The World of Taiwanese Oolongs
09/22/15 • 54 min
This week on Talking Tea we begin exploring the spectrum of Taiwanese oolongs with Shiuwen Tai of Seattle's Floating Leaves Tea. Shiuwen chats with us via Skype about the history of tea in Taiwan, and how Taiwan's tea production has been influenced by its relationships with both China and Japan. We discuss some of the factors that go into forming the unique flavor profiles of oolong teas from Taiwan, including aged oolongs, why mouthfeel and texture are important in evaluating tea, and then take a closer look at two oolongs: Alishan, a high mountain Taiwanese oolong (the photo shows an Alishan tea garden), and the famous Tieguanyin. Shiuwen also gives us tips on best brewing practices, and shares her perspectives on how "science, art, love and patience" come together to create exceptional Taiwanese oolongs.
More info on Floating Leaves, including its online store, shop hours and classes, can be found at the Floating Leaves website, http://www.floatingleavestea.com, and on its Facebook page. Shiuwen's blog is at http://www.floatingleavestea.blogspot.com.
For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea.
To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected].
Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our Libsyn episode page, or email us.
Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken.
This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.
Photo of an Alishan tea farm by Wm Jas, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. Cropped from original.
This week on Talking Tea we begin exploring the spectrum of Taiwanese oolongs with Shiuwen Tai of Seattle's Floating Leaves Tea. Shiuwen chats with us via Skype about the history of tea in Taiwan, and how Taiwan's tea production has been influenced by its relationships with both China and Japan. We discuss some of the factors that go into forming the unique flavor profiles of oolong teas from Taiwan, including aged oolongs, why mouthfeel and texture are important in evaluating tea, and then take a closer look at two oolongs: Alishan, a high mountain Taiwanese oolong (the photo shows an Alishan tea garden), and the famous Tieguanyin. Shiuwen also gives us tips on best brewing practices, and shares her perspectives on how "science, art, love and patience" come together to create exceptional Taiwanese oolongs.
More info on Floating Leaves, including its online store, shop hours and classes, can be found at the Floating Leaves website, http://www.floatingleavestea.com, and on its Facebook page. Shiuwen's blog is at http://www.floatingleavestea.blogspot.com.
For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea.
To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected].
Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our Libsyn episode page, or email us.
Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken.
This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.
Photo of an Alishan tea farm by Wm Jas, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. Cropped from original.
Previous Episode
Kevin Gascoyne on Darjeelings, Fair trade and the Future of Tea
We’re back in Montreal this week on Talking Tea chatting with Kevin Gascoyne of Montreal’s famed Camellia Sinensis Tea House.
Kevin, a co-owner of Camellia Sinensis, is known around the world as a prominent tea taster, educator and author. We talk with Kevin about his passion for Darjeeling teas, how classically grown Darjeelings compare with newer clonal teas, and current trends in tea processing. Kevin also discusses fair trade and labor conditions at tea gardens in India and elsewhere, and shares his perspectives on the future of tea’s popularity and growth, both in North America and worldwide. And, as an added bonus, we chat with Kevin about Camellia Sinensis’ groundbreaking studies on caffeine and anti-oxidants in tea.
More info on Camellia Sinensis, including its online store, shop hours, blog and upcoming seminars and events, can be found on its website, http://camellia-sinensis.com, and also on its Facebook page and Twitter feed.
Among Kevin Gascoyne’s many publications are two acclaimed books he co-authored with his partners at Camellia Sinensis: Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties (the original French version is Thé: Histoire, Terroirs, Saveurs) and Green Tea: A Quest For Fresh Leaf and Timeclass Craft (in French Thé Vert: A La Rencontre D’Un Art Mill énaire). Both are available on the Camellia Sinensis website.
For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea.
To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected].
Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our Libsyn episode page, or email us.
Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken.
This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.
Photo courtesy of Camellia Sinensis Tea House.
Next Episode
Baozhong: Born in China, Rooted in Taiwan
We're continuing our exploration of Taiwanese oolongs this week with a focus on one of the most celebrated of Taiwanese teas, Baozhong. Shiuwen Tai, of Seattle's Floating Leaves Tea, gave us such a fantastic and comprehensive intro to Taiwanese oolongs in our last episode that we had to invite her back to give us some more in-depth knowledge, and we asked Shiuwen to talk about Baozhong because, well, it's one of our favorite oolongs.
Shiuwen chats with us about Baozhong's history, from its origins in China to its later cultivation in Taiwan, and how this history along with Taiwanese innovations in growing and processing Baozhong give it the distinctive flavor and bouquet it's known for today. We also talk about the birth of floral teas in Taiwan, about aged Baozhongs and aged oolongs in general, and about how a tea maker's skill can create an experience for the drinker that, in Shiuwen's words, is "almost beyond imagination."
In the photo above, Shiuwen visits the Baozhong fields of Farmer Chen, in Taiwan's Wen Shan district.
More info on Floating Leaves, including its online store, shop hours and classes, can be found at the Floating Leaves website, http://www.floatingleavestea.com, and on its Facebook page. Shiuwen's blog is at http://www.floatingleavestea.blogspot.com.
For more information on Talking Tea and updates on new episodes, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talkingtea.
To inquire about being a guest or having your organization featured, please email us at [email protected].
Have something in mind you'd like to hear discussed on Talking Tea? Leave us a comment on Facebook or on our Libsyn episode page, or email us.
Talking Tea is produced and hosted by Ken Cohen. You can follow Ken on Twitter @Kensvoiceken.
This podcast features music from "Japanese Flowers" (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii/japanese-flowers) by mpgiiiBEATS (https://soundcloud.com/mpgiii) available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Adapted from original.
Photo of Shiuwen Tai in Farmer Chen's Baozhong fields, courtesy of Shiuwen Tai.
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