01.31.07
the rare darjeeling oolongs
posted by Ankit Lochan | 30 comments
Very few people in the world are aware of the fabulous and rare
Darjeeling Oolong teas. Although I am not an accomplished writer, I just wanted to write what I could on Darjeeling Oolongs. Please feel free to ask questions.
Darjeeling Oolong tea is unique. With all the many excellent types of
Oolong available from China and Taiwan, this Darjeeling Oolong is
truly unique in the tea world. The Darjeeling tea leaves, once
plucked, are then processed in the tradition of Chinese Oolong tea
with the result of the leaves being partially oxidized. This results
in producing a classic tea that is neither purely Indian nor Chinese,
but indeed, has only the best qualities and characteristics of both.
The processed leaves are uniformly brownish-black in appearance and
are well twisted. Some tips are present. Some Darjeeling Oolongs
appear like a white tea but when infused you realise that it is an
Oolong. After being steeped, the opened leaves are all of dark brown
color. The majority of the pluckings are the classic ‘two leaves and
a bud’. Most of the leaves are broken as is common for Darjeeling
tea.
After steeping, the color of this tea is a rich golden-reddish-brown
that is crystal clear. The aroma is mild but definitely Darjeeling.
Typical of Darjeeling tea, the taste is rather complex but the taste
of this Darjeeling Oolong is milder. The characteristic flavor is
present with a very brief and subtle sweetness to it upon first
tasting it. This tea has body or a sense of “fullness”, but still is
light and has less body than regular Darjeeling. The astringency is
present, though at a reduced level. There is also an aftertaste that
lingers, something like a mild nutty taste.
Darjeeling Oolong has no competition and is sweeter than sugar
itself!!
January 31st, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Thanks for this. You do well in writing. Made me want to try it!! Can you give a source for a Darjeeling Oolong? Oolongs are my favorite tea and I believe once they get more ‘publicity’, they will become much more popular. I like the gentleness of them very much. One of my favorite tea suppliers tells me that the reason they can stand up to second infusions is that the leaves are very tight and sometimes the second infusion brings out the best flavor. I’m not a ‘multiple infusion’ fan of any tea but can understand the physics behind her reasoning. Again, great comments; I’ll look forward to trying some. The Indian teas are not my favorite but I do enjoy the nuttiness/earthiness of them at certain times with certain foods.
January 31st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Hi Ankit:
Interesting information. How long would you say Darjeeling oolongs have been produced. Are there many estates trying it? Have they ever tried to make whole-leaf, Taiwan style oolongs yet?
January 31st, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I’m very curious and hope to try it out, Ankit! Thanks for the introduction. It’s always nice to know that not only China is producing oolongs. I’ve tried oolongs produced in Nepal and Indonesia, but not India…yet.
February 1st, 2007 at 12:23 am
Dear Team,
Thanks for the appreciation, i am happy you liked the writeup!
Darjeeling Oolongs give upto four infusions, the second and the third are the best normally.
Get in touch with Elaine, she has some lovely darjeeling oolongs, the best being Okayti Ivory Oolong, her site is http://www.wildorchidteas.com/ and her mail id is thetealady@accesstoledo.com
As far as my knowledge goes she carries the finest Darjeeling Oolongs.
In case you want a variety of Indian Oolongs, let me know - i will have some sent from Darjeeling for you!
Cheers to tching for helping us to share knowledge and ideas!
Sincere Regards.
February 1st, 2007 at 12:38 am
Dear Phyll,
Personally speaking i think darjeeling is the right place for making oolongs because the quality, the flavour, the taste, all in all are far superior than any other oolong.
I sell oolongs from taiwan, china, nepal and after a lot of research and tests i concluded by analysing that dareeling conditions are perfect for oolong teas.
Oolong teas tatse better than black teas, smell better, have a better shelf life, have higher medicinal value and they fetch a better price.
There are very few gardens in darjeeling who are making Oolong teas but the good part is the % increasing is 75% to 100 % per year. So i think we are moving in the right direction.
In a cople of years darjeeling oolongs will be famous !!!
Take care and please feel free to express your views!
Regards.
February 1st, 2007 at 12:42 am
Way back in 1842, before Darjeeling was started, a small quantity of tea was made from the chinese tea bushes in Kumaun hills and was taken to England by Dr. Falconer. This sample was submitted to the celebrated tea-brokers Messrs. Edward, Maccaughly & Delafosse in London in September, 1843, and they reported as follows:- “The tea brought by Dr. Falconer as a specimen of the growth of China plant in the Himalaya moutains resembles most nearly the escription occasionally imported from China under the name of Oolong. This resemblance is observable in the appearance of the leaf before and after infusion. The color of the liquor is also similar, being paler, and more of the straw colour than the description of black tea. it is also so high flavoured as the fine Oolong tea, with which we have compared it, and it has been too highly burnt in the preparation, but it is of a delicate, fine flavour, and would command a ready sale here”
This goes on to show that the oolongs made from the leaves harvested from the imported chinese tea planting material on Indian soil and manufactured by primitive machinery of those days was fairly good and comparable with best Chinese oolongs. It was chinese workmen taken from Calcutta who produced these teas.
