Bangkok tea tasting meetup

 

Some local tea enthusiasts and I joined for another tea tasting meetup, at our house in Bangkok.  As usual the people joining were the main part, what worked, and as usual I'll say more about the teas instead.  I'll mention why this set of people was interesting, and why the chemistry worked, but then go on about what we tried.

They were all past attendees of other tea tasting meetups I had held (or one was only at an event I also attended, not exactly the same).  That's never been true before, maybe.  Or maybe it has been; a couple events were at least pretty close to that theme.  It was interesting that one guy attended a couple of events 7 years ago or so, one three weeks ago, and the other two I've met over the last few years.  It felt a little like community coming together, but the exposure form is still a little unconventional, that mix of contacts over years.

The attendees were all into tea.  Often someone brand new to tea will join, to experience something different, and that works, mixing people appreciating the same teas for different reasons.  But getting people to meet with comparable experience and local history, having been in Bangkok for awhile, had everyone on the same page.  Instead of that leading to more in-depth discussion of the teas it worked towards comparing personal stories and perspectives, which is also good, probably better than going on and on about flavor aspects.  So it's a little irrelevant to the main story to play up what we experienced, but this is a tea blog, so let's focus on that some.

I'll include mention that one person joining is the owner of the Tea Walla vending business; that's worth a look.  I don't have more to say about those teas based on trying them, but we checked out a couple by smelling the samples at this gathering and they're good, probably better than most of what we tried.  But these teas were chosen related to novelty, to providing an interesting set of experiences.

The teas:

Thai white tea:  we started with a Thai white tea a friend had sent me.  It had a touch of external scent earlier, seemingly from being stored in a laundry room, but over the two years that I've had the tea that completely faded.  It was subtle, but nice, a bit sweet and floral.  For a sheng pu'er drinker mild, sweet, and subtle tea isn't ideal, but it was a good way to start.  For this range of style, as a novel, complex, but mild white it was good.

101 Plantation Thai Dong Ding style oolong:  I've reviewed this not long ago, so there's a more complete description here.  This is a relatively moderately oxidized, above average roast input level, reasonably balanced rolled oolong.  Ordinarily the balance wouldn't work well for a Thai version of this, and a couple of flaws would stand out (too much roast input, an off mineral, wood, or cardboard sort of note, a touch of sourness, etc.).  This isn't like that.  It's good, but not great.  

It's an interesting style of tea to try, and it works well in a light to heavy sequence, for being on the approachable side.  Usually a version of this style would include more limitations, an off flavor, or a lack of complexity, but this version balances well.

Osmanthus fragrance Dan Cong:  this was kind of a miss, but that was the point of trying it, to see how it worked out.  A vendor sent a sample set last year, from ITea World, including a lot of really nice Dan Cong, but the packaging was paper with a plastic inner lining.  It's possible that would hold up well, as a completely sealed tea, and also that it was so permeable that something stored in that form in a hot and humid climate for over a year would be dead (a year and a half, or more).  

It was quite transitioned, so closer to dead.  For multi-layer packaging or mylar you can keep samples around for a few years, but for this material type it's much more likely to not hold up.  Any ziplock / sandwhich or freezer bag material is even worse; that's a lot more permeable than it would seem.  

It's not a huge loss, since it's some samples that were given to me, and I tried one of everything, but the set included two of everything.  But those teas were so exceptional last year that it's a loss of experience opportunity.  It was really good tea, and now it has changed a lot.  For the aged versions in that set--I think there were some--they might still make a lot more sense.  For the very bright and fragrant versions they're surely all much diminished.  To me the lesson was interesting; you need to mind storage and packaging limitations when you keep tea around, especially in a very hot climate.

I lived in Hawaii a good bit last year, twice between January and end of May, and should have brought those with me there then.  There are so many things to consider when moving around like that tea storage issues don't factor in, and I tend to bring a few basics, in decent quantity, so I don't run out.

Viet Sun Y Ty sun dried black tea:  we had tried an oven dried black tea at the last tasting, and it was interesting checking on how a "shai hong" style black had transitioned since I bought it last Spring, maybe a half a year or so ago now.  It probably had picked up some flavor intensity and depth, as those tend to.  Few black teas age positively in that way, but that's a main theme for sun-dried black teas.  It was quite good.  And interesting; it's not a style that so many people would be familiar with.  Being from Vietnam instead of Yunnan doesn't necessarily change a lot, but versions from both places vary quite a bit, so it's all something slightly different to explore.

this tea version is on the right

Viet Sun tall trees sheng pu'er:  finally on to sheng!  Reviewed here:  Tủa Chùa Tall Trees Maocha Autumn 2024   

But this isn't a bright, sweet, floral, bitter, and intense style, so not really type-typical for sheng.  More wild origin material tends to be warmer in tone, not as bright, and flavorful in a different way.  This was like that.  Steve's description of it is interesting, which I just saw related to looking up that post:

This area has some of the biggest tea trees in Vietnam and many are allowed to grow tall. This area is close to Laos and has a different climate than many other tea areas in Vietnam giving teas from here a unique profile. It it very dry and sunny for much of the year here.

