i do drink alot of oolongs but nothing too fancy... the most fancy i had was a tung ting '95... was really good tho.
What would be good oolongs to look for if i was to put an order online (anywhere as long as it ships to canada lol)
Aug 21st, '09, 02:57
Posts: 8
Joined: Aug 21st, '09, 02:07
Location: Fujian,China
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eoolongcom
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
good oolong taste no bitter, or little bit bitter in the initial taste but then the after taste is sweet. The Tea soup is clarity.
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
Camellia Sinensis is right there in Canada, and they have a fabulous selection of oolongs.
http://camellia-sinensis.com/tea/
http://camellia-sinensis.com/tea/
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
lol no no, im just asking what should i look for, like what kind of oolongs would be good i dont really know the difference and what i should look for as far as quality is concerned.
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
I'm just getting seriously into the good oolongs myself, so I can't offer too much advice (not compared to some of the really knowledgeable folks here) but at the very least I can break it down to the main categories for you:
China
Anxi- Rolled/balled oolongs from Fujian province such as Ti Guan Yin.
Dan Cong (Phoenix)- The good ones are usually single-bush, old tree (read labor intensive, prestigious, and expensive) teas from the Phoenix Mountains. Generally long-leafed, lightly roasted, and can be steeped many times.
WuYi- Cliff teas from Wu Yi area. Long-leafed and heavily roasted. Known for having more of a mineral taste than other oolongs- but many think this a good thing.
Taiwan (Formosa)
Most often rolled oolongs grown in the mountains. Confusingly (for us beginners anyway), Taiwan also produces Ti Guan Yin too. Also, some insect-nibbled teas which are prized for their natural sweetness ("oriental beauty" is one such tea).
I just ordered a bunch of samples from Jing Tea Shop simply because they have a good reputation for having good oolongs for good value, and they make it very easy to order generous 25g samples. Other online oolong sources which are often recommended around the forum include: Tea Gallery, Hou De, Tea Habitat, Floating Leaves, Nada Cha, Tea Spring, Seven Cups, Hojo Tea, Yunnan Sourcing (on ebay), Tea Cuppa, Den's, and Camellia-Sinensis. I'm sure I'm missing a couple, but that should keep you busy for a while.
If you want "fancy" then go for anything from the Tea Gallery, or one of Tea Habitat's single-bush Dan Congs (haven't tried one myself, but I hear they are amazing and can go for up to 20+ infusions!
) Hope this helps. 
China
Anxi- Rolled/balled oolongs from Fujian province such as Ti Guan Yin.
Dan Cong (Phoenix)- The good ones are usually single-bush, old tree (read labor intensive, prestigious, and expensive) teas from the Phoenix Mountains. Generally long-leafed, lightly roasted, and can be steeped many times.
WuYi- Cliff teas from Wu Yi area. Long-leafed and heavily roasted. Known for having more of a mineral taste than other oolongs- but many think this a good thing.
Taiwan (Formosa)
Most often rolled oolongs grown in the mountains. Confusingly (for us beginners anyway), Taiwan also produces Ti Guan Yin too. Also, some insect-nibbled teas which are prized for their natural sweetness ("oriental beauty" is one such tea).
I just ordered a bunch of samples from Jing Tea Shop simply because they have a good reputation for having good oolongs for good value, and they make it very easy to order generous 25g samples. Other online oolong sources which are often recommended around the forum include: Tea Gallery, Hou De, Tea Habitat, Floating Leaves, Nada Cha, Tea Spring, Seven Cups, Hojo Tea, Yunnan Sourcing (on ebay), Tea Cuppa, Den's, and Camellia-Sinensis. I'm sure I'm missing a couple, but that should keep you busy for a while.
If you want "fancy" then go for anything from the Tea Gallery, or one of Tea Habitat's single-bush Dan Congs (haven't tried one myself, but I hear they are amazing and can go for up to 20+ infusions!
) Hope this helps. 
Aug 22nd, '09, 04:01
Posts: 1051
Joined: Jul 7th, '07, 01:37
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Location: Portland, OR
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ABx
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
Anxi (e.g., Tie Guan Yin) and Taiwanese wulong would probably be the easiest ones to start with. The tightly rolled ones are often more forgiving and easier to brew. Taiwanese wulong is what got me hooked. Wuyi yancha (e.g., Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, Shui Xian, etc.) and Feng Huang Dancong are excellent, but they can be a little challenging to brew at times. It took me a while to really appreciate them; Dancong seemed boring, and I had a hard time really getting a good cup from yancha.
The tightly rolled wulong from Anxi and Taiwan, however, is generally pretty easy to brew and appreciate. Zen8tea on eBay has inexpensive machine-harvested wulong from Taiwan (she also has a lot of light- and mid-roast wulong, which you don't often find elsewhere), Jing has inexpensive stuff from Anxi, and, as others pointed out, there's Camellia Sinensis Teahouse (Taiwanese?), Hou De (everything he has, really), Floating Leaves (Taiwanese), Aura Teas (also in Canada, Taiwanese), and many others. The better stuff will usually cost a fair bit more, but don't be afraid of the lower price stuff -- zen8tea and Jing both have some excellent picks.
