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Lishan left, in all photos (much greener and lighter in brewed color) |
I'm back to reviewing, covering two oolong versions from Tea Mania, a vendor based in Switzerland. These were contributed for review, more or less, and also just shared by the owner as a tea friend (many thanks!).
Their teas are pretty solid, so I went into trying these with high expectations. They lived up to them. That can be a problem, expecting teas to be on the far side of above average, because if anything is missing some of the expected type-typical aspect range, and aspects that serve as quality indicators, or just isn't a tight match to preference, then it can seem all the worse, where with more neutral expectations that would just be normal.
I wanted to add a little personal update here as well. I've just returned from living in Hawaii again for a month, staying where my kids go to school in Honolulu. That was the second month long outing there in the last half a year, and I'll go back again in two more months, for the end of Keoni's senior year there. It has been quite an interesting four year cycle. Of course that education was the goal, and that part worked. Switching over employment back to the US didn't. Living between the two locations and cultures wasn't really intended.
I suppose because I've spent most of the last 18 1/2 years here in Bangkok, and I still spend far more than half the year here, there isn't really any adjustment to work through going back to Thailand. In Honolulu I feel like I am adjusting for the first couple of weeks, and it could feel more natural for the entire first month. Of course it's fantastic there; that helps. I swam in the ocean, out to a flag about 200 meters out, at least a dozen times in a month. Running goes better there, due to the cooler climate, just not so much this time related to an Achilles tendon problem.
I met an interesting tea contact there this time, but left out telling that story, in part to avoid going through the permission step, and because there wasn't that much of a consistent story to it. It felt like meeting new friends; it was nice. Discussion was all over the place, as it should be.
No matter where I spend time with the kids things go great, so either place, or anywhere else, is suitable for that.
Back to business here; I'll try to look up listings for what I tried.
The first one I couldn't find; it's not this: Lishan Tieguanyin ($31 for 50 grams), even though that's also from 2022. That's too oxidized; it really can't be the same tea. Or maybe it is, and that just seems completely impossible to me.
It's lighter, more like this one: Lishan Medium Roast ($25 for 50 grams). But that's made from Qing Xin cultivar, and it's not the right year either (from 2015). They might buy a lot at one time and then be ok with selling it out over years. It might be similar to this version, Gaoshan Tieguanyin, just from a different year, with that one listed from 2025.
That second one seems to be this:
2021 Formosa Tieguanyin ($25 for 50 grams)
Formosa Tieguanyin, hailing from Pinglin and harvested during the spring season, undergoes traditional processing methods, resulting in a tea with a medium to strong degree of oxidation. This oxidation level is notably reflected in the green leaves with a delicate red edge, creating a a beautiful amber liquor.
The aroma of Formosa Tieguanyin is robust and floral, a quintessential trait of spring teas, accompanied by subtle toasted notes that add depth to its profile. Its fragrance evokes hints of jasmine and magnolia, creating a harmonious bouquet. Depending on the quality of the water used, it may reveal a refreshing, slightly acidic note, adding to its complexity. As you savor this tea, you’ll notice a gentle spiciness and honey-like undertones in the cup, making it a truly multisensory experience.
One of the unique attributes of this Formosa Tieguanyin is its enduring finish in the mouth. The reverberation of its flavors persists over an extended period, inviting you to savor and contemplate its intricate character in meditative silence. Thanks to its traditional processing, this tea is well-suited for storage without compromising its aroma. Over time, as it matures, the aroma transforms, unveiling its own distinct charm.
Harvest date: spring 2021
Aroma: floral notes, reminiscent of jasmine and magnolia, honey undertones
Oxidation: approx. 50%.
Roasting: medium
Terroir: Pinglin, Taiwan
I'm more familiar with sheng pu'er pricing, so I won't be able to add much about the relative value of these. Are they good for costing in the 50 cents a gram range? I think so. You don't find versions as inexpensive as some other types range for better quality Taiwanese oolong; it seems you pay to get versions in that category. Up towards $1 a gram is normal, and the 50 cents per gram range for good versions is quite fair.
Maybe that's not so much, or maybe it's out of some people's budgets; it just depends on expectations. But I doubt that you can find anything in a similar quality level in a lower price range. There must be some decent oolong out there for less, but these have all been exceptional, well beyond decent.
I usually talk through input factors a lot more. This doesn't discuss any differences related to Tie Guan Yin and more standard Qing Xin variations, and barely touches on the aging issue, that these are nearly 4 and 5 years old. It works to just describe them.
Review:
2022 Lishan: this is a bit overbrewed (ok, maybe even more than a bit); I was looking at something online and left it for over a minute. Not ideal as controlled review processes go, but the tea will be fine.
It's a little strong, but still quite pleasant. It will interesting seeing how a light version works out, the opposite sequence I normally experience both forms in. Mineral tone is positive. Feel is thick and full. A vegetal range note is harder to place; it integrates well, and it's not negative, but it's less clearly positive. This includes plenty of that type-typical mineral base and floral range, it's just in an unusual form for being brewed a bit strong.
Nothing negative stands out; this is one purpose of using stronger infusions, to identify flaws better. That vegetal range should lighten at a normal infusion strength.
