Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[ethan]

I like it also, & am thankful for advice because I feel I am not getting the most out of an excellent tea.
Returning to the same tea I infused 3 x last night, I then had 2 infusions at 20 seconds, followed by 1 at 30, & 2 last infusions at 60.
I feel I am closer to what is best for me. I very well might not be using the best pot.
Believe it or not, after drinking about 15 ounces of oolong this morning, I started a p.m. session w/ Competition Dong Ding 2010 from Origin. I won't tire out teachatters w/ all of my trial infusions. I did use much more tea than I would have used w/o good advice w/ timing still needing work.

This Dong Ding is the 1st that I like (had 2 or 3 others). On the 4th infusion & enjoying the tea's transitions a lot. Very nice.

[Tead Off]

No need to use the same clay pots I use. Just mentioning what I use. Good tea is good in many different kinds of pots.

[ethan]

Tonight I'm enjoying Oriental Beauty from Floating Leaves Tea. This looks, smells, & tastes a lot different than Oriental Beauty that I had from American Tea Room months back.

The surprise is how sweet it is. A good tea though it does not give me much to write about. (& of my 2 yixing pots that I know are good for oolongs, I think I chose the right potl, & after a 12-hour workday that's it for thinking... got to laugh at myself when I get too serious).

[ethan]

What a long name! Shan Lin Xi Yang Zi Wan (A) 2012 Winter from Origin Tea.
Like the 2 other oolongs I've tried from Origin, flavor is complex. I've had multiple infusions of 2 other teas today; so, I'm grateful that this oolong gives a few tastes that hit more than one place in my mouth. It keeps drinking interesting as well as pleasing.

[javi_sanchez]

It looks like you guys are all about the Taiwanese oolongs recently! I am comparing Yunnan Sourcing's AA Da Hong Pao to Jing Tea Shop's AA Da Hong Pao. I really like Yunnan Sourcing but it really starts to lose flavor after 2 steeps and doesn't have have that stickiness that I like(mouthfeel?). Jing's so far is good and goes to 7-8 infusions with still interesting flavor. They both smell roasty without smelling smokey.

[AdamMY]

The Mandarins Tea Room Selected Grade Tie Guan Yin. Mmmmm this hits the spot. Great for the first 80 degree day here in West Michigan.

[amaranto]

I am comparing Yunnan Sourcing's AA Da Hong Pao to Jing Tea Shop's AA Da Hong Pao.

javi, have you tried Jing Tea Shop's AAA? I have been trying to find some Da Hong Pao that I like, but everything I've tried so far is lacking in taste, which surprises me because all of the other offers I've purchased from my oolong vendors are quite good.

Is Da Hong Pao supposed to be tricky to brew? I brought my water to a boil, filled my gaiwan to around 1/3 full of leaves, and tried different steep times to see if they made any difference (from 20 seconds to 1 minute). Maybe I'm not doing something right...

[javi_sanchez]

I am comparing Yunnan Sourcing's AA Da Hong Pao to Jing Tea Shop's AA Da Hong Pao.

javi, have you tried Jing Tea Shop's AAA? I have been trying to find some Da Hong Pao that I like, but everything I've tried so far is lacking in taste, which surprises me because all of the other offers I've purchased from my oolong vendors are quite good.

Is Da Hong Pao supposed to be tricky to brew? I brought my water to a boil, filled my gaiwan to around 1/3 full of leaves, and tried different steep times to see if they made any difference (from 20 seconds to 1 minute). Maybe I'm not doing something right...

I actually got a sample of the A, AA and AAA. I found the AA is as good as the AAA it just doesn't last as long. The leaves are also not quite as nice. Funny enough, the 25g sample of the AA is more expensive than the AAA. These actually have alot of taste. Although I like Jing's DHP, I enjoyed the Aged Rou Gui alot more. Also, Floating Leaves has a Taiwanese "Wuyi-style" that I very much enjoyed that is similar in style.

