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Ryan
Sensei
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 475
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 Posted: Oct 24, 2007 4:07 pm Post subject: Black Tea Fever |
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I just ordered 2 bags of black tea....
One 1st flush darjeeling and one high grown ceylon from: inpursuitoftea
I have been drinking so much green tea, that I have gotten the bug for something darker! Sorry, I had to share it with someone... You know, like therapy? |
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amanojakumo
White Belt
Joined: 05 Oct 2007
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Oct 24, 2007 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Black Tea Fever |
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| Ryan wrote: | I just ordered 2 bags of black tea....
One 1st flush darjeeling and one high grown ceylon from: inpursuitoftea
I have been drinking so much green tea, that I have gotten the bug for something darker! Sorry, I had to share it with someone... You know, like therapy? |
I like to start the day with a black tea, then move on to green/white tea as the day goes on. Be sure and let us know if you like what you ordered. I always like to hear about good/bad experiences. |
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FataliTEA
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 168
Location: Locked inside a deep-steamer.
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| Posted: Oct 26, 2007 1:13 am Post subject: |
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I know what you mean by wanting something darker. I have a couple earl greys and a dian hong for mornings, but I usually turn to my Wuyi Qi Lan. Wuyi's are nice in the morning, because they have deeper flavors, are fairly complex, and have a good amount of caffeine.
Also, I've heard that Darjeelings work opposite to what you would expect, with first flush not being as good as second, not being as good as autumnal. |
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Photiou
Black Belt
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 125
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Oct 26, 2007 5:16 am Post subject: |
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I also have shifted to blacks and oolongs for a while as
I received about two weeks ago two Keemuns and golden Yunnan tea from Imperial Tea Court + some of their and Houdes oolongs.
(Locally here I can find quite good selection of Darjeeling and Assam single estate teas, but selection of Chinese blacks is not that good (though I got quite good Yunnan FOP from local vendor and decent Keemuns))
I think I saw local vendor having some Makaibari darjeeling so next time I'll try that if it is still available. They should produce some quite good organic darjeeling teas. |
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Ryan
Sensei
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Oct 26, 2007 7:48 am Post subject: |
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Well, I want to really learn darjeeling tea's... Surely, the character of 1st flush is different from 2nd flush etc. I want to try them all and become a student of this tea...
I will still always have my beloved Japanese tea on the menu, just that I want some more oxidized stuff in the mix as well.
Imperial Tea Court sent me a news letter recently. Their stuff is of such high quality. Recently they added a new keemun, I wonder if that is the one you purchased... The description of it was really something. I'm definitely a big fan of Imperial Tea Court as a tea vendor - they really source some excellent tea's - that is for sure. They can be quite pricey though. But so can other vendors out there. |
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Photiou
Black Belt
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 125
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Oct 27, 2007 5:10 am Post subject: |
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| Ryan wrote: |
Imperial Tea Court sent me a news letter recently. Their stuff is of such high quality. Recently they added a new keemun, I wonder if that is the one you purchased... The description of it was really something. |
I did order their 'Imperial grade' Hao Ya and Mao Feng Keemuns. Taste is fine but I did not feel that well after drinking 6dl of Mao Feng at once. I thought maybe it is the fact that I have been drinking green tea in smaller doses most of this year.
I also got their "Aged Liu An" but it is definitely not my favourite tea. I think it will age few years more before I have finished it. I have not tried Liu An teas before so the tea can be good quality - just not a right tea for me. |
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spacesamurai
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 204
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| Posted: Oct 27, 2007 11:24 am Post subject: |
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I've bought some of their teaware, but I'm hestitant to try the tea. They source stuff for Republic of Tea that's ridiculously overpriced, so it makes me doubt the value of their suff.
But I've heard good things. |
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Photiou
Black Belt
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 125
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Oct 27, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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I have generally only got very good teas from them - this Liu An is an exception though the problem can rather be me and not the tea.
I probably should order some from other vendors to check if all Liu Ans taste alike - I just hesitate to get more of it if I just do not like Liu An teas at all. |
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Chip
Spam/Troll Killer
Joined: 21 Apr 2006
Posts: 735
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji, purging looters
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| Posted: Oct 28, 2007 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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| ...mmmmmmm....Darjeeling...Keemun... |
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britt
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Nov 04, 2007 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| Ryan wrote: | | I will still always have my beloved Japanese tea on the menu, just that I want some more oxidized stuff in the mix as well. |
I felt the same way and over the last few months I have tried various Taiwanese, Indian, and mainland Chinese teas. I have no intention of replacing Japanese tea, only to supplement it. This was an interesting, but expensive diversion. Good quality (and safe) Yixings aren't cheap, and if you believe in one specific pot for each type of tea this could get very expensive. The better Taiwanese pots and sets can also get pretty pricey.
In the future I will continue to avoid mainland Chinese and Indian teas. Some of them were okay, but I didn't try any that I thought were outstanding, and both of these countries have safety issues with food items. I don't trust either one.
That left the Taiwanese oolongs. I usually prefer the less oxidized High Mountain oolongs, but for those looking for the more oxidized types there are some excellent aged and wood-fired oolongs out there. These have a darker color and stronger flavor, and are a good contrast to the very light High Mountain varieties. I will continue drinking both Aged and High Mountain oolongs, along with the Japanese tea.
