Okay, let’s talk about oolong tea from Taiwan. I’ve been wanting to try it, and I finally got my hands on some.

First, I started looking around to find where I could even get this stuff. I checked out a few online places, and it seemed like everyone was selling it. Alibaba, Amazon, you name it. I ended up grabbing some from Amazon, just because it was easy, and I had a gift card. They had a bunch of different kinds, but I went for the Dong Ding Oolong, which I heard was one of the famous ones from Taiwan.

The package showed up a couple of days later. I opened it up and the tea leaves were all rolled up into these little balls. That’s apparently how they do it in Taiwan. They bake it a lot, which gives it a stronger smell.

I boiled some water and poured it over the tea leaves in my teapot. The instructions said to let it steep for a few minutes. While I was waiting, I did a bit more reading and found out that Taiwan is a big deal when it comes to oolong tea. They grow it up in the mountains where it’s all misty and humid, which is apparently perfect for oolong.

• Getting the tea:
  • Looked online at different shops.
  • Ordered Dong Ding Oolong from Amazon.
• Making the tea:
  • Opened the package and saw the rolled-up leaves.
  • Boiled water and poured it over the leaves.
  • Steeped the tea for a few minutes.
• Learning about the tea:
  • Read that Taiwan is famous for oolong because of the mountains.
  • Found out they grow lots of different kinds there.

The Taste Test

Finally, I poured myself a cup. The tea had a really nice, almost roasted smell to it. I took a sip, and wow, it was different from any tea I’d had before. It was kind of nutty and a little bit sweet. It felt really smooth going down, too. Definitely not your average cup of tea! I’m hooked now and need to start looking into getting some different types of oolong from Taiwan. I saw that there are over 25 varieties grown in just northern Taiwan. There’s a lot more exploring to do!