Once you have a truly premium oolong, the next step is to brew a perfect cup:
Heat water to just below boiling (185 - 212°F).
Preheat your teapot or cup by pouring hot water into it, swirling it around for a minute or so and then dumping it out. This will heat your cup or teapot and ensure that the water temperature doesn’t drop drastically after you pour it over the tea leaves. This is key to brewing a better cup of tea.
Use 1/2 teaspoon of pearl shaped oolong tea in 8 oz of hot water. Be absolutely certain that you use no more than this or your tea can become bitter and unpleasant.
Most pearl oolongs are tightly rolled into balls. The pearl shape is more than just aesthetic. It prevents the leaves from breaking apart. The whole, unbroken leaves result in a smoother flavor and a richer aroma.
Pour hot water and steep for 4 minutes.
While the tea steeps, enjoy the understated visual beauty of Wang & Dickerson Oolong by watching the tea leaves unfold and expand.
Remove the infuser and drink. Don’t leave the infuser with tea leaves in your tea after steeping. This can make your tea strong and unpleasantly bitter. To enjoy Wang & Dickerson Oolong tea in the true Asian tradition, steep the same leaves multiple times and enjoy the nuanced flavors of each different brew. Each time you re-brew the same leaves, let the tea steep it for 1 minute longer than the previous brew.
STEP 6
Relax and enjoy all the rich aromas and delicate flavors of your premium oolong tea.
Photo by Christina Klingler Photography
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I get asked this question a lot. After reading many studies on health benefits of tea, it is clear to me that all types of tea are beneficial. There is one constant between the studies: you need to drink at least two or three cups of tea every day to get the full effect. For this reason, my suggestion is to find a tea that you really like because (if you are like me) you are more likely to drink tea regularly if you enjoy the experience. The good news: there are a wide variety of healthy teas.
]]>So Which Tea Is Healthier?
I get asked this question a lot. After reading many studies on health benefits of tea, it is clear to me that all types of tea are beneficial. There is one constant between the studies: you need to drink at least two or three cups of tea every day to get the full effect. For this reason, my suggestion is to find a tea that you really like because (if you are like me) you are more likely to drink tea regularly if you enjoy the experience. The good news: there are a wide variety of healthy teas.
Oolong tea, white tea, black tea, and green tea are all from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. This common origin is the primary reason they all have similar health benefits. Different processing methods and different varietals give each of these types of tea different flavors, distinctive aromas and different levels of antioxidants. Usually you will find that theaflavins are higher in black tea while white tea and green tea have more catechins. Oolong tea is rich in both theaflavins and catechins!
As with any plant-based product, residual chemicals from farming and processing can interfere with naturally occurring health benefits. Therefore, my recommendation is to first find a source of pure, clean, and premium quality tea and then choose the flavor or the aroma that speaks to you. Finally, make drinking your chosen tea an enjoyable part of your daily routine to maximize your health!
The Bottom line
Sipping a cup of tea can be incredibly soothing, but there is so much more! Scientific studies suggest that there are very real health benefits. Tea has high levels of antioxidants and an abundance of natural phytochemicals which protect our body and support good health. The benefits of tea are tremendous, so enjoy several cups of soothing wellness everyday!
If you have any questions about tea, or you are interested in receiving samples of Wang and Dickerson tea, please feel free to contact us.
Stay healthy,
For me, the beauty of tea ceremony is the combination of nature and culture. Tea connects people, mind, body, and soul in a beautiful and harmonious way.
]]>In the eastern tea ceremony, drinking tea is not simply done to quench one’s thirst; it is a form of art and a way to appreciate the aesthetics of the tea. In ancient times, tea aficionados were considered culturally elite. Poets and artists went to the mountains, wrote poetry and painted while sharing tea with their friends.
Thank you Brian for your amazing photos. Thank you, Megan for your wonderful friendship!
