High fire TGY suggestions?

[Hannah]

Hello All!

Hopefully this is the right spot for this sort of question, I did use the search function first but apologies if I've missed something!


I'm looking for a new source for some high fire/heavy roasted TGY (HK Roast I think someone told me this is before?). The favourites I've had to date are from Tim's MTR and OriginTea, neither of which sell tea anymore I've recently had White2Tea's TGY that I had stashed which has been lasting me a while as well but it's sold out currently.


Any suggestions for a decent roast TGY that won't necessarily break the bank? I'd also be happy to try some nice expensive ones like I used to have from MTR, but also looking for one at a daily drinker price too. Interested to know about all possibilities!


Thanks all

[pedant]

haha, MTR and Origin. yes, those are long gone!

i don't drink a lot of HK high fire TGY, but @tealifehk's shop comes to mind.
maybe others can chime in with more suggestions. good luck

[Bok]

If I were to buy from a Western facing vendor I would try Tillerman Tea or Emilio's The Jade Leaf: https://thejadeleaf.com/collections/tea
In my experience high roast TGY from Taiwan has a much better quality and is more flavourful than HK or China.

Chinese versions are rarely high roast these days, the one I ever had, was actually made on demand by a Taiwanese tea shop.

HK I have yet to come across something really palatable, mostly over-roasted. Good with greasy food, but not refined enough for me to dedicate a tea session to it...
Also for what it is, not really cheap either. My 2 cents.

Next to the fruity/spicy richness of Taiwanese TGY, I find the versions from across the water one-dimensional.
My biggest issue with many TGY from Taiwan is that they turn out sour notes fairly easily, which I find unpleasant.

[tealifehk]

Hi Hannah!

This tea should be exactly the same as the tea you got from Tim at MTR back in the day (but more recently roasted):

https://www.tealifehk.com/products/hong ... yin-oolong

I'd also suggest this tea to you: the current batch is really very good. It's not quite as highly roasted, but it's one of my bestselling teas (and for good reason)!

https://www.tealifehk.com/products/ever ... uanyin-50g

High fire TGY is something I'm quite fond of: Factory 1 made teapots specifically for HK dealers for use with this kind of tea, and they shine in the right clay. Here's my full assortment of TGY for your convenience:

https://www.tealifehk.com/products?quer ... tieguanyin

I'm running a sale through August 1st: 19% off if you enter "SUMMER" at checkout.

As for Taiwanese TGY vs Anxi...I really like the good high roast TGY I've had from TW, and it is made with hongxin from Anxi vs qingxin (dominant in Anxi now for TGY production). But high roast Anxi qingxin is something very familiar and is a classic gongfu tea (some would say THE classic gongfu tea here in Southern China). I like both, but I drink a lot more of the HK-roasted stuff since it's much easier for me to access down here!

Thanks @pedant for the mention!

[Baisao]

I’ve sampled @Tillerman’s Muzha TGY and heartily recommend it. It’s not charred like some. Here are my notes for his Spring 2018, which btw should age nicely:

Parameters: 6g/120ml/93°

Appearance Dry: Dark, small to medium-sized, irregularly shaped pellets that appear traditionally rolled. Looks well oxidized and roasted.

Aroma Dry: Light in all but a dark waxy smell and some roasting aroma.

First Infusion: Prodigious amounts of macerated fruit (peachy) aromas, charcoal roast, turning to dried rabbit tobacco* (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium) musty aroma as it cools. Dark peach and charcoal flavor. Finish is sweet with a gentle bit of acidity that induces salivation. Medium-light body.

Second Infusion: Charcoal roast aroma hits hard followed quickly by lingering dark peach, then the sour mustiness of rabbit tobacco, finishing with Japanese ume pastilles. The flavor has become slightly tart with sourness felt on the rear sides of the palate. Peach is unmistakable on the lips as they are pursed, significantly more peachy than the first infusion. Searching for candies but none to be found.

Third Infusion: Virtually identical to the second infusion but the roasting and peach aroma occur simultaneously in this steeping.

