Want to get into darker Oolongs.

Owes its flavors to oxidation levels between green & black tea.


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Jun 11th, '13, 10:52
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Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by mageta » Jun 11th, '13, 10:52

Hello, it seems like most of the Oolong I drink is more on the green side. Lishan, TGY, Dayuling. Recently I tried a roasted dong ding and have really come to appreciate the darker, roasted, spicy flavors. I would like to know what other kinds of Oolong I should try if I want to explore the darker / roasted side more.

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Jun 11th, '13, 11:28
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Tead Off » Jun 11th, '13, 11:28

mageta wrote:Hello, it seems like most of the Oolong I drink is more on the green side. Lishan, TGY, Dayuling. Recently I tried a roasted dong ding and have really come to appreciate the darker, roasted, spicy flavors. I would like to know what other kinds of Oolong I should try if I want to explore the darker / roasted side more.
Wuyi teas such as Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, Tie Luo Han, Shui Xian, are all roasted oolongs and are classified as Yancha teas.

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Jun 11th, '13, 15:21
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by mageta » Jun 11th, '13, 15:21

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check those out. I have another question as well, rather than start a new topic I'll just ask it here.

When browsing teas there seems to be a lot in a name...

2011 Horse Head Rock Rou Gui - Zhenyan Cha
2011 Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix Dancong Oolong

Those are from five star tea, I just picked two at random. So you recommended Rou Gui as a type of tea, what's the other stuff in the name? 2011 is the year obviously, are the other parts referring to the region or the name of the farm? Or do they refer to a sub style of that type of tea? I'm assuming the former to be the case. It's kind of confusing sometimes because I don't know the names of all the specific teas.

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Jun 11th, '13, 16:16
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by chado.my.teaway » Jun 11th, '13, 16:16

Mi Lan Xiang thats type of this Dancong.

Milan Xian Dancong (Honey and Orchid)
Zhi Lan Xiang Dancong
Huangzhixiang Dancong
XingRenXiang Dancong
BaXian Dancong
Da Wu Ye
JiShiXiang Dancong
Youhuaxiang-Dancong

probably all.

Horse Head Rock? I think its from "Matou Yan". Thats some big rock in Zhenyan;)

ADD. yeah. true.

Image

thats Matou Yan

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Jun 11th, '13, 16:36
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Fabien » Jun 11th, '13, 16:36

2011 Horse Head Rock Rou Gui - Zhenyan Cha
- 2011 : you're right, year of production, that one's easy,
- Horse Head (or Ma tou) Rock : one of the small areas located in the UNESCO Worl Heritage Site, also known as Zhen yan or Wuyi scenic reserve, located in the Wuyi mountains in the Fujian province,
- Rou Gui : one of the most well known cultivars of the Wuyi wulongs (also known as rock teas (= Wuyi yan cha)),
- Zhenyan Cha : see above. Which finally means rock teas made within the limited area of the Zhen yan area.
2011 Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix Dancong Oolong
- 2011 : done,
- Mi Lan Xiang : translated in "honey orchid fragrance", one of the subtypes of a subcategory of chinese wulongs known as... :
- Phoenix : with Phoenix = Feng huang = range of mountains located in the Guangdong province this time, close to the city of Chao an (and, as for Wuyi, you could even have specific mountains (= shan) or cliffs, such as Wudong shan for example),
- Dancong Oolong : another wulong subcategory. This time, Dan cong means "single tree" (among other closely related meanings). It can mean a number of things but always related to the idea of a single tree that can :
. be harvested separately from other trees, each "single tree" harvest being unique in harvesting, manufacture, and also fragrance,
. be at the clonal origin of several trees being harvested together and giving a single batch,
. be at the origin (non clonal, propagation from seeds) of a number of different trees,
. be just a general term for all teas produced from the Feng huang area with trees that can range from the very old tall tea trees grown in "semi-wild" environement to plantation trees extensively grown and harvested.

So many things in one name :shock:
If you want to be even more confused, do have a look to the Pu'er family, wulong teas are so simple compared to them.
Fortunately, Teachat's here :D

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Jun 11th, '13, 16:48
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Fabien » Jun 11th, '13, 16:48

mageta wrote:Hello, it seems like most of the Oolong I drink is more on the green side. Lishan, TGY, Dayuling. Recently I tried a roasted dong ding and have really come to appreciate the darker, roasted, spicy flavors. I would like to know what other kinds of Oolong I should try if I want to explore the darker / roasted side more.
Hi mageta,
Apart from Yanchas, you can also have a try with more oxidized and/or more roasted teas : Hung shui and Bai hao types of wulongs from Taiwan (rather different compared to roasted Dong ding), Dan cong teas (ranges from not roasted to heavily roasted), roasted TGY also (to compare to your green TGY).
That's already a lot of teas to discover, enjoy :wink:

Jun 11th, '13, 22:06
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by shah82 » Jun 11th, '13, 22:06

Be advised that good examples of rock teas are expensive. Some have to be sit in jars for six months or more after firing to get the roast taste down.

I think, for different reasons, you'd like Rou Gui, and Baijiguan. One is relatively spicy, the other is relatively low roast and oxidation.

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Jun 12th, '13, 00:31
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Tead Off » Jun 12th, '13, 00:31

I think all the yanchas can be good. Suggestions are to look at Tea Urchin's offerings and Jing Tea Shop's offerings for a good selection to choose from. Samples can be a good way to go, too.

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Jun 12th, '13, 16:30
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by mageta » Jun 12th, '13, 16:30

I went with a 1995 Rou gui from jings. I haven't purchased from that particular vendor before so I'm pretty excited.

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Jun 12th, '13, 23:33
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Tead Off » Jun 12th, '13, 23:33

mageta wrote:I went with a 1995 Rou gui from jings. I haven't purchased from that particular vendor before so I'm pretty excited.
For someone new to Wuyi teas, I would have recommended a recent harvest to begin with so you could see where these teas go when they are aged. I urge you to try a recent harvest and compare the flavors, etc.
Also, Shui Xian aged, can be a delightful experience and not expensive.

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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by tingjunkie » Jun 15th, '13, 21:47

Here's a perfect place to begin to set your standards with.

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Jun 16th, '13, 00:11
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by mageta » Jun 16th, '13, 00:11

tingjunkie wrote:Here's a perfect place to begin to set your standards with.
I've never heard of that particular vendor before, but that does look good. I'm low on money right now but I might pick that up some time down the road.

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Jun 16th, '13, 00:54
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Chip » Jun 16th, '13, 00:54

mageta wrote:
tingjunkie wrote:Here's a perfect place to begin to set your standards with.
I've never heard of that particular vendor before, but that does look good. I'm low on money right now but I might pick that up some time down the road.
MTR is TIM, TIM is MTR. :mrgreen:

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Jun 16th, '13, 20:54
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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by MIKE_B » Jun 16th, '13, 20:54

tingjunkie wrote:Here's a perfect place to begin to set your standards with.
+1

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Re: Want to get into darker Oolongs.

by Devoted135 » Jun 16th, '13, 22:07

Chip wrote:
mageta wrote:
tingjunkie wrote:Here's a perfect place to begin to set your standards with.
I've never heard of that particular vendor before, but that does look good. I'm low on money right now but I might pick that up some time down the road.
MTR is TIM, TIM is MTR. :mrgreen:

Ohhhhh! :idea: :!: See, this is why I like the idea of vendors being noted.

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