Review: Safa Himalaya "Himalayan Night" Oolong

Nepal is an oft-overlooked region in the tea world, its tea industry being relatively new compared to places like India, China and Japan. The volume it produces is also generally smaller than those regions. One area where Nepal does not fall short, however, is in quality. One estate in particular, Jun Chiyabari, has managed in just nine short years to acquire a reputation for producing some of the world's best teas. It is attention to detail such as hand-rolling the leaves, producing in small batches, growing organically, and paying special attention to tea bush selection that makes it a real player. In the tea world, passion counts--and it will show in the final product.

SAFA Himalaya is a Vancouver-based importer that specializes in Nepalese tea. At present, their tea is procured mainly from Jun Chiyabari estate. They are a socially responsible business in several ways: first, they trade direct with growers and pay a fair price for the product--they typically pay what the growers ask--in an effort to support the livelihoods of local growers. Second, they do business only with tea gardens that treat their workers ethically and have a responsible and sustainable relationship with the environment. These practices help achieve two equally worthy ends. There is the obvious ethical benefit of helping the poor in Nepal raise their standard of living, of course. There is also the fact that contributing to the profitability of growers who choose to employ orthodox and traditional methods of tea production helps maintain a supply of high-quality loose tea for connoisseurs to enjoy. SAFA presently offers black, green and oolong tea; this review is of their "Himalayan Night" oolong.

Himalayan Night is a 70% fermented oolong in the style of the Taiwanese oolongs, which tend to be darker and more heavily oxidized than so-called "Chinese" oolongs. If you are familiar with other oolongs, the first thing you'll notice about Himalayan Night is that it is a pleasant paradox. Take the time to have a look, and you'll see that the leaves are handpicked for quality. Take the time to smell it, and you'll experience a strong nose of apricot and dried fruit which is very pleasant and yet a bit idiosyncratic, which really sums up the appeal of this tea. It is a tea that dares to be different, while still sharing enough common ground with other more well-known oolongs to not seem a jarringly novel experience.

The appearance of the tea is similarly new, yet familiar. While many oolongs have an austere appearance, taking the form of tightly rolled bluish/greenish pebbles, the dry leaves of Himalayan Night, with its wiry black, white and orange appearance, are pleasantly autumnal, not unlike certain Darjeelings (but much more colourful). Once infused (pictured above, top left; click for detail), the leaves are even more striking, with a variegated array of reds, oranges, yellows and browns that is definitely memorable. The liquor (top right) is striking--an exquisite gold color, similar to a Tie Guan Yin but darker and richer.

But what can be said of the taste? Perhaps the best indication of the quality of this tea--and the idiosyncratic duality that has been continually alluded to--is that connoisseurs will love it, and newcomers will probably be thrilled by it as well. The taste on the palate is complex and subtle--the fruity top notes will make themselves known early on, particularly the apricot that is also present in the nose. The muscatel flavors typical to Darjeelings are present, as well as a strong woody note reminiscent of, again, a Tie Guan Yin oolong. The flavor is also strangely "creamy" and has a fine roundness in the mouth which makes for a really refreshing cup--it feels like you've had a glass of really pure water. Lastly, to paraphrase the old maxim that "you keep tasting a great oolong even after you've finished drinking it," the aftertaste is fantastic and lingers on the palate long after the last sip.

The overall impression of this fine tea is of a hybrid of a very good Darjeeling and a very good Taiwanese oolong, without either one dominating the other. Truly remarkable, this tea is highly recommended to fans of either varietal, or to those who cherish the idea of indulging their hobby while simultaneously supporting development in impoverished areas.

Japanese Green Teas, Pt. 3: Matcha

Matcha is perhaps one of the better-known Japanese green teas due to its frequent association with "superfoods" such as acai berries, goji, and so on. Like these, matcha is touted for its putative health benefits, which are indeed considerable. But those who view matcha as a mere health food product are missing the basic enjoyment of this quintessential Japanese tea.

Matcha is powdered green Japanese tea. It is produced from a variety of shade-grown green tea called Gyokuro, which is quite popular on its own, and unquestionably one of the best Japanese greens (the first spring harvests of Gyokuro fetch very high prices and are hard to come by due to demand). As most teas today are made either in bags or from the whole leaf, the appearance and preparation of matcha stand apart. Typically, the deep green matcha powder is produced from a container and placed in a bowl, where it is mixed with hot water and whipped with a bamboo whisk until it foams and froths. When it has reached the correct consistency, it is then decanted into a vessel for consumption by the drinker. It is difficult to prepare correctly and water temperature is very important. The whole procedure and atmosphere surrounding matcha is so singular that it is worth noting its origin. Where did this powdered tea, for which there seems to be no contemporary analogue, come from? The answer demonstrates the immense historical importance of tea as well as the interconnectedness and fluidity of culture.

