What Oolong Are You Drinking

Semi-oxidized tea
Teachronicles
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:06 am

Bok wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 9:24 pm
Funnily the bug bitten teas are the only ones I do not like of HY Chen’s roasted range... there is something I find really unpleasant coming out in later brews in them. Had a hard time finishing it. Reminded me of a similar unpleasantness I sometimes find in Taiwanese TGY.

I much prefer his regular Dongding.
Funny you say that cause I noticed that too. I chalked it up to it not lasting long. I got 2 really good infusions followed by a pretty good 3rd, but by the 4th it was pretty much done. My infusion times were 30, 45, 1 min, 2 min. I coulda gone more but I didnt enjoy the flavor of the 4th steep much, also the leaves smelled spent. I'm gna up my leaf next time with shorter steeps, see how that works out.
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Victoria
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:12 am

Teachronicles wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:06 am
Bok wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 9:24 pm
Funnily the bug bitten teas are the only ones I do not like of HY Chen’s roasted range... there is something I find really unpleasant coming out in later brews in them. Had a hard time finishing it. Reminded me of a similar unpleasantness I sometimes find in Taiwanese TGY.

I much prefer his regular Dongding.
Funny you say that cause I noticed that too. I chalked it up to it not lasting long. I got 2 really good infusions followed by a pretty good 3rd, but by the 4th it was pretty much done. My infusion times were 30, 45, 1 min, 2 min. I coulda gone more but I didnt enjoy the flavor of the 4th steep much, also the leaves smelled spent. I'm gna up my leaf next time with shorter steeps, see how that works out.
Also, waiting one year will improve results in my experience. I actually gave away a bunch thinking ‘not my thing’, but then tried a few remaining unopened bags a year later and voila much better in every way. And that includes his unroasted bug bitten.
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Bok
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 6:16 am

I’ve had it in the shelf for well over a year, for my taste buds it didn’t make much difference, although I kept returning to it to see if parameter change would improve my perception. Ended up giving the last pack away...
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Bok
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 6:18 am

The other roasted teas though all benefitted from a longer than a year resting period as per your experience.

I am keeping some of the heavy roast for long term aging. That one, though nice already can definitely do with a longer resting period than a few years!
Teachronicles
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:17 pm

Interesting observation, I had the tea again this morning, and also tested my nangao (might have spelled that wrong) pot against a gaiwan.

Nangao thicker but less flavorful, gaiwan thinner but more sweet flavorful.

When I got to the fourth steep that flavor came up, which was a sort of tart bitter flavor (it was a short steep so I don't think it was cause from oversteeping), in the gaiwan but not in the pot. I think the muting of the pot smoothed out that tart bitterness and it was a pretty enjoyable brew from the pot, although kind of mild.
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debunix
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Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:59 am

Teachronicles wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 9:14 pm
This is a really special one. Balhyocha noeul, Korean oolong. The tasting note on the package says cacao, charred oak (idk about charred oak but there's a very nice roast flavor) and honey and that's pretty spot on. Rich and sweet, intoxicating aroma, thick, and long lasting aftertaste.
I've only tried maybe 3 different Balhyochas, and have loved them all. I'm always interested in new sources for these marvelous teas. Can you share where you got this one?
Teachronicles
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Sat Mar 03, 2018 12:08 pm

debunix wrote:
Sat Mar 03, 2018 11:59 am
Teachronicles wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 9:14 pm
This is a really special one. Balhyocha noeul, Korean oolong. The tasting note on the package says cacao, charred oak (idk about charred oak but there's a very nice roast flavor) and honey and that's pretty spot on. Rich and sweet, intoxicating aroma, thick, and long lasting aftertaste.
I've only tried maybe 3 different Balhyochas, and have loved them all. I'm always interested in new sources for these marvelous teas. Can you share where you got this one?
Sure. O-five rare tea bar in Vancouver, BC. They have an online shop where you can get it.
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debunix
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Sat Mar 03, 2018 12:43 pm

thanks!
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Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:58 pm

Drinking Amber Oolong from Mountain Tea. Really good budget roasted oolong, tastes of fruit and spice with a resin-y astringency.
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Bok
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Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:19 am

Organic charcoal roasted Lishan oolong from 2700m altitude. It is not for nothing that at the Dongding competitions in Lugu, the winners nowadays are mostly high mountain versions. Low altitude are just not match for high mountain tea! They might not be the authentic original Dongding flavour, but there is so much more going on with those teas, and they have a lot more stamina as well.