This area is known for its signature orchid/ citrus flower fragrance with a citrus, fruity, forest almost tobacco range of flavor... 

Bitterness was fairly moderate, and astringency wasn't challenging at all.  Maybe it had evolved a little since trying it earlier on, but as a 2024 tea it had been changing for awhile.  It was interesting for trying sheng that's not the most typical in style.  For someone not necessarily into the blast of strong flavor, bitterness, and astringency this might be better than a typical young sheng version.

Bing Dao sheng, from Oriental Leaf:  this is a pretty good version of a sheng, and probably a fair representation of Bing Dao, reviewed in this blog here.  But a local contact / friend sent some even more exceptional Bing Dao material versions not long ago, so there is another level.  It's bright, sweet, floral, not too astringent, with limited bitterness emerging after the initial round.  It was probably hard to focus on it to appreciate just how good it was, in the midst of trying so many other teas, with discussion as a main focus.  

Oriental Leaf's description includes part of the background related to what I'll be describing:

Raw pu-erh from Bingdao's core growing area, made from 2020 harvest material that was aged before being pressed and released. Mengku Rongshi — the brand widely credited with establishing Bingdao's reputation — has been sourcing from this area since 1984...

The raw material for this tea was harvested in 2020 from high-grade Bingdao area gardens — one bud plus two leaves, selected to the same standard as the brand's other Bingdao products.

Rather than pressing immediately after processing, the brand held the material in dry storage at their Yunnan factory — allowing it to settle, integrate, and develop before compression. The first batch was pressed and released in 2023 after aging in dry storage. Subsequent batches — released in 2024, 2025, and 2026 — draw from the same 2020 material, pressed and released in their respective years.

I think we tend to adjust to the younger material character, to expect what is normally experienced in the first year or two, which includes plenty of intensity, sweetness, freshness, and bright flavors.  This kind of aged version, six years old, would have moved on to express depth, trading out parts of that.

But it worked as an example of pretty good sheng.  Not necessarily as "the star of the show," as one might expect from a Bing Dao example, under those circumstances, but it worked well as one part of a broader set of experiences.  It was probably the best quality tea that we tried, of course, but for covering so much diverse range it just seemed like one more part of a broader experience, instead of a defining point in that.  

In a different themed tasting all of this would've been discussed at length, but with the social exchange focus it was barely noted that it was a well-settled, partly aged version.  Really drilling down into background and analysis during a tasting can be helpful and informative, but in a different way it's nice to just experience what the teas offer.

2006 Xiaguan 8653 (reviewed here last, a few years ago):  it was quite a switch, moving to such a heavy, intense, fully aged, barnyard oriented sheng version next, but it was time.  If we hadn't covered so much white, oolong, and black tea range we could've added another more conventional sheng in the middle, and I had one set aside with what we might try for that, a standard kind of bitter, not very aged version.

It was what you would expect.  Barnyard flavors were quite heavy, but kind of on the clean side, for what it was.  I really like this tea.  It's much better than it was 3 or 4 years ago, when I had reviewed it, since it really is ready now, and hadn't been.  Most sheng drinkers would already know where they stand on this kind of range, but for others it might be hard to relate to for being so novel.

Oriental Leaf Fu zhuan (Jinyang Genshe 2010 Fu brick tea):  we ended on a different Fu hei cha version from them this time, one reviewed here.  It's a little different than the conventional style cake versions I usually try at the end.  Instead of the heavy yeasty, honey, and dark bread oriented range it included some vanilla spice, and lighter warm tones, maybe like graham cracker instead of darker bread.  It was nice.  

The people joining seemed to connect with it.  I think maybe it's because trying a drinkable, sweet, complex, and very unique tea after the rest of a long sequence really makes that version stand out.  It's very clean in effect; that's probably another part of it.  The other teas were unique, and covered different parts of that range in different ways, but this was a real shift, in a drinkable and pleasant direction.  

