Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[caitlinwinson]

Dong ding 2016


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[debunix]

Fushoushan from the 2016 group buy, grandpa style in my Petr Novák shino chawan. Nose deep in the rich steam, just 6 to 8 little rolled balls for this delightful start to the day--teeny trivial video here

https://flickr.com/photos/debunix/33044003883/

[William]

Fushoushan from the 2016 group buy, grandpa style in my Petr Novák shino chawan. Nose deep in the rich steam, just 6 to 8 little rolled balls for this delightful start to the day--teeny trivial video here

https://flickr.com/photos/debunix/33044003883/

Looks so tasty!

[joelbct]

Finally getting around to Gong Fu-ing some of these ~15 Oolongs, after initially doing them all Western while also cupping 25 or so new blacks and greens.

Now drinking King of Qing Xin "The Potion" Jade Oolong Tea - Spring 2016 from Taiwan Sourcing. 25% oxidized, "0" roast level, ~20USD for 25g.

I see now that this tea is, I suppose like most Oolongs, clearly crafted for Gong Fu rather than Western. And now I get why the TS/YS people reviewed this one so enthusiastically. Does make the "would reorder" list, for me.

Used ~125g water, 5g leaf, for 30s, 45s, 60s, etc. Will experiment some more, but it comes through much clearer and refined this way, the flavors/notes are not jumbled together. It is sweet, slightly floral, and has that compulsively drinkable, mouthwatering quality I like.

[jayinhk]

Finally getting around to Gong Fu-ing some of these ~15 Oolongs, after initially doing them all Western while also cupping 25 or so new blacks and greens.

Now drinking King of Qing Xin "The Potion" Jade Oolong Tea - Spring 2016 from Taiwan Sourcing. 25% oxidized, "0" roast level, ~20USD for 25g.

I see now that this tea is, I suppose like most Oolongs, clearly crafted for Gong Fu rather than Western. And now I get why the TS/YS people reviewed this one so enthusiastically. Does make the "would reorder" list, for me.

Used ~125g water, 5g leaf, for 30s, 45s, 60s, etc. Will experiment some more, but it comes through much clearer and refined this way, the flavors/notes are not jumbled together. It is sweet, slightly floral, and has that compulsively drinkable, mouthwatering quality I like.

With Taiwanese oolongs, try upping your first infusion to 45 seconds to one minute. Kyarazen suggested this and it was the missing link in my gaoshan brewing; Chinese oolongs don't need that long of an infusion, but the processing style of green oolong in Taiwan is different and the longer infusions at first are very necessary. You can drop the time down to 30 seconds for the second infusion, and then back up to a minute for the third.

[ethan]

and has that compulsively drinkable, mouthwatering quality I like.

That's a beautiful, descriptive phrase.

the processing style of green oolong in Taiwan is different and the longer infusions at first are very necessary.
[/quote]

Some of the tea is rolled extremely tight. To deal with that, I've not steeped longer at first but upped the temperature. Also, I think of the first infusion like starting a meal w/ some light-bodied soup. Often the leaves won't yield much flavor initially; yet drinking is pleasant and gets me ready for what is to come.

[Bok]

Depending on the quality a rinse is also mostly not necessary, instead a longer brew for the first round! Stephane from tea masters never rinses! I have tried and it works for me as well. Needs to be good quality though. So if in doubt you may still be better off to rinse

[jayinhk]

Depending on the quality a rinse is also mostly not necessary, instead a longer brew for the first round! Stephane from tea masters never rinses! I have tried and it works for me as well. Needs to be good quality though. So if in doubt you may still be better off to rinse

Yes I've seen this done all the time in Taiwan. They really trust the quality of their leaves over there! I sometimes regret rinsing good gaoshan when I smell the rinse after. I do a very quick flash rinse before I brew any tea.

[jayinhk]

Depending on the quality a rinse is also mostly not necessary, instead a longer brew for the first round! Stephane from tea masters never rinses! I have tried and it works for me as well. Needs to be good quality though. So if in doubt you may still be better off to rinse

Yes I've seen this done all the time in Taiwan. They really trust the quality of their leaves over there! I sometimes regret rinsing good gaoshan when I smell the rinse after. I do a very quick flash rinse before I brew any tea.

Bought two high roast DHPs today, and a high roast TGY (all on the site). When buying some of the DHP, I asked the dealer if I could have a plastic bag for the tea I'd bought, since the bag I was holding was full. He told me to help myself and pointed out where he kept them. I got one and put the tea into it. As I was picking up the bag, I didn't notice his packaging tape dispenser was stuck to my bag. He noticed and pointed it out. I told him I didn't want it and he laughed. Finishing off the day with Hong Kong-style Italian food--kind of like fake American Italian food, but distinctly Hong Kong. Interestingly, all of these places have their own distinctive style. It's an odd mixture of cheap American 'Italian' food and Japanese 'Italian' food that is just so HK. Not fine dining by any means, but interesting and...palatable.

[William]

This afternoon I had some unroasted Anxi TGY, apparently a high grade considering its price (2016).
I simply can't have enough of this orchid aroma, could drink it all day long!

[William]

This afternoon I had some unroasted Anxi TGY

Quoting myself because I had the very same tea in a different teapot today (yesterday gaiwan, today early/mid 70s Hongni) .. amazed at how different it was compared to yesterday!

[ethan]

This afternoon I had some unroasted Anxi TGY

Quoting myself because I had the very same tea in a different teapot today (yesterday gaiwan, today early/mid 70s Hongni) .. amazed at how different it was compared to yesterday!

And the differences are...................

[abnyc]

Stopped in at T Shop after work today, had their Huang Guan Yin. Absolutely incredible, with a scent of purple berries that moved into the flavor by the 4th steep, revealing a musky spice-smell that moved into the flavor itself by the 8th. Pleasant astringent after-taste, and left a powerful tea-drunkenness.

[William]

This afternoon I had some unroasted Anxi TGY

Quoting myself because I had the very same tea in a different teapot today (yesterday gaiwan, today early/mid 70s Hongni) .. amazed at how different it was compared to yesterday!

And the differences are...................

Hi Ethan, seems like I forgot to write how they were different .. sorry!

While the gaiwan was used, I could identify more easily how the flavors changed brew after brew, but they lacked depth, they weren't as dense and pungent as they could have been; the aroma was clearly identifiable with the nose, but hard to detect with the tongue. The next day instead the flavors had that depth I missed earlier; they were denser, lively and vibrant. The orchid aroma was definitely stronger. I also had more brews from the same quantity of leaves with that teapot.

It's always hard to explain those feelings with words, hope you understood something!

[victoria3]

Stopped in at T Shop after work today, had their Huang Guan Yin. Absolutely incredible, with a scent of purple berries that moved into the flavor by the 4th steep, revealing a musky spice-smell that moved into the flavor itself by the 8th. Pleasant astringent after-taste, and left a powerful tea-drunkenness.

I see T Shop is very near Té Company in west village (where I get LiShan right now). Have you compared the two places? T's prices are almost 3x that of Té.... so am curious.