Tea or Coffee
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User
True Ouddict
What other teas/brands would you recommend? I am not as far down the rabbit hole as I should be.
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
Do you know what kind of tea you like?
For pu'er, I'd recommend YangQing Hao and XiZhi Hao. Two Taiwan based boutique brands, they are my favorites and I used to sell YQH.
For green tea, Mud and Leaves sells a lovely batch of traceable dragon well every year. In Hawaii, Mauna Kea Tea produces an excellent green. Mauna Kea employs Masanobu Fukuoka's style of regenerative farming made famous by the book, "One Straw Revolution".
Ken Cannata is part of a Taiwanese oolong company that produces some great tea, they are called Taiwan Sourcing. Eco Cha is also popular.
I focus on traditionally processed oolong from Wuyishan, Fenghuangshan, and Taiwan. I recently partnered with Shin Cheng Fang, some of you may recognize his oolong.
For pu'er, I'd recommend YangQing Hao and XiZhi Hao. Two Taiwan based boutique brands, they are my favorites and I used to sell YQH.
For green tea, Mud and Leaves sells a lovely batch of traceable dragon well every year. In Hawaii, Mauna Kea Tea produces an excellent green. Mauna Kea employs Masanobu Fukuoka's style of regenerative farming made famous by the book, "One Straw Revolution".
Ken Cannata is part of a Taiwanese oolong company that produces some great tea, they are called Taiwan Sourcing. Eco Cha is also popular.
I focus on traditionally processed oolong from Wuyishan, Fenghuangshan, and Taiwan. I recently partnered with Shin Cheng Fang, some of you may recognize his oolong.
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User
True Ouddict
Thank you. I will check these out. I drink all kinds of tea, although I rarely drink oolong. There are a some good oolongs that I like if I am in the right mood.
I will also check out your store. I plan to try some of your oud oils anyways so I will add a few teas to my cart.
By the way if you respond to someone you should quote their post or tag their name so that they will get a notification.
EJayB
True Ouddict
Your Jin Mu Dan was spectacular, is that an oolong ?
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
Some teas will harmonize with the drinker, some won't, and the preferences can change depending on one's physical constitution or seasonally/time of day, etc. The type of processing the tea has undergone contributes a lot too. Many modern oolong producers are focusing on nuclear green and perfumy florals, which are enticing to new and casual drinkers, but are less suitable for ceremony and meditation.
Certain teas have strong synergy with agarwood and other aromatics. Incense ceremony is an integral part of a full tea ceremony.
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
Thanks! That is from Wuyishan.
Technically, it is a newer cultivar that was introduced from Anxi half a century ago. Many of the cultivars in Wuyishan are ancient landraces or were developed by monks. Some of the ancient trees are still alive, famously the Da Hong Pao trees, which are around 360 years old and are protected.
User
True Ouddict
What would be the characteristics of a tea that is good for ceremony or meditation?
For me I have a couple 'categories' of tea. I have some that are flavorful and generally simple-tasting and I drink them casually and usually more quickly, and partially for the energy boost. There are other teas that I prefer to sit with and study and focus on. Is that the kind of thing you are talking about? or are you talking about Japanese tea ceremonies and literal meditation? I don't know much about those things as they relate to tea.
And yeah I usually just don't like oolong teas much. There is a certain aspect that almost irritates my mouth slightly, but it's just a taste, if that makes any sense. It's just something that bothers me. I really like Mei leaf's Duck Shit though. I found it very pleasant and interesting, but I don't drink it very often because of the price.
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
Yes, some teas will instill a deep sedation, with feeling of warm fuzziness and heaviness in the limbs. The mind-state will subtly change, slowing and deepening. It is more noticeable with tea made from older trees.
Most plantations will remove aging trees, their production slows and their flavors become more austere, not many live into old age naturally, but the old tree material can be a powerful meditation aid when tuned into. Old tree pu’er and old bush oolong especially, but heicha and other teas can also be powerful.
Taiwan, Wuyishan, and Fenghuangshan all have unique tea ceremonies and histories, but the core of the activity is the same, which is to connect with the tea and enter the unique mindstate. There is a sort of American gongfu tea culture developing currently; everyone essentially develops their own personal and personal ceremony.
Fenghuangshan duck shit is a great tea, very unique. It is usually very lightly roasted to bring out out those aromatic profiles, although it can more heavily roasted.
Have you tried many of the Wuyi teas? It is getting harder to find the heavy roasted and oxidized teas lately, but a traditional roast Wuyi oolong is very different than most other oolongs or teas. Some are best reserved for evening, or when the schedule is clear.
Most plantations will remove aging trees, their production slows and their flavors become more austere, not many live into old age naturally, but the old tree material can be a powerful meditation aid when tuned into. Old tree pu’er and old bush oolong especially, but heicha and other teas can also be powerful.
Taiwan, Wuyishan, and Fenghuangshan all have unique tea ceremonies and histories, but the core of the activity is the same, which is to connect with the tea and enter the unique mindstate. There is a sort of American gongfu tea culture developing currently; everyone essentially develops their own personal and personal ceremony.
Fenghuangshan duck shit is a great tea, very unique. It is usually very lightly roasted to bring out out those aromatic profiles, although it can more heavily roasted.
Have you tried many of the Wuyi teas? It is getting harder to find the heavy roasted and oxidized teas lately, but a traditional roast Wuyi oolong is very different than most other oolongs or teas. Some are best reserved for evening, or when the schedule is clear.
