With the rise of milk tea markets, such as Taiwanese milk tea and commercialized tea drinks, the kind that sometimes have flavored tapioca balls swimming in it, the true premium quality of oolong milk 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 variety of plant 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. So all good oolongs come 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 major cultivars in Taiwan; this is no small feat, as there are hundreds of cultivars 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 most diversely flavored tea, and no style better showcases what carefully manipulated leaf processing can do.
How do you make Oolong tea with milk?
Authentic milk oolong is very delicious and popular. The brewing process begins the moment you pluck a leaf from its stem. Once separated, oxidation begins; if you let the 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 the partially oxidized products or leaves engineered to desired oxidation levels. Jin Xuan oxidizes anywhere between 80 to 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 to wilt, how it is tossed, rolled, and compressed. Temperature and humidity play an important role in creating an oolong with standards to match. Roasting then begins, a process almost all teas undergo before the entire cycle is complete.
The main goal of this type of processing is to allow the water in the leaves to evaporate and for 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 an abundance of sweetness. The tea leaves transform into an aromatic floral flavor upon first steeping with a secondary creamy flavor that leaves a smooth mouthfeel. It also has a unique feeling of going a bit powdery. A second or third soak would bring out the floral flavor more and leave a slight sensation 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 is washed out with all the other flavors as you continuously drink it.
Different flavors can be extracted from its complex leaves. A teapot booth produces anything from deep chocolate flavor to roasted nutty, buttery floral flavor to 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 preparation 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 double their size first, as this would allow the flavor to be released.
What is famous?
To keep things simple, the three types of tea made from Jin Xuan are green oolong, medium roast oolong, and dark oolong. Green oolong or jade oolong is 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 flavor.
