Recently I decided to really focus on Oolongs because as it turns out
they are my favorite (so far at least). I've been drinking "light"
Oolongs (Baozhongs mostly), and I'm not sure what to explore next.
Obviously it would make sense to try more medium and dark Oolongs, but
I'm not really sure which are or aren't. Many of the websites I buy
from don't break down their Oolongs to light, medium, or dark, and this
is why I'm asking here. What are some more prominent medium and dark
Oolongs that I should check out? And for that matter, what level of
oxidation and/or roasting determines if it is a light, medium, or dark
Oolong? I realize there aren't many set definitions with tea, and
that's part of the charm, but unfortunately my thought process demands
a little classification. Any help is much appreciated.

[Dustin]
Recently I decided to really focus on Oolongs because as it turns out
they are my favorite (so far at least). I've been drinking "light"
Oolongs (Baozhongs mostly), and I'm not sure what to explore next.
Obviously it would make sense to try more medium and dark Oolongs, but
I'm not really sure which are or aren't. Many of the websites I buy
from don't break down their Oolongs to light, medium, or dark, and this
is why I'm asking here. What are some more prominent medium and dark
Oolongs that I should check out? And for that matter, what level of
oxidation and/or roasting determines if it is a light, medium, or dark
Oolong? I realize there aren't many set definitions with tea, and
that's part of the charm, but unfortunately my thought process demands
a little classification. Any help is much appreciated.

[Michael]
Well, if you think of Bao Zhong as an Oolong at the bottom
of the oxidation spectrum, another lovely tea also from Taiwan,
but at the opposite end is Oriental Beauty/Formosa Oolong, these
being one and the same. The sweet floral honey of this tea can
be astounding. You're gonna love it. On the high roast side, we
go to Fujian/Fukien where a traditional heavy roast provides
a carmel sweetness and a strength quite different from those
other two. Pan fired or charcoal fired makes a huge difference.
"Medium" oxidation gives a peachiness, but *I* really think
that must be hard to attain since so many makers produce it, and
most fail. Nevertheless, a reputable vendor should have a good
example. Jade Oolong, I believe, is also a very lightly oxidized
Oolong, but not of the long twisty leaf type such as Bao Zhong.
It produces more flower perhaps than Bao Zhong, which, to me,
is characterized by the wonderous essence of cucumber flowers.
Whatever you do, don't buy your Oolongs at Ten Ren; otherwise,
the field is a good one. Strange to tell, there is more to say
about Oolongs.

Best,
Michael

"xDustinx" wrote in message
ups.com...
Recently I decided to really focus on Oolongs because as it turns out
they are my favorite (so far at least). I've been drinking "light"
Oolongs (Baozhongs mostly), and I'm not sure what to explore next.
Obviously it would make sense to try more medium and dark Oolongs, but
I'm not really sure which are or aren't. Many of the websites I buy
from don't break down their Oolongs to light, medium, or dark, and this
is why I'm asking here. What are some more prominent medium and dark
Oolongs that I should check out? And for that matter, what level of
oxidation and/or roasting determines if it is a light, medium, or dark
Oolong? I realize there aren't many set definitions with tea, and
that's part of the charm, but unfortunately my thought process demands
a little classification. Any help is much appreciated.


One type of Chinese oolong are the Tieguanyin (TGY) oolongs. These are made
in an almost infinite variety of styles, from lightly oxidised "jade" types
to more heavily oxidised and roasted varieties. I've just taken a few steps
down this road myself, but I seem to prefer the jade style - they have a
lovely floral, sometimes fruity character. The better ones IMHO are
delicate and complex; otherwise they become heavy and one-dimensional. This
is also my criticism of the roasted ones also - the roasting seems to cook
out the complexity, unless I just have not stumbled on a good one yet.

The other type I've just discovered is the Dancong oolongs. These beauties
have, to my palate at least, a lovely spiciness (think nutmeg). I have two
currently, one from Teaspring and the other from Jing Teashop. Both are
delightful.

Lastly, try Darjeeling oolongs. On balance, I drink more Darjeeling than
any other tea - the combination of fruit, floral and astringency is, for me,
just about perfect. Darjeeling is cranky, I'll admit; keep the temperature
below boiling and steep times under control. Once you've got the formula
though, good ones deliver like no other.

Regards,
Dean

DPM wrote:
One type of Chinese oolong are the Tieguanyin (TGY) oolongs. These are made
in an almost infinite variety of styles, from lightly oxidised "jade" types
to more heavily oxidised and roasted varieties. I've just taken a few steps
down this road myself, but I seem to prefer the jade style - they have a
lovely floral, sometimes fruity character. The better ones IMHO are
delicate and complex; otherwise they become heavy and one-dimensional. This
is also my criticism of the roasted ones also - the roasting seems to cook
out the complexity, unless I just have not stumbled on a good one yet.

