What is milk oolong? I first came across the term ‘milk’ oolong when I received some tea samples from a Taiwan supplier. My initial reaction was “Why would you add milk to tea, let alone Oolong?”
I decided to find out more and have done some research and want to let you know what I have found out.
Basically there is a Taiwan oolong that has a natural creamy, soft ‘milk’ flavour due to it being from a specific tea bush cultivar – Jin Xuan (Tai Cha #12 to be precise).
However, there is also in the tea market, an oolong that has been named ‘milk’ oolong which has milk flavour added in the process which gives the oolong its ‘milkyness’.
Now I have had the opportunity to try both types of oolong and for me, the one with the milk powder just doesn’t do it for me.
It brings back school day memories of buying milk biscuits from the canteen, and only finishing a quarter of it as just clogged up your mouth with gooeyness from your saliva glands working overtime to enable you to try and swallow it!
I also noticed that the milkyness disappears over a short time once you have opened the packet which leads me to believe that the milk powder used in the process wouldn’t have a long shelf life. What worries me also is that Taiwan doesn’t produce much milk. In fact, even China imports baby milk powder formula from New Zealand.
Back to the real thing; Jin Xuan Oolong is semi-oxidised by 20 to 30% oxidisation. The leaves will have a reddish edge to them and are a little thicker than other tea leaves. You shouldn’t taste any tannins and the aroma and taste will have a long sweet creaminess to it. You should also be able to pick out floral notes. The creaminess comes from the light roasting the leaves are given, also known as Nai Xiang.
The Tea bush cultivar that produces the popular tea was developed through research at the Taiwan Tea Agricultural Research centre in the 1980s. It is resistant to a wide variety of diseases and pests. Tea farmers have taken to this cultivar as it produces a greater yield than other varietals.
I am seriously considering adding this oolong to my shop as I think it is a unique tea with a great flavour profile. But only the real Jin Xuan Milk Oolong will do.
If you have any comments to add please feel free to contact me as I would like to hear what you think.