Dahongpao "light" vs "dark"?

First of all, it's risky to draw a trend from two cases. Please don't assume that a more heavily roasted (or baked) tea will be cheaper or worse. There could be many reasons for a difference in price.

That said, the heating of tea subsequent to the heating that stops oxidation is believed to extend the shelf life of tea. It can also tend to mask some of the underlying deficiencies in the flavor and aroma of a tea by introducing new flavor/aroma elements. Which is to say, if the underlying tea isn't too good or fresh, some vendors may be inclined to roast it a lot as a kind of salvage operation.

/Lew

For which they should be hanged upside down by the hm... spheres.

Sasha.

Hi Lew,

I didn't mean to imply *I* thought the darker roasted Dahongpao was inferior - quite the contrary: I like it much better, and I've already passed off two packages of the light version, which to me is practically tasteless. That in fact is the point of my question: the - to me - inferior tea costs 2 to 3 times what the - to me - better version costs. I'm trying to understand why a practically tasteless version of a tea costs so much more than a rich, full-flavored version. A paradox.

Doug

I wasn't implying anything about what *you* thought.

De gustibus...

Let me speculate too...

1. The 2 DaoHongpao you tasted could be from different vendors?

1. Teas in China are undergoing a revolution, many oolongs are turning toward the make of Taiwan oolongs, which are oxidated on the lighter side with less baking at the end. Many Chinese tea makers who intend to cash in on this (Taiwan oolongs have for a time been THE TEA in the international market) turn to producing lighter oolongs, Wuyi teas are not spared. This trend is enforced by the younger Chinese generation who prefer the floral fragrances to the deeper fragrances of heavier oxidated and fruiter oolongs. This may be one reason the vendor sells the lighter Da Hongpao at a higher price.

2. In the past, a heavy oxidated and baked Da Hongpao could keep for years, from the teas I've tasted these several years, I find that many Da Hongpaos, despite the appareance of heavy oxidation and baking, the tea could not outlast 2 years without comprising its quality. I snooped around and found 2 versions be way of explanation:

a. that the tea is processed speedily with some shortcuts, hence producing a tea that's wonderful only for a short period. b. the tea is processed speedily and deliberately made to be lighter, where initially the fragrance and flavour are there but not strong; however, after leaving it aside to continue the chemical reaction on its own, it will taste wonderful later, like a slow bloomer. The optimal period of the tea is shortlived, however, and falls back to mediocrity quickly.

My guesses, based on the above, are:

I. The darker Da Hongpao has reached its pinnacle, and best taste now or it'll diminish soon, thus the vendor wants to sell it off quickly and offer it at a lower price. the lighter Da Hongpao can be kept for a while longer till it reaches its optimal level, so the vendor wants to sell it off at a higher price, because you can keep it around longer and it'll even better later.

II. The vendor is trying to cash in on the younger market preference, and the Taiwan oolong's fame in the international market.

III. The vendor doesn't know his tea and is selling the newer and lighter Da Hongpao (which may or may not be of lower quality) at a higher pricer, while seeing the old Dahongpao, thinks it's an old tea (with its darker colour and baked smell) and since books do not mention old teas favourably, better to sell off the old tea first.

More guesses, anyone? :")

Samar