8 Responses to Da Yu Ling 104K Origin Tea Taiwanese High-Mountain Oolong [Episode 35]

1. Peter says:

   January 14, 2014 at 10:21 pm

   So, considering how much you guys like Tony & Origin Tea, is it safe to say that his shop is the “go-to” place for Taiwanese oolongs?

   Thanks.

   Reply
   • James says:

     January 15, 2014 at 7:20 am

     Hey Peter, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it is one of my one or two goto spots. Floating Leaves is local to us, so I definitely do stop in there every now and then. Denny hasn’t sampled as much from Origin as I have, so I don’t want to speak for him.

     It should also be mentioned that Origin does other types of tea (raw pu/yancha/liubao) as well.

     Cheers,
     -James

     Reply
2. Connor says:

   January 15, 2014 at 7:31 pm

   Just want to say that I think you guys are running an excellent blog and web series here. I stumbled on TeaDB when looking to buy some high quality Taiwanese oolongs, and it looks like you guys have found some great vendors. I’ve ordered samples from a few already, and I think Origin is next on my list.

   I’ve noticed from video to video that you’ve mixed up the leaf-to-water ratio anywhere from 3-12 g. Some of the vendors you’ve mentioned do not include recommended brewing instructions on their website. From experience I’ve enjoyed mixing up the leaf-to-water ratio, but what would you say should be the “standard” quantity for a first tasting of say a high mountain oolong vs baozhong vs pu-erh?

   Reply
   • James says:

     January 17, 2014 at 1:09 am

     Thanks for the kind words Connor, Origin is really a great vendor and I’d definitely recommend Tony and his tea. Good question and I suspect Denny and I would both give different answers. Here’s about what I use:

     Most Taiwanese Oolongs (high-mountain, Dong-Ding): 6-7g/100ml gaiwan. Oriental Beauty and Baozhong I use slightly less leaf.
     Raw Pu’erh: ~7g/100ml pot/gaiwan. I actually use a lower leaf to water ratio for ripe pu’erh (5.5-6g), mainly because it tends to be a more casual brew for me.
     Wuyi Oolongs: 9-10g/100ml pot/gaiwan.

     In the end it is totally your preference, and there is not necessarily a right or wrong way to doing it. Hope that this helps!

     Cheers,
     -James

     Reply
     • Connor says:

       January 17, 2014 at 6:17 am

       Thanks James. This is certainly more than I’m used to (about 1 gram/oz), which is probably a good thing because it will challenge the way I think that certain teas should taste.

       Keep up the good work – I’m interested to see what you guys come up with.

       Best,
       Connor

       Reply
       • James says:

         January 17, 2014 at 5:06 pm

         Hi Connor,

         Especially pay attention to the body and the depth of flavor when you raise the leaf to water ratio. Now to me, less leaf produces thin tasting tea.

         Cheers,
         -James

         Reply
3. the_e says:

   January 16, 2014 at 9:10 pm

   Hi, would you guys be willing to try this brewing method for teas from other places and comparing? I think that might be an interesting exercise.

   Reply
   • James says:

     January 17, 2014 at 1:12 am

     Hi the_e,

     Totally agree. Denny and I have been discussing some different ideas for episodes and brewing experiments are definitely high on our list. On that note, look for an episode all about gaiwans in a month or so.

     Cheers,
     -James

     Reply