The Xiaguan we had before it, for example, people are either already conditioned to love or else they probably wouldn't.  That tea isn't bitter, rough, astringent, musty, or earthy in objectionable ways, but it's a unique thing, that's not a natural fit for preference without some acclimation.  Good, pleasant Fu zhuan hei cha is something anyone could appreciate, with or without focusing on it.  It's approachable.  Usually versions would have more limitations than this one did, and not be quite as intense or complex, or would include more odd flavor range (odd spice or mineral, wood, whatever it is).

Someone mentioned that it seems like a flavored tea, but at the same time it clearly seems to be a natural outcome, that the mix of complex flavors had to be from natural inputs, just in an unconventional final character.  That's the level of understanding people with these kinds of experience would apply to this range of different teas; that's exactly how it is.

But again it was nice to me that it felt more like a social gathering than a chance to demonstrate tea knowledge or expertise to others, for everyone.  Tea works exceptionally well to give people space to just sit and talk, and experience that novel sensory input range, so that discussion can fill that space.  It was nice.  I'm grateful to those people joining for contributing their time, for making it like that. 

How does social conformity interfere with deeper levels of awareness? (about Buddhism)

This was a question on Quora, which I wrote about in relation to undertaking a Buddhism based project of self-understanding.  "Understanding" is probably the wrong concept, but there isn't a better one to swap in, for reasons that hopefully this writing makes clear.  It was asked in this Quora Space (like a FB group), Human Psychology Facts.

There is a good chance that won't be approved as a displayed answer there, but it doesn't change things either way.  

This really works as a decent starting point and description of what Buddhism is.

How does social conformity (arguably) interfere with deeper levels of awareness?

I’ll answer this from a Buddhist perspective.  It’s a bit much to claim to be an authority on that subject, but I did study it in two university programs, as philosophy and religion, and I was ordained as a Thai Buddhist monk at one point.  Living in Thai Buddhist society for nearly 20 years hasn’t informed a related perspective, but I’ve done that.

One more qualification:  social conformity is an important social function.  The norms, expectations, social roles, shared goals, life direction, etc., functionally define our lives.  If we were to just set that aside, which is relatively impossible, there would be no way to define who or what we are.  It’s possible to borrow from another set of all of those, but there is no “starting from scratch,” and reworking what a person could be.  We are social creatures, with a lot of predispositions, past conditioning, and biological functions to work around.  

The norms define us, which is helpful.  We can pick and chose among them, because every society has a set that’s broader than one person can live out to choose from (or to default to).  This kind of choosing and change requires higher level awareness, which leads back to the question at hand.

Indirectly people get too busy and caught up with social functions and standard life goals to really dig deeper.  If your family demands, work life, somewhat inherited personal interests, and maintenance requirements (resolving illness, exercise, eating a decent diet, etc.) seem to require at least as much attention and effort as you possess there is no exploring further.

More directly it’s a social norm to not question social norms.  Or people can, and do, and it is a social function, but it’s generally framed and accepted as falling within a normal pattern of questioning.  For example, a white, middle or upper class liberal might question “white guilt,” and their privilege, or benefits from landing in a positive societal placement, along with considering the history and economic forces that led them there.  A conservative might question the role of societal outsiders, foreigners and immigrants, and the extent to which they can or should be offered shared participation in their own culture and society.  

Within the context of mental health treatment one might question their own past history, related to the carry-on effects of past negative events, or genetic predispositions.  This is normal, and it does relate to two narrow channels for exploring self-awareness.  One might take a personality type test, and move on to consider what those predispositions mean.

What don’t you question then; what don’t societies regard as a normal line of internal review?  You can question the norms, to an extent, but generally not the sub-structure of reality itself, and the basis for your own worldview.  Immediately some people might see a disconnect in the last two points I’ve made; isn’t it doing just that to undergo mental health therapy?  It’s not, really.  You are looking into cause and effect sequences within your own personal experience, not how the entire framework came to be, and how it functions.

An example would help with this.  We tend to see ethical / moral norms as something either inherited from past cultural forms by way of religious teachings (eg. from Christianity, or Buddhism), or as a practical set of norms that help society function better, that are conditioned into people as a matter of routine practice, because they work.  Most people not killing other people is a good basis for a stable society.  Something like lying becomes more complicated; that’s relatively normal.  So we tend to not really deal with that.  Moreover we tend to not dig up and unpack what morality itself is.  Is it one of these things, a combination of both, or something else?  Can we intentionally adjust it, our own moral judgment process?

