I believe medium & heavy roasted TGY is mostly a product of summer harvesting along with Black Tea. The best roasted TGY gets bought out fairly quickly.
What Oolong Are You Drinking
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Ethan Kurland
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I haven't had much from Hojo, but I got some very nice traditional roast TGY from Anxi and Taiwan via Norbu, and Anxi via JingTeaShop.com, which definitely had smoother edges and less 'bite' than the SeaDyke.
Right now I'm prepping some LiShan from Tillerman grandpa style in a shallow Petr Novak bowl (better to get to lukewarm quickly for drinking on a warming afternoon).
And I'm prepping for some sparkling Haimonicha Balhyocha from Jeon Jae Yeun for when it gets hotter still--doing the hot gaiwan infusion now.
Right now I'm prepping some LiShan from Tillerman grandpa style in a shallow Petr Novak bowl (better to get to lukewarm quickly for drinking on a warming afternoon).
And I'm prepping for some sparkling Haimonicha Balhyocha from Jeon Jae Yeun for when it gets hotter still--doing the hot gaiwan infusion now.
thanks for the tip! looks like Norbu has shifted to wholesale, but the two that Jing has look really interesting, sounds like exactly what I'm looking for more of so I'll be trying those out.
I'm sure the best TGY gets snatched up fast like any other tea, though if you do traditional roasting I wonder how that works since anything decent will probably be rested I would guess anywhere from a couple of weeks up to maybe even a year before it would actually be for sale to the public. I wonder if its a bit like Pu, where the farmers who tend to have the best material is sold immediately or even on pre-order, and vendors then have their roaster that they use and bring it to them- so even if it isn't up for sale quickly its gone from the actual market really fast.
I'm sure the best TGY gets snatched up fast like any other tea, though if you do traditional roasting I wonder how that works since anything decent will probably be rested I would guess anywhere from a couple of weeks up to maybe even a year before it would actually be for sale to the public. I wonder if its a bit like Pu, where the farmers who tend to have the best material is sold immediately or even on pre-order, and vendors then have their roaster that they use and bring it to them- so even if it isn't up for sale quickly its gone from the actual market really fast.
2020 winter (autumn harvest) HY chen medium roast. Amazing how he hand labels each tiny 25g pack:
The dry leaf smells like chocolate and raisins. The tea seems loosely rolled and in fact after only 1 infusion, the balls were mostly unfolded.
I brewed following Victoria's advice: 5 g/ 85 mL with off boiling water
No rinse - 60s/ 60s / 2 min / 7 min / 16min / overnight
First infusion was mostly caramel and toffee sweetness from the roast. I noticed the edges of the leaf are quite ragged and torn looking, reminding me of TGY.
Second infusion came on thick: the tea soup was smooth and there was a rush of taiwanese oolong flavor that I'm not going to try to describe. Along the sides of the tongue were nutty and sweet, like candied pecans. The caffeine/qi hit hard here and it felt like I was smacked in the back of my head. Need to sip this one slowly.
Third infusion was similar to second infusion but with more aromatics, less body.
Fourth infusion - I meant to do 5 minutes but went to 7. It was because I was tired and quite tea drunk at this point. The tea soup was weaker than the third infusion by quite a bit but had a bandy like bitterness. At this point, it was suggested I could pair with brandy or aged rhum.
5th infusion. I paired with 10 year old bourbon. It was interesting how the tea flavors layered on top of the bourbon without interfering with each other. My wife entered the room and said she thought someone was smoking. Indeed, the roast has come back a bit but softer. Body and aromatics weaker following the trend from 4th infusion.
Overnight steep: sweet and nutty infusion for the morning. Woke me up.
