What Oolong Are You Drinking

[Victoria]

@Ethan Kurland and @Bok, after my daily roasted DongDing you inspired me to pull out FuShouShan and try it with my local filtered city water, followed by Iceland Spring bottled water. My city filtered water has a high TDS of 200 after Brita filtering, but it works very well with most of my teas, as long as the source is local (even tea club members agree). Like Ethan pointed out, with certain teas, a higher mineral count = bolder body with complex flavors, what I like. The first steep came out slightly tannic because I used a large amount of leaf, plus high TDS count in my water, so I switched to Nice Icelandic (53 TDS) and the results were much smoother, more buttery, floral and effervescent.

Because FuShouShan leaves are very big and thick, I steep them in a larger kyusu with plenty of room for leaves to unfurl. This time I used a very generous amount of leaf; 12gr/150ml/off boil/1:45sec in Jozan III 300ml kyusu. Pre-rinse 5 seconds with luke warm water just to open up leaf a little. Gentle water dispensing along edges of pot in the beginning to maintain buttery notes. Don’t crowd leaves in too tight a pot. So far I’ve gone 9 rounds that were each super rich, and will continue into tomorrow. The lower TDS water worked better with FuShouShan.

[Ethan Kurland]

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Because FuShouShan leaves are very big and thick, I steep them in a larger kyusu with plenty of room for leaves to unfurl. This time I used a very generous amount of leaf; 12gr/150ml/off boil/1:45sec in Jozan III 300ml kyusu. Pre-rinse 5 seconds with luke warm water just to open up leaf a little. Gentle water dispensing along edges of pot in the beginning to maintain buttery notes. Don’t crowd leaves in too tight a pot. So far I’ve gone 9 rounds that were each super rich, and will continue into tomorrow. The lower TDS water worked better with FuShouShan.

Thanks, Victoria. This is a pleasure to read. We are quite different in our ways but sometimes end up with same brews.

I often pour water along edges of teaware (not directly onto leaves) but have not done so looking for a particular note (in this case you want to maintain buttery notes). I often crowd leaves into pots too tightly. I would not think to put only 150 ml into a pot that holds 300 ml. Yet, often I have switched from teapots or gaiwans to open porcelain bowls without a definite goal in mind. Now I realize that when I use the bowls, I give leaves more space. I cover bowls with an ill-fitting lid sometimes. I don't know why on that habit.

Filters are arriving tomorrow for my Big Berkey. I am hoping that these don't ruin water for making tea leading me to have a few brands of bottled water on hand or perhaps two filters.

Cheers

What I am saying is that some of us sort of play and strive for flavors etc. but you are thoughtful and sensible. (Method vs. madness.)

[Chucky Alfonso]

This chuck from manila, can you help me how to make that oolong?

[Victoria]

This chuck from manila, can you help me how to make that oolong?

Welcome Chucky from Manila. Which oolong are you asking about?

[pantry]

Hello, everyone! I'm new here. Drinking this traditionally processed oolong called "Mountain Pass" that came with this month's global tea hut magazine. Has anyone else tried this? I would like to get more of this stuff, but don't know where to look.

[Bok]

Hello, everyone! I'm new here. Drinking this traditionally processed oolong called "Mountain Pass" that came with this month's global tea hut magazine. Has anyone else tried this? I would like to get more of this stuff, but don't know where to look.

Get it from global tea hut? Otherwise impossible to find the same tea. Mountain pass is a name they probably made up by themselves.

[pantry]

Hello, everyone! I'm new here. Drinking this traditionally processed oolong called "Mountain Pass" that came with this month's global tea hut magazine. Has anyone else tried this? I would like to get more of this stuff, but don't know where to look.

Get it from global tea hut? Otherwise impossible to find the same tea. Mountain pass is a name they probably made up by themselves.

It's not one of the tea they offer online. I'm content with finding tea that's not the exact same one, but similar in nature. Hoping some oolong guru who happens to subscribe to that mag to enlighten me

[Ethan Kurland]

ing this traditionally processed oolong.

Forget about the name and concentrate on: sounds like by traditionally processed, you mean hand-rolled. Is the tea green? If so, it is not roasted or perhaps roasted very lightly. Do you have a name of the mountain, region.... it was grown on? Do you have the height?

Besides what the tea looks like, what does it taste like?

You don't want to complain to God about not winning the lottery, if you do not even buy a ticket. Do some work here, and we might be able to help you. Cheers and welcome to teaforum

[pantry]

ing this traditionally processed oolong.

Forget about the name and concentrate on: sounds like by traditionally processed, you mean hand-rolled. Is the tea green? If so, it is not roasted or perhaps roasted very lightly. Do you have a name of the mountain, region.... it was grown on? Do you have the height?

Besides what the tea looks like, what does it taste like?

You don't want to complain to God about not winning the lottery, if you do not even buy a ticket. Do some work here, and we might be able to help you. Cheers and welcome to teaforum

My apologies! This tea is from Zhu Shan village in Taiwan, about 600m altitude. Dark roast. The tea has a strong but mellow taste, and a very nice toasty, nutty aroma to it.

