Taiwan Alishan High Mountain - Hong Oolong

The dark, tightly rolled leaves yield clear red amber colour infusion with an aroma of ripe fruits, wild honey and many familiar floral notes.  It has a full bodied, deep, rich and fruity flavour with hints of blackcurrant and juniper berries and a complex sweetness of raw chocolate and molasses; this tea feels smooth and silky on the palate with a long lasting aftertaste. Its unquestionably one to try.

Hong Oolong is a new style of tea created by a group of tea farmers in 2008 to overcome some of the challenges that lightly oxidised oolong producers face – such as short storage time and strong dependency on weather. Hong Oolong tea use tea leaves that are traditionally for making Oolong teas and processed in similar manner to oolong but being fully oxidised just like a red tea.  It is a mixture of non-traditional red tea leaves, fully oxidised and rolled with oolong production methods, giving this tea the floral complexity of a traditional Oolong together with the ripe fruit sweetness of a red tea.

Hong Oolong is a very easy to brew and easy to start if you are very new to premium loose teas. The warming quality makes it particularly suitable for cold and wet days. Gong Fu Cha style brewing is highly recommended to get the most of its layered nature.  It can also be used for cold brewing to produce a sweet and fruity chilled tea with less tannins and caffeine.

ORIGIN

Alishan (between 1200m and 1300m slope), Taiwan

PRODUCER

Zhuang Yu Duan 

HARVEST TIME

Spring harvested in April 2024.  

A highly oxidised oolong can be aged for a long time.  After 2 years of storing, the tea's roasting smell at the time of production has already disappeared and reach its very balance character.  If store longer (about 8 years), it will slowly develop its candy like sweetness with a depth and rich texture and a well rounded and mellow and calming tea to drink. 

PROCESS 

Hand plucked top bud with three or four leaves, then withered under the sun and warm winds, fully oxidised in a low temperature to maintain the original flavour of tea, and then the young stem with one bud and 3/4 leaves are rolled tightly together into a single ball. 

BREW IN A POT OR MUG

Using soft water at 100°C, 1g leaves per 100ml of water, brewed for 3-4 minutes

BREW IN GONG FU CHA 

Using Gaiwan or Yixing Teapot  

Soft water | 100°C | Leaf to water ratio: 5g per 100ml

 Heat up all tea wares with boiling water before the first brew

 1st infusion - brewed for 30 sec | 2nd to 3rd infusion - brewed for 5-10 sec | 4th - 5th infusion - brewed for 30-40 sec | 6th and onwards infusion - brew for 60 sec or longer to your taste.