Thread: Tea anyone ??!!

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

This was a new one for me. Dragonwell is normally a green tea. This one was left to oxidize into a black. Good, but doesn’t knock my socks off. This one was left to oxidize into a black. Good, but doesn’t knock my socks off. I like a black that has a real smack of chocolate. This has a cocoa flavor. It’ll go. But I won’t re order this one.

That being the case you would probably like that keemun I just showed.I take it you are fan of the Assam black teas.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

That being the case you would probably like that keemun I just showed.I take it you are fan of the Assam black teas.

I don’t know that I’ve had Assam. But I will say that I like Laoshan black teas. I’m no expert on the world of tea. And I typically stay with the merchants that I know. I get good quality ones from them. So I stick with what I know. But I’m interested in your recommendations. So whatcha got?

I fully understand and appreciate the fealty to a brand or merchant. I think it is a natural human reaction since they have always come through for us before and there is nothing wrong with that. Verdant is all Chinese teas and that is not a bad thing. China is the birthplace and capital city of tea. Keemun is produced in the Qimun county in Anhui. India has, thanks to the British literally smuggling plants out of China, become another good producer of fine tea. There are other producing nations but those two are the heavyweights. Assam is a region known for black teas with a deep red hue, malty character and no astringency. I buy a couple of varieties from a local Indian market which is a good cheap staple tea. I am however particularly fond of two varieties sold by Upton Tea.

https://www.uptontea.com/assam-tea/a...-tea/p/V00043/

The other they seem to have sold out of and it has been replaced by a newer batch which I have not tried. It was a single estate tea (Mokalbari) and that is the tricky part with those. One batch from an estate may be the best tea ever produced and the next may be hog water



Blends are more consistent but they lack a defining characteristic.

I have never bought from verdant so I am not familiar with their tea personally but they do have some keemun.

https://verdanttea.com/tea/by-farmer...mily-qimen-tea

Upton tea also has some good selections of keemun and the Republic Of Tea blend is always good as well.

https://www.republicoftea.com/keemun...-tea/p/v10007/

Those would be some of my recommendations. My advice is usually be adventurous; buy small quantities of new things then buy in bulk the ones you like. That way if you don't like one it's the loss of a small amount of money and one lack luster cup of tea. One bad cup won't kill you but one really good one will open new horizons.

Edit: oh yeah. I have never been really versed on nor a proponent of the terms describing tea (i.e. notes of cedar, apricot, old tennis shoe or whatever ) as those terms are so subjective and the teas never really taste like those things to me. But, I guess if you are trying to relate flavors that's the closest you can get so...... whatever.

That said keemun teas are described as "winey," not to be confused with "whiney," or sometimes as "burgundy-ish." It is used in a lot of breakfast tea blends as is Assam.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I fully understand and appreciate the fealty to a brand or merchant. I think it is a natural human reaction since they have always come through for us before and there is nothing wrong with that. Verdant is all Chinese teas and that is not a bad thing. China is the birthplace and capital city of tea. Keemun is produced in the Qimun county in Anhui. India has, thanks to the British literally smuggling plants out of China, become another good producer of fine tea. There are other producing nations but those two are the heavyweights. Assam is a region known for black teas with a deep red hue, malty character and no astringency. I buy a couple of varieties from a local Indian market which is a good cheap staple tea. I am however particularly fond of two varieties sold by Upton Tea.

https://www.uptontea.com/assam-tea/a...-tea/p/V00043/

The other they seem to have sold out of and it has been replaced by a newer batch which I have not tried. It was a single estate tea (Mokalbari) and that is the tricky part with those. One batch from an estate may be the best tea ever produced and the next may be hog water



Blends are more consistent but they lack a defining characteristic.

I have never bought from verdant so I am not familiar with their tea personally but they do have some keemun.

https://verdanttea.com/tea/by-farmer...mily-qimen-tea

Upton tea also has some good selections of keemun and the Republic Of Tea blend is always good as well.

https://www.republicoftea.com/keemun...-tea/p/v10007/

Those would be some of my recommendations. My advice is usually be adventurous; buy small quantities of new things then buy in bulk the ones you like. That way if you don't like one it's the loss of a small amount of money and one lack luster cup of tea. One bad cup won't kill you but one really good one will open new horizons.

Edit: oh yeah. I have never been really versed on nor a proponent of the terms describing tea (i.e. notes of cedar, apricot, old tennis shoe or whatever ) as those terms are so subjective and the teas never really taste like those things to me. But, I guess if you are trying to relate flavors that's the closest you can get so...... whatever.

