TeaChat

Tead Off wrote:But the afficianados of Yan cha and even puerh argue that the better the quality, the better gongfu cha becomes.

Not all do so.
There are huge discussions over this issue. There are also discussion about Yancha - there are those who like high fired Yancha, and others who thing that low and mid fired Yancha is better, and closer to the original of the long gone past - as long as the base leaf is very high quality. Often high fire is used to mask low quality leaves.
Here in Thailand, as you most likely know, it is almost impossible to find low or mid fired Yancha, the old Chinese being used to high fired Yancha. In Malaysia it's different, there are all forms available.

theredbaron wrote:

Tead Off wrote:But the afficianados of Yan cha and even puerh argue that the better the quality, the better gongfu cha becomes.

Not all do so.
There are huge discussions over this issue. There are also discussion about Yancha - there are those who like high fired Yancha, and others who thing that low and mid fired Yancha is better, and closer to the original of the long gone past - as long as the base leaf is very high quality. Often high fire is used to mask low quality leaves.
Here in Thailand, as you most likely know, it is almost impossible to find low or mid fired Yancha, the old Chinese being used to high fired Yancha. In Malaysia it's different, there are all forms available.

About leaf amount, a little deja vu... and I would save some redundancy.

About level of fire, I've heard a lot of arguments in China too, but some say it used to be no argument at all in the old days. But I don't know.

I lean toward agreeing with the underlined sentence theredbaron put here, because my favorite oolong producers are on this side. One of my favorite tgy producer makes various fire levels. Some of the high fire (still not super high fire) turns out really good after a few years. But he always favors the lighter fire ones and price them higher than high fire ones.

Tead Off wrote:Horses for courses. Gongfu cha is about packing the vessel and flash brewing. Is it better than filling 1/3-1/2 of the vessel and brewing longer? I think there are different answers to this question and many variables.

Gongfu cha is about brewing with skill and finesse out all that the tea can offer; too much, too little, too hot, too cold, etc. etc. and certain nuances will be missing or overpowered. The exact parameters are going to vary with each tea, but it's about your skill in brewing.

Joel Byron wrote:I have been quietly trying to learn about oolong teas. After all I like puerh, so I have the tools and skills for brewing it. So when I order 3-4 types of puerh I'll throw in a oolong now and then to see what's what.

But my first tries did not go well. I tried a vacuumed packed kind of tea with very bright green curly leaves called "Chinese tea gift" -- it tasted like the water from making collared greens. I mean, what are they thinking with this "gift" ?

Blech. Maybe I don't know how to brew it correctly? (very possible)

Then I thought I should aim for higher quality and got some "Bain Tian Yao, 2008" -- it was ok, not great, but it just made me long for the earthy and musty and greenish bitterness of puerh -- it was just too much like flowers. It was a nice taste, but it overwhelmed me.

<snip>

So now I know what I like, but I still don't know how to identify it. What are the general categories of types of tea that I should look for to explore more of this last kind of oolong?

Some points:
1. Brewing puerh and oolong aren't exactly the same, and different oolongs need different parameters. As Tim said, it takes time to learn to brew well.

2. Beware "gift teas." Those are often pretty low-quality. It's also silly to try a low-quality tea and judge an entire type of tea by it.

3. Teas straight out of a vacuum pack aren't going to taste right; they're going to need to acclimate. Letting leaf breathe for some time (day or days) helps almost any oolong, but I often find that something vacuum packed at the farm needs a bit more.

4. Puerh people often like Wuyi yancha because it will have many of the same 'dimensions,' but you shouldn't limit yourself. It's likely that you'll like others too, once you've had good ones brewed well, but the longer you wait the harder it will be to learn to brew different teas as habits become entrenched. It'll also help your palatte.

Oolong offers a huge variety of characteristics, and it will just take time and experience to get there. Be patient and understand that as soon as you come to any solid conclusions or judgements, it will probably be summarily contradicted.

ABx, +1 for your #3. Good advice.

Never trust a chanting wizard, a person wearing a baseball cap, or someone who tells you there is a 'right way' to brew tea.

Thank yu for the advice I've found another really good oolong which I'm starting my day with today:

2007 Sea Dyke Brand

I can't get enough of this sample.

futurebird wrote:Thank yu for the advice I've found another really good oolong which I'm starting my day with today:

2007 Sea Dyke Brand

I can't get enough of this sample.

Hey futurebird,

Did you find the Sea Dyke in a store in NYC or did you order online? After reading this post:
http://lifeinteacup.teatra.de/2012/11/0 ... shui-xian/

I've been wanting to try this brand.

I got it online. I think that article is very spot on... it's good stuff.