This review, the final one in my series of ti kuan yin reviews, comes at an opportune time: Chicago Tea Garden, the suppliers of this final ti kuan yin, officially launched yesterday. Congratulations to Tony and his partner Erin ? all the best of luck to you both!

Now, the tea.

This is a competition-grade ti kuan yin from Anxi County in China. It’s lightly oxidized, presenting beautifully with lush green leaves tightly rolled and intermingled with darker shades.

It’s nose is quite sweet and floral, though it isn’t as heavily aromatic as the Serenity Teahouse ti kuan yin, which is the ti kuan yin I find it most comparable to. Like the Taiwanese oolong, it has a nutty flavour, though this is hardly as pronounced as in the former tea.

What amazes me is that, despite the sweetness of its dry aroma, the tea’s flavour is almost completely savoury, with barely a hint of the sweetness that my nose detected. It reminds me quite a bit of rhubarb; there is a tarty character to its flavour. This became much more prominent in the second infusion, both in the mouth and in the nose.

One things that struck me about this tea is just how energizing and refreshing I found it. None of the other three ti kuan yins really left me with that feeling (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). There is something implacable about this tea that makes me feel ready for the day.

Competition Grade Ti Kuan Yin is available from Chicago Tea Garden for $17.99 for 50 grams.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Competition Grade Ti Kuan Yin from Chicago Tea Garden | One comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Chicago Tea Garden, ti kuan yin

A line from Little Yellow Teapot’s review of Chicago Tea Garden’s Golden Bi Luo has stuck with me this week:

The sign of a great tea is when the leaves look great before and after steeping.

How true.

Unfortunately, it’s a sentiment that doesn’t favour Orange Tea Co.’s ti kuan yin, which comes out of a steeping looking rather worse for the wear. The dry leaves are attractive enough, with a nice consistency of darker green rolled leaves; but after steeping this once, I can see that many of the leaves are broken. There are a few full sized leaves, but there are also quite a few broken bits. Granted, I was at the bottom of a sample, so you are always going to end up with some smaller leaf particles; but there was too much of it here for my liking.

Appearance aside, this is still a pleasant tea. It reminds me a little of those plums that straddle the line between sweet and sour. I picked up a hint of pepper, both in the nose and the mouth, which struck me as interesting ? neither of the previous ti kuan yins I have reviewed had that. The tea wasn’t as fragrant as either the Serenity Teahouse ti kuan yin or the Tea Trekker ti kuan yin; but I suspect that both of those teas were much more fragrant than your average ti kuan yin.

Iron Goddess is available from Orange Tea Co.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Ti Kuan Yin from Orange Tea Co. | No comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Orange Tea Co, ti kuan yin

It is remarkable just how markedly different two teas of the same style can be. Yesterday’s ti kuan yin, a Taiwanese one, had a sharp nutty character and a wonderful dry aroma. Today, we’re drinking a ti kuan yin produced in Fujian Province, China, and there’s not a hint of nuttiness. But it still smells lovely, as its name suggests: Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin from Tea Trekker.

This is one of several ti kuan yins sold by Tea Trekker, one that they describe as being less oxidized and more fragrant than traditional ti kuan yins. Yet this is more oxidized than yesterday’s ti kuan yin. Clearly, there is quite a liberal range of possible oxidation levels for ti kuan yin teas.

Like other darker oolongs, this ti kuan yin has a nose dominated by the deep aroma of stonefruits. Think plum or peach. It reminds me a little of the jam in hot jam donuts: rich, fruity sweetness. A note of cabbage-like vegetables is fairly subdued; on the whole, this tea comes across as more fruity than vegetal.

The second infusion reveals a tangy, acidic flavour, especially as the tea cools. But already by the third, this is becoming less dominant as the tea seems to smooth out. So far, I have had four great infusions, and I’m guessing I’ll get at least another two or three.

Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin is available from Tea Trekker.

Like my artsy fartsy photo?

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin from Tea Trekker | One comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Tea Trekker, ti kuan yin

The first in my series of ti kuan yin teas is the only one from Taiwan.

Highly aromatic teas seem to be the hallmark of Taiwanese tea producers. This ti kuan yin might not be as aromatic as some of the other Taiwanese oolongs I’ve tried, but it still bears a lovely nose of sweet, almond-like nuttiness. One of the best things you can do with a tea like this is to warm the gaiwan or whatever teapot you’re using first, place the tea leaves in there, and then just suck in the aroma. You’ll be amazed at how much you can smell.

This is quite a green ti kuan yin, suggesting a shorter than normal oxidation process. It steeps into a light-coloured brew of green and gold, still bearing a remarkable sweet aroma, which now has fruitier notes (strawberries and sweet green grapes came to mind). The flavour profile isn’t nearly as sweet. Instead, it has a nutty sharpness (it’s quite drying on the tongue), with a hint of something vegetal, like a juicy steamed zucchini.

With the second and third infusions, I find that the sweetness of the aroma recedes, as the nutty character develops. I also notice a slight tartiness reminding me of rhubarb.

In the end, I find that this tea gives about five good infusions before it starts thinning out. I’ll be very interested to see how that compares with the other ti kuan yins I’m tasting this week. Stay posted for tomorrow’s edition!

