Sonofabrat said

What is a jade oolong?

I’ve had several jade oolongs before but I’m not positive what makes a jade oolong a jade oolong. I’ve heard from some sources that it is when it is picked, and others that it is where it is picked. Does anyone have a definitive answer to this?

3 Replies

Sonofabrat, It’s because of its location, it’s referred to as «Jade» because it is grown at very high altitude. They also call it High Mountain oolong. It is similar to a Tie Guan Yin, but has a stronger flavour usually, even more floral. But whatever the reason, it’s a phenomenal tea :-)

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sansnipple said

I don’t think it has anything to do with elevation specifically, you can get them from any elevation, though higher ones will be better and pricier. Jade oolong usually means 1 of 2 things,

1: Any green style (lightly oxidized, unroasted) rolled oolong, just a general synonym for the green/light (Jade color) category of oolongs.

2: A specific Taiwanese tea plant cultivar named Cui Yu (literally “Green Jade”) aka TRES No. 13, which is one of the common cultivars used for making green style oolongs in Taiwan.

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GuyOne said

There is a specific cultivar in Taiwan that is called Jade. Lee at Hou De has some nice Acrobat files about tea. Check out the first one on this page: http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=index

I got some of Taiwan Tea Crafts Jade Oolong last winter and it was excellent. Still have a bit left and am looking forward to this winter’s crop.

EDIT: Just noticed that sansnipple already mentioned the Tres 13 Jade variety.

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