Official what Oolong are You Drinking Right Now?

[dylanstea]

Tie Luo Han bought loose from Jing Yu Tong in Campbell Street, georgetown, Penang

Is tie luo han your favorite Yan Cha? I love a warm comforting yan cha in autumn. Great description by the way...

[nickE]

TGY from OTTI #6, of course!

[Herb_Master]

Tie Luo Han bought loose from Jing Yu Tong in Campbell Street, georgetown, Penang

Is tie luo han your favorite Yan Cha? I love a warm comforting yan cha in autumn. Great description by the way...

This one was not, but recent variations of TLH including some from Jing UK have put it near the top.

Truth to say there so many different Yan Cha's with different varietals and different handling during the processing that each time I stumble on a new gem it is lifted into my top favourites.

[rhondabee]

Just finished today tasting the TGY teas from the OTTI #6, which I enjoyed a lot. Then switched to Long Feng Xia oolong from Tea from Taiwan. After taking a break from Taiwanese oolongs for 3 days, I realized how much I love this tea. So savory, and sweeter/more fruity compared to TGY. I have now learned I need to take little breaks from drinking my favorite oolongs in order to fully appreciate them.

[xmfi]

2008 Dong Ding luanze from Tea Masters.

[IPT]

This morning I am drinking 1997 roasted Tie Guanyin from Fujian. It has aged brilliantly and I feel really lucky to have found it.

[RaynBeatle]

Pouchong...it's my boyfriend's.....and he got it from Adagio(:

[brad4419]

Tie luo Han today from jingteashop. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite yancha. As Herb_Master said their are so many different ways its processed and seasonal changes combined with variety differences that I just say yancha is my favorite.

[Herb_Master]

Tie luo Han today from jingteashop. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite yancha. As Herb_Master said their are so many different ways its processedand seasonal changes combined with variety differences that I just say yancha is my favorite.

And to think that 3 years ago when I started out on Wuyi and Yixing - I had a vision of me dedicating a pot to each varietal

Now I am trying to identify a more meaningful way of splitting my ever growing collection of pots amongst my ever growing appreciation of varietals (grouped in similarities) then (subgrouped) as they are handled in different ways of oxidisation and roasting.

[tenuki]

FLT Taiwanese Wu YI

[dylanstea]

Tie Luo Han bought loose from Jing Yu Tong in Campbell Street, georgetown, Penang

Truth to say there so many different Yan Cha's with different varietals and different handling during the processing that each time I stumble on a new gem it is lifted into my top favourites.

How do you brew your Yan Chas? Always Yixing? Or Gaiwan? How would you brew a heavily roasted DHP compared to a more lightly roasted TLH? What are some thoughts based on your experience?

[Herb_Master]

I am in the minority amongst tea chatters, I always use yixing for Wuyi and Dan Cong and usually also for TKY. I do have a collection of Gaiwans so If I get the Gaiwan out I use TKY or other Anxi teas.

I learned my love of Chinese tea in a certain Kuala Lumpur tea shop where they always use Yixing, but most tea shops will brew samples for customers in gaiwans.

There are about a dozen teachatters who always use Yixings or other clay, 2 very vociferously, but there are perhaps 5 dozen teachatters who prefer gaiwans, and 4 or 5 of them very vociferously.

If you search the TC threads you will see where these 2 different camps have finally agreed to stop arguing and allow each camp to enjoy it their own way.

I don't really pay a lot of attention to the level of roast before I try my first packing of a new tea, and trial the first infusion before adjusting the infusion time of subsequent infusions. If I were to think deeply, I would pack high roasted yan cha lighter for fear of getting too much charcoal taste in the brew. As it mellows and ages over the months and years I would expect to be able to pack it more densely.

[Tead Off]

This morning I am drinking 1997 roasted Tie Guanyin from Fujian. It has aged brilliantly and I feel really lucky to have found it.

Just bought some in Hong Kong today. The family here has a farm in Anxi and they re-roast it with charcoal when needed. Hmm, good.

[tenuki]

Some special baozhong in a cup. mmmmmmmmmmmm.

[dylanstea]

I am in the minority amongst tea chatters, I always use yixing for Wuyi and Dan Cong and usually also for TKY. I do have a collection of Gaiwans so If I get the Gaiwan out I use TKY or other Anxi teas.

I don't really pay a lot of attention to the level of roast before I try my first packing of a new tea, and trial the first infusion before adjusting the infusion time of subsequent infusions. If I were to think deeply, I would pack high roasted yan cha lighter for fear of getting too much charcoal taste in the brew. As it mellows and ages over the months and years I would expect to be able to pack it more densely.

Fabulous thoughts. Is it part of your practice to rinse oolongs before the first brew? I've heard differing opinions and would like to hear your thoughts. Personally, I rinse all oolongs and pu'erhs. Hmmm Dan Cong- this is my new class of favorite oolongs. My favorite part of brewing a Dan Cong is putting the dry leaf into a really, really warm brewing vessel, covering it up, letting the aroma accumulate then opening it up and stuffing my nose into the fresh, sweet, sometimes stone-fruit aroma.

Sometimes I find it difficult to control the taste of a Dan Cong without it biting back at me. The brewing always requires close attention and care to yield a phenomenally sweet and succulent taste.