Iron Buddha Oolong

I have, in the past brewed this tea in 3 steep for three minutes each which comes out very nicely. I was recently gifted with The Way of Tea by Master Lam Kam Chuen which is really exciting. The book details not only the proper brewing of tea in the Traditional Chinese tea ceremony, but also a history of tea (I’ve read a few already so it will be nice to compare) and the steps of cultivation and processing. The last is something I’ve always wanted to learn and though I’ve read some of the STI’s information on the topic, I still feel I have much to learn.

So this brings me back to oolongs; the tea used in the Chinese Tea Ceremony. I gave away the nice Tung Ting I got in Chicago to my friends in Seattle. This Iron Buddha Oolong is at least a year old, not that it was much when it was fresher. If anyone has a favorite oolong please let me know. I’m going to Park and Shop today to look at their tea sets and see if they have any of the more traditional ones. Yay!

Just a note, that indeed Teavana has discontinued this yummy tea. It was a greener Oolong with lovely drinkable perfume aroma and complex flavor. One of my favorites! Teavana claims their Monkey Picked Oolong is a good replacement, and while the flavor is very similar, Monkey Picked is more than twice the price. In searching for something similar (in taste and price) to Iron Buddha Oolong, I’ve found Jade Oolong from Taiwan is very close. My search of an acceptable replacement inspired me to write a blog. Yep, I liked Iron Buddha Oolong that much!