Official what Black (Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

[daidokorocha]

Good thing I accidentally ordered last month's Yunnan Sourcing order to be shipped by surface mail. I suppose it gives me more time to finish off teas before that massive order arrives.

I started cold brewing for the season today. Black teas are always very interesting cold-brewed as they come out so much more light in every single way compared to when brewed normally. Of course, this is somewhat true of every tea, but the gap is much greater for black teas. They are refreshing and delicious in a way that iced tea made of black tea here in America is NOT. Something captivating about them. Still, green makes for the best cold-brew.

[ethan]

I needed a nap but could not quite get to sleep; so, I turned to a favorite black tea to pick me up. Standing over the steeping Himalayan Orange (HOR) impatiently, the wonderful aroma got to me; so, I did not wait. I poured after only a minute showed on my kettle.

Compared to my normal, longer infusions, the taste was about exactly the same though the body of my drink was somewhat thiner. As usual, I was quite happy drinking this excellent tea from Jun Chiyabari.

The second cup was steeped for about 30 seconds longer & surprised me. As much as I drink this tea & after a lot of experimenting, I don't remember a second infusion being as aromatic as the first. Today it was.

In the summer I prefer the thinner body also; so, this is how I will prepare this tea for a while.

I sell this tea & wonder whether I was wrong to suggest steeping times as I did.

[daidokorocha]

Ethan, I think the times you gave are a good starting point for the tea. A lot of teas give off different tastes/aromas depending on temp/time/vessel etc, as you know. For instance, if I were to recommend the fish hook from hatvala, I do not know what I would recommend as I have really not brewed it the same way twice. Yet, I find new things to like about it each time. So, one has to settle on a recommendation, but that does mean that the person who winds up with your tea should think of that as authoritative. It is up to them to experiment with it. Certainly, a lot of people who have received the tea on here will do so in conjunction with your posts. Certainly, I keep in mind your evolving comments about the tea as I continue to brew it.

[jayinhk]

Drinking a nice orange pekoe dianhong I bought yesterday. Only bought 200g but this stuff is so good I might have to track down more dianhong!

[kuánglóng]

I needed a nap but could not quite get to sleep; so, I turned to a favorite black tea to pick me up. Standing over the steeping Himalayan Orange (HOR) impatiently, the wonderful aroma got to me; so, I did not wait. I poured after only a minute showed on my kettle.

Compared to my normal, longer infusions, the taste was about exactly the same though the body of my drink was somewhat thiner. As usual, I was quite happy drinking this excellent tea from Jun Chiyabari.

The second cup was steeped for about 30 seconds longer & surprised me. As much as I drink this tea & after a lot of experimenting, I don't remember a second infusion being as aromatic as the first. Today it was.

In the summer I prefer the thinner body also; so, this is how I will prepare this tea for a while.

I sell this tea & wonder whether I was wrong to suggest steeping times as I did.

You could always brew up a certain amount and pull samples at more or less constant intervals. Preheat and empty the pot, add leaves, add water, pull the first sample after 90 or 120 seconds and the following samples every 30 or 45 seconds until there's nothing left. That's what I normally do when I use larger pots up to 200ml. This way I get a much better idea about the leaves than from single standard steeps.

Last night I had a tea session with an old friend and brewed up some 2015 Seeyok Second Flush Darjeeling, one of the most complex and dynamic teas I've had in a while and we would have missed a LOT of what those leaves had to tell if I had prepared the tea in a conventional manner.

[Rui]

Non-smoked Lapsang Souchong from Wu Yi.

[jayinhk]

Drinking a dianhong that is almost all tips and was sold as tribute grade. Really lovely. Sweet caramel malt. Black tea isn't usually my thing, but I liked this so much I ended up coming home with a total of 700g of the best dianhong I could find.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG6qXlESCim/

[ethan]

[quote="jayinhk"]Drinking a dianhong that is almost all tips and was sold as tribute grade. Really lovely. Sweet caramel malt. Black tea isn't usually my thing, but I liked this so much I ended up coming home with a total of 700g of the best dianhong I could find.

Good that you got rewarded for keeping an open mind. A few years ago Yunnan Sourcing sold some dianhong & some black teas from Yunnan that were wonderful. Samples of such teas from following years were not as good. I got into black tea from Nepal & Taiwan.

Good to hear that there is still great dianhong.

Note to Teachatters: Our host, Adagio, does sell good teas from Yunnan. I have a friend who I visit a few times a year for tea sessions & she always has a couple on hand. I like them a lot (but confess I have not bought because of my huge stock of black tea).

