Moragalla comes off one of the older estates on Ceylon's tea map, and it drinks with more weight than most oolongs — closer to black tea, thanks to oxidation levels pushed well past the usual oolong range. Expect malty, roasted notes with a citrus edge and a hint of coffee, sitting in a golden-brown cup that stays light in tone despite the heft on the palate.
The estate sits in the Galle district, in the southwest of Sri Lanka near Kadugannawa, and has been growing tea since 1870. It's a low-elevation garden, 40 to 60 metres up, close enough to the coast that salt in the air works its way into the soil and shows up as a distinct quality in the finished leaf. Pickers work by hand, taking the classic two leaves and a bud alongside some coarser, more mature leaves, which adds depth to the final blend.
Oolong itself sits in the gap between green and black tea, and its history is murky even to specialists — most agree it traces back to China's Fujian province, but how and why it developed there is still debated. It remains a minority choice among tea drinkers generally, which is a shame given what a well-made oolong like this one can do.
Brew it with water cooled to around 80C and give it three minutes to steep. It holds its own without anything added, though a slice of lemon plays well against the malt and brings out the citrus side of the cup.
