What Oolong Are You Drinking

[pepson]

Tengchong Gao Shan- really mildly roasted oolong.
As I am not a fan of "green" oolongs but this one is very nice. Not too much floral.

[mbanu]

Drinking some Tie Luo Han from Seven Cups -- like in previous years, theirs is a tea that loves a regular-old-5-minute-steep. If you are trying to tempt any tea-lovers into considering oolongs who might be more used to that format than gongfu or gaiwan brewing, I feel this is a good one. If they become curious about the tea afterwards, Tie Luo Han has a lot of history and still has modern fans, so they will have a way to connect.

[Andrew S]

An antidote to yet another hot, humid day; wild-grown Jinxuan from Lugu.

It feels nice to be drinking tea 'properly' again, after a week of mostly leaves-in-a-cup at best (and coffee all day, at worst).

Andrew

[Andrew S]

Enjoying an interesting tea on a day with some interesting weather; a 2015 bailu (白鷺) oriental beauty that was given a moderate but deep roast a few months ago.

Nutty and rich aromas with some gentle herbal and fruity undertones, a smooth and creamy palate that feels like a dessert (nuts, cakes, toffee, maybe cocoa), and a light but bright mouthfeel and nice aftertaste along the same lines. Not a typical OB by any means, but a nice tea, perhaps in a style of its own.

Andrew

[Andrew S]

Starting the day with Lazy Cat's aged yancha, brewed fairly strong in a tiny pot. I've only had this tea twice so far, but I think that I prefer this 'strong yancha' style of brewing over a more moderate 'aged tea' style.

It's got a nice cool and refreshing aftertaste that works well to balance the smooth, deep roast.

Andrew

[LeoFox]

Apparently there are now people using spectrometry to determine whether tea is really from Taiwan or not

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... tid=Nif5oz

[Ethan Kurland]

Apparently there are now people using spectrometry to determine whether tea is really from Taiwan or not

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?
As I get worse & worse in linguistic ability, I wonder how many customers I will lose because of inexact descriptions of teas' characteristics, while I get better at offering top quality and/or top value for $? My words may be measured & fail the test; so my teas will remain here for me & my limited amount of visitors to drink... so be it.
Technology marches on..... Cheers

[Andrew S]

Trying a yancha cultivar that I haven't encountered before: Xiang Tian Mei (向天梅). Very interesting evolution of flavours and aromas over the session...

I wonder, is there much of a market for cultivars beyond the usual SX / TLH / RG etc? Or is it a very small niche of the market, even in Asia?

Andrew

[Andrew S]

Apparently there are now people using spectrometry to determine whether tea is really from Taiwan or not

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?
As I get worse & worse in linguistic ability, I wonder how many customers I will lose because of inexact descriptions of teas' characteristics, while I get better at offering top quality and/or top value for $? My words may be measured & fail the test; so my teas will remain here for me & my limited amount of visitors to drink... so be it.
Technology marches on..... Cheers

I suppose that, so long as an excellent tea from Taiwan can command a greater price than an equally-excellent tea from Vietnam, Thailand, etc, there'll be a market for this kind of thing.

I think that smaller vendors like you have the advantage that they can form a level of trust with their customers, and don't need to rely on imaginative / unrealistic descriptions or spectrometry.

Andrew

[Tor]

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?

Remember that year when Vietnamese tea was awarded in the competition?

[pepson]

I’d try a different kind of clay for Yancha, or porcelain. This kind you use is often subduing the subtle nuances of Yancha.

Thank you for your advice.
I did try that Yancha in Chinese Jingdezhen gaiwan for comparison. I think, there is no big difference between porcelain and chamotte clay pot. It may be caused by glaze inside pot. On the other hand I am not skilled oolong drinker that is why my opinion does not have to be exact

I usually use Duan ni pot for heavy smoked Wuyi's and I am satisfied. Especially i love cocoa tones.

[Ethan Kurland]

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?

Remember that year when Vietnamese tea was awarded in the competition?

Missed that. Perhaps it happened years before I was into tea. Cheers

I am all for honesty & dislike counterfeiting. I am often reminding people that authentic does not always mean good. Every season varies. Tea harvested on a Monday morning may be very different from tea harvested just 30 hours later (Tuesday afternoon) etc.

[Tor]

To test samples rather than to taste them; to learn that a tea they like is not authentic? What good is the information?

Remember that year when Vietnamese tea was awarded in the competition?

Missed that. Perhaps it happened years before I was into tea. Cheers

It was in 2015.

[LeoFox]

Happy times drinking a generous gift tea in a generous gift pot. Thank you




And check out video of pour If you want to-
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqsWxm6N ... MyMTA2M2Y=

[Andrew S]

@LeoFox: generous gifts indeed; I have read that those pots get nice and shiny; looking forward to seeing yours in the future after it enjoys some more teas.

I'm starting a long weekend with a little yancha session to cut through a rainy and overcast day, trying some more interesting cultivars that I haven't yet experienced (with apologies to people in countries who don't get a public holiday today...).

Andrew