1 day 1 tea: Day 8

Wuling farm, close to Lishan and BiLuXi

The high mountain Oolong from Bi Lu Xi, harvested on May 21st, 2017. (It's sold out long time ago. You won't find it in my High Mountain Oolong selection).

I had kept this pack vacuum-sealed until today. I decided to double check if what I wrote on Day 2 was correct: "This is a big advantage of top high mountain Oolong compared to green tea: the freshness is much better preserved, thanks to both the light oxidation and the rolled shape of the leaves that enable a tight vacuum seal."

It applied to a 2 years old Oolong tea. Does it also apply to a 6 years old?

YES! This spring 2017 high mountain Oolong barely lost any freshness and the aromas, while finer, have little matured (post-oxidized). So, this type of high mountain Oolong can indeed be kept really for a long time.

However, a couple years ago, I noticed how the seal had come off another pack of the BiLuXi Oolong. Air had entered the pack for a while already and I then proceeded to taste it. The aromas were very much changed and the fine fresh aromas had been replaced by heavier and more astringent aromas. From these 2 different results, I conclude that the vacuum seal is most important if you prioritize freshness in your Oolong. So, once you open a package (if you don't have a machine to vacuum seal the pack again), it's best to drink it at your pace. However, close your pack well after each session and minimize the air inside.

The other conclusion we can draw is that if your goal is to change, improve your rolled Oolong leaves, then a vacuum seal will grind the process almost to a halt. A porcelain jar would do a better job bringing the leaves in contact with some air and age the tea.