Recommendation for great everyday (budget) Formosa oolong

[Ritva]

I don't know about the DYL that zen8tea sells but they just sold me oolong as black tea. I bought from them tea that was listed as Sun-Moon Lake Black Tea, and they sent me rolled oolong. When I asked if there had been a mix-up or something they told me I had received the correct tea. According to them it was "a black tea prepared with special method and 60% fermentation". Either they have no clue about tea, or they just wouldn't admit sending a wrong product.

[tenuki]

For inexpensive green rolled oolongs I like two teas from FLT - the Jin Xuan and the Nantou 4 seasons (si ji chun). Both are around 4.50/oz, so $72/lb (although if you buy more than 8oz or so I think there are bulk discounts)

The Jin Xuan is sweeter and rounder, the 4 seasons is bright and floral. Hard to go wrong with either. For a while there I was drinking the si ji chun constantly despite having a lot of other higher quality tea around.


(flt is local to me, I normally wouldn't buy mid priced tea because I'm really picky but had the chance to drink these two and was impressed)

[Libertatis]

thanks for the responses, I assumed the DYL at $17 for 150g was not the real deal. I suspect it must be mislabeled or otherwise not from the actual 2400m range. Personally i don't mind spending $70 for good DYL.

[TokyoB]

thanks for the responses, I assumed the DYL at $17 for 150g was not the real deal. I suspect it must be mislabeled or otherwise not from the actual 2400m range. Personally i don't mind spending $70 for good DYL.

Hmmm....Tea Trekker is selling an organic DYL (4 oz for $24 or about $32 for 150 g). Still seems cheap. I once asked Shiuwen at FLT why there is such variation in the price of DYL and she said that some teas sold as DYL are actually from surrounding areas. I don't know, if at all, that would affect the taste.

[ABx]

thanks for the responses, I assumed the DYL at $17 for 150g was not the real deal. I suspect it must be mislabeled or otherwise not from the actual 2400m range. Personally i don't mind spending $70 for good DYL.

Do you really think that the entire area only produces basically one batch that all sells in the same price range (and at the same markup)?

Taiwan produces a huge range of quality; not every pellet of leaf can be hand picked and processed. Bai Hao is probably the most prominent example, but the same applies to every tea. The select stuff is made and sold in smaller quantities, with the hand-made stuff often being made from bushes in a small isolated section of the farm.

The majority of what Zen8Tea sells is machine harvested, and the majority of it is still very good stuff. It may not be as good as the more expensive hand picked/processed stuff, but that's not what this thread is about Her goal is to provide teas at great value (basically the best you can get for the price). Not everything she sells is great, but she has a lot more gems than most shops. The somewhat unfortunate thing is that some of her best stuff is the least descript. Two of my favorites are the "2009 early spring fragrant oolong" and the "deep fragrance" counterpart (the latter just being more roasted).

Also keep in mind that most of hers are light to mid roast, so don't be surprised if they brew up a little differently than you're used to. Personally I have come to strongly prefer at least some roast -- it adds a good deal of complexity, but it took me a little while to get a grasp on brewing it right on a regular basis.

[cyberhoofer]

Gordon (Dragon Tea House) stocks some 'standard' Bai Hao Oolong OB for around 55 bucks for 1.1 lb.

This has become one of my everyday oolongs, if one can categorize OB as 'everyday'. His 'premium' OB is even better with an abundance of white tips, but your purse might not call it budget