Mauna Kea Oolong

The rich volcanic ash soils in the Big Island of Hawaii can grow amazing crops. Consumers have been enjoying Kona coffee and now also have the options of Hawaiian white, green, black and oolong teas.  Oolong processing requires special skills and is not produced by every tea farm there.  Mauna Kea (Mountain of the god Wakea) Tea Garden does craft a premium Oolong, hand-picked two leaves and a bud style.

The tea made from the lovely wiry tippy leaves is light.  It is reminiscent of  some Chinese style green teas or Vietnam Oolong.    Using a Taiwanese oolong as a yardstick, Mauna Kea Oolong is atypical.  It is refreshing but not smooth.  Nevertheless, it is a tea with its special attributes from volcanoes, ocean, lei and hula.      

Mauna Kea Oolong

Type:  Oolong     Producing Country: USA     Preparation:  85°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  Their dark wiry leaves have white tips and are pretty.  They are pleasantly sweet, biscuity and floral.
Wet Leaf:  Two leaves and a bud unfurled from each dry wiry leaf.  Their floral note is orchid.
Liquor:      The egg yolk yellow tea is slightly peppery and grassy.  The mouthfeel is a light floral note (& faint bitterness) with licorice sweetness.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Mauna Kea Roast Green

In 2001, Camellia Sinensis (tea) was re-introduced as an agricultural crop in Hawaii.   Today, fine artisan teas are available from several small-scale tea farms, mostly located in the Big Island of Hawaii.  The one drawback of Hawaii grown teas may be their affordability.

The Big Island of Hawaii is the largest but the youngest in the Hawaiian island chain.  It is composites of five volcanoes.   Mauna Kea Tea Garden is on the slope of Mauna Kea volcano, which erupted about 4000 years ago.   The tea plants at this Garden are grown according to natural farming principles.

This 2013 harvested green tea is roasted and not steamed during processing.  It brews a bright and macadamia-color liquor.   It contains low caffeine and does not turn bitter like some green teas.   It exudes the spirit of aloha and is easy to drink.

Mauna Kea Roasted Green

Type:  Green Tea     Producing Country: USA    Preparation:  85°C 2 Min

Dry Leaf:  The flat, olive green leaves vary in size. Their aromas are mild and toasty.   They are very light in weight.
Wet Leaf:  It is interesting to observe the wet leaves that have the appearance of waterproof coatings.
Liquor:      The flavors of the bright and attractive tea include sweet butter cookies and toasted grains.  It is mild and barely has any astringency.  

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

Four-Season Spring Oolong

'Four-Season Spring' or Si Ji Chun is the name of the oolong as well as that of the tea varietal.   About 30 years ago, an Iron Goddess tea farmer in Taiwan discovered some very hardy tea bushes in his land adjacent to his tea plantation.  This relatively new tea variety propagated and flourished in other tea gardens in Taiwan.  Si Ji Chun, as its chosen name implies, is a high-yield cultivar and can be plucked up to 7 times a year.

Si Ji Chun oolong is generally mild and quite green.  It is an everyday tea for its value and great for a novice oolong drinker.  This 2012 machine-harvested Si Ji Chun tea is no exception.   It is pleasant but not as alluring as other green oolongs, such as Dong Ding.   It is light and almost green-tea-like.

Four Seasons Oolong

Type:  Oolong    Producing Country: Taiwan     Preparation:  90°C 5 Min

Dry Leaf:  The small-medium semi-rolled beads are clean and vegetal.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are floral (orchid).  The various sizes of individual leaves are an indication of harvesting by machines.
Liquor:      The tea is yellow in color.  It is very light, clean, vegetal and faintly floral.  It may be like a green tea but is smooth with no astringency.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Jin Shan Shi Yu

Jin Shan Shi Yu means 'gold mountain timely rain'.   It is grown and produced in Anhui province, China.  The tea  is crafted with young buds and leaves, harvested before or after spring rain.   The name was derived from 1) the appearance of the 'raindrop' shape dry leaves   2) the location of the tea farms and manufacturers is near Gold Mountain village.  

When blind tasting several Chinese green teas, it is not difficult to identify those teas (e.g., Gunpowder and Dragon Well) that have some unique characteristics.  Jin Shan Shi Yu also falls into this category.  Athough it is vegetal, it is mellow, licorice-sweet and elegant.   It makes a real good cup of tea.  

Jin Shan Shi Yu

Type:  Green Tea     Producing Country: China     Preparation:  85°C 3 Min

Dry Leaf:  Their dark green shiny twisted leaves also contain curls that look like tiny hooks.  They have the scent of a pan fry tea,  and are toasty & herbaceous.
Wet Leaf:  It is obvious young leaves & buds were used to make this tea.  When they unfurled, they smell fresh like cooked spinach.
Liquor:      The pale yellow tea is refreshing and lengthy in the mouth.  It is smooth but slightly peppery.  It has an interesting flavor profile of asparagus freshness and licorice root sweetness.  

Tee Score: 4 out of 5