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I brewed following Victoria's advice: 5 g/ 85 mL with off boiling water
No rinse - 60s/ 60s / 2 min / 7 min / 16min / overnight
- IMG_20210617_084606_680.jpg (106.43 KiB) Viewed 6466 times
- IMG_20210617_084711_944.jpg (67.07 KiB) Viewed 6466 times
Second infusion came on thick: the tea soup was smooth and there was a rush of taiwanese oolong flavor that I'm not going to try to describe. Along the sides of the tongue were nutty and sweet, like candied pecans. The caffeine/qi hit hard here and it felt like I was smacked in the back of my head. Need to sip this one slowly.
Third infusion was similar to second infusion but with more aromatics, less body.
Fourth infusion - I meant to do 5 minutes but went to 7. It was because I was tired and quite tea drunk at this point. The tea soup was weaker than the third infusion by quite a bit but had a bandy like bitterness. At this point, it was suggested I could pair with brandy or aged rhum.
5th infusion. I paired with 10 year old bourbon. It was interesting how the tea flavors layered on top of the bourbon without interfering with each other. My wife entered the room and said she thought someone was smoking. Indeed, the roast has come back a bit but softer. Body and aromatics weaker following the trend from 4th infusion.
- The bourbon in a glencairn
- IMG_20210617_084841_351.jpg (68.54 KiB) Viewed 6466 times
Overnight steep: sweet and nutty infusion for the morning. Woke me up.
Last edited by LeoFox on Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Maybe your reference is mixing alcohol with a roasted oolong
, but Fukien is a much much harsher roast in comparison the HY Chen’s smooth malty touch. I have a few Fukien that I pair with some heavy meals. Glad you enjoyed the medium roast DD Leo.This morning I’m enjoying Chen’s winter charcoal light roast Alishan Jin Xuan. Highly aromatic and macadamia nutty, with silky smooth sweet liquor. So pleased, as I’m traveling using new water. All good, it is so well roasted I wish I’d bought a jin of this oolong.
We’ll, different people, different strokes. While it’s a drinkable tea, I do think they lack depth and complexity. Apart from the roast there is not much else. But that’s me.
Of course Fukien tea is not a fair comparison, these are beyond rescue, death by firing squad… just about fit for a greasy meal, but I’d not waste a focused tea session on any of their teas. But you get what you pay for, they’re pretty cheap(at least if you buy them directly from them). Hearsay has it they do export a lot to Taiwanese restaurants. Makes sense.
Of course Fukien tea is not a fair comparison, these are beyond rescue, death by firing squad… just about fit for a greasy meal, but I’d not waste a focused tea session on any of their teas. But you get what you pay for, they’re pretty cheap(at least if you buy them directly from them). Hearsay has it they do export a lot to Taiwanese restaurants. Makes sense.
Very grateful to @Ethan Kurland for shipping the tea in time for Father's Day to my dad. He very generously included a touching card and some free tea samples; all very much appreciated:
My dad really enjoyed the FSS gaoshan - and was blown away even by the first infusion, that is usually underwhelming compared to the second infusion. He was especially surprised by the powerful aroma and the unexpected huigan. Not being there to taste it or make the tea, I cannot comment more but my dad is certainly very happy. Thank you Ethan!
Here is a link to the teas
viewtopic.php?p=36903#p36903
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Here is a link to the teas
viewtopic.php?p=36903#p36903
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Bottom of the last of two 250g tins of Dancong I bought more than two years ago in Guangzhou… has it changed? Probably. Has it lost flavour? Definitely not. A wonderful goodbye to a tea I’ll never have again.
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Ethan Kurland
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Thanks for sharing, especially the photographs, Leo. I don't take photographs but like seeing them. I often read that second infusions are more flavorful but sort of think first infusions are as flavorful but in a subtle wayLeoFox wrote: ↑Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:34 pm- and was blown away even by the first infusion, that is usually underwhelming compared to the second infusion. He was especially surprised by the powerful aroma and the unexpected huigan.
Here is a link to the teas
viewtopic.php?p=36903#p36903
. I expect huigan from top quality gaoshan & mkight take it for granted; yet, every time hot water hits leaves to create aroma instantly, I am awed & thankful.