It's been awhile since I've been to the local tea shoppe because I'm
usually waiting for a knock on the door from the Mailman with a China
Post package otherwise I get a go fetch it notice in the mailbox. I
was lucky to catch the owner in because he can now afford a payroll.
He's always got stuff that hasn't hit the shelves. This time it was a
yellow tea from China via a German vendor. He mentioned he'll be
stocking more teas via Germany because in the Western world Germany
gets the first choice because they'll simply pay top dollar for their
teas. He didn't know where this tea came from in China. It is very
sexy twisted whole leaf which looks brown with lots of white hair. The
spent leaf is brown on top with a green underside. It doesn't remind
me of any other tea taste from China. At best the taste is understated
not for nuance but for flavor. I got a total of drinkable 2 liters
from about 4 grams. His price is 2oz/$12 but it is one of the
fluffiest teas I've seen. The tea color looks light brown but my
teapot could be cleaner. I know yellow tea is just an oxidation
technique but it seems to seal the flavor without damaging the leaf.
The leaves didn't look that tired even at the end. It would be
interesting if more tea cultivars were processed this way than all the
rage white tea from wherever. He is seeing a lot of customers
switching from coffee to tea because of the health benefits. He even
has a new blend with tea and coffee beans with other flavors. I think
some rancid cooked Puerh with cream and sugar might remind someone of
chicory. He thinks there might be a permanent change in preference
over coffee but I think any health craze is just like a diet. In a
couple of weeks he'll get his first Indian oolong from a vendor in
India. We both never heard of that one. He has white darjeeling but
his customers are asking for white tea from China. I also bought a
first flush Rohini Darjeeling with the most alphabet soup grading I've
ever seen for a tea SFTGFOP-1.

Jim