Long time question...still no right answer

[teatime74]

Okay I have a question that I been asking for years, spoke to all kinds of people and everyone has answers and I yet to find the right one. I figure if this forum doesn't know, then I am at a loss.

So picture it, you are living in America, and you are at a Chinese restaurant that serves tea in a tea pot with the little cups for you to poor. I LOVE that tea. Might be low quality to what I drink now but don't care, I say it again I LOVE that tea. The problem to this day is I have no idea what that tea is.

I have been told it's Green Tea. But I yet to find one that tastes like that; in fact I yet to find a Green Tea I like for I hate that grassy taste.

I was told Oolong; close but still not there.

Then been told others but haven't located those teas yet.

WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER???

[BW85]

Whatever it is, say it is an oolong, most likely tieguanyin, tieguanyin purchased elsewhere isn't necessarily going to taste the same. There are all kinds of variables in production, oxidation and roast level. The tea you are you talking about is most likely tieguanyin, ginseng oolong, a wuyi, or dragon well/other generic green tea. What you purchase from online vendors won't taste the same though, unless maybe perhaps if you go for the cheapest low grade option

[daidokorocha]

Where do you live? Cities might serve loose leaf or bagged tieguanyin such as one from the brand sea dyke. Suburbs... you're likely to find bagged sea dyke generically called "Fujian Oolong". They also commonly serve a jasmine tea. Again often bagged, but there is boxed and tinned version of this for loose leaf. These may be them... may be not, but I've found this is HIGHLY common, at least in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

Fujian Oolong

http://healthcity.hk/cache/images/0/a/b ... ee26c6.jpg

Jasmine

http://pimentrouge.co/23-68-large/the-a ... outing.jpg

Edit: If you're out at a dim sum place or something similar you might get some Chrysanthemum pu-erh. I believe enjoyingtea (google it) as one called "Chinese Restaurant Tea" or something like that and this will be the chrysanthemum pu-erh bagged. Either way, these are the most common ones.

[teatime74]

CT.

SVTea.com <-- near that
Teavana <-- can get to any of those
Adagio from what I understand is near me too but they only ship no store front.

[entropyembrace]

Try asking the staff at the restaurant?

Not every Chinese restaurant uses the same general type of tea let alone the specific brand. The only way you will get the answer is to ask where they're serving the tea you're interested in what it is.

[daidokorocha]

Try asking the staff at the restaurant?

Not every Chinese restaurant uses the same general type of tea let alone the specific brand. The only way you will get the answer is to ask where they're serving the tea you're interested in what it is.

Ee, seems like the best solution. I know several people on here have said they've bought directly from a restaurant even. Some restaurants I have gone to actually display and resell boxes/tins of the tea they use.

[teatime74]

Yeah well the restaurant thing isn't an option for the restaurants I remember are no longer around. There is one in the town I used to live in but I thought the tea tasted kind of cheap.

I do recall having tea at a Sushi place in Salem Mass. It's behind a hotel in the center of town by that popular home cooked place that makes the best breakfasts that I loved!!! I will go there just for the breakfast. The tea in that place I didn't care for; that was clearly Green Tea for it had that grassy taste I don't particularly care for.

No harm no foul. The fun part is constantly trying new things. I am going to go back to Teavana one of these days and probably also this place svtea.com and see what they have. I know Adagio ships from my state but last I heard they don't have a store front. Is that still the case?

[rdl]

I know Adagio ships from my state but last I heard they don't have a store front. Is that still the case?

They have 3 stores in and around Chicago, IL

[teatime74]

Well I guess that's good EXCEPT...I live in CT. Oh well.

[ethan]

It's not just the tea that they have; it is how it is made. My favorite tea, a red Thai oolong, has tartness & complexity when steeped in 85C water for 2 minutes. Steep it much, much longer or use much hotter water & one has prepared a very good Chinese restaurant tea (which is quite different than what I want from those leaves). Most Chinese restaurants use more heat & time than oolongs get from us who want different results. I would guess you could use very cheap tea from any Oriental shop. I'd try one or two. If you don't get satisfaction, contact me.

[jayinhk]

What color was the tea in the cup? Did you ever get a look at the leaves? What did it taste like to you? Did it taste like jasmine?

[entropyembrace]

Yeah well the restaurant thing isn't an option for the restaurants I remember are no longer around. There is one in the town I used to live in but I thought the tea tasted kind of cheap.

I do recall having tea at a Sushi place in Salem Mass. It's behind a hotel in the center of town by that popular home cooked place that makes the best breakfasts that I loved!!! I will go there just for the breakfast. The tea in that place I didn't care for; that was clearly Green Tea for it had that grassy taste I don't particularly care for.

No harm no foul. The fun part is constantly trying new things. I am going to go back to Teavana one of these days and probably also this place svtea.com and see what they have. I know Adagio ships from my state but last I heard they don't have a store front. Is that still the case?

why not mail order tea? I really doubt you'll find anything at Teavana, they mostly have crazy flavours for Americans that dont really like tea...

Sorry to hear the restaurant is gone

When I was shopping at a chinese tea wholesale I asked about a bag of Wuyi Star brand Da Hong Pao which I guess was one of their low end offerings and the owner said that was just "Chinese restaurant tea" and steered me to some other tea he thought I would enjoy more. But I've had completely different tea from that at Chinese restaurants like weakly brewed shu puerh and jasmine green. Anyway you would have more luck if you bought from a Chinese tea store.

[Chip]

Reminds me of a story of a now closed Chinese restaurant.

We will typically order tea at an Asian restaurant, take our chances and hope for the best.

So, I ordered tea when asked by the not so young Chinese female server. OK, not great presentation, she brought it in giant coffee mugs, America dollar store type mugs, cheap, tacky, etc. Although, they were probably made in China anyway.

Still, the tea was interesting, odd, but not too bad. However, I could not figure out what it was. So, I asked our server, what kind of tea is this. She replied, "tea, hot." I smiled and clarified my question a bit to which she replied, "Chinese." It was priceless.

I imagine it was some cheap tea in a tin in the back ...

[teatime74]

Yeah I used to buy my Oolong "bagged" tea in an Asian Market. It was hard to shop there for I needed the owner to translate it for me but he was nice enough to do so.