TeaForum.org

@Janice Beautiful shot! Tai Ping Hou Kui has the most stunning leaves of any tea.

@faj, my experience was similar to yours. It’s a good tea but quite delicate in flavor. I ordered it from Yunnan Sourcing last year but didn’t reorder this year as I like greens with a more assertive flavor.

Been ordering from them for quite a few years now. They are my go-to for Taiwanese oolongs. Massive selection and good quality overall.

Bok , yes I see it all the time especially with vendors outside of Taiwan. Presumably they buy the tea in bulk vacuum sealed from Taiwan and then resell in ziplock pouches. I can’t tell you how many gaoshans I’ve bought that immediately had to be thrown out after the first sip because they were ran...

I experimented with Food Saver some years ago and do not recommend it for tea. It can work for fukamushi or balled oolong but as faj mentioned, it leads to crushed leaf. The consumer grade vacuum sealers lack pressure adjustment which the professional ones have that can avoid this issue. Food Savers...

When I open it, I generally want a cuppa right away. But I know it will usually not be the best if it was a vacuum-sealed package. If not vacuum-prepped, if may well be the best infusions first time around. More often than not, gaoshan that’s not in oxygen free packaging tends to be stale. I don’t ...

Do unopened packs of slightly roasted high mountain oolong store better in the fridge or at room temp? I believe the shop owner said to not refrigerate the tea after opening but I forgot to ask about storage before opening. I keep lightly roasted teas at room temperature and they do fine. How are t...

In the past I found the Uji Shincha Kirameki asamushi to be on the lighter side, like a delicious sweet pea liquor. I haven’t tried Yukki-Cha yet, did you order this years 2020 Shincha from them? They have a huge Shincha selection, did you order any others as well? How are they shipping from Japan?...

I tried this tea today. Not the best but not the worst. It tasted...very mediocre to me. For my taste buds, the best fukamushi tea year in and year out has to be the "Organic Kagoshima Sencha Saemidori" from Yuuki-cha (https://www.yuuki-cha.com/organic-shincha/saemidori-sencha?sort=p.price&order=DE...

@Tillermanthanks, hopefully transit between Taiwan and the US continues to not be impacted by the pandemic. Will definitely keep your store in mind once I’m ready to order.

How has COVID impacted availability of tea from Taiwan? Are shipping delays as bad as those in Japan and China?

Sorry, should have included the link to the product: https://www.denstea.com/matcha-c-1002/premium-restaurant-matcha-12lb-4600-p-2013.html And yeah, the markup on matcha at Amazon can be pretty ridiculous. I've had ceremonial grade stuff from there that was good but overpriced compared to reputable ...

Most culinary matcha that I’ve tried weren’t that great. The one exception was Den’s Premium Restaurant Matcha which I sampled a few years ago. It made amazing matcha lattes so I imagine it would be good for cooking as well. It’s sold in 1/2 lb sizes which is way too much for me. I use an inexpensiv...

Shincha is starting to roll in at Yuuki-Cha. I was about to order some Saemidori Sencha but hit the brakes when I saw the shipping cost: $36 through Special Express. :o Quite a sticker shock since shipping for one packet of tea is usually $4 and some change. However it appears this is a flat rate pr...

So glad someone started a post about 2020 Shincha. Usually around this time of year my two mainstays - Yuuki-Cha and O-Cha, start rolling out new teas but nothing so far. Never heard of kettl but will pass on Yunomi and Thes Du Japon. Yunomi has a great selection but I’ve been underwhelmed by most o...

I also know a few Japanese matcha drinkers who freeze their matcha, taking out what they need, and putting canister back into freezer. I haven’t tried this though with matcha or any other tea. I have though been refrigerating Sincha, Sencha and Gyokuro for over a decade and have done a few experime...