Photo Credits: Brian Davis
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After meeting the grower, I usually found myself sitting before his polished wooden tea table overlooking lush green tea gardens with inspiringly beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The grower was always pleasantly surprised when I wanted to go beyond the tasting table into the tea garden itself, digging my hands into the soil and asking questions about his agricultural practices and tea production methods. We would start to form a real bond when the conversation turned to the deep convictions and personal philosophies that were behind each and every detail of his tea artisanship.
Before I started my tea journey, I had no idea how much time, skill and care went into making a small batch of premium tea. I had no idea I would come to enjoy putting my hands in the dirt to evaluate the quality of the soil in a tea garden. I had no idea I would discover that each batch of artisan tea is a time capsule detailing what happened as it was being grown and processed. Everything matters, from the climate to the quality of the soil to the actions of each person involved in its production. Every sensual detail of the aroma and every nuance of flavor tells a story about the birth of that cup of tea.
With each new season, he pours his soul into the soil with the firm belief that the next harvest will be a true expression of his hard work, his skill and his passion.
Our organic high mountain tea grower, A-Shin always says, “Great quality tea begins in the tea gardens.” he says, “You need an intense population of microorganisms in the soil to make it work.” “Microbes and deep root systems form a profound underground network that pulls nutrients into the tea trees. And these nutrients have a huge impact on the tea flavor and the health benefits for tea drinkers.”
Pesticides and chemical fertilizers destroy microorganisms and cause the tea trees to form shallow root systems. When combined with high volume production methods, many of the health benefits can be reduced and the unique flavors and aromas of the terroir may be significantly altered. Only with organic, artisan tea can you experience the true taste of the terroir.
High Mountain Terroir: High Altitude, High Risk, Delicious Tea
In 2005 A-Shin took over the management of the tea estate after his father. Since that time, he has never used any synthetic chemicals on his tea estate because he truly believes that farming should be done in harmony with nature. In good seasons, he produces limited quantities of healthy, premium quality high mountain oolong tea. However, he has also experienced several significant events including drought and major insect attacks that dramatically decreased one or more of his seasonal harvests.
Like most of the tea grower-artisans I admire, despite the financial setback of a poor harvest, he holds firm to his belief in organic farming. With each new season, he pours his soul into the soil with the firm belief that the next harvest will be a true expression of his hard work, his skill and his passion.
A-Shin's tea is a classic example of the High Mountain Terroir. His tea garden is regularly shrouded in mist. His tea trees thrive in the cooler mountain climate. The cool air results in a slower growth rate which concentrates the flavor. In particular, winter is the longest growing season, requiring much longer for the new leaves to reach maturity. The natural flavors reach their peak in the spring when the leaves are finally harvested. This results in the full-bodied aroma and delectable flavors that make Spring Harvest High Mountain Oolong famous.
Taitung Terroir: Healthy Soil, Healthy Tea, Healthy People
When I visit Mr. Chang, our Oolong Rouge grower in southeastern Taiwan, he always gives me a tour of his lush, green tea farms. In these tours, he has taught me to recognize the different kinds of insects, spiders, and other arthropods on his farm. “Each part, from the soil to the animals to the insects that live on the farm, has an important role to play.” said Mr. Chang, “Increasing biodiversity takes a lot of knowledge and effort especially when you manage your farm without any pesticides.” It is the effective management of this increased biodiversity that differentiates the best organic tea growers.
With conventionally grown tea trees, pesticides are applied to repel insects that can damage the leaves. But in organic farming, the tea tree has to fend for itself. At first the number of insects can increase and more leaves are damaged, reducing the harvest. Over time the organically grown tea tree will begin to produce more natural phytochemical compounds to defend itself. This discourages the insects, harvests increase again and the higher levels of these natural chemical compounds can directly benefit tea drinkers' health.
Mr Chang's tea is an award-winning example of the terroir in the Taitung region. He brings out the robust flavors of his tea with roasting and higher levels of oxidation. The result is the rich nutty flavor and intense roasted aroma of his Oolong Rouge Tea.
My Mission
In America, we can enjoy the best of the best from around the world. Premium versions of everything from fine wines to luxury automobiles are available almost anywhere in the USA. Yet for some reason, fine artisan tea is hard to find. The best tea typically sells out in Asia and never makes it to America.
