Greengold Georgian oolongs

Reviewing more Greengold teas, provided for review by Nika Sioridze, with more on who that is and their existing plantation reclamation project in this post.  The others were more basic, black and green varieties, with these two oolongs instead.  I think they are still working through processing variations some with oolong range, so one of these may have not been produced for sale just yet, or maybe it's both.  Either way I would expect these styles to shift a little year to year.  Probably one of the versions is especially experimental, given the outcome.  I liked both but one came across as more of a work in progress.

Some of the same concerns come up related to Indian oolong production, that the outcome, and probably processing approach, isn't really a match for Chinese or Taiwanese styles.  I don't see that as overly negative or problematic.  It would be hard to know what else to call mid-oxidized tea style development, and per the main standard take "oolong" applies.

In a Facebook post they refer to this more oxidized "Fire of Dragon" style as a red tea.  That could be seen as complicating things, using the Chinese term for a black tea, while they refer to other black tea as black tea.  It's not completely unheard of for a vendor to refer to a tea as red to convey an intention to match a Chinese black tea style, or in the case of "red oolong" to imply that it just means "more oxidized."  Purists might complain that "hong cha" literally means "red tea" and figuratively means "black tea," so it's not a black tea style or a modifier meaning "more oxidized."  You can sort it all out easily enough case by case.  This is either intended as a very oxidized oolong, made using a basic processing style, or a less oxidized Chinese-style black tea, which is really exactly the same thing.  

Then some people might want to claim that oolong should stop at 80% oxidation level, with low-oxidation black tea just above that, but those people would be silly to apply a random and meaningless convention in their own preferred way.  There is no distinction to be made between an 80% oxidized tea and an 85% oxidized version; the point of that is to indicate a generality, that really doesn't have a fixed border like that.  And there's more to oolong style conventions than just degree of oxidation level, but that's already enough about all that.

Review

more oxidized "Fire of Dragon" left, experimental lighter oolong right (in all photos)

#1 ("Fire of Dragon," but I just reviewed it blind as a random sample):  this seems slow to get started, lacking much intensity, but I expect that's not because the tea lacks intensity, it's just a brewing effect pattern.  What is present is interesting; it comes across like a really mild black tea.  It's missing a lot of the astringency edge, so I bet this is an oolong, but I've drank plenty of black tea that's like that, processed in such a way to cause that to drop out.  It's not just that black tea flavor, like conventional Ceylon, but mineral base is really pronounced in this too.  I should say more next round instead, and let it get going.

#2 (lighter oolong):  I thought this was probably green tea at first, since their green tea dry leaf looks dark, but a roasted smell to the brewed leaves makes me think otherwise, that it's an oolong.  And the brewed color; green tea would be more yellow, or at least light gold, and this is between gold and amber.  What I take to be a roast input stands out quite a bit, and some sourness, and green tea related range. It's interesting how this is brewed a little strong, based on the same parameters.  That's not really meaningful, how intensity can change a lot over time for different teas; you just account for that in setting infusion time each round. 

This really tastes a lot like a Mississippi origin yellow tea I tried not so long ago, which is strange, given how unique and distinctive that was.  It had an odd sourness to it, which wasn't bad, as I experienced it, mixed with toasted rice and other green tea complexity, including some umami.   By toasted rice I don't just mean that one nutty edge in Longjing, I mean that it included a starchy sort of range, like actual fresh rice.  This is also vegetal beyond what seems to be a roast input and some degree of sourness.  I'd expect it will evolve quite a bit over just one round, so it's as well to say more next round for it too.

#1, Fire of Dragon - second round:  this is gaining a lot of complexity fast, but I think it's not even there yet, that it needs one more round to really show where it's headed.  Interesting!  That earlier black tea edge dropped back, revealing complex flavor that could keep evolving in lots of different directions.  Fruit and spice seem most likely, but this could just get woody, or something I'm not identifying now could dominate the profile next round.  

As I interpret this round a touch of citrus joined in, with spice range a little stronger, maybe root spice related.  Seeing both together as tied to tree bark would make sense, along with a conventional black tea flavor, which has eased up, and the mineral range.  I expect that fruit and spice will keep evolving.  Astringency is in an interesting moderate level, and novel form; it has some fullness, and a very slight edge, but that form is unusual.  The feel is pleasant, just different.

#2, lighter oolog:  again it's roast effect, toasted rice, vegetal range (toasted seaweed, or along that line), with some sourness, so not really different.  Sourness dropped back from dominant to secondary to a lot of the rest, and roast input evened up with the vegetal range, and toasted rice effect.  It might still seem odd that I'm separating "roast" and "toasted rice;" one part of this is like toasted bamboo, a little woody, but really that toffee and grain sort of range, just toasted a lot.  Then the toasted rice part is closer to nutty.  

