Category Archives: Types of Tea

Tea fields growing up a mountainside.

Alishan High Mountain Oolongs

View from Dabang Village Alishan Taiwan

Sunrise in Dabang Village, Alishan National Forest

Alishan Oolongs put Taiwan’s tea industry on the map in the 1960’s & 70’s as the country struggled to compete with China for tea consumers. These famous oolongs are produced in the south central region of Taiwan by the many aboriginal tribes of Taiwan living in the large conservation district of Taiwan called Alishan National Forest.

What sets these oolongs apart is their complex, clean flavors. This is credited to both the perfect growing conditions in the region as well as the laborious process of hand picking, properly balling the oolong, and a combination of roasting and aging after processing.

Growing Conditions
One of the largest spiders on the planet found in large parts of Asia

Giant Golden Orb Web Weaver or Giant Wood Spider

Up at 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level, the tea plants get plenty of morning fog that generally burns off by the afternoon. These warm misty conditions are what tea plants want. Given the ocean air, clouds can roll in and out all day long and small afternoon rain showers are normal during certain times of the year. Taiwan is bisected by the Tropic of Cancer, so it is close enough to the Equator to stay warm year round, but the high elevations do allow the plants to go dormant period during winter.

Beyond the weather, having tea grown without insecticide or fertilizer adds to the complexity of the flavor as the plants have to fight off bugs and pull nutrients naturally from the soil. The soil is amended with grasses and other plants to return nutrients to the soil each dormant period. The best Alishan oolongs are produced without insecticide leaving nature to do its job. In those fields that means a home to the giant golden orb weaver, one of the largest spiders in the world. Not poisonous, they are still an interesting obstacle to getting to the tea leaves for those who are not fans of arachnids. These spiders appear in abundance! However these amazing creatures ensure that the insects don’t get to eat all the leaves. So for the serious tea drinker, they are a welcome site on a tea field.

Processing

Getting plucking correct is actually one of the trickiest parts in Taiwan. With very few people willing to pluck, the experienced plucking teams are in high demand. So trying to time plucking is hard for the smaller growers. Ideally, the tea is plucked late in the day and into the evening after the fog has left and the leaves have dried off. Once plucked, the leaves need to whither at least 24 hours while the tea master determines what type of oolong to make. This is often done based off of how many leaves were plucked (bud and 2 to 4 leaves) and the length of the leaves. Generally, smaller leaves and bud are going to go a lighter oxidized oolong.

Tea fields growing up a mountainside.

One of many tea fields found throughout the high mountains of Alishan Taiwan.

The leaves will be agitated for the next 24 hours in tumblers and rolling machines as the tea master samples to find the right flavor. It is then roasted/dried to stop the oxidation at the desired flavor. The tea is then put into air tight storage. While it can be drunk, the tea master prefers that it sit and a final finishing roast be applied a few months later. It is said that this resting time is the key to getting the complex flavors in the tea. The applied roasting can add its own complexities with woody and smokey notes.

Drinking

There are many types of Alishan Oolongs to choose from, from a lightly oxidized and roasted Alishan High Mountain to a more heavily oxidized Alishan Red Oolong. For those who are fans of Lapsang Souchong, there is even a Dark Roasted Alishan that has a smokiness and sweetness to rival this well known tea.

Alishan Oolongs should be steeped at cooler temperatures, between 185-200° F for 3-5 minutes (western style steeping). Multiple steepings are a must for this tea as the flavor will change over the steepings.

The balled nature of this tea lends itself to the use of a gaiwan or yixing tea pot. As the tea unfolds, small particulate falls out adding to the creamy mouthfeel. Go grab your gaiwan or yixing and fill it 1/3 to 1/2 full and do your first steeping at 45 seconds and work up in 15-30 second increments. Smell those leaves as you go, the aroma is mind blowing.

