Resting gaoshan?

Semi-oxidized tea
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LuckyMe
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Fri Jan 31, 2020 11:43 pm

I've noticed that whenever I open a new pouch of gaoshan, the first session with it is kind of lackluster. After a day or two, however, both the aromatics and flavor improve significantly. That led me to wonder if tea that comes in airtight packaging needs time to breathe and wake up before drinking. Have any of you experienced this and do you allow your gaoshan to rest a bit after opening?
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Victoria
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Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:03 am

If your teas (oolong, green, black, white etc) were shipped via air they should rest more or less two days to acclimatize to room temperature (the belly of a plane is very cold). After opening the pack, especially if vacuum packed, it is usually good to wait another 24hrs before steeping, letting the leaves breath a little.
LuckyMe
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Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:29 am

@Victoria, thanks you just confirmed what I suspected. I think the 24 hour wait after opening is the key as I steep it right away with poor results.
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Victoria
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Sat Feb 01, 2020 11:20 am

Also, if the tea is aged it will need to rest longer after opening the pack. Currently, I have a 1980 DongDing and a 1987 Tie Guanyin that I opening last Tuesday so will wait one week before trying, or maybe even two. My friend, who sent me these, said something like ‘they’ve been in prison all this time, give them a chance to be free a little while’ 🌞 🍃
jason19870313
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Sun May 17, 2020 7:55 am

LuckyMe wrote:
Fri Jan 31, 2020 11:43 pm
I've noticed that whenever I open a new pouch of gaoshan, the first session with it is kind of lackluster. After a day or two, however, both the aromatics and flavor improve significantly. That led me to wonder if tea that comes in airtight packaging needs time to breathe and wake up before drinking. Have any of you experienced this and do you allow your gaoshan to rest a bit after opening?
Me too. Immediately step poor results.

My experience is better wait two to three days.
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debunix
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Sun May 17, 2020 11:11 pm

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.
LuckyMe
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Mon May 18, 2020 8:27 am

debunix wrote:
Sun May 17, 2020 11:11 pm
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 mind buying non vacuum sealed roasted oolong, but I avoid green oolongs that aren’t properly packaged. I’ve had to chuck so many expensive high mountain oolongs that were DOA.

Yeah it’s hard to anticipate ahead of time when I’ll be drinking a gaoshan. Even if I wait 6-7 hours after opening a vacuum sealed package, it still doesn’t taste as good as one that’s rested for 24 hours.
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Bok
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Mon May 18, 2020 8:59 am

LuckyMe wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 8:27 am
More often than not, gaoshan that’s not in oxygen free packaging tends to be stale. I don’t mind buying non vacuum sealed roasted oolong, but I avoid green oolongs that aren’t properly packaged. I’ve had to chuck so many expensive high mountain oolongs that were DOA.
Do people sell Gaoshan not in vacuum packs??? That is a recipe for disaster... On the other hand, I still have vacuum packed Gaoshan from almost two years ago in the fridge, tastes as good as ever if I open one. Good quality Gaoshan can be stored for at least a year.
LuckyMe
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Mon May 18, 2020 10:00 am

@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 rancid or stale. Heck, even reputable vendors sometimes have poor storage practices. I remember a few years ago I visited Tea Ren, a respected Taiwanese tea seller, in Chinatown San Francisco and saw that of all their oolongs were kept in metal jars that were opened and closed all day long. Against my better judgement I bought some unroasted dong ding and all I will say is their bubble tea tasted better.

Another thing I’ve noticed is even vacuum sealed tea isn’t always the freshest. I’ve had some vacuum packed tea that still tasted stale. Some don’t have those oxygen absorber packets which is critical for absorbing the small amount of oxygen that remains inside. Otherwise the tea will continue to oxidize and loses freshness.
Last edited by LuckyMe on Mon May 18, 2020 1:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Bok
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Mon May 18, 2020 10:51 am

@LuckyMe TenRen you mean, no? Would not call them respectable. Their tea is pretty bad even when it’s fresh... just about palatable as their bubble tea. At their price point I’m not even sure it’s Taiwanese tea in the first place.
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debunix
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Thu May 21, 2020 1:05 am

I once witnessed the staff at Wing Hop Fung in LA Chinatown cutting open what I now recognize were small vacuum packed bags of a tightly rolled gaoshan--based on foggy memories, could have been 7 gram single-serving to 25 gram pouches--and pouring the tea into the large jars they sold it from in the shop.

It was very.....puzzling.

And yes, lots of US vendors sell gaoshan that has clearly been repackaged without vacuum. I've learned to open and drink those right away based on sad experience.
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