TeaChat

I have just tried the new batch of Yancha which Yunnansourcing got in - the Tie Luo Han and the Rou Gui - and those two are very good, also considering the more than reasonable price.
These are not very high fired Yancha, but not green either, just right, and display all the complex taste profiles these two particular teas should have. Scott said in an email that he got these teas from a family of producers which has been since generations in the Wu Yi mountains, and that he only has a few kilos of each tea.

If you like Yancha - i would really suggest trying them (I made a larger order already... ).

here's the direct links:

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/wuyimounta ... g-tea.html

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/wuyimounta ... g-tea.html

Sounds promising.

thanks for the share. considering the lower roasting,will i be able to enjoy those yancha with a regular gaiwan or a yixing pot is a must for this kind?

b101 wrote:thanks for the share. considering the lower roasting,will i be able to enjoy those yancha with a regular gaiwan or a yixing pot is a must for this kind?

A Yixing pot is not a must for anything.

I've enjoyed similar teas brewed in glazed ceramics, glass, unglazed ceramics of various clays, and plastic. Might the unglazed clays be the best? Haven't done head to head to be sure. I have surely enjoyed it brewed in all of these, although I am coming to think my unglazed 'treebark' pot by Petr Novak is as good as a pot could possibly be with yanchas and Dan Congs.

b101 wrote:thanks for the share. considering the lower roasting,will i be able to enjoy those yancha with a regular gaiwan or a yixing pot is a must for this kind?

Pairing Yancha with a Yixing is not an easy task. There are certain shape, size and clay for that, hence 'Gongfucha' was born, because certain people there were too picky about drinking tea

Gaiwan on the other hand, is much useful regardless of which teas drinking..just my opinion

b101 wrote:thanks for the share. considering the lower roasting,will i be able to enjoy those yancha with a regular gaiwan or a yixing pot is a must for this kind?

While (good) Yixing pots are always preferable, IMO, there is no reason why you should not be able to enjoy the tea in a Gaiwan. The only teas where Yixing pots are generally not used for are green teas.

Lower roast, by the way, does not mean almost green, or similar to the lightly roasted Taiwan teas. They are still roasted teas, just lighter roasted than the Yancha which are mostly offered in the market.

theredbaron wrote:

b101 wrote:thanks for the share. considering the lower roasting,will i be able to enjoy those yancha with a regular gaiwan or a yixing pot is a must for this kind?

While (good) Yixing pots are always preferable, IMO, there is no reason why you should not be able to enjoy the tea in a Gaiwan. The only teas where Yixing pots are generally not used for are green teas.

Lower roast, by the way, does not mean almost green, or similar to the lightly roasted Taiwan teas. They are still roasted teas, just lighter roasted than the Yancha which are mostly offered in the market.

I just wanted to add that there are also good heavily roasted yanchas. It really depends on the roaster and the quality of the tea. Teas that will be stored for aging need a heavier roast. There is no substitution for tea quality.

I took your suggestion of Yunnan Sourcing's new yancha and ordered some.

Thanks for all the info, I think I'll stick to my affordable gaiwan for now...

Tead Off wrote: I just wanted to add that there are also good heavily roasted yanchas. It really depends on the roaster and the quality of the tea. Teas that will be stored for aging need a heavier roast. There is no substitution for tea quality.

I took your suggestion of Yunnan Sourcing's new yancha and ordered some.

Yes, it definitely depends on the leaf, there are some good heavy roasted teas as well, which have to be aged for at least 2 or 3 years before drinking.
But - i don't think that a heavy roast is necessary for aging. I have had a Rou Gui that was roasted in the lighter side (top quality leaf, hand processed all the way, not cheap) that was aged for almost 10 years, and it was a dream.

good, affordable... choose one.

There are affordable Yanchas that I suspect most tea drinkers would find to be pleasing and tasty, although great *and* cheap Yanchas do not appear to exist.

debunix wrote:There are affordable Yanchas that I suspect most tea drinkers would find to be pleasing and tasty, although great *and* cheap Yanchas do not appear to exist.

No, they don't. Never have so either. Demand of great Yancha has always outstripped supply as the growing area where you can grow those great teas is very limited in space, and you only have one harvest a year. You have to even lucky to have access to great Yancha, as such teas rarely appear in the open market, and if so, then for enormous prices.

What most Yancha lovers do to get around this is to have good and affordable Yancha for every day drinking, and a small supply of some great Yancha, which is tapped into once a while.

Nowadays though even good Yancha is very difficult to get, and rarely affordable.

theredbaron wrote:Nowadays though even good Yancha is very difficult to get, and rarely affordable.

Generally, I agree with you and others, but the interpretation of 'good' will necessarily vary with different tea drinkers. Also, 'affordable' will greatly vary depending on economic circumstances. $100/100g is steep to some and not steep to others. Where do we draw the line on 'affordable' and 'good'?

The Yancha I've been drinking from Tea Urchin is certainly good to me. The Tie Luo Han and Shui Jin Gui are both under $50/100g. For me, this is affordable. I am looking forward to see if the YS Yanchas will be anywhere near 'good' for me because they are indeed affordable and I would love to pay less for 'good' teas.

Dancong teas are another category where 'good' and 'affordable' don't seem to mix. Sometimes I am tempted to try a tea based on the photos of the leaves but I know now, it is not possible for me to tell from the photos. So, when I see Dancong teas for under $30/100g that have beautiful looking long whole leaves, I have a difficult time believing it is 'good'.

Tead Off wrote:

theredbaron wrote:Nowadays though even good Yancha is very difficult to get, and rarely affordable.

Generally, I agree with you and others, but the interpretation of 'good' will necessarily vary with different tea drinkers. Also, 'affordable' will greatly vary depending on economic circumstances. $100/100g is steep to some and not steep to others. Where do we draw the line on 'affordable' and 'good'?

The Yancha I've been drinking from Tea Urchin is certainly good to me. The Tie Luo Han and Shui Jin Gui are both under $50/100g. For me, this is affordable. I am looking forward to see if the YS Yanchas will be anywhere near 'good' for me because they are indeed affordable and I would love to pay less for 'good' teas.

Dancong teas are another category where 'good' and 'affordable' don't seem to mix. Sometimes I am tempted to try a tea based on the photos of the leaves but I know now, it is not possible for me to tell from the photos. So, when I see Dancong teas for under $30/100g that have beautiful looking long whole leaves, I have a difficult time believing it is 'good'.

I believe we have similar views on what is affordable and what is really pricey. I will try one day the Tea Urchin Yancha as well. Will be interesting to read how you compare the two suppliers.