The other type I've just discovered is the Dancong oolongs. These beauties
have, to my palate at least, a lovely spiciness (think nutmeg). I have two
currently, one from Teaspring and the other from Jing Teashop. Both are
delightful.

Lastly, try Darjeeling oolongs. On balance, I drink more Darjeeling than
any other tea - the combination of fruit, floral and astringency is, for me,
just about perfect. Darjeeling is cranky, I'll admit; keep the temperature
below boiling and steep times under control. Once you've got the formula
though, good ones deliver like no other.

All good advice in the realm of Oolongs from Michael and DPM,
definitely enough to get you started on some new roads. I'll just add
in my two cents, in that I would second the reccomendations of Oriental
Beauty and Tieguanyin - I prefer the "jade" style lighter TGY's too -
And I will add in a few wildcard picks: Osmanthus Oolong (better
quality here makes a difference) which is an oolong "flavored" with the
Osmanthus flower, Jasmine Oolong (bought it on a whim because it was
cheap and it is great, about $5/lb. at Kam Man in NYC), Silver Blossom,
and staples like Oolong Se Chung.

Oolongs are second to my heart behind greens, and it is an area of tea
where the more you spend equals the better the tea holds true
unfortunately

- Dominic

"xDustinx" wrote in message
ups.com...
Recently I decided to really focus on Oolongs because as it turns out
they are my favorite (so far at least). I've been drinking "light"
Oolongs (Baozhongs mostly), and I'm not sure what to explore next.
Obviously it would make sense to try more medium and dark Oolongs, but
I'm not really sure which are or aren't. Many of the websites I buy
from don't break down their Oolongs to light, medium, or dark, and this
is why I'm asking here. What are some more prominent medium and dark
Oolongs that I should check out? And for that matter, what level of
oxidation and/or roasting determines if it is a light, medium, or dark
Oolong? I realize there aren't many set definitions with tea, and
that's part of the charm, but unfortunately my thought process demands
a little classification. Any help is much appreciated.


Are you looking at a systematic approach to this focus on Oolong? If you
are serious about this, I would suggest you take the aristotlean approach.

First before you set out and test every oolong in the market, do some
homework. Know your oolong background first.

Oolong is a tea from the Southern regions of China, broadly divided into 4
regions:

* Anxi, Fujian - also known as Southern Fujian
* Northern Fujian - of which Wuyi is a big part
* Guangdong, which is left of Fujian
* Taiwan

You have to know what types of 'signature' teas they produce in each of
these 4 regions, then go ahead and drink the oolongs from each region, get a
feel of their similarities and differences. There is no need for you to get
the very best oolong at this point if money is a concern as you will be
drinking lots of tea; your aim is to understand the teas from each region.
When you are more experienced and discerning with the oolongs, then
selective and go for the better ones.

You have tried Baozhong, next go for as many types of oolong as you can find
from Taiwan...before you focus on the next region.

Have fun

Danny

A lot of great advice and information here. Thanks a lot fellas!

xDustinx wrote:
A lot of great advice and information here. Thanks a lot fellas!

i will add my 2 cents from a " lady"

i woul follow the previous approach by region- i also enjoy bao zhong
teas
some providers
www.imperialtea.com
www.shanshuiteas.com
www.thefragrantleaf.com
www.rishi-

"samarkand" wrote in message
...

"xDustinx" wrote in message
ups.com...



Are you looking at a systematic approach to this focus on Oolong? If you
are serious about this, I would suggest you take the aristotlean approach.

First before you set out and test every oolong in the market, do some
homework. Know your oolong background first.

Oolong is a tea from the Southern regions of China, broadly divided into 4
regions:

* Anxi, Fujian - also known as Southern Fujian
* Northern Fujian - of which Wuyi is a big part
* Guangdong, which is left of Fujian
* Taiwan

You have to know what types of 'signature' teas they produce in each of
these 4 regions, then go ahead and drink the oolongs from each region, get
a feel of their similarities and differences. There is no need for you to
get the very best oolong at this point if money is a concern as you will
be drinking lots of tea; your aim is to understand the teas from each
region. When you are more experienced and discerning with the oolongs,
then selective and go for the better ones.

You have tried Baozhong, next go for as many types of oolong as you can
find from Taiwan...before you focus on the next region.

