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Strip-style Oolongs
 In
the north-west region of Fujian Province the rocky
cliffs of the Wu Yi Shan are home to China’s revered
yan cha or ‘rock oolong’ teas. These teas are
made from sub-varieties of Camellia sinensis
that are indigenous to this region and nowhere else in
China. ( In fact, many of the world’s unique teas are
made from sub-varieties of tea bushes that are
particular to only one place ).
Yan cha are plucked
from single varieties of old tea bushes or from
younger generations of tea bushes that have been
cultivated from the old varietals. Each tea is named
for its specific tea bush variety (Da Hong Pao,
Shui Jin Gui, Tie Lo Han, etc.) so specificity is
important with these teas..
 Yan
cha has a majestic appearance that suggests that they
should be taken seriously. The leaves are long, broad,
flat and slightly twisted, and have a rich, dark color
from a high degree of oxidation. Old style or
traditional Wu Yi Shan oolongs are dried over a low-
temperature, smoldering charcoal fire. This is called
roasting. Roasting imparts differing amounts of
charcoal-fired flavor to the leaves, depending on
whether the roast is medium or heavy.
Our strip-style oolongs are from the current harvest
year or have been rested for one or two years,
or aged for more than 2 years. In China and
Taiwan, oolong teas are chosen not just by style and
amount of roasting, but also by the age of the tea.
Oolongs can be drunk young, rested or aged, so
tea drinkers take age into account as a primary
variable when purchasing oolongs. Learning about the
influence of aging adds awareness of what is being
purchased, as well as a dimension of fascination and
complexity to oolong teas.
To read more about the topic of
New
Tea, Rested Tea, and Aged Tea,
click here.
Tea Trekker is proud to offer a first-class selection
of yan cha to tea enthusiasts who seek well-defined,
mature tastes and who are eager to experience the
multiple infusions possible from these teas when
steeping them Asian style.
For those who are eager to experience the multiple
infusions possible from oolongs (especially when
steeping them Asian-style) please refer to our tea
steeping suggestions in our
Tea 101 section.
Note: our sample size is a generous 14 grams
(5-7 measures of dry leaf) |
