Nan Tou's Luan Ze Oolong

Tea: Luan Ze Oolong
Season: Spring 2004
Place: Ming Jian, Nan Tou at 500 meters height. (Close to Dong Ding)
Price: medium
Tea set: White gaibei
Quantity: 150 ml
Water: Taiwanese mineral water (Yes)




A. View
Aspect of Dry leaves: With stems.
Color of Dry leaves: Dark green to brown
Color of tea: Dark yellow to orange.
Clarity: Good. Few residues.
Aspect of open leaves: Red on the outside. Mostly hand picked.

B. Flavors
Dry leaves: hey, but not too dry.
Cover: Deep smell of fruit
Tea: Ripe fruits
Warm leaves: some acidity. After a few brews wood charcoal smell.
Dry glass: Heavy smell, like a ripe peach.

C. Taste:
Sweetness: yes, but not too much.
Lingering sweetness: Medium
Bitter/acid: Towards the end, some astringency on the teeth.
Feeling in the throat: Dry, with peach feeling.
Lingering dry feeling: medium to strong.

Other remarks: The hong pei (baking) reaches 70%. Made by an older producer this tea is baked over wood charcoal, not in an electric oven like most do nowadays. This tea is very good to feel and study the 'magic of hong pei'.
Luan Ze oolong will taste even better in an yixing teapot, where the yun (the dry feeling in the throat will be rounder and very pleasant.)

For me, this is a very good oolong in its category. Bought in a shop, this tea would be called "Dong Ding' oolong. I drink it during the week and at any time. Since it's quite fermented and baked, it won't give a stomach ache (like some green oolongs).