I recently posted a review of a Dian Ya An Xiang Pu’er tea that I got as part of a larger mixed bag of teas. Today I want to talk about a different kind of tea that I got as part of the same mixed tea bundle. It’s not that clear where it comes from or what it is exactly, but my best guess, based on the label and translation, is that you could call it a type of black oolong. Like many other of these samples, it comes in a single small bag containing loose tea leaves.
Preparation and tasting of the Black Oolong
Same as before, for other teas of this mixed bag, I assume that the amount of tea in one sample bag is the right amount for one tea session. I used a small tea vessel which is usually designed for having tea while traveling, but I also like to use it at home sometimes. Ideally, you can brew oolong in a Yixing (purple clay) teapot or a gaiwan.
Like most of the time with the teas we review here, this black oolong as well can be steeped several times, getting a slightly different taste every time you brew it with hot water. I found it surprisingly fragrant on the first go, and it had all kinds of flavors in it. On a second and third brew, this changed slightly, and it became more like what you’d expect from an oolong, but it was still a pretty refined taste nonetheless.
Final thoughts
The tea types that you get when you buy a large number of various teas to sample in a bundle are maybe not guaranteed to give you high-quality tea. Having labels with little to no information about what kind of tea is included doesn’t help either. Yet, it’s always nice to try, and especially to new tea fans, such mixed tea surprise bags can be a great way of discovering a great variety of tea tastes without spending a fortune.
I read somewhere that black oolong is sometimes marketed as a tea that would help you lose weight, but such claims might not be backed by science. I’d say that you should stay fit, eat the right things, and be active to lose weight, and not try to lose weight by drinking certain teas. Teas might have a positive effect on our health, but they are not medicine. Drink tea to enjoy your life and what nature gave to us.
Tea Horse Road 