Fushoushan High Mountain (2600m) Oolong Group Buy - Interest Check

[ethan]

+1 for comments by Bok on usefulness of this discussion. Also, he is wise to be aware of paying too much respect to the names & stories of teas. I don't know what mountain or altitude the Qin-Jing I am drinking comes from, but it is delicious. It is one of the better flavored teas I have had & one of the best teas for a most pleasant lingering taste, mouthfeel, & feeling of well-being.

I've been drinking almost only organic tea for the last few weeks including 2 from Taiwan of the same type from the same mountain. One never presents any bitterness when prepared well; the other does, especially for later infusions. The flavors that put me off the latter oolong cannot be attributed to chemical fertilizer. So, as Jay wrote, fertilizers "might" effect taste negatively, but other factors might be creating unwanted attributes.

+1 to Kyarzen's comments about higher heat for later infusions for some oolongs. Also, I had taken to rinsing most of my teas w/ lukewarm water because I did not want to rinse away flavor, just dust or dirt. I did not think about a "buttery" texture being preserved. Kyarzen's comments led me to pay attention to this today. Wow! Buttery.

Lesson learned. Mind opened, today I was careful pouring water into my bowl & gaiwan. (Usually I find such concern a bit too much, taking things too seriously.) It is only one day of this practice; yet, it seems worthwhile to pay attention to this.

My advice? I only drink a little of each infusion by itself & pour most of each infusion into a server. I find what I like in one particular infusion does not completely get lost in the blend of infusions which I like better than any particular infusion by itself. It is fun to notice how a tea progresses through infusions, but the best drinking for me has been the fuller, rounder flavors & characteristics of the blend of infusions.

[Tead Off]

This thread turns from a group buy into a very detailed and interesting one in regards to high quality tea from Taiwan!
I like it.

That confirms my observations, both taste-wise as also talking to tea friends here in Taiwan…
Another confirmation to not always believe the hype, supposedly lower(lower as, not low) grade teas can be astonishingly good, so good it can pass for the best!

I long took to not purposely look for DYL as I know the chances of the real thing are pretty low and I can just get the best Lishan I can find instead and pay less. Same mountain anyways. Has been my favorite since long no matter if Lishan Oolong or Lishan black, that place just has a particular flavour profile I long for!

On the impression of some that the Fushou Shan seems less strong in flavour, I had the same experience the one time I could lay my hands on one few years back. I remember beings surprised as well on how it felt less intense compared to the Lishan I used to drink normally. I was told then, that it also has to do with that FS is organic tea… not sure if there is anything to that.

Anyways, back then my brewing skills where not the same they are today, so my impression might be tainted by bad technique

I have always maintained that Lishan teas are the premium teas of Taiwan. For what it's worth, I have been buying and enjoying TeafromTaiwan's Wu Ling for many years. This is a consistently high grade tea that is both affordable and a real taste treat for those who enjoy gaoshan. It is also an organic tea, but not certified, like most of the selections of this seller. I would put this tea up against any other gaoshan from Lishan.

Winter or Spring? That would depend on many factors. They say Spring teas emphasize aroma and winter, taste. I can say I am not disappointed in this Spring's Wu Ling and don't sense any lack of flavor to drive this tea out of my top choices.

[jayinhk]

+1 for comments by Bok on usefulness of this discussion. Also, he is wise to be aware of paying too much respect to the names & stories of teas. I don't know what mountain or altitude the Qin-Jing I am drinking comes from, but it is delicious. It is one of the better flavored teas I have had & one of the best teas for a most pleasant lingering taste, mouthfeel, & feeling of well-being.

I've been drinking almost only organic tea for the last few weeks including 2 from Taiwan of the same type from the same mountain. One never presents any bitterness when prepared well; the other does, especially for later infusions. The flavors that put me off the latter oolong cannot be attributed to chemical fertilizer. So, as Jay wrote, fertilizers "might" effect taste negatively, but other factors might be creating unwanted attributes.

+1 to Kyarzen's comments about higher heat for later infusions for some oolongs. Also, I had taken to rinsing most of my teas w/ lukewarm water because I did not want to rinse away flavor, just dust or dirt. I did not think about a "buttery" texture being preserved. Kyarzen's comments led me to pay attention to this today. Wow! Buttery.

Lesson learned. Mind opened, today I was careful pouring water into my bowl & gaiwan. (Usually I find such concern a bit too much, taking things too seriously.) It is only one day of this practice; yet, it seems worthwhile to pay attention to this.

