Exchange our "secret" teas

[harrison1986]

Do you have a tea that is so PHENOMENAL that you are afraid to tell others, in legitimate fear that once discovered, it will be out of stock often?

I have one, and am willing to share if someone can tell me of a truly special oolong tea that is just phenomenal. Tips on brewing would be appreciated as well, since I have never really brewed an Oolong, but am very interested in this category of tea.

I know this is a very broad ask, with no specifics of what I like. But, I have never had Oolong, so I don't know what to say as far as what specific sub category I like .

Just looking for something much different, and more complex than my typical green teas. Thank you in advance, and can't wait to offer my "secret" green tea in exchange. I really believe I stumbled across a very special green tea, and can't wait to share

[debunix]

I'll link to what I posted in the Welcome topic regarding my thoughts on 'secret' teas: a tea that is a too-tightly held secret may disappear because it wasn't worth the producer/middleman/merchant's time to carry it.

So I don't have any 'secret' teas so share. But I have lots of oolongs that I love tto drink and to share in person and to discuss online.

Currently one special favorite is

Red Alishan oolong from Norbu. Greg Clancy is no longer in business as NorbuTea, but I bought a LOT at his final sale. Per another TeaForum member, he sells this now wholesale, so this tea is from the same sources. It's dark rolled leaves, highly oxidized and moderately roasted, and the red liquor is sweet, spicy, fruity, floral, and just enough earthy to be grounded. It's terrific hot, gongfu or western style, prepared in a fine pot or a thermos, and even wonderful chilled and carbonated as sparkling tea.

Another I'm craving and will certainly want more of is Lala Shan from Floating Leaves Tea, that I discussed in the forum here and elsewhere.

And my stomach is rumbling so I'm going to stop here, before diving into my new finds from Tillerman and Old Ways Tea and more.

I'm sure you'll find plenty of other suggestions in the Oolong section, especially the 'what oolong are you drinking' topic. It's long, but there are lots of reports of wonderful sessions and links when others asked 'but where did you get it?'.

[harrison1986]

Great insight into how one should really think of sharing great teas. The first one you mentioned looks really unique, dark but not roasted, will definitely follow up on your other suggestion too, thanks.

I also placed an order with Tillerman a few days ago. I bought his Lishan High Mountain Oolong , and Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong. Looking forward to trying those Asap.

The tea I was referring to is not secret to many I'm sure. However, just as many or more may have no clue about this one, so this is for them:

No Kaori - Yuuki Cha, brewing notes:

200 ml water, 7 grams of leaf, 150 degrees,

48-50 seconds first brew.

Instant to 7 or 10 seconds second brew

15 seconds, 155 degree third brew

[DailyTX]

@debunix
+1 on the Red Alishan oolong. I bought 2 order blindly when Norbu had the final sale. I have finished 1 bag, very pleasant tea, very forgiving on brewing method. Thank you for sharing the source on getting more.

[debunix]

I've been enjoying Tillerman's Shan Lin Xi a lot lately too, a lovely version from spring 2020.

[Bok]

Teas run out every season and next season won't be the same. If a good tea is always available, it probably wasn't in the first place. All the best teas are usually low in yield. More worthy finding are usually the "secret" sources They will manage to find the good tea each season and beyond.

[Baisao]

Teas run out every season and next season won't be the same. If a good tea is always available, it probably wasn't in the first place. All the best teas are usually low in yield. More worthy finding are usually the "secret" sources They will manage to find the good tea each season and beyond.

And there’s nothing like having someone with guanxi on the ground who can find stellar teas each year, frequently in small batches. For me the best Taiwanese teas have not come from conventional tea retailers (as unconventional as they are). There’s one retailer that has an incredible shou that is my “secret tea”, but I am still not sharing that one.

[harrison1986]

Teas run out every season and next season won't be the same. If a good tea is always available, it probably wasn't in the first place. All the best teas are usually low in yield. More worthy finding are usually the "secret" sources They will manage to find the good tea each season and beyond.

And there’s nothing like having someone with guanxi on the ground who can find stellar teas each year, frequently in small batches. For me the best Taiwanese teas have not come from conventional tea retailers (as unconventional as they are). There’s one retailer that has an incredible shou that is my “secret tea”, but I am still not sharing that one.

I assume you're not referring to the vendors here as your guanxi on the ground. How lucky to have someone like that to get you the best tea every year. For us regular folks, this forum and the vendors here will have to suffice as our guanxi on the ground lol.

I was into shou for a while, but it seemed like after a few days or so my shou would lose its great taste, even though I had proper storage at 70% humidity and 74 degrees. It was a very cheap one from Yunnan sourcing, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Any other shous that you would recommend, if you can't give away your "secret" one?

[Baisao]

@harrison1986, I have had clean shou from The Steeping Room. The owners are picky about the shou they carry.

[harrison1986]

Thanks, there appears to be some killer shou here that I will be ordering here in a minute. Geez, maybe I should have never come here, because a large chunk of my stimulus money will be going towards tea now lol

[Baisao]

Thanks, there appears to be some killer shou here that I will be ordering here in a minute. Geez, maybe I should have never come here, because a large chunk of my stimulus money will be going towards tea now lol

Hahahaha! Their Liu Bao is nice too.

[karma]

Thanks, there appears to be some killer shou here that I will be ordering here in a minute. Geez, maybe I should have never come here, because a large chunk of my stimulus money will be going towards tea now lol

Hahahaha! Their Liu Bao is nice too.

are they going to make it through covid? If so I'll order that and some french toast once I'm free to roam the streets again.

[Baisao]

Thanks, there appears to be some killer shou here that I will be ordering here in a minute. Geez, maybe I should have never come here, because a large chunk of my stimulus money will be going towards tea now lol

Hahahaha! Their Liu Bao is nice too.

are they going to make it through covid? If so I'll order that and some french toast once I'm free to roam the streets again.

I think the odds are on their side. They have made dynamic, strategic changes to adapt to situations as they occurred. It's been tough, of course, but they seem to be doing as good or better than most. They have a loyal following, great products, and are scrappy business owners.

[harrison1986]

@debunix, I tried the Red Alishan oolong from Norbu, and it is great. Hard to believe a tea can have this strong of a fruity fragrance and taste naturally.

So much so in fact, that I wanted to see if you could shed any light on this. In your opinion, is there any artificial chemical flavoring in this tea?

It's really good either way, thanks again for sharing. Really enjoying this one.

[Bok]

debunix, I tried the Red Alishan oolong from Norbu, and it is great. Hard to believe a tea can have this strong of a fruity fragrance and taste naturally.

So much so in fact, that I wanted to see if you could shed any light on this. In your opinion, is there any artificial chemical flavoring in this tea?

It's really good either way, thanks again for sharing. Really enjoying this one.

Have you had Taiwanese Hongcha before? This kind of flavour profile is quite typical for them. I’m always amazed (in a bad way) how flat and bland most other Hongcha from other regions taste in comparison. Exaggerating of course, but mostly so