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.
Tag: Yunnan Sourcing
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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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Taiwanese Oolong Compendium
Taiwan has been described by Marshaln as “The Tea Shop Island” and is truly a tea lover’s heaven. Like Japan and unlike China, the standards for authentic Taiwanese tea are quite high. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all tea marketed on the internet as Taiwanese tea is extremely high quality (or even grown in Taiwan!), but that most tea acquired through reliable sources will be of reasonable quality. While green tea and black tea are also grown in Taiwan, Taiwanese Oolong is the most famous tea type coming from Taiwan. Taiwanese Oolong is also commonly referred to as Gaoshan (high-mountain tea) or Formosa (Taiwan), and you will see these names used interchangeably amongst the tea drinking community. (more…)
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Hua Yuan “Jing Brand” 1999 Sheng Pu’erh [Episode 7]
James & Denny continue their series of Pu’erh teas with Episode 7 and an older sheng Pu’erh, a primarily raw, slightly ripe offering from Hua Yuan via Yunnan Sourcing: Hua Yuan Jing Brand.
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Menghai 7542 2009 Sheng Pu’erh [Episode 6]
James & Denny continue their series of Pu’erh teas with Episode 6 and their first sheng (raw) offering, a classic, robust offering from Dayi via Yunnan Sourcing: 7542 2009 Menghai.