Ohlala, I have tasted a new roasted Oolong, 'Tian Xian Hong Oolong', (roasted by Mr Li, in Guo Ying Village, Nantou) that is delicious. Hand picked and heavily oxidized, it is amazingly rich from DieKunstDesTees out of Eschborn, Germany; high aromatics, perfectly roasted, rich carmel fruity sweetness, and a beautiful reddish-brown mahogany colored leaf. Hard to describe the aroma but it is wonderfully rich and thick, as is the liquor. The owner, Kwok Ying von Beuningen, is from Hong Kong, lives in Germany, and is in the process of creating a small teagarden and workshop in Taiwan. She sent me three samples so I'll report back about the other two as well. I'll have to save the rest of this sample to share with my LA tea group otherwise I would have finished it by now, it is so good.
Wondering what makes the leaves have such a beautiful rich red mahogany color?
Tian Xian Hong Oolong means: 'red oolong with heavenly fragrance', a perfect description.
What Oolong Are You Drinking
Are you coming this way? Yes, of course. I'll share that our LA group is really enjoying interacting and sharing tea experiences together. A few on this forum have said that to truly appreciate tea a maximum of one or two participants is optimal, while this resonates, I have also found that with a group of <eight new dimensions can be explored and enjoyed. Cha Te is enjoyed in most of the world as a social experience, and while we are not drinking Moroccan Mint or Turkish Chai but rather some pretty rarified and unique teas, we have found that adding a social dimension to the mix simply amplifies and already interesting tea experience. Most everyone I know who does not drink tea asks ‘so you're smoking weed or drinking alcohol also right?’ They can't understand how we can drink tea for so many hours and enjoy itShine Magical wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:41 pmWhen I move to LA I hope you will let me join your tea group Victoria
There are so many dimensions to tea, it just keeps unfolding.Probably in a year or so, one can only put up with New York for so long and after 27 years I’d like a change of scenery. 
The New York tea club that I’m in is nice but I wish it would step it’s game up with more unique teas and more serious members to be perfectly honest.
The New York tea club that I’m in is nice but I wish it would step it’s game up with more unique teas and more serious members to be perfectly honest.
Two Wuyicha this morning: a DHP I've had aging for a few years (roasted in Chaozhou!) and a high grade Qilan from an old HK company. Both teas have aged nicely. The DHP has more aged notes. The Qilan's dry leaves are less aromatic than when fresh but there's still plenty of deep and complex flavor in the leaves, and it appears to have improved significantly as far as complexity. Great morning for Wuyi teas and I really needed a break from pu erh!
For once a tea that some of you might know as well: HY Chen’s medium roast Dongding, this one from 2016. Hasn’t gotten any worse since then, better if anything, smoother than I remember it.
I call it harmony in dark orange, as the colour of the brew perfectly matched the wooden scoop.
I call it harmony in dark orange, as the colour of the brew perfectly matched the wooden scoop.
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Winter 2017 Da Yu Lin from Formosa Tea Connection (Japan) this morning, just out of the box delivered from Kyoto a few hours ago.
Low to medium oxidation, very lightly roasted. Enjoyed pure high mountain aroma with soft and clean taste.
I received 4 other Taiwanese teas from Formosa Tea Connection this morning, and cannot wait to brew them!
Low to medium oxidation, very lightly roasted. Enjoyed pure high mountain aroma with soft and clean taste.
I received 4 other Taiwanese teas from Formosa Tea Connection this morning, and cannot wait to brew them!
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Drinking a charcoal roast Xiao Hong Pao from a Hong Kong dealer. This stuff was roasted in Hong Kong. The dealer is most famous for tieguanyin, but also roasts a variety of Wuyicha. The other Wuyicha I've tried has been disappointing, but that may just be that the tea needs to rest before sale and the family are selling it before it has calmed down enough. This XHP has been the best of this dealer's Wuyicha offerings and he handed me some to try, gratis, in the hopes that I'd come back for more! The tea has a lovely bittersweet effect, thick body, a hint of DHP fruitiness and an interesting character unlike any other Wuyicha I've tried yet. This tea isn't amazing by any means (I've been drinking some really good Wuyicha over the last year), but it is definitely unique enough that I am considering stocking it for the site! Wish that was true for the rest of their Wuyicha!
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OldWaysTea
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Last night I was drinking some 2008 aged Da Hong Pao. I was pleasantly surprised by it. Sometimes I'll try a tea that I have not had in a while and get a nice surprise. It has been about a year since I last tried it, and at that time I thought it was good, but not too special. I think it needed an extra year for the final roast to calm. Now a pleasant depth has emerged.
I've been drinking really good dancong this week! I've had excellent examples of yashixiang, xingrenxiang and milanxiang. The milanxiang is a little roastier than the other two and was purchased from a HK dealer last spring. It seems to be much better now!
Not cheap, but a lovely osmanthus fragrance and flavor, very little astringency and bitterness, even when pushed, and a light almond aftertaste. Light huigan, a hint of Concord grape (!) after the swallow in a few of the early infusions, and it went 10 infusions and still had more flavor to give! Just an excellent example of a classic dancong.
I think the yashixiang was the best of the week, however, and it wasn't astringent or bitter at all. A little less roasty than the other teas. Fresh milk to it as well as mango and pineapple notes (entirely natural). I was ready to write off dancong completely, and then I ended up trying the three best dancongs I've ever had, all in the space of a week! With dancong, you definitely get what you pay for! I suppose that's true for pretty much anything in life, but it seems particularly true for dancong and Wuyicha!
Not cheap, but a lovely osmanthus fragrance and flavor, very little astringency and bitterness, even when pushed, and a light almond aftertaste. Light huigan, a hint of Concord grape (!) after the swallow in a few of the early infusions, and it went 10 infusions and still had more flavor to give! Just an excellent example of a classic dancong.
I think the yashixiang was the best of the week, however, and it wasn't astringent or bitter at all. A little less roasty than the other teas. Fresh milk to it as well as mango and pineapple notes (entirely natural). I was ready to write off dancong completely, and then I ended up trying the three best dancongs I've ever had, all in the space of a week! With dancong, you definitely get what you pay for! I suppose that's true for pretty much anything in life, but it seems particularly true for dancong and Wuyicha!
Enjoying Te Company’s Oriental Beauty Grand, after a week of no tea because of the flu. Wanted something special, sweet and aromatic that would be gentle on my stomach. This is their highest grade OB, super aromatic and silky rich tasting with notes of orange, rose, and muscat.
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Teachronicles
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Had some milanxiang 2016 dancong from bitterleaf teas. There description is pretty accurate in terms of apricot aroma. Around the 2nd and 3rd steep there's a nice lychee taste and aroma, which surprised me as I haven't had much dancong and didn't expect a lychee flavor. Not sure how it compares to other dancongs, but I found it very enjoyable.
