Yunnanese black teas

Fully oxidized tea leaves for a robust cup.


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May 2nd, '12, 00:37
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by gingkoseto » May 2nd, '12, 00:37

Funny thing is, I haven't yet found a clear definition of Jin Jun Mei, after talking with a bunch of Fujian tea people. I'm still looking for a definition, if there is ever one :roll: The "creator" of Jin Jun Mei tried to register it as a trade mark, but the application was rejected, partially because other people are making Jin Jun Mei too, and the applicant's technique is not considered distinguishable enough to get trademarked.

Some say any tea sold below $1000 per 500g (Chinese market price) can't be Jin Jun Mei. Some say the threshold is $3000, and some say it could be $300. But even if any of them is "right", price is not enough to define what it is.

I've heard some people take tender tea buds from Yunnan and make them into fake Jin Jun Mei. I hope to find some and somehow I have been suspecting I would probably like this fake Jin Jun Mei better than the "real" one, even if the "real" one can be defined :mrgreen:

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May 2nd, '12, 01:44
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by Chip » May 2nd, '12, 01:44

Our young sushi bar server is from Wuyi of all places! We have had numerous tea conversasions with him!

He just returned from "home" and brought some Jin Jun Mei back. Hm, he did not offer us any like he often does. Maybe he will surprise us ...

He once said Da Hong Pao was the most expensive tea in China, but says this could be as well.

It is funny, he starts talking about a Fujian tea, assuming we never heard of it, he starts trying to translate as best he can to English, and I will excitedly interrupt with a broad smile and proclaim the Chinese name ... then it is his turn to excitedly smile in return.

You have to understand, we live surrounded by PA Dutch, Mennonites, and coal crackers ... it is such an unlikely and fortuitous connection.

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Jun 8th, '12, 07:08
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by Komsip » Jun 8th, '12, 07:08

I love Yunnan Gold/Dian Hong/滇红茶 the very small ones with almost only yellow tips, Feng Qing 凤庆 something, I'm sure there are others too. Little curly golden hairs and a mild honey flavor. And some barnyard flavor too.

And I love the darker ones made from big tree leaves like Pu'er but turned into dian hong instead, they have that flavor of barns in Northern Sweden.
I served it to my grandma and she almost started to cry from all the memories it tasted exactly like the smell at the farm she worked when she was a little girl.
Very earthy, like the huts around the summertime mountain-top grazing grounds where they make brown goat cheese in North-middle Western Sweden. I have those memories from child hood too that are evoked by both those heavier types of Dian Hong and some good Pu'er teas.
Jack_teachat wrote:Speaking of YS, I think the red tea cakes he sells are absolutely superb!

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1933

Autumn 2011 "Pure Bud Feng Qing Black Tea cake" 357 grams

OOOH yes! I've been very tempted for a long time to buy that pressed cake of Feng Qing golden buds 凤庆金针滇红茶饼 from Yunnan Sourcing (althought some teas with ONLY golden buds have been a dissapointment for me, maybe it can improve with age, but the Feng Qing golden buds, the tiny ones have always worked for me, it's just some other only-buds ones with much bigger straight buds that have been disappointing)
Jack_teachat wrote:I might be alone here, but I actually prefer to drink Yunnan hong cha after it has had a little time to age, and in the spring I would much rather be drinking leaf from the previous Fall harvest. I just feel it takes on a more rounded and fuller character after a bit of time.
Yes I do that too with some Dian Hong.
I really like oddities, I got this Feng Qing curly tips that had been turned into a sort of shu pu'er and not compressed of course. Very special a bit of both black tea and pu'er in the same tea. I don't like shu a lot but the flavor interests me, so i keep coming back to drink it even though i actually don't like the way it tastes. Addicted to the novelty aspect of it.

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Jun 8th, '12, 07:14
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by sriracha » Jun 8th, '12, 07:14

Komsip wrote:

Autumn 2011 "Pure Bud Feng Qing Black Tea cake" 357 grams
Oh! I think I have a sample somewhere...