Conclusion: This is a winner of a Muzha Tieguanyin as much as for what it is as for what it isn’t! Normally over-roasted, this one has been well roasted but not turned to cinders. It has a lot of what I like best about Tieguanyin, specifically an abundance of fruit flavors. It’s been oxidized enough that the Tieguanyin swirling aroma high in the sinuses (that is painful to me) has been attenuated. I appreciate the effort of the producer to choose charcoal roasting which gives a solid sensation instead of the “hollow” sensation of electric roasting. This Tieguanyin is predictably easy to steep, something that will be welcomed by neophytes frustrated by challenging to steep teas. There’s virtually no astringency and the sourness of the tea is gentle. This is an excellent candidate for aging.

*Rabbit tobacco has a peppery, sour mustiness to it that is unique. I do not know of any other thing that smells or tastes this way.

[Victoria]

LA tea club members and I have really enjoyed sharing @tealifehk High Fire Tieguanyin Oolong from 2014+-. It is malty rich aromatic and complexity with no bitterness, and very reasonably priced for the high quality.

[tealifehk]

LA tea club members and I have really enjoyed sharing tealifehk High Fire Tieguanyin Oolong from 2014+-. It is malty rich aromatic and complexity with no bitterness, and very reasonably priced for the high quality.

Thanks Victoria! I'm amazed that tea has held up so well. The family that produce it discard it when it gets past its peak since it can't be reroasted (it's very high roasted). Glad to hear it's still enjoyable after all these years!

[Sweetestdew]

If you are still looking for this I may be able to help you. A make just sent me a sample of heavy roasted TGY. Really great strong chocolate note, not my usual cup of tea but I couldnt help but enjoy it.

[mbanu]

Tea Hong is another vendor who sometimes gets nice HK-style oolongs.

[Victoria]

If you are still looking for this I may be able to help you. A make just sent me a sample of heavy roasted TGY. Really great strong chocolate note, not my usual cup of tea but I couldnt help but enjoy it.

That is very generous of you @Sweetestdew

[Ethan Kurland]

Perhaps you should contact Jay, tealifehk. (On vendors' section here.) I haven't checked recently, but before he had many choices of what you are searching for. I recommend speaking w/ him on the telephone, if possible. A long time ago I got so many roasted teas from him (sample sizes) that I lost track of which I preferred. I should have spoken with him first about I like & had him choose for me.

[tjkdubya]

I’ve sampled Tillerman’s Muzha TGY and heartily recommend it. It’s not charred like some. Here are my notes for his Spring 2018, which btw should age nicely:

Parameters: 6g/120ml/93°

Wow, thank you for such detailed notes. I've got this and a few other 2019s on their way from @Tillerman. Wish I knew what rabbit tobacco is like, hmm...

[Baisao]

I’ve sampled Tillerman’s Muzha TGY and heartily recommend it. It’s not charred like some. Here are my notes for his Spring 2018, which btw should age nicely:

Parameters: 6g/120ml/93°

Wow, thank you for such detailed notes. I've got this and a few other 2019s on their way from Tillerman. Wish I knew what rabbit tobacco is like, hmm...

Thank you. I am glad it was helpful.

I found a stash of rabbit tobacco that I stored in my herb box years ago and let my family smell it and they agreed with this description: it has a leathery tobacco-like aroma as the foundation, the mustiness of black pepper but without the heat, and the fragrance of maple syrup or fenugreek coming to the fore.

November is rabbit tobacco harvesting season so be sure to look for it if you live in the eastern half of the United States or Canada. It is a conspicuous plant once you've seen it.

Rabbit Tobacco Range - US

psob3.jpg (48.26 KiB) Viewed 9365 times

[Pete]

I really enjoy Fang Tea's Anxi TGY. Richand well balanced. They use to offer 30% and 50% roasts but looks like they may be sold out of the higher roast now. I hot it hard and prefer the 30% for myself. I expect the 50% will age real well. Will advise on that down the road. https://www.fangtea.com/product-page/or ... 0%E9%9F%B3
Happy Hunting!