TeaChat

I can't believe I found this awesome forum.

I am Jessica, I currently live in upstate New York. I've been a huge fan of black tea my entire life, especially earl grey variations and Russian-made black tea, but have recently got into more herbal infusions.

It's so awesome to have so many people who all love the same thing!

And do we ever LOVE IT.

I LOVE TEA

Welcome to the forums yukondoit. I have been drinking a fair share of black tea lately as well. I'm really enjoying darjeeling, but I'm also drinking a lot of light chinese blacks.

Russian-made black tea? That sounds veeeeeerryy interesting. Do you source it online?

This tea, Czar Nikolas, is the best I've found -- it's probably my favorite black tea.

http://therussianshop.com/russhop/samovar/tea2.htm

It comes in a huge bag of full leaf. It's between $10 and $12 online. I originally found it in a Russian market in Boston when I lived there, and have been addicted ever since. I like my black tea a little on the bitter side, and this is great for oversteeping for that bitter taste.

Other than that, I actually really love Tazo's Awake and Earl Grey loose teas. I just bought a tin of Madamoiselle Earl Grey on Serendipitea.com, another great place to buy tea. $5 flat rate shipping!

Strangely Darjeeling is one of the few teas I cannot get into. A little too nutty for me, I think.

I see, I had a fluked thought that Russia might be cultivating their own tea somewhere in that snow-capped land. I remember reading this somewhere that they simply blend tea (ceylon tea in this case) with other things to their taste, then call it Russian tea.

They do have that nifty Samovar though.

Yeah, it's not anything really special but it has a different aroma than normal Ceylon tea...makes a great breakfast tea! They are also huge fans of Lapsang Souchong over there...which I also enjoy (though most people seem to hate it!)

While old Mother Russia never really grew tea, a couple lands that became part of the Russian empire or USSR did. Georgia, which old Russia incorporated in 1801, opened its first tea plantations sometime in the 1830s. Georgia declared its independence in 1918, but shortly thereafter became a British protectorate until 1921, when the Soviets invaded and installed a puppet government. Unfortunately, the Georgian tea economy largely collapsed in the 1980s due to a combination of bad farming and bad Soviet management. Georgian tea is currently on the rebound, but is difficult to find in America--especially in good loose leaf.

Under Soviet rule, Azerbaijan also began growing tea in 1930 and eventually developed a nice trade. The Soviets also attempted tea growing in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Ukraine, but it never really took off in those areas. Azerbaijan still grows tea--and tours of their plantations are apparently a nice tourist draw. Like Georgian tea, though, it's hard to find decent loose leaf varieties in America.

Чай, камрад?

ummm, wow.

Mary knows everything...or is a great bluffer.

Chip wrote:Mary knows everything...or is a great bluffer.

Somehow, having read Mary's blog ( ), I doubt it's a bluff. Her dissertation on minerals in water is a wikipedia article in itself - only better written.

Agreed, nevertheless, I would not want to play poker with her, nor debate her.

Aw, I'm flattered!

But for the record, I'm an atrocious poker player (I bet too conservatively) and an even worse debater (me and extemporaneous public speaking are *not* friendly). I am, however, pretty kick-ass when it comes to JEOPARDY!

Mary: Tea for 1000, Alex!!!

Alex: Dong Ding....Dong Ding...

Mary: ???

You know, a tea trivia forum or even a Jeopardy style forum here would be kinda cool...or is that just my morning caffeine talking???

But with google, we would all likely cheat anyway.

Maybe it's my own morning caffeine...but that kinda sounds like a good idea. 'Scept there are lots of tidbits of tea trivia scattered all over this forum...

Bah! More caffeine, then thinkings!

Yukon,

Welcome to the forum! Tea is always enjoyed best with company, and we are glad to have you.

Now chat with us and drink more tea!

The Tea Sipping Swordsman,
Fencerdenoctum

Lay off the caffeine you two...