Green teas are not oxidized, black teas are heavily oxidized, and oolong teas fall somewhere in between. Bao Zhong is very lightly oxidized and falls much closer to a green than a black. This tea is grown in Nantou, Taiwan by a small tea grower who is focused on quality.
Bao Zhong
Bao Zhong is a lightly oxidized oolong with a potent aroma reminiscent of lilac and lily. This tea is so floral that it might be mistaken for a scented tea. Hidden amongst the bright flowery characteristics are notes of honey, pear, and melon. The finish, while floral, yields to a fresh green tea flavor.
Use fresh tap water, preferably filtered to remove chlorine. Bottled waters labeled "spring water" work best. Distilled, mineral, or water labeled as "drinking water" should be avoided as they tend to have too much or too little mineral content to produce an ideal cup. In general, softer water requires a shorter steeping time and harder water requires a longer steeping time.
Oolong teas steep best using a small (12oz or less) teapot. 2-6 oz pots earthenware pots are common throughout Asia and work quite well for this type of tea. A pot with a strainer built into the spout is ideal. Since oolong is ideally made using lots of leaf for many infusions, small pots have the added advantage of reducing costs per pot.
Oolong teas tend to steep best using water 180-205° F. Boiling water will over-extract the tea producing a bitter, astringent cup. A quick way to cool the water is to pour it into the empty teapot. Then pour the water into a cup(s). Using the cool teapot and cups should cool the water to an appropriate temperature. If not, wait a minute or two, before adding the leaves and water to the pot.
To fully appreciate the body and aromatic properties of oolong teas use lots of leaf, ideally 2-3 tablespoons or 6-8 grams for 6-8 oz of water. For a stronger cup, use more tea and reduce the steeping time slightly. Using the proper amount of leaves should allow for a many more infusions using the same leaves. To not steep the tea multiple times is waste of leaf and prevents you from fully appreciating the subtle differences from infusion to infusion. Be certain to pour out all of the previous infusion so that the water doesn’t continue to steep the leaves beyond the specified time.
Pour a small amount of water over the leaf and immediately discard. For your first infusion, steep for 10-20 seconds. For a second infusion, pour the water over the leaves and immediately pour off the tea. Do the same amount of time for subsequent infusions until the tea starts to weaken, then slowly increase the amount of time per infusion until the leaves yield very little flavor. The quality and composition of the water dramatically affects the steeping time so you should experiment to find a time that suits your palate.
Bao Zhong
Oolong is a bit of a mystery here in the States where most consumers don't realize that it is a separate category like green or black tea. Darker in color than green tea but lighter than black tea, oolong has its own place on the oxidation scale. The lack of grassy notes appeals to black tea drinkers while green tea drinkers can appreciate the bright fresh flavors that oolongs have to offer. If a tea room sold only oolong tea, it could have a diverse enough selection to satisfy its customers. I find the complexity and depth of flavor in good oolongs unmatched. Ask tea tasters what their favorite category of tea is and the overwhelming majority will rank oolong near the top.
Taiwanese oolong teas primarily fall into two broad categories: lightly oxidized and heavily oxidized. The lightly oxidized category consists of famous teas such as Dong Ding, Iron Goddess, and Bao Zhong while the heavily oxidized consists of oolongs sold under names like Oriental Beauty, Formosa Oolong and Bai Hao. Bao Zhong is just about the lightest oolong, oxidized just enough to keep it from classification as a green tea.
Bao Zhong is a traditional style of oolong characterized by lightly rolled green leaves and an incredibly aromatic cup. In Mandarin Bao Zhong means "paper wrapped" and makes reference to the manner in which it was historically sold. Today it arrives vacuum-packed to preserve the delicate aroma during shipment overseas. Bao Zhong was originally created to serve as a base tea for jasmine scenting. For this reason, the tea is stripe-rolled unlike the ball-rolling which is common to most lightly oxidized oolongs.
I chose our Bao Zhong based on the flavors created by its high elevation and for contrast it provides to our Iron Goddess. Like the Iron Goddess, Bao Zhong comes to us from the land-locked county of Nantou, the birthplace of Taiwan oolongs. We purchased this tea from a small tea grower who is well-respected in Taiwan for producing good quality oolong at very fair prices. Hopefully we will continue to grow this relationship and purchase more distinctive oolong teas from this fine garden.