[chofmann]

ing this traditionally processed oolong.

Forget about the name and concentrate on: sounds like by traditionally processed, you mean hand-rolled. Is the tea green? If so, it is not roasted or perhaps roasted very lightly. Do you have a name of the mountain, region.... it was grown on? Do you have the height?

Besides what the tea looks like, what does it taste like?

You don't want to complain to God about not winning the lottery, if you do not even buy a ticket. Do some work here, and we might be able to help you. Cheers and welcome to teaforum

My apologies! This tea is from Zhu Shan village in Taiwan, about 600m altitude. Dark roast. The tea has a strong but mellow taste, and a very nice toasty, nutty aroma to it.

Based on the roast level it could be a Dong Ding or a Muzha TGY.... Zhu Shan village is next to Lugu, so it is more likely to be an "imitation" Dong Ding than a Muzha TGY (which is from much farther away). If it is dong ding, you should get some fruity and floral notes as well, however depending on how strong the roast is (and how well it was done) these may be drowned out.

[Tillerman]

Forget about the name and concentrate on: sounds like by traditionally processed, you mean hand-rolled. Is the tea green? If so, it is not roasted or perhaps roasted very lightly. Do you have a name of the mountain, region.... it was grown on? Do you have the height?

Besides what the tea looks like, what does it taste like?

You don't want to complain to God about not winning the lottery, if you do not even buy a ticket. Do some work here, and we might be able to help you. Cheers and welcome to teaforum

My apologies! This tea is from Zhu Shan village in Taiwan, about 600m altitude. Dark roast. The tea has a strong but mellow taste, and a very nice toasty, nutty aroma to it.

Based on the roast level it could be a Dong Ding or a Muzha TGY.... Zhu Shan village is next to Lugu, so it is more likely to be an "imitation" Dong Ding than a Muzha TGY (which is from much farther away). If it is dong ding, you should get some fruity and floral notes as well, however depending on how strong the roast is (and how well it was done) these may be drowned out.

I would suggest that you try a dark roasted Dong Ding from a similar price range. The cultivar can make a difference (qing xin wulong, jin xuan or si ji chun. Get the qing xin wulong.

[Bok]

@pantry sound advice, qinxin cultivar is probably the way to go. While you are at it, try Tillermans Laoshi Dongding, it is excellent! He would be to too modest to advertise his own offerings

You can also try HY Chen’s Oolongs, represented by Chofman in the US or order direct if you are not in the US.

Ethan has a different kind of Dongding style on offer, but it is worth comparing.

Anyways choices are plenty, compare and you might surprise yourself and discover something unexpected!

[Ethan Kurland]

. While you are at it, try Tillermans Laoshi Dongding, it is excellent! He would be to too modest to advertise his own offerings

You can also try HY Chen’s Oolongs, represented by Chofman in the US or order direct if you are not in the US.

Ethan has a different kind of Dongding style on offer, but it is worth comparing. .., compare and you might surprise yourself and discover something unexpected!

I would go with the teas from Tillerman and Choffman first, for sure. I do have a roasted oolong that might taste like what you drink, but it is from higher altitude. I have not thought of it as dongding type, but I have drunk very little dongding. (Which means Bok knows better than I do about that.)
This discussion is a good example of the difficulty of details hurting and helping in the search for a tea. For example, a dark-roasted tea can taste like a medium-roasted tea; words such as "strong" or "mellow" might mean different things to various people.

[Victoria]

@pantry good recommendations above. Besides location, cultivar, and level of roast you might think about level of oxidation and how that affects flavor and aroma profile. This week a few of us did a side by side tasting of a few DongDing; Tillerman’s Laoshi medium roast, HY Chen medium roast, and a wiry unrolled DongDing. I also noticed, as Tillerman mentioned above, Laoshi oxidizes his DongDing a little bit more than others. Slightly more oxidation changes the profile and I think that is why HY Chen’s light roast seems more similar toTillerman’s Laoshi medium roast. In an earlier post I did a side by side and didn’t notice different levels of oxidation until after I really looked at the spent leaves. I would also ask Global TeaHut for additional information and if they can get you more.

On a side note, the humidity here along the coast has been higher than normal around 75% and my city water must be temporarily sourced from another well, so both yesterday and today slightly sour notes came through in my 1st steep of Tillerman and Chen’s DongDing. Quickly changing to Iceland Spring water for subsequent steeps fixed that problem. I wish the city would post in real time where their water is sourced, and that there was an easier way for me to know in advance that the water will be off, hate wasting that 1st steep.

[oolongfan]

@Victoria - That tasting sounds wonderful, I only wish that I had been there as I love HY Chen's teas from chofmann..but have not yet tasted any oolong from Tillerman.

I am sorry that you are dealing with water sourcing woes due to humidity. Makes me appreciate having a well as it makes for more consistancy. Hope things get back to nomal soon.