Have fun

Danny



Thank you for this advice Danny...I've been wondering myself how to go about
oolongs in a more systematic way. So far I've only thought about how
oxidised the leaf was but there is much more to it than that and that is
where I was bogging down. Thanks!

Melinda

with oolongs there is so much range- that some have wanted to split it
into two groups one would be "ching/light oolongs" 10-30% fermentation,
and "oolongs" 40-60 fermention...
fermentation/oxidation affects the color from grean/yellow/orange/red
in the case of oolongs they are somewhere in the middle.
roasting/baking affects the lightness/darkness of the teas.


http://teaarts.blogspot.com/
-icetea

i wanted say something about the colors of oolongs or teas in general..
with oolongs there is so much range- that some have wanted to split it
into two groups one would be "ching/light oolongs" 10-30% fermentation,

and "oolongs" 40-60 fermention...
fermentation/oxidation affects the color from green/yellow/orange/red
in the case of oolongs they are somewhere in the middle.
roasting/baking affects the lightness/darkness of the teas.

http://teaarts.blogspot.com/
-icetea

I'm curious--has anyone ordered oolong from Holy Mountain Trading
Company (http://www.holymtn.com/)? They have a range of oolongs that
look intriguing.

Steven


icetea wrote:
i wanted say something about the colors of oolongs or teas in general..
with oolongs there is so much range- that some have wanted to split it
into two groups one would be "ching/light oolongs" 10-30% fermentation,

and "oolongs" 40-60 fermention...
fermentation/oxidation affects the color from green/yellow/orange/red
in the case of oolongs they are somewhere in the middle.
roasting/baking affects the lightness/darkness of the teas.

http://teaarts.blogspot.com/
-icetea

7/
20/06

I'm curious--has anyone ordered oolong from Holy Mountain Trading
Company (http://www.holymtn.com/)? They have a range of oolongs that
look intriguing.

Steven

Hi Steven,

Here is my experience with Holy Mountain: I once bought a gaiwan from them
that looked fine in their site picture. I plunked down around $25.00. The
cobalt blue design was badly smudged, not in a way that could be considered
artistic, but in a -- well -- smudgy sort of way. In answer to my question,
they told me that this is the nature of hand made stuff. A short time later,
I found the self-same gaiwan in Chinatown in Manhattan, NYC for around
$3.00, only it was somewhat less smudged. That was my last HM purchase. This
does not speak to the Oolong issue.

Shan Shui Teas in Washington, DC, and In Pursuit of Teas in Connecticut both
have Oolongs well worthwhile. Silkroadteas (note the final "s") in
California has a fine selection of Oolongs in a variety of styles, some of
which are stunning. For them though, you need to leave the internet.

Michael

Michael Plant wrote:
Shan Shui Teas in Washington, DC, and In Pursuit of Teas in Connecticut both
have Oolongs well worthwhile. Silkroadteas (note the final "s") in
California has a fine selection of Oolongs in a variety of styles, some of
which are stunning. For them though, you need to leave the internet.

Michael

What is this "leave the internet" you speak of? Blaspheme I tells
ya.The advice around here sure is going downhill these days, from
Pu-Erh capsules to "leaving the internet" all in one week! I'm going to
go look up 10 useless things on Wikipedia, some Pr0n, and download some
MP3's in repentance.

But seriously though, I hear you mention this Silkroad Teas quite often
as of late, do they have any web presence or even a mail order catalog
of any sort?

- Dominic
Drinking: Oriental Beauty Oolong

Dominic 7/21/06



Michael Plant wrote:
Shan Shui Teas in Washington, DC, and In Pursuit of Teas in Connecticut both
have Oolongs well worthwhile. Silkroadteas (note the final "s") in
California has a fine selection of Oolongs in a variety of styles, some of
which are stunning. For them though, you need to leave the internet.

Michael

What is this "leave the internet" you speak of? Blaspheme I tells
ya.The advice around here sure is going downhill these days, from
Pu-Erh capsules to "leaving the internet" all in one week! I'm going to
go look up 10 useless things on Wikipedia, some Pr0n, and download some
MP3's in repentance.

But seriously though, I hear you mention this Silkroad Teas quite often
as of late, do they have any web presence or even a mail order catalog
of any sort?

- Dominic
Drinking: Oriental Beauty Oolong


They have what some might call a catalogue, actually a list, on the
internet, as well as a printable order form that must go by snail mail.
They also have -- ready for this? -- a telephone number. Here we go:

WWW: http://www.silkroadteas.com/
Telephone: 415 458 8624 * (fax) 415 458 8625
Address: 2980 Kerner Blvd, Suite A, *San Rafael CA 94901
e-mail:

Yup, wonders never seice. (Huh?)

Michael