A product of Phoenix mountain in Guangdong Province, China

Fenghuang Dancong – Phoenix Oolong

A product of Phoenix mountain in Guangdong Province, China

Fenghuang Dancong — Phoenix Oolong

Fenghuang Dancong is one of many oolong teas that comes from Southeastern China. This oolong grows in a highly mountainous region north of Hong Kong and west of Chaozhou in the Guangdong province. The word Fenghuang literally means phoenix, which refers to the name of the mountain where the Dancong is grown, while the word Dancong means single bush.

Fenghuang Dancong History

Oolongs have been produced since about the Ming/Qing Dynasty, somewhere around the late 1600’s to 1700’s. Often called Qing Cha, referring to a blue-green color, oolongs cover a wide range of oxidation between green and black (15-85%) and can be found twisted, rolled, balled and any number of combinations of forms and oxidation levels. Typically have much greater complexity in the overall production process than other teas. Dancong oolongs specifically are twisted in shape and grown in the Wudong Mountains at high elevation.

There is no particular story behind these oolongs, like with many other older Chinese teas. Instead, the important item to note is that the flavors of a true Dancong oolong are complex and offer a wide variety flavors ranging from orange blossom to grapefruit. Dancong are produced from 10 distinct cultivars of the tea plant, without mixing the cultivars together. Instead, multiple days of harvest are mixed together to produce a batch. Dancong bushes are also allowed to grow wild, so plucking them requires a ladder and the flavor is very much influenced by the combination of cultivar, terroir, and other flowering plants and trees nearby.

Fenghuang Dancong Preparation for Drinking

This oolong is lighter in oxidation, so it can be brewed between 170°-190°F for 4 minutes. You need 3 grams for 8oz of water. Steep at least 3 times before discarding the leaves.

If you are willing and have the time, this is a perfect oolong for a gaiwan. Start your stepping times in the gaiwan at 30 seconds and gradually increase by increments of 15 seconds on subsequent steeps. We found that roughly 1.33 grams of tea per oz of water in the gaiwan produces both the expected flavor and mouth feel. Gaiwans vary greatly in size, so use a measuring cup and figure out how much water your gaiwan can hold before measuring in the tea.

This oolong is worthy of your time to explore and appreciate.

Liu An Melon Seed Tea

Liu An Gua Pan – Melon Seed Tea

Liu An Melon Seed Tea

Liu An Gua Pian

Liu An Gua Pan is a unique Chinese green tea that has been around for centuries. It is considered to be one of the top green teas within China. So let’s explore a little of its history and how to best prepare this tea.

Liu An Gua Pan History

Liu An Gua Pan, also called Liu’an Melon Seed Tea dates back to the Tang Dynasty (733-804 C.E.), making it about 1,200 years old. Its historical location of production is in region around Lu’an City in western part of the Anhui province of China. The region is roughly halfway between Guangzhou and Beijing and is due west of Shanghai.

Produced only in the spring, this tea has a very unique plucking style. Unlike many other teas where the pluck style is a bud and some number of additional leaves, the pluck style for Liu’an Melon Seed Tea is only  the second leaf on the tea shoot. During production, the growers will actually trim off the bud and first leaf and then pluck the second leaf to make this tea. Also unique is that during manufacturing the central stem of the leaf is either removed completely or trimmed down to match the thickness of the rest of the leaf. The tea is then pan fried to stop oxidation.

Liu An Gua Pan Name & Brewing Techniques

Liu An Gua Pan is also called ‘Melon Seed’ tea. This name references the flat, oval shape of the leaf which is said to look like a melon seed. Admittedly, that shape is more evident before the manufacturing of the tea than after. However, you can sometimes still recognize the seed shape in the final product.

Like other green teas, this tea is enjoyed in a gaiwan in China. They may also brew it in a small clear glass to enjoy looking at the tea leaves will drinking. It can also be easily enjoyed in a teapot or brewed in an infuser in a cup. Melon Seed tea is brewed at lower temperatures (185°F) with shorter steep times (start at 1.5 minutes and work up to 3 minutes).

