James & Denny do another two-episode series on Korean tea acquired from Morning Crane Tea. From the Hadong growing region they review a Sejak from Dong Cheon teas via Morning Crane. This tea can be purchased in the western world from Arthur at Morning Crane Tea or Phoenix Tea House.
Author: James
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Tea from Taiwan, Featured Vendor
The vendor profile for Tea from Taiwan is a part of our Taiwanese Tea Vendor Series, covering a number of Taiwanese-tea specialized vendors that sell to the west.
Tea from Taiwan was one of the first vendors based in Taiwan that sold to the west. Founded by Ross MacIver in the early 2000s, Tea from Taiwan launched their current website in 2005 and has continued to be a reliable and consistent source of Taiwanese oolongs to an English-speaking audience (as well as an information source!). Tea from Taiwan currently features 17 different Taiwanese teas (originally seven), with 12 of their offerings falling into high-elevation territory (>1000 meters elevation). Looking back at older versions of their web store, Ross has consistently promoted transparency in the form of harvest date and elevation for their teas (when I inquired about Tea from Taiwan’s cultivars and elevations, Ross was prompt and forthcoming in his reply). This is a wonderful thing for tea vendors to provide and has improved considerably in recent years. It’s also very commonly overlooked by newcomers to the online tea world or people simply looking for the “best deals” in the intimidating world of premium tea purchasing. (more…)
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Lincang Lancang 2008 Sheng Pu’erh [Episode 27]
In episode 27, James & Denny are again joined by Glen and Lamu from Crimson Lotus Tea. This is a more open-ended podcast and we talk about both the tea as well as just pu’erh tea in general, how to get started with pu’erh, storage in North America, and some of the offerings that Crimson Lotus will be offering. Lincang Lancang 2008 Raw Pu’erh.
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Yunnan Pu’erh Special Tea Factory 2006 Shu Pu’erh [Episode 26]
In episode 26, James & Denny have a special guest star from a new Pu’erh tea company opening up shop in the US, Crimson Lotus Tea. Today’s tea is literally a wedding cake, just far better than your traditional white sugary affair. Yunnan Pu’erh Special Tea Factory 2006 Ripe Pu’erh.
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Origin Tea, Featured Vendor
The vendor profile for Origin Tea is a part of our Taiwanese Tea Vendor Series, covering a number of Taiwanese-tea specialized vendors that sell to the west. Much to my dismay, Origin Tea has since closed.
Origin Tea’s ‘About Section’ states their purpose clearly:
At Origin Tea we have one goal: To make high quality teas available worldwide at reasonable prices..
An easy statement to make, but a far more difficult one to backup (especially given Origin’s premium high-mountain specialty). Based in Taiwan, Origin Tea is owned and run by Tony. Origin Tea opened up shop in late 2012, using Taiwan’s 2012 Winter Harvest as their initial selection. (more…)
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Camellia Sinensis 2001 Lahu Sheng Pu’erh [Episode 25]
In episode 25, James & Denny continue with the very diverse selection of Camellia Sinensis. Today’s tea is a 2001 raw pu’erh from Lahu. Grown from very old trees, this is likely wet-stored, this tea is pleasantly fruity and quite mellow.
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Camellia Sinensis Samabeong DJ-13 1st Flush Organic & Fair Trade Darjeeling [Episode 24]
British style tea. In episode 24, James & Denny travel to a completely different country, India. With very small and partially oxidized leaves, they review a Darjeeling from Camellia Sinensis.
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The King of the 80s: Dong Ding
The year is 1980. Ronald Reagan was elected president, The Empire Strikes Back had just been released, and Dong Ding was at the top of the Taiwanese tea world. Before Da Yu Ling, before Lishan, before Shan Li Xi (all relatively new entities in tea), and even before Alishan, there was Dong Ding. Perched at an elevation above nearly all other tea-growing region in Taiwan, Dong Ding was literally at the top of the Taiwanese tea world. Feng Huang, a township within the traditional Dong Ding tea-growing region, housed one of the highest-elevation plantation in Taiwan (~1000 meters), that marked the modern-day equivalent of 105k Da Yu Ling. This very, very premium tea was processed with the utmost care by top Taiwanese tea farmers and roasters. (more…)
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Camellia Sinensis 1999 Alishan Taiwanese Oolong [Episode 23]
James & Denny review a charcoal roasted Alishan from 1999. Sold by Montreal-based tea company Camellia Sinensis, this is an excellent tea with a ton of longevity. Watch as the leaves slowly unfurl to reveal wonderfully complex coffee and fruity flavors. A nice change of pace from the typical green oolong that represents most of the oolongs currently grown in Taiwan.
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Jushang Taiwanese Oolong [Episode 22]
James & Denny review the unusually fruity Taiwanese Jushang oolong. Sold by Tealet, this marks a nice change of pace from the more typical high-mountain tea and represents the variety that Taiwanese Oolongs offer.