If you're in a big city, or can make it to one, then you might also look for a decent local shop. There's nothing like being able to go in to a store to talk to someone knowledgeable and have them brew the tea for you (hopefully gongfu style).
The trick with any tea vendor is to find out what they specialize in and stick with that. Their other teas will probably be mediocre. Vendors that specialize in wulong will usually specialize in one specific type of wulong. If the vendor is in China or Taiwan then stick with the teas from their country, otherwise you can start by looking at what type they have the most of. One clear exception here is Hou De -- pretty much everything he has is outstanding (although some people don't care for his Dancong, though I have liked them better than most of what's out there).
If you're going to get samples then I would strongly recommend trying to get at least 1oz. That will give you a fair number of sessions with the tea; enough to try brewing it a few different ways so that you can get good results. Sometimes you'll just have "bad tea days," and it would be a shame to use up a single sample on such a day
And lastly, don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions -- both here and the vendors you want to buy from Obviously you probably don't want to ask your vendors to teach you everything they know just to spend $20 with them, but many are more than happy to make recommendations, tell you more about any of their teas, and even answer general questions about tea. Of course everyone here is happy to make more specific recommendations when you have an idea of what you want.
The tightly rolled wulong from Anxi and Taiwan, however, is generally pretty easy to brew and appreciate. Zen8tea on eBay has inexpensive machine-harvested wulong from Taiwan (she also has a lot of light- and mid-roast wulong, which you don't often find elsewhere), Jing has inexpensive stuff from Anxi, and, as others pointed out, there's Camellia Sinensis Teahouse (Taiwanese?), Hou De (everything he has, really), Floating Leaves (Taiwanese), Aura Teas (also in Canada, Taiwanese), and many others. The better stuff will usually cost a fair bit more, but don't be afraid of the lower price stuff -- zen8tea and Jing both have some excellent picks.
If you're in a big city, or can make it to one, then you might also look for a decent local shop. There's nothing like being able to go in to a store to talk to someone knowledgeable and have them brew the tea for you (hopefully gongfu style).
The trick with any tea vendor is to find out what they specialize in and stick with that. Their other teas will probably be mediocre. Vendors that specialize in wulong will usually specialize in one specific type of wulong. If the vendor is in China or Taiwan then stick with the teas from their country, otherwise you can start by looking at what type they have the most of. One clear exception here is Hou De -- pretty much everything he has is outstanding (although some people don't care for his Dancong, though I have liked them better than most of what's out there).
If you're going to get samples then I would strongly recommend trying to get at least 1oz. That will give you a fair number of sessions with the tea; enough to try brewing it a few different ways so that you can get good results. Sometimes you'll just have "bad tea days," and it would be a shame to use up a single sample on such a day
And lastly, don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions -- both here and the vendors you want to buy from
Obviously you probably don't want to ask your vendors to teach you everything they know just to spend $20 with them, but many are more than happy to make recommendations, tell you more about any of their teas, and even answer general questions about tea. Of course everyone here is happy to make more specific recommendations when you have an idea of what you want.Aug 22nd, '09, 04:12
Posts: 8
Joined: Aug 21st, '09, 02:07
Location: Fujian,China
Contact:
eoolongcom
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
good tea need to taste and smell, it hard to judge from the look. Anyway if for look at least green color(means new tea), and tight shap,no many branches. Tie Guan Yin and Da Hong Pao are the best two type oolong in Fujian.
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
I'll second ABx's recommendation of going for tightly rolled ball shaped oolongs from Anxi and Taiwan (Formosa) like Tie Guan Yin and Dong Ding. They're easy to brew and not difficult to find good examples of
Re: oolong online purchaser beginner.
yes i would like to experience a bit more the taiwanese kind.
Most of the oolongs i had were taiwanese or were better in my experience so far. Tung ting is really great, especially the '95 one from camellia sinensis. Im just checking out which new tea i should try out. I like it to be some what sweet yet floral. And not too mild too. Been lurking around some website but yet i cant make a choice lol. was wondering what is it that you prefer from taiwan ?
P.S : i know most chinese oolongs are great and dan congs is looking really interesting but i feel i should wait for it. just like i waited like 5 months for matcha. Building up to it to appreciate it more.
Most of the oolongs i had were taiwanese or were better in my experience so far. Tung ting is really great, especially the '95 one from camellia sinensis. Im just checking out which new tea i should try out. I like it to be some what sweet yet floral. And not too mild too. Been lurking around some website but yet i cant make a choice lol. was wondering what is it that you prefer from taiwan ?
P.S : i know most chinese oolongs are great and dan congs is looking really interesting but i feel i should wait for it. just like i waited like 5 months for matcha. Building up to it to appreciate it more.