I've bought something called Silvertip Oolong, but now I can't find much information and I hate when that happens! I want to know lots bout my tea! I've figured out that it comes from Formosa, but I can't find any chinese name and it seems to be like Bai Hao / Oriental Beauty but not really the same. So, is this an oolong that you oolongians know about, and if so, what do you think? Do you know more?
Thanks in advance, Beidao
Yeah a Formosa, where did you buy it? I am guessing it is similar to one I like - this White Tip Oolong from the New Mexico Teas Company.
It's a very nice everyday oolong.
http://www.nmteaco.com/White-Tip-Oolong_p_95.html
It's a very nice everyday oolong.
http://www.nmteaco.com/White-Tip-Oolong_p_95.html
Jan 10th, '09, 16:39
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Yours looks a bit different, but I seems like the same style. Mine was bought from Tchai Ovna in Glasgow. I bought 6 teas there, carefully selected, and this was one of the 2 okay/good ones. It tastes like cinnamon and is a bit sour but at the same time sweet. Reminds me of Rou Gui. With the sweet and sour taste, I wonder if it's simply an imitation of Oriental Beauty?
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I think you're very right, Salsero. I came to think about Bai Hao / Oriental Beauty as soon as I heard "Silvertip Oolong" and it does indeed have the white leaf tips. Nice to have this thing sorted out. Thanks Sal and Victoria!Salsero wrote:I think names like silver tip and white tip are just alternate translations of Bai Hao, literally white hair. It's my experience that when vendors use these off-beat translations, the tea is sub par. It's the leaf tips that make the white strands that the Chinese name refers to.
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Jan 10th, '09, 20:30
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From the name, "white tip" and "silver tip" seem to mean "bai hao". I personally think both of them are better than the name "bai hao", because "bai hao" doesn't mean anything in English. There are names that can't be translated, but for those that can be, why not 
However, the new mexico tea company "white tip oolong" photo doesn't look like "bai hao oolong". I think Adagio oolong#40 photo is a good representative of the tea. Besides, in NM tea company's web page, it's said the tea is from "Tung Ting province, Taiwan", this makes it more confusing what the tea is. "Bai Hao Oolong" is from Xin Zhu county (and part of Miao Li county) of Taiwan. Tung Ting (or Dong Ding) Mountain, the production location of Dong Ding oolong, is in Nan Tou county of Taiwan. So Tung Ting and Bai Hao oolong are a few counties away, or roughly 1/3 Taiwan away from each other.
However, the new mexico tea company "white tip oolong" photo doesn't look like "bai hao oolong". I think Adagio oolong#40 photo is a good representative of the tea. Besides, in NM tea company's web page, it's said the tea is from "Tung Ting province, Taiwan", this makes it more confusing what the tea is. "Bai Hao Oolong" is from Xin Zhu county (and part of Miao Li county) of Taiwan. Tung Ting (or Dong Ding) Mountain, the production location of Dong Ding oolong, is in Nan Tou county of Taiwan. So Tung Ting and Bai Hao oolong are a few counties away, or roughly 1/3 Taiwan away from each other.
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The english name for Bai Hao is Amber Dragon for many retailers. I have some and yes it is the same as Adagio oolong #40. It was discussed in a post about Oolong #8 I think. They are both Bai Hao just different grades. I love the Adagio sample as well as some I bought at a local tea shop. It looks very dark prior to steeping but green shows up once the leaves absorb some water. Looks darker than it tastes. This all being said, they can all still be the same tea. I think retailers change names to make it hard for people to find it elsewhere.
Jan 10th, '09, 23:50
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Hey that's a good point. I thought they just didn't do research on what other people sell. But probably just because they know what other people sell, they need to sell unique thingsTea Noob wrote:I think retailers change names to make it hard for people to find it elsewhere.
By sitting in peace and doing nothing,
You make your one day worth two days.
You make your one day worth two days.
A great example of this is the mattress game. They all sell the same thing, just different model names from the same manufacturer. Why is this? My hypothesis is so you can't price match and have them war with each other. We can't assume that businesses do stuff like this out of ignorance. In fact it is likely to be intentional.gingko wrote:Hey that's a good point. I thought they just didn't do research on what other people sell. But probably just because they know what other people sell, they need to sell unique thingsTea Noob wrote:I think retailers change names to make it hard for people to find it elsewhere.