What I found to be a more satisfying change of pace was getting more into matcha. It adds variety to tea drinking, is relatively quick and easy to prepare, is a natural and very healthy drink, and is just plain awesome! |
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syntheticpanda
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 198
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| Posted: Nov 04, 2007 6:48 am Post subject: |
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| Pretty much all Yixing should be safe. From what I understand, glaze is the dangerous component in pottery, which isn't usually used on Yixing (unless you're getting a pot with some design on the outside). Quality on the other hand... is definitely hard to find, heh, at least for reasonable prices. |
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britt
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Nov 04, 2007 10:29 am Post subject: |
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| syntheticpanda wrote: | | Pretty much all Yixing should be safe. .... Quality on the other hand... is definitely hard to find, heh, at least for reasonable prices. |
I brought up the safety issue for two reasons and I believe these are valid concerns that all tea drinkers should consider.
Counterfeiters understand the popularity of the Yixing teapots and they will do anything to make a buck, including mixing motor oil or chemicals with the clay to make it look seasoned (for rarer collector's pots).
Previously legitimate manufacturers of Yixings are also known to be using chemicals and dyes to make their cheap pots resemble those using better clay.
Some claim that Yixing is running out of two things; the clay used to make the pots and real craftsmen, who are being replaced by molds.
The only Yixings I will now brew tea in are older ones purchased used. Some appear to never have seen actual use, and may have just sat in someone's collection. I think it is easier to find a safe, high quality used Yixing than a new one.
Personally, I find that tea tastes noticably better when brewed in one of my Taiwanese pots. They range in price from $75 to $165, which is competetive with the prices I've paid for Yixings. Lin's Studio in Taiwan makes an exceptional mineral ore gong-fu size pot that comes with two cups, and I'll take it over my Yixings any day for aged and wood-fired oolongs. I have a Taiwanese native clay set that produces better tasting high mountain oolong every time. I've gone back and forth between the Taiwanese and Yixing pots many times, and the result is always the same. I'm sure many will disagree, but I've tried both and that's my conclusion.
Much of the information on quality and safety comes from the blog of Guang at Hou De Asian Art and from The Art of Tea magazine. Chinese friends have also told me the same things.
I think it is important to post these issues here, as many forum members do not confine themselves to Japanese tea. Green tea is one of the healthiest and most natural drinks on this earth, yet mainland China can turn it into poison. With all the recent news of contaminated food from China, do we really expect their tea and teapots to be any different? |
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Ryan
Sensei
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Nov 05, 2007 2:43 am Post subject: |
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britt wrote:
| Quote: | | In the future I will continue to avoid mainland Chinese and Indian teas. Some of them were okay, but I didn't try any that I thought were outstanding, and both of these countries have safety issues with food items. I don't trust either one. |
I really like darjeeling from India. I think it an entirely special tea with qualities that can be found no where else.
I'm glad you bring up the safety issues, because consumers should be well aware of them.
That being said, I know that many darjeeling plantations are organic. Furthermore, darjeeling is exported to Europe more so than any other area and must meet their extremely stringent standards.
That being said, you will never have the guarantee that you have from buying Japanese tea. But, I actually do trust my current supplier for darjeeling tea.
Ceylon is another tea producing region. Interestingly enough, I have read in two separate places that ceylon is known for having some of the least amounts of pesticide residue among all tea producing regions. For this reason, I personally do not have concern over ceylon produced teas, but I am no authority on this subject either.
I think it is a real shame that China lacks the necessary quality controls which would deem its tea in line with international standards in terms of pesticide residue etc. It's a real shame, and I hope they make some radical changes in their policies which will prevent some of the problems they have had. |
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britt
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Nov 05, 2007 10:26 am Post subject: |
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| Ryan wrote: | I really like darjeeling from India. I think it an entirely special tea with qualities that can be found no where else.
That being said, I know that many darjeeling plantations are organic.
I think it is a real shame that China lacks the necessary quality controls which would deem its tea in line with international standards in terms of pesticide residue etc. It's a real shame, and I hope they make some radical changes in their policies which will prevent some of the problems they have had. |
I did try a white first flush darjeeling from India. It was good, but I had no desire to purchase it again. One reason I felt safe trying it was because it was organic.
Before the communists took over, China was one of the greatest and most innovative nations and cultures in the world. Look at how much that we like in Japanese culture, including tea, originated in China. Since the takeover by Mao's communist party, China has turned into one giant junkyard. Communism doesn't foster innovative thinking or quality.
I think for now a properly certified organic Chinese tea may be the best hope, but even then attention must be paid to who provided the certification. |
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Photiou
Black Belt
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 125
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Nov 28, 2007 4:03 am Post subject: |
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| Photiou wrote: | I have generally only got very good teas from them - this Liu An is an exception though the problem can rather be me and not the tea.
I probably should order some from other vendors to check if all Liu Ans taste alike - I just hesitate to get more of it if I just do not like Liu An teas at all. |
Just received my 1995 Liu An sample from Houde Asian Art - as horrid  as Imperial Tea Shops Aged Liu An. No more Liu An teas for me. Houdes 80's puerh sample that I also received tastes actually quite good (but the asking price for complete puerh cake is a bit too much  ). |
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