Dragon Well

[qaymar23]

I had a brew last night of a four-year-old LJ and oh boy! I can't imagine what would it be like when consumed fresh.

It was given to me by a Chinese merchant I know of where I live, it was purchased in China. He told me it was just medium quality.

I wonder now what's high quality like.

[bagua7]

Duh!? Is this a joke?

[bagua7]

...I recently ordered 300 grams of handpicked Taiwanese high mountain oolong from Houde for 85$, I know those teas last me long (more than a month, almost 2) and are sure to give me satisfaction, because they are the top grade that this shop sells and it is a good bang for my buck, but if I were to pay the same cash for 100 grams of green tea, even if it is as good as it gets, it is still one type of tea and I would finish it much faster than those oolongs.

The health benefits you get from a Taiwanese High Mountain quality oolong have no match let alone the tastes and aftertastes, tones and overtones that this tea delivers. And my friend, you purchased 300g which gives you a lot to play with.

[Tead Off]

This is not my quote. Someone has mistakenly pasted my name to it. I have never bought a tea from Houde.

[Tead Off]

I have to agree on that. Chinese and japanese ways of conducting business are really different from my point of view. It's a cultural thing.

Everyone can believe want she wants to. But I am sorry you have to think in this way. What's the cultural root of capitalistic greed?

China?

How can someone NOT like all things Chinese. Food, teas, art, toilet paper, gunpowder, you name it. But, there is this little thing called not telling the truth that has hurt Chinese reputation in the world today. They have been caught red handed adulterating food products and making subpar products for export. Not everything, of course. It will take some time for them to repair this image. There is also a greater disparity between rich and poor in China and many small farmers are poor and want to have a better life. So, it is not necessarily greed that motivates, but, necessity. The line can be very fine at times. Japanese government controls are far more effective and their standard of living is much greater than China's. This doesn't necessarily mean there are no tricksters in the tea business in Japan.

The long and the short of it is we need more stringent guidelines and monitoring of the tea business in China and in Taiwan. Simply stating that a tea is organic without testing is not going to cut it in global trading. And, as we are proving, we are a global community demanding a certain standard of product. This is just the way it is now. Buying a certification without having a product that meets the requirements is illegal. This could happen in any country and probably does. But, hopefully, this will be the exception and not the norm. After all, China is a developing country even though its history is thousands of years old. Many problems face them as they emerge into the global arena. The organic 'problem' will change as more Chinese drinkers demand this. And, they will demand it the more they are educated about it. Love your blog.

[qaymar23]

Duh!? Is this a joke?

While no doubt I was stating the obvious, it was meant as a compliment or great or lucky you. Even though I really did not expect a response back, such as a more detail description of this stellar LJ you were fortunate enough to taste was, your response of 'duh!?' I feel was uncalled for and a bit insulting when my intent was only to praise your good fortune.

[gingkoseto]

I didn't mean to argue with anyone. Everybody believes what she wants to believe, and nobody can easily change other people's opinion.

I just found it distasteful to use culture to interpret something irrelevant to culture. Besides, I am against attributing certain behavior or virtual problem to one group of people or one country based on extremely limited personal experience. Not that my being against it matters, but I feel an obligation to frown upon it every time I see it, no matter it's from a friend or a stranger. But I understand there are reasons for people's feelings and opinions. So I would frown, but friendly

[rabbit]

I didn't mean to argue with anyone. Everybody believes what she wants to believe, and nobody can easily change other people's opinion.

I just found it distasteful to use culture to interpret something irrelevant to culture. Besides, I am against attributing certain behavior or virtual problem to one group of people or one country based on extremely limited personal experience. Not that my being against it matters, but I feel an obligation to frown upon it every time I see it, no matter it's from a friend or a stranger. But I understand there are reasons for people's feelings and opinions. So I would frown, but friendly

I'm not going to weigh in on the cultural aspect of things becuase my experience in this field is limited... but could what David R. said be more a matter of percentages: China is a much larger country than Japan, there are more people in the tea trade and thus percentage-wise there are bound to be more people who use shady business tactics, making them more noticable.

I.E. Pareto's principle.

I don't really know what I'm talking about, this is just something that popped into my head.

[Chip]

I think it was the use of the term culture, attributing frauds to Chinese culture ...

There are shady business practices everywhere, and probably more so in China as the restraints have only recently been somewhat lifted. China is still a developing nation and so is their free trade. Controls are still pretty loose, seemingly to the West anyway.

Interestingly, the penalty for practices that may be deemed harmful carry a stronger penalty in China than possibly anywhere else, often a swift death sentence as reported in Western media.

However with the new freedoms comes a bigger incentive to commit frauds.

[bagua7]

This is not my quote. Someone has mistakenly pasted my name to it. I have never bought a tea from Houde.

My apology.

Duh!? Is this a joke?

...While no doubt I was stating the obvious, it was meant as a compliment or great or lucky you. Even though I really did not expect a response back, such as a more detail description of this stellar LJ you were fortunate enough to taste was, your response of 'duh!?' I feel was uncalled for and a bit insulting when my intent was only to praise your good fortune.

I don't know who you are. My intent wasn't derogatory. You need to watch your ego a bit, thanks. I am a very casual person, both in real life and online. It's never going to change (well everything is impermanent...so who knows.) Anyway, green teas reflect wood energy, spring, change. So it doesn't make sense getting the energy of this element in tea form later on down the track as it won't be the same. It will lose its power. That's why I said I wish I could have had that tea back in 2006.

Hence I thought you were pulling my leg, of course in a friendly manner, and so was my response.

[qaymar23]

With some luck, next weekend I will be compare Jing's Imperial LJ with Master's Luo's LJ from Postcard Teas.

Were you able to compare these two teas?

[TokyoB]

Not to throw fuel on the flames but I read this article on the front page of the New York Times today and thought of "organic" tea in China.....but maybe I should stop relating everything to tea!

Rampant Fraud Threat to China’s Brisk Ascent

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/world ... f=homepage

[gingkoseto]

A friend of mine used to say some American journalists are so devoted in China issues and their hard work should be recognized. China should establish some special contribution award for them.

[brlarson]

With some luck, next weekend I will be compare Jing's Imperial LJ with Master's Luo's LJ from Postcard Teas.

Were you able to compare these two teas?

No, I didn't get to taste them last weekend. I am doing these tastings with my son and one of his friends and we weren't jointly available at any time last weekend, and this weekend I'm not available -- I'm helping out with an event on Block Island NWR and will be camping at the Beane Point lodge.

BTW, I ordered another Shi Feng, the one from Seven Cups, so I have quite a collection waiting to be tasted. I am anxious to get on with it, too, because the season is turning. I might try to get the three of us together for the next tasting during next week.

Cheers.

[Tead Off]

My, my, what have we here right in my backyard?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/404 ... -activist/

Not only China is guilty of fraud.