We encourage you to explore Liu An Gua Pian and enjoy its unique flavor.

3 Fun Ways to Enjoy Blooming Teas

Flowering Tea in Glass Pot

Lychee Flavored Osmanthus Blooming Tea

Blooming teas are hand tied balls of tea and flower petals that open up into flower designs when steeped in hot water. These fun teas are not just about the tea, but about appreciating the floral creations. Here are 3 suggestions on how to enjoy these pieces of art.

  • Share the blooming tea with friends. Designed for large glass tea pots that serve at least 2 to 6 people, these pieces of artwork are perfect for entertaining guests. The blooming teas use green tea as leaves, so they brew lighter in both color and flavor. This makes them an easy accompaniment to just about any treat you may wish to serve with the tea.
  • Enjoy these teas out in nature. The Chinese believe tea is best enjoyed outside in a natural setting. This allows the drinker of the tea time to relax and enjoy the benefits of being outside. The mind is given time to calm and clear with exposure to trees, birds, sunshine and water. A picnic in China is incomplete without tea. So join the Chinese in enjoying tea outdoors and bring along a blooming tea to your next picnic. Better yet, enjoy your tea in your own backyard during a beautiful spring day.
  • Enjoy blooming teas as center pieces. The Chinese will often preserve the bloom after drinking the tea by placing it in a vase large enough for the bloom to be completely open. They fill the vase with cold water and 2 Tbsp of white vinegar and then submerge the open bloom. The bloom will continue to impart color to the water, so you may need to change it every couple of days. However, the bloom itself typically will last for a couple of weeks a beautiful centerpiece.

This is a fun type of tea to explore and share with friends. Let us know how you enjoy blooming teas.

New Teas for New Habits

Green Tea in a Glass Gaiwan

With the new year right around the corner, we thought we would share some teas to help you form new habits. Whether it is expanding your horizons by trying new things, reducing your caffeine intake or adding a cup of green tea to your daily routine, here are some of our picks to help you get off on the right foot.

Reducing Caffeine

Generally tea has half the caffeine of coffee and one third the caffeine of soda. So replacing those beverages with tea is an easy answer for reducing caffeine. Not only that but the caffeine in tea is less jolting too! If you are looking to replace coffee, check out this post on 3 teas for coffee drinkers. However, if you are like us and tea is your go-to constantly, then we have to talk tisanes (French term meaning tea like drink without tea). One of our favorite tisanes is Honeybush. This cousin of Rooibos is slightly sweet and woody. It is naturally caffeine free and a great substitute in the evening just before bed.

Adding Green Tea

It is almost daily that we are asked about the health benefits of green tea. They are numerous, but to get them you must drink at least one cup daily. For some, this may be somewhat daunting, especially if milk and sugar are part of your tea routine. Green tea should not be drunk with milk or sugar. There are a few green teas that make it easier to transition to this tea type. Hundred Year Tea is one of these since it is blended with other ingredients that give it a slight spiciness and help to tone down the grassy flavor of tea. The other is Liu An Gua Pian, also known as Melon Seed Tea. This green tea from Anhui, China is subtly sweet and much less grassy in flavor than most green teas, making it a good introduction to this type of tea.

Trying New Things

Expanding one’s horizons is often a fun resolution and gives you a reason to expand your tea drinking habits. This leads us tea drinkers into the world of Puerh Tea. Admittedly the flavor profiles on these fermented teas range from peat moss to collard greens, which may not be appealing to all. However, this category of tea surprises many and opens up a wide range of highly crafted and cared for teas, whose history is thousands of years old. A good place to start is sampling a few of the teas in a flight of tea at our shop or picking up a sample size of Golden Fortune Puerh or Puerh Leaf Satemwa.

There are many teas out there that can be incorporated into your new habits for the new year. So join us in exploring them all!