Rose Pouchong

I have asked A Southern Season, Fortnum and Mason, and the Rare Tea Company if they have any idea why rose scented Chinese black tea gets the moniker Pouchong and no one could come up with an answer. Fortnum even contacted their source warehouse who also didn’t know why.

I’m not sure why it gets this name either. Pouchong is another name for baozhong, which supposedly means “wrapped kind,” as the tea was traditionally wrapped in paper before being roasted (or alternatively, before being sold, depending on your source, as modern Taiwanese BZ oolong isn’t usually a roasted tea). I’ve seen baozhong used to refer to any strip-style tea, whether oolong or not. I guess any strip-style tea could technically be called pouchong. Still, it’s confusing for customers, and I’d also wrongly assume this tea was an oolong.

I did ask them if possibly this tea is wrapped for the scenting process and they didn’t know. Maybe the mystery will be solved one day!

I obviously have too much time on my hands, so I did a bit more research. Pouchong originated in Fujian, China (or according to one old tea book I found online, in Canton, wherever that is now). It was categorized among several kinds of scented tea. The book describes it as “a bold, rough-looking leaf, dull black in color and peculiar in scent, the latter being imparted to it by the admixture of the seeds of the Chulan flower” (also don’t know what this is). A quick Google search also reveals scented pouchongs/baozhongs made with green tea. Taiwan adopted this wrapped style of tea in the 1880s and it must have gradually become the oolong we know as baozhong without completely negating the original meaning of the term.

As that old tea book suggests, it’s also possible that souchong (a grade of large leaf) got muddled in with all this and created even more confusion.

Has anyone seen an unscented BZ that’s not an oolong?

The only BZ I have that is unscented is Wen Shan and it is an oolong. Maybe there are some out there, though!

Great research! Thank you for sharing that!

I had the shortest layover at Heathrow airport earlier this year and I’m so bummed that in my frantic stop at the F&M shop I didn’t think to grab a tin of this.

I absolutely adored this one – everything about it was perfect. I typically drink Bird & Blend’s rose-scented Belle’s Breakfast but I may buy the Fortnum’s in future as well. I only had the one bag to try so want to do a side-by-side comparison some day!

Seriously? No, I had not seen anything about management change. (I am not completely weaned, but trying to spend progressively less time on FB—tends to drag my attitude in directions it doesn’t belong!)

There is an announcement here on the discussion page, too. and I agree. Spending less time on Facebook and feel like I have to look at it with one eye closed and the other peeping.

I saw it a little while ago and honestly I’m scared they are going to change everything to the point that it’s unrecognizable. I’m waiting until my emotions about the whole thing subside and I can comment with a level head. All of the other Adagio sites that Jason mentioned look exactly the same and I don’t want that to happen to Steepster. I love the community here (my social life is mostly here too!) and I don’t want to see everything replaced by something more aligned with Adagio’s corporate brand. I do appreciate Jason and Mike keeping up the costs of the site, but I also wish they would have considered asking us our thoughts as we are the ones using the site daily. That’s probably just me being selfish, but maybe someone here would have been interested in taking over. I know I would have been glad to help with cost and admin duties, personally. Anyway, I’ll leave some suggestions in the discussion post later, but this is me venting a bit. So sorry to take over your comments with my mood, lol.

I hadn’t heard the news either… I don’t use social media, and given all the spam/bugs, I haven’t even been on Steepster’s discussion boards in ages, as well. I hated that the site had been left to rot with bugs/no improvement, but I do not like a tea company being in charge, which feels fueled with bias and creates an environment that just feels… not as welcoming to other companies/etc. Too many moods right now…

hadn’t heard. I don’t bother with the boards here most days and adagio isn’t really a company i follow for the limited time i’m on FB.

I saw the post by Steepster on Facebook first and then came here and saw it on the discussion board. I almost never look at the discussion boards, but I was specifically checking for it. It is the same as the FB announcement, no difference. Here’s hoping we see improvements and not destruction of the community we have here.

Shae: I think a lot of us would have been willing to contribute to keeping Steepster up and running. I hope it all turns out okay. I hope adagio is paying attention to what the Steepsterites want.

The latest statement on the board from Michael at Adagio:

My Adagio Teas colleagues and I are honored by the opportunity to restore Steepster as the preeminent destination for tea discussion and knowledge, especially at a time when online communities are so important to our social wellbeing. In days to come, we will listen and note your ideas for the improvements that you’d like us to prioritize as we work to make Steepster a welcome place for all.

Color me cynical :/

Haven’t heard; but noticed (and read) it after reading few tasting notes.
I am cynical as derk and many others. I don’t like the idea it is going to be owned by some tea company. It won’t be really independent. I don’t like the ownership of tea comapny, but on the other hand, I am happy to see that something will happen! That it won’t shut down just one day and nobody will know what have happened! What about collecting e-mail adresses of our group here (are we only one active, or there are more groups like us?); and if something goes “wrong”, we can be in contact somehow and for example start some new discussion board or something we can work out (for example Discord).

I know, it won’t have this nice feeling of Steepster, but I would love to stay in touch with all you!

By the way, as I can’t write to discussion board by myself, consider me, I want to save “as is” as long as possible and fix all the mishaps and after that just start adding new features, new design etc.

I like the connectivity as well. This site is a big part of my social media and the friends from here are priceless.

I like you people. Don’t go anywhere.

Hopefully adagio keeps it mostly the same Steepster, just taking care of the bugs, but I’m not sure how that might benefit adagio?

Maybe Adagio can just advertise here and keep it the same. I know money drives things, but surely supporting a site that encourages the love of and exploration of tea would be beneficial. Please be good to us, Adagio! This is our happy place!

Just sad as it seems that there wasn’t any thought given to asking the community first to see if someone here would like to take it over

I’m cynical too but something traumatic would have to happen to this site for me to permanently abandon it. You all mean too much!

I see that Adiago asked for suggestions on the forums and I back everyone else who says the bugs need to be fixed first and foremost. Countless users, including myself, can’t even make posts on the forums!

I hadn’t heard this news either! Maybe that explains why I had such a hard time logging in today (admittedly, after two years of being away, but still).

Ashmanra, to answer the question in your review of this tea, the word ‘pouchong’ is a romanization of Bao Zhong.

@White Antlers, but what does Maofeng Keemun have to do with Bao Zhong? This tea tin labels itself as both in different places.

@CrowKettle I just saw your query. Frankly I have no clue. I am not familiar with the tea tin and I am more of a wordsmith than a teasmith.

White Antlers – I had somehow missed your comment from ten days ago! Yes, that was what was perplexing to me. I love my Wenshan Baozhong and have had a jasmine pouchong that was just okay, but they call this Rose Pouchong and the ingredient list says it is keemun. If I remember correctly, pouchong means “the wrapped kind”, so I am wondering if this wrapping treatment can be performed,on Keemun tea also, and that is what this refers to? It is definitely black tea, definitely Keemun taste and that is how they say to prepare it, and the tin doesn’t elaborate on why the name is pouchong. I should contact the company and see if they can answer our query! There is always something new and exciting to learn.

@White Antlers, That’s ok! Like ashmanra, I’m also perplexed about this tea label and wondered if there was a simple explanation rooted in etymology of tea names and labels, which is something I’m not super knowledgeable about.

@ashmanra, let me know if you do contact the company about this. Every now and then I fixate on this “mystery” and that probably won’t stop until my tin is gone. haha

I would be very upset if I got repeat teas in an advent calendar. I feel like the whole point is to get 24 individual samplers?

Doubling up on teas in an advent?!?! Hmm… are they trying to disappoint people?