Where to buy Organic Chinese tea?

[Kunkali]

Why on their premium mao feng does it say spring 2011 on the title but after the description says harvested february 2010

[sherubtse]

How anyone could argue,

that it is incorrect to label teas from Yunnan as green, white, etc. due to the nature of the cultivars located there.

is beyond me. I might agree with someone who said that a bi luo chun from Yunnan is not really BLC, but that is as far as that argument can logically go. Green, oolong and black classifications are based on oxidation, not location. White is based on the age of the leaf and the lack of kill-green.

Here is one example of the more "traditional" approach:

http://www.sevencups.com/2011/05/does-a ... ame-plant/

Best wishes,
sherubtse

[gingkoseto]

... these days they range anywhere from drinkable to excellent.

I agree! I think Yunnan is a great place for tea, not just for puerh.

I would consider some of them 'elegant fakes' when I taste something of the tea that they are designed to mimic in them.

Many of them are not even meant to be fakes at farmer's level. The dealers name them "Bi Luo Chun" or "Long Jing" for their own profits. (Besides, Yunnan did traditionally have a "Long Jing" tea.)

Some Yunnan green teas, such as Bao Hong Tea, have histories no shorter, or even longer, than famous teas such as Long Jing. I think, some Yunnan teas didn't get as famous as some other teas mainly because Yunnan is at a "far corner" of the country, so the tea didn't have the luck to be "advertised" by emperors and didn't benefit from the "celebrity effect".

[Poohblah]

Why on their premium mao feng does it say spring 2011 on the title but after the description says harvested february 2010

Likely because Scott copied the description from last year. Try e-mailing him to get a clear answer.

[Winnie_ther_pu]

Some Yunnan green teas, such as Bao Hong Tea, have histories no shorter, or even longer, than famous teas such as Long Jing. I think, some Yunnan teas didn't get as famous as some other teas mainly because Yunnan is at a "far corner" of the country, so the tea didn't have the luck to be "advertised" by emperors and didn't benefit from the "celebrity effect".

I agree I have some Bao Hong from this Spring. It is not the same as Long Jing, having a history of its own as you note, but it is soooo good. Again, better than most Long Jing I can get, including Imperial Tea Court's "Lotus Heart".

Here is one example of the more "traditional" approach:http://www.sevencups.com/2011/05/does-a ... ame-plant/

He definitely makes a point, but though he doesn't state it this way, his actual point is that tea has something akin to terroir in wine. They are the same plant (species) they are just different cultivars/varietals. Do you buy cheddar in the store? It is likely not from Cheddar. Is it different from Cheddar's cheddar? Yes. Superior? Not necessarily. Wine? Same situation.

‘all tea comes from the same plant’ is relative, depending on which side of the fence you are standing. It is a vague and less than accurate statement, which is to say it should not be taught as the first fact to learn about tea. New students to tea should first understand that, as the Chinese say, “You can study tea all of your life and not learn the names of all of the teas.”

Soooo, logically, why should one care where it comes from or what it is called? If it tastes good, the label makes no difference.