Tea Mania Alishan winter Qingxin and 2012 Guifei oolong

 

Back to reviewing, a week into being back in Bangkok.  I might as well start with some familiar and pleasant teas, and then move on to less familiar and also pleasant ones.

I've had great experiences with winter harvest oolongs in the past, just not enough of them that I'll turn that into cross-references here.  Of course Qingxin is the name of the older style of plant type, which comes in a range of different derived forms, with different evolved plant genetics.  

I've had positive experiences with Guifei too, a bug-bitten material input variation of rolled oolong.  This says the Gui Fei is from 2012, which almost looks like a typo.  A 13 year old oolong, from a vendor that typically doesn't sell aged tea?  It's probably not a typo; the owner, Peter, is pretty on top of things.

I'll add the product descriptions from a site listing later, after writing the notes.

Alishan Winter Qingxin ($25 USD for 50 grams)

Alishan Winter Qingxin is a lightly oxidized high mountain oolong tea, harvested at an elevation of 1500 meters. It originates from Taiwan’s renowned Alishan region, known for its ideal tea-growing conditions of frequent mist, fertile soils, and clean, fresh mountain air. These conditions, however, also present significant production challenges, requiring exceptional skill and careful selection by experienced tea masters.

The tea garden’s unique location on Alishan, with its frequent mist and significant temperature variations, imparts exceptional refinement and natural sweetness to this Qingxin oolong. The infusion presents itself in a warm, luminous yellow color, remaining free from bitterness or unpleasant flavors even with prolonged steeping. From the cup emerges a delicate and sophisticated fragrance of orchids, gentle yet distinctly present. The silky, smooth texture and refreshing sweetness create a harmonious taste experience, offering tranquility and inviting thoughtful appreciation.

Harvest date: winter 2022

Aroma: floral, with notes of orchid and acacia honey

Oxidation: approx. 30%

Roasting: light

Cultivar: Qingxin

Terroir: Alishan, Nantou, Taiwan

Guifei Oolong  (2012; $37.72 for 50 grams)

This Guifei Oolong, also known as Concubine Oolong, originates from the renowned tea-growing region Dongding in Nantou and was harvested in the spring of 2012 and processed by a renowned tea master. Made from the popular Jinxuan cultivar, this tea is known for its exceptional quality and distinctive character.

The infusion presents itself in a golden amber hue and is accompanied by a rich, sweet fragrance with hints of honey, ripe fruit, and light floral notes. On the palate, the tea reveals a smooth, velvety texture with pronounced sweetness and a long-lasting aftertaste. Thanks to expert craftsmanship and ideal storage since its harvest, this Guifei Oolong has developed an even more complex and harmonious character over time, making it a true delight for tea enthusiasts.

Harvest date: spring 2012

Aroma: high aromatic, flowery and fruity, notes of honey

Oxidation: approx. 70%

Roasting: strong

Cultivar: Jinxuan

Terroir: Dongding, Nantou,Taiwan

There's more there about the bug-bitten theme, about the processing style, and the historical background of the style.  These are interesting themes.

Review:

Alishan oolong left, in all photos

Alishan Winter Qingxin:  it's nice.  A little light yet, still opening up, but the flavors are warm and toasty.  I suppose malt stands out, or something close enough to that.  This should evolve to include a really pleasant and rich feel; that's already started.  It's creamy as well, in terms of flavor as well as that feel.  There's a lot to appreciate in this, and that list of aspects will keep going later.  Mineral range really stands out.  It's not really light or heavy mineral, but a complex form, more in the middle.

Guifei (from 2012):  as far as the other being as good as this, or not matching up, it's really not a fair comparison.  That's a great version of the style that is, but good Guifei is really nice, and this has probably picked up lots of depth from that aging.

There really could be a typical plum-like flavor component that has entered in due to the aging, but this includes so much for fruit and warm spice tones that it's hard to tell.  Spice might be closest to nutmeg; warm, aromatic, and complex.  Fruit could include plum, but there's more.  It's warm and rich enough that it's more in dried fruit range, maybe combining prune, raisin, and dried apricot.  Feel is also already rich.  There's a bit more fullness in this related to it being warmer and heavier in tone, so where the other is full and creamy as lighter oolongs are (like cream) this feel has some structure to it.  Not quite astringency, nothing like that, but some of the fullness that typically pairs with that.

