What have you been drinking lately?

OK, things have been a little quiet 'round here and probably to the dismay of many I always like to throw out a lighter topic or two that anyone can chime in on. So, what has been in your cup lately?

I've been enjoying some Sencha, Young Hyson, Jasmine Oolong, White Crane Pu-Erh, and some Lipton Green Label DJ.

- Dominic Currently Drinking: Sencha (that I picked up for only $6/lb. from Presto George in Pittsburgh, very good stuff at a super low price)

Reply to
Dominic T.
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[Dominic]
[Michael] Oriental beauty earlier this morning, Gold Bud Bingcha (Menghai factory) 2004 this afternoon.
Reply to
Michael Plant

I normally rotate all the teas I have, so: Darjeeling Puttabong 1st Flush, Golden Monkey, Golden Needle, Green Mate, Ooooh Darjeeling, Pi Lo Chun Select, and Wen Shan Bao Zhong. I've been a little dissapointed with the Puttabong, which I got a month or two ago. I'm also a little dissapointed with the Bao Zhong, which I just receieved. Not as flavorful as the Bao Zhong I've had before, with almost no flavor on the second infusion. I just finished a Tung Ting Jade Oolong which was delicious. Fortunately I have some Bao Zhong and

2nd Flush Darjeeling on the way that promises to be better than my recent tea experiences.
Reply to
xDustinx

I have been trying to improve my technique with lightly roasted Anxi and Taiwanese oolongs, and finding a lot to like about the Taiwanese ones (which I get from Hou De, mostly). I also recently branched out into pu'er in a big way, and I'm participating in a tasting of Wuyi yancha too, which I'm only about halfway through. The tasting has been a real education. I asked my coffee-drinking philistine wife to help me with it and to my delight she's really gotten into it.

One thing about the Anxi oolongs. I bought all of them (I have probably six or seven different sorts, in varying quantities) in wholesale markets in China. I love the taste, but compared to Formosa tea, the leaves just look like crap when unfolded, all chewed up. I don't know if this is a grade thing or a result of machine harvesting, and it would be great if someone can fill me in.

So: does anyone have a recommendation for a truly high-grade tieguanyin, that is made to the same standards as Taiwanese gaoshancha? Available online please.

Dom thanks for starting this thread. Your enthusiasm is infectious.

Also I'd like to thank Mike Petro publicly for his incredible website.

Reply to
Alex

Reply to
toci

I've been alternating between Adagio's fruit sangria herbal (not available on the website, only available in some stores on the east coasts. Sucks cuz I"m i Utah. Once I'm out, I"m out!), an herbal blend I've made myself with chamomile, mint, catnip, lemongrass, and a dash of valarian when I'm trying to sleep, and finaly RoT's golden yunnan. Oh yeah...and a 50/50 blend of dark roasted coffee and chicorie root...mmmmm mud. Marlene

Reply to
Marlene Wood

Hey Marlene, I just bought some chicory from a local coffee roaster and I can't make a good drink from it to save my life. The instructions say

1 tbls. per cup, but that seems mighty excessive, I cut it down to about the amount I would use for a regular pot of coffee and it was still pretty bitter and not so good. I will try cutting it with some regular coffee like you say, but at what ratio and how much?

- Dominic

Reply to
Dominic T.

Reply to
toci

It is much much better with coffee. I'd recomend 25% to start, and adjust from there. I like it dark and thick, so I'm up to 50%

Reply to
Marlene Wood
Reply to
Jason F in Los Angeles

  • Assam Dhelekat TGFOP (yum yum yum; nearly finished and looking forward to trying another Assam)
  • Ceylon Battalgalla OP (good start to the day)
  • Prince of Wales (my guilty pleasure; nearly finished and looking forward to trying some Keemun)
  • Gyokoru (also nearly finished; will probably replace with a cheaper, but above average, sencha)

When I say "nearly finished", I mean the tin is nearly empty and I'm thinking ahead to what I'll put in it next.

Cheers, Gavin

Reply to
Gavin

snip snip

[Alex]
[Michael] Can't really answer that except to say that a couple days ago we were bemarking on the same thing. The Taiwan leaves are really robust and most likely more impervious to harm. I don't think the battering the edges of Anxi leaves take is indicative of machining; it could even be the other way round. [Alex]
[Michael] That last line of yours threw me as I was about to recommend Silk Road Teas TGY No. 37, one of my personal favorites; but alas, while their catalog (for what it's worth) is on line, their business with you will be by phone and snail mail. I get my TGY's locally (NYC), depending on those who hop back and forth between China and the USA. (What a worthless paragraph this turned out to be.)