Self-image works even better as an example.  Societies offer us social levels (classes), status as an indicator, and personal choices related to self-definition as means of providing others with an image of who we see ourselves as being.  Someone who runs is a runner; fitness matters to them.  Then they can go out and join groups to discuss that with like-minded people, buy gear to demonstrate their commitment, and support that function, and display their social status.  Races are held for this purpose, more so than testing how fast someone can run a certain distance, which anyone can do almost anytime.  

In today’s world sharing results online (Strava; posting runs) enters in.  There’s a saying for them:  if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen (or just Strava or it didn’t happen).  Why?  Every run re-affirms self-image, more so than it actually informs others of physical training results.

What if someone wanted to turn all of this around, and truly unpack what they’re built up of, what a shared cultural worldview is, and what their own self-image and perspective relates to?  This would already be a violation of a social norm.  People don’t do that.  You can question why you are so reliant on Strava to communicate training run results to others, but even that is a bit much.  You can’t explore all of the social norms within your own society, without any good reason for doing this.  Even if you study psychology, anthropology, or sociology, for example, they’re not going to lead you in this direction.  You can explore what they want you to explore, what is normal.

I ran into the same limitations in studying philosophy.  There are very clear norms related to what you can and cannot question.  One professor expressed this clearly:  we study rational knowledge, not inherited wisdom.  The form of human nature is only relevant to philosophy within a very limited scope.  Oddly they realize that people aren’t rational; this much is fairly obvious.  But they still work within that general range as a basic premise.  The idea seems to be that although an ordinary human perspective, or a given philosopher’s perspective, is not based mainly on reason (as logical thought) we can still accept that reason can unpack and shed light on some aspects of worldview building and more conventional “reasoning.”  Reason is still seen as a valid tool for building up frameworks of ideas, even though eventually it’s going to contradict forms and patterns developed through organic worldview development.

The idea of a model is interesting to consider.  A model is a simplified construct that represents a more complex system, of any sort.  This is clear in a model of a car or airplane.  In my first area of study, industrial engineering, simulation modeling makes for an interesting and useful example.  We can use statistical constructs to pattern how individuals drive a car, and describe why traffic patterns result in wave forms, bunches of cars getting stuck together.  I’ve already mentioned a key model that comes up in philosophical study, or two competing versions of one:  Kant’s ethical framework theories try to demonstrate how moral guidelines and choices are regulated mainly by reason, and other “consequentialist” models describe how broad patterns of behavior are more favorable for individuals and broader society.  

You simplify one part of reality, by building up a limited set of ideas that represent a broader form.  Another idea repeats here:  doesn’t this relate to an exploration of self-awareness?  Sure, but in a very limited sense.  One might expect that we could work through and unpack a lot of category range, layers, and levels of human internal experience (worldview) to model how a lot of human nature works out.  This is what Kant tried to do.  Why didn’t it work?  Because people aren’t really rational, so assuming that on some fundamental level they really are builds way too broad a contradiction into your modeling.  Lots of model components and conclusions will become wonky, because the initial starting points don’t work.

What if someone is a practicing Buddhist; doesn’t this set of practices and ideas give people the tools to deconstruct their own worldview, to understand it, and to some extent reconstruct it?  The last two parts don’t work, and it’s too complicated to explain why not here.  But yes, you can functionally take apart and examine the assumptions that go into your own worldview and perspective, and your own society, and re-adopt a less cluttered perspective that functions better.  I feel that I have done this.  It’s a pretty broad claim, so you should take that with a grain of salt.

So many questions and tangents start from this point.  What is the new form of what is re-adopted, since just dropping societal norms would create huge gaps, unless there were new forms to adopt instead?  Just how practical is this?  Isn’t it a concern that someone would become less functional, if they choose to define themselves as an outsider within their own society?

Deeper yet, what is fundamental to human nature when these layers are stripped away (conventional self-image, conventional practice of morality, etc.)?

I could answer some of these questions, but the answers probably wouldn’t be as helpful and meaningful as helping others go through the internal review themselves.  It would be as if I tried to describe Thai society and perspective to an American, or Japanese landscape and architecture aesthetics.  You can experience these things relatively directly, by visiting Japan and looking around, or meeting a Thai, and talking to them about how they see themselves and their society.  I suppose the first works better than the second, and the description of Thai culture would be as helpful trying to reconstruct all of that from implied context in discussion.

