Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?

[William]

Price?

OK a little less than I thought, 644 lb http://www.teahabitat.com/store/index.p ... cts_id=249

Now THAT is expensive
I'm sure it was more than worth it! Truly high grade LJ can be awesome, yet so expensive ..

[joelbct]

OK a little less than I thought, 644 lb http://www.teahabitat.com/store/index.p ... cts_id=249

I just ordered some Tribute Keemun from Hojo that comes to $72/oz. Don't tell my wife.

http://hojotea.com/item_e/b12e.htm

Even the 'value' size is $1193USD for 630g, or $859/lb.

I hope it's what I was looking for...

They've got a similarly priced Shi Feng LJ, and some even pricier Oolongs including one at $10/gram.

[William]

I just ordered some Tribute Keemun from Hojo that comes to $72/oz. Don't tell my wife.

Even the 'value' size is $1193USD for 630g, or $859/lb.

I hope it's what I was looking for...

They've got a Shi Feng LJ for just slightly more per G. Wonder if this is normal pricing or a sort of luxury markup for whatever high net worth clientele they market these teas towards in Japan...

I am a huge fan of keemun tea and always seeking for high grade ones, albeit most of the time I end up with low quality ones (I tried so many honestly).
Though pricey, that particular Keemun sold by Hojo is a real treat, a quality definitely beyond what is normally available on the market. Without doubt the best I ever tasted. You will love it! Btw, next time try some normal grade Keemun, always from Hojo .. I often drink it for breakfast, cheap and good!

With regards to SF LJ, I ordered a couple of days ago 50 grams .. will keep you updated!
I buy it every year whenever available .. so far I loved it every year! Hojo-san sure knows how to procure quality teas

[joelbct]

William, the old Ito En flagship store in Manhattan used to get a kilo or two of Keemun they called "Spring Dawn" that looks similar, and it was $35-40/oz, about half the price, which would make sense given this was 10-8 years ago. They dont stock it currently at their online storefront, and no other shop seems to.

It tasted almost nothing like Hao Ya or normal Mao Feng Keemun, not smokey, delicate and complex, really amazing, best black tea I've ever had maybe. I'm hoping this is the same or similar. Looks to be, from the images of dry and brewed leaf and red liquor at Hojo's site.

I did of course also order a sample of their regular Keemun, as well as their Uji Fukamushi Sencha, which in the opposite price spectrum is very affordable, ~$13/100g, to bring it back to Greens

[joelbct]

On another note I retried the Fuka Sencha + LJ mix and I'm not crazy, it's actually pretty good, if a bit confusing to a palate accustomed to these two flavors but not concurrently

I did 2.5g LJ + 2g Kago Chiran Sencha for 1.5 min, 175F, abt 500g water, maybe more dilute than what most here would drink green tea at. I'd use higher leaf to water ratios and shorter brewing times with multiple infusions if using a small kyusu or such. I did flash rinse the LJ too.

[victoria3]

I just ordered some Tribute Keemun from Hojo that comes to $72/oz. Don't tell my wife.

Even the 'value' size is $1193USD for 630g, or $859/lb.

I hope it's what I was looking for...

They've got a Shi Feng LJ for just slightly more per G. Wonder if this is normal pricing or a sort of luxury markup for whatever high net worth clientele they market these teas towards in Japan...

I am a huge fan of keemun tea and always seeking for high grade ones, albeit most of the time I end up with low quality ones (I tried so many honestly).
Though pricey, that particular Keemun sold by Hojo is a real treat, a quality definitely beyond what is normally available on the market. Without doubt the best I ever tasted. You will love it! Btw, next time try some normal grade Keemun, always from Hojo .. I often drink it for breakfast, cheap and good!

With regards to SF LJ, I ordered a couple of days ago 50 grams .. will keep you updated!
I buy it every year whenever available .. so far I loved it every year! Hojo-san sure knows how to procure quality teas

Would be interesting to compare Hojo's with Tea Habitat's Long Jing, her's looks like a bargain with his almost double at $1,248 lb.

