Flavor Profile: rose, Muscat grape, dried pineapples, maybe some passion fruit
Production Area: Mộc Châu, Sơn La, Việt Nam
Harvest: July 2023
The Champagne Oolong is a highly oxidized tea with an aromatic sweetness that lingers long after. It's made in the style similar to a Taiwanese oolong tea often carrying the same name, and is well loved for the signature aroma of rose and Muscat grape.
This year's harvest is not short of all the fruity and fragrant characteristics that it is already loved for. What we find interesting about 2023's batch is the subtle touch of winter green aromatics that fill the air once you pour hot water onto the leaves. Smell the brewed tea leaves again after its cooled down and you might also pick up some of the pineapple or passion fruit notes that we're really enjoying.
Often known as a “bug-bitten tea”, the tea's distinct flavor is attributed to the tea cricket, Jacobiasca formosana that thrive during the warmer months. After the leafhopper bites the tea plant, the leaves produce a hormone as a defense mechanism. During the oxidation process in production, the high levels of these hormone translates to the deep floral and grape-y character we then later taste in our cup.
Available in 1, 2, and 4 ounce bags.
How to Prepare
Amount of Tea: 3 g / 2 tsp
Volume of Water: 118 ml / 4 oz
Water Temperature: 205°F / 90°C
Brewing Time: 40 secs
Bao Zhong used to be my favorite tea, but now it’s Champagne Oolong! I first tried a cup at TeaFest PDX and it opened up a whole world of Vietnamese teas for me.
Like all of Anna's offerings, this oolong is really lovely -- it's a very comforting and enjoyable tea. I have restocked several times and have also gifted this one to friends. It's so good!
Two of my favorite things, a good Oolong and Champagne (no not mixed together!) So of course I had to try the Champagne Oolong, and it made me just as happy as I thought it would. Thank you Anna, it’s a lovely tea
Wow, this Champagne Oolong is such a lovely cousin to the Red Oolong... two top favorites. Will definitely be ordering more, thank you for offering such uniquely curated
teas. Appreciate the care in quality.
Anna’s Champagne Oolong is a favorite already! I had tasted last season’s harvest of this particular tea and patiently waited for it to be available to order this season. I was not disappointed! It has the same fruity, floral sweetness that I love in Taiwanese bug--bitten oolongs of this style. Such a treat to discover this unique tea, and a great introduction to Vietnamese teas!