2021 Formosa: this is in a completely different flavor and character range. It was more oxidized and more roasted, most likely. I've always loved that effect when those two things balance well. I think they will for this version, but again being brewed slightly strong doesn't show it's true potential, beyond highlighting that it doesn't include certain kinds of flaws.
There's an interesting spice range in this, difficult to determine between root spice and bark spice range. My first guess is that it spans both; it's quite complex. One part actually is along the line of cinnamon, but there's a lot more to it. It will help trying it lighter; that can work better for separating flavors.
Of course both have full feel and pronounced aftertaste expression, brewed a little strong.
Lishan #2: creamy, light, sweet, and rich. It is much better in a conventional infusion strength, but it wasn't so bad extra strong. There's a characteristic high mountain oolong range this covers really well, a mix of base mineral, creaminess, and floral range. I suppose this is probably identifiable as a region-specific example, and I've tried plenty of tea from different areas in Taiwan, but not enough over the last few years to stay familiar with that. It's hard enough tracking how that goes for pu'er, which I drink much more of.
If Tie Guan Yin is an exception for plant type for this area--which it says in a different product description--maybe the type-typical character would be harder to identify, without a lot of exposure.
It's very pleasant. It didn't lose any brightness of freshness over nearly 4 years of settling (it's from 2022). It probably did change, and if I'd been drinking a lot of oolong for the past half dozen years I could speculate about how. Picking up depth? Who knows.
I can't identify that bright floral range as a specific flower aspect flavor but anyone with even limited exposure with Taiwanese oolongs would already have a pretty good idea of what I mean. It's not vegetal at all, in this form; that part switches back over, from when brewed too strong, back to floral range, and a flavor that actually seems a little like cream.
Formosa: more pleasant, again, but of course just a lighter experience of the first round. Those layers of warm and sweet spice really stand out. Warm mineral and rich, round sort of feel complement them. Sweetness is pleasant, for both of these. Part of the warm, sweet range seems to resemble honey, or maybe that's caramel. Or maybe both; this is on the complex side. It's not far off dried fruit but I'm not noticing that standing out. For being less distinct that could really be floral range instead.
Lishan #3: maybe vegetal range does enter back in a bit, infused a little stronger than last time, but not overbrewed. Intensity is good, but that was true when brewed quite light too. Floral range is still pleasant, and creamy feel and some cream flavor stands out. The mineral base is quite strong.
This is exactly what many people would be looking for in a Taiwanese oolong experience. It's familiar range. I like it, I guess apparently just not enough to break from drinking pu'er all of the time to seek it out (and some black tea, but that's limited, more a main alternate). I could drink this regularly and appreciate it. In a limited sense pu'er seems more intense (sheng pu'er, I mean, of course), including bitterness, strong flavors, and a particular astringency. But this is very complex and intense in flavor, and the rich feel and aftertaste provide secondary supporting experience.
Formosa: I could speculate about another half dozen flavors being included in this, it's that complex. But describing it as primarily in spice flavor range, a broad set of inclusions within that, and including mineral base, sweetness, and other range like caramel mostly gets it.
It would work to interpret part as being a rich, heavy floral range, or seeing some of that towards-earthiness range connecting with dried fruit. Maybe dried longan? Only people who have tried dried longan would recognize how much of a compliment that is. It's probably my favorite dried tropical fruit. There's something so catchy about it that once you start eating it it can be hard to stop. It doesn't stick around for long. Of course once you think of the association it seems obvious, and accurate. Let's say this tastes like dried longan, and set aside the rich floral part for now.
In later rounds the roast input didn't integrate as well, which is actually normal for this range of oolong. I didn't take notes past these early rounds but it held up to brew quite a number more.
Both are really good. Both are extreme examples of the positive potential of Taiwanese oolong. I'm curious what the aging input contributed, nearly 5 and nearly 6 years for both. They mellowed and deepened? It almost had to be positive, given where these are now.
There isn't a hint of negative aspect range in either. That can be hard to appreciate, noticing something that isn't there. And intensity and complexity is great for both. If this more oxidized and roasted version isn't too costly it would be ideal for buying quite a bit of, to drink over the next decade, and then to experience as a truly aged version (which of course would seem all the more true after 20 years, not "only" 16).
Looking back at the included price, added during editing, this is 50 cents a gram. It could pay off to buy some to drink and some to forget about for awhile.
I left out part of the personal backstory, about the tasting. I had changed countries less than a week before, which didn't add too much jet lag, but I had cut my thumb hand-washing a knife earlier that morning, and went on to get stitches later. I don't think it threw off my perspective much, but in retrospect it was a little strange doing a relaxing tea tasting between those two steps. I didn't think the injury was so bad.
Our cats are just now experiencing exploring the outdoors, two kittens that are about half a year old now, or I guess maybe even 8 months. That's not so distracting, more a pleasant step to witness. They both just learned to climb trees this weekend. I do end up getting up a lot, from a table outside, to check that they're not walking out into the soi / alley, going around our gate. On a later day I climbed that tree myself, to help one down, since she hasn't figured out the down-climb process yet.
Life is all about those ups and downs, isn't it? In two months I'll be a more direct part of my kids experiences, which I just hear about by video call now. There's lots more drama when I'm not there, which I guess is partly a good sign, that I help keep it all tracking well when I am there.
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