What Oolong Are You Drinking

Semi-oxidized tea
User avatar
joelbct
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:14 pm
Location: NY

Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:37 pm

pase22 wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:31 pm
joelbct wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 2:13 pm
My daily teas are $10 to $20/100g.

Over $20/100g starts getting expensive for me, over $50 I generally won't buy.
This is very much where I stand. I just discovered there's a nice tea shop with a good selection and very reasonable prices not far from me. I may just make take a ride into town over the weekend and try some stuff out.
Yeah I mean, as I mentioned, are some $30 to $50/100g teas justified, to me? Definitely. They just aren't my daily teas.

One of my favorite teas, I can get for $90 to $150 per kilogram, direct from the estate. I think it's as fine as some teas that cost 5 times as much, it just doesn't happen to be in a trendy category. Although, its price has doubled the past 3 years, so who knows how long the bargain will last.
User avatar
joelbct
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:14 pm
Location: NY

Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:31 pm

Drinking teaspring's Wu Yi Shui Xian. It's good, full and quite minerally, just a tad smokey.
User avatar
StoneLadle
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2020 12:19 am
Location: Malaysia

Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:07 pm

@pase22 it's so awesome to finally read that someone is gonna drive to a tea house to try some tea instead of agonising over samples from online vendors!

Drive safe, drink well and have a great time, I'm pumped for you!
pase22
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:16 pm
Location: Montreal

Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:40 pm

StoneLadle wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:07 pm
pase22 it's so awesome to finally read that someone is gonna drive to a tea house to try some tea instead of agonising over samples from online vendors!

Drive safe, drink well and have a great time, I'm pumped for you!
Due to the current situation, I couldn't sit down and try any of their wonderful teas. I will say it's a very nice store with a good selection and affordable prices. The lady was very nice and very helpful so I'll definitely be going back to support her.
I picked up a Castleton Darjeeling, Formosa Oolong and a Shou Pu'er 1yr I think. Only tried the Castleton so far and I'm in heaven. It will be my first time trying Pu'er so I'm looking forward to it.
User avatar
Rickpatbrown
Posts: 171
Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2018 11:10 pm
Location: State College, PA

Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:07 pm

Enjoying some Alishan at the vista!
Put a spoonful in my thermos in the morning with 1L boiling water water. 6 hours later, it brought out some interesting flavors. There was a fragrant herbal flavor like clove or anise or something I couldn't place. I wonder if it came from the stems. Very nice way to enjoy the perfect autumn day :D
20201017_142920.jpg
20201017_142920.jpg (274.07 KiB) Viewed 4711 times
User avatar
debunix
Posts: 1812
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:36 pm

Autumn colors coming up nicely there

Drinking Red Alishan today as sparkling sencha or grandpa style at room temp, still rather hot today.
User avatar
StoneLadle
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2020 12:19 am
Location: Malaysia

Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:47 pm

pase22 wrote:
Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:40 pm
StoneLadle wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:07 pm
pase22 it's so awesome to finally read that someone is gonna drive to a tea house to try some tea instead of agonising over samples from online vendors!

Drive safe, drink well and have a great time, I'm pumped for you!
Due to the current situation, I couldn't sit down and try any of their wonderful teas. I will say it's a very nice store with a good selection and affordable prices. The lady was very nice and very helpful so I'll definitely be going back to support her.
I picked up a Castleton Darjeeling, Formosa Oolong and a Shou Pu'er 1yr I think. Only tried the Castleton so far and I'm in heaven. It will be my first time trying Pu'er so I'm looking forward to it.
Did you get some of pictures of the tea house? I'm wondering what they look like over there...

Wow wow wow on the Pu ... please post up your thoughts once you've gone there... this is momentous!!
pase22
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:16 pm
Location: Montreal

Sun Oct 18, 2020 7:36 am

StoneLadle wrote:
Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:47 pm
pase22 wrote:
Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:40 pm
StoneLadle wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:07 pm
pase22 it's so awesome to finally read that someone is gonna drive to a tea house to try some tea instead of agonising over samples from online vendors!