It's amazing this is just the first round.  I brewed these a bit long to get them to open up, maybe just over a minute, but the proportion isn't maxed out, my typical approach.  This might be 6 grams or so of each.

Alishan 2:  intensity picks up a lot, and it wasn't even moderate to begin with, already above average.  The same flavor description works:  lots of supporting mineral base, creaminess, and malt-like warmth.  A bit of limited vegetal range enters in, not far off floral range, or maybe it's floral tones and some sort of vegetal input.  That vegetal range is close enough to holy basil, so really where spice and vegetables overlap.  Sweetness is good, and the full feel contributes well, along with notable aftertaste expression (long finish, put another way).  

It's quite clean; nothing in this is remotely negative.  Some would probably interpret it as a lot more floral than I've been mentioning.  It's a subdued form of floral tone though, like chrysanthemum, or sunflower.  Some of that rich malt-like tone might resemble sunflower seeds, now that I think of it. 

Guifei 2:  the pronounced spice note in this is really nice.  It might resemble cinnamon more this round, but also relates to nutmeg.  Depth is nice, and the range of supporting dried fruit.  That last part didn't become more distinct.  It's hard to identify how close it is to plum, or what the exact mix of other dried fruit tones are.  It's also quite clean in effect, and also complex, also exhibiting good feel.  Aftertaste expression is there, just not quite as pronounced as for the other version.  Lighter oolongs tend to be noteworthy for that, and the Alishan version isn't really in a light style, but it's medium, in an unusual sense.

Alishan 3:  this must be transitioning some, but it's hard to say how.  The same aspects just shift a little in relative balance.  This is really exactly what I've loved most about winter oolongs that I've tried in the past, that warmer tone, leaning towards spice range, settling in nicely on malt.  This is a really good quality example of one.  

This kind of effect is why Taiwanese oolongs tend to still hold an edge over Thai or Vietnamese versions.  There's nothing stopping a producer in those areas from making a fantastic version of the same tea, but all the conditions and inputs tend to line up well for some versions from Taiwan.  

The intensity is great; it's hard to pin down how that kind of input factors in.  Of course you can just brew any version a little stronger, but this hits really positive notes well, even brewed fast (this was a very short infusion time, not much over 10 seconds).  If you push other lower quality versions to get the same intensity the aspects won't be as positive.  They won't balance in the same way, and the effect won't be this clean and positive.

Guifei 3:  again it's not changing enough to revise that earlier flavor list, just settling into a slightly different balance.  

I'll probably try one more round and leave off; I need to get on with bathing three cats, and one of them is crying out to be let outside, which isn't going to happen until later on.  I should take pictures of them and add them here.  

Myra is in more than a dozen photos here, probably, the oldest, but the two kitten siblings are adorable at about 3 or 4 times their former size, from 6 weeks ago.  They must be about 4 months old now.  One is a Siamese cat, with such a cute and prized appearance that my wife is nervous about ever letting her roam outside, out of fear that someone would steal her.  Someone might.  Myra won't venture beyond our gate and fences, but it's hard to know where a cat new to exploring the area might go.  Nong On and Sai Thong would go explore roof areas, when they were with us, but we've lost both of them this year, in circumstances too disturbing to cover here.

As for a personal update, while I'm rambling on, I've had shingles for the past two weeks, a skin problem related to having chicken pox earlier on in life.  It's adjoined by significant pain; that part wasn't so nice.  I've not experience that much pain, since a burn and broken arm in early childhood.  Now I get it, about people working through that ongoing experience.  In my case it's like a leg cramp that doesn't go away, that sharp and deep pain, that doesn't persist from leg cramps.  I'm mostly on the other side of it now; the pain is less, and I have meds around for when it might tend to peak.  

I'm eager to go run again.  The doctor didn't see that as a well-grounded plan, saying that it would impact my immune system function, but I'm not so sure.  Early on in illnesses that seems right, but at the end exercise seems to help with recovery (per my experience, to be taken with a grain of salt).

these are naturally so intense that brewing them a little light makes sense

Alishan 4:  it's all integrating more, but I kind of liked how distinct the parts were earlier on.  Warmth is more general, not centered on a creamy, malty flavor as much.  Mineral base still stands out, maybe just not quite as much.  It's still really nice, I just liked that earlier form better.

