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“SUMMARY: This is a very lovely well-balanced tea with a nectar-like viscocity. Despite the 80% oxidation, I brewed this at a lower temp, at a longer steep time, which really brought out the fruity...” Read full tasting note
When you see this tea, you may ask, why creating another slot for the same red oolong we have been offering before? The answer is quite simple, because this is not “Longan Nectar” anymore, this is “Plum Nectar.”
Due to unexpected changing in the process, our red oolong this season (spring of 2018) no longer taste nor feel like “Longan Nectar” anymore. But since we never carried this type of red oolong, we think it is worth carrying.
At first glance, it looks like oriental beauty in a heavy rolled form. Don’t be fooled, this is not an oriental beauty, nor a black tea, but 100% an oolong tea. The term “red” as applied to tea is difficult to understand in the context of English culture, so we must explain this “redness” in the cultural context of Mandarin culture. In Mandarin, black tea is actually named “red tea” (紅茶) for its color, and shouldn’t be confused with the actual “black tea”, which is also called “Hei Cha” (黑茶). Red tea was referred to as “black tea” because the dry leaf itself is typically black in color (See here). To this day the vast majority of westerners still don’t know what a “Red Tea” actually is!
In Taiwan the art of tea experimental tea processing is thriving and tea growers and processors alike are searching for new techniques to bring out new flavors and aromas! Our “Red Oolong” came about as an experimental marriage of oolong tea and black tea processing. After the process of “waving” the tea will be “heavy rolled” like a black tea immediately and oxidated heavily like black tea, but meanwhile has the traditional oolong processing final steps of “kill-green” and a special types of “heavy roasting.” For this season we use charcoal roasting technique for all of our tea, so this “heavy roasting process” was done by charcoal roasting instead of the commonly applied machine roasted.
The tea now has a completely different profile from “Longan Nectar” and feels totally different from it. It is still smooth and pungent in its aroma, but once you savour it you will notice a difference. Enjoy!
Harvest: Varied / 不定
Varietal: Qin Xing Oolong / 青心烏龍
Elevation: 100 M / 壹佰 公尺
Region: Luye / 鹿野
Oxidation Level: 80% / 分之 捌拾
Roast Level: 5 / 伍 分
Company description not available.
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Taiwan SourcingSUMMARY: This is a very lovely well-balanced tea with a nectar-like viscocity. Despite the 80% oxidation, I brewed this at a lower temp, at a longer steep time, which really brought out the fruity flavors of this tea with hardly any astringency. After the first infusion, each steep was fairly consistent with the flavors until it started washing out. This would make a lovely cold brewed tea or brewed at a much lower temp for a longer steep time to bring out more of the fruit flavors.
HIGHLY recommended if you like your teas with a bit of fruit flavor.
I skipped the wash with this, and so glad i did.
First infusion: The tea broth is light yellow.
It’s flavors comprise of stone fruit with fruity sweetness. It’s got a very slighty plum-y flavor, but it feels like another fruit. Perhaps a hint of the longon nectar tea of which this is related? This liquid is viscous, smooth, with an extremely mild dryness on the tongue. It has a surprisngly internal cooling effect.
Second infusion: The second steep is an amber orange. It looks & tastes viscous. The sweet plum favors have really come out. The sweetness starts off sugary and morphs into a plum sweetness. The plum flavors persist even after I finish this infusion and while i brew my third.
Third infusion: This is plum nectar sweet, as advertised. There’s an extremley slight dryness in the mouth, followed by another plum aftertaste.
Fourth infusion: Bugger. I can’t remember how long I set the timer for on this infusion (2 or 3 minutes?). It still has the same plum nectar, but a slightly washed out version. I think I set the timer to 2 minutes.
5th Infusion: 3 minutes — The flavors are becoming slightly muted, and there’s only probably a few more steeps with this tea, but I’m still enjoying it!~
Tea amount: 5 grams
Times: 60s, 90s, 120s, ??, 180
Water: 190-194 deg F / 150ml
Flavors: Plum, Sugar