This art of producing fine Oolongs was lost and now being revived in Darjeeling by some knowledgable tea planters and tea makers. We stumbled upon them and found them very useful and started posting samples to dealers in North America and it was an instant sucess.
Let us further this cause of Darjeeling Oolongs.
February 1st, 2007 at 1:58 am
Dear Dan,
Mr. Lochan the CEO of Lochan Tea Limited, has provided you the answer, really a very correct and precise one.
Regarding the Taiwan type - basically yes - the darjeeling oolongs are also being made using the whole leaf but the leaf size is smaller and the apperance is diffrent. In darjeeling we do not make the tea into round shapes - no compressing. Basically we are trying to avoid the use of machines.
There are not very many gardens producing oolongs - just a handful but as i said earlier the awareness and the demand and knowledge increasing everyday and so is the production!
God bless darjeeling oolongs!!!
Cheers!
February 1st, 2007 at 2:04 am
We are getting a shipment of Teas from India in about 1-1/2 months. Included in it will be the Rohini Enigma Oolong and the Okayti Wonder Oolong. Both of these are from Darjeeling, and are excellent examples of Indian Oolongs.
The Rohini consists of bold, dark leaves and produces a brew with a flowery aroma and a delicate fruity flavor. It has a smooth, gentle finish, and is well-suited for self-drinking.
The Okayti has a gentle, flowery taste, and a pleasant, cool “weedy” or “grassy” aroma.
It brews a light cup, and is often mistaken to be a white tea.
If anyone is interested, feel free to request a sample. we’ll be happy to send you enough for a small pot.
John & Siming Macpherson
Spirit of the Lotus Tea Company
155 Summit Ave, Ste 1-S
Hagerstown, MD. 21740
Ph: 301-991-4723
e-mail: info@lotusteahouse.com
February 1st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Thank you so much. I have just sent off an email to you.
February 1st, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Dear Messrs. Lochan:
As Darjeeling oolong teas gain in popularity and demand, do you foresee your industry inventing a new term to replace “oolong” in order to create a unique marketing identity? As it is currently, “oolong” is a typecast term used for teas produced in PRC and Taiwan. I’m alluding to the similar step taken by the California wine industry in their invention of the term “Meritage” to refer to their Bordeaux-blend red wines.
- Phyll
February 1st, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I congratulate John for recognising “Weedy & Grassy” aroma in Okyati. This estate was closed for a long spell of 17 years before it was reopened in 1987/88, and I was wondering weather people will once again recognise its typical unique aroma which Germans liked very much before this tea made a debut in America.
I personally do not foresee a need to rename the class Darjeeling tea stands for. Oolong is the best catagory where Darjeelings fit in. Lack of oxidation due to altitude is the main reason of this black tea being recognised as oolong. This is all partial and degree of oxidation is the determining factor on a bandwidth from green to black tea.
Darjeeling is Darjeeling, whatever the name, whatever the fame. Long live Darjeeling.
February 1st, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Dear Phyll,
I guess the best way to describe Darjeeling tea which is partly oxidised and stands between a black and a green would be an Oolong. To give a new name would only confuse the customers.
Do you recommend any name or idea?
Ankit Lochan
February 1st, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Hi Ankit,
I appreciate your straigtforward, unpretentious comment, and I couldn’t agree more! To draw a parallel, I personally think that the term “Meritage” is just a wine marketing ploy of no help to the consumers as well as the wineries. If Darjeeling oolong remains to be called oolong, the simpler it is for everyone. So, no I don’t have any recommendation and I am not about to give you any useless ideas.
I was merely curious about how your tea industry thinks about this “revived” style in Darjeeling.
Regards,
Phyll
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:10 am
Ankit responded quickly to my inquiries in the same straightforward, polite and professional way that I hold the Indian people in high regard for. Ankit, someone from our company should be contacting you and hopefully we can do business in the future. Kudos to Michelle and all the t ching founders and contributors for making this kind of dialogue possible.
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:36 am
Team Says:
February 1st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Thank you so much. I have just sent off an email to you.
————————————————————————-
Dear Team:
Who did you send the e-mail to?
If it was to us, we did not receive it.
Please resend.
If it was NOT to us, please ignore this message.
Thanks.
John & Siming Macpherson
Spirit of the Lotus Tea Company
February 2nd, 2007 at 10:09 am
Dear Phyll,
Thank you very much for agreeing with me.
Simplicity is the key to success, thats what we learnt when we were small.
Take care.
Ankit
February 2nd, 2007 at 10:11 am
Dear Team,
We are all really grateful to tching founder members for creating this atmosphere where we can exchange ideas and learn more about each other.
This is not only a platform where we discuss tea but also a place where cultural exchanges help us to know people better.
Thanks to them!!
