Blue Tea

Don’t panic! The tea is not really blue!  But it is a type of oolong.  It is actually partly oxidized mix of green and black tea collectively grouped as qīngchá (Chinese: 青茶; literally “blue-green tea”).

But that’s only a part of the category that is oolong.  What is oolong? Why is it so special?  According to some the oolong is considered to be the most complicated tea produced.  One tea master, Lin Zhi, likened tea to painting.    He compared oolongs to oils paintings, green tea to Chinese ink paintings and black teas to water colors.

The word Oolong (or Wulong) comes from the Chinese word 烏龍 meaning ‘black dragon tea.’

There is a legend that during the Ming Dynasty, there was a ban on tea production for about 150 years.  The tea makers essentially had to find different techniques. There were some (likely Buddhist monks) who had invented charcoal roasting techniques in drying their teas.  This slow charcoal roasting along with the oxidization became the defining flavor of Oolong is today.

If you have to look at oolongs more literally, green tea is one extreme while black tea is the other.  Oolongs are the ‘middle ground’ of teas, so to speak.  Greens are not oxidized; black is completely oxidized while the oolongs are everything in between.  The complexity of the tea is due to the fact that oolong is not completely oxidized like black teas.  There’s not even an exact science as to how much the tea can be oxidized to be considered oolong.  The range is anywhere between 15%-75% oxidation.  Because of this fact, the flavor of oolongs is never officially consistent.  The flavors have been known to wood and thick with roasted aromas, green and fresh with a bouquet or sweet and fruity with honey aromas.

The combinations are mind boggling.  But I love the idea of a tea flavor being a form of roulette, you never know what kind of flavor you’ll get.

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Da Hong Pao's Big Red Robe

Da Hong Pao is a well known oolong tea from Wuyi Mountains of the Fujian province of China. There are four types of teas grown in this area and Da Hon Pao (Big Red Robe Tea) is by far the most popular.

According to legends , there was an emperor in the Ming Dynasty whose mother had grown gravely ill. The mother was given a cup of tea and within merely moments she began to recover. The emperor was so grateful that he had copious amounts of a rare red cloth to cover the trees during that winter to ensure their survival. The locals then began to call the tree Big Red Robe in honor of the cloth that was wrapped around these trees.

There are other legends that state that it was not the mother but the wife of the emperor who fell deathly ill. These legends tell the story that the empress grew up in the Wuyi Mountains and her illness was due to homesickness.

The emperor loved his wife dearly and employed any and every doctor of the land to try and save his wife. However, nothing could be done to save the dying empress.

Then there came a pious farmer who greatly loved the emperor and lived but a stone’s throw from where the empress originated. He prayed, hoping to glean and idea on how to save his beloved emperor’s wife. One night, he dreamed that a goddess came to him and told him the cure: a gnarled bush that grew on a high and steep cliff. The farmer bravely scaled the cliff and retrieved a couple of leaves.

The leaves were immediately sent to the emperor, who decided to take the risk and make the tea. As soon as the tea touched the lips of the empress, she was reminded of her home and quickly began to regain her health.

The emperor was so pleased and grateful that he gave the farmer imperial red robes to honor the farmer for his services of the emperor and his wife. In response, the farmer then called the tea ‘red robe tea’ and the tea was picked yearly for the empress to remind her of her home.

I think it’s such a beautiful story. I also believe that it speaks volumes on the healing power of tea. It may not bring people from the brink of death, but curing homesickness….sure thing. What do you think, dear readers?

Posted in Article, Chinese Tea, Legends, Loose Tea, Mythology, Myths, Oolong Tea, Stories, Tea | 1 Comment »

Today’s cup is a generic Oolong Tea from YamaMotoYama.

This oolong is pretty basic. It tastes pretty much like any average oolong you would get at any neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

The flavor is medium, not drab but nothing special either. The aroma reminds me of a pretty decent Ti Kuan Yin though, so there’s something redeemable.

Morning Cup #25

What’s in your cup?

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Today’s cup is a Da Hong Pao Oolong Tea from PeLi Teas.

This tea brewed up a bit strong. A nice hearty aroma with strong roasted notes and deep vegetal overtones.

The flavor is strong with similar roasted notes, but little of the vegetal qualities came through. This tea has a nice body with some astringency in the finish.

Morning Cup #24

What’s in your cup?

Posted in Bagged Tea, Chinese Tea, Morning Cup, Oolong Tea, PeLi Tea, Tea, Tea Bags, Wu Long Tea | No Comments »

So good, it’ll make you spit fire!!

Spitting Fire!

According to some legends, if you find good Ti Kuan Yin then you will gain the power to spit fire!

One day, a young man was sent by his mother to find some Ti Kuan Yin.  He had left his home just as the sun rose so when he arrived at the first tea shop he had to knock for several minutes before anyone answered.  The recently awoken tea shop owner gave our hero a cup of good Ti Kuan Yin.  However, our hero found himself unable to spit fire.  Instead, he was just hungry.

He returned home to find that his mother had come by and made him breakfast.  After eating and a little rest, our hero continued on his quest for Ti Kuan Yin.  He went to another tea shop.  However, after consuming several cups of Ti Kuan Yin, he was still unable to spit fire.  He found himself hungry again.

Disheartened, our hero returned home to tell his mother of his plight.  Her response was to make him lunch and to take him back to the first tea shop owner.  Once there, he had a cup of Ti Kuan Yin.  After one sip, our hero started to burp.

“Ah,” our hero said with a sigh of relief.  “I found my good Ti Kuan Yin.  Now I can spit fire.”

I found this story to be quite entertaining.  Not what I expected when I heard the words ‘spit’ and ‘fire,’ but still awesome nonetheless.  Still…I can’t help but want to consume a whole pot of Ti Kuan Yin.  Ya know? Discover my inner superhero.  Maybe by consuming enough Ti Kuan Yin, I’ll more than just spit fire….maybe I’ll be the real Human Torch!

The Human Torch

Figure 1 – *insert evil laugh*

What do you all think, dear readers?  What do you think of the interpretation of spitting fire?

Posted in Chinese Tea, Mythology, Oolong Tea, Stories, Tea, Wu Long Tea | No Comments »