Guifei:  that same basic set of aspects still remains, the spice, dried fruit, and warmer background or base tones that are harder to appreciate.  Probably what I'm not describing is a lot of what is giving this the effect of so much complexity, depth, and balance.  It tastes like incense spice, or aromatic dark tropical wood, or aged furniture (or maybe the oils used to preserve those?).  It has good depth and balance.  It's not really fading, which it shouldn't be, only 4 rounds in, but flavors can transition to level off some within that timing.  

These really did last for many more infusions, it's just that the notes leave off here.

Conclusions

These are both really good teas, in two completely different styles, and to me this is a really unique and positive experience.  I could drink a kilogram of either, even though I tend not to drink much oolong these days, for focusing on pu'er.  I love the intensity in pu'er (sheng, of course).  These have good complexity and intensity, but lack that same kind of edge, the bitterness and astringency, the overall shock of it all being so strong, even when brewed light.  I remember tasting with neighbors once, a very pleasant experience, telling one about how sheng can come across like a slap in the face.  She was surprised, and said that it was more like a kick in the face, somehow in a good sense.  If you are ok with the bitterness that intensity can balance well.  It's odd that she liked it, on her first try.

Whether or not this Guifei is from 2012 this is the kind of experience that people really tend to value, and that you typically have to pay a good bit to have [later edit; it is a 2012 tea].  If this isn't priced at or over $1 a gram I'd be surprised, and it would be a steal at two thirds that price range.  The winter oolong version is novel, since these are around, but finding a version this good would be tricky.

[more later edit]: it's 75 cents a gram, so still quite fair, for what the tea is.  There might not be another quite similar version of tea anywhere on the internet.  Or the next place you check could carry the same tea, but the odds are much better that nothing like it is out there.  Aged oolong was quite trendy and in high demand about a decade ago, and there was only so much to go around then.  I wrote about this theme awhile back (5 years ago), about what tends to turn up.  The plum-like input in aged rolled oolongs might stand out more at the 20 year mark, but this flavor is so complex that it might still come across as a mix of different fruit and spice then. 

That's kind of the theme for this vendor.  He sells versions of teas that are so good that they really represent their categories and styles well.  Lots are "gushu" sheng pu'er, which is kind of an often-overused selling point theme, but for really nice versions of sheng you can set aside considering plant age and just appreciate the aspects, the experience.

I've complained of not being able to buy teas in a higher than average price range before (or just noted it, depending on interpretation of tone).  Somehow, according to my wife, our budget is such a mess just now that the theme has progressed to me not being able to buy any tea, at any price range.  Flying back and forth from Hawaii doesn't help, and a long series of health crises across our family was problematic, both to experience and related to budget impact.  It's nice that some vendors have been helping me out; I really can't complain, when I have another 20 or so really novel and good teas to get to.  

I'll even see tea friends, and an old friend, here over the next two weeks, so I'll have more to report on about that event theme.  I'd trade it all to be a housekeeper and cook for my kids back in Hawaii, but we work with what we've got.  

Back to this subject, these oolongs, and related to somewhat aged oolongs in general, these teas were exceptional enough that it wasn't easy to frame that part.  The descriptions are positive, but both are a good bit better than just "positive."  That is what it is; it makes no sense to me to fill a post with superlatives to drive home a point about general context.  Within these style and type ranges these were great, and these are two of my favorite type ranges within the scope of rolled oolong.

Tea Side Dongfang Mei Ren white and Gui Fei

 

Two more teas from Tea Side, following an exceptional example of small-batch shu pu'er.  They're probably the best online source for specialty Thai teas, but then it helps that it's hard to think of a second example.  I can think of others, but there is no other Western-facing, sales portal based, broad selection, high quality tea outlet.  For value their range varies more, but then supply and demand can work out like that.  If they're selling something that barely exists the cost might end up being whatever it happens to be.  If there is no market rate to reference you can't really identify a typical price in relation to a quality level.

