Teahome Legend of Dong Ding
I just got my package for the legend in... and there's an off-smell that was in the box when I opened it and when brewing the tea. It's a bit like granny's closet musty kind of smell. Is this a tea defect or a desirable trait??
Dec 13th, '08, 16:48
Posts: 2299
Joined: Oct 23rd, '06, 19:46
Location: Seattle Area
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tenuki
defect.
This year seems to have marked a huge change in the quality and price from ebay teahome (and not just due to a known poor spring harvest overall). I've quit ordering from them entirely. The last tea I got from them had a musty smell and the tea quality was substandard, tea before that was weak. Sad to hear others have had the same experience.
It's sad, for a while their Tung Ting was my favorite dong ding on the market, but I'm stuck searching for another now. Everything else on the market is too green or weak for my taste, and theirs has gone weak.
btw - I found the musty smell to be primarily on the outside of the bag, I carefully discarded the bag, refresh roasted the tea and came out ok.
This year seems to have marked a huge change in the quality and price from ebay teahome (and not just due to a known poor spring harvest overall). I've quit ordering from them entirely. The last tea I got from them had a musty smell and the tea quality was substandard, tea before that was weak. Sad to hear others have had the same experience.
It's sad, for a while their Tung Ting was my favorite dong ding on the market, but I'm stuck searching for another now. Everything else on the market is too green or weak for my taste, and theirs has gone weak.
btw - I found the musty smell to be primarily on the outside of the bag, I carefully discarded the bag, refresh roasted the tea and came out ok.
I didn't notice a musty smell, but the Legend was unremarkable.
Unfortunately the last two years have not be the best for oolongs.
Unfortunately the last two years have not be the best for oolongs.
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
I think that is over generalized, but I've only been into tea –by this I mean the truly premium stuff– for two years. [However, I not a newbie I've had literally hundreds of oolong.] Due to my short time in tea I can't say much about the greener ones, but I think 2007 was actually a good year. I also has some great Dong Dings from 2008. I've had some horrible 2006 lapsang oolong that was much, much, much better in 2007.Victoria wrote:I didn't notice a musty smell, but the Legend was unremarkable.
Unfortunately the last two years have not be the best for oolongs.
Perhaps it is over generalized, but it's my opinion of the greener oolongs.
The weather conditions have not been good.
The weather conditions have not been good.
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
OK - what parameters did you use for reroasting? I was suprised that musty smell was actually inside the bag of tea also and not just in the box. Almost a Chinese mothbally smell. Yummy!tenuki wrote:btw - I found the musty smell to be primarily on the outside of the bag, I carefully discarded the bag, refresh roasted the tea and came out ok.
Dec 14th, '08, 01:32
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ABx
Hmm, I thought the 2007's were just fine. I still have a couple vacuum packs of some high grade jade tung ting that have fantastic aroma as long as you brew them gongfu style. Of course when I first started I thought they actually had weaker aroma because I was brewing in my infuser mug. When brewing gongfu style, however, a whole new level of fragrance came out - as it did with most of the good ones I had in 07.Victoria wrote:Perhaps it is over generalized, but it's my opinion of the greener oolongs.
The weather conditions have not been good.
Your teahome ebay order where was it shipped from if I may ask? I did hear that any orders placed through the ebay site is shipped from N.America. My order came from Taiwan but it was ordered from the taiwanese site through email. As Tenuki said their teas aren't the best his year, I might re-roast them as T did, perhaps perk them up a bit, however s*** is s*** no matter what you do with it imho.Bubba_tea wrote:FWIW - this is the 2008 IIRC. Do y'all think that rinsing the leaves is going to help? I could still get that musty flavor/aroma (might not be much in the flavor, but it's hard to separate the two) after several cups so I figured it wouldn't be much use.
Dec 14th, '08, 20:16
Posts: 2299
Joined: Oct 23rd, '06, 19:46
Location: Seattle Area
Contact:
tenuki
Totally bogus info which if I recall you got from a competitor vendor, quit spouting it orguz. Every tea I've gotten from ebay teahome has been from nantou, taiwan, just like Bubba.orguz wrote: Your teahome ebay order where was it shipped from if I may ask? I did hear that any orders placed through the ebay site is shipped from N.America.
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )
Bubba is from Nantou, Taiwan?tenuki wrote:Totally bogus info which if I recall you got from a competitor vendor, quit spouting it orguz. Every tea I've gotten from ebay teahome has been from nantou, taiwan, just like Bubba.orguz wrote: Your teahome ebay order where was it shipped from if I may ask? I did hear that any orders placed through the ebay site is shipped from N.America.
Last order I got of the Legend was around 3 months ago and I thought it tasted great. No off smells and I thought it had a great savory Dong Ding flavor. The last ali shan that i got from them was not very good it had a weird factory smell, kind of rubbery. I still drank it though haha. Sometimes when I order from China/taiwan my packages smelll like old people and cigarettes.
