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June 26, 2004
Dark Oolong, First Grade
Name: Dark Oolong 1st Grade
Kathy's Rating: 8.5/10.0
Company: Ten Ren
Origin of tea: Taiwan
Price: ~$118.80/lb (16oz)
Tea form: Loose leaf in gunpowder form
What they say: The steeped tea has a light golden brown hue, prominent roasted aroma with sweet undertones, the initial flavor of roasted chestnuts, and a strong lasting, sweet and roasted aftertaste which lingers at the back of the throat.
Preparation method: Steep 3-5 minutes at water temperatures around 185-195F (85-90C).
Review: Without a doubt, oolong tea is the most popular and prestigious tea in Taiwan. The central mountains of Taiwan possess climates ideal for the growing conditions of Camellia sinensis. The cultivation and harvesting methodologies of Taiwan for tea is peerless. China is attempting to also cultivate and harvest oolong tea, but their methodology is still immature. I suspect that this is mostly due to lack of regulations control. For example, there are regulations in Taiwan regarding the use of pesticides. If pesticides are applied, there are set quantities that are allowed before the plant is declared unfit for consumption. Also, there are minimum timespans that must past before the plant can be harvested for market, in order to allow the pesticide to subside. There may be such regulations in China as well, but with the current notorious levels of corruption, what use are the regulations if the certifying official can be easily bribed to allow the process to proceed? This is why I prefer to buy tea that originated out of Taiwan or Japan, where regulations are more tightly controlled. Anyhow, the reason why we went into that little rant is because I am attempting to give you some background in justifying the price of some oolong teas. In this case, this particular tea is a first grade tea. This means the leaves from this tea are the season's first pickings, which adds a premium onto the price. So, following that convention, the second grade is the second picking, the third grade is the third picking, and so on. Think of the olive oil pressing process. Extra virgin olive oil is more pricey than extra light olive oil because the term "extra virgin" is usually reserved for the first pressing of the olive fruit, which results in a more richly flavored oil. The same can be said for first grade oolong tea - it produces a more full-bodied tea that is at the same time less bitter. If you want to drink an aristocratic tea, oolong first grade is your best bet. This is my comfort tea. This is the tea that my dad and I drink together as we discuss philosophical and metaphysics viewpoints - or just life in general. Actually, this is the only type of tea that my dad buys as gifts to his closest friends. In fact, my dad has a longtime friend - over thirty years - that collects limited editions of oolong teas, and sends some of them to my dad from Taiwan, which my dad proudly shows me whenever I make a trip back home. Invariably, he breaks open that limited edition tea, and we enjoy it over long conversations at the dining table, and more often than not, I end up taking a share of the tea home to enjoy again later. This is to me, what tea drinking is meant to be - a shared experience with family and friends.
Posted by Kathy at June 26, 2004 09:48 PM