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Jun 13th, '12, 14:26
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by teaisme » Jun 13th, '12, 14:26

light roast and regular purple black, Jin Jun Mei, imperial bud

all good so far :mrgreen:

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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by Proinsias » Jun 13th, '12, 14:47

Tim's jin jun mai is the best black/red tea I've had the pleasure of drinking, and that was the 2nd grade. He's only selling samples but it's well worth a shot, and just edges over the $1000/500g mark.
http://www.themandarinstearoom.com/jin- ... _c_23.html

Jul 12th, '12, 10:17
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by iovetea » Jul 12th, '12, 10:17

Pawel wrote:I like Yunnan blacks a lot and stimulated by Stentor's post, I browsed TeaChat and the books I own, wrote a brief summary and started a new topic. I hope this will help us a bit. :wink:

----------------------------------------
Tea makers harvest the leaves when the tips are as large as possible but before they have begun to form whole leaves. The tips ( sweet, as they are in white teas) contain extra sugars to help the bud grow into a full leaf.
Following that, Chinese black teas are more enticing with the incorporation of extra buds. With more tips, the teas are sweeter but also lighter, with less body.
I found in several same sources the best Yunnanese teas consist solely of buds or are comprised of large , brown- black leaves and only an appropriate quantity of juicy buds.
100 % golden tip tea is called Dianhong (Golden Buds), but the same pluck may be slightly or tightly spiraled and is called Golden Snail or Curly Golden Buds. Yunnan Buds are an early-plucked teas.
King of Yunnan Golden Needle is the finest leaf with the largest amount of long tip, another Chinese black - Golden Monkey – is a slightly larger leaf with less tip, but the most concentrated flavor.
The most well-known plucking standards are mao feng (bud and two leaves) and mao jian (bud and one leaf). Other standards require a bud and three or four leaves.
----------------------------------------
Recently I tried:
1) Golden Needle from Le Palais des Thes
http://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/china-j ... -d-or.html
2) Golden Needle SFTGFOP1 from Mariage Freres
http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/U ... T2023.html
and
Golden Buds from Le Palais des Thes
http://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/china-j ... flush.html
3) Yunnan Black Special SGFOP1 from my local vendor Five o’clock
http://www.fiveoclock.eu/pl/produkt/41, ... GFOP1.html

I would rank the three above (1,2) subjectively by my taste as I can’t really differentiate the quality difference between them neither by taste nor by the appearance of the teas. I realize they may be a bit overpriced, I saw several very similar looking buds/leaves on ebay, but was a bit suspicious (I found almost nothing about the vendors there ) , thanks to browsing TeaChat I found interesting Yunnan Sourcing l ink and others which I probably try next time.
I will add photos later when drinking. I enjoy the Black Special (3) only if I overbrew it much – then to be honest I can’t see much difference and for me it’s also tasty in a different way.
---------------------------------------
How to differentiate between various qualities of Yunnan blacks?
Is the Golden Needle and the Golden Buds really the same tea?
Could you please give any interesting links on the topic?
Which vendors do you recommend at the moment?
i don't know if I'm allowed to say it as a newcomer but marriage freres really ripped me off. selling me really old tea, way too old. their alishan opened fully in seconds and their dian hong tasted just like the cheapest golden pagoda tea, just even older.

maybe mariage frères is good if you buy life but via online retail they ripped me off.

Jul 12th, '12, 10:21
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by iovetea » Jul 12th, '12, 10:21

i bough golden needle from marriage freres and it was crap, just so endlessly old it was a crime. Considering the teas i had from them while even saying in their own book that you should not buy old tea and stating when old tea is to old.

as i said if you buy life all is good but beware from buying online.

Jul 12th, '12, 10:23
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by iovetea » Jul 12th, '12, 10:23

besides that dian hong is a wonderful tea. one of my all time favorite black teas, i would give away every darjeeling for a nice yunnan black tea.
if you haven't tried yunnan black tea you definitely missed something.

