Old Oolong
I was talking to a friend awhile back about aged teas, and the fact that aging can be good for teas other than Pu-er (depending on a lot of variables, of course). I was having a hard time explaining how aged oolong is different, so in the end, I got out a sample I picked up somewhere (a gift from someone) and we gave it a try.
THE LEAF
Most Oolong is usually easily identified by it’s semi-spherical, tightly-wrapped kernels, as shown below left. As the tea ages, however, the leaves slowly open up, exposing more surface to air and further oxidizing the tea, as shown below right.
The leaf color also darkens, giving the tea a roasted look. In fact, aging and roasting produce a similar effect; the flavor becomes richer and mellower, developing an earthy, (almost Pu-er-esque) quality.
THE SOUP
No, that’s not a typo! ‘Soup’ is a Chinese word used to describe the tea liquid. This Oolong has developed a deep, brownish hue. It’s very nice for cool/rainy day drinking, or as a morning tea as well. As mentioned above, the flavor is very similar to medium roast oolongs, but is much smoother and more pleasant to drink.
THE BREW
We used a gaiwan (again), partly because I really prefer it for study purposes, and partly because I don’t have a dedicated pot for aged oolongs (yet). We don’t need very much leaf - about 1/5 or so, and we were able to get 8-9 very good rounds. I’m not sure if that’s just due to the quality of this tea, but it seems that aged teas in general are very patient (meaning they can steep more times) in relation to similar quality oolongs.
Here you can see how the leaves expand out. This photo is the 2nd or 3rd round. By the 4th round, the leaves have pretty much filled the gaiwan. After our session, we had a look at the leaves. They have a fresh appearance, but are darker than ‘fresh’ oolong. Some of the leaves haven’t yet fully opened, indicating that they probably still have a few more rounds of good flavor left in them.