Oh and by the way… Serenity Teahouse has a website here, but I’m not sure whether they ship beyond Australia. If you live around Melbourne though, I definitely recommend stopping in at their shop in Box Hill or on Russel Street in the CBD.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Ti Kuan Yin from Serenity Teahouse | No comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Serenity Teahouse, ti kuan yin

It’s going to be a week of ti kuan yin here on Tea Finely Brewed. Over the past few months I’ve accumulated a nice little collection of ti kuan yin teas from different merchants, so I thought it would be interesting to review them all in the same week.

At a glance, here’s what I’ll be reviewing:

• A Taiwanese ti kuan yin from Serenity Teahouse
• Tea Trekker’s clear and fragrant-style ti kuan yin from Fujian Province, China
• Orange Tea Co.’s ti kuan yin, pictured above
• Chicago Tea Room’s Competition Grade ti kuan yin

If you hate ti kuan yin, check back next week:)

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | A Week of Ti Kuan Yin | 5 comments |
Post categories: Oolong tea
Post tags: Chicago Tea Garden, Orange Tea Co, Serenity Teahouse, Tea Trekker, ti kuan yin

Ti Kuan Yin Oolong Tea. Photo by selva.

What is oolong tea, exactly?

Like green tea, oolong tea (or wulong tea) comes from Camellia Sinensis leaves. Unlike green tea, which isn’t oxidized at all, oolong tea is partially oxidized. It receives anywhere between 10% and 80% oxidation.

Because it can be oxidized so much or so little, oolong tea is a universe unto itself. You may find that one variety of oolong tea has an amber appearance very similar to black teas, while another is golden green, practically indistinguishable from green tea infusions. The range of flavours fluctuates just as widely, from deep, rich oolongs to sweet, floral brews.

Where is oolong tea grown?

Oolong tea production makes up only a small percentage of overall tea production: around 2% of teas grown end up as oolongs. The vast majority of these oolongs come from Taiwan (Formosa) and China. A few other tea growing regions, including India, produce oolongs on a small scale, but the world’s most reputable oolongs come from China and Taiwan.

What are some of the most famous types of oolong tea?

From Taiwan, Formosa Fancy Silvertips is an oolong with 50%-60% oxidation, bearing a striking aroma and deep flavour. Tung Ting Jade is another famous Formosan variety, characterized by a fruity flavour and light green colour. Imperial Formosan is a prized oolong with a rich amber colour.

China’s most famous variety of oolong is Wu Yi, named after the Wu Yi Mountains in northern Fujian. Royal Red Robe Wu Yi Mountain comes from there and is a highly oxidized oolong (80%) that looks very similar to black tea, except for its large size. Tieguanyin is another notable oolong from China, the best of which can be infused up to fifteen times.

What’s the best way to brew oolong tea?

Oolong tea should be brewed in slightly cooled water between 82°C and 93°C (180°F – 200°F). Unlike black teas, which are best with freshly boiled water, I prefer to allow the water to cool for about a minute, defusing its intensity and allowing the flavours of the oolong to emerge nicely. However, I’d suggest varying this based on how oxidized the oolong is: if it’s highly oxidized, don’t allow the water to cool for as long, whereas with oolongs with very little oxidation, allow the water longer to cool.

Oolong tea doesn’t need a long infusion time. 90 seconds to 2 minutes is perfect, especially if you’re planning to brew the same leaves multiple times.

What are the health benefits of drinking oolong tea?

Most of the studies into the health benefits of tea have been regarding green tea, but since oolong tea is produced from the same plant, it has many of the same properties. Oolong tea reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers cholesterol levels, stimulate metabolism, prevents dental decay, strengthens capillaries, eases arthritis pain, improves mental focus, inhibits Alzheimer’s disease, boosts the immune system, fights infection, improves skin health, increases bone density and improves your memory. Like green tea, oolong tea can also help in the fight against cancer.

Does oolong tea contain caffeine?

Like all teas produced from Camellia Sinensis, oolong tea contains caffeine. Since oolong tea is partly oxidized, placing it between green tea and black tea on the scale of oxidation, many people say it contains less caffeine than black tea and more than green tea. This is a generalization which doesn’t hold true all the time. Some oolongs contain less caffeine than some greens, and some blacks contain less caffeine than some oolongs. There is too much variation based on where the oolong is grown, how it is produced and how it is brewed to be able to say, definitively, how much caffeine any given cup of oolong tea contains.

More on this: How much caffeine does green tea contain?.

Where can I buy oolong tea online?

• Adagio Teas have a handful of oolong offerings, including a sampler set for those who want to get acquainted with a variety of oolongs.
• Mighty Leaf have a good range of oolongs.

Other posts in this series

• Green Tea
• White Tea
• Black Tea
• Pu-erh Tea

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 7 Common Questions About Oolong Tea | 4 comments |
Post categories: Oolong tea
Post tags: Beginner's Guide to Tea, caffeine content of tea, camellia sinensis, chinese teas, formosa fancy silvertips, formosan teas, Oolong tea, tea health, ti kuan yin, tung ting jade oolong, wild-grown tieguanyin, wu yi