Ruan Zhi Oolong軟枝烏龍

Ruan Zhi Oolong is a oolong from Various regions, Taiwan. Brew it at 90°C with 5g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 8 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. No rinse needed.

Tasting notes

Ruan Zhi — "soft stem," TRES #17 — is the oolong cultivar that behaves most like a blank canvas. Grow it in Taiwan at 700m and it tastes buttery and mild. Grow it in northern Thailand (where a lot of the global supply now comes from) and it trends sweeter and more tropical. Light-roast it and the caramel shows up. The common thread across all of them is mouthfeel: dense, slightly oily, more viscous than the Qing Xin-based oolongs you've probably been drinking alongside it. Caramel and cream up front, stone fruit underneath, a small piquant bite on the finish that stops the sweetness from flattening out. Because processing style varies so much, check what you actually bought before brewing. Unroasted: 85–90°C, treat like gao shan. Roasted: push to 95°C. The oily body means it tolerates slightly longer steeps than a typical ball-rolled — don't be afraid to give steep one a full 25 seconds. Not a prestige tea. A reliable one.

Flavor profile

Dense and oily mouthfeel with bright, creamy-caramel sweetness up front and fruity undertones beneath. More viscous than Qing Xin-based oolongs, with a pleasant light piquancy in the finish. A versatile cultivar — processing style (roast level, oxidation) dramatically shifts the character.

Terroir

Adaptable cultivar grown at various elevations across Taiwan; also cultivated in Thailand and mainland China

Cultivar: Ruan Zhi (TRES #17)

Brewing

1. Steep 1: 25 seconds
2. Steep 2: 15 seconds
3. Steep 3: 15 seconds
4. Steep 4: 20 seconds
5. Steep 5: 25 seconds
6. Steep 6: 30 seconds
7. Steep 7: 35 seconds
8. Steep 8: 45 seconds

Brewing parameters depend heavily on roast level. Unroasted: 85–90°C. Roasted versions can take 95°C. The oily body rewards slightly longer steeps than typical gao shan.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• semi-oxidized
• ball-rolled

Sources

• https://verdanttea.com/spring-anxi-ruan-zhi-soft-stem-17-oolong
• https://verdanttea.com/traditional-anxi-ruan-zhi
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruan_zhi
• https://teadb.org/taiwanese-tea-cultivars/
• https://tea-side.com/ruan-zhi-oolong-tea-organic/