Undertaking this sort of internal exploration, the Buddhist path I’ve described, is very problematic.  If someone tried to join a foreign based sub-culture or school of religion to attempt this they would bump into taking on a new set of worldview assumptions, instead of unpacking their own.  It’s not even as if what I’ve described is exactly how Buddhism is taken within religious traditions.  It’s not, at all.  This seems to clearly be the intention of all of it, clearly expressed in fundamental core teachings.  But then other parts stand out more within religious practice.  To an extent even within a monastic tradition, although this again extends into range that’s too complicated to explain in a short or medium length passage.

But yet I’ve claimed to have sorted out this general goal (deeper self-awareness), to have explored or derived practical approaches towards it, and to some extent to have experienced those.  I’m definitely not “enlightened,” so maybe what I mean by this isn’t clear.  Again it’s a limitation in what I can express; I can’t distill 30+ years worth of internal self review into a clear and simple approach and results summary.  It’s much easier to model and discuss a lot of other range, than these sorts of themes.  

If someone could explain “what is Buddhism?” in a reasonable space they would have already.  I’ve written about this, in the form of two completed book drafts, but looking back (on those unpublished summary attempts) I’ve covered the initial steps more than the outcome, how I went about it, instead of what the result was.  Maybe I’ll write a third book, that I may or may not ever publish.  I’m not finished with the process; there are still steps remaining for me to take, in the review and adjustment process I’ve described.  I suppose that’s probably going to be true up until I’ve ended this life.  That’s really why I keep writing, to document it as I go, instead of waiting until some end or final transition, that’s not likely to ever occur.

It sounds like madness, doesn’t it?  Like I’m just out there.  I can accept that.

It has been helpful that I’ve lived in two different societies, in the US up until the age of 38, I think it was, and now 19 more years living mostly in Thailand.  It has been helpful to live part-time back in the US, to keep re-adjusting to living within that culture, to see what that adjustment process is like, and how perspectives are different.  

As a foreigner where I live complete conformity is not only not expected, in one sense it’s not really practical.  I suppose that could be a chapter in that next book, instead of a theme that’s well-developed within 3 or 4 sentences here.

One might end this by questioning the extent to which I seem to have met and known others who have walked this sort of path.  Not just using Buddhism as a tool for self-exploration, and unpacking and working more directly with assumed worldview, but taking on any approach that results in a similar end.  Or within Buddhism; that works too.  

Buddhist teachers that are known and respected, that write and communicate the best material about these themes, are the only examples that come to mind.  Thich Nhat Hanh works as a good example.  I’m no Thich Nhat Hanh, to be clear; I’m not placing myself on his level, even though that’s clearly implied here.  

In ordinary life people seem to work with different degrees of self-awareness.  But it’s not as if you can see it in their countenance, or derive it from ordinary discussion.  My grandmother had made an unusual degree of peace with her own human nature, and was very wise.  It comes across in forms like this.  Others recognize it too.

This ran long; it’s been great talking.  If it sounds like I’m talking nonsense that actually helps make this initial point, doesn’t it?  Even if someone put lots of effort into understanding and revising their own worldview, and felt like they had limited success with that, they would come across as crazy if they tried to talk to others about that.

Thai #12 Jin Xuan oolong, and Dong Ding style oolong

 

I'm reviewing two more Thai oolong from 101 Plantation, a main producer here.  They're #12, Jin Xuan, probably the main plant type and oolong type produced in Thailand, and a Dong Ding style version.  That's a reference to a Taiwanese region, really to preparation style there, to the rolled oolong being a little more oxidized and then significantly roasted.

I'll come right out with it:  these were great.  The Oriental Beauty oolong from them I reviewed recently was really exceptional, one of the best Thai oolongs I've yet to try, and these weren't too far off that.  I suppose they're also among the best Thai oolongs I've tried, but good OB is really something special (or Dong Fang Mei Ren, if you prefer that name).

Anyone ordering that Oriental Beauty should probably consider these too.  Even if only one of these styles is a personal favorite they're both great examples of these type ranges.  It's a harder question to answer how these match up against good Taiwanese oolongs.  They're pretty far up the scale, but some Taiwanese oolongs are really high in quality, and pleasant in expressed aspects.  If you pay two or three times as much as these cost you can find as good or better teas from there, but you could also pay that much and try something that's not as good.  An example at the end might clarify how far the range goes, and what the other extreme looks like.

Let's hear their descriptions (101's), and move on to the review notes.

101 Tea Premium Jin Xuan Oolong Tea No. 12 Loose Leaf (10g x 25 Packs, Box Set)  (THB 400.00 Price, $11.86)

Indulge in the smooth, naturally creamy flavor of our Premium Jin Xuan Oolong Tea No. 12 Loose Leaf, carefully cultivated at our renowned tea plantation. Celebrated for its delightful milk-like aroma and gentle, mellow taste, each cup delivers an exceptional tea-drinking experience. Packaged conveniently in individual 10g packs, ideal for brewing one perfect teapot, this box set is excellent for sharing at gatherings, family tea time, or as a thoughtful gift for tea. lovers.

