Sources for good Oriental Beauty

[nsudharsanan]

Hey all,

My local tea shop carries an oriental beauty oolong that I find absolutely amazing but I am trying my hardest to not just keep buying that same one since it is the only OB I have tried and I would like to at least try it from different sources. I was just wondering where to find good OBs at a reasonable price online (i know some places carry pretty pricey OB teas). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Ironica]

I don't think I have much wisdom to share as I have only purchased tea from a few places myself so mostly just wanted to tac on a related question if you don't mind.

One of the shops I purchased from has a tea called "aged beauty" Is this the same type of tea but with a slightly different name?

I also found myself going back for more of the same. The vendor was generous with his tastings though and I ended up purchasing a different tea at the same time.

[Chatsworth]

Look for an oolong called Bai Hao Oolong, that translates to Eastern or Oriental Beauty. I have purchased Eastern Beauty at Teavana and enjoyed it, and ordered some from teaspring.com but have yet to try it.

I think using the Bai Hao name will lead you to many options from multiple vendors.

[teaisme]

Floating Leaves Tea has some that's pretty good at $3.50/oz for 2008, $7/oz for 2009 (I really couldn't tell too much of a difference between the two so I would go for the 2008)

Teaspring has some 2008 for $10 for 50g

Houde asian art has some hand harvested 2008 for $18.50 for 2oz.

Rishi has some organic for $5.50 /oz made in china, not taiwan

Dragon tea house has some $28 for 75 g organic , $18/$28 for 100g of regular grade/premium grade (shipping to US calculated in price)

I've only tried the two from floating leaves and they were good. The 2008 is very good value for price. Just not a heavy drinker of OB though, but when I do, I enjoy it

[shah82]

Teamasters has an OB that's quite expensive, but very tasty even if it wasn't really worth the expense. I'm not an OB fan.

[wyardley]

To the OP: if you have a tea that you really enjoy drinking, I don't see any huge reason to go looking for others. You might find one that you prefer, but sometimes, it should be good enough to be happy with what you like.

I have had one or two that really blew me away, but overall, an exceptional one is hard to find. I have had most of the ones mentioned above, and didn't find most of them exceptional or even that great.

I have had one of the ones that Tea Gallery brought back (courtesy of Tim), and liked it quite a bit. The samplers are sold out on their site currently, though, and of course the price isn't cheap. A friend of a friend had a great one that she brought back from Taiwan, but that one wasn't ever available for sale.

[nsudharsanan]

Thanks for all the info... I ended up buying 1 oz of the OB from FLT because it wasnt that expensive, so even if it isnt good it wont be a big deal.

[DJ3riple]

I think sticking with what you like is good because you'll always know what to expect, but it's always good to know what's out there in terms of quality.

[gingkoseto]

I sourced some Non-Pareil OB from Beijing whole sale price is over 35USD/100g, how is possible to have some high quality tea outside China that cheap.

Taiwan oolong prices in mainland China have been bad (I mean unreasonably high) in years. I sometimes buy tea from Taiwan to US and send it back to friends in Beijing. I feel bad about all the shipping cost back and forth, but it still costs less over all.
There are various grades. It's very possible the $35/100g one is very high grade. But in US, it's not impossible to get excellent OB for <$25/100g and regular grades for even lower prices.

[cyberhoofer]

Dragon tea house has some $28 for 75 g organic , $18/$28 for 100g of regular grade/premium grade (shipping to US calculated in price)

I've had quite a many OBs, some better & some worse. On top of my list are both the regular & premium grades of the 2009 crop from Gordon, i.e. Dragon Tea House - good quality & value for your money. Taste is about the same for both grades, however you'll get more infusions from the premium grade - should you wish to brew gong fu style.

The regular/standard grade is equally good, if you want a bargain.

I bought loads of Gordon's Bai Hao OBs last summer - and will stick to him. Just had a few pots the other day - both grades still seem as fresh as the day I received the parcel.

I'm really looking forward to 'his' 2010 Oriental Beauties, and suggest you'd give him a try...


Then, of course, there's Stephane & his limited quality lots of OB & other oolongs. 'High End' teas - price tagged accordingly.