Getting into Oolongs
Even though I’ve lived in Hong Kong for many years, I’m only just getting into some serious tea drinking. So I went out and bought some “kit” , gung fu, gaiwan, glass teapot and some cups (and joined this forum of course!). Having tried a few teas over the years, I decided that oolongs were my thang.
I now have a small cupboard full of different oolongs and I’m currently drinking a lovely buttery one from Taiwan. I can’t tell you what it is – I got it when I was last in Taiwan.
What are your suggestions for buttery oolongs please ?
Oh man. Oolongs! Good choice my friend. Good choice!
For buttery oolongs, I’d recommend green oolongs grown in high elevations like Ali Shan and Li Shan. Dong Ding is a good choice as well. And of course, milk oolongs which may be more creamy than buttery, but still good.
Being in hong kong, maybe you’ll get a good price but in the US, all the ones I listed can get pretty expensive. Except the the milk oolong, which is moderately expensive.
Oh! I’ve had some pretty buttery pouchong which is both a green and a oolong
Good luck finding the oolong of your dreams!
Love love love Oolongs! My favorite Oolong has to be Ti Kuan Yin. Smooth, buttery, creamy, just all around delicious. I would also recommend Mandarin Silk from The Persimmon Tree. Mmm, I’m craving a good Oolong right now. Good luck with your search!
Hey there – awesome you’ve got into the oolongs, it’s an adventure that will last a lifetime.
For buttery Tie Guan Yin oolongs from Anxi in China, (this might be too much information!) try to find “Zheng Wei” (正味) if you can. There are 3 main types (zheng wei, xiao qing, tuo suan), of which zheng wei is the most buttery in taste. It doesn’t have the tingly-refreshing or slightly ‘crisp’ edge that the other types have, and is very pure tasting.
That said, if you want something really complex and rewarding taste-wise, try an aged Tie Guan Yin, or something that falls halfway in between like some Dan Congs, Dong Fang Mei Ren (Oriental beauty) or something like that. I’m on a real binge of these right now!
If you ever want a tea and struggle to find it, drop me an email – I’m in Fuzhou, China, and have been known to locate certain teas from time-to-time :)
all the best
Chris
I would recommend Dan Cong, I think. I had a small epiphany with one recently, so I’m definitely going to explore that type further. :) Right now that’s my favourite.
Once upon a time I had the Heritage Aijiao from Red Blossom Tea (I think they’re called) and it was made of awesome! If you come across that type, I would recommend trying that as well.
Also, Rou Gui, which… Okay, I admit I’m not actually super-fond of that one because I’m slightly put off by the strong cinnamon-y note it has, but I would still recommend it even so. Even if I’m not keen on that cinnamon, there is no doubt that it makes it an interesting cup to drink. Mine really tastes like it has cinnamon flavouring added to it, but it hasn’t.
Dan Congs are great! I was absolutely amazed when I received my first package with them from JK. I have no idea why but our local tea shops do not sell any kind of Dan Cong, even the places that are somewhat good otherwise.
That’s the same with Lapsang Souchongs in Denmark. Tea shops that carry them are few and far between. Luckily my favourite is available, but before I moved to my current home I lived about a ten minute walk from a small tea shop and they stopped carrying ALL their smoky teas because I was more or less the only person buying them. They had an awesome blend with LS, a breakfast blend and a smattering of some kind of green tea, which they allowed me to buy their remaining stock of. First time I’ve ever bought 600g of the same tea in one go. :p
Thanks to everyone.
I’ll have a look see in Hong Kong and online for some of these – that should keep me busy for a while, that is until my next trip to the Mainland or Taiwan.
BTW, what’s the shelf life of oolongs, once opened ?
David
I’m really in love with a Tung Ting I tried a few months ago, but I just had a Wuyi rock oolong last night, and it was so different! I could definitely taste the roasted mineral qualities in it.
~I think most tea has a shelf life of about a year, if it’s stored properly.
All wonderful suggestions, the most buttery oolong I’ve ever had was Oriental Beauty, also known as Bai Hao, it’s winey as well. Tieguanyins also get buttery but the Bai Hao has a very different quality. I also love Tung Ting, Big Red Robe and Dan Congs, and while they are not so known to be buttery, I’ve found a few nice exceptions.
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