OOTD- oolong of the day

**ouch** · 04-21-2009, 06:59 AM

A bit of honey orchid dancong for a change of pace. These teas lose my interest quickly, but when I haven't had one in a while, the first few sips are mindblowing.

I love serving them to people who "don't like tea". They invariably say "I never tasted anything like this", and want to know more.

**arghblech** · 04-21-2009, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by thanks

To kick things off, I got my oolong order in from Houde today and have been drinking for three hours!

I just placed an order with them. I hope they ship it soon. It seems stupid to ship it since I live in the same city (not 10 miles from their business address) but they don't have a storefront. They said I could meet them this weekend at a market but if they mail it by Thursday morning it should get here Friday or Saturday. This is my first order from them.

Originally Posted by thanks

First was the 2008 Winter awarded Dong Ding "Lugu Producers Asstn'" (whatever). Delicious Dong Ding- not as fruity as I've come to expect. A little light on the roast and oxidation, but the mouthfeel is superb and silky. Good stuff.

Now I'm drinking an early 90's Pin-Lin Baozhong. Absolutely fantastic. Caramelized plums, a little Dianhong malty sweetness with none of the tang or sourness associated, and best of all not a single bit of astringency which makes this tea friendly to forgetful steeps. Amazing cup of tea!

I have these on my oolong wishlist. Next order will have both I'm sure!

Originally Posted by thanks

Next up I plan to tackle my most looked forward to oolong of every spring, Houde's 09 Nan Tou Dong Ding. At 14.50$ per 4oz, it's one of the most consistent good values out there in the tea world. Hurry up and buy this as it won't last.

I bagged some of this based on your recommendation. I also ordered some of the 90's Select Aged NanTou Oolong since I seemed somehow drawn to that page. I misclicked several times trying to get to a different listing so I decided it must be fate

I also ordered a bit of their Liu Bao since I was already ordering and haven't ever had any. Hope it's good!

**arghblech** · 04-25-2009, 08:15 PM

90's Select Aged Nan Tou Oolong from Hou De

Holy cow! I'm new to oolong and this was very interesting. Realize that I have no idea whether the things I taste are desirable or not.

I swear that the second infusion had an aroma and taste that was similar to blueberries. The blueberry scent wasn't sweet but had a strong note that was really startling to me.

Is 4g too much or too little for a 100ml gaiwan?

**thanks** · 04-26-2009, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by arghblech

90's Select Aged Nan Tou Oolong from Hou De

Holy cow! I'm new to oolong and this was very interesting. Realize that I have no idea whether the things I taste are desirable or not.

I swear that the second infusion had an aroma and taste that was similar to blueberries. The blueberry scent wasn't sweet but had a strong note that was really startling to me.

Is 4g too much or too little for a 100ml gaiwan?

Too little. Bump up to five. Of course, this is subjective though.

**netsurfr** · 04-26-2009, 08:24 AM

Hmmm... I like oolong. May have to try some of this 90's Select Aged Nan Tou Oolong from Hou De.

**arghblech** · 04-29-2009, 11:35 PM

Premium Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong from Steve.

As soon as the water hit the leaves it filled up my whole place with a very sweet floral smell. I enjoyed this. I don't know if it is considered good or bad but I had a nice session with it. Pale straw soup. Tons of floral and some vegetal. Perfumy.

I used 5g in my 100mL gaiwan and it was too much. The leaves expanded so much that the lid just sorta rested on the leaves

**thanks** · 04-29-2009, 11:46 PM

Originally Posted by arghblech

Premium Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong from Steve.

As soon as the water hit the leaves it filled up my whole place with a very sweet floral smell. I enjoyed this. I don't know if it is considered good or bad but I had a nice session with it. Pale straw soup. Tons of floral and some vegetal. Perfumy.

I used 5g in my 100mL gaiwan and it was too much. The leaves expanded so much that the lid just sorta rested on the leaves

That's how I know I'm doing it right

I'm drinking Wenshan Baozhong from the mid 70's, and it's pretty good. Not as good as Houde's 90's Baozhong, but it's still very good.

**arghblech** · 05-01-2009, 11:17 PM

2008 Big Red Robe (YSL)

Extra roasty. This is my first BRR and man is it roasty. I had a tough time brewing this one to my own satisfaction. My infusions were either too weak or bitter/burnt tasting. I did get one infusion that had a somewhat fruity aroma.

