For my morning tea I had a high-mountain style oolong from taiwan--"Our Good Life Tea". This tea was also acquired from Holsome Teas, www.holsome.com. It was a winter picking. I was told that I had to listen for the flavor and smell of this tea when i procured it. I like this image. Above are some photographs of the brewed leaves and the first and second steeping. The second steeping is the darker color.
I have decided that this is my favorite tea out of my current stock. You do have to listen to the flavor, which has floral overtones, but perhaps why I like it the most is because it has excellent qi--it doesnt impart too much nor too little energy.
Now an aside on qi:
Qi is the energy the tea gives you. On a basic level, you could interpret qi as the level of caffeine and other stimulants present in the particular tea, but the qi is affected by other qualities. Other factors that can affect a tea's qi are the water quality (water can ofcourse also affect the taste of the tea), the conditions of the tea growing region, cultivation methods, place where the tea is tasted and numerous other factors.
Thus the soil, water, stimulant content, cultivation methods and location of tea drinking all affect how one feels after a cup of tea.
A tea with good qi leaves you alert and energized
A tea with bad qi can leave you feeling sick or give you a headache
A tea with good qi is probably grown in an area that has very little pollution, using little to no pesticides or other chemicals. It is probably picked by hand (at least in China and Taiwan) by skilled pickers and then dried and processed by skilled tea artisans. A tea with bad qi may be quite the opposite of this, although I am sure there are exceptions.
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