My mission is to discover unique, high quality artisan teas and make them available to discerning American tea drinkers. I work with a small, elite group of artisan tea growers who I trust, respect, and admire. I travel to Taiwan every year to meet them in person, I visit their tea gardens, I verify their agricultural and production processes and I sample their tea. I do everything I can so that you can experience the finest tea in the world.
Photo credits : Mr. Chang and Ben Smith
]]>4 tablespoons lemon juice
(Fresh squeezed is always best)
5 tablespoons sugar
(We like using Demerara Sugar. It is a less refined sugar with a subtle caramel toffee like note. It is less sweet and gives a more complex flavor to the tea than processed white sugar.)
1 quart cold brewed Wang & Dickerson Oolong Tea
(No need to even heat the water, just float the tea leaves in water overnight in the refrigerator. Our Effortless Cold Brewed Tea Recipe is here.)
Stir lemon juice and sugar together thoroughly. Wait 15 minutes and stir it from time to time or store in the refrigerator overnight while the oolong tea is brewing.
Pour the lemon syrup and the cold-brewed oolong tea into a pitcher. Stir well and add ice.
We always like to add a sprig of rosemary or some raspberries frozen in tea ice cubes for a refreshing and colorful iced tea.
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Oriental Beauty Oolong is one of the most rare and expensive teas in the world. Recently, one pound of gold medal winning Oriental Beauty Oolong was sold for $26,000 at a rare tea auction in Taiwan. That is $1,625 per ounce which is more than the current price of gold!
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I recently returned from a fascinating four-week tea tour of Taiwan where I visited tea masters, renewed relationships with our outstanding tea growers and searched for new and interesting varieties of tea. During my tea trip, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to show American tea drinkers that the value of high quality tea extends well beyond its health benefits. Fine tea is about the pleasure of the experience. It is delightful aromas, subtle nuances of flavor and a lingering feeling of well-being that lasts long after the teapot is empty.
If you're like me, when you experience a truly fine tea, you want to know more about it. I have extensively researched premium Oriental Beauty Oolong tea, and I would like to tell you about my personal journey of discovery. I have found that Oriental Beauty Oolong is one of the most rare and expensive teas in the world. Recently, one pound of gold medal winning Oriental Beauty Oolong was sold for $26,000 at a rare tea auction in Taiwan. That is $1,625 per ounce which is more than the current price of gold!
Similar to a rare wine, there are a variety of factors that determine the value of tea. Scarcity certainly has an effect, as well as the reputation of the producer, the terroir and even the prevailing weather during the year the tea was produced. In this case, the reputation of the tea tasting competition was key. Also important was the extremely limited amount of tea produced for the competition and the ability to verify its authenticity.
Oriental Beauty Oolong is also called Champagne Oolong or Bai Hao Oolong. Bai Hao means “white tip” in Chinese and refers to the furry tender white buds that are picked along with the top two leaves. The fuzz on these white tips is only present in the best Oriental Beauty. This fuzz can sometimes rub off in the package and appear as a fine white dust. This “dust” is not contamination, rather it is an indicator of high quality tea!
Oriental Beauty originates from northern Taiwan. The ideal climate for this type of tea is hot, humid and foggy. In the summer the leaves are nibbled by an insect called the tea green leafhopper. This leafhopper is only about 3mm long and thinner than a sewing needle. The leafhopper's tiny bites cause the tea leaves to release enzymes that result in the unique honey notes that are characteristic of Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea.
Most teas are harvested three to six times a year. However, the best grades of Oriental Beauty Oolong are harvested only once a year. This harvest happens in mid-summer when the weather is hot and humid and tea green leafhoppers are plentiful. Tea artisans say that Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea is nature's own gift from the tea green leafhoppers.
While the mid-summer weather is perfect for the leafhopper, it can be a harsh environment for the people who pick the tea. High quality Oriental Beauty Oolong is never machine picked, and tea pickers need to have the knowledge and experience to know which leaves will make the best tea. It takes about twenty two thousand young shoots (roughly seven pounds of freshly-picked tea leaves) to make one pound of finished Oriental Beauty Oolong tea. Experienced pickers can only harvest enough shoots in one day to make between one and three pounds of tea.
