Medium-Fired High Mountain Oolong

The purpose of firing or baking at the final stage of tea processing is to improve or enhance the aromas and flavors of tea.   Firing is not meant for all teas but it works wonderfully for some oolong teas.   After oolong leaves have been rolled and shaped, they are quickly dried to remove extra moisture as well as to retain shape.   Depending on the desired outcome of a oolong, an experienced and skilled tea master will determine if firing is required and the temperatures and times of the firing step.   Traditionally, tea is placed in giant bamboo baskets, underneath which charcoal heat source is applied over a long period of time.   Contemporarily, alternative heat source (e.g., wood and electricity) and equipment are popular.   For example,  below is a small commercial tea baking oven available on the market:

tea baking oven

This medium-fired oolong is made from Qing Xin (green heart) cultivar grown at 3600 feet in Meishan area, southwest of Luku, in Taiwan.  It went through three-step slow firing.   It is more complex and richer than a 'green' type of oolong, and is best enjoyed using a multiple-infusion method to appreciate the depth and layers of the tea.  

Medium-fired oolong

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

Dry Leaf:  These nice beads are clean, sweet and slightly toasty.   Hardly any stems are found.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are seductively sweet and aromatic.
Liquor:     A 5-minute, 2 g and 4 oz cupping produces an orange color liquor that is smooth, fragrant, sweet and floral.   When steeped a la Gong Fu, the first infusion is nutty or honey-nuttty.  The next infusion is about sweet honey and flowers.  The last infusion includes nice notes of orchid and wood.

Tee Score: 5 out of 5