Verdant Tea

An Introduction to Oolong Craft

An Introduction to Oolong Craft

Regular Price $54.00 $48.60
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This bundle includes five 25g bags of oolong tea for 125g total (25 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: 

Sparrow's Tongue Wuyi Oolong (25g)

Sparrow's Tongue, or Que She is named after the shorter, smaller leaves of this distinctive and uncommon Wuyi tea varietal. Sipping Que She is a strong example of "Yun": each infusion brings out more and more of an almost electrical tingling sensation on the tongue and back of the throat. This sensation is inherent to the highest quality leaf from older established tea stock growing in the right rocky conditions in Wuyishan, but it is brought out by slow low-temperature firing in bamboo baskets for fifteen hours at a time, resting several weeks and repeating four to six times. This year's Sparrow's Tongue Oolong has notes of dried mango, rose, chestnut and nutmeg. 

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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.

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2022 Da Wu Ye Dancong (25g)

Da Wu Ye is a truly unique varietal in its intense savory and spicy notes. While most Dancong is all about perfumed floral aromatics, this tea is about texture and flavor. Da Wu Ye varietal takes its name from the unusually large deep green leaves. This harvest comes from mid-elevation Wudongshan stock, picked once a year and processed over 24 hours to bring out the deep savory undertones.

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Gua Zi Jin Wuyi Oolong (25g)

This beautiful oolong smells like roasted pumpkin and semolina right out of the bag. Deep smoldering spice compliments the sweet pumpkin, along with notes of deep pomegranate. Through multiple infusions, the tea remains tightly composed, bright and sunny. As the aftertaste builds up, you can taste the beautiful stoney minerality of Wuyishan and the Li Family’s rocky soil.

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2010 Aged Tieguanyin Mini Cakes (5x7g)

This 7g pressing from the Liu Family in Longjuan captures the depth, complexity and nuance of their early experiment aged Tieguanyin pressings in a convenient size for single session brewing. To age Tieguanyin, the Liu Family needs to reroast yearly for up to five years to control for moisture and ensure slow even change. Beyond the traditional notes of "lao tie," this pressed and aged oolong has a medicinal and cooling quality and bright foresty texture all its own.

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Original Tieguanyin Revival (25g)

This unusual tea is based on Master Zhang's ongoing research into early Anxi oolong teas with a half-rolled / half strip-style shape, and a very meticulous turning and fluffing process that goes further than most modern tea would. In this experimental offering, he applies this research to the Tieguanyin varietal and provides enough roast for a deep, rich aroma. The result is a very well-balanced tea full of toasted sweetness, delicious complexity, and a juicy, lingering aftertaste.

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Anxi Rou Gui (25g)

Rou Gui is better known as a roasted oolong from Wuyi, famous in Wuyi for its intense and aromatic cinnamon flavor. Master Zhang's Rou Gui varietal bushes grow among Tieguanyin fields and wildflowers, and benefit from sweet mountain spring water. Master Zhang's dark roast on this unique rolled Anxi Rou Gui brings out not just rich cinnamon spice, but also dessert-like complexity and aftertaste.

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