Thread: Tea anyone ??!!

Nice matcha to start the day right.

Смородина Чёрная Чай
Black Currant Tisane

It tried this tisane, among many others, some years ago from a Russian friend. I immediately liked it a lot for its taste.
I couldn’t find it anywhere in Greece, so I begged a Ukrainian lady to bring me some when she returns to Greece from Kiev. And she returned a couple of weeks ago.

Light to the palate, slightly green but not too much, very floral taste. Gently acidic, a bit sweet, no bitterness. Excellent for spring and summer.

I've never tried that tisane but it sounds good. I don't drink many tisanes and fewer scented teas, flavored teas almost never but one exception is black currant flavored tea. You can add a little Lapsang Souchong also and you have Prince of Wales tea.

I'm not big on flavoured teas.

Nice big cuppa rosy for me please.

I can relate to having trouble getting the teas.you are looking for though. Here in the states, especially in the south there just aren't many if any brick and mortar vendors so the only choice is to order it sight unseen. That's not a good way to buy something like tea especially fine teas which can be very expensive. As with things like wine and cigars being expensive is no guarantee that it's good. Add to that seasonal variables so a tea that was great one year can taste like sucking wet dog fur the next. Who wants to drop a bunch of coin on swill?

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I can relate to having trouble getting the teas.you are looking for though. Here in the states, especially in the south there just aren't many if any brick and mortar vendors so the only choice is to order it sight unseen. That's not a good way to buy something like tea especially fine teas which can be very expensive. As with things like wine and cigars being expensive is no guarantee that it's good. Who wants to drop a bunch of coin on swill?

If you just want a good cuppa , I can make some suggestions but if you want that flavoured stuff, maybe Teavanna or Davids Tea might be local.

Originally Posted by STF

If you just want a good cuppa , I can make some suggestions but if you want that flavoured stuff, maybe Teavanna or Davids Tea might be local.

Well, mainly what I am referring to are single estate teas such as Castleton or Badamtam tea estates in Darjeeling or Shree Antu in Nepal. Let's say the region where Castleton is get too much rain in late winter. That can make the first flush of lower quality while too little rain can make the pluckings of leaves and tips more scarce which drives up the price. Badamtam Tea Estate on the other hand might have perfect weather that year and their crop might be spectacular. You can get suggestions from graders and buyers. Most vendors will give a suggestion like a featured first flush Darjeeling tea but who's to say that the whole region isn't affected and you'd be better off to get high grown tea from Nepal instead?
Blended teas on the other hand are blended from a variety of sources and approved by tasters who do that disgusting slurp and spit test. These are more uniform in character so that their product has an unchanged character year after year, batch after batch. That's a good thing but then you lose the unique characters of the single estate teas.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Well, mainly what I am referring to are single estate teas such as Castleton or Badamtam tea estates in Darjeeling or Shree Antu in Nepal. Let's say the region where Castleton is get too much rain in late winter. That can make the first flush of lower quality while too little rain can make the pluckings of leaves and tips more scarce which drives up the price. Badamtam Tea Estate on the other hand might have perfect weather that year and their crop might be spectacular. You can get suggestions from graders and buyers. Most vendors will give a suggestion like a featured first flush Darjeeling tea but who's to say that the whole region isn't affected and you'd be better off to get high grown tea from Nepal instead?
Blended teas on the other hand are blended from a variety of sources and approved by tasters who do that disgusting slurp and spit test. These are more uniform in character so that their product has an unchanged character year after year, batch after batch. That's a good thing but then you lose the unique characters of the single estate teas.

Wow, a bit too complicated for me Paul.

I just know what i like, Typhoo, PgTips, Tetley's.

Most of my tea except Tetley I get from my local expat shop.

See? There I went all tea snob. I didn't mean to do that. My apologies. Actually the three you mentioned are all very good teas. Actually Lipton make a very good staple tea also.I drink a number of these as staples, moreso than the fine teas.
You do this to yourself when you dabble in the aficionade pursuits. First, it makes it hard to appreciate the average. The ones you mentioned are quite good but the store brand teas are hard to stomach. Second, you paint yourself in a corner. What happens if the supply chain goes away? Now you have a Jones for something that is unavailable. Third, and maybe most importantly, you make yourself a pain in the arse to everyone else.
Please forgive me if I have done so.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

See? There I went all tea snob. I didn't mean to do that. My apologies. Actually the three you mentioned are all very good teas. Actually Lipton make a very good staple tea also.I drink a number of these as staples, moreso than the fine teas.
You do this to yourself when you dabble in the aficionade pursuits. First, it makes it hard to appreciate the average. The ones you mentioned are quite good but the store brand teas are hard to stomach. Second, you paint yourself in a corner. What happens if the supply chain goes away? Now you have a Jones for something that is unavailable. Third, and maybe most importantly, you make yourself a pain in the arse to everyone else.
Please forgive me if I have done so.

I still love ya