Oolong Tea: What Type to Buy?

Tips on how to purchase oolong tea

Different types of oolong tea: Oolong tea comes in many varieties, some with a more floral flavor than others, some with a faint smoke taste. Much like wine, the subtle differences in flavor with oolong tea are sometimes overlooked by the novice tea drinker.

Just as there are many types of oolong tea, so too does the price range differ greatly. In Taiwan, one of the primary oolong tea growing countries in the world, tea is readily and easily available in most shops and supermarkets. The tea section in one popular supermarket rivals the wine section with its types of tea--green tea, oolong tea, white tea, black tea, jasmine tea, jasmine oolong tea. Within each type there are different brands available.

You can buy tea leaves, freeze dried tea, teabags with whole tea leaves inside the teabag, powdered oolong tea in teabags. Tea in chests, tea in resealable plastic bags, tea in wooden mini-chests. Unless you know exactly what you're looking for it can be overwhelming knowing which types of oolong tea are right for you.

If you're new to oolong tea, I would suggest buying something mid-range in price. If available, I'd also suggest you buy the type of teabags with actual whole tea leaves inside (not the tea bags with powdered tea in them.) This way you will get the taste of fresh, full oolong tea without the complications of trying to figure out exactly how much to put into your teapot. In this way you're setting yourself up for a pleasant experience. Too many tea leaves in a teapot can make a very strong brew, perhaps too strong for you on your first try.

Oolong teabags
For normal oolong tea consumption I use Taiwan oolong tea, whole tea leaves in triangular teabags. When this teabag is inserted in almost boiling water, the leaves swell up inside the teabag and flavor the water. This particular teabag is moderately priced and comes in a re-sealable plastic bag. It's best to purchase oolong tea as fresh as possible.

Most teabags serve up powdered tea, which is the tea that is left over from processing. This is usually the cheapest tea. Powdered tea steeps quickly in teabags and for that reason it is a convenient and easy to use. The downside of using powdered tea in teabags is that it oxidizes very quickly.

Highest quality oolong tea is never ground or powdered, but is kept in whole leaves and is packaged in air tight packages.

High Mountain Oolong Tea
On the other hand my husband, an even more fanatic oolong tea connoisseur than I, will only drink freshly brewed oolong tea made from tea leaves. His favorite is high mountain oolong, one of the better teas and one of the more expensive.

When he's feeling extravagant he pulls out his special oolong tea. It was bought when visiting a tea plantation and cannot be found in shops. Some tea was given him as a gift, again not found in shops and most likely much more expensive than a nice bottle of wine. In fact, High Mountain Oolong Tea from Taiwan is among the most expensive and prized teas in the world. Current prices can go as high as US$800 per 600 grams and it can be very expensive to purchase oolong tea of this grade.

Remember, whether you are using teabags with oolong tea leaves or plain oolong tea leaves in a teapot, you can re-use the leaves three or four times. Enjoy your cuppa'.

The Unique Taste of Oolong Tea

Become an Oolong Tea Connoisseur

There may not be as many varieties of Oolong tea as there are grapes, but the art of tasting tea is similar to tasting fine wine. Tea connoisseurs classify the tea by its taste, smell and aftertaste. Just as wines can be floral or fruity, so can Oolong tea. Like wine, some of the better Oolong teas are left to age so as to improve the flavor. Flavors and taste can vary slightly between different batches of tea processed even if from the same plant.

Oolong tea leaves are lightly roasted, one process that can give subtle differences in taste. Tea that is roasted less generally tastes more fruity.

Other factors come into play in influencing the flavor of the teas, some of which are as follow:

• The time of the year the leaves are picked.
• Which type of leaves are picked (leaves are left on the plant longer for oolong.)
• How the leaves are processed.
• How long the tea has aged.
• Where the tea is grown. Teas grown at high altitudes are sweet to the taste, and more expensive than other tea.
• Weather conditions and temperatures
• Soil condition

Now, onto the Oolong tea tasting

Tea tasting is a ritual which some adhere to more precisely than others. In Taiwan, appreciating Oolong tea is an art that has been developed to perfection. The first cup of tea poured is always tossed out (remember, Chinese tea cups are very small). This step washes the tea leaves and cleans them from any trace of dust. The second cup is picked up and smelled. The next step is to taste it. Just sip a little tea, let it roll around on your tongue and then slowly swallow it. Remember, the after taste experience is all part of the tea-tasting.

In order to properly participate in Oolong tea tasting, equipment is needed. Chinese tea pots are often clay and generally much smaller than western teapots. The cups are also miniature; those used for tasting are just a little bigger than a large thimble. They come in all shapes and sizes, though they are always much smaller than the western teacup.

Teapot and cups sit on a tray. Often this is a wooden (or metal) tray with slats and openings so any spills can drain into them. Some sets are even more elaborate with draining tubes attached, so any spilled tea and the first cup of tea that is tossed out will drain out (often into a bucket that's placed underneath the table.)

You do not have to have a special set-up in order to enjoy the fine and subtle flavors of Oolong tea. Anyone can enjoy the taste no matter what sized cup they use. Having said that, it is a cultural experience to taste tea like a connoisseur, complete with small teacups, Chinese style teapot and special tray. There's something about coffee mugs that detracts from the delicacy of freshly brewed Oolong tea, which by rights should only be served in the finest porcelain.