The Keemun sounds interesting, do you think someone who almost never drinks black tea might enjoy it?

[joelbct]

Yeah I'm rarely disappointed by a LJ from a reputable vendor and doubt I could appreciate the difference between a $30/oz and $70/oz batch, personally, though I don't doubt some could.

I wonder too if sometimes the same tea from same farm might end up at $35/oz from one vendor and $70/oz from another? Certainly there are shops that resell YS or TeaVivre or other wholesalers at a 100% markup.

As for the Hojo Tribute Keemun, I can't really say, but if it's the same rare Keemun that Ito En Madison Ave had 10 yrs ago, it'd be hard for any tea lover not to enjoy it.

[William]

The Keemun sounds interesting, do you think someone who almost never drinks black tea might enjoy it?

Depends Victoria, if you never drank Keemun tea before, you should first of all get some standard grade ones .. for example Hojo-san sell a standard grade Keemun that is quite tasty, but I am sure you can buy standard grade Keemun from many other sellers, its a popular tea.
After doing so, if you want you can compare the standard grade ones you drank with the Tribute Keemun, a new world will open .. the difference is quite evident, longer aftertaste, aromatics/flavors much more refined and bolder, more stamina, etc.

There are even higher grade beyond the Tribute one, but so insanely expensive

[joelbct]

There are even higher grade beyond the Tribute one, but so insanely expensive

Where do you find these? Hojo said the Tribute is from a particular Keemun factory (called I think just Keemun Factory , are these even higher grades also from the same factory?

Ah yes, I reread the email and I see he says this is the highest grade I their "standard lineup." Oh gosh, not the nonstandard lineup!

[William]

Where do you find these? Hojo said the Tribute is from a particular Keemun factory (called I think just Keemun Factory , are these even higher grades also from the same factory?

Ah yes, I reread the email and I see he says this is the highest grade I their "standard lineup." Oh gosh, not the nonstandard lineup!

Yep, there are even higher grades
I tried some of them, but despite being ridiculously expensive, they are really similar to Hojo-san's Tribute grade.
When I want something that good and fancy, I buy the latter one; if instead I am looking for a decent quality but cheap, I stick to those of average grade available online.

[joelbct]

Yep, there are even higher grades
I tried some of them, but despite being ridiculously expensive, they are really similar to Hojo-san's Tribute grade.
When I want something that good and fancy, I buy the latter one; if instead I am looking for a decent quality but cheap, I stick to those of average grade available online.

My Tribute Keemun arrived. Was exactly what I was seeking, more or less. I know this is the Green Tea thread, so here are my thoughts and pics: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14389&p=293635#p293635

[William]

Yep, there are even higher grades
I tried some of them, but despite being ridiculously expensive, they are really similar to Hojo-san's Tribute grade.
When I want something that good and fancy, I buy the latter one; if instead I am looking for a decent quality but cheap, I stick to those of average grade available online.

My Tribute Keemun arrived. Was exactly what I was seeking, more or less. I know this is the Green Tea thread, so here are my thoughts and pics: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14389&p=293635#p293635

Just realized this is the green Tea thread
I'm glad you liked it!

[Ferg]

Decided to go for a late night session of Tsuen AOI as I have a service to attend beginning at 11pm tonight. Actually, my third session of the day, which is quite unusual for me. I have upped my tea consumption on the weekends as of late, when I've had the time afforded to.

Easter Eve Sencha.jpg

Went light on the amount of tea. Just enough to get me through to the early hours of the night. The leaves have been sitting in this caddy for a couple months now. Down to my last second last round.

Easter Eve Sencha 2.jpg

Brewed it up in the Hokujo, which has become my go-to kyusu. Surprised that the tea still tasted quite good. No major off flavors. The best part of this one is the returning sweetness on the tongue. Will have to grab another bag this upcoming shincha season!

[davidglass]

Sincha Kinari is now available through Maiko.

[Ferg]

Sincha Kinari is now available through Maiko.

Thanks for the heads up David! I appreciate it. Which teas are you planning to get?