My advice? I only drink a little of each infusion by itself & pour most of each infusion into a server. I find what I like in one particular infusion does not completely get lost in the blend of infusions which I like better than any particular infusion by itself. It is fun to notice how a tea progresses through infusions, but the best drinking for me has been the fuller, rounder flavors & characteristics of the blend of infusions.

Ethan, bitterness can be a symptom of excess fertilizer use, but my statement was about the effects on human health. Regular gaoshan probably isn't very good for you, but Chinese greens are probably a lot worse because of the pesticide use.

My best gaoshan experiences have been in porcelain infuser mugs, which seem to extract more quickly and fully.

As for a warm rinse, I do exactly what kyarazen does. Warm rinses for gaoshan and greens.

[kyarazen]

+1 for comments by Bok on usefulness of this discussion. Also, he is wise to be aware of paying too much respect to the names & stories of teas. I don't know what mountain or altitude the Qin-Jing I am drinking comes from, but it is delicious. It is one of the better flavored teas I have had & one of the best teas for a most pleasant lingering taste, mouthfeel, & feeling of well-being.

i think this is not the subject here, and we're not here to tell stories to sell fushoushan. fushoushan is heavily ordered and demand exceeds supply every season, there's no necessity to fuel this demand even more.........

in case anyone would think i'm benefiting from my activity here.. do note that not a single cent of any transaction comes to me, and i've coordinated over forty international orders on the spirit of sharing one of the teas that many of us tea drinkers covet.

the international orders were all fulfilled because I made the irresponsible decision of redirecting all the singapore allocation to fulfil it. i've now friends that ask me why everyone here and there on IG have received and yet in singapore not a single tin was available to the pre-orders. now Chen has to hunt from his peers, other farmers and friends at higher prices so that by mid august he can have enough to hand carry on flight over to me.

given the flight costs, accommodation costs and the higher prices now.. you probably wouldnt want to know the sacrifice that I had to make to fulfil my promises to my fellow local tea drinkers. to appease some of them, i've been going around singapore, sharing and brewing from my only tin, for various friends at different sessions, with further re-affirmed their desires to procure more when available.

i would like the discussion to continue only in the direction of helping the fellow tea lovers that had ordered this tea, to achieve the experience and delight we consistently experienced from fushoushan. many tens of you guys have received your teas based on the tracking numbers, do chime in and share your experiences so that we can see how we can help you bring more enjoyment!

when chen's in singapore, i'll see if we can do a facebook live streaming of our tea sessions! perhaps an interview to be streamed as well, on the inner workings of the tea trade

[William]

when chen's in singapore, i'll see if we can do a facebook live streaming of our tea sessions! perhaps an interview to be streamed as well, on the inner workings of the tea trade

That would be great, KZ.

For what is worth, a friend of mine gave the possibility to try a couple of grams of this Fushou Shan wulong .. well I really liked it. Among the top 5 oolong of the last 4 years.

Btw, KZ, thank you very much for all your efforts in procuring to us the international community, a tea that otherwise would have been impossible to buy.

Ps. Thanks for the tip on how to brew it. I found out it works well with the other gaoshan / baozhong I currently drink.

W.

[kyarazen]

when chen's in singapore, i'll see if we can do a facebook live streaming of our tea sessions! perhaps an interview to be streamed as well, on the inner workings of the tea trade

That would be great, KZ.

For what is worth, a friend of mine gave the possibility to try a couple of grams of this Fushou Shan wulong .. well I really liked it. Among the top 5 oolong of the last 4 years.

Btw, KZ, thank you very much for all your efforts in procuring to us the international community, a tea that otherwise would have been impossible to buy.

Ps. Thanks for the tip on how to brew it. I found out it works well with the other gaoshan / baozhong I currently drink.

W.

a couple of grams is not enough sir! when i receive the singapore batch, i'll share some with you as i know you're a taiwanese tea lover!

btw.. ooops now that i see you here.. i kinda forgot to reply to a couple of your emails regarding... water and oud..!! >.<!!

[William]

btw.. ooops now that i see you here.. i kinda forgot to reply to a couple of your emails regarding... water and oud..!! >.<!!

I know you are really busy almost everyday KZ, so don't worry about that, reply when you have free time!

Ps. I am also curious to hear the opinion of other TC's members who already received and tried this amazing oolong .. don't be shy!

[ethan]

kyarazen,

I do not know what prompted some of your comments. I do not think you needed to explain nor defend what you organized. I like group buys & like people doing it on Teachat. I have participated in some. I am happy to read how happy you have made those who have participated in it.

