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Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 23rd, '13, 10:13
by SilentChaos
茶藝-TeaArt08 wrote:(In Taiwan there is so much claiming of selling 'real' Da Yu Ling or Fu Shou Shan that is suspect)
Just to clarify, there are four things we are talking about here: 1) ''Foushou-Shan Farm'' oolong as in oolong from the famous government farm; 2) Oolongs not from that specific farm but claims to be; 3) Foushou Shan oolong as in oolong from the Foushou mountain (which the aforementioned farm is on); 4) oolongs not from Foushou Shan but claims to be.

I want to just emphasize that just because (3) isn't (1) that doesn't somehow make (3) ''fake''.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 23rd, '13, 13:57
by 茶藝-TeaArt08
SilentChaos wrote:
茶藝-TeaArt08 wrote:(In Taiwan there is so much claiming of selling 'real' Da Yu Ling or Fu Shou Shan that is suspect)
Just to clarify, there are four things we are talking about here: 1) ''Foushou-Shan Farm'' oolong as in oolong from the famous government farm; 2) Oolongs not from that specific farm but claims to be; 3) Foushou Shan oolong as in oolong from the Foushou mountain (which the aforementioned farm is on); 4) oolongs not from Foushou Shan but claims to be.

I want to just emphasize that just because (3) isn't (1) that doesn't somehow make (3) ''fake''.
Silent Chaos, Thanks for the post and the clarification. I completely agree ("I want to just emphasize that just because (3) isn't (1) that doesn't somehow make (3) ''fake'').
What I like is that the vendor is very clear to note in what context exactly their Fu Shou Shan tea is "Fu Shou Shan" tea. Just in going from tea shop to tea shop throughout Taizhong I saw what FELT to be way too many of the small government farm, Fu Shou Shan tea containers. So, I checked in with Fang Laoshi at Qiu Shan Tang teahouse about this and we had many discussions about the ways in which teas are marketed, or claimed, which you outlined above with Fu Shou Shan tea, and all the little discrepancies therein.
For my part, I don't assume that just because a farm is the "official" farm that their tea is any better NECESSARILY than a nearby farm. My understanding is that there are too many variables (specific varietal, specific terroir, when was tea harvested, post-picking methods, tea master on site, etc.) All I'm wanting, and appreciating, is the fullest disclosure of information possible for the, more or less, educated tea buyers to use in making their purchasing decisions.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 23rd, '13, 14:22
by SilentChaos
茶藝-TeaArt08 wrote: All I'm wanting, and appreciating, is the fullest disclosure of information possible for the, more or less, educated tea buyers to use in making their purchasing decisions.
Absolutely agree as far as business practices go. How useful such information is for making purchasing decisions however, I'm not sure. Taste does always come first.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 23rd, '13, 16:04
by 茶藝-TeaArt08
Silent Chaos,

Yes, taste is the most important and I didn't include the subjectivity of taste in the post as a parameter because, in this forum/space, I'm comfortable assuming that piece of knowledge as taken for granted.

Preference and taste are individual. Every reputable seller I know in Taiwan insists as much as possible that I sit and they pour the tea for me before allowing me to buy, no matter how famous the tea. I've been poured very expensive teas that I did not buy, but the human connection made and the tea knowledge gained are both rich.

For those whom wish to inform themselves I do believe it can make a difference, if one knows the tea, the region, the farm, the varietal, the maker, the weather, the harvest date, etc., not just for what this contributes to one's imagination but also over time one can begin to make informed inferences about the tea they are purchasing. For me it's nice to be connected to the process as much as possible. Not to mention there is also the immense joy, for me, in educating one's self to the depth and reality alive in anything, but specifically tea, gong fu, etc. It's a rich personal process.

So, while knowing the above mentioned list won't necessarily mean I'll enjoy the tea, it still has value. And I have made repeat purchases based on my inferences that have paid off and proved, more or less accurate, luckily :D .

