Oolong translated into English means black dragon which perfectly describes the shape of traditional twisted oolong leaves. Falling between a green and black tea, oolong is picked late in the season with mature leaves. These late season mature leaves are what gives oolong its mellow tannin-free flavor. And with these mature leaves, only a partial oxidation is needed to dry and flavor the tea. If you haven’t read our introduction post on Oolong Teas, we encourage you to read it so you can enjoy your Oolongs to the fullest.
Formosa Oolong from Taiwan is a Twisted Oolong. This heavily oxidized tea is incredibly sweet, fruity and lush with a delicate warm spicy undertone. A striking and thought-provoking tea, it is perfect for multiple infusions. Since this oolong is closer to a black tea than a green tea, brew it a bit warmer at 200°. We encourage you to take time to inhale the aroma of this tea. The scent of this tea reminds us of fall leaves with a hint of honey. (This tea was mislabeled as Formosa Bao on your tea package–we apologize for that. )
Blackberry Sage Oolong blends the not only oolong with sage and berries, but also raspberry leaf tea. The aroma of this tea brings us right back to that childhood moment when the leaf pile was ready to jump in. This oolong is smooth and the sage adds a herbaceous quality not usually found in oolongs. The berry flavors tend to stay in the background. Raspberry leaves can become bitter if brewed too hot, so we recommend brewing this blend at 190°.
Our Golden Flower Oolong is a green rolled oolong with sweet floral notes and is perfect for multiple infusions. We encourage you to follow the suggestions of this month’s tea practice with this special tea. Spend time with this tea. Brew it eastern style and Infuse it many times. The rolled leaves need lots of room while brewing, so use a large infuser or the bamboo infuser included in your box and brew it cooler than most oolongs. We recommend brewing at 180°.
There are so many delicious oolong teas, we couldn’t pick just three this month! So look for two additional samples in your box!
Tucked into your box this month is a bamboo tea strainer/infuser. Oolong tea needs lots of room while brewing as it unfurls more and more with multiple brews. You can add your leaves directly to your teapot and use this as a strainer when pouring your tea into your cup. Or you can infuse your tea right inside this bamboo infuser. Rinse with hot water after using and turn upside down to dry. The first few times using it, it may impart a slight grassy flavor to your tea, but that will fade after a few uses.
If this is your first box, you’ll find a Tea Journal and Infuser tucked inside your box. Take notes and keep track of the teas you enjoy in your Tea Journal and over time you will become not only a tea enjoyer, but also a tea connoisseur! If you’d like to share on social media a picture of the journal page with your favorite tea from this box, we’d love for you to hashtag that picture #SpiceTopiaTEA, so we can follow along on your tea journey!
Keep an eye out for your Tea Practice Card! We encourage you to find a regular time for to sit with a cup of tea and indulge more than just your sense of taste! How can you involve all your senses in your enjoyment of tea?
Also look for the Eastern and Western Brew Card. Oolong tea is the perfect tea to brew Eastern Style.
If you find foil green wrapped packages in your box, that’s our thank you for sharing your box on social media! These little packages are blooming teas and should be brewed like any green tea. Thank you for sharing –We love seeing your mug with our teas!
Looking for Special Teas Like Those Featured in this Tea of the Month Box?
Shop SpiceTopia’s Collection of Over 100 Loose Leaf Teas.
