Just got 4 oolongs from FLT :)

[nsudharsanan]

So this might be a lame topic to start a post on, but after just receiving 4 new types of oolongs and drinking each one of the course of the day I am pretty excited and have no other outlet to relieve that excitement. I ended up getting

2008 Oriental Beauty
2009 Jin Xuan
Taiwan wuyi
and she threw in a sample of the Dong Ding special roast

The OB was perplexing...at times I thought I was drinking a darjeeling with less astringency...im not quite sure how I feel about the intense roasted character. The jin xuan to me tasted like a slightly grassier ali shan...without the intense fruit notes of an ali shan. It was almost like a b-rate ali shan...Im not quite sure if I brewed it incorrectly or if that is how it is supposed to taste. The taiwan wuyi was probably the most interesting, whether that is a good thing is yet to be determined. One the one hand it had the roasted flavor I associated with darker oolongs but with a very prominent floral undertone that I normally associate with greener oolongs. Finally, her use of samples was extremely successful...the dong ding special roast was something special to me. It tasted like chocolate and flowers...but in a good way. Overall, I am very pleasantly satisfied, especially for the price I paid.

[Chip]

You could post this under the NEW official FLT vendor topic: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=12015

Thanks for sharing your impressions.

[entropyembrace]

I ordered several oolongs from FLT last week...your post has me even more excited for them to arrive! Have a few in common

there´s the Taiwan Wuyi, Oriental Beauty and Dong Ding Special Roast in my order along with Muzha Tie Quan Yin and 2009 Winter Farmer´s Choice Baozhong

I hope it will be delivered soon! Seattle isn´t very far ^.^

[shah82]

High grade jin xuan can often respond to differences in water hardness and softness. Try boiling filtered water with bamboo charcoal.

[Tead Off]

So this might be a lame topic to start a post on, but after just receiving 4 new types of oolongs and drinking each one of the course of the day I am pretty excited and have no other outlet to relieve that excitement. I ended up getting

2008 Oriental Beauty
2009 Jin Xuan
Taiwan wuyi
and she threw in a sample of the Dong Ding special roast

The OB was perplexing...at times I thought I was drinking a darjeeling with less astringency...im not quite sure how I feel about the intense roasted character. The jin xuan to me tasted like a slightly grassier ali shan...without the intense fruit notes of an ali shan. It was almost like a b-rate ali shan...Im not quite sure if I brewed it incorrectly or if that is how it is supposed to taste. The taiwan wuyi was probably the most interesting, whether that is a good thing is yet to be determined. One the one hand it had the roasted flavor I associated with darker oolongs but with a very prominent floral undertone that I normally associate with greener oolongs. Finally, her use of samples was extremely successful...the dong ding special roast was something special to me. It tasted like chocolate and flowers...but in a good way. Overall, I am very pleasantly satisfied, especially for the price I paid.

Jin Xuan is an interesting tea. It is sometimes called a milk oolong because of its creamy character. For me, there is a cereal-like flavor to it that really resonates with my taste buds. A good Jin Xuan is delicious and also goes by the name of Golden Lily.

[brad4419]

I've never gotten anything from FLT I didn't like. Thanks for shareing now I really want to open the Oriental Beauty sample I got from FLT a while back.

Thanks Tead Off, now Im going to have to try the Jin Xuan in the next order

[Bubba_tea]

High grade jin xuan can often respond to differences in water hardness and softness. Try boiling filtered water with bamboo charcoal.

I tried this before - but to me, brita water boiled with charcoal (bamboo) was too soft - made the tea taste flat, ymmv. But that da yu ling from FLT was the bomb... cha qi crazy!

[entropyembrace]

My order arrived from FLT today There was included a free sample of lalashan high mountain oolong and Shiuwen included a handwritten note which I thought was a really great little touch to make it more personal

I´ve been enjoying several infusions of the Muzha Tiequanyin

[shah82]

Oh, don't I know it...

It worked alright for that zhong ping lao cong dancong, in the sense that I didn't just blast apart the flavors into a few intense elements and the brews lasted longer for that reason. It did little for most teas, but I started really trying that out after I used it with Hou De's Da An Jin Xuan--it turned it from a very blah (I do not favor Jin Xuan) floral tea to a very syrupy fruit/flower in thick taste excellence. So I always try it at least once with any elite tea.

[Tead Off]

Oh, don't I know it...

It worked alright for that zhong ping lao cong dancong, in the sense that I didn't just blast apart the flavors into a few intense elements and the brews lasted longer for that reason. It did little for most teas, but I started really trying that out after I used it with Hou De's Da An Jin Xuan--it turned it from a very blah (I do not favor Jin Xuan) floral tea to a very syrupy fruit/flower in thick taste excellence. So I always try it at least once with any elite tea.

I would think it would be almost impossible to compare water from different sources run through a brita system then put into a kettle with bamboo charcoal. Too many variables. Here in Bangkok, it works very well and I am able to enjoy most teas. Maybe I'm not that picky or sensitive but the plain water (after filtering and soaking in charcoal) tastes good to me.

BTW, that Jin Xuan you are drinking doesn't fit the description of any of the ones I've ever had. Syrupy fruit/flower? Wow. Sounds like a completely different kind of tea to me.

[shah82]

I chalked it up to Hou De's extra fermented description. I was pretty shocked as well--I was only finishing off a sample that I more or less detested and left to rot for some months.