Lastly, one seller I know in Taiwan prefers to follow certain makers, asserting that a great maker/tea master can do immense things with a poorer tea or tea from a difficult year. Rather than having a loyalty to certain farms, this vendor buys from wherever his esteemed makers move to process the harvest, which in this form, throws off the whole farm loyalty/location piece, more or less. :)

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 23rd, '13, 16:09
by SilentChaos
茶藝-TeaArt08 wrote: Lastly, one seller I know in Taiwan prefers to follow certain makers, asserting that a great maker/tea master can do immense things with a poorer tea or tea from a difficult year. Rather than having a loyalty to certain farms, this vendor buys from wherever his esteemed makers move to process the harvest, which in this form, throws off the whole farm loyalty/location piece, more or less. :)
:wink: That's exactly my bet too.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 23rd, '13, 17:52
by amaranto
For those whom wish to inform themselves I do believe it can make a difference, if one knows the tea, the region, the farm, the varietal, the maker, the weather, the harvest date, etc., not just for what this contributes to one's imagination but also over time one can begin to make informed inferences about the tea they are purchasing. For me it's nice to be connected to the process as much as possible. Not to mention there is also the immense joy, for me, in educating one's self to the depth and reality alive in anything, but specifically tea, gong fu, etc. It's a rich personal process.
Yes, this is what makes tea such a fun and stimulating subject, and you are constantly learning something new that you can apply to your own tea practice.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 24th, '13, 19:03
by etorix
My first order from Origin just arrived ... interesting 'minibrick' pack ..

[which is actually much easier to get the tea out of]

only 1 tea from 2013 .. Alishan Zhang Shu Hu

bit of a quiet, almost shy, start to this one, gets better

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 25th, '13, 23:49
by bagua7
So, has anyone purchased any oolongs from Taiwan Tea Crafts?

I am more than keen to try this one:

http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/ ... a-lot-221/

Cheers.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 26th, '13, 02:45
by 茶藝-TeaArt08
bagua 7,

If you order that tea please post back on your experience with Taiwan Tea Crafts and the tea. They appear to have quite a number of very good teas right now.
I've recently ordered a Shimizu Ken Kyusu, a pot from Andrzej Bero, and two 75 g teas from Tea From Taiwan (Wu Ling Oolong and Long Feng Xia). So I am at a holding point on any expenditures. :(

But I look forward to giving Taiwan Tea Crafts a try soon.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 26th, '13, 17:08
by sherubtse
bagua7 wrote:So, has anyone purchased any oolongs from Taiwan Tea Crafts?

I am more than keen to try this one:

http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/ ... a-lot-221/

Cheers.
Now might be a good time to try it.

They are offering sample sizes (25 g.) of all teas, as well as free international shipping with an order of $25 or more:

http://networkedblogs.com/LATdR

http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/2013/04/ ... red-to-25/

Best wishes,
sherubtse

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 26th, '13, 20:34
by etorix
sherubtse wrote:
bagua7 wrote:So, has anyone purchased any oolongs from Taiwan Tea Crafts?

I am more than keen to try this one:

http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/ ... a-lot-221/

Cheers.
Now might be a good time to try it.

They are offering sample sizes (25 g.) of all teas, as well as free international shipping with an order of $25 or more:

http://networkedblogs.com/LATdR

http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/2013/04/ ... red-to-25/

Best wishes,
sherubtse
excellent, cheers .. i had my eye on that foushushan also

best be quick tho

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 27th, '13, 16:25
by bagua7
茶藝-TeaArt08 wrote:If you order that tea please post back on your experience with Taiwan Tea Crafts and the tea.
Yes, I will but I prefer to send PM to those who I like based on their behaviour and good manners in this forum.

Thanks.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 27th, '13, 16:54
by edkrueger
Oh tea expert... please find us worthy of your reviews and red ribbons.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 27th, '13, 17:28
by ethan
That's funny, Ed. Thanks for the laugh.

Re: Taiwanese Oolongs, Spring 2013 Harvest

Posted: May 28th, '13, 08:49
by sherubtse
bagua7 wrote:So, has anyone purchased any oolongs from Taiwan Tea Crafts?

I am more than keen to try this one:

http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/ ... a-lot-221/

Cheers.
I have submitted an order for a slew of teas. The free shipping (a $20 value, I believe) plus the 25 g. sample sizes, were too good for me to pass up. It is nice to see samples that are pro-rated in price vis-a-vis the larger tea sizes.

So far, the service and next-day shipping have been great. A few samples were also said to be included with my order.

We'll see how the teas are packaged, and of course how they taste.

Best wishes,
sherubtse