Drive safe, drink well and have a great time, I'm pumped for you!
Due to the current situation, I couldn't sit down and try any of their wonderful teas. I will say it's a very nice store with a good selection and affordable prices. The lady was very nice and very helpful so I'll definitely be going back to support her.
I picked up a Castleton Darjeeling, Formosa Oolong and a Shou Pu'er 1yr I think. Only tried the Castleton so far and I'm in heaven. It will be my first time trying Pu'er so I'm looking forward to it.
Did you get some of pictures of the tea house? I'm wondering what they look like over there...

Wow wow wow on the Pu ... please post up your thoughts once you've gone there... this is momentous!!
Found a few pictures online.
I'll have to have a few more sessions with the Pu'er. It's very good and also quite unique. It's difficult to put what I'm tasting into words because I don't know what I'm tasting but I like it.
Attachments
chanoir.jpg
chanoir.jpg (106.96 KiB) Viewed 4671 times
chanoir2.jpg
chanoir2.jpg (145.45 KiB) Viewed 4671 times
chanoir3.jpg
chanoir3.jpg (120.59 KiB) Viewed 4671 times
chanoir4.jpg
chanoir4.jpg (199.4 KiB) Viewed 4671 times
User avatar
LeoFox
Posts: 1777
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:01 pm
Location: Washington DC

Sun Oct 18, 2020 1:15 pm

Had a great session with DYL from TTC

Large dry leaf balls with medium scent of tropical fruits.

Steeped in 110 mL kobiwako with off boiling water:

Rinse/35s/25s/35s/40s/45s/50s/55s/60s/1min 10s/1 min 30s/2 min /2 min 30 s / 5 min / 10 min / all day in 500 mL mug

Early steeps: exceptionally buttery and thick (almost oily with second steep). Tropical fruit is present but takes backseat to the thick mouthfeel. Aftertaste has a baked pastry character and there is a flowery aroma.

Middle steeps: butteriness and thickness slowly diminish, allowing the fruit sweetness and the flowery aromas to step forward.

Late steeps: sweet minerality from the clay becomes more prominent. The aftertaste feels polished and smooth. Fruit flavors remain present and clean. At 5 min steep, a sweet corn taste emerges

At the 10 min steep, brew is still balanced. I ate a leaf at this point and found it sweet and buttery. Decided to dump the leaves into a 500 L mug and steep it out for the rest of the day

Very good stamina. Amazing characteristics of butteriness balanced with tropical fruit and floral aromas.
Attachments
20201018_093845.jpg
20201018_093845.jpg (200.95 KiB) Viewed 4653 times
20201018_093254.jpg
20201018_093254.jpg (172.1 KiB) Viewed 4653 times
vuanguyen
Posts: 105
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2020 6:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Sun Oct 18, 2020 3:51 pm

Drinking Oolong from home. When I made this Oolong 6 month ago, I was so disappointed with my tea making skill. It tasted like a Sheng Puer than a Taiwanese Oolong. Now, 6 month later, this tea body is much thicker and the taste is sweeter with a silky touch of tannin yet still has the freshness fragrant of what a Taiwanese Oolong should be. I am overjoyed :) Too bad, I only have 25g of this stuff left as I gave most away to my love ones.

I used to love drinking Taiwanese Oolong. It was my first love of tea as this was the only tea that my late father drank. However, I drink much less now as I find the many Oolongs made now are much less oxidized especially the high mountain teas. Too green for me.

I am looking for high quality Taiwanese oolong with more oxidation (30-40% oxidized) but no roasting. I am unable to find any vendor who sells this type of tea :( Hoping if anyone can share where I can buy such a tea if it exists.

