Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[KaiRong]

Lightly roasted Tie Guanyin in my new glazed yixing gaiwan Tastes wonderful!

[Frisbeehead]

Lightly roasted Tie Guanyin in my new glazed yixing gaiwan Tastes wonderful!

Yixing gaiwan? Looks like a shiboridashi to me

[KaiRong]

Well, based on the name, shiboridashi is also a kind of gaiwan
But actually the pot on the picture is not a shiboridashi, it is narrower and taller than a normal shiboridashi. It is made from yixing purple clay from a Southern Chinese manufacturer, but also glazed in order to brew different kind of teas. It is quite thick (thicker than my Japanese shiboridashi), therefore it helps to keep the warm inside the gaiwan. Quite impressive even with tea types requiring hotter water, as the outside part is very tolerable in terms of temperature.

[Tead Off]

2014 winter Master Dong Ding from Taiwansourcing. Initially, I was not pleased with this. A very flat, astringent tea with nothing of the Dong Ding honey flavor and aroma.
After refreshing the tea (a light bake in a hojiki), the fruity aroma in the dry cup was brought out as well as the roasted honey nut flavor that was absent out of the package. The mouthfeel thickened and the astringency lessened. Much better, but I'd like to see a tastier product. Many oolongs can be revived in this way, both green and roasted. Not sure if I would buy again.
I will give it more time.

2014 winter Master Dong Ding.jpg (97.61 KiB) Viewed 1427 times

[Frisbeehead]

Hey Tead, have you tried any of Taiwan Sourcing's other teas? I've been meaning to purchase some from them for a while because I've read good reviews all around.

That's too bad the winter dong ding didn't leave a very good impression. I've been meaning to try some winter harvest oolongs from them, I'll have to try a few different samples first before diving in.

[Tead Off]

Hey Tead, have you tried any of Taiwan Sourcing's other teas? I've been meaning to purchase some from them for a while because I've read good reviews all around.

That's too bad the winter dong ding didn't leave a very good impression. I've been meaning to try some winter harvest oolongs from them, I'll have to try a few different samples first before diving in.

It is not easy to find good Taiwanese roasted teas. Probably there is a lack of knowledge for many of the roasters after the old ones die off. The trend now is for 'light' roasting which hardly does it for me. The vendors claim this and that about their teas. The reviewers are often not in a position to make some of the claims that they do unless it's a long time tea drinker and someone whose opinion has matched yours in the past. I'm often more disappointed than thrilled from a lot of vendors. Their descriptions don't match what I'm drinking. Plus the prices keep going up on mediocre teas as well as high end ones.

This winter Dong Ding is not terrible, but as a consumer, should I have to refresh a winter 2014 roasted tea to make it enjoyable? For me, either the tea is not being kept in ideal conditions or the quality is not that good. It's probably the quality, but the vendor calls it 'Master' DD. Maybe for some, they would think this tea is better than I have described it. Try some and see what you think.

I was also underwhelmed by their Baozhong, which was from mainland China, and the Wu She roasted oolong, winter 2015 Taiwan. Others may have a different opinion. The kind of quality that Origin Tea used to have is missed.

[Frisbeehead]

Hey Tead, have you tried any of Taiwan Sourcing's other teas? I've been meaning to purchase some from them for a while because I've read good reviews all around.

That's too bad the winter dong ding didn't leave a very good impression. I've been meaning to try some winter harvest oolongs from them, I'll have to try a few different samples first before diving in.

It is not easy to find good Taiwanese roasted teas. Probably there is a lack of knowledge for many of the roasters after the old ones die off. The trend now is for 'light' roasting which hardly does it for me. The vendors claim this and that about their teas. The reviewers are often not in a position to make some of the claims that they do unless it's a long time tea drinker and someone whose opinion has matched yours in the past. I'm often more disappointed than thrilled from a lot of vendors. Their descriptions don't match what I'm drinking. Plus the prices keep going up on mediocre teas as well as high end ones.

This winter Dong Ding is not terrible, but as a consumer, should I have to refresh a winter 2014 roasted tea to make it enjoyable? For me, either the tea is not being kept in ideal conditions or the quality is not that good. It's probably the quality, but the vendor calls it 'Master' DD. Maybe for some, they would think this tea is better than I have described it. Try some and see what you think.

I was also underwhelmed by their Baozhong, which was from mainland China, and the Wu She roasted oolong, spring 2015 Taiwan. Others may have a different opinion. The kind of quality that Origin Tea used to have is missed.

The fact that the trend right now is exclusively for lighter oolongs (or 'light roast') makes me sad, as I haven't really had the chance to try a good traditional TGY or roasted dong ding yet. I do like the gaoshan oolongs but I wish the market was more balanced.

I've heard about Origin tea pretty often on here. I wonder why they stopped doing business?

Like you said one of the problems is that the tradition isn't being passed on to the next generation of tea makers/roasters. That and the current ones are following what will make them more money, which is understandable.

Any roasted oolongs at all that stand out to you lately?

[Tead Off]

Any roasted oolongs at all that stand out to you lately?

Only the TGY that I roast myself.

[debunix]

Any roasted oolongs at all that stand out to you lately?

I've been quite pleased with the oolongs identified as 'traditional roast' from Norbu. I enjoyed the 2009 Traditional Roast TGY so much that I bought a lot and still have at least one unopened packet. I also liked a 'traditional roast' Taiwanese oolong enough to order again, and enjoyed various Wu Yi oolongs as well. I have had some darker roast Ali Shans from Norbu in the past, but have not seen anything like that recently.

[Tead Off]

2015 winter Wu She Gao Feng light roast from Taiwansourcing. After refreshing this tea in my roaster, it brought out the mellow sweetness, mouthfeel, and huigan of this tea. Indeed, this is a light roast that elevates the roasted flavor just enough to allow the tea a fruitiness. Nice looking dry leaves without big stems. A bit astringent on the back end. Enjoyable.

Wu She light roast dry leaf.jpg (95.01 KiB) Viewed 1332 times

Wu She light roast.jpg (25.98 KiB) Viewed 1332 times

[jayinhk]

DHP from Chung Hing Tea Hong. I bought a Hario Kyusu Maru from my local supermarket last night, and this is my first time trying it out. I scorched this tea when attempting to refresh it and stuck it in a pewter caddy for over a year. It's drinkable again, and tastes good, albeit a little coconut-like for some reason. The Hario pot is great. Filters out all the excess leaf dust and the tea tastes clean. No replacement for my Yixing, but it makes for a good beater pot for anything I care to drink, and it's a good size for sharing with people who don't get the gongfu thing and just want a large cup of tea to drink (i.e., my mom).

[Tead Off]

Mi Lan Xiang. A heady stewed fruit aroma with an almost butterscotch flavor. Deep, delicious, long lasting in a Hokujo shiboridashi.

Wu Dong Mi Lan Xiang.jpg (97.3 KiB) Viewed 1294 times

[jayinhk]

Really, really good high fire TGY from the last place still using charcoal in HK. Expensive, but so worth it. This is just amazing tea in every way.

[William]

from the last place still using charcoal in HK.

The seller told you this?

[jayinhk]

from the last place still using charcoal in HK.

The seller told you this?

No, MarshalN, but my memory isn't the best so maybe it isn't charcoal after all. I bought it from the place that roasts it (on the premises even). I'm sure about that part at least