February 3rd, 2007 at 4:28 am
During 2005 Hangzhou International Tea & Coffee Exhibition, chinese tea lovers were intrigued with a Tumsong Darjeeling whole leaf tea, because they had never expected a pale liquor from a Hung Cha, which an Indian black tea should be. It was probably first time many people were witnessing an Indian tea there.
Darjeeling being an oolong tea explains this status most corrctly and after much discussions in Beijing and Shanghai Tea Expos of 2006, all Chinese tea experts agreed to Darjeeling being a shade away from a commong black tea, resembling more on oolong side. Taiwanese tea experts simply like the idea of not recognising Darjeeling as black tea at all, this being a typical oolong according to them
February 3rd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Good Lord, what a long discussion on a subject. This article made Grace Wei of China Tea Expo agree to the confusion Gold Prize judges were facing while deciding the winner for Indian black tea section of 2006 competetion. Though ultimately we were the winners but it took time for them to understand the issues.
After a long discussion yesternight Grace came to a conclusion that tea bags and other industrial teas like the packeted teas of various popular brands are nothing but like fast food and the tea can only be enjoyed if it is carefully selected and organic. We look forward to China drinking a cup of Darjeeling everyday.
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:33 pm
I have to admit that it is I who is not well know that the darjeeling tea is much more like oolong rather than black tea, and as for the judge’s idea, I can not know. Because I am not in charge of the competition and was not present when judging.
February 4th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Thanks Grace for acknowledging. The debate on Darjeeling and in a real sense Chinese tea plants on Indian soil, is a real interesting topic. Early manufacturing of tea was done by imported Chinese workmen and its recognition by tea experts goes to prove the links. I would personally request you to take up with the proper authorities on the subject so that James Norwood Pratt’s quest gets circulated and we get access to the historical documents which will go a long way to solve the missing link.
February 5th, 2007 at 1:57 am
I am sorry for the delayed reply. I do carry two of the Darjeeling oolongs: the Okayti Ivory Oolong (we’ve named it so because of it’s white tea like characteristics), and a darker oolong called Hillton Ebony Oolong. The Hillton is a complex tea that has a faint smokiness. We liked the Ebony and Ivory references as these two oolongs are as different as night and day.
They can be found at this link, along with the other incredible Darjeeling (and several other Indian teas) teas we have recently added to our mix:
Personally, I am partial to white teas, and the Okayti has become my current addiction! I just can’t seem to get enough of it!
February 5th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Darjeeling teas can be greatly improved by presenting them to consumer, right from drying stage. Mechanical sorting damages teas considerably. We showed this to the incharge of manufacturing process in Upper Fagu tea factory, which is situated exactly across Hillton. Liquors improved dramatically if we brewed teas directly from drying machine, compared to the teas out of sorting machine. Jim Hanlonh of Wuyimountain Tea Co. of Minniapolis did this experiment and everybody was impressed with the results. Reason was the mechanical damage.
Morale of the story is that we present freshest and least handled teas from the bush to the consumer. These Okayti oolongs are the result of same experiment. Enjoy the Darjeeling.
We wish you all the best.
February 5th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Dear Elaine
Welcome - better late than never!! Thanks for sharing your tea views with all of us.
Bill Waddington (www.teasource.com) is another person similar to you who only chooses to buy the very best and has dedicated his time in promoting the cause of Whole leaf teas and shunning tea bags and speaking out to people.
Good Job, i am proud to be associated with people who speak for quality.
Once a person tries these speciality teas they will know how good tea bags actually are.
Have a great day!
Sincere Regards
Ankit Lochan
February 5th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Dear Lotus Tea Company,
I’m sorry, but have not read for the last few days. We have contacted Ankit directly and someone from our co. will contact him this week re: the correspondence we have already had.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Team…
Thant’s OK. I was just checking as your previous comment appeared right after my comment offering samples.
I’m sure Ankit will be more than happy to supply you with whatever you require.
John & Siming Macpherson
Spirit of the Lotus Tea Company
Hagerstown, MD. USA.
======================================
Team Says:
February 5th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Dear Lotus Tea Company,
I'm sorry, but have not read for the last few days. We have contacted Ankit directly and someone from our co. will contact him this week re: the correspondence we have already had.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Ankit hi,
I have been drinking Darjeeling Tea since I do not know. However, I have yet to find the tea, which can match its subtle flavor and aroma. Since, my grandparents are from North Bihar, it was customary for them to ship the tea from the freshest batch arriving in Siliguri. Now, when I have discovered your site, I sincerely hope to know more about Darjeeling and other teas.
it’s a privilege to visit this site.
Good luck to you.
Abhishek Rai
New Delhi
February 7th, 2007 at 3:23 am
Dear Abhishek,
Ankit is now travelling to Russia for Prodexpo 2007 to spread the message of Darjeeling teas to newly aquired riches of Russian community there. You can always get these super excellent teas directly from us thru e-mail.
All the best,
Rajiv Lochan
November 19th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Nice forum!
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