I'm excited about this tea review. This producer represents the best range of main Thai oolong producers, per my past experience. I don't mean that this will necessarily be the absolute best oolong coming out of Thailand, surpassing every small boutique producer; I'm saying that among the main producers per my experience they have been the most consistent, making the best versions that I've tried. But I do drink a lot more sheng pu'er, for what that's worth.
I've already tried this Oriental Beauty, and it's pretty good. Red oolong, or more oxidized oolong, is a pretty standard type that's generally usually pretty good, so both should be nice. I bought the OB, and 101 sent the Red Oolong to try (many thanks to them for that!).
Let's check their listing information:
101 Tea Premium Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea Loose Leaf (200g) (500 baht, about $15)
Our most exceptional Oriental Beauty to date. This limited small-batch harvest from our tea plantation in Doi Mae Salong delivers a noticeably higher flavor profile than our regular release — richer, more complex, and deeply aromatic. Also known as White Tip Oolong, each leaf is hand-picked once a year during summer, when tiny leafhoppers gently bite the tea leaves, triggering a natural transformation that produces its signature sweet fruit aroma and honey-like Stunning golden-tipped leaves. brew into a vibrant red cup with a taste that lingers. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Their OB has been pretty decent in the past, but seeing this did help me decide to try this version. Note that 200 grams for $15 is lower in cost than just about anything you would ever buy out of Taiwan, so when comparing value between Thailand and there you just don't have a comparable price range, at least in Western markets. But I didn't buy this in a Western market; I bought it directly, online, in Thailand. So there is no clear and final point to be made; pricing varies by origin, quality level, and by where teas are being bought and sold.
The word "oriental" has dropped out of use in "the West," now typically regarded as a negative term, but that's not really true in Thailand. That political correctness / shifting word use theme can seem a little absurd, to me. It doesn't only relate to race or regional designations; ordinary terms like bathroom or toilet can keep shifting, or terms that mean handicapped shift from old forms ("crippled," "retarded") to whatever they're onto now. It is what it is.
101 Tea Premium Red Oolong Tea Loose Leaf (10g x 25 Packs, Box Set) (450 baht for 250 grams, $13.40)
Discover the rich, distinctive character of our premium Red Oolong, specially crafted through a longer oxidation process. This exceptional tea boasts a stunning reddish hue and smooth, mellow taste enhanced by subtle hints of ripe fruit and honey, conveniently packaged into individual 10g packs, each brewing one perfect pot of tea, ideal for family gatherings, tea time enjoyment, or as a thoughtful gift.
Note that there's relatively little about what these are, for example which tea plant types were used to make them. Thai oolong is commonly made from two cultivars, from #12 / Jin Xuan and #17 / Ruan Zhi (or Bai Lu; that's perhaps more accurate). There would be older Qing Xin plant types around (a family or older plant types), and some Tie Guan Yin, and others, so these teas could be from different plant types. I don't see it as necessary to say more about oxidation level, given what these are; describing flavors as they have done is a good approach.
Review
Oriental Beauty, first infusion: many people would use a rinse step to clean the tea, sort of, and to get tightly rolled ball shape to open up. I didn't, and usually don't. Oriental Beauty, or Dong Fang Mei Ren, is usually prepared in a twisted leaf shape, while this is rolled instead; make of what you will. One vendor took to calling rolled OB versions as Gui Fei, and I really don't know if that's more accurate or not.
This tea is really nice. It's just getting started, just opening up, but a longish over 30 second infusion time is strong enough to describe. One part is similar to cinnamon spice, and more range covers fruit, sort of citrusy, but it extends beyond that. Or maybe it's that the citrus range is broad; it includes that nice sharp twang of orange zest, the outer peel, and also the deeper and more complex flavors in marmalade, a cooked jam version. Marmalade is also my kitten's name; this is her:
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that's Fu style hei cha instead, but I am trying this tea in the same place |
Red oolong: it's also good. It's not expressing bright intensity as fast as the other version, so describing it more next round will probably represent it better. There is plenty of warmth and depth, and it's smooth and round. Fresher and brighter flavor range is limited; that's what I'm guessing will pick up.
Later in this review I'll do more with describing "how good?," placing that better. This seems a little bit better than a standard and basic tea version though. Comparison with the other version could be problematic, because that really is exceptional, and that aspect range is a personal favorite, among oolong range. There are others; there is a lot of different exceptional oolong character to appreciate.
OB #2: the flavor set deepens. A first early hint of vegetal range enters in, a mild green wood input. But most of the rest is still fruit and spice. The earlier citrus input might've shifted to dried apricot more instead. If someone wasn't expecting cinnamon, or spice, they might have trouble picking out that part, and it could seem like some warmer depth that's hard to place. The flavors are clean and full, beyond that hint of green wood, which will gradually increase over rounds (per earlier experience).
