Do you know anything about Akira Hojo? He sells some VERY expensive teas from his webite, http://www.hojotea.com/indexe.html His price list is here: http://www.hojotea.com/img/tealineup.pdf (priced in Japanese yen, which are about 82.5 to the dollar).

I’m just wondering if – for example – a li shan oolong that sells for (if you do the conversions) about $68 for two ounces is noticeably better than a li shan that sells for $25 for the same quantity. Have you ever tried any of these high-end teas? Is there a point of diminishing returns?

What is your own favorite li shan oolong, price not being an object?

One other question:

Several of my oolong-drinking friends from Taiwan tell me that I must do a preliminary steeping of a few seconds – and then discard that water – before actually brewing the tea. Yet in your video reviews where you use a guywan, you just pour the hot water in and wait. Is the answer that it doesn’t really matter?

Thanks,

William