My second oolong order

[thirtysixbelow]

I just finished my first round of oolong samples which included oolong #40, wuyi, ali shan, and tky. I enjoyed the wuyi the most, a nice roasted flavor. I didn't enjoy the tky or the lighter ones as much. If I want a light greener tea I will just stick with my sencha. Any recommendations as to where to go from here based on my first experience?

This seems delicious but maybe a little expensive for a 2nd go around:
http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... cts_id=881

Also wondering what names to look out for that have similar characteristics to a wuyi.

[xuancheng]

Nothing is really quite the same as a Wuyi in my opinion, but fortunately, there are hundreds of varietals grown in the Wuyi mountains which all produce different but similar finished teas.

Some of the more famous varietals which are also used as tea names
Shuixian -- a varietal grown all over Fujian province and in Canton
The four famous bushes of Wuyi are
DaHongPao -- Great red robe
ShuiJinGui -- Golden Water Turtle
Tie LuoHan -- Iron Arhat
BaiJiGuan -- White Cockscomb

Also look out for RouGui or cassia bark

(lots of different translations are used for all these names.)
Wuyi is my favourite tea. While it can be annoying to figure out all of the names and what they mean (sometimes very little) You can find some really great teas with highly distinctive tastes.
Wuyi teas are most famous for their aftertaste and have been called "Lord of Long lasting sweetness" for over 1000 years.

[Oni]

I haven`t bought from houdeasianart, but from what I read on previous posts, I know it is a trustworthy a super high quality tea vendor that is specialized in taiwanese oolong (they have their own farms), and puerh, and wu yi and dancongs, and they do not carry anxi oolong and other mainland chinese green tea, the prices are high but so is the quality. Honestly I am afraid to begin exploring a tea region starting with the most expencieve and the highest quality, you might not be experienced enough to brew them right, or understand the diffrence, so there is no use spending a lot on all kind of tea, without knowing them or drinking some cheaper lower quality of them. I suggest dragon teahouse`s basic grades, I am not saying that DT is lower in quality than houde, no they carry nonprail grades that are high grade tea (I tried their TGY) but they have basic, introduction grade tea, you might exercise with them and if you find one you like, move up the scale. Teaspring carries the highest grades of chinese green teas, many of their top teas are in original packeging, with anti fake serial numbers, so those are the real deal.
I decided to try tea`s by type and region, and I was strongly influenced by teasprings top 10 chinese teas list, and the exploration never stops, as time passes I get more and more drawn in to the tea world.

[Tead Off]

I try to buy organic teas whenever possible. Not only do I like the fact that the teas are not sprayed with pesticides, but, I feel organic farming usually says that the producer cares about his product and that the yield is not the goal, but, the quality.

I also like to buy teas from sellers who actually have working relationships with the farmers. This usually means they live in the area and are able to check on the production all year round. They will usually pick the best teas consistently.

I'm sure there are many good sellers everywhere. I use TeafromTaiwan who are based in Taiwan, and, Jing Tea Shop, based in Guangzhou. The one in Taiwan doesn't list which are organic. You must ask them as none of the growers are certified. This is an expensive proposition to get certified.

Jing has a very inexpensive Da Hong Pao which is both delicious and organic. Jin Fo King is also quite good. Have fun.