User
True Ouddict
I have tried some possibly sedative teas, but nothing that couldn't be mistaken for placebo or the calming nature of preparing and drinking tea. Are there any specific teas that you could recommend to me in this category?
I guess I don't have any elaborate ceremony, but I do find it calming and enjoyable to brew tea with a gaiwan throughout the night.
I will check this out. Again, do you have any specific recommendations?
I am not familiar with this type of tea but I will look into it. Would appreciate a recommendation.
I am pretty picky with tea and I don't want to accidentally buy something that is subpar quality. I am not quite familiar enough with the tea world to be confident buying from a seller I am not familiar with. If the first wuyi or Fenghuangshen that I try is low quality, then it might turn me off from the whole category.
At this point I usually just buy from Mei leaf because it's generally good quality and I don't want to waste my money on something that isn't very good. Plus there is the brand loyalty aspect because I learned how to brew from his videos and bought from his website originally, and the detailed brewing instructions made things easy for me. I have a feeling that there are other vendors who would be a better deal that I am missing out on, and I am now a little more confident with brewing so I think I can do without the extra help.
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
Yes specifically old tree ou’er and old bush oolong, the pu’er assamica trees must be 200 yesrs old and the oolong sinensis bushes must be 60 years old.
If you are interested in Wuyi cultivars, specifically Da Hong Pao is the most famous. Shui Xian is lovely, less oxidized, tastes like a cookie. Shui Jin Gui is heavy and hits like a freight train. Jin Mu Dan is lighter and more floral, easy to get into. Rou Gui is a favorite, it is heavy but balanced, it is what my tea farmer’s family drinks.
They should be flash brewed, the first steep should only be a few seconds. I see some people letting them steep for Taiwanese parameters.
The traditional teas are relatively lower in caffeine, a lot is roasted off. They are very high in other compounds, including L-theanine and GABA.
Don from Mei Leaf brings a lot of good energy and is very knowledgeable. I am unaware of how his tea is processed or the overall quality and potency, but I am sure they are very good. I believe he offers small samples, which would be useful for exploring new teas.
There is saying that one should drink a kilogram of bad tea before good tea. The tea will reveal its true character, after repeated study, similar to agarwood.
What kind of tea/preparation style are you most familiar with? I would recommend a small gaiwan or a 100ml fast pouring yixing teapot. The fast pour seems to be beneficial with open leaf tea
If you are interested in Wuyi cultivars, specifically Da Hong Pao is the most famous. Shui Xian is lovely, less oxidized, tastes like a cookie. Shui Jin Gui is heavy and hits like a freight train. Jin Mu Dan is lighter and more floral, easy to get into. Rou Gui is a favorite, it is heavy but balanced, it is what my tea farmer’s family drinks.
They should be flash brewed, the first steep should only be a few seconds. I see some people letting them steep for Taiwanese parameters.
The traditional teas are relatively lower in caffeine, a lot is roasted off. They are very high in other compounds, including L-theanine and GABA.
Don from Mei Leaf brings a lot of good energy and is very knowledgeable. I am unaware of how his tea is processed or the overall quality and potency, but I am sure they are very good. I believe he offers small samples, which would be useful for exploring new teas.
There is saying that one should drink a kilogram of bad tea before good tea. The tea will reveal its true character, after repeated study, similar to agarwood.
What kind of tea/preparation style are you most familiar with? I would recommend a small gaiwan or a 100ml fast pouring yixing teapot. The fast pour seems to be beneficial with open leaf tea
User
True Ouddict
I have tried a da hong pao before but I don't remember being very impressed. Might have just been the specific batch. I will check out some of the other kinds that you mentioned.
How do i know when this is the case? And what are Taiwanese parameters?
His teas have been the best that I have tried so far. I usually only order from him, but I wanted to branch out a bit and I don't know where to start. I don't know if it's overpriced or not. I have definitely ordered many samples of his tea.
And yeah don't worry, I have drank well over a kilo of bad tea, and I have drank over a kilo of good tea also.
I typically use a small gaiwan, between 60 and 120ml. I have a small yixing teapot but I don't usually use it.
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
Da Hong Pao is usually a blend, which compounds the complexity and required skill of the roaster. Most Wuyi tea is produced in the areas surrounding the Wuyishan protected area. The best Wuyi tea is from the protected area.
All Wuyi oolong should be flash brewed. The first steep should not exceed 5-8 seconds, otherwise too much flavor will be released in the first steep and the subsequent steeps will suffer.
Taiwanese oolong is usually brewed with a 30-45 second initial steep with a more prolonged initial rinse.
User
True Ouddict
I see. Can you explain the reason for rinsing? I personally never do it.
Maunamoku
True Ouddict
The rinse primarily removes leaf dust from processing, or musty flavors from aging, and does not taste good. It also opens the leaves if they are compressed, like rolled oolong and pu'er cakes. Some people will drink their rinse, but I do not. Usually, it will significantly improve the quality of the brew to rinse.
Some very delicate green teas like dragon well I do not rinse, or when using the bowl method of brewing.
Some very delicate green teas like dragon well I do not rinse, or when using the bowl method of brewing.
User
True Ouddict
@Maunamoku Thanks I will try it from now on and see if it improves the taste.
EJayB
True Ouddict
Great video!!!
Will try this method for a practice to raise my connection to the beauty of my natural surroundings and a grounding moment. 🙏🏼
User
True Ouddict
Chillest 13 minutes of my life.
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