Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[debunix]

There is a flavor I prize that I first identified in some Bao Zhong that I can only describe as the feeling of a meadow on a warm later summer afternoon--the grass turned gold, dried into hay--less vegetal and more like grain, but also a bit floral, a bit sweet like the last summer wildflowers scattered among the standing hay.

[cwj]

There is a flavor I prize that I first identified in some Bao Zhong that I can only describe as the feeling of a meadow on a warm later summer afternoon--the grass turned gold, dried into hay--less vegetal and more like grain, but also a bit floral, a bit sweet like the last summer wildflowers scattered among the standing hay.

That sounds very pleasant indeed

[kyarazen]

In the midst of the wuyi mtns drinking wuyi huang guan yin at the moment

[jayinhk]

In the midst of the wuyi mtns drinking wuyi huang guan yin at the moment

Lucky you! I tried several different grades of shuixian and dahongpao today, as well as some tieluohan and shuijingui. Some were quite good value, I felt, but flawed in some way (too bitter, not enough longevity, etc), and I'm really looking for better quality tea here (in Guangzhou). It's going to take a lot of hunting to find the good stuff here!

[jayinhk]

Drinking a decent high fire tieguanyin for the HK market--apparently this is roasted here in HK. Two infusions in a 100ml pot made me leave the office in search of food. I wasn't even hungry before that! Nice, clean, full taste that only a good high fire TGY seems to give me. Almost fruity, but wholesome and the roast takes a back seat to the flavor of the leaves. I love a good high roast gongfucha-grade TGY.

[ethan]

An all-oolong day: So cold in Boston & in this apartment. Drinking hot tea all the time so decided to avoid black tea & pu-erh today.

Started w/ lightly oxidized Winterpeace. Drinking this today in greater quantity than before, I appreciate how it can produce a feeling of physical well-being & good aftertaste. It is a good example of the value of a tea that seems quite close to cheaper tea (I compared it to Green 41 last week) but has more substance (wish I had a better word). Excellent fresh flavors w/ some variation & development through infusions.

Went to the 50% oxidized, roasted TGY. today was careful about to steep about 20 seconds & liked the taste of the char being balanced & integrated more into the other flavors. The pot acquired in December in Tainan that is glazed on the outside but not inside really rounds out this tea significantly. Drinking too much of this tea makes it feel harsher than it is. I let a couple of ounces cool & sit for a couple of hours which showed me it is not good to drink it cold.

Last session was Donfang Meiren (oriental beauty). Semi-gongfu preparation worked very well today. When I removed this tea from original packaging in December to store this while I was away, I thought I would remember which oriental beauty it was, but I don't remember. So, I played w/ preparations today. Drinking a lot of it, I got tuned into nuances, various fruit & spice notes etc. I couldn't say why but this tea seems best in very thin-walled gaiwan.

Relatives & friends in & out today & I was glad to see them, but happiest time was drinking tea alone because I seemed to be brewing really well today. Every round was good & most were perfect. Cheers

[Bok]

I let a couple of ounces cool & sit for a couple of hours which showed me it is not good to drink it cold.

Older people in Taiwan always insist on never to drink tea which has been left sitting for too long. If they drink cold tea it is usually cold brew (>brewed with cold water for a day or longer).

If the hot brew is already harsh, letting it sit will not make it better, worse if anything. Sometimes you can discover new nuances in the cooled down brew, but for that the orginal brew should already have been drinkable.

[jayinhk]

And gongfucha is about drinking as hot as possible and as quickly as possible. I never cold brew anything! The last time I tried anything like that was when I made sun tea in 2003 or so.

I let a couple of ounces cool & sit for a couple of hours which showed me it is not good to drink it cold.

Older people in Taiwan always insist on never to drink tea which has been left sitting for too long. If they drink cold tea it is usually cold brew (>brewed with cold water for a day or longer).

If the hot brew is already harsh, letting it sit will not make it better, worse if anything. Sometimes you can discover new nuances in the cooled down brew, but for that the orginal brew should already have been drinkable.

[Bok]

And gongfucha is about drinking as hot as possible and as quickly as possible. I never cold brew anything! The last time I tried anything like that was when I made sun tea in 2003 or so.

A light- semi-oxidised Oolong can be quite nice sometimes in the summer, or when going on the road. Wouldn’t do it with any tea I paid money for though. This treatment is reserved for sub-standard gifted tea Better than to throw them away.

I usually do it with greens from China, which I do not care for much. Longjing works quite well as a cold brew!

