学、解、泡 :: 武夷岩茶

宋·白玉蟾《题武夷五首》：

山耸千层青翡翠，溪流万顷碧琉璃。游人来此醉归去，几个亲曾到武夷。

The tea teacher knows that I'm fond of oolong, and has allowed me to practise brewing the different types of oolong. For example, the 'Rock Oolong' (武夷岩茶) comes out very different from the 'Iron Goddess' which is also an oolong. Depending on the year of harvest, the 'Iron Goddess' can either taste thin or thick. For 2 weeks, loving attention was given to the 'Rock Oolong' and its main varieties of 'Da Hong Pao' (大红袍), 'Bai Ji Guan' (白鸡冠), 'Rou Gui' (肉桂王), 'Tie Luohan' (铁罗瀚), 'Lao Jun Mei' (老君眉), 'Ban Tian Yao' (半天腰), et cetera. Plenty to learn about it in terms of taste. They're all subtly different.

I'm liking the varieties of 'Rock Oolong' (岩茶) quite a bit. While they share similar leaves and nose, their brewed taste is different. Depending on the brewing pot and cups, a brew can range from sweet and light to something more complex and thick. It's got a slightly burnt nose, a tinge of bitterness upon first taste, yet possess lingering sweetness when brewed right. Drinking a few varieties in a row on consecutive days alongside jotting down tasting notes meant that I finally began to understand how to do a good brew, and the unique notes that define each variety of oolong.

The tea teacher asked if my body was feeling alright after 2 weeks of drinking the 'Rock Oolong'. It felt fine. She explained that this type of tea is 'heaty', and it might not suit everyone. I think I'm okay with either type of 'cooling' or 'heaty' tea, so long they're not herbs or ginseng per se. Those send me into a downward spin of boils popping up on the body. This is a type of oolong best brewed hot, at near boiling temperature. Luckily I'm done with the basics of brewing the 'Rock Oolong' for now. Not possible to brew it this week and drink it this hot with the gums newly clotted and in the early stage of healing.

Learning about the oolong also means being able to pick out which sort of teapot to go with which type of oolong. Experimenting all the different flavors in the final taste when drunk with cups made of different textures. Well, at this rate, very soon, I'll need an external hard disk specially to contain all the information for these tea lessons.