To describe just how good this is we need to consider other supporting aspects. The flavor is fine. It could be different in a few ways, or more intense or complex, but it's very favorable and pleasant. Feel is rich and full, but it could be richer and more full. Aftertaste expression is significant, but it could be even stronger.
So the tea is good, across all aspect and marker range (quality indicators), and it's down to how much room for improvement there is. Some, but that's sort of splitting hairs. It's quite good, and none of those dimensions represent a gap or flaw. If a Taiwanese tea curator sold a version for over $1 a gram that was identical, or this same tea, it would seem not good enough to match that type. Most of what you would buy for two or three times as much would be no better, or maybe not this good.
Red oolong: good, but not great. I've tried a red oolong sample from Thailand not long ago; I forgot where I got that. The best versions taste a lot like cacao, with dark cherry flavor input, as that one did. Of course that can vary, and other versions can be positive in different ways.
This has decent sweetness, but it's not exceptional. It has good depth, but flavor range isn't as positive as it could be. Maybe it tastes a little like cacao, but it's not pronounced. When you can't really make out what a tea tastes like well floral range often comes to mind; it could be interpreted as that. I'll see if I can do better with a breakdown next round.
OB #3: cinnamon stands out all the more in this. There is a more vague fruit range beyond that, but it's not as clearly defined. It's along the line of citrus or dried apricot still, just harder to place. The green wood input isn't really evolving; if anything that cinnamon note is expanding instead, seeming to cover related range. Sweetness is still very positive, and the overall effect is quite pleasant.
Often Thai Oriental Beauty will seem a bit more muted than Taiwanese versions, but this isn't like that, at all. Intensity is positive. And there are no negative flavor or character inputs, beyond a light trace of green wood, that's not so noticeable this round. It's a very solid tea.
Red oolong: warmth picks up. It had tasted like cacao last round, mostly, but this is now covering more cacao along with mild roasted coffee instead. It works; it might be slightly better. There's some dried fruit range beyond that, but not enough to make it easy to pick out. One part seems vaguely floral, along the line of rose petal. It's good, it just doesn't hold up as well in direct comparison with the other tea. This would be a good breakfast tea; the character would work well for having it with food.
For some teas Western brewing works better, combining 5 minutes worth of infusion output together, instead of drinking it as the individual shorter rounds. This may be like that. In general the higher the quality a tea version is the more Gong Fu brewing lets it shine, and for moderate or lower quality teas experiencing all of the aspects mixed can be more positive. This isn't bad; it's just that the other form may work better.
In going back and trying the other version (OB) that sharper, green wood edge stands out all the more. For some that could seem like a negative input, and limitation, and they might even like this red oolong more. I'm a sheng pu'er drinker, so a touch of dryness in feel character is something I barely notice, since I'm accustomed to much stronger astringency range. If someone prefers really soft tea forms the red oolong compares better than I'm describing.
Later thoughts: I didn't take more notes, but over the next couple of rounds the OB version seemed to be expressing a pronounced honey flavor note, and the Red Oolong evolved to taste more like fresh bread, which seemed nice. It might not be what everyone is looking for from the type, but it was pleasant.
Conclusions:
It was problematic comparing the two, because the Oriental Beauty version is so good, which seemed like it might come up, related to trying it earlier. It's one of the better Thai rolled oolong versions I've tried (which of course includes plenty of subjective judgement; I mean that I liked it, in addition to it seeming to representing general good quality level). Flavors were great, intensity and sweetness were good, and feel was positive.
If you really wanted to find a potential flaw a hint of green wood flavor is present, or maybe even a faint touch of sourness, but it's really good tea, and positive flavors stand out a lot more. Value is great for this tea; at this low pricing level a tea this good is a steal. Ordinary examples of Thai oolong cost nearly this much, and they're typically not comparable. You can buy better quality Oriental Beauty from Taiwan, if you know how to source it, but all of that would cost more than twice as much, and without careful and effective sourcing you would be more likely to find versions that aren't this good.
The Red Oolong was fine, although I've tried a slightly better version in the last month, as things worked out. It's good for a basic tea, especially if someone likes that style (not necessarily heavy on cacao and cherry flavor, but including that, along with other warm tones). It's smooth, drinkable, and pleasant. It would be good as a tea to brew Western style, putting 3 or 4 grams in an infuser basket or French press, to brew two good sized, strong rounds. It would make a great breakfast tea. Some people would miss the edgier astringency in some mild black teas, so that part just comes down to preference.
I would drink the OB with breakfast too, but then I tend to have lots of kinds of tea that way. It's almost a little limiting when a version seems too refined or special to drink with food, because that could throw off full appreciation of the range of aspects. I'll sit and just drink tea for an extended time once or twice a week for reviews, focusing on the experience, and generally don't appreciate teas like that very often beyond that format. It takes more time, focus, and effort.
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