Oolong Box Pass

[Victoria]

So sayeth the Oolong Queen-
New list order/status:

EdKrueger - DONE
T4Texas - DONE
BSteele - DONE
Cha Cha Cha - DONE
kymidwife - DONE
heatwaves - DONE
Drax - DONE
geeber1 - DONE
cheaton - DONE
Intuit - CURRENT
Ebtoulson -
Garrett -
thirtysixbelow -
leiche -
Shogun89 -
teashionista -

Bumped down due to no response:
Evil Flowers
DangerInRed
Balmung135
TeaCompulsion
Vulture

[Intuit]

Providing Cheaton with requisite info.

[cheaton]

Box is heading on its way today. The contents are basically the same as they were when it arrived. I didn't finish anything off. My wife claimed a few tbsp's of the orange blossom Oolong. There was a small unopened vacuum pack of some Anxi Oolong which I broke the seal on. I tried it, left the bag on my kitchen table, and the dog then proceeded to grab it off of the kitchen table. The dog didn't damage the tea, but I'm keeping the rest considering I doubt anyone wants any dog slobber tie kuan yin.... but who knows, people drink coffee that comes out of cat butts and stuff picked by monkeys. A new delicasy?

[cheaton]

I'm including some "Jin Mai Ancient Dragon" oolong from Andao tea. It is obviously a good quality tea, and I can appreciate the flavors, but of the earthy greenish Oolong variety of which I'm not a huge fan. Someone else may enjoy it greatly. I would brew it using green tea parameters. Its earthy, bittersweet, with what I can only describe as a camphor note similar to a young raw pu. If you've never tried Pu'Erh and you're curious give it a shot. Its not the same but a step in the direction. I felt it neccesary to contribute something and this is the only thing I have enough quantity of to contribute (I only usually buy an oz or two of anything at any given time). Either way, its fresh and I'm sure someone will thoroughly enjoy it.

[Intuit]

Thanks for the update, Cheaton. Your green oolong purportedly bears the same medicinal qualities as raw pu'erh.

I'm looking for stepping stones to pu'erh teas, from my comfortable preference base of blacks and oolongs.

The clue of camphor odor raised warning bells, however .

"Triethylgermane is a colorless, mobile liquid having a camphor-like odor."

Methinks the camphor flavor isn't a good sign.

http://www.101teaplantation.com/ancient.html

Wondering about the presence of germanium in these soils. If it's a contaminant originating from mineral or lignite coal mining nearby, I wouldn't be bragging about it on a website. Claims of protection against radioactivity and thousand-year old tea trees are also questionable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanium

"the element showed similarities with the elements arsenic " means that it can substitute for active-site selenium in selenoproteins (important for cell production of antioxidants) and is eliminated from the body via a stepwise reduction and methylation sequence chemistry in the liver/kidneys.

And yeah, it's multi-methylated by soil micro-organisms under anerobic conditions, which probably makes it mobile and thus possibly being taken up and accumulated in small quantities in tea plants. They do this with arsenic, and it's been found in considerable concentration in some brick teas from China.

Hope you enjoy the TKY, Cheaton.

[Geekgirl]

The clue of camphor odor raised warning bells, however .

"Triethylgermane is a colorless, mobile liquid having a camphor-like odor."

Methinks the camphor flavor isn't a good sign.

Let's not go all panicky about something so ridiculous. Camphor is a natural odor that occurs sometimes with oxidation, and does not necessarily indicate the presence of actual camphor (or germanium for that matter.) For instance, white wine that has oxidized (past its prime) will smell of camphor or other aromas that are not present in the wine.

We often use our association with other smells to identify aromas in tea and wine. Just because I smell sheep poo when I brew certain pu-erhs, does not indicate that it is made from sheep poo or any other barnyard animal, and it's ridiculous to assume so.

I wonder why you even drink tea, judging from the sheer number of hyperparanoid essays you've written here on teachat about the "dangers" of tea consumption (however tenuous and assumptive those "dangers" are, you seem to be particularly afraid of them.)

[Intuit]

Ketone norboranes is an unlikely compound to form in processed teas, but it's marginally possible that it's formed under unusual conditions from linalool through the non-mevalonate pathway in plastids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphor
Non-mevalonate pathway
http://www.organicashitaba.com/pc.html

"Just because I smell sheep poo when I brew certain pu-erhs, does not indicate that it is made from sheep poo or any other barnyard animal, and it's ridiculous to assume so. "

But wait! You inanely assert that it's miraculously formed by some arcane oxidation process. It has squat to do with 'oxidation'.

Terpenoid production has everything to do with avoiding predation by insects and herbivors, however.

[Geekgirl]

But wait! You inanely assert that it's miraculously formed by some arcane oxidation process. It has squat to do with 'oxidation'.

No, for someone as wordy as you are, your reading comprehension is not that good, is it?

I said that the odor (or what we perceive as the odor, the association with a camphor odor) is formed in wine (and other foods) during oxidation. It does not necessarily indicate the presence of actual camphor, nor does it necessarily indicate toxicity.

Is anyone else sick to death of all the fear-mongering? (Don't worry, Intuit, I'm not actually sick OR dead from your fear-mongering, it's just a perception.)

[ABx]

Of course it could also just be the scent of actual camphor trees near (or even in) the plantation. This is common in puerh, and is one way of warding off insects without pesticides. Tea is famous for its ability to absorb scents, after all

Overall I agree with GG: there are lots of ways that the camphor scent could have been introduced, and IMO it's really no reason for concern. Camphor is very much within the wide spectrum of aromas of tea.

[geeber1]

Intuit - you mentioned on TeaDay that you like some jasmines. I put a little vacuum-sealed package of jasmine in the box (a sample from Serenity Art in Portland - the owner gave it to me when I said that I didn't really care for jasmines. "You will love this one!") when I sent it along to cheaton. If you can appreciate it, please take it - I would be happy knowing it went to someone.

[ABx]

Intuit - you mentioned on TeaDay that you like some jasmines. I put a little vacuum-sealed package of jasmine in the box (a sample from Serenity Art in Portland - the owner gave it to me when I said that I didn't really care for jasmines. "You will love this one!") when I sent it along to cheaton. If you can appreciate it, please take it - I would be happy knowing it went to someone.

Actually you should have tried it - his are exceptional They're actually thick and sweet, almost like a wulong.

[Geekgirl]

Agreed! I've been out of jasmine for several weeks, and just can't make myself settle for the jasmine teas I could have gotten elsewhere.

[ABx]

His are actually the only ones I like. To be fair, though, I generally only get it for making iced tea, but it makes the best iced tea I've had

I actually discovered it from one of the restaurants in Fubonn. It was like a wulong and I was suitably impressed, and it turned out to be from SA.

[Drax]

His are actually the only ones I like. To be fair, though, I generally only get it for making iced tea, but it makes the best iced tea I've had

Ahh, iced tea. I should try that. So far, I haven't been able to take too much of jasmine teas. I'm just overwhelmed by the perfume of it all. Being iced would probably help reduce the feeling that I'm drowning in vapors...

[Ebtoulson]

Ahh, iced tea. I should try that. So far, I haven't been able to take too much of jasmine teas. I'm just overwhelmed by the perfume of it all.

I'm the same way..I haven't found a jasmine that I've liked.