Well, let me tell ya ’bout this Japanese Oolong tea, it ain’t like the regular stuff you get at the store, no siree.

First off, they say it’s “organic,” whatever that means. Sounds fancy, I guess. Some of it comes in “loose leaves,” mind ya, not them little bags. Though, I seen some in bags too, says “YAMASAN” or somethin’ like that on the package. Then there’s this other one, “Yamamotoyama,” in bags too. And another one, “Haiku,” says it’s “organic” and “kosher” too. All this fancy talk, makes my head spin.

Now, they tell ya this oolong tea is somethin’ special ’cause not many folks grow it in Japan. Seems like most of the tea folks there, they like the green stuff, not this oolong. But this fella, Jun Watanabe, he grows it. He mixes up six different kinds, from the spring harvest, they say. They say it smells like flowers, kinda sweet-like. Kinda reminds ya of them high-mountain teas from Taiwan, or so they tell me, I ain’t never been there.

• It’s got a buttery feel in your mouth, they say.
• And a little taste of jasmine, with a bit of apricot, whatever that is.

Now, this tea, it’s got somethin’ called “caffeine” in it. Not as much as coffee, mind ya, but enough to get ya goin’ in the mornin’. They say coffee’s got a lot, like 95 somethings, but this oolong tea only got 36 somethings. I don’t know nothin’ ’bout these numbers, but they say it’s less.

And get this, they claim this tea can help ya lose weight! Somethin’ ’bout “fat oxidation” and “enzymes.” Sounds like a whole lotta hooey to me, but they say it makes your body work faster and burn more stuff. So, ya drink this tea, ya got more energy and ya might even get a little thinner. Wouldn’t that be somethin’? At my age, anythin’ helps, ya know?

Then there’s this other Japanese tea called “Hojicha.” Seems like it’s gettin’ popular in them fancy coffee shops, the ones with the big windows and the funny names for coffee. I ain’t never been to one, but my niece, she goes all the time. She says it’s roasted and tastes kinda nutty, not like this oolong tea at all.

This oolong tea, though, it seems like good stuff. If you can find it, that is. Like I said, it ain’t common. But if you do find it, give it a try. Who knows, maybe it’ll make you feel all fancy and give you a spring in your step. Or maybe it’ll just taste good and warm ya up on a cold day. Either way, ain’t nothin’ wrong with a good cup of tea, that’s what I always say.

And let me tell you, this “Haiku” brand, they say you can drink it in one cup, or use a bunch of bags and make a whole pot. That’s handy, I guess. Especially if you got company comin’ over. Nothin’ worse than runnin’ out of tea when you got guests. Makes ya look like a bad host, and nobody wants that.

So, there ya have it. All I know ’bout this Japanese Oolong tea. It ain’t much, but it’s somethin’. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go make myself a cup. All this talkin’ ’bout tea has made me thirsty.