Tie Guan Yin comes from Anxi in Fujian and is rolled into tight beads that unfurl into whole leaves in the pot. Oxidised lightly and left unroasted, this version keeps the green, floral side of the cultivar: lilac and orchid on the nose, a texture that coats the mouth and a sweetness that stays behind after the cup is empty. It is one of the easiest oolongs to like and one of the best for working out what oolong actually means. Use a small pot, plenty of leaf, water just off the boil and short steeps; it will give you six or more.
Grown above 1,200 metres in the Ali Shan range of Taiwan. Buttery in texture with a persistent sweet-floral finish. Mist and altitude do most of the work.
Roasted rock oolong from the Wuyi cliffs. Mineral and dark-roasted up front, with stone fruit underneath. It opens over many steeps rather than one.
Traditional Taiwanese oolong, rolled tight and roasted the old way. Buttery and warm, with an orchid note that survives the fire. It rewards a small pot and short steeps.
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