For anyone familiar with "bamboo pu'er" or falap, the roast effect might relate to something occurring in those, just not extended on to smoke or char.  I've only tried one example of each version, that I can recall, but that bamboo flavor is something that sticks with you.  Of course they cook a lot in bamboo sections and banana leaves here in Thailand, so variations of those inputs used food cooking "vessels" is familiar.  Sticky rice custard roasted in bamboo sections is very familiar, and very pleasant.

#1, Fire of Dragon - third infusion: this did evolve quite a bit, but it's harder than ever to describe.  A novel warm mineral base tone stands out, but what I was describing as spice mixed with Ceylon tea flavor and fruit is much different, and more dominant.  I think what's making it difficult to identify is how a complex bundled set of flavors comes across as unified; that happens.  

One part is a spice range, more or less like a root spice, towards ginseng, but a little softer and sweeter, towards sassafras / root beer.  Then another part leans towards citrus, but it's not exactly that, or maybe just a hint of dried red grapefruit peel.  There is a woodiness to this too, not unlike sassafras wood or leaf (which again is the kind of thing I only vaguely remember from childhood, so switching that to a mild and sweet wood tone works).  

The "tastes like tea" part, that mineral intensive black tea range, is secondary, but integrated with the rest.  I've been avoiding saying "like Lipton" but it's like part of that.  Again feel structure is unique, as soft and complex as oolong range, but not like any conventional oolong.  This is definitely different.  I like it, but someone liking or disliking novelty might tip that judgment balance.

#2, lighter oolong - this transitions by shifting balance of what was there before more than anything, and mapping out a clear weighting probably isn't worth the trouble. I think the range integrates better than in the earlier rounds; it matches together, with the parts supporting each other, and linking.  This really only reminds me of that one US yellow tea I've tried; it's not like any other version.  The sourness links it to Thai wild tree plant source oolongs, a little, and the rest of the range is closest to that as well, in comparison with all other teas.  

I like this tea too, but for this version someone's take on sourness in tea would define subjective preference relationship to it.  I'm ok with it, but only through repeated exposure, because I've adjusted to it as normal.  That roast edge isn't like that Mississippi yellow tea; it didn't have it.  That part is closest to a Yunnan bamboo pu'er I tried.

#1, Fire of Dragon - fourth infusion:  fruit does seem to pick up in this, but a novel form of it.  One part is like dried citrus peel, and another like dried tamarind or mango (between the two; the first of those is a lot warmer and deeper, with dried mango bright and sweet).  I'm not interpreting this as related to floral range but it's easy to see how someone might, seeing one part as rose petal or something such.  

This might seem a little more sour to me if the other tea wasn't a lot more sour.  As I interpret it that fruitiness is really pleasant in combination with a spice-range mid-tone.  The spatial arrangement of flavor layers might be a bit of a stretch but I "see" the mineral as a base (in this, it's just less dominant), then spice, with fruit more forward, or "higher." All that is probably as much a process I use for sorting out parts of tasting experience as something everyone would identify.

#2, lighter oolong: that roasted bamboo flavor is stronger than ever; I really would've expected that to fade instead of develop.  Sourness eases up and it comes across as much sweeter now, a little towards how herb-sweetener works (stevia).  If it lacked other dimensions that might not be pleasant but it integrates well with toasted rice flavor and now-diminished roasted seaweed taste.

Conclusions:

All in all really pleasant and novel teas.  I'd expect these have a few more surprises in order, that this story is only two-thirds told, but that's enough taking notes, enough for me to write and for others to read.  Often I'll make a comment or two about later rounds, but not always [not in this case, and I'm writing this summary a week later].

The Fire of Dragon version didn't seem all that experimental to me; the results are good, and this tea character is ready.  I imagine that they might keep adjusting the other, and will probably make a change to the drying process or fixing step timing that will reduce sourness.  Even with the sourness I still liked it, since I've become accustomed to those two other ranges of teas being a little sour, the one yellow version, and many wild Thai teas.  It's conceivable that all those "wild origin" Thai teas had that aspect in relation to the same processing step flaw, but it seems much more likely that it relates to a normal input from a range of plant genetics.  It was nice the way that the light oolong had so much positive going on, the complex flavors, good overall balance, the pleasant toasted rice and bamboo flavor input.

It's interesting trying new types, in this kind of development in progress form, and they're often not as positive as this second version is.  The first compares well enough to well-oxidized oolongs, or to lower oxidation level, slightly atypical black teas.  It's fruitier than black tea ever tends to be, not a bad type of variation.  It was also really well balanced, and lacking flaws, a quite good tea.

out to a mall; we saw the first movie I've seen in a year (the Bond film, which was ok)

that one Chinese bean desert I keep mentioning, Cheng Shim E

like a date night theme; that never happens