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


James & Denny continue their 4-episode series on Origin Tea. In episode 35, they review a Da Yu Ling 104K, from one of the highest-elevation farms in all of Taiwan. This is an extremely premium offering and like the Fu Shou Shan, this tea is minimally processed in a nuclear-green style. In this episode they also use a very unique (and powerful) method of brewing gaoshan (covered in more depth here).


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

  1. 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.

    • 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

  2. 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?

    • 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

      • 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

        • 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

  3. 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.

    • 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

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