Thread: Tea anyone ??!!

Da Hong Pao Yancha // Big Red Robe Wuyi Oolong: Sweetness, chocolate flavors, a hint of smoke and a lingering aftertaste - this tea is this one of my all time favorite oolongs.

So true. The thing that I have noticed about stuff like Tips is like with the regular everyday coffee that you get in places like France or Germany, the expectations that the British common man has for his everyday cuppa or 10 appear a bit higher than perhaps what we over here expect from typical supermarket bag tea.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

For years PG Tips was my go to. Nothing wrong with it. It's common mans everyday tea and it's awesome on blustery days with milk n sug. And I've said it before that bag teas even have their levels of good to bad .

Originally Posted by JDM61

So true. The thing that I have noticed about stuff like Tips is like with the regular everyday coffee that you get in places like France or Germany, the expectations that the British common man has for his everyday cuppa or 10 appear a bit higher than perhaps what we over here expect from typical supermarket bag tea.

Well ....Remember...we are not a tea drinking nation and are still in our infancy to some degree here.They have been drinkin the stuff since forever. Thus our bag teas and even our loose teas can't hold a candle to theirs . Between Myself and Ed(offtopicus thread) We figured out that Twinnnings for example here in the States is much different than in Australia and our stuff is weaker and flabbier. That may be a personal observation but one that seems to hold so far. TTFN.

I have had Twinings in the past and when my local store only had the decaf Tips, I grabbed some of what is supposed to be one of the strongest Twinings bag blends, the Irish Breakfast, A tad unsatisfactory compared to the pedestrian Tips brought in from the UK. As for us, most of our coffee is pretty sorry. I tell folks with a straight face that the Nescafe and Douwe stuff you get out of a vending machine at the motorway gas stations in western Europe after hours when the cafe isn't open is probably as good as Starbucks espresso over here.

Originally Posted by Nightblade

Well ....Remember...we are not a tea drinking nation and are still in our infancy to some degree here.They have been drinkin the stuff since forever. Thus our bag teas and even our loose teas can't hold a candle to theirs . Between Myself and Ed(offtopicus thread) We figured out that Twinnnings for example here in the States is much different than in Australia and our stuff is weaker and flabbier. That may be a personal observation but one that seems to hold so far. TTFN.

Here is something I'm trying for the first time. Its something I've never seen before and I wasn't sure what it would be like. Its the winder buds pulled from old/wild trees. But after having now tasted it, it seems like a cross between white tea and pu'erh. But before the pu'ehr haters recoil, I'd say that its probably a 80/20 blend of the two with the white tea dominating....if white tea can dominate anything. Its a very light tea but definitely has complexity. It has a creaminess to it but there is also a whiff of something green like eucalyptus and a hint of dried mushroom. This is an aged tea and said to good for further aging.







From the Verdant website,

This Yabao is an irresistibly intriguing offering, with the sweetness of Silver Needle White, the spice of Yunnan Black, and the aging potential of pu’er. . . . Yabao is one of the most intriguing teas out there. Picked from compact winter buds, young Yabao is light in body but wonderfully nuanced. It has none of the earthy qualities of pu’er. Instead, it is sweet like raw sugar, with the silky spice of Yunnan budset teas like Golden Buds black. This 2008 harvest still maintains a fresh sparkling quality to it, with toasted marshmallow flavors coming through in later steepings. Growing so close to the wild forests of Yunnan, the tea has hints of pine or cedar in its aroma that complement the spice perfectly.
Yabao is super forgiving in steeping, great hot or iced, and rich with aging potential to keep growing in depth and complexity.
ICED: Like sweet morning dew that has fallen from pine needles. Notes of perfectly roasted marshmallow with graham cracker.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I don't think I've ever seen tea that pale before. Looks like a tasty tea though, that's for sure.

Random tea question: how many people here have tried lapsang souchong tea and liked it? I tried it once and I thought that smoky taste that makes it so beloved was similar to the smell of burning tires. So, I didn't care for that. (The one I tried was from David's Tea, by the way.) What do you guys think of it?

I love Lapsang. Have done so since I first tasted it in 1980. The smokier the better
I have some Formosa Tarry Crocodile that really packs a punch. Leaves soot residue in the cup. Great stuff.
But then again I like smoked food, Finnish tar lozenges and Islay malt.

I enjoy drinking Lapsang Souchong. It reminds me of sitting around a campfire. It's not a daily tea for me, though. I make it about once a week in the colder months.

I love lapsang as well. It has a robust and sturdy attitude, but still always mild and pleasant and one of those teas that I never seem to tire of. I have the same experience with twinings earl grey, just a very nice tea that never gets old. Good stuff in my book, both of them.

If you want to try a Lapsang that's a little more restrained give this one a try. Its smoked, but the smokiness is but one of many flavors in the cup. I've had other Lapsangs that were such a smoke assault that there was nothing more to get from it. This one has much more to offer. I really like it. But then again, I like most of the teas from Verdant.

Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong Smoked Wuyi Black Tea | Verdant Tea