Source for Da Yu Ling?

[saxon75]

Can anyone recommend a good source for DYL?

[Bok]

Not easy… like most famous teas there are a lot of fake Dayulings around.
Even in Taiwan itself it is not easy to get real DYL.

The top-grade DYL are not even publicly available. Only people with good connections or influence can get them. In Taiwan that normally means, the Teafarmers themselves, Politicians in high positions and Gangster

My best bet would be Teamasters…

[BioHorn]

Can anyone recommend a good source for DYL?

http://www.tea-masters.com/en/high-moun ... -ling.html

[Tead Off]

www.teafromtaiwan.com

[茶藝-TeaArt08]

When you are asking for Da Yu Ling/大禹嶺 are you asking for tea from the Song farm or for tea from the general terroir (95k-105K), or tea done in a "Da Yu Ling style?" As is said earlier, Da Yu Ling tea, along with, for example, Fu Shou Shan tea, is in very short supply domestically within Taiwan, especially and specifically if you are talking about the genuine "Da Yu Ling" tea from the Song farm. If you are talking about teas from the gardens of 95k-105K then these teas are more available.

Are you interested primarily in the terroir for the generalized characteristics that it tends to elicit in its teas? I ask because there is a myth that is perpetrated in Taiwan and abroad about teas from the highest elevations necessarily being better teas...or teas from the famous gardens being necessarily better. I understand the desire for these teas when a person is familiar with a terroir and what that terroir generally elicits. However, these prime location names are also played up in Taiwan and abroad to sell more tea, which is not to say that the tea isn't good. But the weather of course also varies from year to year (For example the Lishan area last spring had a very rough patch of weather during prime picking that affected the teas greatly!) and that of course has great effect on the tea.

What to me is equally important to understand and be familiar with are the makers. Friends in Taiwan tend to follow more an individual maker than a specific farm and will sometimes shift what lots of tea they buy in line with where a quality maker moves, regardless of farm. This is because a great maker/finisher can improve a moderate weather altered tea greatly through skillful processing.

One example of the names of Taiwanese terroirs being played up is the way teas grown in Meishan are often labeled "Alishan" teas because the name allows for greater profit. The Meishan terroir produces great teas and is an important area in the history of the development of distinctly Taiwanese teas. But many people aren't generally familiar with this terroir at all outside of Taiwan.

Due to connections through my wife's family in Taiwan and my involvement in the tea community there I happen to have two tins of 105k Da Yu Ling tea right now. But honestly, its great tea but I have had teas that I have enjoyed more from lower regions, or other terroirs all together that are also less expensive (for instance Qi Lai Shan or Ming Gang Lishan tea).

Taiwan Tea Crafts has a Da Yu Ling terroir, 95k tea that I have enjoyed in the past. In fact I have a 2014 winter sample of this tea that I picked up from Philip when I was in Taiwan in November and December and have yet to open and try; but in the past this tea from Philip has been a very nice tea. I can open it tomorrow and give it a go and report back here. Here is the link for Philip's 95K: (http://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/ ... olong-tea/).

I haven't tried Tea Masters Da Yu Ling and tend to buy my teas in Taiwan during each harvest but I know friends that have been very happy with his teas. One friend I trust very much is even buying wholesale from Tea Masters and selling those teas in the U.S. right now. Philip's tea, if elevation is your concern, is from 200 meters higher up the mountain and is cheaper for the same 25g size by $9.00.

Blessings!

[saxon75]

I'm asking about tea from the general terroir, I suppose. I had some DYL 95K and 102K samples from the Origin Tea OTTI back in 2013, and I really enjoyed them. Sadly, since Origin is no longer around, I can't just go back there.

[benm3]

I love Taiwanese Gao Shan, but I haven't had much good Da Yu Ling. I cannot recommend Tea From Taiwan- I think their Da Yu Ling is just mediocre Li Shan. I think that is usually the case with teas labeled "Da Yu Ling." Honestly, I think you're better off looking for high quality Ali Shan or Shan Lin Xi. I can strongly recommend this winter Ali Shan as much, much better than most teas sold on the internet and called "Da Yu Ling"

http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/inde ... er=product

[Tead Off]

I love Taiwanese Gao Shan, but I haven't had much good Da Yu Ling. I cannot recommend Tea From Taiwan- I think their Da Yu Ling is just mediocre Li Shan. I think that is usually the case with teas labeled "Da Yu Ling." Honestly, I think you're better off looking for high quality Ali Shan or Shan Lin Xi. I can strongly recommend this winter Ali Shan as much, much better than most teas sold on the internet and called "Da Yu Ling"

http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/inde ... er=product

I would be curious to hear on what you base your statement that 'their Da Yu Ling is just mediocre Li Shan.'

Teafromtaiwan has been doing business online longer than most vendors who sell Taiwan tea. They have long time relations with their sources and I've found that overall, their quality is good. You can ask them specific questions about their sources for the teas, in this case, the DYL. Sometimes climactic conditions impact the quality of a tea from one season to the next. One can never expect to get the same exact tea each time from season to season. Each buyer must decide for themselves if a seller's tea is acceptable or not. I have been disappointed by every seller on occasion. This is why sampling is the best method for purchasing teas. Teafromtaiwan sells samples so anyone can try their teas and judge for themselves. They are not the least expensive seller, though.

