TeaChat

My husband just returned from a trip to China where he purchased a lovely oolong tea. Unfortunately, he didn't get the name of this particular tea and I was wondering if anyone could help identify it. It comes in a bud-like form, and when you add water, the bud opens up and a long white piece comes out of the middle. It smells like an exotic flower and tastes just like it smells. The buds are about an inch in diameter and grow in the mountains of Taiwan--supposedly very rare. Can anyone tell me what I've been drinking?

I heard the oolong tea disolves food, which is good if you want to keep your figure. Could someone tell me if it's the oolong tea that does that? If so, which oolong tea is it?

Thank you.
Cristina

Cristina--

Thanks for the post.

Due to the fact that ALL teas-- not just Oolong tea-- come from the same plant (good ol' Camellia Sinensis), all have the same basic chemical composition. This means that, while slight differences may occur due to processing, all teas have very similar health benefits. This means that basically all teas have the same weight loss effects.

Supposedly, Pu Erh is supposed to have a slight advantage over the rest in terms of weight loss, but this is probably just a myth. However, some still like to indulge in the myth. Here is the link:

http://www.adagio.com/black/pu_erh_dante.html

The real key is to find the tea that fits your tastes. Doctors recommend 3-4 cups daily to get full benefits. That's a lot of tea, so it should be one that you'll enjoy. This is where Adagio comes in.
We sell only the most delicious teas from around the world, sure to make those 3-4 daily cups (or more!) a pleasure.

Hope this helps,

Chris
Adagio Maestro

Chris,
Do you ever get tired of answering the same questions over and over again? When people post their questions in the wrong topic, does it bug you? If not, you are a far more patent person than I, that's for sure. Thanks for putting up with us!
Marlene

You have indeed a great sence of structure in mantaining this site. I know i couldnt with such zeal with such a positive look at things from your self, And im with Marlene all the way, it seems liek when ever there is a topic ..that somehow relates to what a person has a question about..they feel free to post just about anywheres that has a word in it, as so does there question.

Master-S.T-

Marlene and Master-S.T-

Yep.... i definitely answer a lot of the same questions repeatedly. But that's nothing-- you should see the guys i have to WORK with! Talking about bugging!

Also, i just wanted to thank you guys for your great help and many wonderful posts-- this wouldn't be such a great chat forum without great posters!

With zeal,

Chris
Adagio Maestro

group hug!

Evan Draper

By what you describe it sounds like a chinese green that has chrysanthemum flowers attached. The taste should be a slight bit salty almost oceanic. In some places its called "Chrysanthemum Bouquet" It is similar to the "Green Anemone" lacking the Chrysanthemum flowers. It is actually hand sewn into that shape. One of my favorite tasting teas. The flowers look like that of a kite's tail...

teachat wrote:My husband just returned from a trip to China where he purchased a lovely oolong tea. Unfortunately, he didn't get the name of this particular tea and I was wondering if anyone could help identify it. It comes in a bud-like form, and when you add water, the bud opens up and a long white piece comes out of the middle. It smells like an exotic flower and tastes just like it smells. The buds are about an inch in diameter and grow in the mountains of Taiwan--supposedly very rare. Can anyone tell me what I've been drinking?

to the original poster --

The tea you're describing is refered to as "Hua Cao Cha" in Chinese. It means "Flower Grass Tea". This is a very special style of tea, in which green tea leaves are tied in a radiating bundle and flowers are handsewn to the center of that bundle. The whole thing is then compressed into a ball shape, so that when you bre wit, it unfurls in the pot and the flowers emerge like they are blooming.

There are a huge variety of these kinds of tea bundles. They are usually made with Green Tea, not Oolong tea. The flowers vary a lot, some of them are purely for decoration and have no noticeable flavour, and some of them are more fragrant and flavourful like Jasmine, Rose, or Osmanthus. If you could describe the petal shape, colour, and flavour of the flower, we might be able to figure it out.

Does your husband know the name of that particular tea bundle, in Chinese?

Hope that helps,
Troy

Hey, no problem!

Honestly, I still feel like I'm just beginning with my knowledge of tea. There are a lot of people out there that know a lot more than I do, and there is just so much to know... and it changes every day.

Also, I'm firmly in the "information should be free, knowledge is power" camp, and I love to share the world of tea with others.

So, please, ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them!

Thanks,
Troy