4 Oolong Recommendations for Summer

Oolongs That Put The “Oo” In July!

It’s no secret that I like tagging oolong teas in my articles, just for the chance to lay out fun facts like “oolong” or “wu long” actually translates to “grey dragon” — and if we’re going to talk dragons, then we all know that the best Oolong is found in none other in that childhood favorite: Dragon Ball.

But I want to talk about different dragons today!

No, not from Game of Thrones.

And no, not from Harry Potter.

I did an article about all those already, so you’re welcome to check it out while you’re waiting for your tea to steep.

I’m talking about real tea oolongs.

Have you ever tried Jade Oolong, Golden Flower, Ali Shan, or Milk Oolong teas?

These are incredible, beautiful beginner-level oolongs that I find perfect for teaching you how to really taste a tea. And yes— the unfurling leaves do look like dragons as they steep in the cup, yielding a dazzling display of fragrant fronds for your consumption.

With any oolong, bear in mind steep time. Different steepings will bring out different qualities in your cup, so be mindful how you want to leverage this depending on your sense of taste and preexisting preference while drinking.

If you gravitate towards sweeter cups, err on the side of lower-temperature water and softer (or shorter) steeping times. This is because the delicate sugar-type flavors in a tea are derived from highly sensitive plant compounds like anthocyanins, catechins, flavonoids, and polyphenols, that will burn or go rancid if the water is too hot.

You’re probably familiar with this from steeping white tea, which is really particular about how it wants to come out best for sweetness. Luckily oolongs are much more forgiving since they are already partially oxidized by the nature of their production and processing, which improves the density of the cell walls and makes their leaves more resilient to heat. That’s why 212 - 175 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 to 80 degrees Celsius, is an acceptable range for oolongs in general, though personally I would go on the lighter— lower temperature— side for the ones I’ll be discussing here. That’s because the greener the oolong, the closer it is in oxidation to a white or green tea, which definitely don’t need a heavy hand on the kettle. So make sure yours is variable temperature for this express purpose!

Alrighty, let’s tame some grey dragons!

1. Jade Oolong

Jade Oolong is the first on our list, and it’s fantastic to start your oolong journey with because it’s got so much to offer. As you can imagine from the name, it really tastes like a precious gem! The accents are smooth and vegetal, with tailorable sweetness if you keep in mind the steeping guidelines detailed previously.

I like to do green oolongs art 175 degrees Fahrenheit, or 80 degrees Celsius, and super tiny cups— think no more than five ounces, like in this gorgeous glass tasting set. The tiny portion allows the flavor to be more concentrated, and if you’re truly intent on the tasting experience, then you should wind up with no more than a few mouthfuls so that each one can really linger on your palate while your mind flutters with sensation associations and flavor-notes. (If you’re wondering why sensations need associations, or what pitch is a flavor note, then I think a more detailed article on tasting is necessary! Stay tuned for it, my dears.)

2. Golden Flower

Next up is Golden Flower. This is another lovely one to do with a thoughtful tasting because if you take your time with those aromas, textures, and flavor-particles, then you’ll soon become familiar with the way they grow with multiple steepings, which creates even further experiences to look forward to with a single serving of leaves.

Golden Flower is an interesting one because it’s certainly not a golden flower in appearance, which means that the challenge is for you to figure out its flowery qualities in the cup. Is it particularly aromatic? Petal-soft? Velvety on the sip? Let me know in the comments!

3. Ali Shan

Ali Shan is a classic of classics. It’s the quintessential green oolong, hailing from— as its name would indicate— the Ali Shan region of Taiwan.

When tasting oolongs that have big ol’ mountain towns in their name, the key is to visualize that origin as you’re sipping. Mountains tend to give teas mineral qualities, so you might notice a slight zing on your palate that you would otherwise encounter with other examples of natural mineral sources, like sparkling mineral water, or dried seaweed snacks. Does that mean that the tea contains actual minerals? Absolutely! However, likely not in the amounts that you’d get from a multivitamin, since each tea is going to be individual based on the mineral content of the very soil that gave birth to it.

4. Milk Oolong

Lastly, we have my personal favorite of the set: Milk Oolong.

See, there’s a reason I go on spiels about tasting practices, because once you’ve gotten your chops tasting through the user-friendly teas above, then you get to really appreciate the depth of the Milk Oolong. Its calling card is what many tea tasters call “buttery” — a distinct fullness and glowy mouthfeel that, as you can imagine, make you check the fridge for lingering leprechaun blocks of Kerrygold. When you add in the cute grassy-green notes and floral finish, you realize why Milk Oolong is also a great to to savor by itself, so you can get into all the wonderful aspects of it.

What are your favorite grey dragon leaves? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers!

Natasha Nesic

NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, Founder of Work Life Fitness