[benm3]

My opinion about Tea From Taiwan comes from having tried and sampled most of their teas a few times. I also ordered larger amounts of their Da Yu Ling on a few occasions. In my opinion, their tea is not top-notch. Their Da Yu ling, both the spring and winter harvest I tried, was not very deep, not thick in the mouth, and did not infuse very well. I got very little of that signature Gao Shan veggie protein thickness that I look for in a "Da Yu Ling." This is obviously very subjective- but in my humble opinion I have been disappointed by the teas sold from Tea From taiwan and I would not recommend them as a particularly good source for quality Gao Shan. Obviously, taste is subjective, and this is solely my opinion. Also, I totally concede that variations in processing and climatic conditions certainly change the nature of teas sold each season. Perhaps the tea now being sold from Tea From Taiwan would be more to my taste. In any event, I totally recommend this winter ALi Shan as having everything, and more, that I look for in a good Gao Shan.

http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/inde ... er=product

[ethan]

I don't want > a light taste of vegetables from tea. A couple of years or so back, I was lucky to have oolong including Da Yu Ling from Origin giving:

floral aroma & flavor; sweetness w/ a light note of vegetables & a hint of minerals; &, some thickness or body for 3 good Western-style infusions &/or > several good gongfu-infusions.

I welcome recommendations for tea like this.

I state this within this thread because I wonder if names lead us astray sometimes. "Gaoshan" or "Da Yu Ling" may seem like terms that should & can be learned, but terms will be used wrongly. Thus, added to problems of subjectivity, helping each other becomes quite difficult.

I encourage people to post more (especially about oolong) & give a sentence or two about specific characteristics of the oolong mentioned. I find it very difficult to find special oolong, especially affordably.

Someone saying that he does not like a tea because it lacks something he seeks, may be informing me of a tea I would like.

[Bok]

I think you're better off looking for high quality Ali Shan or Shan Lin Xi. I can strongly recommend this winter Ali Shan as much, much better than most teas sold on the internet and called "Da Yu Ling"

Why not go for high quality Lishan?
In my experience the Alishan always seems –for lack of a better word– “flat” in comparison to Lishan. Most seasoned drinkers where I live in Taiwan (South), seem to prefer Lishan or Sanlinxi. Alishan seems to get a lot of its reputation from being associated with the famous mountain (songs being sung about etc. Alishan de guniang lalala ).

Not to say its bad tea, but for more mouthfeel and aftertaste I’d go for Lishan. Sanlinxi is my second choice as I feel it still has more interesting flavour profile than Alishan. It’s more affordable than DYL and the chances of getting the real deal are probably higher.

The whole is of course highly subjective, as we all do not know our respective references for said teas

[Tead Off]

+1.

[benm3]

I would recommend a good recent Li Shan-- if I had one to recommend. I think excellent teas can come from any of the major producing regions in Taiwan. I am well aware of the myth that Li Shan is the best; I just don't buy the myth. There is a lot of tea made around Li Shan (including Da Yu Ling, Fou Shou Shan, etc), and a lot of it isn't all that good (for my tastes). True, most Ali Shan, Shan Lin Xi, and etc isn't all the great either, but the Ali Shan I recommended is top notch, not at all flat, complex, deep, and a genuinely excellent Gao Shan. I recommend looking for good Gao shan with an open mind, not limiting yourself to an idea that one mountain is necessarily better than another, and getting over the myth of Li Shan. When Li Shan is good, then it is good. When it is not good, it is not good.

[Tead Off]

I fully agree that one has to drink teas with an open mind and that myths about certain regions don't always hold true. But, as a long time drinker of Taiwan gaoshan, it's no myth to me that Lishan teas have a different quality to them than Alishan. A quality that I much prefer. This also includes Long Feng Xia from Shanlixing area, a tea I've long admired. These teas have proved themselves over and over again to me. But, it doesn't mean every tea from these areas will be great. One has to weed through the different sellers and the different areas of each mountain.

Regarding the DYL we discussed, I admit that I haven't bought any from teafromtaiwan in a long time, more than a couple of years. But, what I did get from them was very good. For me Origin's was never as good, but was still quite alright. Origin had great roasted teas. Even Wang De Chuan's DYL didn't impress me as much as tft's. They also used to have wonderful Wuling. But, I certainly don't want to get in a who has the better tea debate as subjectivity and changes from season to season can alter things quite a bit. We all have our own preferences.

[benm3]

I roughly understand the supposed differences between the different Gao Shan regions of Taiwan, but in my experience the more tea I drink the less certain I am of these alleged tea parameters. Take, for instance, the very different teas sold as "Li Shan" by Teamasters in Taiwan and Floating leaves in Seattle. I think Teamasters stresses Li Shan with a subtle depth, while floating leaves tends to sell Li Shan tea that is, to my taste, much bolder up front. Both teas are quite good, and thick, and etc, but they are very very different from one another. God tea depends upon good terroir, good growing conditions, good processing, good luck, and etc. I personally do not believe that Li Shan is going to be necessarily better than other types of Gao Shan. There are just too many variables. Once again, I'm gonna plug the Yunnan Sourcing US Winter competition Ali Shan as an excellent Gao Shan that will challenge the myth that Ali Shan is third-tier Gao Shan.