Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[jackdaniel]

Problem with oolongs I find is that, since I can't read Chinese, I don't know the names of any of them! Do pictures count?

[brad4419]

Problem with oolongs I find is that, since I can't read Chinese, I don't know the names of any of them! Do pictures count?

Oh yes pictures are always welcome

Right now Im drinking rou gui from jingteashop.

[debunix]

Drinking from the last or next to last pouch of spring 2009 Norbu Diamond Tie Guan Yin, almost ready to dive into the 2010 version. Such a nice tea....two quart thermoses full from one little scattering of leaf over the bottom of the kamjove infuser this morning--perhaps 5 grams?

I overbought it a little last year because I didn't realize just how astonishingly potent and lasting it is.

[debunix]

Today I drank two Yunnan "Oriental Beauty"-Style Oolong Teas:

2009 Fall Bai Yun Oolong--Yunnan Oolong Tea from Norbu (BYO)

Yunnan Wild Arbor "Oriental Beauty" Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing (YSOB)

Note: this is comparing the end of a sample bag of the BYO, so the leaves were not in as good a shape as those in the YSOB sample.

In the end, both were lovely teas. Oddly enough, given that the BYO was end-of-bag with more broken leaves, it took the 2nd infusion to start showing the spiciness and full flavor that the YSOB gave immediately. The BYO, however, seemed to hold that lovely flavor a little longer, but by the 5th infusion, both are starting to thin out, pretty much done. I have only had one Taiwanese Oriental Beauty, and that was a rose scented version that was quite unlike roses or like these lovely teas. A high quality Taiwanese Oriental Beauty is reputedly quite hard to come by, but these teas are quite satisfying, and not too pricey, so I don't feel any particular need to try the genuine article.

1.9 grams of tea
about 4 oz water (larger gaiwans, not preheated)

1st 195 degrees, 45 seconds
2nd 185 degrees (too impatient to wait for full reheating), 30 seconds
3rd 175 degrees (ditto), 1 minutes
4th: 195 (more patient this time), 2 minutes
5th: water just off full boil, 1 minute
(stopping because of diminishing marginal returns)

2009 Fall Bai Yun Oolong--Yunnan Oolong Tea from Norbu
Leaves: thin, dark twists, with sweet fruity tea scent
1st infusion: sweet, fruity, floral
2nd: spicy flavor there now, still fruity and floral
3rd: still spicy/sweet/fruity/floral, but starting to thin a little esp in the fruity notes
4th: a little thinner, but still quite enjoyable; holding up better than the YSOB
5th: thinner, still a little fruity/spicy
Wet leaves: dark red leaves with hints of green; scent is sweet/tart

Yunnan Wild Arbor "Oriental Beauty" Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing
Leaves: thin, dark twists, with sweet fruity tea scent
1st infusion: sweet, plummy, floral, with a spiciness that is not there in the BYO
2nd: spicy, fruity, floral
3rd: losing a bit of the spicy and sweet edge, thinner flavor, perhaps dissipating a little faster than the BYO, but really not much to choose between them at this point
4th: 4th: a little thinner, but still quite enjoyable; not holding as well as the BYO
5th: thinner, still a little fruity/spicy
Wet leaves: dark red leaves with hints of green; scent is sweet/tart

[debunix]

This afternoon, a little of a 'red box' oolong received in a tea swap. This a light green rolled oolong, and the leaves have a strong floral scent--roses--but the result is not as promising as hinted by the scent, light-bodied although sweet and floral. Did one final infusion with boiling water to see if there was more to coax out of them, but it was done.

[brad4419]

Thanks debunix, after you posted about oriental beauty it just reminded me I have an unopened stash of OB I had forgotten about. yay this is better than finding money in a coatpocket

tie luo han In my cup now

[auhckw]

Just tasted the below. Both has good flavor, strong aroma and has the fruity taste. Nonetheless, DHP is better if compared side by side. Couldn't decide, ended up bought both

Da Hong Pao (2010)




Tie Luo Han (2007)

[Chesslover]

Yesterday I had Rou Gui (Wu Yi) from Jing Tea shop...I had it for the first time, so I don't know if my brewing pareametres were right...I used 4g in 6 oz. - with temperature around 195 degrees F...first steeping 45 sec., second 1 minute, third 1 minute and 15 sec. and so on...

I must say it was quite delicious, full body, complex, nice taste...but I don't know if I got all the potential with my brewing parametres.

So - how do you brew Rou Gui (or other Wu yi teas)?

[debunix]

That is very close to how I've brewed Rou Gui from HouDe.

[brandon]

I use a bit more leaf than that - had a go at documenting my preferred method here.
http://chahai.net/brewing-rock-tea/

Glad to see some Wuyi drinkers around here.

[tenuki]

Comparing two aged Bai Hao. It's weird drinking tea almost as old as you are. Weird but splendid.

[Herb_Master]

More leaf for me too. I use 9 to 10gm in a 150 to 170 Yixing. First infusion 15 to 20 seconds depending on mood

Though with some yancha the vendors have started copying anxi and taiwan packaging with individual foil packs of 7 to 8gm so I start at 25 to 30 seconds.

Occasionally I copy ABX's preferred dense packing method with flash infusions. 14gm or more in a 160ml yixing. It is necessary to choose a yixing with a quick pour or the first 2 or 3 infusions can be too strong.

Infusion times get up to about 5 seconds for number 5 and 10 seconds for number 8 and 10 minutes for number 15.

[nickE]

A relatively cheap DHP a la Brandon's blog post. I love saving the rinse till the end. It is startlingly different.

[debunix]

That's an interesting idea--rinse to the end.

Tonight I am drinking the Honey Orchid Gold Medalist No 1 from Tea Habitat. I bought this tea and opened it thinking it was the same as the ‘commercial’ version that I had been enjoying so much, and was brought up short by some harsher notes it expressed on first brewing. I looked again at the label and realized this was the single-bush Dan Cong version, and unsurprisingly it demands a bit more respect.

Tonight I am brewing it in the Chao Zhou pot I bought from Tea Habitat, and it is lovely. It’s flavors are sharper, spicier, and sweetness is more honeyed and distinct. It is like the prior tea brought into sharper focus.

So far I am on about the 9th or 10th infusion, and anticipate plenty more infusions are left in it.

I used about 2 grams of tea in the 60 mL pot, and infusions from 30 seconds at first to 1-2 minutes now, water 195 degrees, give or take 5, and the entirety of this gongfu session has been delightful. The tea and the pot are brilliant together.

[Alex]

Just finished a bag of some Dan Cong. To tell you the true its probably one of the hardest tea i've brewed. Occasionally I got a lovely peachy cup but the room for error was tiny and most of the time it wasnt quite right. Just got down with some samples of Ali shan and li shan both of which I could brew in a shoe and they'd come out perfect.

Right now though as in this fine morn I'm just drinking my first bag of Qi Lan Qilan Wuyi which has been great. Although the last 10% of the bag isnt tasting as good.