Dark Oolong

Character

A smooth, pale green brew with a slightly woody flavour and aroma. Leaves can be infused several times and are renowned for improving with the second and third infusion.

Story

The highest quality Chinese grown Oolongs come from the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian Province where the dark leafed Se Chung Oolong variety doesn’t grow in tea plantations but instead grows wild in places that are largely considered wild and inaccessible. It is for this reason that this tea is sometimes known as ‘Monkey Picked’ owing to an ancient legend that local monks would train monkeys to climb the treacherous mountains to collect fresh leaves. Legend has it that during the Qing dynasty an elder elderly monk suffering from an unknown sickness couldn’t be treated by the local doctor so the monk sent for a tea master whose special oolong was purported to cure otherwise untreatable ailments. It is unknown whether the tea master was able to cure the sick monk with his special tea but despite this the specialty oolong continues to be very popular among oolong enthusiasts to this day.