I think 1/3 full might be too low if you're looking for big taste. How big is your gaiwan? I've used as much as 12g in my 150ml one and as much as 10g in my 100ml one (similar to DanCong). I get the best results when the leaves lie just below the water level. I think the leaf surface area to water ratio is much more important than the leaf's mass to water volume ratio. Also, my first infusion is a rinse followed by a 10 second infusion, then 20, 40, 60 etc.

I've found that many things labelled Da Hong Pao tend to smell amazing but the smell doesn't translate to taste! Perhaps I am brewing incorrectly as well or my water quality is wrong.

[amaranto]

I think 1/3 full might be too low if you're looking for big taste. How big is your gaiwan? I've used as much as 12g in my 150ml one and as much as 10g in my 100ml one (similar to DanCong). I get the best results when the leaves lie just below the water level. I think the leaf surface area to water ratio is much more important than the leaf's mass to water volume ratio. Also, my first infusion is a rinse followed by a 10 second infusion, then 20, 40, 60 etc.

I've found that many things labelled Da Hong Pao tend to smell amazing but the smell doesn't translate to taste! Perhaps I am brewing incorrectly as well or my water quality is wrong.

Okay, this gives me something to work with, thank you. I will try adding more leaves to the gaiwan. I mainly use my 150 mL for DHP, though I have a couple of 120 mL, as well.

I think that part of my letdown was that I expected a big taste like the one I get from the Rou Guis I really enjoy, which have quite a different flavor profile. And I agree with your impression that the smell of the leaves (wet and dry) does not often translate into taste.

Also, thanks for mentioning the aged Rou Gui. That sounds like something I'd really enjoy. Also, if you haven't tried the Mi Lan Dan Cong AAA, I highly recommend it. It's one of the best oolongs I've tried, and it holds up to many steeps.

[ethan]

I think I learned a bit about preparing tea this week. I used to try out tea in porcelain (gaiwan). My gaiwans got broken; so, I've been using some yixing pots-- & it is just not the way for me to start. So, I went to a Chinese supermarket & bought a porcelain gaiwan.

This morning I returned to the Lishan from Origin that I wrote about a few days ago. Prepared in porcelain at 91 C (+ 3 from previous days) I found some citrus/sour flavor that I liked. At 95 C that sour flavor disappeared & was replaced by rounder, better balanced tea. (Staying at 95) third infusion was much like the 2nd, maybe more mellow; the fourth added just a tiny bit of sweetness. All good, satisfying.

Many yixing pots may not hurt this tea, but the one that I used was wrong for this (obviously); & this tea is better w/ water hotter than I had used at first. So, lesson learned; &, I am typing w/ a warm feeling in my belly & great aftertaste in my mouth.

[tenuki]

this tea is better w/ water hotter than I had used at first.

I tend to use boiling water for all my taiwanese oolongs and just blame the tea as low quality if it doesn't taste good at that temp...

[ethan]

Yeah, tenuki, & if you turn off the kettle & take 1/2 a minute to put tea in the pot etc., the water is probably 95 degrees when you pour it: Perfect!

[tenuki]

Yeah, tenuki, & if you turn off the kettle & take 1/2 a minute to put tea in the pot etc., the water is probably 95 degrees when you pour it: Perfect!

Nope, I make sure the water is at boiling - straight from the kettle to the tea. True Story!

[saxon75]

Just picked up some GABA oolong from Mad Monk, which the owner told me was from this spring. I haven't had GABA oolong before, and I'm not sure I will come back to it, at least not regularly. It's very sweet, with a strong honey flavor and a bit of tropical fruit. Feels kind of "thick" tasting to me. I think this might be very nice cold-brewed over ice, but hot-brewed I find it kind of overpowering.

What a huge contrast from the spring Alishan I sampled in the store. That was very light and nicely balanced, very calming, clean tasting. This one is like BOOM honey.

[javi_sanchez]

What a huge contrast from the spring Alishan I sampled in the store. That was very light and nicely balanced, very calming, clean tasting. This one is like BOOM honey.

That sounds amazing! Exactly the kind of tea I would want to drink at work. The Gaoshan stays at home!