I'm going to play with this one over the next few weeks and see if I can make it work. I'll likely try at least one other BRR type oolong and if I don't have better luck with that one I'll give them up for a while.

**Salsero** · 05-01-2009, 11:32 PM

How are you brewing it?

**thanks** · 05-01-2009, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by arghblech

2008 Big Red Robe (YSL)

Extra roasty. This is my first BRR and man is it roasty. I had a tough time brewing this one to my own satisfaction. My infusions were either too weak or bitter/burnt tasting. I did get one infusion that had a somewhat fruity aroma.

I'm going to play with this one over the next few weeks and see if I can make it work. I'll likely try at least one other BRR type oolong and if I don't have better luck with that one I'll give them up for a while.

My advice for wuyi yancha is tons of leaf and super short infusion times.

**Salsero** · 05-02-2009, 01:09 AM

Originally Posted by thanks

My advice for wuyi yancha is tons of leaf and super short infusion times.

I second the motion!

**arghblech** · 05-02-2009, 03:46 AM

Originally Posted by Salsero

How are you brewing it?

I started with 5g. Flash rinse and let the leaves sit for a few minutes.
10s infusion. Extra roasty but not bitter/burnt. Somewhat weak in flavors other than "roast".
20s infusion. This one was best.
30s infusion. Burnt/bitter.
20s. Never hit that nice 2nd infusion again.
etc etc

Water was just under boiling for all infusions.

**Salsero** · 05-02-2009, 10:43 AM

As Thanks indicated, more leaf and even shorter initial times might help. With the Yunnan Sourcing Big Red Robe (I think that is what you have there) I have been filled a 100-ml gaiwan about half full (around 7 to 10 grams) and infusing with boiling water for more or less: 15 s, 30 s, 45 s, 2 m, 4 m, 8 m (including pouring in and out times). A lot of people will simply fill the gaiwan and keep the time even shorter.

While this is not the super quality DHP that is out there, for the price it is a very good example.

**Erik** · 05-02-2009, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Salsero

While this is not the super quality DHP that is out there, for the price it is a very good example.

Would Oolong Tea be more affordable if it wasn't picked by monkeys wearing red robes?

**arghblech** · 05-02-2009, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by Salsero

As Thanks indicated, more leaf and even shorter initial times might help. With the Yunnan Sourcing Big Red Robe (I think that is what you have there) I have been filled a 100-ml gaiwan about half full (around 7 to 10 grams) and infusing with boiling water for more or less: 15 s, 30 s, 45 s, 2 m, 4 m, 8 m (including pouring in and out times). A lot of people will simply fill the gaiwan and keep the time even shorter.

While this is not the super quality DHP that is out there, for the price it is a very good example.

I'll try more leaf and quicker infusions next time although those times aren't really all that different from what I was doing.

This is the one from Yunnan Sourcing.

**arghblech** · 05-03-2009, 07:45 PM

09 Nantou Dong Ding from Houde

I got my TeafromTaiwan.com samples on Saturday. I'll give them a test drive over the next few weeks.

**Salsero** · 05-03-2009, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by arghblech

I got my TeafromTaiwan.com samples on Saturday. I'll give them a test drive over the next few weeks.

I'll be very interested in hearing your opinion. I got some tea from them a couple years ago which I seem to remember as being quite good ... though not cheap.

**P_K** · 05-05-2009, 05:01 PM

This is from Next Door Tea House - Not too impressed with this....it is the first time I have tried it. Floral and somewhat reminiscent of bai mu dan. I am glad that I tried a sample as I would not have been happy paying 19 hogs for this.

Their 1 cent auctions are a good way to check out some of their teas. They are starting to carry some pu's also.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Next-door-TEA-HOUSE

**arghblech** · 05-08-2009, 09:58 AM

Premium Tie Guan Yin of Anxi Oolong (YSL)

Another pleasant session with this. I'm enjoying it quite a lot and it seems to not over-caffeinate me.

**Salsero** · 05-08-2009, 11:20 AM

I really enjoyed the Mao Xie from Jing the other night, an extremely clean and light cousin of Tie Guan Yin and also from Anxi.

I have not managed to get a decent cup from the everyday Milan yet, but am still working on it. I think I used too much leaf and too little time last shot.

Really enjoyed (again) their Ba Xian Dan Cong last night. At 12¢ a gram, not cheap, but pretty reasonable for a good Dan Cong.