An Introduction to Oolong Craft
Tasting Kits
Oolong Tea
This bundle includes six 25g bags of oolong tea for 150g total (30 sessions).
Oolong is the most technically-demanding and time-consuming tea in the world to produce, and our partners take on the challenge relying on their own hands and their senses, not machinery, meaning sleepless nights and 20 hour days in the workshop to finish their tiny micro-batches of varietal-driven oolongs that honor their specific microclimates, from Wuyishan to Daping Village.
This sampler brings together iconic oolong teas from our partners across China to share a glimpse at the magic and complexity that comes out in the long turning and fluffing process that defines oolong teas and gives you a sense of how many styles can exist within this single category, from dark roasts and aged oolong to fresh floral vibrant green oolong.
An Introduction to Oolong Craft:
Rou Gui Wuyi Oolong (25g)
The Li Family is becoming famous in Wuyishan for their Rou Gui. The combination of a biodiverse plot, full of wildflowers and natural forest cover, the volcanic rocky soil, mature root stock plants, and multiple twelve hour hand-firing processes spread over several months make their Rou Gui a true standout. Classically, Rou Gui is known for its cinnamon spice, but in the Li Family’s capable hands, the cinnamon spice is bolstered by tingling cooling undertones and deep minerality. This Rou Gui is Li Xiangxi’s focus in all her taste training courses at her family’s Yangxian Academy, served to students and visiting dignitaries as a classic representation of what the varietal is capable of.
Yu Qilin Wuyi Oolong Tea (25g)
The Qilin is a mythical Chinese creature associated with wise benevolent rulers that has been compared to the unicorn, and the giraffe. This year’s harvest is remarkably spice-forward with incense aromatics and a tingling quality that builds up on the tongue over multiple infusions. The spice and complexity of the varietal and the tremendous microclimate within the Wuyi Ecological Preserve are heightened even more by Mr. Li’s generous hand-firing in the finishing process.
Original Wulong Revival (25g)
Master Zhang is a true innovator. He doesn’t make tea to follow trends. He experiments and takes risks to make tea better for the generations to come. This Original Wulong Revival uses the older Ben Shan varietal leaf and undergoes three times more careful hand turning and fluffing than modern Anxi oolong. For finishing, it is loosely rolled in the oldest style of oolong making that is half strip style and half ball, with many of the leaves more strip-style than rolled. Master Zhang describes the shape as a dragonfly. This hand processing and shaping yields a different tea- a genre of its own outside of Wuyi style, Guangdong style or Anxi style. The light roast is rewarding and brings out a unique savory sweet complexity we don’t see in other teas from Master Zhang.
Xing Ren Xiang Dancong (25g)
Xing Ren Xiang, or Almond Aroma is a uniquely savory nut-forward varietal that Huang Ruiguang and his family pick once a year from single bushes cultivated in Wudongshan. These bushes are not pruned back and picked sparingly to encourage deeper roots and more robust flavor year after year. The Huang Family’s meticulous hand processing yields a distinct roasted almond flavor, with notes of cooling pine.
Tie Luohan Wuyi Oolong (25g)
Tie Luohan (or Iron Arhat) is one of the four famous varietals that define Wuyi oolong teas, making it a very sought after commodity, with true Tie Luohan varietal in low supply. The Li Family cultivates a small amount of Tie Luohan on their mountainside plot facing the Longchuan Gorge. While some Tie Luohan can be overly roasted for a flavor that is almost smokey, the Li Family's careful finish allows the natural complexities of the varietal to shine through for a brew that engages the whole palate and satisfies with a compelling, lingering finish that goes on and on.
Jin Qian Wuyi Oolong (25g)
Jin Qian is a rare varietal that the Wu Family grows on one of their most prized mountain plots on a tiny terraced sliver of rock surrounded by untouched forest on all sides. This tea benefits from morning mist, mountain spring water and tremendous biodiversity, yielding a beautiful juicy pear flavor profile and deep mineral-laden complexity. The Li Family has to climb their mountain plot to hand-pick Jin Qian and rush the fresh leaves back to the workshop for a 30+ hour yaoqing and hand-firing process to bring out incredible depth and nuance. Jin Qian literally means "golden coin" a reference to the golden rounded leaves of the Jin Qian tea bush.
Autumn Tieguanyin (25g)
True Tieguanyin varietal stands out for its deep lingering aftertaste, big texture, and the ability to steep out over many infusions. Master Zhang has honed his Tieguanyin cultivation techniques and finishing process over forty years of experimentation, earning the respect of the entire Daping area as a teacher and community leader. He utilizes organic farming techniques, encourages biodiversity, and advocates against wasteful irrigation to encourage healthy and deeply complex and nuanced tea. This modern green style Tieguanyin requires an intense turning and fluffing process in finishing that needs to be adapted on the spot depending on the weather and the aroma, requiring deep experience.
Laoshan Green Oolong (25g)
Laoshan Green Oolong takes the beautiful mineral-forward green bean profile of Laoshan Green and gives it an astounding depth and complexity through meticulous labor intensive craftsmanship. Mr. He starts with sweet rich fresh leaves, then kneads and shakes the leaves to bring out rich florals and fruity undertones. Heat locks in the green quality of this tea before it can oxidize, yielding a fresh pure and honest expression of the unique flavor of the region.
The He Family's special combination of green tea and oolong finishing lock in fresh bright vegetal notes, while accentuating deep tingling minerality and building a luscious fruity floral oolong undertone.
Big Red Robe Wuyi Oolong (25g)
Li Xiangxi's family grows this tea within the Wuyishan Ecological Preserve, hand picking every leaf and delicately roasting this tea in bamboo baskets over charcoal embers to bring out the natural minerality of the region. Li Xiangxi's eldest brother oversees the family's oolong teas, and believes strongly in standing against the modern trend to over-roast and cover the natural flavor of the tea. This makes the family's Big Red Robe unique among its peers. While Big Red Robe is named after five original bushes that still stand today in Wuyishan, modern Big Red Robe is made from Qidan varietal, which is known for its tremendous balance, and deep warmth. It is truly the archetypal tea of the region, and the place to start your exploration of Wuyi Oolongs as a grounding point of reference. The LI Family’s Big Red Robe consistently wins gold medals at Wuyi tea competitions.
Mi Lan Xiang Dancong (25g)
Huang Ruiguang's family Mi Lan Dancong is picked only once a year from single trees that are not pruned back to encourage deeper roots & more robust flavor, year after year. His mountain plot and decades of work in improving agriculture techniques for the region have earned Huang Ruiguang's Milan awards such as the recent 2015 Gold Medal at the Sixth Guangdong Tea Expo. Mi Lan varietal is set apart with its distinctive golden green leaf color in early spring & its luscious deep aromatics.
Traditional Tieguanyin (25g)
Master Zhang excels at finishing his traditional Tieguanyin. He works to bring out the florals and strengthen them, allowing the green quality of the tea to shine through while providing a sweet and nuanced counterbalance through delicate roasting. This is the tea that Master Zhang grew up with and his greatest passion. The mist shaded mountain air and sweet spring water make this true Tieguanyin varietal tea even more nuanced.
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