Bao Zhong

[LeoFox]

That’s a reasonable suggestion, Ethan Kurland. I think the only thing that would be missing is the spice flavor of baozhong, which I rarely if ever find with gaoshan.

I feel only the special ones have this

[Baisao]

That’s a reasonable suggestion, Ethan Kurland. I think the only thing that would be missing is the spice flavor of baozhong, which I rarely if ever find with gaoshan.

I feel only the special ones have this

One of the best baozhongs I’ve had was made from jin xuan. So not only did it have the floral & spice elements to it, but it also had a milk-like creaminess to it. I think this was a 2018 or 2019 harvest.

[Ethan Kurland]

one of the best baozhongs I’ve had was made from jin xuan. So not only did it have the floral & spice elements to it, but it also had a milk-like creaminess to it. I think this was a 2018 or 2019 harvest.

Good of you, to point that out. I probably would not have sampled it, even if offered for free & conveniently. I got tired of being disappointed by jin xuan, one of the few teas of Taiwan that I stopped tasting.

I don't concern myself with knowing cultivars most of the time because it can lead to us not trying teas that we will like; &, your baozhong of jin xuan leaves shows us what we can miss.

Soil, altitude, etc., matter. Tea that I get from the lower part of Shanlinxi tastes somewhat like baozhong that I liked (featuring sweetness, a touch of mint, & hint of minerals) especially when prepared in a manner to showcase those characteristics.

[Baisao]

Thank you, @Ethan Kurland. Jin xuan is frequently disappointing, so I understand. My teacher, who worked for TRES in the 90s, estimated that only a quarter of the jin xuan harvest was good. If so, that would explain the shenanigans with "milk oolong". Like you, I rarely look at varietal for Taiwanese oolongs unless something unusual stands out. I go all in on Japanese varietals however, because the differences are very dramatic.

[Bok]

Thank you, Ethan Kurland. Jin xuan is frequently disappointing, so I understand. My teacher, who worked for TRES in the 90s, estimated that only a quarter of the jin xuan harvest was good. If so, that would explain the shenanigans with "milk oolong". Like you, I rarely look at varietal for Taiwanese oolongs unless something unusual stands out. I go all in on Japanese varietals however, because the differences are very dramatic.

As I see it the varietal gives you a sort of a base note. What becomes of it, is more dependent on the tea maker. So the process matters possibly more than the varietal in the end.

You can make good tea and bad one of them all the same. Often it seems to me that it is another unnecessary focus point of consumers in the absence of other factors that lie inside their area of control or understanding.