Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[Tead Off]

So, it's an outright cheat. Probably justify it with the tea being originally strains from Taiwan.

Anyone know where to get some top shelf roasted Alishan?

[chrl42]

I've drunk the mainland Oriental Beauty grown in Fujian..I would say the difference was quite clear..maybe that is due to the fact Oriental Beauty is a tea quite hard to fake..any quality Taiwanese tea tends to be quite pricey I've noticed..

I personally don't buy Taiwanese tea that is not from a sealed tin or a shop not run by Taiwanese! if Vienamese Oolong comes from such conditions..then it's definitely cheating!!

[kyarazen]

I've drunk the mainland Oriental Beauty grown in Fujian..I would say the difference was quite clear..maybe that is due to the fact Oriental Beauty is a tea quite hard to fake..any quality Taiwanese tea tends to be quite pricey I've noticed..

I personally don't buy Taiwanese tea that is not from a sealed tin or a shop not run by Taiwanese! if Vienamese Oolong comes from such conditions..then it's definitely cheating!!

even if its being run by a taiwanese........................
the people in vietnam/thailand etc do not have knowledge and the processing skills

[SilentChaos]

I've drunk the mainland Oriental Beauty grown in Fujian..I would say the difference was quite clear..maybe that is due to the fact Oriental Beauty is a tea quite hard to fake..any quality Taiwanese tea tends to be quite pricey I've noticed..

I personally don't buy Taiwanese tea that is not from a sealed tin or a shop not run by Taiwanese! if Vienamese Oolong comes from such conditions..then it's definitely cheating!!

even if its being run by a taiwanese........................
the people in vietnam/thailand etc do not have knowledge and the processing skills

This situation has changed rather rapidly since the past half-decade or so, with Taiwanese growers (and businessmen) supplying the previously lacking knowledge and skills. AFAIK the best Vietnamese/Thai oolongs are now of comparable quality to at least most medium grade TW gaoshans, to the point that they are exported directly to tea producing regions in TW. (Yes, that means the farms.)

[drinking_teas]

a lot of cheap Alishan that's sold in Taiwan is actually high-mountain oolong from other countries - Vietnam and Thailand are the big names, though I know that Yunnan and New Zealand produce high mountain oolong as well. Apparently very similar to Taiwanese oolong, although it lacks the "charm" that Taiwan gives to the teas (unique terroir).

The thing is - Taiwan consumes more tea than they produce. They have to make it up somehow. I have a bag of supposedly real (sourced from a competition judge, legit looking box) competition Alishan, I wonder if it will hold up to some of the wonderful oolongs I got online.

it still boils down to whether the consumer knows what is the exact/proper trait of an alishan oolong though, do you happen to be able to offer any information on this?

non-taiwanese teas are passed off in the guise of taiwanese teas has been going on for an incredibly long time

In my experience, Alishans tend to have a lighter floral note than other Gaoshan oolongs, are creamy and buttery, but lack the complexity of higher elevation gaoshan oolongs.

So, it's an outright cheat. Probably justify it with the tea being originally strains from Taiwan.

Anyone know where to get some top shelf roasted Alishan?

I know Hojo sells lots of roasted Gaoshan oolongs, as does J-Tea International. I would probably go with Hojo because it's more likely to be a fresh harvest.

Also consider these: http://teaurchin.com/shop-for-tea/oolon ... -2007.html
http://pu-erh.sk/shop/index.php?route=p ... uct_id=255
http://fangtea.myshopify.com/products/d ... ain-oolong

I've drunk the mainland Oriental Beauty grown in Fujian..I would say the difference was quite clear..maybe that is due to the fact Oriental Beauty is a tea quite hard to fake..any quality Taiwanese tea tends to be quite pricey I've noticed..

I personally don't buy Taiwanese tea that is not from a sealed tin or a shop not run by Taiwanese! if Vienamese Oolong comes from such conditions..then it's definitely cheating!!

even if its being run by a taiwanese........................
the people in vietnam/thailand etc do not have knowledge and the processing skills

This situation has changed rather rapidly since the past half-decade or so, with Taiwanese growers (and businessmen) supplying the previously lacking knowledge and skills. AFAIK the best Vietnamese/Thai oolongs are now of comparable quality to at least most medium grade TW gaoshans, to the point that they are exported directly to tea producing regions in TW. (Yes, that means the farms.)