But, on the subject, what experiences are out there with *long* and

*complex* aftertastes and finishes on TGY and other treasures of Anxi? For to me, finish and aftertaste are necessary conditions, nearly sufficient, for fine and great Oolong.

Best, Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

Dominic, thanks muchly for starting the thread. Exactly as you say, it is a great benefit to get some inspiration from owners of some of the well-tuned palates that write here. (The owners, that is, and not their palates. Although I suppose it is possible to write with one's palate. Perhaps.)

I've been drinking my last batch from a recent trip to Sichuan. It's dropping at an alarming rate, and I'm getting concerned about being able to find replacements when it's gone!

Favourites these last few days:

Maofeng of unknown Sichuan leaf, very vivid and fresh A very friendly formosa wulong

1999 "Yank Kang" mystery bing (see the Pu'erh LiveJournal) A decent xinyang maojian (average grade, but very pleasing nonetheless)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Reply to
HobbesOxon

I've been drinking mostly Taiwan Gaoshan teas. Having many students from Taiwan that frequently go home helps me in my supply! Anyway, it tastes so much better if it's from the source. I learned that everything I knew about Gaoshan tea before...was simply wrong.

Scary realization.

Reply to
Mydnight

Over the last week, I've tried several teas with varying reviews:

The Upton teas: Rote Gruze fruit tea (an infusion)--a little sweet for me Chisunga Estate Malawi BOP--it reminded me more of coffee than tea. I made some for my coffee-addict husband, so I'm curious to see what he thinks. Osmanthus Oolong Se Chung--it starts out pretty ordinary, but ends up with a blast of peach flavor. :)

The Davidson's tea bags: Vanilla Cream Spice dessert tea Caramel Peach With Coconut Raspberry Cream Caramel all the above a little too sweet for me

*White Peony--OK, would be the tea I would most likely order again from them if I order from them again.

Adagio White Blueberry tea--the blueberry just doesn't quite work for me.

I'm going to try and get over to the Indian store this afternoon or this weekend and pick up some Lipton Green Label Darjeeling.

Heather

Reply to
HeatherB

Thanks Michael. My Anxi oolong stock right now consists of some Silk Road TGY-10 and TGY-40 (which I haven't opened) and lots of stuff that I bought in China. I haven't opened the TGY-40, but I will later today, so expect a comparison post later on. I couldn't find TGY-37 on Silk Road's price list - is it maybe one of the things that must be special-ordered?

So anyway. I think the TGY-10 is pretty decent. I have several things from China that I would say is better, with pretty complex finishes, and an interesting progression of tastes from one pot to the next, with the general scheme often being something like grass predominating at the beginning and floral and sometimes even cream developing later. The TGY-10 does not stand up to multiple brewings very well but on the other hand it doesn't taste like lawn clippings right out of the gate either.

I know that comparing TGY to Taiwanese oolongs is a little bit apples-and-oranges, but I would say that the two points in which I find the TGYs 'inferior' is that one, the leaves look like they have been put through a food processor, and two, they don't have the same level of focused intensity of aroma and flavor as the Taiwanese varieties. It could very well be that the cultivar used in making TGY is simply less physically robust, which would be fine, but these things often just look shredded, and Taiwanese oolong looks so great after steeping. It puzzles me.

Right now I'm drinking some Xizi Hao Lao Ban Zhang (sorry I can't resist using pinyin).

Reply to
Alex

I should probobly mention that I do brew my coffee/chicory mixture in a drip coffee maker. My friend who introduced me chicory has a different approach. He uses a percolator pot, 50/50 coffee/chicory (or more like 100/100 cuz he uses a lot more coffee than is usually called for). He then brews it until you could use it for boot polish. He calls this mixture...mud. He also likes lapsang soushong (or however that vile tea's name is spelled lol) brewed till it screams. Of course, we are Civil War re-enactors, and sometimes need that stuff to get us moving at 6 am (after we've been up all night because someone forgot to turn off the sprinklers) Marlene

Reply to
Marlene Wood

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