Interestingly enough oolong is one of the nicest teas and yet its very underrated and less common in the North American markets. Made by the process of drying the whole tea leaves on the stem in the sun. This process is most likely the reason for the name. Oolong translates to Black Dragon, quite possibly due to the coiled and twisted leaves giving the illusion of tiny little dragons in your cup.
The largest growing region is also the most popular consumption place in the Fujian region in the southeast of China and Taiwan, known for their tea ceremonies in celebration of this fine beverage.
Other varieties include Darjeeling, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Nepali, African, Assam and Thai. All of the flavours vary by region as well as the method of cultivation
In the case of Fujian Oolong, the flavour is light and subtle, slightly herbal and sweet with a hint of a honey flavour. Nice for a cold day or it makes one hell of a refreshing iced tea in the summer time.
There are a wide variety of flavours and variations but I recommend trying the basic, simple Fujian Oolong. I picked up a box of Xiamen tea import co. Fujian Oolong at the local Chinese Grocery after first trying this type of tea in a sushi restaurant. I fell in love with the flavor and this was the closest tea I've found to that one I had in the restaurant. Light and sweet with no other flavours masking the natural tea flavour.
If you do prefer something a little more fun I recommend Stash teas interesting array of flavoured oolongs. My personal favourite is their Coconut Mango oolong, which has a nice and subtle tropical taste and I've always had a love of tropical fruits. This one in particular is very nice in the summer either hot or chilled.
Cheers!
Lady Berlynn
No comments:
Post a Comment