That is how I tend to define value, as price in relation to quality level.  Another related distinction that comes up is teas I can afford in comparison to versions that I feel I can't.  I cut off price per gram fairly low, as tea enthusiasts go, because I'm living off a Thai salary (a professional manager's version, but still), and I'm raising kids, in Honolulu at that.  I don't buy 50 cent or $1 per gram teas, ever.  Even a quite-standard 30-35 cent a gram range I avoid.  If you live in South East Asia and know the ins and outs of local tea sourcing you can still drink pleasant, good quality, interesting teas while spending less, but for others seeking out what's online in the Western market that's not the same.  Your own trade-off would fall wherever it happens to.

I've tried their Gui Fei before, and it was exceptional.  I've never tried another version of Gui Fei from Thailand, but even if I had the quality level of theirs would make for a really high bar to clear.  It's described, and in my understanding actually is, a rolled variation of Oriental Beauty.

Both of these are variations of Oriental Beauty.  That name is sometimes avoided by vendors now, as it is missing on these labels, because "oriental" is now typically regarded as pejorative, as negative and insulting, like "indians" is in relation to Native Americans.  I'm not sure that's fair.  It's an old term, that had been used for a long time to simply mean "Asian."  Then racist connotations were eventually paired with the general Asian theme and image, but I'm not sure the term Oriental played much of a role in that.  Either way it was largely swept aside.  What could be the problem, since this happens all the time, routine changes in language use?

Business names in the East and West were using that term, and some of them can't switch off it as easily.  A main Bangkok hotel is called the Oriental, a central landmark, and they're not going to change that name.  I've been here in "the orient" since that changeover occurred, about 15 years ago, and people here still aren't clear on the change. Political correctness is an American theme; it doesn't apply in Thailand.  And their primary language is Thai, so keeping up with changes in English use isn't necessarily a priority for them. 

For that tea type it already had a few names, so that doesn't matter.  Many vendors went with something like Eastern Beauty, or the Chinese name would work, Dongfang Mei Ren.  I think there was another name too, Bai Hao, but this could get complicated in relation to Bai Hao Yin Zhen, silver needle white tea.

Anyway, these teas are quite familiar, except for the hybrid theme of the Dongfang Mei Ren being white tea.  That's a name for the Taiwanese oolong style (which has been produced in Thailand for awhile as well).  We'll see how that works out in the tasting notes.  I'll add vendor descriptions and links after the tasting, not that it would change much reading that first.  I'd probably notice exactly what the vendor did for flavors, if I did read that first, where my interpretation will be similar but different if I didn't.  He might say the white version tastes like raspberry, then I might try it and mention another fruit tone instead, when really either make for a decent interpretation.

Let's check the vendor listings to see what Tea Side has to add.

2024 Dongfang Meiren White Tea ($17.80 for 50 grams; sounds fine)

This Dong Fang Mei Ren is unusual—it’s made without roasting, in the style of white tea. Just the sun, just the bitten leaves—only hardcore!

[I edited out a part about cold-brewing it, but that approach would work].

Hot brews reveal an equally delicate infusion, with a distinct honey profile and a subtle melody of fruit caramel. There’s also a light aroma of teakwood, reminiscent of sheng pu-erh. But honey takes center stage here—rich, unfiltered, and in full bloom...

Like a true white tea, the liquor starts off pale, almost colorless, and gradually deepens into amber—another trait that sets it apart from classic Dong Fang Mei Ren Oolong.

It's made out of TRES #17 Ruan Zhi (plant type), also sometimes called Bai Lu, and the other version is as well.  Interesting!

2024 Gui Fei Premium Oolong Tea  ($16 for 50 grams; again not bad for this tea quality)

I can confidently say this is one of the most powerful classic Gui Fei oolongs we’ve ever sold.

By “classic,” I mean: pure, well-bitten material (easy to recognize by its flavor intensity, profile, and steeped leaves); oxidized more than light oolongs but without crossing into “red water” territory.

Tasting Notes

Rinsed leaves explode with a fruity mix, led by a bright strawberry note on a dense honey background. The tea is fresh, and its melody reminds me of wild Thai honey.

The sharp honey note, the one that always present in well-bitten material, is absolutely mind-blowing here. You’ll recognize it instantly as soon as you start inhaling the aroma.

The long-lasting aftertaste deserves special mentioning, it brings caramel and chocolate candy tones plus that velvety honey sensation on the palate.

Excellent endurance to multiple infusions, as expected from premium quality. The liquor is smooth, soft, and sweet.