Likewise, I also like & respect Jay who (as you did) found tea that most of us would never find. I don't care whether you or Jay try to make a profit or not. Both of you list your prices & deliver what you say you will to teachatters who seem very happy to receive the tea. Don't see how to think ill of that. I know I don't.

Like you did, Jay understood some of my comments differently than I intended. His reply stressed what he wanted understood & what he thought I misunderstood. I think Jay & are friends; so, enough of that. No harm intended or taken by me; no harm taken by him.

I did refer to Bok's comments about tea from a mountain or region that he liked. I mentioned a tea I like. Is that what is wrong? I do know I did not imply anything negative about this group buy or you.

I wrote directly that your comments about preparation help me. The lukewarm rinse will probably be what I do for the teas that you & Jay found it good for. I thank you both of you & victoria for her ?s which drew out the info. My friends, enjoy your tea & teachat

[debunix]

I think my package is waiting for me at the post office, and it doesn't open for another couple of hours. Fortunately, today the weather is supposed to cool down a bit, and I anticipate plenty of time to brew up because today I will be staying home with kittens and chores.

[jayinhk]

8g/150ml in porcelain this time and...lovely! The floral aroma is much more intense now. The taste lasts forever on the palate. Even some huigan. Distinctly different from DYL and SLX as far as flavor, even if the aromatics from the leaves in the warmed pot are similar.

With my first attempt I was brewing too fast as I usually use a much higher leaf ratio with gaoshan, but this longer infusion with less leaf is really lovely. Preferable to using more leaf, even. Thanks for the brewing recommendations kyarazen! A perfect first infusion.

[debunix]

First little session with the Fushoushan was delicious, and went on quite long. It was just a 'getting to know you' session, and I overdid the first infusions--the later ones were in some ways more pleasant. It will be quite wonderful to do it again tomorrow and better. I suspect this one may be as brilliant at Grandpa style brewing as the Origin DYL from a couple of years ago. Just a few leaves were enough for a good-sized cup or small bowl full of marvelous liquor.

[debunix]

As predicted, this is a BRILLIANT tea for grandpa style brewing. I put about 6 or 8 of these little balls

160731 2016 Fushoushan _DEB6983 by D B, on Flickr

into the Flower of Forgetfulness and added a little water just off the boil

160731 2016 Fushoushan _DEB6978 by D B, on Flickr

waited a few minutes, covered with lukewarm water, waited a few more minutes (still a bit too hot to do a large bowl of hot tea), and drank a brilliant sweet rich liquor that tastes like the stunning alpine meadows I was hiking through a couple of weeks ago, some moments the breeze would be floral and sweet, sometimes a bit more grassy and vegetal or even a touch earthy. Wonderful.

160717 Grinnell Glacier Trail _DEB6893-94 merge ppd by D B, on Flickr

And I have no photos yet of the spent leaves, because last night's leaves, now wide open and jam-packed into this tiny gaiwan from Dragon Tea House, are not yet spent.

160731 2016 Fushoushan _DEB6981 by D B, on Flickr

The overnight infusion is thin but still delicious, so I'm giving it one more long infusion that I'll drink tomorrow morning....and maybe then I'll be able to shoot the spent leaves!

[victoria3]

Your description is fabulous as are the pictures debunix. I look forward to a virtual alpine experience. What a spectacular hike.
I finally got around to opening my box from Taiwan. I'd like to make sure I have the teas identified correctly, as kyarazen seemed to indicate the Fushoushan was not vacu-packet, so didn't need awaken? or maybe I misunderstood....
Left to Right
Fushoushan
Lishan
Dongding

[Drax]

Victoria -- yep, that's the correct identification! Enjoy!!

[daidokorocha]

8g/150ml in porcelain this time and...lovely! The floral aroma is much more intense now. The taste lasts forever on the palate. Even some huigan. Distinctly different from DYL and SLX as far as flavor, even if the aromatics from the leaves in the warmed pot are similar.

With my first attempt I was brewing too fast as I usually use a much higher leaf ratio with gaoshan, but this longer infusion with less leaf is really lovely. Preferable to using more leaf, even. Thanks for the brewing recommendations kyarazen! A perfect first infusion.

Yup, this is my experience so far as well. I stated in the oolong thread that for my first brew I used much less leaf than I usually would. Well, I tried it again two nights ago using much, much more leaf and I cannot say that I loved or even liked it whatsoever. After two brews I decided to split the leaves and have two sessions that ran together for 3 hours. I was much more satisfied about that adjustment. Very lovely tea. Tempted to have some more today, but I might go for the dongding instead.