With the rise of milk tea markets like Taiwanese milk tea and commercialized tea drinks, the kind that sometimes have flavored tapioca balls swimming in it, the true premium quality of milk oolong known to the masses has been completely altered. Many claim to be selling milk oolongs, but they are actually artificially flavored and pale in comparison to the real thing.
What is Oolong tea with milk?
Originally, this tea product is a cultivar (a plant variety that was produced through selective breeding). It was derived from a tea bush found in different regions of Taiwan. It is more popularly known in those areas as Jin Xuan, a cultivar of Camellia sinensis. Jin Xuan, also known as Tai Cha #12, is a relatively new discovery, only developed in the 1980s. As all good oolong comes from a specific tea bush cultivar, the uniqueness of each depends on the territory. in which it was grown. Today, Jin Xuan is one of the four main cultivars in Taiwan; this is no small feat as there are hundreds of cultivars being grown in Taiwan alone. This tea, therefore, is made from pure herbal leaves and not a single drop of milk is used in the process. In Western culture, Jin Xuan is so rare that it doesn’t even have an English name. But Westerners familiar with it describe it as the tea with the most diverse flavor, and no style better showcases what carefully manipulated leaf processing can do.
How is Oolong tea made with milk?
Authentic milk oolong is very delicious and popular. The elaboration process begins at the same moment that you pluck a leaf from its stem. Once separated, oxidation begins; if you let oxidation run its course, you’ll end up with a malted black tea with a slight astringency. If you prefer a greener tea, stop oxidation before it progresses and preserve the bright green qualities of the leaf. Oolongs are partially oxidized products or leaves engineered to desired oxidation levels. Jin Xuan oxidizes anywhere between 80 and 85 percent oxidation.
However, the timing of oxidation, while important, is not the overall process of making Jin Xuan. These have many recipes and variables that are taken into account, such as how long it is withered, how it is cast, rolled and compressed. Temperature and humidity play an important role in creating an oolong with standards up to par. Then the roasting begins, a process that almost all teas undergo before the entire cycle is complete.
The main purpose of this type of processing is to allow the water in the leaves to evaporate and the leaves to remain long enough to produce different types of flavors. Highly skilled tea makers can do all of this just by touching, looking, and smelling the leaves.
What does Milk Oolong tea taste like?
Jin Xuan milk oolong tea has a very milky profile that is always mistaken for being processed with milk or cream. it has a charm. Roasted flavor with plenty of sweetness. Tea leaves transform into an aromatic floral flavor upon steeping for the first time with a creamy secondary flavor that leaves a smooth mouthfeel. It also has a unique feeling of getting a bit powdery. A second or third soak would bring out more of the floral flavor and leave a slight aftertaste on your palate. The intense heating of this tea would allow you to taste the essence of the milk in the first sip, then it washes away with all the other flavors as you sip it continuously.
Different flavors can be extracted from its complex leaves. A teapot cabin produces anything from a deep chocolate flavor to a roasted nut, a buttery, floral flavor to an almost tropical tasting tea in a single batch of Jin Xuan oolong tea leaves. You can steep this tea a dozen times and it will produce a different flavor each time.
How to prepare milk
Complex teas, like this one, demand a high level of brewing skills. This tea thrives in boiling water, and the secret is to brew it with a heavy hand in short periods of time. They are best savored in small infusions. If you have large leaves, be sure to watch them expand to twice their size first, as this will allow the flavor to release.
Which one is famous?
To simplify, the three types of tea made from Jin Xuan are green oolong, medium roast oolong, and dark oolong. Green oolong or jade oolong are the most popular as it resembles a flavor similar to green tea but more floral and flavorful. But medium and dark roast oolong are just as good, the former developing a flavor with accents of honey, sesame and grain, while dark oolong can be as strong as coffee.