Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[joelbct]

Thank you cwj and Ethan. I will continue to experiment, but I have also been drinking tea long enough to have a sense of what I enjoy. Interestingly, with specialty coffee I also use a ~1:21-25 ratio which is more dilute than the 1:15-18 grams coffee-to-water by weight ratio usually used. C'est la vie.

I'd never constrain the leaves in an infuser basket though. They need to breathe I even stir once or twice, much to the horror of a Chinese-born former colleague who once looked on as I prepared some Dragonwell in a French Press carafe.

Drinking Taiwan Sourcing Alishan High Mountain GABA Dark Roasted- Winter 2016.

This one I love and comes out just fine 'Western Style,' 5g to 500g 190°F water for 4.5 minutes.

I guess I like dark-roasted Oolongs. It's really delicious, slightly smokey. I do hesitate to be too enthusiastic about a tea when I sense that what I am tasting is smoke and not the leaf, but oh well.

I will certainly try this one gongfu, it has a flavor that I imagine will come out quite well at a higher leaf concentration.

Also just tried TS' Organic GABA Spring 2016. This and aforementioned Alishan GABA are so far my two favorites of the 6 samples I've tried from Taiwan Sourcing. I get notes of Lacinato Kale. TS says sweet potato and banana. I can see that. Good price too, $20 for 150g. I hope they have some left when I place my next order.

[cwj]

Thank you cwj and Ethan. I will continue to experiment, but I have also been drinking tea long enough to have a sense of what I enjoy. Interestingly, with specialty coffee I also use a ~1:21-25 ratio which is more dilute than the 1:15-18 grams coffee-to-water by weight ratio usually used. C'est la vie.

I'd never constrain the leaves in an infuser basket though. They need to breathe I even stir once or twice, much to the horror of a Chinese-born former colleague who once looked on as I prepared some Dragonwell in a French Press carafe.

Yeah I've never been crazy about basket infusers...even though some of them are quite large, sometimes it seems they constrain the infusing tea in other ways as well. Unless they are agitated or stirred in the basket, the color of the tea liquid never seems to come out fully.
I wonder if the mesh becomes clogged with tea oils, preventing the leaves from fully infusing.
Or it could just be my imagination

I've never tried one of those GABA oolongs, but have been curious about them for a while now.
Do they all seem to be heavy roasted, or have you seen some "greener", light roast Gaba oolongs?

[William]

Today I played with some zheng yan Rou Gui a friend of mine procured for me. I used the same quantity of leaves and same brewing technique, with 3 different teapots made of Hongni clay, i.e. 50 ml SP from the late Qing dynasty, F1 60s, F1 70s. Each respectively has highlighted different qualities of this wonderful tea, yet the 60s SP was the clear winner. Were used such amazing clays back then!

[joelbct]

I've never tried one of those GABA oolongs, but have been curious about them for a while now.
Do they all seem to be heavy roasted, or have you seen some "greener", light roast Gaba oolongs?

Currently drinking Taiwan Sourcing's Robust Si Ji Chun Certified Organic Oolong - Spring 2016, love this one. Mouthwatering, delicious- site says this is Cui Yu mixed with Si Ji Chun. Not overly roasted or smokey, perhaps because of the blending. In any case, alas, this one is now sold out. Perhaps their regular Si Ji Chun will be as good.

cwj, as for the GABA teas- I'm not sure about any "calming" effect superior to that of normal tea- GABA does not cross the blood-brain barrier, as far as I know. Glutamine is GABA's precursor and will cross, similar to 5-HTP and Seratonin, etc.

But, the two GABA's I tried from Taiwan Sourcing were nonetheless delicious, and savoring a delicious tea is certainly a "calming," soothing, and relaxing experience, for me at least!

Looks like TS has 8 "GABA" teas still in stock, one Green, two Black, and five Oolong- and their site describes both roast level (on a scale of 0 to something or other) and oxidation %, so you should be able to find something suitable.

I ordered 5 Oolongs from TS, and 3 of the 5 I would reorder if still in stock. The more expensive "King of Qing Xin - Spring 2016" and "Imperial Grade Lala Shan - Spring 2016" were good, but I actually prefer the aforementioned cheaper ones.

The clear verdict is that I like Taiwan Sourcing's Oolongs.

[ethan]

The more expensive "King of Qing Xin - Spring 2016" and "Imperial Grade Lala Shan - Spring 2016" were good, but I actually prefer the aforementioned cheaper ones.

The clear verdict is that I like Taiwan Sourcing's Oolongs.

I love when preference is for a cheaper tea. It encourages keeping an open mind & gives hope that we who lack funds can still get tea we enjoy a lot. I went to TS's site because of your post & saw its description & offer of 10 grams of aged Oriental Beauty for $30. Interesting! Thanks for posting.

[ethan]

opened packet of Father's Love a couple of day's ago & prepared some. It was excellent as I wrote about it then.

