Oh geeze, what did I get myself into? Today’s tea review is a Taiwanese Black Bean Oolong from Oolong Inc. They even having gongfu instructions for this tea too, which is nuts. I have had black bean tea before – one time wandering my local Korean supermarket I found it. I tried boiling the black bean tea forever but got no flavor. I now know that I should of roasted it first and cut it with Korean barley tea.
However, Oolong Inc’s tea is blended with oolong. Let’s take a look.
Dry Leaf
The scent is strong roast with a bit of sweet nuttyness. The appearance is rough – lumps of oxidized oolong with lots of bean. That is a lot of bean!
Steeping Instructions
I went with 1g to 10ml ratio – I figured the high ratio would help combat the high bean/ low oolong content. I used boiling water. Their site said fill 1/4 vessel, 200F water, starting 90 second steeps, four infusions. I did a rinse thinking you rinse oolong and beans, so it was a must, however I also sipped the rinse and surprise… I went in for 30 second steep to start.
Tasting of Taiwan Black Bean Oolong from Oolong Inc
The steeped leafbean looks horrific. It is pitch black and the beans are trying to hatch. The scent is like a Vegas casino of smokey doom. The tea is a watery brown, looks like a weak black tea.
First, Second, Infusion: The Black Bean Oolong sips in a stiff, sweet, and roasty with a slight silky texture. The flavor is like roasted chestnut skins, beany sweet, and an interesting savory broth note at the end. The roast flavor level is high, and the second steeping has a bit of smoke present.
I’ve had more roasty oolongs (ie an aged oolong that is charcoal roasted and reroasted every year) but this clocks in more roasty than houjichas and regular roast oolongs.
Third and Fourth Infusion: I got a hint of it last steeping, but Third got smokey. It is a moderate smoke but unlike the usual tea smoke of the likes of lapsang souchong or young raw puer – it is sweet smoke. This smoke is likely from the black bean. These steepings have a very bright oomphy flavor of roast, smoke, sweet, and silky texture of oolong with a savory finish. The aftertaste is more smoke, as if I was sucking on a sweet charcoal popsicle.
I was in idiot here and forgot to use my tea filter on steeping number four. However I noticed the oolong hasn’t even fully opened up yet.
Fifth Infusion: Only four? Ha, they obviously haven’t had a determined blogger who overleafed their tea yet. The flavor is very sharp and bright – strong roast, smoke with an interesting stronger savory beany finish. The tea has a very clean texture.
Sixth and Seventh Infusion: 10 and 20 minute steepings here – now I’m fighting the tea dying. It sips in light, sweet and roasty, with a savory broth finish. It lost the smoke essence and richness, oddly reminding me of popcorn. I got this Black Bean Oolong this far, and no bitter or dryness. I nibbled on a steeped out black bean – it crumbled easily and tasted like a little smokey roast bomb!
Grandpa Style: I made the rest of my sample grandpa style. The Black Bean Oolong came out well, I sipped on it for 30 minutes while I worked on my morning emails and it was very similar to the third and fourth steeping. However, when I got to the bottom of the cup it was very smokey, tasting similar to nibbling on the bean.
Comments
Oolong Inc’s Black Bean Oolong is surprisingly really easy to drink! If you like heavy roast oolongs, houjicha, or roast barley teas, Black Bean Oolong is a must! I can see this tea being fantastic iced too! I am tempted to get more to drink iced for hot summer afternoons.
The pricing on Black Bean Oolong is quite cheap too, $7 for 4oz at this time, likely due to beans being cheap and heavy. Unfortunately, I do not see anything smaller than 2oz packages, but their teas are priced very affordably.
(tea provided for review)
