Tea Series: Part 3
Oolong.
The name is a corruption of "Wu-Lung", or "Black Dragon" in Chinese,
but this wonderful elixir is anything but corrupt. Oolong might well be
my desert island type of tea.Though, technically a tea that falls somewhere in between green and black, there can be so many variations of color and curing that it can provide nearly infinite possibilities in taste. Oolong has provided me with some of the most profound moments of my life. One evening, I was visiting family who had a great house on a hill in La Jolla. Tired of the usual patter and bickering that is the hallmark of my family, I threw my cushions out on the veranda and tried to meditate...no good, I just couldn't quiet that chattering monkey mind of mine. Giving up, I made my self a pot of Anxi Oolong, and wandered outside to look at the lights and sip. Within moments the steam curling from my cup started to entwine with the lights below, the fragrance carrying my spirit up and out over the ocean. There was nothing that was me, there was nothing that was not me. It was perhaps the closest this chattering monkey-mind with a keyboard has come to a temporary satori, or "kensho".
This lil' monograph isn't intended to be a completely exhaustive survey of all things Oolong, but to touch upon the highlights and characteristics of the "heavy hitters", as well as some of their little brethren. Before we launch into the survey (the next post), let's get a few terms that are tossed around a lot:
Ti-Kuan-Yin/ Iron Buddha/ Goddess of Mercy: A type of tea that used to be exclusive to the Fukian (Fujian) province. Noted for HUGE leaf size, multi-layered peach like fragrance, and ability to withstand many infusions. As with all things both Chinese and epic, this tea has a cool legend associated with it. Back in the days of yore, there was a poor tea farmer who lamented over the condition of a temple that was dedicated to Kuan-Yin, the Goddess of Mercy (a rough equivalent of Catholicism's Madonna). Financially unable to repair it, he thought that the least he could do was to burn incense and clean the place twice a month.
One night Kuan-Yin appeared to him in a dream and told him to look in the cave behind the temple for a treasure. He was to take it for himself but also to share it with others. There he found a single tea shoot which he planted and cultivated into a bush with leaves that produced a singularly fine drink. He began selling it under the Kuan-Yin name, and gave many cuttings to his neighbors. All prospered, and eventually the temple was repaired. Plantings (or "jets") of this sub variety are now planted in many areas of China, as well as the R.O.C. (Taiwan). Generally, if you see this nomenclature associated with a tea, it will be good...sometimes incredible. For a great example, try Upton's "Buddha Palm", and see the face of the infinite.
Monkey Picked Oolong. One of my favorite hyperboles. Growers used to puff their product by declaring that the tea trees that their product sprang from grew in such precarious and inaccessible areas, that specially trained moneys were sent up to pick in areas where no man could. Nowadays it a moniker that a seller will use to designate his very best Oolong, almost always attached to another term ("Iron Buddha Monkey Picked").
Fancy/ Extra Fancy/ Extra, Extra Fancy/ Fanciest/ Imperial (whew). A grading system, used almost solely in the R.O.C. Fancy represents what I would consider the entry level for a good oolong. By the time that you hit a Fanciest or Imperial, you are tossing anywhere from $80-$200 per pound at a tea and are in for some Oolong that will "shake the pillars of heaven".
We will start, with what many agree to be the greatest of the Oolong regions, the Venerable Anxi.
Region: Anxi
Location: Fujian Province. Southeastern China
In many cases, when you hear the names "Fujian" and "Anxi", think Oolong. This region is a huge producer of some of the most treasured Oolongs in the world. Anxis are typically floral, light, and incredibly complex. Here's a small list of some of my favorite Anxi:
Gold King: Rich, slightly heavier than typical Anxi fare. Hints of peach, with honey underpinnings. This one, like almost all good Anxi, will take many waters, for those more frugally minded.
Green Orchid Oolong: Made in an almost Pouchong manner (halfway between Green and Oolong), this one brews up in a color between grass and hay and does (really) posses a scent that resembles orchids.
Red Water Oolong: This tea moves a bit away from its Anxi Brethren, in that it tends to hit more fruit notes than floral. Rich, with hints of plum and jam, this one brews into a bronze and toffee brew that carries an base note of caramel to support the sweet preserves.
Spring Anxi Blossom: One of my favorites. Apricot, apricot and still some apricot. Make an excellent tea for Gung-Fu style service.
Te Kwan Tin: That most venerable of Oolong names. Anxi Te Kwan Yins are richer than most of their sisters. Complex layering of floral upon fruit. Perhaps the best of the Gung-Fu style teas, this one has real back bone, and can take as many as 8 waters when prepared in the small Yixing Pot (please see previous postings about Te Kwan Yin).
Water Maiden: Lightly roasted in the Mountain Tea Gardens, typifies the light, highly floral Anxis. Brews up a vibrant orange liquor with toffee and butterscotch undertones.
Da Hong Pao: Roughly translated as 'Big Red Robe', this tea is, without question, the most famous of all Oolongs, and no, you don’t have a prayer of tasting the original stuff that launched the legend, but you can come pretty damned close.
Da Hong Pao, according to legend, received its name when the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor was ‘cured’ of an illness by drinking cups of the same. In thanks, that emperor sent great red robes to clothe the four bushes from which that tea originated. Remembering that the general industry consensus on the useful life of a tea plant is 30-50 years, the fact that three of the original bushes still exist is a testament to the attention lavished on these renowned leaves. Having that said, the greater the age of a tea plant, the lower the output. There was a point that these ancients only produced one kilo of finished leaf per year, a portion of which was reserved for high ranking Chinese officials. Back in 1998, original source Da Hong Pao received authorization for sale from the government, and the kit and ‘caboodle sold for close to one million (US)!
The DHP that you see for sale on internet sites today can be one of two things; outright fraud OR a tea that was made from cuttings of the original, and planted in similar soil/terrain in close proximity to its ancestor. If the latter, you are in for a real (if still absurdly expensive) treat. Usually taken to 40% oxidation, this leaf brews a medium/medium-dark hue, and presents a base fragrance of sweet honey & caramel with a light peach top notes. The finish is pleasantly startling; a sweetness that is perceived in the throat before tongue, followed by a wonderfully subtle earth/mineral conclusion.
(More regions to come in subsequent writings)
Brewing time and temperature: For the darker and more robust: 190f, and 5-6 minutes. With lighter leafs, take her a bit down; 180f, start at 4 minutes and adjust time upward, as your taste sees fit
Yours, in "Tea Life, Tea Mind"
Bear, InternationalTea Master Association
