An International Tea Moment has a very interesting review up on 'The Implications of Roasting'. The Eco-Cha 3 Pack comes with an unroasted, a lightly roasted, and a heavily roasted tea.
For many years I’ve wanted to venture north, out of my familiar playground of Dong Ding and High Mountain Oolong Country in Central Taiwan, to explore the heart of the famous and ever more popular Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea in Emei, Hsinchu County.
This spring crop has the classic buttery notes of a Jin Xuan Oolong with underlying sweet vegetal and woody qualities. The flavor is buttery, nutty, and savory - balanced by the smooth astringent "original Oolong" qualities that offer a clean, fragrant finish.
Last week, in the first days of the Chinese New Year, I didn’t have a chance to visit my friend who provides us with our Dong Ding Oolong Tea. So today, I made a point of making it to his home during these final days of the holiday. When I arrived, my friend – who chose the English name Young, was holding the first draft of his English translation of a poem that a friend posted on his FB page. This poem was written by a friend in response to a photo that Young had taken on the ninth day of the Chinese New Year when he went to the local temple to make traditional offerings.
When Andy, Eco-Cha's tea sourcer, first visited this farm three years ago, it was like a dream come true.
He had just recently become specifically committed to exploring and supporting sustainable practice in the tea industry in Taiwan, and this farm exceeded his expectations. As he was given an extensive tour of the tea plantation by its owner who developed it on his own, he literally had to hold back his emotions so as not to alarm his host.
Are there stems in hand picked tea? Is this a good or a bad thing? Here we discuss what it really means to have stems in hand picked tea leaves and what precisely the harvester and farmer are looking for with regards to stems.
Dong Ding Oolong Tea made in the traditional way is a favorite of ours, and this is a fine example of an extra robust, heavily roasted version of Dong Ding Oolong.