I began a months-long series of primers about tea in July, since it has been a long time since I wrote about the types of tea, the variables in determining their classification, their similarities and differences, and each of their defining characteristics. We got acquainted with the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and discussed black tea in July and we learned about the differences between green, yellow and white teas last month. For those of you who are new to my community or if you missed the prior two newsletters, you may find them in the online shop here (just scroll down to the bottom of the page). This month, we're going to dive into the complexities of wulong tea and we'll wrap up this series next month with Pu-er and other dark teas.

Normal business operations continue at the shop, but I am amending the policy slightly. The wearing of masks is not required, but you may continue to do so if you prefer. The traffic in the shop has increased and so has crowding and wait times. It is requested that everyone please bring a mask to the shop that may be worn during the times that we are packed. Moving forward, I request that you do not come to the shop if you are feeling under-the-weather or please wear a mask, if you do stop by. As a reminder, pre-orders of loose leaf teas are encouraged in order to streamline the preparation of your custom orders and reduce your wait time, especially if the shop is busy when you arrive. Orders also continue to be shipped nationwide and all (pre)orders can be placed in our online shop www.pleasuresoftea.com. Your pre-order is not finalized until you pick up, so there is no need to input your credit card info. This allows flexibility to browse the shop, add more teas, a cup of tea, or some of our goodies to your order. Any additional changes to our COVID policies will be communicated as necessary.

Please note that the shop will be closed for the last break of the year from Monday, September 13th through Wednesday, September 22nd. Be sure to stock up your favorite teas or grab some macarons before we close on Sunday :)

As a reminder, current hours can always be found on the shop website www.infuseteabarny.com, on our facebook page Infuse Tea Bar by The Pleasures of Tea, and they are posted in our shop windows.

If you would like to make an appointment for this unique experience, please email kristine@infuseteabarny.com or reply to this email. I look forward to preparing tea for you! :)

This month, we are going to discuss the diverse and complex category of wulong tea, how it is classified, and the typical characteristics. Wulong tea, which translates as Black Dragon, is the third most produced and consumed tea around the world, accounting for somewhere around five percent of total production. Wulongs are some of the most labor-intensive and time-consuming teas to produce and there are many steps through which the leaves may pass during production. As with the other types of teas that have been discussed so far, wulongs are classified based on being put through a formal oxidation step and allowed to partially oxidize. The leaves are semi-oxidized from about ten to eighty percent during processing and this range yields an incredible complexity in taste and aroma characteristics; there are no overall typical characteristics for wulong teas. Instead, aromatic profile, color of the dry leaf and infusion, body of the infusion, and boldness of taste will greatly be influenced by the terroir, oxidation level, and other processing steps, including the repetition of the rolling/shaping step and an optional baking or roasting step.

Here are a few key details for some of the processing steps:

Plucking - the leaves to be harvested depend on the style of tea that the tea maker will craft. Leaf pluck for wulong teas usually includes a tiny bud and anywhere from two to four leaves, especially for rolled leaf style. Single, large leaves are usually harvested for twisted leaf style. It is rare that large buds are plucked to produce a wulong tea.

Leaf Style - this is the finished shape of the tea. Leaf styles may include open leaf, twisted leaf, or ball/rolled leaf. As you'll notice from the pictures above, wulong tea leaves can look very different and only a random sampling of three are shown!

Oxidation - the chemical process of oxidation on the leaves is a main factor that influences the primary characteristics of wulong tea and there is quite a range in these characteristics, along with aroma and taste notes. Generally, lightly oxidized wulongs tend to be milder with grassy, buttery and/or floral notes, while higher oxidized wulongs tend to be stronger with woody, earthy, honey and/or fruity notes.

Rolling/Shaping - this step can be repeated multiple times during the processing of wulongs. It can appear in a loop alternating with the oxidation step to reach the teamaker's desired level of oxidation.

Roasting/Baking - this is an optional step and the leaves can have varying levels of roasting or baking applied. Teas with a lighter roasting or baking can exhibit notes of caramel or burnt sugar, while teas with a heavier roasting or baking can exhibit toasty or roasted notes. The roasting or baking step may be repeated multiple times during the processing of wulongs.

All of your favorite autumn teas will be available on Thursday, September 23rd and we will have a few new ones too! Many of them have already arrived and are now available in the shop and online shop (the few that are not available yet will not display in the online shop): Apple Molasses Black Tea, Gingered Vanilla Toddy Black Tea, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Black Tea, Pumpkin Pie Black Tea, Roasted Chestnut Black Green & Yerba Mate Blend, Maple Walnut Green Tea, Rooibos Maple Walnut Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Creme Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Spice Herbal Tisane, and our house-blended Mulling Spice Organic Herbal Tisane. New this year: Persian Market Black Tea and Rooibos Pistachio Pomegranate Herbal Tisane. The Persian Market is an ode to the customer-favorite Persian Bazaar Black Tea that we were no longer able to source and it has the similar notes of pistachio, sweet spices, and rose. The inspiration is the same, but the flavor is a little different, hence the name change. Looking forward to getting your thoughts on this replacement! :)

Pumpkin Cinnamon macarons will be available upon our return!! :)

Last call for summer teas! We have very limited supply on the following summer teas, so get them before they are gone until next year: Rooibos Guava Citrus Herbal Tisane, Berry Crush Herbal Tisane, Coconut Lime Herbal Tisane, Coconut Fruit Punch Fruit Tisane, Kiwi Peach Fruit Tisane, Pomegranate Lime Fruit Tisane, Raspberry Blackberry Fruit Tisane, Rhubarb Cooler Fruit Tisane, and Watermelon Fruit Tisane.