@sofie1212 you are right, green style oolongs do not mature. They should be consumed fresh. Most Wuyi and Phoenix mature well, except for some fragrant varieties and green styles they are also producing too. Some producers also do not dry their teas well or in wrong ways so they do not mature too. Taiwan also produces oolongs that mature, although a lot of the fresher styles that are popular don’t.
Successful maturing begins with an appropriate quality selection, proper handling, storage and environment. Otherwise, everything else is just waiting. When a tea matures, it’s a wonderful reward.
@happyman, even in the case of pu’er, the older the better is a myth. Tea matures to a peak, plateau and then gradually or sharply degenerates. I believe that applies to wines too. It just so happen that different varieties peak and plateau differently. Harshly dried oolongs, such as some of those Wuyi in the market, takes a long time to mature, if they do at all, but even their peak is not very nice. Fine oolongs takes as little as a couple of years to mature, but their peak is very satisfying. The older the better is a sheer myth that many merchants would like their customers to believe.
