sardonick

As a break from Artificial Intelligence ponderings, I was recently mailed a sampler of darjeeling oolong teas so that I could participate in an “on-line tasting”. Thanks to T-Ching, and Phyll Sheng for arranging the tasting. And, finally, a huge thanks to Lochan Tea for providing the leaves, and for pioneering this new form of tea production.

First, an explanatory note: Oolong teas are “partially fermented”, in that they’re halfway between unfermented green tea and completely fermented black tea. Typically, Oolongs are produced in Taiwan and Southern China. Darjeeling, India, by contrast, has traditionally produced black teas. A while ago, the enterprising and globalizing Lochan growers decided to try preparing their darjeeling leaves using traditional Chinese methods to produce Oolongs.

The three samples I tasted were quite exciting. Definitely a fusion of tastes, different from both typical Darjeeling and typical Oolong, but maintaining enough qualities of each that you can tell that it’s a mix of the two.

I brewed all three of these by Lochan’s provided recommendations (1 cup water with 1 teaspoon dry leaves, brewed for 3-4 minutes, 3 brewings) rather than typical Chinese style (higher leaf:water ratio, shorter brewing time, more brewings). Once I have a bit more time I’d like to go back and try brewing again, but using the Gong Fu method. Just curious.

All three were brewed using Glacier Springs water (good water is a requisite when tasting tea, and I like the flavors that a high mineral content water brings out). The teas were rated on a scale of 1(worst) to 5 (best), with a focus on flavor/smell/huigan rather than leaf appearance.

Here are my tasting notes:

nutty oolong

• glacier springs water, 100 degrees, 240ml, 1 teaspoon nutty oolong
• first brew (4 minutes)
  • leaves broken
  • smell very sweet (over-ripe fruit) with a little grassiness.
  • definitely tell it’s darjeeling, though not as astringent smelling.
  • definitely not “oolong” tasting (or, not like the formosan oolongs I drink). I wouldn’t call it oolong. it’s like darjeeling with that same fruity/flowery overtone
  • it’s quite smooth, but much too light for my liking (love the full body of darjeeling). will try increasing steeping time, see if i get more body with teh same smoothness.
  • astringent huigan with a flavor that lingers for half a minute, but not more
  • dirty gold color
  • score 3
• second brew (5 minutes)
  • maintains color, but despite longer brewing, even less flavor than before.
  • astringency more pronounced
  • honestly, not really enjoyable.
  • score 1
• third brew (4 minutes, 120ml)
  • more vibrant flavor—a little more of the fruitiness has returned (should have only used 2/3 cup water all along perhaps), but you can still tell that the leaves are “used”. astringent.
  • score 2

moonlight oolong

• glacier springs water, 100 degrees, 240ml, 1.5 teaspoon nutty oolong
• (after the prior tasting, decided to increase the amount of leaves per water)
• first brew
  • (4 minutes)
  • very light aroma, not as overtly fruity/fragrant as the nutty oolong. more subdued, more of a “classic oolong” smell.
  • lighter amber color with a touch of green.
  • unfortunately, misses on both the full-body of the darjeeling and the complexity of oolongs.
  • aftertaste is pleasant, pure darjeeling with a little longer huigan than darjeeling. nice. fades quickly.
  • like last, very dry mouthfeel.
  • score 2
• second brew
  • (4 minutes)
  • the leaves have “woken up” now. sweeter, richer, fuller taste. Darjeeling, with a little bit of fruity/nuttiness above it. Still very straightforward, though (not as complex as I’d hope a good oolong to be). Pleasant astringency like a good oolong. The aftertaste is still short and has lots of “darjeeling” flavor.
  • score 3.75
• third brew
  • score 2
  • wish I knew what the difference was the second time, the leaves are back to the banality of the first brew.
  • little bit of sweetness in the taste at the onset, but fades to very astringent, lightly colored water. You can tell the leaves are used up.
  • not too much aftertaste/huigan.
• first and third brewings are disappointing, but the second one was so good, I’d like to try this again using “gong fu” style and see what happens.

snow oolong

• glacier springs water, 100 degrees, 240ml, 1.5 teaspoon nutty oolong
• flowery/nutty smell rather than fruity
• first brew (3 minutes 20 seconds)
  • this is by far the best of the 3. glad I saved it for last.
  • starts with a rich flowery/nutty taste and finishes with classic darjeeling taste. complex and sweet.
  • slight huigan, which is the only thing really lacking in this tea. will try brewing it for 4 minutes the next time to attempt to elicit more.
  • dries the mouth, but pleasantly.
  • score 4.5 . Really enjoyed this one.
• second brew (4 minutes)
  • the 4 minutes did its work, the tea is dark.
  • floral taste still very strong at the onset, but the nuttiness and oolong tastes are faded quite a bit. mediocre finish.
  • likewise still a mediocre huigan (a bit richer than before, with the lingering sweetness from the beginning plus a bit of darjeeling flavor, but ddefinitely not as much aftertaste as I’d hope from a formosan oolong brewed for this long)
  • score 3 (still decent)
• third brew (3.5 minutes)
  • moderate floral taste, tea is obviously faded (perhaps the longer brewings took a toll on the leaves?). still smooth, not bitter. but very toned down compared to the first brewing. The aftertaste is a little better this time, a little more pleasantly permanent compared to the prior two brewings.
  • tea is ok. better than “restaurant tea” but definitely faded quickly compared to the latter brewings of formosan oolongs. that seems to be a trend with these darjeeling oolongs.
  • score 2.5