A special TeaDB episode on Tea Basics! Episode 41 covering all about gaiwans. Denny and James cover how-to-use, different materials as well as some more advanced concepts on gaiwan use.
Author: James
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Yi Fu Chun Yezi Tea Chinese Black Tea [Episode 40]
Episode 40 completes the two-part series on some great red/black teas from Yezi Tea. This one features a very good, premium tea, Yi Fu Chun, another black from Fujian.
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The Price of Yancha
Good yancha is difficult to shop for. There are no distinctly yancha-specialized vendors and no obvious filters to quickly eliminate debris (eliminating non-specialized vendors works very well for Taiwanese oolongs + pu’erh). One other obstacle are forgeries designed to satiate the public’s demand for Da Hong Pao (usually Rou Gui + Shui Xian). This article will attempt to clarify and simplify the process of shopping for yancha by examining the prices of the four famous bushes (Si Da Ming Cong) and two of the most commonly sold Yancha (Rou Gui, Shui Xian). Please note that this article should not be taken as a statement of cheaper is better. Different buyers should shop for different types and grades of yancha. Depending on your individual purchasing goals it is often worth spending more for quality. (more…)
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Rou Gui Yunnan Sourcing Wuyi Oolong [Episode 38]
Episode 38 features the great daily drinking Rou Gui from Yunnan Sourcing (one of our favorite vendors). This Rou Gui is low-medium fired and is a spicy, aromatic tea with high notes.
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Wuyi Oolong Compendium
Home to the original oolong tea and its fair share of tea legends, the Wuyi mountains house some of the world’s most sought after oolong teas . Although there are many types of tea grown in the Wuyi mountains (notably Lapsang Souchong/Jin Jun Mei), it is most famous for its oolong teas. Due to the mountainous area that the tea is grown, Wuyi Oolongs are frequently referred to as yancha or rock/cliff oolong tea. This terroir and Wuyi oolong’s firing/processing methods contribute to the very distinctive taste of Wuyi yancha (this is sometimes referred to as yanyun. (more…)
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Tea For Me Please Podcast feat. TeaDB!
Denny and I just guest starred in the Tea For Me Please Podcast ran by Nicole (see her post here). Was a ton of fun to sit back and just chat about tea! More lax and less structured than your average TeaDB episode, and we talk about how we got into tea, the future of tea in America, how to start learning about tea, etc.
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Lishan Cui Luan Origin Tea Taiwanese High-Mountain Oolong [Episode 37]
James & Denny finish their 4-episode series on Origin Tea. In episode 37 they drink a slightly more oxidized and roasted oolong than the popular nuclear-green style with Origin Tea’s Lishan Cui Luan. This and the DYL 102K really help to showcase some of the more interesting Origin Tea offerings.
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Da Yu Ling 102K Origin Tea Taiwanese High-Mountain Oolong [Episode 36]
James & Denny continue their 4-episode series on Origin Tea. In episode 36, they move slightly down the mountain from the 104K highway marker to 102K. This is a different tea than Origin Tea’s very green 104K or Fu Shou Shan and a good example of the diversity that Origin Tea has to offer.
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Eco-Cha, Featured Vendor
The vendor profile for Eco-Cha is a part of our Taiwanese Tea Vendor Series, covering a number of Taiwanese-tea specialized vendors that sell to the west.
Along with Origin Tea and Taiwan Tea Crafts, Eco-Cha is a newcomer to the growing population of western-facing Taiwanese tea vendors. The faces behind it are neither fresh nor newcomers to selling tea. Formed by a pair of foreign expatriates with strong-ties to Taiwan and three Taiwanese natives, this is an experienced group with deep ties to tea, especially in central Taiwan. With the name Eco-Cha, their most obvious difference between other Taiwanese based vendors is their ecological/green focus. Interestingly this name carries a totally different but fitting second meaning in Chinese, A Sip of Tea. Eco-cha.com itself is littered with an impressive amount of information on the flavor, garden, harvest, elevation, and detailed notes on the origins of their teas. This forthcoming approach is a key aspect for a new venture with core values of sustainability and transparency. (more…)