One can never have enough oolong! When one thinks of oolong, you probably think of oolong being from Taiwan or China, maybe Thailand. Today’s oolong is from Japan – Higuchi Black Oolong from Yunomi! Japanese oolongs aren’t something one sees often – checking around it seems Japanese oolongs are a special product and tea farmers don’t make much of them.
This particular Japanese black oolong has a longer fermentation time than the other Japanese oolongs. The tea is grown in the Shige Prefecture with an altitude of 400 meters/ 1300 feet.
Dry Leaf
Higuchi Black Oolong dry leaf smells like plums – a very interesting smell for an oolong! The leaves are thin and wiry, accented with the odd reddish brown stick and green leaf.
I noticed right away that the weight of the tea doesn’t match volume in regards to how much tea to use per serving. 5 grams of tea made 2 teaspoons of tea for me instead of 1 teaspoon. Maybe since my tea is older (it has been unopened in my stash for awhile) or there’s been some settling in the package.
Steeping Instructions
The steeping instructions were on the Yunomi site: 5 grams of tea / 1 teaspoon, 194f/ 90c water temperature with a 5 minute infusion. I went with 1 teaspoon of dry leaf and 190f water temperature due to variable kettle restrictions.
Surprisingly the tea leaf turn a vibrant green after the 5 minute infusion.
Tasting of Higuchi Black Oolong from Yunomi
Higuchi Black Oolong steeps up to be a bronze gold cup with a yellow halo around the edges of the cup. The tea smells like plums and flowers.
Higuchi Black Oolong sips in light and sweet with a thick texture like puffy marshmallow. The flavor has notes of herb, steamed spinach, plums, hay and earthy wood notes with a dry sweet finish. The dryness is a moderate level, a 4/10 on the Astringency Meter, as the dryness hits the mouth and tongue but evaporates quick leaving a mellow floral like sweetness. The flavor is pretty smooth until you hit the dryness, but quite unique. I think of this tea tasting like a combination of a black pekoe with a baby of sencha vegetal notes and a moderate oxidize oolong for wood and plum notes.
Comments
This is a hard tea to recommend as Higuchi Black Oolong from Yunomi is very different than other oolongs. This is my first Japanese oolong at the time I write this, so I have nothing to compare to in that regard, but in comparison to Taiwanese and Chinese oolongs, Japanese oolongs are very different.
For Higuchi Black Oolong in particular, I think would be best for a black tea drinker that wants something less rich, but just as full bodied. This tea would also be perfect for the adventurous type who want to try something on the uncommon and unusual side.
