Fun and FlirTea

There is something of an ongoing debate in the tea world over Loose Tea vs. Bagged Tea (see what I did there with the title?). While a good portion of tea aficionados will rage against the concept of the tea bag (I’ve even seen tea bags burned in a video on “how to make tea”), I think it’s important to note that not all tea bags are bad!

Before I proceed, I’ll state something that I will probably repeat frequently on this blog – the only way to tell if a tea is “good” or not is to taste it. If you like it, then it must be good!

This holds true for any tea you may drink! Needless to say, just because a tea tastes good doesn’t necessarily mean it’s of high quality. I find the same to be true of beer and wine. For example, I know people who legitimately enjoy the taste of Coors Light (eugh!). Just because they like the taste of it does not suddenly make it a quality craft beer. Also, I have a penchant for cheap wines from Trader Joe’s. While their cheap wine is better than other cheap wine, well… it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a cheap wine! So keep that in mind when you are enjoying that cup of tea brewed from a teabag. (more…)

Before I get into the discussion on oolong tea, let’s take a step back and crack up a wee bit about that title. If you don’t get it, say it out loud with a really bad, stereotypical asian accent. (I swear I’m not racist. I just appreciate a bad pun… emphasis on bad.) Got it now? You can thank FyreTyde of A Koala Tea Blog (get it!?) for this gem.

In any case, back to the story of tea and – more specifically – oolong tea.

One day, my brother and I were wandering the streets of Kunming talking about tea. I mentioned how much I enjoy oolong teas and he started laughing and told me, “The Chinese make jokes about how foreigners love oolong because it’s a naturally sweeter tea and foreigners like sweet things more than they do” (not necessarily an exact quote).

This conversation remained in the back of my mind every time I read about, found, or tasted an oolong tea. Since I was on a bit of a ginseng oolong kick at the time, this seemed especially on point. I remember one day on Tea Chat, I was asking for some advice on what teas to order and from where. I said I was partial to oolong teas and it was suggested to select a sampler pack from Life In Teacup.

It was upon receiving a few Dong Ding oolongs and a nice Tie Guan Yin sample that I experienced my first truly natural oolong tea. It was exciting and leafy. The flavor was herbaceous and complex. It tasted somewhat roasted and delicious to me. It did not carry the same kind of sweetness that I had come to expect of oolongs, so it was both shocking and exciting.

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