Fresh, clean, dry taste. Long lasting throatfeel and aftertaste. The most expensive tea my trusted shop has -before aging- which is why I am going to put away a jin of it. All the more as the shop owner said he does not know how long these teas will be available, as all the highest farms slowly are taken back by the government to return the land to its natural state.
Which is a good thing for nature and a little sad for us tea aficionados...
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Tillerman
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Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:02 pm

Bok wrote:
Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:19 am
Organic charcoal roasted Lishan oolong from 2700m altitude. It is not for nothing that at the Dongding competitions in Lugu, the winners nowadays are mostly high mountain versions. Low altitude are just not match for high mountain tea! They might not be the authentic original Dongding flavour, but there is so much more going on with those teas, and they have a lot more stamina as well.

Fresh, clean, dry taste. Long lasting throatfeel and aftertaste. The most expensive tea my trusted shop has -before aging- which is why I am going to put away a jin of it. All the more as the shop owner said he does not know how long these teas will be available, as all the highest farms slowly are taken back by the government to return the land to its natural state.
Which is a good thing for nature and a little sad for us tea aficionados...
Hi Bok,
I didn't realize that tea was grown at the 2700m altitude on Lishan. From which area does the tea come? The only really important thing, however, is that the tea be good - and it seems yours is.
As to returning some very high elevation land to its original state (a good thing in my view) here's a photo of some former tea garden land at KM 105 on Da Yu Ling.
IMGP0831-1024x681.jpg
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Bok
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Mon Mar 05, 2018 7:17 pm

Tillerman wrote:
Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:02 pm
Hi Bok,
I didn't realize that tea was grown at the 2700m altitude on Lishan. From which area does the tea come? The only really important thing, however, is that the tea be good - and it seems yours is.
You are right, I should have been more precise, they did not exactly say Lishan, more like Lishan area. Tea sellers in Taiwan are notoriously vague and inexact when it comes to where the tea is from. You have to pull it out of their noses sometimes… What I know for sure is that it is from 2700m and that they rent or reserve the leaves from the farmer who grows them there, they supervise the picking and do the processing.

That particular tea was harvested in a very narrow time frame from 10am-12am(not sure if I remember the end time correctly), which is apparently when those leaves are at their best. I have the same tea harvested over the course of a whole day and it is notcieably inferior!
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Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:39 pm

I have "that" tea from a couple of years back---aged. Once aged, that is what I call Father's Love. I'm down to my last 100 grams of it. I consider it the best tea that I own on an objective basis, not whether it is my favorite. There are so many reasons one can argue for how special Father's Love is. I never got to taste that tea before it had been aged. (I love it, as I love lobster, but eggs are my favorite food, what I eat daily. Father's Love is too good for me to drink daily or perhaps I am not good enough to deserve it everyday?.... send for a psychiatrist.....)

I once had a tea from lower altitude which was handled in similar fashion as the aged (2 days or so of traditional roasting after leaves had been well oxidized). I called it Father's Beginner. It sounds close to Bok's description. I would not disagree w/ Bok that higher altitude = better quality. The ?s are how much is that higher quality noticed? & is it worth the difference in price?

Altitude is not the only factor. From 2400m up I had another tea, HIgh Roller, traditionally roasted, but for one reason or another, not as good as leaves as what Bok described. Still very, very good & perhaps better value for $, than Father's Love, if one gets back to ?s about how much better quality for so much $ more.

Anyway, as we all probably know, it is best to taste teas, not calculate by altitude & mountain etc. what it will be like. As Bok mentioned, specific details about which mountain etc. can be difficult to obtain, I feel numbers are questionable also. 2500m is the highest altitude that I ever heard mentioned in that shop.
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Bok
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Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:25 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:39 pm

I once had a tea from lower altitude which was handled in similar fashion as the aged (2 days or so of traditional roasting after leaves had been well oxidized). I called it Father's Beginner. It sounds close to Bok's description. I would not disagree w/ Bok that higher altitude = better quality. The ?s are how much is that higher quality noticed? & is it worth the difference in price?
In that case yes, it probably is. Their lowest quality of this kind of tea is about a third of the price, it can turn bitter easy, it is rough and it doesn’t last nearly as long. The best version of it is going on for long before watering down, so in the end it is not that expensive!

And it can be aged and has potential to become something even better! Not so sure about organic or not, I heard that high mountain tea can almost not be truly organic due to the harsher growing conditions...

Most importantly live is to short for bad tea and I am certain climate change will change the tea landscape considerably in the future so I’ll have the best while I can!
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Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:05 am

wrote:
Mon Mar 05, 2018 10:25 pm
Not so sure about organic or not, I heard that high mountain tea can almost not be truly organic due to the harsher growing conditions...

and I am certain climate change will change the tea landscape considerably in the future so I’ll have the best while I can!
Bok,

You know the tea situation in Taiwan so well. What I call Father's Beginner (from Lishan around 1800m high) was not organic.

Our favorite shop does not talk much about what is organic etc. I think many of their best teas are pesticide-free. It seems (but I do not know for sure) that 2400m up & higher has much fewer insects than lower altitude.

I also think it wise to enjoy some of the best tea now because it is far too easy for something wonderful to be unavailable in the future.
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