Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[chittychat]

Adagio Pouchong of OTTI #3. Made a cold infusion having the tea leaves in a glass of water over night in the ref. Now this tea got really some flavor nothing special so. The hot infusion yesterday was a real disappointment.

[Tead Off]

I hope you're not right about the Spring 2010 teas being lackluster. I bought 100g of the Farmer's Choice Bao Zhong without testing it out only because last year's was so excellent.

The Long Feng Xia from TFT is fabulous.
The Alishan from Taipei airport is mediocre at best.

[Victoria]

Ok at the urging of some well meaning friends, who feel my current oolong indifference is due to my lack of balance of dark and light; I have dipped my pinky toe ... er finger, into a darker oolong. I have always had a fondness for Da Wu Ye and this 2010 from Carmelia Sinensis is just fabulous, wow.

[Victoria]

Same with the Ali Shan Din Hu from Floating Leaves Tea. A solid 4 but ... is it a five? I'll be re-trying it a little later today.

I had this tea today as well. I didn't feel like using a gaiwan, so I made it in my new Gao Shan pot. I wasn't impressed. Not a bad tea by any means, but just not very interesting. I'm going to let it get over any travel shock for a week or so, and try it in the gaiwan to see if it gets significantly better.

Just finished a nice session of the Li Shan Cui Luan form Floating Leaves also (this time in the gaiwan). It was rather complex. Not too sweet, but very clean with strong notes of Shiso leaf. I liked it, but would like to see more floral or fruity notes. We'll see what a week of rest does for this one too.

I hope you're not right about the Spring 2010 teas being lackluster. I bought 100g of the Farmer's Choice Bao Zhong without testing it out only because last year's was so excellent.

Well a solid 4 is nothing to sneeze at, but nothing is really knocking my socks off so far. But maybe it's me.

Let me know what you think of the Din Hu on the next brew.

[chef07172]

Just steeped some Formosa Hsinchu Baihao Oolong from Aura teas. Great oolong with lots of subtle flavors.

[Victoria]

A sample of Shan Lin Xi, which is quite delicious and I don't know from which vendor it came, nor the age. Oy.

[brandon]

Rou Gui and Blogging.



Apple Cinnamon?

[debunix]

Today did a more formal gongfu cha session with the Hou De 2009 Winter harvest wood-roasted Shui Xian oolong.

This is a very interesting tea. It is tightly rolled, unusual vs the other wuyi oolongs I’ve had, and looks fairly green in the rolled state, and unrolls to a deep green leaf. But the tea liquor reminds me more of a Dan Cong style of oolong—astringent, complex, toasted, sweet, spicy. And it has the ability to last through a dozen infusions easily, getting lighter at the end, but even the light infusions are still fruity/sweet/spicy.

I started this brewing with 3 grams of leaf in a 100mL red clay pot, water about 185 degrees, and infused at first for 30 seconds, and extended as long as 2 seconds by the end of the session.

Very very nice.

[putibungsu]

2010 Farmer's Choice Baozhong from FLT. It's delicious but I think I like the 2009 Winter version better.

[TIM]

Just received a 50 years old Pouchong Yan Cha from an old tea maker from Taiwan!

[debunix]

I associate 'yan cha' with Wuyi oolong, and thought it meant 'rock tea'. Does this mean your semi-antique Pouchong is from a rocky place in Taiwan, or from descendants of Wuyi plants?

Either way, a fabulous find.

[Victoria]

2010 Lishan - CuiLuan from Floating Leaves Tea for me this morning.
Surprisingly better than I remembered.

[brandon]

I associate 'yan cha' with Wuyi oolong, and thought it meant 'rock tea'. Does this mean your semi-antique Pouchong is from a rocky place in Taiwan, or from descendants of Wuyi plants?

Either way, a fabulous find.

Pouchong came to northern Taiwan by way of Wuyi - both the varietal and the methods.

[TIM]

I associate 'yan cha' with Wuyi oolong, and thought it meant 'rock tea'. Does this mean your semi-antique Pouchong is from a rocky place in Taiwan, or from descendants of Wuyi plants?

Either way, a fabulous find.

Debunix - Taoyuan area of Northern Taiwan is where the original Pouchong plants from Wuyi were planted. The area is rock based and hilly, so there is a character profile called Rock Dairy Fragrant from the Taoyuan Pouchong oolong. Hence its good for aging.

[debunix]

sounds delicious.