Good to see that you're still around!

There's no reason that the Vietnamese/Thai should be worse than Taiwanese at processing. The reason that rolled Gaoshan oolong is so popular is because it's so easy to process.

AFAIK, a lot of Alishan farms sell these teas to tourists visiting the farm after they sold their own crop to wholesalers/buyers. Although I've also heard that farmers in other growing regions make up rumors about Alishan farmers

[kyarazen]

This situation has changed rather rapidly since the past half-decade or so, with Taiwanese growers (and businessmen) supplying the previously lacking knowledge and skills. AFAIK the best Vietnamese/Thai oolongs are now of comparable quality to at least most medium grade TW gaoshans, to the point that they are exported directly to tea producing regions in TW. (Yes, that means the farms.)

thats what i have heard too. if the tea tastes good, consumers do not know enough or do not care to discern the aspect of authenticity, then how bad can it be?

[Tead Off]

If Thai oolongs rate as well as mid-grade gaoshan, they must be exporting it all out of the country. I have never had a Thai oolong that could compare to good gaoshan. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, just that it would be unusual. I've always found Alishan not to my liking as much as Lishan, Shanlinxi, and other high elevation gaoshan. This was one of the reasons I would be interested in roasted Alishan.

I've also never had a roasted Thai oolong. Do they exist? I don't think we can compare Thai oolong to gaoshan. The terroir is so different. Of course, they can look similar and pass for gaoshan but the delicacy is not there in the green oolongs, IMO.

[drinking_teas]

If Thai oolongs rate as well as mid-grade gaoshan, they must be exporting it all out of the country. I have never had a Thai oolong that could compare to good gaoshan. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, just that it would be unusual. I've always found Alishan not to my liking as much as Lishan, Shanlinxi, and other high elevation gaoshan. This was one of the reasons I would be interested in roasted Alishan.

I've also never had a roasted Thai oolong. Do they exist? I don't think we can compare Thai oolong to gaoshan. The terroir is so different. Of course, they can look similar and pass for gaoshan but the delicacy is not there in the green oolongs, IMO.

http://www.chaidim.com/collections/tea-oolong-tea

all of the stuff (except for tgy/yancha) is from Thailand. apparently quite good. I'd be interested to try the "Oriental Beauty" and the Hong Shuis they sell.

[Tead Off]

Many of the teas here in Thailand are organic. It doesn't make them automatically good. Some are decent. It's in the processing and terroir that separates really good from decent.

[chrl42]

I don't know soil conditions in SE asia, but probably better than north China and northern Korea as a tea plant likes warmer temperature.

I think it's like discussing wines, if newer places have good condition to grow tea plants, why not? although I think sinensis assamica big varieties might benefit from such countries

[Tead Off]

I don't know soil conditions in SE asia, but probably better than north China and northern Korea as a tea plant likes warmer temperature.

I think it's like discussing wines, if newer places have good condition to grow tea plants, why not? although I think sinensis assamica big varieties might benefit from such countries

They also make wines here. It's an attempt, but good reds are very difficult to find. White wines tend to fare better. In fact, the best SE Asian white wine I've had came from Myanmar. I've heard the Chinese are going big into grape cultivation in Xinjiang. They feel the soil there approaches the rocky soil of Bordeaux. We'll see what they can produce.

[drinking_teas]

Many of the teas here in Thailand are organic. It doesn't make them automatically good. Some are decent. It's in the processing and terroir that separates really good from decent.

I never implied that organic=good, where did you get that from?

[Tead Off]

Many of the teas here in Thailand are organic. It doesn't make them automatically good. Some are decent. It's in the processing and terroir that separates really good from decent.

I never implied that organic=good, where did you get that from?

Yes, I know. I was just rambling, in general.

[drinking_teas]

Many of the teas here in Thailand are organic. It doesn't make them automatically good. Some are decent. It's in the processing and terroir that separates really good from decent.

I never implied that organic=good, where did you get that from?

Yes, I know. I was just rambling, in general.

Organic or not, that place seems like the best option for picking up Thai oolongs. I might try them in the future, good Taiwanese Hong Shui is almost impossible to find and I drink it pretty regularly.

[j.p.rich]

This may also belong in the teaware section but there is a 2013 EoT Bu Zhi Chun in the picture and it's damn good.