGY is apparently low in Taiwan at the moment.

[Victoria]

actually the other day I offered some yancha to a japanese guy who never had yancha and he really liked it because he said it reminded him of hojicha. it isn't such a crazy thing to associate

Now I’m really curious so will get some high quality hojicha (any recommendations from members?). Which yancha were you sharing with him? By the way, your Roí Gui is really excellent, thank you via pedant.

[rdl]

Victoria,
I have not ordered from Hibiki-an in many years, but I can say when I did, their Houjicha Karigane was something special. I had never, have never, drank a houjicha that had not only the unique flavor, but also left a coating in the mouth that was so unexpected and delicious. Every autumn I intend to buy more, but I don't get past the memories, knowing I have enough tea.
Sorry, now back to oolong.

[joopbie]

Spring is here so my instinct steered me to open up this golden goddess 黃觀音. And it did not disappoint as from the second infusion onward the sweet floral note just bursted out in every sip. It’s like a walk in a spring garden.

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[swordofmytriumph]

Drinking the metal cask 1998 aged oolong from floating leaves today. I’ve never had aged oolong before. It. Is. Amazing. Kinda leathery, has a dried fruit flavor, but also kinda toasty, and something else I can’t quite identify. I love it.

Edit. I’ve gotten around 10 steeps out of it so far at boiling, amd it just keeps giving, the flavor is still fairly strong and every few steeps it changes.

First steep was very fruity, the next few were really toasty, then the next few back to fruity, and now it’s a happy blend of fruity, a hint of roast, and a bit of mineral flavor.

[oolongfan]

1980s Linkou Lao Cha Taiwan Ollong - Norbu

This is a beautiful tea, one of my favorites. Golden plums, aromatic wood, beautiful perfume tea notes. This has a tea perfume quality in both the aroma and taste yet very profound depth especially given the age. I love Norbu's aged oolongs.