I had emptied the tea of the packet into my "airiest" ceramic tea caddy (the lid has a loose fit). Today I find that was good for the tea: now in addition to the rest of the flavors enjoyed 2 days back, there is some tart fruit. Aftertaste, feeling of well-being for head & body.... all that I could wish for from tea. I've drunk 3 excellent infusions & a 4th very good round & am pausing to enjoy the huigan before I start drinking the combination of the infusions from the server. Cheers

[Henk]

I'm drinking an Anxi Rou Gui from Hojo. Maybe I've slightly underleafed (or my pot is too big) but I'm enjoying it. It's a very calming tea though, read, I'm kinda nodding off at my table.

[ethan]

Gongfucha, Drawer 2 from Dr. Chen: I found my misplaced teaware; thus, 1-ounce servings from a tiny yixing pot. Gongfu preparation often disappoints me; so, this is perfect size to be adventurous. Result is satisfying. After 3 rounds, I cannot taste distinct flavors, just a good , roasted blend of flavors. Feeling good & enjoying huigan between rounds.

The leaves are from 1200 meters up Mount Ousa. Great height is not necessary to produce good tea apparently.

[joelbct]

tealife.hk Hong Kong-Roasted High Fire Tieguanyin. I am far from an Oolong expert but I like this one a lot. Thick, complex, distinct and different. The roasting comes through but not overpoweringly smok-ey. Has that rare compulsively-sippable quality, for me, such that I couldnt help but consume the first infusion within a few minutes. Stood up fine to two long infusions even Western Style- did this my usual 5g to 500g water for 4.5 min at ~185°F then 6 min at 200°F.

I have 20 or so China and Taiwan Oolong samples still working through Western Style for convenience. My picks such as this I will try Gongfu Fu next time.

[jayinhk]

tealife.hk Hong Kong-Roasted High Fire Tieguanyin. I am far from an Oolong expert but I like this one a lot. Thick, complex, distinct and different. The roasting comes through but not overpoweringly smok-ey. Has that rare compulsively-sippable quality, for me, such that I couldnt help but consume the first infusion within a few minutes. Stood up fine to two long infusions even Western Style- did this my usual 5g to 500g water for 4.5 min at ~185°F then 6 min at 200°F.

I have 20 or so China and Taiwan Oolong samples still working through Western Style for convenience. My picks such as this I will try Gongfu Fu next time.

Glad you enjoyed it! The way I was taught to drink that TGY and the way I always drink it is gongfu style at full boil. I use shuipings almost exclusively for that TGY and I fill the pot up to halfway with dry leaf.

[Teasenz]

I'm experimenting with blending Tieguanyin oolong and osmanthus flowers right now. It's kind of a waste of the Tieguanyin if I blend and steep right away. So what I'm trying now is to first enjoy the Tieguanyin for 4-5 brews. Afterwards, the flavour starts to become lighter, and it seems to be a good moment to add some osmanthus flowers. This works really great for me, the flowers are slightly bitter which kind reactivates the tea flavour and the strong buttery aroma works really well with the floral scent of Tieguanyin. Anyone tried this before?

[victoria3]

I'm experimenting with blending Tieguanyin oolong and osmanthus flowers right now. It's kind of a waste of the Tieguanyin if I blend and steep right away. So what I'm trying now is to first enjoy the Tieguanyin for 4-5 brews. Afterwards, the flavour starts to become lighter, and it seems to be a good moment to add some osmanthus flowers. This works really great for me, the flowers are slightly bitter which kind reactivates the tea flavour and the strong buttery aroma works really well with the floral scent of Tieguanyin. Anyone tried this before?

With medium grade oolongs I sometimes enjoy adding osmanthus to tweak flavors. Because osmanthus can be very bitter, I first steep tea, then add flowers to liquor for a +-45 seconds. Love the added aroma, sweetness and bright yellow color.

[William]

Because osmanthus can be very bitter, I first steep tea, then add flowers to liquor for a +-45 seconds. Love the added aroma, sweetness and bright yellow color.

This is a really good tip for avoiding bitterness, I'll try next time. Thanks for sharing!

[kuánglóng]

I'm experimenting with blending Tieguanyin oolong and osmanthus flowers right now. It's kind of a waste of the Tieguanyin if I blend and steep right away. So what I'm trying now is to first enjoy the Tieguanyin for 4-5 brews. Afterwards, the flavour starts to become lighter, and it seems to be a good moment to add some osmanthus flowers. This works really great for me, the flowers are slightly bitter which kind reactivates the tea flavour and the strong buttery aroma works really well with the floral scent of Tieguanyin. Anyone tried this before?

Back in the day and mainly to spice up yerba mate or mediocre teas but most of the time I've used rose or chrysanthmum buds or elderflowers, just a personal preference.

[Bok]

蜒香茶 Best bug bitten summer 2016 from Mr HY Chen. I find this tea remarkably similar to a Tie Guan Yin from Taiwan I had not long ago, which is why the memory is still fresh.

Not an easy brew, does not forgive a slight overbrew. When that happens I notice a sour sensation on the side part of my tongue, further in the back. Not sure which part of the tongue and correlating sense.

The TGY had the same kind of behaviour. Leaves in the preheated pot smell fruity, apple-ish to me. If brewed quick and with minute attention it is lovely, if not it becomes jaw-clenching and unpleasant.

Anyone else had this tea and similar experience?