What Oolong Are You Drinking

[Bok]

Flying saucer getting ready to depart to Yancha galaxy! Ultra flat, but ultra nice.

[Andrew S]

Drinking some of EoT's Zhang Hui Chun gushu (not technically 'yancha'), and thinking about the very different ways in which yancha can present itself, while enjoying the feeling and aftertaste of this one.

Andrew

[pepson]

Tengchong Gao Shan- really mildly roasted oolong.
As I am not a fan of "green" oolongs but this one is very nice. Not too much floral.

[mbanu]

Drinking some Tie Luo Han from Seven Cups -- like in previous years, theirs is a tea that loves a regular-old-5-minute-steep. If you are trying to tempt any tea-lovers into considering oolongs who might be more used to that format than gongfu or gaiwan brewing, I feel this is a good one. If they become curious about the tea afterwards, Tie Luo Han has a lot of history and still has modern fans, so they will have a way to connect.

[Andrew S]

An antidote to yet another hot, humid day; wild-grown Jinxuan from Lugu.

It feels nice to be drinking tea 'properly' again, after a week of mostly leaves-in-a-cup at best (and coffee all day, at worst).

Andrew

[Andrew S]

Enjoying an interesting tea on a day with some interesting weather; a 2015 bailu (白鷺) oriental beauty that was given a moderate but deep roast a few months ago.

Nutty and rich aromas with some gentle herbal and fruity undertones, a smooth and creamy palate that feels like a dessert (nuts, cakes, toffee, maybe cocoa), and a light but bright mouthfeel and nice aftertaste along the same lines. Not a typical OB by any means, but a nice tea, perhaps in a style of its own.

Andrew

[Andrew S]

Starting the day with Lazy Cat's aged yancha, brewed fairly strong in a tiny pot. I've only had this tea twice so far, but I think that I prefer this 'strong yancha' style of brewing over a more moderate 'aged tea' style.

It's got a nice cool and refreshing aftertaste that works well to balance the smooth, deep roast.

Andrew

[LeoFox]

Apparently there are now people using spectrometry to determine whether tea is really from Taiwan or not

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... tid=Nif5oz

[Ethan Kurland]

Apparently there are now people using spectrometry to determine whether tea is really from Taiwan or not

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?
As I get worse & worse in linguistic ability, I wonder how many customers I will lose because of inexact descriptions of teas' characteristics, while I get better at offering top quality and/or top value for $? My words may be measured & fail the test; so my teas will remain here for me & my limited amount of visitors to drink... so be it.
Technology marches on..... Cheers

[Andrew S]

Trying a yancha cultivar that I haven't encountered before: Xiang Tian Mei (向天梅). Very interesting evolution of flavours and aromas over the session...

I wonder, is there much of a market for cultivars beyond the usual SX / TLH / RG etc? Or is it a very small niche of the market, even in Asia?

Andrew

[Andrew S]

Apparently there are now people using spectrometry to determine whether tea is really from Taiwan or not

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?
As I get worse & worse in linguistic ability, I wonder how many customers I will lose because of inexact descriptions of teas' characteristics, while I get better at offering top quality and/or top value for $? My words may be measured & fail the test; so my teas will remain here for me & my limited amount of visitors to drink... so be it.
Technology marches on..... Cheers

I suppose that, so long as an excellent tea from Taiwan can command a greater price than an equally-excellent tea from Vietnam, Thailand, etc, there'll be a market for this kind of thing.

I think that smaller vendors like you have the advantage that they can form a level of trust with their customers, and don't need to rely on imaginative / unrealistic descriptions or spectrometry.

Andrew

[Tor]

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?

Remember that year when Vietnamese tea was awarded in the competition?

[pepson]

I’d try a different kind of clay for Yancha, or porcelain. This kind you use is often subduing the subtle nuances of Yancha.

Thank you for your advice.
I did try that Yancha in Chinese Jingdezhen gaiwan for comparison. I think, there is no big difference between porcelain and chamotte clay pot. It may be caused by glaze inside pot. On the other hand I am not skilled oolong drinker that is why my opinion does not have to be exact

I usually use Duan ni pot for heavy smoked Wuyi's and I am satisfied. Especially i love cocoa tones.

[Ethan Kurland]

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?

Remember that year when Vietnamese tea was awarded in the competition?

Missed that. Perhaps it happened years before I was into tea. Cheers

I am all for honesty & dislike counterfeiting. I am often reminding people that authentic does not always mean good. Every season varies. Tea harvested on a Monday morning may be very different from tea harvested just 30 hours later (Tuesday afternoon) etc.