My small and humbled garden.
My small and humbled garden.
87FEAC69-60D1-4C6B-BB76-C7450B57826C.jpeg (419.24 KiB) Viewed 4662 times
9157659E-F13D-43A2-B4B8-00BFA893603D.jpeg
9157659E-F13D-43A2-B4B8-00BFA893603D.jpeg (376.34 KiB) Viewed 4662 times
The color is much more yellow as this tea was left to wither for more than 24 hour before the kill green process (more oxidized than typical high mountain green Oolong)
The color is much more yellow as this tea was left to wither for more than 24 hour before the kill green process (more oxidized than typical high mountain green Oolong)
87F37952-A9D9-4EB9-8777-D859D66823FD.jpeg (133.8 KiB) Viewed 4662 times
952AA231-27D6-4270-97F0-1F801BE02DA0.jpeg
952AA231-27D6-4270-97F0-1F801BE02DA0.jpeg (348.1 KiB) Viewed 4662 times
User avatar
joelbct
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:14 pm
Location: NY

Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:29 pm

@vuanguyen cool. What climate do you live in?
vuanguyen
Posts: 105
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2020 6:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:10 pm

joelbct wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:29 pm
vuanguyen cool. What climate do you live in?
I live in San Jose, California (Zones 9b). Mediterranean climate...wet in the winter and dry in the summer...a time bomb for wildfire in the summer :(

You can grow teas in many different zones though (https://camforest.com/collections/tea-camellias)...as low as zone 6b.
User avatar
LeoFox
Posts: 1777
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:01 pm
Location: Washington DC

Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:16 pm

vuanguyen wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:10 pm
joelbct wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:29 pm
vuanguyen cool. What climate do you live in?
I live in San Jose, California (Zones 9b). Mediterranean climate...wet in the winter and dry in the summer...a time bomb for wildfire in the summer :(

You can grow teas in many different zones though (https://camforest.com/collections/tea-camellias)...as low as zone 6b.
I think eco cha high mountain teas have a bit higher oxidation, but not sure if they are above 30%

https://eco-cha.com/collections/taiwan- ... oolong-tea
vuanguyen
Posts: 105
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2020 6:06 pm
Location: San Jose, California

Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:33 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:16 pm
vuanguyen wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:10 pm
joelbct wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:29 pm
vuanguyen cool. What climate do you live in?
I live in San Jose, California (Zones 9b). Mediterranean climate...wet in the winter and dry in the summer...a time bomb for wildfire in the summer :(

You can grow teas in many different zones though (https://camforest.com/collections/tea-camellias)...as low as zone 6b.
I think eco cha high mountain teas have a bit higher oxidation, but not sure if they are above 30%

https://eco-cha.com/collections/taiwan- ... oolong-tea
Thanks @LeoFox! This is what I am looking for. The outer edges of the used leaves show a brownish color suggesting a higher level of oxidation. Is Eco Cha a reputable company? Their prices are lower than Taiwan Tea Craft.
User avatar
LeoFox
Posts: 1777
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 4:01 pm
Location: Washington DC

Sun Oct 18, 2020 6:12 pm

vuanguyen wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:33 pm
LeoFox wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:16 pm
vuanguyen wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:10 pm


I live in San Jose, California (Zones 9b). Mediterranean climate...wet in the winter and dry in the summer...a time bomb for wildfire in the summer :(

You can grow teas in many different zones though (https://camforest.com/collections/tea-camellias)...as low as zone 6b.
I think eco cha high mountain teas have a bit higher oxidation, but not sure if they are above 30%

https://eco-cha.com/collections/taiwan- ... oolong-tea
Thanks LeoFox! This is what I am looking for. The outer edges of the used leaves show a brownish color suggesting a higher level of oxidation. Is Eco Cha a reputable company? Their prices are lower than Taiwan Tea Craft.
I would say they are pretty solid, but i think they are more concerned with ecological sustainability than getting the absolutely best tasting tea. To many people, that is a good thing. Personally, i like their dong ding offerings the best.

Also refer to this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=59

Also this might be useful from teadb:

https://teadb.org/eco-cha/
Post Reply