[jayinhk]

And gongfucha is about drinking as hot as possible and as quickly as possible. I never cold brew anything! The last time I tried anything like that was when I made sun tea in 2003 or so.

A light- semi-oxidised Oolong can be quite nice sometimes in the summer, or when going on the road. Wouldn’t do it with any tea I paid money for though. This treatment is reserved for sub-standard gifted tea Better than to throw them away.

I usually do it with greens from China, which I do not care for much. Longjing works quite well as a cold brew!

Perhaps I'll give it another shot--it's been almost fifteen years since my last attempt, so maybe I should give it a shot.

[victoria3]

And gongfucha is about drinking as hot as possible and as quickly as possible. I never cold brew anything! The last time I tried anything like that was when I made sun tea in 2003 or so.

A light- semi-oxidised Oolong can be quite nice sometimes in the summer, or when going on the road. Wouldn’t do it with any tea I paid money for though. This treatment is reserved for sub-standard gifted tea Better than to throw them away.

I usually do it with greens from China, which I do not care for much. Longjing works quite well as a cold brew!

Perhaps I'll give it another shot--it's been almost fifteen years since my last attempt, so maybe I should give it a shot.

So far I've only cold brewed gyokuro, but I do let oolongs sit overnight to get that last flavour the next morning. Also, maybe because I originally came to oolong from cooler steeped Japanese greens, I like my oolong to cool just slightly before sipping, the flavour is stronger this way.

[jayinhk]

And gongfucha is about drinking as hot as possible and as quickly as possible. I never cold brew anything! The last time I tried anything like that was when I made sun tea in 2003 or so.

A light- semi-oxidised Oolong can be quite nice sometimes in the summer, or when going on the road. Wouldn’t do it with any tea I paid money for though. This treatment is reserved for sub-standard gifted tea Better than to throw them away.

I usually do it with greens from China, which I do not care for much. Longjing works quite well as a cold brew!

Perhaps I'll give it another shot--it's been almost fifteen years since my last attempt, so maybe I should give it a shot.

So far I've only cold brewed gyokuro, but I do let oolongs sit overnight to get that last flavour the next morning. Also, maybe because I originally came to oolong from cooler steeped Japanese greens, I like my oolong to cool just slightly before sipping, the flavour is stronger this way.

The way I see it, the tea has cooled enough with use of a cup and pitcher (or just a cup, when using a small teapot). Slightly cooler temperature may help with tasting tea better I feel. Similarly, drinking good spirits on the rocks vs lukewarm water makes a big difference. I strongly prefer a splash of water to ice when drinking good whiskey!

[ethan]

There is a flavor I prize that I first identified in some Bao Zhong that I can only describe as the feeling of a meadow on a warm later summer afternoon--the grass turned gold, dried into hay--less vegetal and more like grain, but also a bit floral, a bit sweet like the last summer wildflowers scattered among the standing hay.

I drank that same Bao Zhong today during a blizzard. I didn't feel like I was in a meadow but did feel warm. 1st infusion was a smooth, low-key slightly-roasted gaoshan type of flavor; 2nd was greener tasting; 3rd sort of a combination of them. All were good & w/ my insides heated, I went out into the wind & snow & to walk to the post office.
Pleasantly cold, it was a perfect time for another session of tea. Drawer 2, an oolong Dr. Chen calls a 40% roast was greener than I remembered. This time the poetry of debunix made sense. For a while I felt like I came in from a Springtime walk rather than a winter one. The roasting of these leaves makes for a smooth drink & the lightest flavor of char; making it another distinct choice in the wide range of oolong from green to dark etc. It's interesting.

[cwj]

As those on the east coast, such as Ethan above, deal with actual winter weather and blizzards...I'm sitting here in CO. in 70 degree spring-like conditions sipping the second infusion of a DHP from Music City Tea. Roasty-toasty and pleasant tea, yet somehow seems inappropriate on this warm day
6g leaf brewed in a 100ml gaiwan.

[victoria3]

As those on the east coast, such as Ethan above, deal with actual winter weather and blizzards...I'm sitting here in CO. in 70 degree spring-like conditions sipping the second infusion of a DHP from Music City Tea. Roasty-toasty and pleasant tea, yet somehow seems inappropriate on this warm day
6g leaf brewed in a 100ml gaiwan.

In Annapolis we had an early spring followed by winter storm, flowers in the snow; one day 72'Spring the next day 39'Winter crazy. Perfect weather for my roasted DongDing's from Chen, Hua Yin and Mountain Tea via ferg. Also, really enjoying these days afternoon Pear Mountain South Ridge LiShan from Te Company in NYC.