[jayinhk]

Drinking a dianhong that is almost all tips and was sold as tribute grade. Really lovely. Sweet caramel malt. Black tea isn't usually my thing, but I liked this so much I ended up coming home with a total of 700g of the best dianhong I could find.

Good that you got rewarded for keeping an open mind. A few years ago Yunnan Sourcing sold some dianhong & some black teas from Yunnan that were wonderful. Samples of such teas from following years were not as good. I got into black tea from Nepal & Taiwan.

Good to hear that there is still great dianhong.

Note to Teachatters: Our host, Adagio, does sell good teas from Yunnan. I have a friend who I visit a few times a year for tea sessions & she always has a couple on hand. I like them a lot (but confess I have not bought because of my huge stock of black tea).

I'm definitely glad I tried the dianhong and came home with two kinds from two dealers. I did notice Adagio had some Yunnan blacks, but noticed they don't actually tell you how much you get when you buy some (they just tell you the cost per cup).

[debunix]

I did notice Adagio had some Yunnan blacks, but noticed they don't actually tell you how much you get when you buy some (they just tell you the cost per cup).

If you click through to the actual page for each tea, they give quantities in ounces (oz) which can be converted to grams by multiplying by 28. I think showing price per cup on the first page is actually helpful for people who will brew the tea western style, but agree that it doesn't help me at all.

I also notice some other vendors give a price for a tea without showing the units you're buying for that price until teas are added to the cart. I think they assume everyone knows that they sell tea by the 100g or 50g or 250g, but the casual visitor (like me) can easily be confused.

I like it best when the price and quantity are listed directly next to each other. If only one piece of info is given without the other, it makes me suspicious that they're trying to hide something.

[jayinhk]

I did notice Adagio had some Yunnan blacks, but noticed they don't actually tell you how much you get when you buy some (they just tell you the cost per cup).

If you click through to the actual page for each tea, they give quantities in ounces (oz) which can be converted to grams by multiplying by 28. I think showing price per cup on the first page is actually helpful for people who will brew the tea western style, but agree that it doesn't help me at all.

I also notice some other vendors give a price for a tea without showing the units you're buying for that price until teas are added to the cart. I think they assume everyone knows that they sell tea by the 100g or 50g or 250g, but the casual visitor (like me) can easily be confused.

I like it best when the price and quantity are listed directly next to each other. If only one piece of info is given without the other, it makes me suspicious that they're trying to hide something.

Yup, that appeared misleading to me at first glance. Good to know that info is readily accessible when you click through though!

[ethan]

I have used the last grams of the Nine Years black tea that I got at Dr Chen in Taiwan. It is so delicious. I hope to get back to buy some around Christmas.

I had had 3 excellent black teas from Taiwan & now have one. I must laugh at myself for feeling deprived. I did not know of them & their quality not so long ago & was surviving fine.

Cheers

[Tead Off]

I have used the last grams of the Nine Years black tea that I got at Dr Chen in Taiwan. It is so delicious. I hope to get back to buy some around Christmas.

I had had 3 excellent black teas from Taiwan & now have one. I must laugh at myself for feeling deprived. I did not know of them & their quality not so long ago & was surviving fine.

Cheers

There are some very delicious Taiwan red teas. For the last couple of weeks, I've been drinking a tea that came from Wang de Chuan and was given to me at least 4-5 years ago as a gift. I don't know the name of it, but it has lost little of its superbly smooth and sweet flavor. Rich and aromatic, it has been a good morning tea with breakfast. I don't ever remember not liking any red tea I've had from Taiwan. It's one of the great spots in the world for teas.

[ethan]

Himalayan Orange (HOR) from Jun Chiyabari:

Visiting friend for long holiday weekend w/o my tea, I returned home ready to drink this favorite. Inpatient, I steeped the leaves quicker than usual, a minute. I liked the result, as lately I seem to find very bold or astringent drinking unpleasant. I enjoyed this quicker infusion for its tart flavors & thinner body. I may even revisit gongfu preparation though it has not pleased me before for this tea (& for almost all teas).

[victoria3]

Himalayan Orange (HOR) from Jun Chiyabari:

Visiting friend for long holiday weekend w/o my tea, I returned home ready to drink this favorite. Inpatient, I steeped the leaves quicker than usual, a minute. I liked the result, as lately I seem to find very bold or astringent drinking unpleasant. I enjoyed this quicker infusion for its tart flavors & thinner body. I may even revisit gongfu preparation though it has not pleased me before for this tea (& for almost all teas).

Ethan, I'm curious where you got your Himalayan tea from? I'd like to try some.