Tea culture originated in China. Although tea had been around for a long time before, it was during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that tea drinking really became firmly entrenched in Chinese society, with teahouses becoming popular and the drink being widely consumed. At that time, the preferred method of preparation was to compress dried tea leaves into bricks for easy transportation and trade, and the dried leaves would be ground into powder and decocted (essentially boiled) to produce the drink. (A remnant of this tradition remains in the production of Pu Erh tea). Interestingly, it was typical for drinkers of the time to add salt to the liquor. By the Song Dynasty (960-1279) tea culture had evolved into an elaborate ceremony involving ornate methods of preparation. It was during this period that the use of "fine china" became commonplace, and--significantly--the method of preparation involving beating the wet powder into a froth with a bamboo whisk was introduced. This method and the elaborate ceremony surrounding it assumed spiritual and religious overtones in addition to the cultural significance and popularity it already had. It was only with the advent of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that the now-traditional method of steeping the whole leaf became the preferred method. But by that time, Japanese tea culture had already inherited an elaborate ceremonialism that essentially dated back to the Song Dynasty. How did this occur?

It is generally thought that Buddhist monks from China (traditionally the monk Eisai is credited) brought the pageantry of Song dynasty tea preparation with them along with Zen Buddhism, which was introduced near the end of the twelfth century. The Japanese tea ceremony, which embodies typical Zen principles of simplicity, reverence for the mundane and oneness with one's environment and self, is called Cha No Yu and, in many respects, maintains a high level of fidelity to the traditions imported from Song-era China.

Thus, matcha has a long and interesting history. The reverence the tea is held in does not stop at its preparation--the same level of care extends to the husbandry used to produce it. The fact that the leaves used to make matcha are grown in shade is extremely significant; the resulting leaves are protected from the sun's rays, causing a high concentration of amino acids in the harvested leaf. While green teas in general tend to be high in amino acids due to their low level of oxidation (and their method of preparation), keeping the plant in the shade as it grows helps it retain more of these amino acids and slows its growth, enhancing the natural flavors inherent to the plant. The resulting brew is noticeably sweeter than most teas, with a strong vegetal flavor. Because of its thick consistency, matcha is great on its own, but also makes for interesting modern concoctions such as green tea lattes, matcha milkshakes, etc. Matcha is also quite commonly used as a cooking ingredient in Japan in such dishes as ice creams, cakes, Jell-O and the like. (It is delicious, by the way).

A quick note on the oft-repeated health benefits of matcha--matcha contains extremely high levels of an antioxidant called epigallecatechin gallate, more commonly referred to as EGCG, which has been implicated in all kinds of salutary health effects, from cancer prevention to prevention of heart disease to strengthening the immune system. While EGCG is present in all green teas to some extent, matcha contains, by some estimates, up to 137 times as much. If you find that matcha is to your liking, at least you'll never have to feel guilty about overconsuming it!

Why Water Temperature Matters

Water temperature is not something most people spend a lot of time thinking about when they set out to make a cup of tea. Most of the time, the water is simply brought to a boil and poured over the teabag (or loose leaves). However, using boiling water can actually significantly impair the flavor of the tea. The reasons for this lie in chemistry.

A cup of tea contains numerous chemical and mineral compounds, among them amino acids, tannins, and aroma compounds. Aroma compounds are particularly important; they are what impart a certain "nose," or bouquet of aromas, to the liquor. These include such distinct olfactory sensations as smoke, fruit, wet grass, and many others. Certain types of tea have higher concentrations of specific compounds than others. For example, green teas--especially Japanese green teas--have high concentrations of amino acids (due to the unique manner in which they are grown and harvested).

The reason water temperature is important is because all of the aforementioned chemical compounds have a certain temperature at which they are destroyed. For instance, green teas are best infused at relatively low temperatures (see below for a rough guide). If the water is too hot, many of the delicate flavors and aromas will be neutralized and will not be present in the infusion. Even more importantly--and this is almost universally true--using water that is too hot, or steeping the tea for too long (which has a similarly deleterious effect) will introduce bitterness into the cup.

But we still haven't answered the question of why boiling water is bad for the flavor of your tea. Isn't this fine for black tea? The short answer is, no. Even though black tea is 100% oxidized, this doesn't mean there aren't valuable components of the overall impression that are damaged by excessive temperature. One of the most important aspects of a tea is invariably its bouquet. With regards to tea, we experience the aroma two ways--via gases that evaporate from the cup and reach our nose directly (orthonasally)and through our palate and the back of our mouth (retronasally). When water is boiled, it no longer contains any oxygen. This impairs the ability of the aroma compounds to form a gaseous state and subsequently be enjoyed by the taster. As well, it tends to dissolve tannins, which not only are an important component of the flavour but also significant in terms of the health benefits of tea. Using boiling water also encourages the formation of a "skin" of minerals on the surface of the tea, which soaks up some of the other chemical constituents of the flavor and dulls them on the palate.

So what are the best temperatures for each type of tea? The answer isn't as simple as you might think. What works for one tea may not work for another. For example, while many black teas--notably Assam teas--are best in water that is almost boiling (but not quite), another black tea, Darjeeling, is best at slightly lower temperatures. In general, however, there are certain characteristics shared by each type of tea that make them best prepared at a certain temperature. Below are some general guidelines.

WHITE/GREEN TEA: 140F-180F (60C-82C)
OOLONG TEA: 180F-200F (82C-93C)
BLACK/PU ERH TEA: 200F-210F (93C-98C)

This is a complex and important topic. For a more in-depth discussion, a good source is Francois-Xavier Delmas' book The Tea Drinker's Handbook.