Japan first and Taiwan 2nd and China 3rd. Green oolong such as Wenshan Baozhong made a strong impression on me. Well, basically, no change to the order.
My absolute favorite was Yutaka Midori shincha sencha from O-Cha. I am drinking it right now. It is very full and rich tasting. This is a perenial fave of mine, but it slipped a little last harvest. Now it is back on top.
Jul 31st, '08, 12:33
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My answer is surprisingly China. Wuyi oolongs & Golden Monkey were my new discoveries this month & current favorite teas.
Golden Monkey w/bfast this morning. At lunch today, played w/the pu sample from Geekgirl. In the cup is '98 cooked shu. Thanx for telling me about the 3rd & 4th steep otherwise I would've given up after the first 2!
It was a nice change & glad I found a pu that's actually enjoyable.
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Golden Monkey w/bfast this morning. At lunch today, played w/the pu sample from Geekgirl. In the cup is '98 cooked shu. Thanx for telling me about the 3rd & 4th steep otherwise I would've given up after the first 2!
It was a nice change & glad I found a pu that's actually enjoyable.
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Jul 31st, '08, 14:49
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Jul 31st, '08, 16:33
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Jul 31st, '08, 17:09
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I think it has been a light TeaDay for everyone. One of the most quiet days across the forum.CynTEAa wrote:Henley, nice pic! That's a fine looking pu erh!
This was a light TeaDay for me. My second cup was the divine Nepal FF. I really needed it, too! Thanks, Himalayas!
Must be the dog days of Summer?
Heading out soon for a bike ride, then I think some green oolong. I expect everyone to start drinking and posting!!!
My favorite tea this month was 2 year Baozhong from Stephane of TeaMasters that came to me via Oolong Box. I am ordering some of that for sure. It means Taiwan for the question of the day.
At the moment I have Golden Buddha from Red Blossom in my cup (another sample from Oolong Box). It is a dark oolong, and I didn't expect to taste anything special, because all dark oolongs I tried have tasted just OK or less to me. But Red Blossom surprised me again. I am not in love with this tea, but I certainly like it quite a lot. It is sweet and nicely roasted, and the first infusion made me think of burnt sugar crust on top of crème brûlée. It did not taste like a crème brûlée per se, just made me think of it. This sensation was gone in a second infusion.
Edited to Add: OMG! I went to Red Blossom website to check the price of the Golden Buddha, and they actually have words about crème brûlée in the description. OMG! I am so excited! Like I passed the test. Or did something right.
At the moment I have Golden Buddha from Red Blossom in my cup (another sample from Oolong Box). It is a dark oolong, and I didn't expect to taste anything special, because all dark oolongs I tried have tasted just OK or less to me. But Red Blossom surprised me again. I am not in love with this tea, but I certainly like it quite a lot. It is sweet and nicely roasted, and the first infusion made me think of burnt sugar crust on top of crème brûlée. It did not taste like a crème brûlée per se, just made me think of it. This sensation was gone in a second infusion.
Edited to Add: OMG! I went to Red Blossom website to check the price of the Golden Buddha, and they actually have words about crème brûlée in the description. OMG! I am so excited! Like I passed the test. Or did something right.
Last edited by RussianSoul on Jul 31st, '08, 17:51, edited 1 time in total.
Jul 31st, '08, 17:44
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If you order some of the 'Subtropical Forest’ Baozhong be sure to get the Top Quality rather than the High Quality.RussianSoul wrote: My favorite tea this month was 2 year Baozhong ... I am ordering some of that for sure.
I know a lot of people have been pretty happy with this one, but I was disappointed. I think you can probably do better yet and get a bigger smile from others, so hang in there. If you are ordering from Stéphane anyway, you might ask him for a sample of his Bai Hao (Oriental Beauty), a highly oxidized oolong, or one of his roasted oolongs.RussianSoul wrote: At the moment I have Golden Buddha from Red Blossom ... all dark oolongs I tried have tasted just OK or less to me. But Red Blossom surprised me again. I am not in love with this tea, but I certainly like it quite a lot.
Jul 31st, '08, 19:11
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Glad I'm not the only one! A lot of people love it, but I can't seem to figure out what is so special.Salsero wrote:I know a lot of people have been pretty happy with this one, but I was disappointed.RussianSoul wrote: At the moment I have Golden Buddha from Red Blossom ... all dark oolongs I tried have tasted just OK or less to me. But Red Blossom surprised me again. I am not in love with this tea, but I certainly like it quite a lot.
tea of the month
I had to vote China as I have Yunnan Gold every AM. Having Premium Gyokuro Suimei now. Have finally discovered how to make a gyokuro well in the Ingenuitea!! Tried a few Oolongs, making progress!!
Jul 31st, '08, 19:51
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Scruff, do you have any suggestions of things that R_S might enjoy in the dark direction? I was thinking of Da Ye from TeaCuppa ... Bai Ji Guan from TeaSpring ... but maybe those are too light. TGY from Just4Tea, maybe... Do you have any solid wuyi suggestions ... you've been drinking a lot of yan cha lately right?scruffmcgruff wrote: Glad I'm not the only one! A lot of people love it, but I can't seem to figure out what is so special.
Jul 31st, '08, 20:20
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Yes... I suppose I could contribute something helpful, if I must.Salsero wrote:Scruff, do you have any suggestions of things that R_S might enjoy in the dark direction? I was thinking of Da Ye from TeaCuppa ... Bai Ji Guan from TeaSpring ... but maybe those are too light. TGY from Just4Tea, maybe... Do you have any solid wuyi suggestions ... you've been drinking a lot of yan cha lately right?scruffmcgruff wrote: Glad I'm not the only one! A lot of people love it, but I can't seem to figure out what is so special.
I haven't tried the Da Ye, but ABx likes it and he hasn't given me a bad recommendation yet. Jing Tea Shop has some great Wuyi teas; their Shui Jin Gui and Lao Cong Shui Xian are both solid teas with good flavor; not the most complex perhaps, but delicious nonetheless. They have a lot of other good ones too, but these are the two I recall off the top of my head as having really heavy and dark flavor. Good values too, IIRC.
Teacuppa has great Wuyi too-- their rou gui, da hong pao, tie luo han, and lao cong shui xian were all good, IMO. I was disappointed with their bei dou and shui jin gui, but everything else I've tried from them has been great.
Also, the aged baozhong from Red Blossom is yummy if you want something dark but a little different.
Hope this helps!