After the labor-intensive process of collecting only the very best fresh tea leaves, the rest of the tea making process must be performed with skill and attention to detail. Every step of process—withering, bruising, resting, rolling, drying, and roasting—has to be done perfectly in order to create the right balance of aroma, body and flavor as well as the delicate aftertaste that lingers on the tongue.
Every tea artisan has unique methods that bring out the best from their top quality tea leaves. When it comes to producing fine tea, it is about both art and skill. The artisan must know the right techniques to enhance the flavors provided by the soil, the climate, the cultivar and myriad other factors. But skill alone is not enough, it takes true artistry to give the tea its soul, its authenticity, its raison d'être. And the result is that each artisan-produced Oriental Beauty Oolong has its own profoundly unique combination of flavors and aromas.
This is why top quality Oriental Beauty Oolong is one of the most sought-after varieties of high-end tea. Wang and Dickerson is proud to offer a rare top grade Oriental Beauty Oolong to our tea enthusiasts in America. It is 70% oxidized which gives it a medium body, a silky smooth flavor and an elegant floral fragrance. The tea leaves exhibit a beautiful mixture of robust browns, rich reds and delicate greens with silvery white tips. The taste experience is a sophisticated balance of honey-like sweetness and hints of ripe apricot. This unique flavor profile is deeply linked to its terroir and to its artisan producer.
I hope you have enjoyed reading our first newsletter and I would love to hear your feedback! Feel free to leave comments and I will read your message.
Warmly,
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In March, I visited the award-winning tea artisan Mr. Chang in Taiwan. While enjoying Mr. Chang’s hospitality and outstanding competition grade oolong tea, his wife decided to show us how a tea judge does tea tasting. Mrs. Chang is a certified judge in tea competitions. I would like to share her techniques so we can all train our senses for optimal tea tasting.
During a tea tasting competition, blind taste tests are performed and judges were asked to grade each tea sample based on aroma, appearance and taste. Ms. Chang led us through the tasting process step-by-step:
Taiwanese oolong tea has been recognized as the highest grade of oolong tea in the world today. Tea competition plays an important role in making this happen. Competition drives improvements in production techniques that result in better tasting oolong tea. Top awards from tea competitions are a source of pride and deep honor for farmers and tea artisans. Also, the teas which receive first place awards can be some of the most expensive teas in the world. These award winning teas are sometimes priced at $10,000 dollars per pound and even more!
By Wendy W. Dickerson for Wang & Dickerson Artisan Oolong Tea
This frozen combination of sweet, juicy peaches and Taiwanese premium oolong tea seems like a deliciously healthy, refreshing drink, but add a little Peach Schnapps and it becomes a fabulous fruity summer cocktail! And it is almost as easy to make as it is to drink! Just toss the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into two chilled glasses, garnish with a sprig of fresh sage and serve immediately!
Ingredients:
1 cup of chilled Oolong Tea
1 cup of ice
2 peaches (pits removed, leave the skin on for a beautiful red color)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 oz Peach Schnapps
Order our oolong tea here AND use code *TEETOTALERS* for 10% off discount.
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Here is a simple 3-step recipe for cold-brewing perfect oolong tea:
1. Measure 1.5 teaspoons of premium full leaf oolong tea, or 1 teaspoon of fresh jasmine green tea, or 2 tablespoons of rare black tea, put the tea leaves in the pitcher and fill with 1 quart of room temperature water. For the Oolong Sachets, use 1 sachet for 1 quart of room temperature water.
3. Strain the tea leaves with the strainer, pour over ice and enjoy!
Cold-brewed tea does need to steep for 6-8 hours, so be sure to prepare it the night before. That way the refreshing tea will be ready before you get thirsty the next day. Premium oolong tea makes the most refreshing and smooth iced tea you have ever tried, without any bitterness. You can drink it straight or sweeten it with a little bit of honey.
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