Well firstly the TG 80s Iron Monk had a slight pu-erh'ish/humid smell which I don't like in an aged tea although I know some do. As for brewing I did brew it as a regular Wuyi - more leaf/short infusion times whereas for aged Taiwan TGY I've tended to use less leaf and longer brewing times. The aged Taiwan oolongs seem to be difficult to mess up too much.TIM wrote: TokyoB, what is your brewing perimeter for the TG 80s Iron Monk? I am tasting a 80's Teamaster DongDing at the moment, and the method of brewing a Taiwanese aged and a Wuyi aged are totally opposite.
TokyoB
Apr 13th, '09, 10:34
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TIM
Thanks TokyoB, I know what you mean by a slight puerhish smellTokyoB wrote:Well firstly the TG 80s Iron Monk had a slight pu-erh'ish/humid smell which I don't like in an aged tea although I know some do. As for brewing I did brew it as a regular Wuyi - more leaf/short infusion times whereas for aged Taiwan TGY I've tended to use less leaf and longer brewing times. The aged Taiwan oolongs seem to be difficult to mess up too much.TIM wrote: TokyoB, what is your brewing perimeter for the TG 80s Iron Monk? I am tasting a 80's Teamaster DongDing at the moment, and the method of brewing a Taiwanese aged and a Wuyi aged are totally opposite.
Some aged oolong got this funky wet storage taste to it, specially those stored in Taiwan and Hong Kong unintentionally. If the base of the tea was high fired, then it will get easier on the later infusion, but if it is lighter roasted.... then I really can not stand it. Almost like drinking a old LongJing 
I am still tasting this $20 per gram Teamaster 80's oolong. It is very complex and wonderful. I think tasting aged oolong is more about feeling the Chachi then trying to figure out the aroma profile? Just my 2 cents
Apr 13th, '09, 15:03
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Sometimes it goes away on it's own a few weeks after you open it, otherwise a refresh roast (~20 minutes in the ricecooker on 'keep warm') and a week rest (repeat until satisfied) is what I usually do. I hate roasting aged oolong myself and generally expect the vendor to have done that for me before he sold it if needed. So if it arrives stale I'm generally pissed at the vendor.entropyembrace wrote:Maybe the musty tasting oolong's need a light re-roasting? Stéphane's mentioned re-roasts to reduce moisture being important for aging oolongs a few times.
On brewing - it always feels special to be brewing an aged oolong, there is a feeling of depleting a precious resource that will be gone forever when you are done. I always brew aged oolongs in something very small, make sure I flash rinse and let sit a few minutes, use boiling water, did I mention something very small? A small pot is ideal, but you want something hard IMO because the last thing aged oolongs need is muted flavors/aromas. I usually use my green gao shan oolong pot or one of my baozhong pots. Don't be afraid to switch brewing vessels, add or remove tea, etc after the first brew if you think it will help, just make sure you preheat the new vessel.
The really good ones brew up well regardless of what you do, but the rest can be very finicky to brew.
As far as what to look for, hmn, first thing I look for is a sort of sweet/sour plum note, it's been there in all my favorite aged oolongs. A muted but complex profile is also typical but not necessarily, a good way to describe it is 'the tea has less fire but more interest'. next thing is tea base and if it has a balance. after that I want mouth feel, hui gan, aftertaste, etc as I would in any tea. The good ones have a strong chi - it's always remarkable what turn the tea table conversation takes when a good aged oolong is served....
I most definitely consider musty to be a negative. My experience is that they are either stale or they have that sweet/sour plum taste instead. I don't like stale.
Apr 13th, '09, 15:21
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You will get as many answers as people you ask.bcos wrote:What's the best way to store Oolong for aging?
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Agree with abx, but read through some past discussions that are somewhat related:bcos wrote:What's the best way to store Oolong for aging?
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=64348
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=8713
I've only had it once so far, but the Camellia Sinensis 1987 Hualien tastes much like a roasted but UNaged oolong to me. If it's aged, it's not aged much and I certainly can't taste the "aged" character in the tea. I can't think of a way how it can possibly be 1987 other than bogus vendor claims. 2007, perhaps. I'll try it again, but I doubt this view will change.
I don't intend to say CS is trying to falsify claims. The most likely scenario is that whoever sold the tea to them claimed it's 1987 and they believed it.
I don't intend to say CS is trying to falsify claims. The most likely scenario is that whoever sold the tea to them claimed it's 1987 and they believed it.
Apr 13th, '09, 18:18
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I've tasted a couple samples lately from various vendors that gave me the same impression. I wonder how common it is. Do you think stuff just gets mislabeled or is it intentional? I've never done anything other than a refresh roast, and that never seemed to disturb the 'aged' character. Could it be a harder roast could mask the aged character? Has anyone seen that happen?
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
I've had both kinds -- teas get continually reroasted year in, year out, and teas that have never seen a reroast. They have different aging trajectories, but the hualien anyway fits neither -- it only fits into the category of "roasted but not aged". The first sign of aged oolong is the colour -- red, not brown, when brewed, if it's reroasted often.
The truth, as it turns out, is often more complicated.
I blogged about the Hualien tea....
http://marshaln.xanga.com/699065919/198 ... ed-oolong/
Just to set the record straight.
I blogged about the Hualien tea....
http://marshaln.xanga.com/699065919/198 ... ed-oolong/
Just to set the record straight.
Apr 17th, '09, 00:05
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Interesting blog post as usual Marshal. I've been really picking spent leaves apart lately and I've been suprised at the number of teas that are blends.
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
With my order from Teamasters for his mid 70's baozhong came a few other samples. A few of fake/poorly stored older baozhongs and what they claim to be (for instance one is titled "Faked 'Old' Baozhong from Hualien Humid Storage Taste", and another says "Fake 'Old' Wenshan Baozhong 1976! Humid Storage Taste is Dead". Also generously included is a sample titled "Oolong San Hsia, Taiwan 1990 This is how top oolong tastes! Not roasted again."
I'll be keeping notes as I expect this to be quite a learning experience.
I'll be keeping notes as I expect this to be quite a learning experience.