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Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2020 8:26 pm
by Bok
As far as Lazy cat goes, I also really liked the Laocongshuixian I tried. Less in your face than a rougui, but more mature in its profile. Actually I think it is much better than the space cat
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:56 pm
by Demea
Anyone have experience with this vendor?
https://thechatong.com/
They claim to offer Zhengyan tea, and the prices seem pretty decent!
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 6:19 pm
by Bok
Demea wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:56 pm
Anyone have experience with this vendor?
https://thechatong.com/
They claim to offer Zhengyan tea, and the prices seem pretty decent!
Ask yourself this: how can you offer tea from the protected and most rare and sought after area out of a country where it is not even allowed to import large quantities of foreign tea?
People who sell Yancha in Taiwan usually have to hand carry it through customs in small quantities. Yancha is very hard to find inside Taiwan and is always expensive.
Doesn’t make sense.
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 6:21 pm
by Bok
Comes back to the point: there is no premium Yancha for decent prices. It’s always more than one would prefer to pay for the quality.
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:23 pm
by pantry
Bok wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 6:19 pm
Demea wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:56 pm
Anyone have experience with this vendor?
https://thechatong.com/
They claim to offer Zhengyan tea, and the prices seem pretty decent!
Ask yourself this: how can you offer tea from the protected and most rare and sought after area out of a country where it is not even allowed to import large quantities of foreign tea?
People who sell Yancha in Taiwan usually have to hand carry it through customs in small quantities. Yancha is very hard to find inside Taiwan and is always expensive.
Doesn’t make sense.
I'm curious about this shop also. I'm generally skeptical about IG vendors with big followers since it's more about photography skill there. Though admittedly I fell for Yinchen's IG bait
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 10:30 pm
by Bok
Hold on, just checked, their website says the applied law is the one of the UK, so seems they are not based in Taiwan. Got confused by the message on their homepage. Still, authentic Zhengyan is never cheap.
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:19 pm
by pantry
Bok wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 10:30 pm
Hold on, just checked, their website says the applied law is the one of the UK, so seems they are not based in Taiwan. Got confused by the message on their homepage. Still, authentic Zhengyan is never cheap.
No, I think you were right. The main tea sourcer seems to be from Taiwan. The U.K. contact is Marcin, whom I think probably focus on the online presence, website, and photos.
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:39 pm
by Bok
pantry wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:19 pm
The main tea sourcer seems to be from Taiwan.
That just gave me an epiphany of a job aspiration: Tea sourcerer!
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:53 am
by pantry
Bok wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:39 pm
pantry wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:19 pm
The main tea sourcer seems to be from Taiwan.
That just gave me an epiphany of a job aspiration: Tea sourcerer!
Sounds magical
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:55 am
by Youzi
pantry wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:23 pm
I'm curious about this shop also. I'm generally skeptical about IG vendors with big followers since it's more about photography skill there. Though admittedly I fell for Yinchen's IG bait
Have you had a bad experience with Yinchen?
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 9:54 am
by pantry
Youzi wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:55 am
pantry wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:23 pm
I'm curious about this shop also. I'm generally skeptical about IG vendors with big followers since it's more about photography skill there. Though admittedly I fell for Yinchen's IG bait
Have you had a bad experience with Yinchen?
Yes, just received two I ordered last week
Edit: oops, I didn’t see the adjective ‘bad’ there. No, I meant I fell for the bait in the sense that I ordered because the influence from their IG presence. So marketing works in a way. But I gotta say I’m not loving one of the two pots as much, likely because my own fault of picking such narrow spout
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:25 am
by Hengchan
In terms of bang for your buck - i am certainly enjoying wuyiorigin Mei Zhan and Qi Lan, which are two of their budget offerings.
I think they compare well to their higher grade. The higher grade does show in their unique profiles, body, longevity, but the budget are in no way lacking for potent flavour and aromatics.
I just had Mei Zhan yesterday, and compared to Rou Gui today, both times i'm left with a wonderful flavour remaining long after the session has ended! Good stuff. Will try their dancong at some point too.
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:55 am
by Demea
Hengchan wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:25 am
In terms of bang for your buck - i am certainly enjoying wuyiorigin Mei Zhan and Qi Lan, which are two of their budget offerings.
I think they compare well to their higher grade. The higher grade does show in their unique profiles, body, longevity, but the budget are in no way lacking for potent flavour and aromatics.
I just had Mei Zhan yesterday, and compared to Rou Gui today, both times i'm left with a wonderful flavour remaining long after the session has ended! Good stuff. Will try their dancong at some point too.
Both of those teas you just mentioned are claimed to be “Zhengyan” as well, despite costing less than $.50 per gram. Is the consensus here that all of these vendors (including Wuyi Origin and TheTea.pl, which folks here seem to like) are just lying about the source of their tea? Or are there different grades of tea from inside the nature preserve such that there are “budget” offerings that are not as good as the stuff from famous locations? I find it all very confusing...
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:55 pm
by Youzi
@Demea
That's what I also wonder. Does all vendors just keep lying about their teas?
Sure there are many, who just roll with the claims of the farmer or in case of pu'er with the wrapper, but I kind of find it strange that all of them is lying.
Re: Yancha Vendors: Highest Grade vs Bang for Buck Vendor Recommendations
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 1:12 pm
by Hengchan
Demea wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:55 am
Both of those teas you just mentioned are claimed to be “Zhengyan” as well, despite costing less than $.50 per gram. Is the consensus here that all of these vendors (including Wuyi Origin and TheTea.pl, which folks here seem to like) are just lying about the source of their tea? Or are there different grades of tea from inside the nature preserve such that there are “budget” offerings that are not as good as the stuff from famous locations? I find it all very confusing...
I can think of two points for wuyiorigin. One is that they are the farmers, so there is no middle man and cost for sourcing the tea. The other is that i read they do vast majority of sales in china and have a well established position there already. Maybe this allows lower pricing for the west?
You have interesting questions though i'd also appreciate some input from someone who has more knowledge.
