Of all the tea I drink, Dayuling is my absolute favorite. The day seems to be coming when its all gone. The really high altitude stuff is already pretty much gone, or at least I cant find it. Do you think the day will come when the Taiwanese government reclaims it all? Do you have a favorite vendor for this material?
Here is a link from a blog that gives an idea of whats been happening there over the past few years if your not up to speed.
http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2015/05/ ... d-joy.html
Lets talk about Da Yu Ling
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Ethan Kurland
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Brent D,
There is what you want, by the name da yu ling, or another name. The quality and qualities that you have experienced can still be drunk.
The end of tea production for the highest 200 meters (around 2500 meters high) on a few mountains did not wipe out all the possibilities....Leaves from 2400-2500 meters high may not be different than leaves from 2500-2600 meters, and a mountain a kilometer away from another.....etc.
2 years ago, I bought 75 grams of such tea, a "da yu ling" if you will, and I sometimes regretted not buying much more. (But it was expensive.) 7 months ago, I tasted an even better..... Did I not buy any because it cost even more? Yes. Recently I did not even take a taste because I decided that the prices for the very best tea are irrationally higher than the prices for tea that is so close in quality. (Moderation, I tell myself, since with travel factored in, I spend more $ on tea than I do on food.)
If I am enjoying a tea and not missing characteristics and/or quality; and, I am not being annoyed by some unwanted trait; then, I do not have a reason to crave the same type of tea that is somehow a tiny bit better but so much more expensive. For me there is no point in seeking what is considered the absolutely very best when one can drink essentially the same tea for much less $.
Brent, if you feel that you are not able to get close enough to the same dayuling experience that you had before, that's different. If you really crave it, that kind of oolong can be obtained.
(When I was going from pennies, nickels, and dimes per gram towards dollars, I also thought I would only drink my better teas occasionally. I don't monitor myself that way though I feel I should.)
Anyway, people seem to be raving about roasted oolong more, but what you like Brent, is obtainable.
There is what you want, by the name da yu ling, or another name. The quality and qualities that you have experienced can still be drunk.
The end of tea production for the highest 200 meters (around 2500 meters high) on a few mountains did not wipe out all the possibilities....Leaves from 2400-2500 meters high may not be different than leaves from 2500-2600 meters, and a mountain a kilometer away from another.....etc.
2 years ago, I bought 75 grams of such tea, a "da yu ling" if you will, and I sometimes regretted not buying much more. (But it was expensive.) 7 months ago, I tasted an even better..... Did I not buy any because it cost even more? Yes. Recently I did not even take a taste because I decided that the prices for the very best tea are irrationally higher than the prices for tea that is so close in quality. (Moderation, I tell myself, since with travel factored in, I spend more $ on tea than I do on food.)
If I am enjoying a tea and not missing characteristics and/or quality; and, I am not being annoyed by some unwanted trait; then, I do not have a reason to crave the same type of tea that is somehow a tiny bit better but so much more expensive. For me there is no point in seeking what is considered the absolutely very best when one can drink essentially the same tea for much less $.
Brent, if you feel that you are not able to get close enough to the same dayuling experience that you had before, that's different. If you really crave it, that kind of oolong can be obtained.
(When I was going from pennies, nickels, and dimes per gram towards dollars, I also thought I would only drink my better teas occasionally. I don't monitor myself that way though I feel I should.)
Anyway, people seem to be raving about roasted oolong more, but what you like Brent, is obtainable.
Agreed. Thats what I drink the most of. I received some Dayuling from Chen, but Ive been holding on to it.
++ I also almost don’t bother with DYL, too frustrating, go straight to LiShan. Did you get HY Chen’s Special Reserve LiShan this year?. It really is buttery smooth, sweet and rich.
I sure did! Just finished it. That is what prompted this post.Victoria wrote: ↑Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:52 am++ I also almost don’t bother with DYL, too frustrating, go straight to LiShan. Did you get HY Chen’s Special Reserve LiShan this year?. It really is buttery smooth, sweet and rich.
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Ethan Kurland
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Brent,
I'll identify the 2 I have after I put sample packages together. I don't want to be on here pushing my teas; but, I do want them to be sampled here. Take a couple of weeks. In process of moving into a studio apartment and the headache of realizing how much stuff I have amassed etc.
Cheers
As far as I am concerned, you can not go wrong with porcelain, it is the most neutral material which will not hide or mute any defaults or highlights of the leaves. However, other clays can make them a bit more interesting or rounded. I always use wood-fired claypots or simple outside glazed clay pots from Taiwan.
Porcelain can sometimes be a bit boring and I usually only use it for testing. Once I know where I am with the tea I go back to clay.
Gaiwan needs more care in terms of heat retention as it evaporates quickly with the wide opening and high mountain tea likes it hot!
So make sure to keep your water at the right temp.
I agree with you that high mountain tea "likes it hot" - how hot is the water you use to brew?
In general, I use water just off the boil, and I have an unglazed japanese kyusu that I love to use for this tea, but I also brew it up grandpa style in a chawan, or in a gaiwan, or in a fully glazed shiboridashi.
Keys for me are HOT water and plenty of it to let the leaves unfurl.
Keys for me are HOT water and plenty of it to let the leaves unfurl.
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Ethan Kurland
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Finished packet of foushoushan which has pleased me immensely; so, dayuling is my next expensive tea as I seem to be in an indulgent period. I have been fairly casual about preparation, using water 90 - 95 C etc. Being cheap with the leaves; &, first few infusions are flash, that is, a few seconds; next few infusions about 10 seconds; next few 15 seconds or so. The last few were too weak (not delicate yet tasty as first few infusions were).debunix wrote: ↑Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:24 pmIn general, I use water just off the boil, and I have an unglazed japanese kyusu that I love to use for this tea, but I also brew it up grandpa style in a chawan, or in a gaiwan, or in a fully glazed shiboridashi.
Keys for me are HOT water and plenty of it to let the leaves unfurl.
Looked at this thread, especially comments by debunix; then, for second session of dyl, I made sure the last few infusions were 95C or higher which resulted in strong enough tea.
More range in the results through about 10 infusions than with the FSS. Playing with western preparation & teaware, I have found the DYL can get vegetal beyond the tiny amount that is okay for me &/or slightly bitter, BUT that is me who is really finicky in that regard. Excellent & interesting. (FSS did not need such attention.)
For this DYL, I think unglazed is the way to prepare for sure. I only have yixing for this which is fine.