101 Tea Premium Dong Ding Oolong Tea Loose Leaf (200g)  THB 350.00, 10.38 United States Dollar)

Experience the essence of our Premium Dong Ding Oolong, carefully cultivated in our tea plantation in Chiang Rai. Named after the "Frozen Peak," this exceptional tea features tightly rolled leaves that unfurl to reveal a light, refreshing cup with a distinct and captivating fragrance.

Those listings are marketing content, so they have to say that the teas are good, but in this case they're even better than they are describing.  I've not read those listings until after writing the review notes, so I don't make it a point to connect the two in what follows.

That last tea, the Dong Ding version, costing $10 for 200 grams is crazy.  It's really good tea.  You might need to spend four times that much to buy an equivalent version in Taiwan, or elsewhere.

These are 10 gram samples or portions, which is why the 100 ml gaiwan is completely full.  I thought it might be a little less, and that the leaves expanded a lot, but that high proportion accounts for the intensity and the teas brewing so many positive rounds (related to shortening infusion times, sort of).  For sheng pu'er that's too much to brew at once, and 8 grams is better, so that you can still control intensity using shorter infusion times, but for mild character rolled oolongs it's fine.  That's a lot for brewing Western style; these would work out to brew two larger than average portion rounds, at 5 grams each.

Review:

#12 Jin Xuan:  a little light, because it's still opening up, but this is definitely the right range.  It's bright, floral, and sweet.  It's the oolong type people describe as a natural form of milk oolong, that tastes the most like milk, and it sort of does, and also sort of doesn't.  There's a creaminess to it; that part works.  Some of the light and sweet flavor might resemble milk a little, but not much.  It's probably a little closer to the flavor of cream, which is close enough.  It's good.  I'll add more list next time, but never have much luck breaking down flower types range.

Dong Ding (the same style as that region of Taiwan, but obviously not from there):  that's good.  The other was good, within that type and style range, but this is really something, from the first sip.  A secondary cognac or liqueur like effect almost stands out first, even though that's deriving from how the other aspects come together (I think; who really knows?).  

The tones are much warmer.  And hard to describe.  Some could see this as tasting like rich spice tones, and to me that works pretty well.  Or like warm, sweet leather; that I can still see.  Some of the heavy, complex, warm tones from Scotch whiskey or tobacco could be represented, but of course that's an indirect interpretation; it would only carry over part of those complex and intense flavors (to the extent you taste tobacco, which you do, when you smoke it).  Maybe even peat.

It's pleasant.  The flavors are clean; none of the negative associations about potential off earthy flavor range or mustiness would apply, if one would intuitively associate those.  It takes very little of that to throw off this very positive effect; a little sourness alone would do it.  It's odd that it can be this good in a light initial round.

#12 / Jin Xuan infusion 2:  I didn't mention that it would have been natural to use a rinse step last round, very typical, and I didn't.  I did infuse the tea for a longer time to help the balls open, approaching 30 seconds.  For this round I infused these for about 15 seconds, which isn't long, since they are still opening, but intensity was fine last round, so I didn't want to overdo it.

This is again bright, fresh, sweet, floral, and intense enough.  There isn't a hint of a negative aspect.  People might not like the style of tea, this aspects set, but there's none of the cardboard flavor that can enter in with some Thai rolled oolong.  Warmth picks up ever so slightly; this will probably gain depth in that way, trading out the brighter and fresher notes over the following rounds.  It's floral, but I'm not great with remembering floral range scents.  Not exactly orchid, not that bright and sweet, but it is bright and sweet.  The more you think about butter or cream the more it seems to taste like that.

Dong Ding:  the heavy mineral flavors really emphasize the roasted quality this round.  They did for the last round too, but now this really leans into the peat from Scotch whiskey sort of theme.  Floral range in this is much richer and warmer, but again I'm not great at placing that.  Towards lavender, but not exactly that.  Other range is more like spice, some sort of complex incense spice, maybe something like sandalwood.  It's funny how all of this range is something I'm not great at describing.  

It comes across as a full and complex flavor set, with good depth.  That warm peat or spice tone really carries over to aftertaste after you drink it, which is generally a good sign for oolong.  If this roast input was just a little heavier it would be too much, but they've nailed it for a relatively optimum input.  I didn't love the red oolong example as much from them, but the Oriental Beauty and these are fantastic representations of completely different oolong styles.  Even that tea was fine (the red oolong); the character just didn't suit me as well.

