Where-oh-where to begin? Well…let’s start with the tea name and company, shall we? Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders. This tea took me on a wild ride recently!
The dry leaves of Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders are grayish dark green in color. The leaves are rolled and shaped differently throughout the sample bag. They are somewhat reminiscent of a loosely rolled gunpowder green tea while keeping in mind this is an Oolong we are talking about here.
The aroma of Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders is incredibly fresh, a bit on the roasted-green side, and nutty. The surprises don’t stop there! The flavor of this tea – once infused – is that closer to a malty yet roasted black tea. YES! It’s trickery is fascinating and certainly welcomed! It’s roasty, toasty, malty, sometimes floral yet sometimes vegetal, all at the same time. This ‘brews’ darker than most Oolongs I have had in recent memory. Underneath and closer to the end of the sip I can pick up on a dried apricot flavor as well. Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders continues to shock and amaze me! I must put this one on my list of favorite unflavored oolongs for this year (which I will be posting about sometime in the next couple of months so stay tuned).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Description
The creation of this tea is best described in a Nepalese tribal expression “Mio Kulang,” which means dragon or eagle claws. When the tea leaves open, they look like claws that slowly unfurl. Cultivated during the summer flush, the tea is plucked at the beginning of the harvest when the leaves are dark green. Processing begins with mechanical rolling and shaping, which gently bruises the leaves and darkens the color and indicates that its oxidation (60%) is complete. Its deep color reveals a surprisingly golden cup, with a rich-tasting amber cup and notes of toasted nuts, malt and apricots
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
