Good and affordable Yancha

[Tead Off]

[quote="theredbaron]I believe we have similar views on what is affordable and what is really pricey. I will try one day the Tea Urchin Yancha as well. Will be interesting to read how you compare the two suppliers.[/quote]

Not the suppliers, but the teas only!

[JakubT]

Nowadays though even good Yancha is very difficult to get, and rarely affordable.

Generally, I agree with you and others, but the interpretation of 'good' will necessarily vary with different tea drinkers. Also, 'affordable' will greatly vary depending on economic circumstances. $100/100g is steep to some and not steep to others. Where do we draw the line on 'affordable' and 'good'?

The Yancha I've been drinking from Tea Urchin is certainly good to me. The Tie Luo Han and Shui Jin Gui are both under $50/100g. For me, this is affordable. I am looking forward to see if the YS Yanchas will be anywhere near 'good' for me because they are indeed affordable and I would love to pay less for 'good' teas.

Dancong teas are another category where 'good' and 'affordable' don't seem to mix. Sometimes I am tempted to try a tea based on the photos of the leaves but I know now, it is not possible for me to tell from the photos. So, when I see Dancong teas for under $30/100g that have beautiful looking long whole leaves, I have a difficult time believing it is 'good'.

I believe we have similar views on what is affordable and what is really pricey. I will try one day the Tea Urchin Yancha as well. Will be interesting to read how you compare the two suppliers.

TU's Yancha seemed quite overroasted to me (and I'm definitely not into green wulongs)... I generally wasn't happy about them, I think that, e.g., Jingteashop's Yancha is somewhat better. Anyway, even that is not that close to Yancha sold by EoT, which is very good (although expensive).

[Tead Off]

Come to Bangkok where you will see what over-roasting really is!

I didn't feel that way about TU's TLH & SJG. Neither exhibit any burned qualities and both are loaded with flavor and aroma. But, we all have our preferences.

I've gotten to try the Tie Luo Han from YS last night. Loaded with mouth action and huigan. Plenty of mineral flavor and satisfying aroma. Kudos to Red Baron for his suggestion.

[theredbaron]

Glad to be of service

After many pots with both of these teas, my initial impression still stands - good Yancha for affordable enough prices to make these teas an every day tea. I haven't been in such a situation for at least 10 to 15 years - to have enough Yancha that i don't need to worry about running out any time soon.

I have been looking for that a long time - an affordable yancha that is pleasant enough to drink. It's usually either really expensive top of the line Yancha, and undrinkable cheap run of the mill Yancha (if those teas are really Yancha, which i very much doubt at times).

Scott's Yancha is more than pleasant to drink. I am still quite elated about those teas.

[puyuan]

I generally wasn't happy about them, I think that, e.g., Jingteashop's Yancha is somewhat better. Anyway, even that is not that close to Yancha sold by EoT, which is very good (although expensive).

It's because of its source. A lot of the truly higher-end yancha (well, there isn't much around) you see resold on the west can be procured through other sources for a better price, if you figure out the maker/factory. Sometimes on Taobao. I've found yancha from Huang family members and also from their factory, but never from the older Huang, which is EoT's yancha. His own production seems to really, really small. It's probably just Nada and a couple of other people with crazy guanxi-powers, or friends, or whatever. That tea really makes me wish I was rich.

P.s. Thanks for the tip, redbaron!

[Tead Off]

You have mixed up my quote with JakubT's.

[puyuan]

You have mixed up my quote with JakubT's.

Sorry, just corrected it!

[Tead Off]

I have just tried the new batch of Yancha which Yunnansourcing got in - the Tie Luo Han and the Rou Gui - and those two are very good, also considering the more than reasonable price.
These are not very high fired Yancha, but not green either, just right, and display all the complex taste profiles these two particular teas should have. Scott said in an email that he got these teas from a family of producers which has been since generations in the Wu Yi mountains, and that he only has a few kilos of each tea.

If you like Yancha - i would really suggest trying them (I made a larger order already... ).

here's the direct links:

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/wuyimounta ... g-tea.html

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/wuyimounta ... g-tea.html

That TLH is a real winner. The huigan is impressive as well as depth of flavor/aroma.

The Rou Gui is much lighter and more difficult to get that richness out of, but certainly is very drinkable. Maybe I need to use more leaf than usual with this tea.

The AA DHP did not impress very much. However, the Hua Xiang DHP is not to be missed, my 2nd favorite next to the TLH. Delicious.

[theredbaron]

That TLH is a real winner. The huigan is impressive as well as depth of flavor/aroma.

The Rou Gui is much lighter and more difficult to get that richness out of, but certainly is very drinkable. Maybe I need to use more leaf than usual with this tea.

The AA DHP did not impress very much. However, the Hua Xiang DHP is not to be missed, my 2nd favorite next to the TLH. Delicious.

I found the Hua Xiang DHP too floral and too sweet for my taste, same as the Hua Xiang Shui Shien (both of those teas were from the same producer, Scott said). But that's just me.

But regardless - these Yancha, for that price, are an excellent deal. I really didn't expect Scott to have such good Yancha - usually people that are specialized in one kind of tea carry other teas more to offer a wider range.

From what i know of the ranking of Yancha - Ti Lo Han is one of the higher ranked teas and quite rare, and Ro Gui is of lesser rank and generally a lot cheaper, like Shui Shien. Nevertheless, i would rather drink an excellent Shui Shien than a bad DHP.

I am quite excited to see what Scott will offer next year from that producer.

[mcrdotcom]

Bought both of these teas, both arrived today!

Trying the Tie Luo Han now, it is my first yancha experience apart from an orange blossom blend I got a few months ago!

Must say it is a very nice tea experience with quite the complex flavour profile! Too complex for my novice palette to figure out XD

[tenuki]

+1. Scott's yencha has been pretty reliable as a daily drinker for years.

[kikula]

Hey guys, this thread is a little out of control with acronyms - I've lost track of who Scott is. Many thanks if you'd use full spelling.

[AdamMY]

Hey guys, this thread is a little out of control with acronyms - I've lost track of who Scott is. Many thanks if you'd use full spelling.

Scott = YS = Yunnan Sourcing, at least that is my understanding of the players in the game so to speak.

The tea world is large but also small when you get into certain circles, and you start to find most people know quite a few of their preferred vendors by their first name.

[iGo]

Just wanted to jump and add my +1 to the YS Tie Luo Han.