That said keemun teas are described as "winey," not to be confused with "whiney," or sometimes as "burgundy-ish." It is used in a lot of breakfast tea blends as is Assam.

I’m also a big fan of Japanese green teas. I like to order from Dens teas. But Japanese teas are a bit more pricey. They are unlike the Chinese greens. Very, very savory. I like all of the Japanese varieties. And yes, I do stick with the vendors that have provided good quantity. I’ve had some poor examples of tea dust. I appreciate knowing who and where it came from. Il, check out your recs. I’ve not tried Indian tea before.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

I fully understand and appreciate the fealty to a brand or merchant. I think it is a natural human reaction since they have always come through for us before and there is nothing wrong with that. Verdant is all Chinese teas and that is not a bad thing. China is the birthplace and capital city of tea. Keemun is produced in the Qimun county in Anhui. India has, thanks to the British literally smuggling plants out of China, become another good producer of fine tea. There are other producing nations but those two are the heavyweights. Assam is a region known for black teas with a deep red hue, malty character and no astringency. I buy a couple of varieties from a local Indian market which is a good cheap staple tea. I am however particularly fond of two varieties sold by Upton Tea.

https://www.uptontea.com/assam-tea/a...-tea/p/V00043/

The other they seem to have sold out of and it has been replaced by a newer batch which I have not tried. It was a single estate tea (Mokalbari) and that is the tricky part with those. One batch from an estate may be the best tea ever produced and the next may be hog water



Blends are more consistent but they lack a defining characteristic.

I have never bought from verdant so I am not familiar with their tea personally but they do have some keemun.

https://verdanttea.com/tea/by-farmer...mily-qimen-tea

Upton tea also has some good selections of keemun and the Republic Of Tea blend is always good as well.

https://www.republicoftea.com/keemun...-tea/p/v10007/

Those would be some of my recommendations. My advice is usually be adventurous; buy small quantities of new things then buy in bulk the ones you like. That way if you don't like one it's the loss of a small amount of money and one lack luster cup of tea. One bad cup won't kill you but one really good one will open new horizons.

Edit: oh yeah. I have never been really versed on nor a proponent of the terms describing tea (i.e. notes of cedar, apricot, old tennis shoe or whatever ) as those terms are so subjective and the teas never really taste like those things to me. But, I guess if you are trying to relate flavors that's the closest you can get so...... whatever.

That said keemun teas are described as "winey," not to be confused with "whiney," or sometimes as "burgundy-ish." It is used in a lot of breakfast tea blends as is Assam.

One other question, I use a Chinese gongfu pot to prepare my teas. The amount of tea is a little more and the steeping time very short. Does this Assam brew up the same way?

Well I assume you mean a gaiwan set which is the traditional set used for gongfu/kung fu method and yes you can brew most any tea that way. That said, some teas are more suited for it particularly the rolled teas like gunpowder green and the rolled oolong teas such as tai quan yin. Also keemun can very often be rebrewed several times.

Some people will tell you that you can rebrew any tea. I have found though that it is best appreciated with the oolong teas. Some will change in character and develop over multiple brewings more than others. A good, floral tai quan yin will develop and give good quality cups for up to 6-7 brews or possibly more depending on the batch.

My way of thinking is less rigid than many aficionados (not that I call or consider myself one. I just really love tea and have tried to learn as much as I can over multiple decades) in that I believe that if it works to your liking then do it. There are ways that are generally considered the prescribed way; as an example, milk and sugar are to be used (optionally) only with highly oxidized black teas but NEVER with high mountain tea, green or oolong teas. I will tell you that if you like it that way then drink it that way. It's your tea, your mouth. Do what pleases you.
My ¢2 worth is this:
•)Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good. Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's bad.
•)Like what you like because you like it and don't let anyone tell you it's wrong no matter how esteemed you (or they) believe they are.
•)In seeming contrast to the above, be willing to listen to others and try new things because, no matter how much you know, you can always learn something new.

As an example of the last point, for years I didn't like green tea because it was "bitter and nasty." Then, after reading "Tea-chings" (a book I highly recommend) I learned that I had been brewing it for too long and at too high a temperature which gave it a brassy/bitter taste. I now look up the recommended brewing time/temperature for every new tea I get. Years later, I was talking to a good friend who is also a tea drinker who told me that he didn't like green tea because it was "bitter and nasty." I began to tell him what I have just written and in the middle he interrupted me in mid sentence with "NASTY, NASTY, NASTY!" I remembered being that guy and hoped he would, in time, open his mind and allow himself to enjoy another facet of tea.

Sorry for the diatribe. I just really enjoy tea.

Speaking of Japanese teas. A decent inexpensive matcha.

Upton has free shipping on orders over $29