These are better than I remember trying in the past.  I would buy Thai oolongs from different places, and some of those would have been 101 Plantation teas, but I usually wouldn't know.  I've tried tea I knew to be from them in the past, but probably a good bit more that I only guessed was.

#12 third infusion:  I may not write notes beyond this round, even though these will definitely be fine for 8 or 9 infusions, or possibly more.  I brewed that Oriental Beauty yesterday, for something like 10, and drank a few more infusions of it this morning.  I'll often make extra rounds to give to plants, and those were holding up so well that the plants and I shared the extra rounds this morning.

my daughter's plant drinks tea with me daily

The Jin Xuan is evolving nicely, picking up more complexity.  It might be even better in a couple of more rounds; it might be telling an incomplete story to only write about 3 or 4 infusions.  That depth and different flavor might relate to something like root spice, like sassafras / root beer.  Brighter floral tones lighten, giving way to those warmer and deeper tones.  

Often a touch of vegetal range is included in this kind of tea, so I might be mentioning green wood, or some kind of vegetable, kale or okra or whatever.  This doesn't include that.  If you really think about vegetal range you might make out something like summer forest scent, but it's not pronounced.

Dong Ding:  that charcoal / roasted edge keeps intensifying; that's interesting.  Maybe at this level it would seem a bit much, for many.  It might be interesting to mix these and see where the flavors land in the middle.  But in general that just gets you muddle flavors, because the distinct set in both becomes too broad to make out, even if you see warm and bright tones as balancing better.

It's worth considering if this represents what people call the traditional style of Tie Guan Yin, if the input of higher levels of oxidation and roast balance in that same way.  Of course it's a different plant type, so right away that's different.  They made this out of something, but probably not Tie Guan Yin, most likely the same Jin Xuan (#12), or else #17 (what I think of as Bai Lu, but gets called Ruan Zhi more).  I think the oxidation level would be slightly higher if it was made in that style, or at least the form I think of it as, and maybe roast input backed off just a little.

The mineral tone reminds me of ink more than char this round.  Literally like ink smells; it tastes like that.  For some that would be fantastic, for others off-putting.  I like it.

There's a trick people do with sheng pu'er when the aftertaste input builds up a lot, drinking cool water between rounds to clear your palate.  The water tastes very sweet, an after-effect from the hui gan, or bitterness that changes to sweetness (more or less; hui gan is a complex concept and effect).  This causes something like that, when you drink water after it, not as sweet, but a noteworthy interesting flavor.  It can't be the same thing, since that's from flavors tied to bitterness, but in an indirect way it's related.

#12 fourth infusion:  this is the best this has been, with the limitation that it's not as bright, fresh, and sweet as the early rounds, which would be many people's favorite part.  Complexity and depth are really developed.  Jin Xuan can be pleasant, but Thai versions don't tend to be this good.  

It's great that they sent these extra samples for review, when I only bought the Oriental Beauty, since I really should go back and buy more of these.  I often give oolong to a couple of monks we know, and they would love these.  Thais give monks things--food on alms round, or basic household goods, or even tea--to gain merit, but for me it's about concern over them not being able to shop for tea.  Sure, they're not focused on having pleasant experiences, given that context, but they can still drink nice tea.

The different ranges of mineral base, floral tones (now warmer), and root spice are so integrated that you really don't experience it like that, as different sets of different flavors.  

It wouldn't be completely wrong for someone to interpret one part of the flavor as resembling roasted corn; that's not so far off.  Not sweet corn that's boiled in water or steamed, I mean the flavor that comes from wrapping an un-husked ear in foil and cooking it on a fire.  If you've not tried that it's a good goal to pursue.  You should soak the ear in water first, to get as much water in it as you can, to help steam the corn and offset the charring effect.

Dong Ding:  that liqueur or cognac like aspect range switches to be more perfume-like, with the heavy lavender oriented floral tones picking up.  I brewed this for a substantial time too, nearly 20 seconds, so that's not from making a lighter infusion, which does change the flavor profile a little (or can).  It's interesting that the roasted char input kept building up in level and then just dropped off that much in one round.  It still tastes plenty roasted, but not like last round.  This spans a lot more warm mineral base with heavy floral tones standing out.  I think it is actually pretty close to lavender, a warm, rich, and particularly strong smelling floral scent.

