One
of the things that I am often explaining to people new to tightly
rolled oolong is that the tea expands so much--to about four times
the original size after steeping. I often say that a little bit goes
a long way.
In
Taiwan oolong tea production has evolved over the years. One of the
ways I've learned about this is through drinking aged oolongs. With
the aged teas the roll is not as tight as the rolled teas of today
because innovations in processing equipment have created the ability
to make tighter and tighter tea balls. This tea is different than
gunpowder tea. In Chinese it is referred to as Qiuo Xing or
ball shaped oolong.
Why
is tea rolled? The functional aspects for rolling tea are that it
travels better and the freshness is sealed in. Not enough can be said
about this. The aging process is slowed down and this is what you
want to gain from processing. Processing of tea is, in a sense, a
chance to capture a particular flavor. By rolling the tea and rolling
it tight, and by roasting on the outside, around the outside... this
allows for us to experience the freshness as the round bud blooms
into the dancing leaf.
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