Thread: Tea anyone ??!!

Another morning staple.

This probably belongs in the "in the garden 2020" thread but I wanted to put it here.
Camelia sinensis: tea plant.



I've always wanted to grow my own tea. Now I just have to decide where to plant it.

Now you get to decide what kind of tea your going to produce. Cool.............I'd say this fits right in this thread,it's not always about the beverage itself but everything else that comes with it too. +1

Tea plants are happiest in low elevation, sutropical-tropical climates with moderately high to high humidity...like Florida. They also like latitudes near or at the equator. BUT they produce the best quality tea at latitudes away from the tropics and at higher elevations like Nepal, Darjeeling, Sikim and...oh let's say Colorado. 5000 ft seems to be the magic number. 7000 is good but the air is starting to get a little thin and it's hard to find suitable land to farm it at that elevation. Dude you should try to grow some Nightblade. You might be able to make some world class tea for yourself there.

Edit: that was supposed to be 8000 not 7000. Small screen, fat fingers. Still a few gardens at 7000 feet. Actually there are some at over 8500 but not many

Many years ago when on holiday in Crete I had malotira: Cretan mountain tea (Sideritis syriaca). I would like to have it again.
I have tried some from amazon but sent it back: even the ones with good reviews are of appalling quality compared to what souvenir shops in Crete sell.
Does anyone know a reliable brand, vendor in Europe?
May even be in Crete or Greece, with google translate I will get there.

I have ordered some seeds from Pangaia Seeds in Crete. Sideritis syriaca subsp syriaca: despite its name it is the subspecies that grows as a wild plant in Crete. They are on their way. Hope they will survive our climate. I am gonna grow my own tea. I already have Moroccan mint in the garden.

Hope that works out for you Kees. I know I'll never get much from my one little tea plant but it is just cool to make something for yourself. My friend who is from Bangladesh was over the other day and I showed him my tea plant. He asked me, "You know you can't drink it like that. Why do you want to do all that work?" In your case you may have more success than I because I believe you can use more of the plant without all the processing of the tea bush. If your elevation is high enough you should be alright. Never had Ironwort although I have seen it in the herb shops. I don't really do the tisanes or herbal teas anymore although I was very into it as a teenager.

This morning's cup. Keemun panda #1. Hardly a Hao Ya or Mao Feng but not a bad staple.

Golden tips White tea.
This is a difficult tea to get rite.. So its either bitter or honey like..
Cheers
(Label Reads: The rarest of buds,high grown at over 4000m .With only 8kg picker every year , It produces an elegant amber liquor with a complex,sweetly lingering, floral flavour. Rich in antioxidants)

Yes, I have noticed that a lot of green tea (and white tea which is actually a green tea) are very particular about water temp and brewing time. There is a sweet spot for each batch that can be a trick to find. Ah, the mystery is part of the mystique of tea.