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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by ethan » Jul 12th, '12, 13:05

Does everyone here drink these teas straight? I have been assuming so. I also assume that most people are not as discerning as most Teachat members are. So, I give away tea that does not please me. People used to what's sold in supermarkets, have been quite happy w/ those teas, which they probably don't drink straight.

I did keep Yunnan that I don't like from Tea District. Rather than not use it, I add tiny amounts of it to Imperial pure bud...Simao from Yunnan Sourcing which is wonderfully sweet (but "excessively" if I'm not in the mood for it). Too much bad tea added & special qualities of good tea would be lost, but a tiny amount gives body & balance to the buds (& to my budget).

Jul 12th, '12, 14:51
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by iovetea » Jul 12th, '12, 14:51

ethan wrote:Does everyone here drink these teas straight? I have been assuming so. I also assume that most people are not as discerning as most Teachat members are. So, I give away tea that does not please me. People used to what's sold in supermarkets, have been quite happy w/ those teas, which they probably don't drink straight.

I did keep Yunnan that I don't like from Tea District. Rather than not use it, I add tiny amounts of it to Imperial pure bud...Simao from Yunnan Sourcing which is wonderfully sweet (but "excessively" if I'm not in the mood for it). Too much bad tea added & special qualities of good tea would be lost, but a tiny amount gives body & balance to the buds (& to my budget).
i never did that, but i must admit really good dian hong is already perfect for me, i don't believe you can make it any better.

no i don't like supermarket tea. at least not were i live. but in america it seems they have a bit better supermarket tea.

but i don't believe anyone would enjoy the tea i got even with milk and sugar... it was so old and probably cheap tea too but its hard to tell because it was so old.

Jul 24th, '12, 23:29
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by ethan » Jul 24th, '12, 23:29

the Spring tips Simao 2012 for my first time was one of the best drinks of any kind that I ever had. The next couple of times I began to feel it was good but excessively sweet. Then I started adding a bit of similar but less special tea to add some body & "round it out".
I've returned to drinking it straight.
I've found brewing it in glass (grandfather style) is not nearly as good as letting it steep in a porcelain pot.
I start traveling for 2 months tomorrow, but when I return I expect to be trying this gongfu style. I hope there will be pleasure w/ nuance or subtleties. Please share your experiences w/ this tea. For me sometimes it seems so special & sweet; sometimes not.
Also from YS I have Feng Qing Gold Bud (Dian Hong, Autumn 2011) which is < sweet w/ > body; & special. W/ this one, again I am not having the same reaction to the tea every day.
I have the impression that getting it all right--how much tea per cup etc. is not so easy w/ these teas. I also have the impression that trying is worth it. Advice is welcome. Thanks.

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Jul 25th, '12, 01:47
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by sriracha » Jul 25th, '12, 01:47

ethan wrote:the Spring tips Simao 2012

+1 on Simao spring tips, very pleasant tea.

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Jul 26th, '12, 13:01
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by teaisme » Jul 26th, '12, 13:01

+1 yeah it's a nice one the simao spring tips

had a nice 4 brew session last night in bigger porc pot, very satisfying throughout all brews

First two infusions short, third slightly longer, forth longer

Jul 30th, '12, 18:49
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Re: Yunnanese black teas

by ethan » Jul 30th, '12, 18:49

Thanks for the comments which helped me find the best steeping for me (for taste & economy):

For the two YS teas we've discussed, I am happily using a porcelain pot big enough for 8 cups to make only 2. I'm using one heaping teaspoon of tea per 8-oz. cup (to be honest, it is my "standard" pinch of tea, not generous, not cheap, not measured exactly).
First steep: about 90 seconds; second: about 105 seconds; third: at least 150 seconds, & I reduce the water 3 ounces.. Made 4th steep just once, using the leaves for just 8 oz. (excellent).

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