It was pretty good.  I had trouble breaking down the flavors, because it was pretty complex, and the two together were a lot to take in, but then again interpretations always vary anyway.

Review:

DFMR #1:  it's just great, pretty much what I expected.  It's a little light because I don't usually add time to the first infusion to account for the leaves just getting wet, trying it light first, and I tried to back off my typical 8 or 9 grams per 100 ml gaiwan proportion, which is often a little excessive, going with 6 or 7 instead.  For a combined tasting I won't get to the end of the story as it is, trying 5 or 6 rounds, then not passing on how the next few go.  [After going through a session this might be half the packages instead, 7.5 or 8 grams, by the looks of it].

Flavors are in typical DFMR / OB range, including cinnamon and plenty of warm fruit, with this also quite bright, covering warm dried fruit and lighter citrus tones.  Sometimes people associate muscatel with OB too, beyond that being linked to types of Darjeeling more often, and I guess that works too.  Complexity is good, sweetness is great, and feel is a bit rich even for it being so light.  It's hard to pin down exactly how this is different from a regular oolong version.  

It is a little light (in flavor character range), but then those don't absolutely have to be one oxidation level step away from black tea, as they often are.  By appearance and some character range oxidation level is backed off in this, but then the warm tones tell the opposite story.  It's hard to say.

Gui Fe:  much darker in appearance; this may be oxidized more and also roasted, where the other may not be roasted at all, or at least not much.  The flavor range overlaps some but it's quite different.  A warm liqueur-like character emerges right away.  It doesn't taste like cognac or brandy, but there's a part of that experience that carries over, an aromatic range theme.  Maybe that is partly related to taste too.  Then spice tone leans towards cinnamon, as in the other tea, but it's not as clearly that, not definitely and distinctly cinnamon.

Roast input is interesting.  It doesn't come across as char, at all, but it seems like that input is pronounced.  I checked again and this is a 2024 tea.  If they had roasted this a bit too much a bit of char effect would come across, and then it might be better drinking it 2 or 3 years later after that had settled.  In a year a tea could still change but it seems likely that they've nailed the roast input, that it never tasted burnt in the slightest.  Maybe it did settle quite a bit though; who knows.

So we have spice, not exactly cinnamon, but close, a liqueur-like aromatic effect, which I've not described well in terms of seeming most associated flavor, and there's more going on than that.  Sweetness and brightness doesn't match the other tea, but there is enough sweetness in this to balance the rest.  It definitely doesn't come across as savory, but I might still decide that's part of it.  I'll add more flavor list for both as I go.

DFMR #2:   intensity bumps way up; I brewed this for nearly 30 seconds related to typing during that time, longer than it needed.  It can be nice trying a tea strong to see it from a different angle.  These teas would be quite pleasant brewed light, medium, or strong, just shifting character depending on that brewing time.  To me "light" would be 10 seconds at a moderate proportion, and heavy is about this, 30 seconds or so.

Warm tones stand out a lot more, the cinnamon versus fresher and lighter dried fruit and citrus.  It might switch back brewed light in a next round.  Dried fruit range is close to dried apricot, with citrus folding in along with that, maybe tangerine peel zest.  It might taste less like cinnamon and more like warm mineral, but it's still quite clean, balanced, and refined.  For mouthfeel being this full, without significant astringency coming into play, the extra intensity relates to a heavier feel along your tongue.  Aftertaste is more pronounced too, brewed stronger, but it's kind of a medium intensity effect in a sense.  Or rather it's not necessarily strong, as sheng pu'er can be, at times stronger after you swallow than while tasting, but it does linger in duration.  It's quite pleasant.

Gui Fei:  this is a bit too strong; the extra intensity in it doesn't work as well with that long infusion time.  It's standard practice to use stronger infusions to sort out flaws, part of why the standard approach to black tea tasting in places like India and Sri Lanka, plantation taste testing, overbrews teas, in comparison with typical drinking preferences.  A bit of sourness stands out in this, made this way; I suppose that could be considered a flaw.  If it balances quite well with the rest brewed more conventionally then it's not much of one, but if it stays in the balance at a significant level then it is.  It's still good though; I'm not saying that.

