Monkey Picked Oolong

[tomasini]

I'm attempting to discover any other names for Teavana's Monkey Picked Oolong. I know that they trade mark a lot of their Tea Names and I was hoping to buy some wholesale and avoid their rather high prices.
Any one have any idea as to Monkey Picked's more traditional name might be?

[EvenOdd]

I'm pretty sure it refers to tie guan yin (also spelled tie kuan yin, tikuanyin, whathaveyou).

[Mary R]

Sorta tricky question...the "Monkey Picked" is supposed to refer to the way it was picked and at what stage of bud development said picking was performed, so it isn't like Teavana can trademark the phrase as their own.

Teavana's Monkey Picked Oolong does look like a TGY to me too...but that's based on the picture, and that's not the best way to make that opinion.

At any rate, SpecialTeas has a "China Ti Kuan Yin Monkey Picked" offering for sale--$16.95 for 2 oz compared to Teavana's $25.

[tomasini]

Thank You Very Much, I'll have to try some. It's my favorite Oolong.

[tenuki]

You know it's picked by real monkeys, right? Great hairless apes!

[Chip]

You know it's picked by real monkeys, right? Great hairless apes!

Mythical Albino hairless apes....smuggled out of the highlands of Li Shan, Taiwan.

[xhado123]

Legend has it that the monks used to break the branches of the trees as they climbed, so they trained monkeys to pick it. The term monkey picked is now pretty much a description of high quality Oolongs. I know some people who have wrangled thirteen steepings out of the Teavana stuff, but that's only because they were patient enough to let it brew for long periods of time...

As a plant grows in harsh conditions, it cuts back non-necessary functions. When a smaller diameter trunk will work fine, that's what it will do. Instead, the energy to build the trunk, expand the root structure, etc. etc. will go to fortifying the nutrients the plant has, in case of harsh weather. (on top of harsh climate, altitude, bad soil, etc.) This is handy advice for anyone doing herbal medicine, but as it applies to taste as well, that is what makes Monkey Picked oolong such a distinct flavour.

The Ti kuan yin on here is almost as good, if you want to save five bucks. It says 53 cents a cup, but reusing your tea will save you money. 2oz. of this stuff can last a month if you're drinking two cups a day with careful brewing. A lot of people profile this with subtle honey notes, not particularly a flavour but it hits very similar taste buds.

http://www.adagio.com/oolong/ti_kuan_yi ... 08515cdff1

[entropyembrace]

[tomasini]

that's awesome.

[nichm]

Here's from a lesson on Oolong tea from TeaClass about Monkey picked Oolongs!

Monkey-Picked Oolongs
One other popular myth is that there are teas picked by highly trained primates. We've heard this myth told two ways. The first: Buddhist monks in China trained monkeys to climb up into the cliffs and out onto the branches to access hard to reach leaves. The second version is the monks threw sticks and stones at the monkeys already in the tea treas, causing them to jump around and break branches off, allowing the monks to easily retrieve the leaves. Regardless of your preferred version, there is no evidence today that monkeys are involved in any level of tea production. "Monkey-Picked" is used simply to refer to a rare production. It implies the tea came from a difficult to harvest place, higher and out of reach of anyone but, well, the monkeys. Rarer grades of Ti Kuan Yin are often called "Monkey-Picked Ti Kuan Yin."

http://www.teaclass.com/lesson_0209.html