2022 Da Wang Feng Shi Ru (aka "Rock Milk") Rock Oolong from Ho Yum Tea has changed a lot since I last tried it this summer. Still has the fragrance I remember, but the mineral/rock aspect seems much stronger in the flavor. A great tea, but not a tea you would give to someone as their first rock oolong.
"jinmudan" rock tea varietal is a result of a cross between "tie guan yin" and "huangdan". Can definitely taste the tie guan yin in its ancestry. White2Tea 2023 release.
White2Tea says "yinfeng" is a rock oolong varietal which either bears striking similarities to the varietals used for Dancong Oolong or may originally have been imported from Guangdong. I see the similarities, and they have taken a light hand on the oxidation and roast. Whether you enjoy White2Tea's yinfeng may depend on your fondness for Dancong Oolong.
Second tea from the White2Tea 2023 rock oolongs, "meizhan". According to their website, meizhan is usually heavily represented in "da hong pao" blends, but this is pure meizhan. Fairly heavy roast and oxidation, this is a pretty serious rock oolong.
As far as I know 2023 was the first time White2Tea released a rock oolong based on the "foshou" (or "Buddha's Hand") varietal. It is a medium-heavy roast and medium oxidation take on the rock oolong style.
25g doesn't divide evenly by 8g, so this is a bottom of the bag blend of 2g each of the four 2021 White2Tea rock oolong I've been drinking recently: Orchid Heart, Ban Tian Yao, Stone Milk, and Spring Peach. Pretty, pretty good...
Stone Milk rock oolong from White2Tea. I always found it confusing when the name of oolongs included "milk". It seemed odd that a culture that doesn't really drink cow milk would call tea after that flavor. Asking some Chinese tea friends they explained the name means more like "Milk of the Rocks" or "Essence of Rocks". The idea being, these tea plants that grow on the rocky outcrops in Wuyi are extracting the essence of the rocks they grow on and that's what you taste in the tea.
What seems like a decade ago, I ordered a few teas from Jon at Tong Xin She Teahouse. These teas remain my gold standard for how Rock Oolong should taste. This is a 2018 Wu San Di Rou Gui that came in that bunch.
2022 release Spring Peach rock oolong from White2Tea. This is good, but it is my least favorite of the 2022 rock oolongs. Something about the roast/oxidation/flavor just doesn't quite do it for me. I do prefer heavier oxidation/roast levels and Spring Peach is on the lighter-medium side for both. Also, tea monster has returned, recovered from his cat accident broken foot. Here's hoping it holds up to future pours!
2021 Bantianyao rock oolong from White2Tea. The light color of the tea soup belies the complex and slightly burly nature of this tea. One of my favorites of White2Tea's 2021 yancha or rock oolong tea.
2021 Superfine (tèjí) Rou Gui from Old Ways Tea Company. Phil and Mengjiao from Old Ways seem like super nice people AND they ship their teas from near me in California. How could I NOT order and try their rock oolongs?
2021 Huang Guan Yin Rock Oolong from Old Ways Tea has just improved with a little more rest. Plus, they ship from CA, so easier on the patience to order from them than the Chinese based vendors. And further, I really like that they have the per gram prices for their teas listed on their website. Wish more vendors did that!