Mar 2nd, '09, 22:36
Posts: 15
Joined: Feb 24th, '09, 03:31
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Contact:
ChildOfNight
Mar 6th, '09, 04:13
Posts: 1051
Joined: Jul 7th, '07, 01:37
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:
ABx
If you like the Ali Shan then I would just say to try the greener ones (as Victoria mentioned) and Taiwanese wulong in general ("Formosa" is another name for Taiwan, btw - you'll see it used now and again). I wouldn't discount Wuyi yancha, though - my tastes were similar when I first started and yancha is one of my favorites. I would, however, say to wait until you're ready to get a gaiwan so that you can get the most from them - these have a lot to offer, but not typically if you brew western/big pot style. Brewed western style you'll probably only get something vaguely toasty/smokey that isn't very interesting and may not be what you are looking for, whereas brewed gongfu style they will usually produce many layers of complexity. You might actually like a Dancong, though 
For good Taiwanese teas at great prices I would say to check out zen8tea. You can email her for specific recommendations, but the differences between mountains (Ali Shan is a mountain - "Shan" being the Chinese word for "mountain") are relatively subtle, so if you like Ali Shan then you will probably like other Taiwanese wulong as well. I would recommend getting teas with at least a little roasting, however, just because 2008 wasn't a good year for jade wulong, particularly in Taiwan; the 2009 spring teas may be better, but we will have to see and the ones with at least light roast are still great. The roasting also tends to let them stay "fresh" longer as well. Her Shanlinxi is one of my favorites, as well as something that was sent by mistake that I'm trying to find out what it is.
I would also recommend getting some different stuff as well. Some heavier roasted wulong that's rolled into pellets, like zen8tea's Tie Guan Yin (another one of my favorites from her), some basic Dancong, and so on. TeaCuppa is another good place to start (they sell Chinese wulong more than Taiwanese, so it's worth it to get from both vendors - zen8tea's Taiwanese are better than TeaCuppa's by far, though). I wrote some recommendations for starters from TeaCuppa in a similar thread here: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=54320퐰 - you might also read through the thread. This question comes up fairly frequently and there are usually lots of good suggestions.
Ultimately I suspect that you will like most quality wulong. I don't care for Bai Hao (aka "Oriental Beauty" or "Fancy Formosa Oolong" or sometimes just "Formosa Oolong," and Adagio's Oolong #'s 8 and 40) because it's more like a black tea, and so it just doesn't do much for me, but I honestly don't think there's much that you just plain won't like as long as you get good quality tea.
What is it that you like about the Ali Shan? The aroma, taste, mouthfeel, something else, or all of the above? If you can describe what you like about it then we might be able to provide more specific recommendations, although between zen8tea and the linked recommendations for TeaCuppa I think you'd be pretty well set. If you just like that it's so different than common black (red) or green tea then I don't think you can go wrong with nearly any wulong.
For good Taiwanese teas at great prices I would say to check out zen8tea. You can email her for specific recommendations, but the differences between mountains (Ali Shan is a mountain - "Shan" being the Chinese word for "mountain") are relatively subtle, so if you like Ali Shan then you will probably like other Taiwanese wulong as well. I would recommend getting teas with at least a little roasting, however, just because 2008 wasn't a good year for jade wulong, particularly in Taiwan; the 2009 spring teas may be better, but we will have to see and the ones with at least light roast are still great. The roasting also tends to let them stay "fresh" longer as well. Her Shanlinxi is one of my favorites, as well as something that was sent by mistake that I'm trying to find out what it is.
I would also recommend getting some different stuff as well. Some heavier roasted wulong that's rolled into pellets, like zen8tea's Tie Guan Yin (another one of my favorites from her), some basic Dancong, and so on. TeaCuppa is another good place to start (they sell Chinese wulong more than Taiwanese, so it's worth it to get from both vendors - zen8tea's Taiwanese are better than TeaCuppa's by far, though). I wrote some recommendations for starters from TeaCuppa in a similar thread here: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=54320퐰 - you might also read through the thread. This question comes up fairly frequently and there are usually lots of good suggestions.
Ultimately I suspect that you will like most quality wulong. I don't care for Bai Hao (aka "Oriental Beauty" or "Fancy Formosa Oolong" or sometimes just "Formosa Oolong," and Adagio's Oolong #'s 8 and 40) because it's more like a black tea, and so it just doesn't do much for me, but I honestly don't think there's much that you just plain won't like as long as you get good quality tea.
What is it that you like about the Ali Shan? The aroma, taste, mouthfeel, something else, or all of the above? If you can describe what you like about it then we might be able to provide more specific recommendations, although between zen8tea and the linked recommendations for TeaCuppa I think you'd be pretty well set. If you just like that it's so different than common black (red) or green tea then I don't think you can go wrong with nearly any wulong.