Two or three more rounds would see these transition further, for sure.  But I have an informal policy against writing 2000 word blog posts; it's too much for me to write, and for people to read.  You get the idea; these teas are shifting across rounds, so far in only pleasant ways.  They'll brew 6 to 8 exceptional rounds, and then how fast the pleasant character starts to shift from there depends on the tea.

One part of why that Oriental Beauty kept making pleasant infusions relates to there not being off flavors entering in.  Almost any tea will keep infusing to produce flavor, long after the main positive rounds, but off tastes come up (wood, other vegetal range, or harsh astringency, which is something else).  That OB was less positive after about 12 or 13 rounds, which is a long time and a lot of tea.  These may become less positive after "only" 10 instead, but still brewing 8 or 9 good rounds is plenty.

Of course I'm mixing themes, because I always tend to max out brewing proportion.  I'll have to check how much these are, the weight, but I would guess about 8 grams.  It's a lot, but that's my normal amount, for brewing in a 100 ml gaiwan.  [editing note:  10; that's why these were so packed so full.  I thought that was just how they unfurled, since 10 is a lot to brew at one time].

Conclusions:

Just great teas!  How great just depends; there is better range out there.  I feel like I'm not really filling in how that works out.  

Let's consider a curated, really exceptional Taiwanese rolled oolong version for comparison, with a style and aspect description and cost.  I'm not seeing one that matches one of these two styles well, but it won't matter, we can just consider a Qing Xin (plant type) based version, and what I consider to be one of the best curator sources online, Trident Bookseller and Cafe:

Long Feng Xia (龍鳳峽)  (selling for $15 per ounce, or 28 grams, so 250 grams being about 9 times as much quantity this sample pack amount would cost around $135, instead of $12 as this Jin Xuan version did, over ten times as much).

Their description:

Grown at 6,200 feet in cold and foggy conditions, the Long Feng Xia (龍鳳峽) is a very high grade and complex Taiwanese Oolong that comes from a subsection of the Shan Lin Xi growing area. There is a very crisp and floral flavor in the initial steepings, with an aftertaste of tart and sweet green apples. Later steepings are fuller with a pronounced vegetal character suggestive of bean sprouts, layered with floral and bready flavors. Not overly bold, the Long Feng Xia is a subtle and ethereal tea which emphasizes feeling, body, and persisting aftertaste. It rewards careful brewing and attention to detail.

Origin - Xeitou, Nantou, Taiwan

Harvests - Spring 2026

Elevation - 6,200 ft

Varietal - Qing Xin (青心烏龍)

Tea Maker - Mr. Chen

Tastes Like - Tulips, Fresh Baked Bread, Green Apple

Could all of these teas be a good value, given the broad difference in cost, with this described character sounding unusually positive?  Probably.  They're just two different kinds of teas, and different origins and quality levels.  I bet that it is much better, but "better" is kind of relative.  These Thai oolongs are already good, just more basic.

Trident sells award winning versions, or versions made by the best small artisan producers out there.  Maybe there is still range between the two, that's better than this 101 tea but not as costly, but hopefully this highlights how there is such a broad range of what is made and sold.

I picked that version as an example because it's in their mid-range, with one Taiwanese rolled oolong version costing less ($15 per gram) and a few more ($20 per gram).  This might seem to imply, to some, that I'm criticizing people for needing to buy and experience the best of the best teas, that maybe their expectations have become a problem, or ego and status are getting involved.  That can be part of it, but that's not my point here.  

It's fine if one person has a $200 a year tea budget and someone else $2000; that's how personal finances and preferences for different food themes work out.  Sixty cents a day worth of spending on tea won't go too far, but there's nothing wrong with these Thai oolongs, even if they're the best teas you ever tend to drink.  Personally I'm fine with basic teas.  I wouldn't want to drink versions that cost 50 cents to $1 a gram all the time, because that seems wasteful to me, given how good a lot of 15 to 25 cents per gram tea is.  

This Dong Ding version was closer to 5 cents a gram; just amazing, an incredible value, for an exceptional tea.  Of course that is in a "foreign" cost of living market, in Thailand, it's just not foreign to me, since I'm living in Bangkok now.  Working for a Thai salary, which changes things.  Anyone buying this tea from elsewhere would add a lot of shipping cost to that, to get it, and maybe some customs tax.  I pay that when I buy tea from China; it's just how things go.

Again many thanks and congratulations to the 101 Plantation for providing this tea, and for making such good versions.  It's nice to see Thai tea that's this good.

it's my son's birthday!  he's not so into photos.

taking a river ferry to the temple