Peach Oolong

Description

Peach Oolong

Our Peach Oolong is a Formosa Oolong tea from Taiwan, with surprising body and captivating sweet peach infusion.  It makes a great cup of hot tea, and a fantastic cup or pitcher of iced tea.  Always a favorite when we sample it iced in the store.

Oolong means semi fermented. After rolling, the tea is allowed to ferment only until the edges of the leaves start to turn brown. The tea is then fired which arrests the fermenting process and captures the interesting character associated with Oolong tea. In Taiwan, producing Oolong tea involves highly specialized skills in the control of the withering, oxidation and firing. A slight variance in any of these gives each variety a distinctive aroma, flavor, color and finish.

The best Oolongs come from Taiwan (Formosa) where the character of short-fired Oolongs has been described as peach like with a refreshing fruity herbaceous character whereas long-fired Oolongs take on bakey notes with rich amber liquids. This tea falls into the latter category.

Now what about the peaches?

Well, peaches, second only to apples in terms of worldwide cultivation, have long been known for their powerful flavor. No other fruit has the ability to draw the mouth into a world of succulent sweetness like a fresh peach. The first bite into the juicy flesh caresses the taste buds with a sensual round flavor that becomes more complete with each bite. By the end, juice coats the lips and dribbles down the chin as sticky fingers feel compelled to reach out for more. Suffice it to say the peach is a powerful force for good taste.

The world’s early people also believed peaches were a powerful force for living a long life. In China it was believed that the ancient pantheon of gods revered a mythical Peach tree for its ability to confer a long life on all who ate its fruit. Mythology maintains that the gods celebrated the fruit by sitting down to an extravagant feast known as the Pantao Hui, “The Feast of Peaches”. The catch was that this feast could only be enjoyed once every few thousand years. Evidently the mythical peach tree only bore fruit once every thousand years and required a further 3000 years for the fruit to ripen. In China to this day peaches are served at birthdays as a symbol of hope for the future. The fruit is also considered a sacred food by the Chinese Taoist religion. Peaches proved themselves to be a powerful force in the “New World” of the West as well. The fruit was first brought to North America by Spanish explorers and quickly spread throughout the continent. They spread so quickly in fact that as early as 1663 William Penn wrote about the North East explaining: “there is not an Indian plantation without peaches, all very good and in great quantities.” Amazingly, the peach appears to have spread even faster than the European settlers.

If you love Peachy teas, and Peach Oolong just isn’t enough peach for you, then you should consider our Peach Fuzz White Tea, Peach Apricot Black Tea, Paradise Peach Herbal Tea, Summer Peach Green Tea, and Ginger Peach Black Tea.  Even Decaf Peach Apricot Black Tea.

If you are a fan of Oolong Tea, then please consider our entire line of Oolong teas, which include Ti Kuan Yin Oolong, Formosa Oolong, Monkey Picked Oolong, Quangzhou Milk Oolong, Almond Oolong, Jasmine Orchard Oolong, and Peach Oolong.

Steeping Instructions
Hot tea brewing method: Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea, for each 8oz of water in the cup/teapot. Briefly infuse with freshly boiled water and then pour off. Re-infuse the tea and pour after about 1 minute or longer to taste. Milk and sugar not recommended.

Iced Tea: For a Liter or quart use 2 heaping Tbsp. of loose tea into teapot. Pour 1 1/4 cup boiling water on tea. Steep 5 minutes. Quarter fill serving pitcher straining tea. Add Ice. Top up with cold water, garnish & sweeten to taste.

Contains: Formosa Oolong, Marigolds Petals & Natural Peach Flavoring.