The rest of the flavors are similar, but it seems as well to describe this more at an optimum, using a 15 second or so infusion time, and covering a more complete list next round.  It goes without saying that these are the kinds of teas you don't throw out the last of while tasting, rushing to get to the next round.  I typically don't, even for lower quality or less favorable teas, since I see it as disrespectful to the tea, but for this anyone would have the same reaction, and would drink the last drops.

DFMR #3:  this really shines, brewed appropriately.  Brighter citrus returns.  This does seem closer to a muscatel designation than ever, even if I can never be sure I'm using that term right.  It seems to correspond to a limited range of description of citrus tone, one that I explored quite a bit in drinking dozens of Darjeeling versions.  Still, it's hard to say.  Food flavors make it so easy because you try variations from time to time, and right there it is.

Brightness and lightness are pleasant in this.  Maybe that's a big part of the difference from this being designated as oolong.  In theory it should've also been exposed to less of a kneading / bruising step, I think, but then less might be more related to me guessing about processing.  I don't make tea.

Cinnamon isn't evolving away, dropping out, but fruit dominates the experience at this round, and place in the transition cycle.  It might be a little harder to place brewed lighter but the effect is still as intense.

Gui Fei:  it balances much better.  Either that sourness was either an effect of overbrewing the tea or it was the kind of flavor range that shows up early and drops out, as harsh edges can with sheng pu'er (if it has them).  It's quite pleasant.  Spice range is there but hard to isolate.  That could be some type of incense related spice instead of cinnamon, maybe sandalwood.  I think the fruit range is next, but again it's not framed in a distinct way, not easy to pin down.  It all integrates.  Roast / warm mineral tone input is there too, and mouthfeel corresponds to what one might expect of that, not really dry, but full in a different sense than the other, with the beginnings of what would seem like structure if it was stronger.

I think a bark spice might work as a decent interpretation, just not exactly cinnamon.  Many years ago I went on a decade or two long tisane exploration phase, and encountered other barks used as tisanes then, that span a really interesting and pleasant range.  I just can't remember any names of those, and certainly can't place an association with one.

DFMR #4:  this might be a good place to leave off, because this runs long.  I don't want to type 2000 words and readers wouldn't want to read that either.  I'll only mention transitions and close this.

It might be getting slightly better, picking up depth and balancing better, but that's about it for changes.  That's a great sign, because some other Thai OB I've tried can be pleasant, generally not quite this good, but tending to die early related to intensity, not making many good rounds.  If this is still improving rather than fading the infusion count cycle should run long enough.  Cinnamon and warmer tone stand out more this round; that's probably from me adding more time than last time, not from a transition change.

GF:  liqueur-like character is really pleasant in this, but then that's not new.  What I'm interpreting as either bark spice or incense spice--kind of repeating myself in that, since those incense spices probably are bark material based, or at least derived from aromatic woods--is as significant as before, and it makes this really stand out.  I can't imagine anyone being put off by that, but some may feel more connection with it than others, a closer match to preference.

It's interesting considering if the first really is more of a warm weather tea, for being brighter in tone and flavor, and if the second would be more suitable for drinking when it's cool out.  Maybe.  It's hot as could be now, where I am, maybe close to 90 F (around 30 C), and humid as well, since I'm in Bangkok.  Both are fine for me, but then it's a normal weather experience for me.  Maybe that's part of why I like relatively young sheng though, with a brighter character, and cooler / cooling effect.

I shouldn't be dabbling in Traditional Chinese Medicine related commentary either; I know almost nothing about that.

The teas have been great.  I'd highly recommend both.  I suppose that I liked the Dongfang Mei Ren white a little more, the opposite of what I'd expected.  It wasn't really that the second didn't meet my expectations, just that the first stood out more than I expected.  

Producers can make a version of Oriental Beauty with positive flavor range often enough, but the flavors expressing that degree of novelty, refinement, and intensity isn't typical.  Cinnamon and citrus flavors balancing like that is what seems to me to be a primary appeal of Oriental Beauty style teas.  

The intensity mentioned in the Tea Side description of the Gui Fei was nice.  As a sheng drinker oolongs can tend to be a little too soft and subtle, at times, with most white teas all the more so.  Both of these expressed good intensity, but the Gui Fei might have hit a little harder in the sense of covering deeper and heavier range, with the DFMR lighter and brighter.