What Kind of Tea is This?

[Kalmal]

What Kind of Tea is This?

by Kalmal » Jun 27th, '12, 14:47

I bought a new tea set and some samples at a chinese market the other day. The labels on the tins only read "Green Tea", "Black Tea", and "Oolong Tea". So I was wondering if any of my tea master friends out there could help me(I'm still pretty new to tea) identify these a bit more?

1st green tea


2nd green tea


Black tea


1st oolong


2nd oolong


I'm sorry if some of them are a little blurry

[Chip]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Chip » Jun 27th, '12, 15:34

Considering the source and the labeling, do not expect too much. But hopefully they are enjoyable for you!

Case in point, the first green is likely a gunpowder green of some type. While these can be drinkable enough, they are very pedestrian and cheap ... and can be downright aweful.

[Kalmal]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Kalmal » Jun 27th, '12, 15:59

Haha yeah I wasn't expecting much. And they were VERY cheap.. $5.89 for the whole pack. To be honest, I just bought them for the tins. They're kind of cool. :]
But that's what I guessed the first green would be. I tried the second green one and it wasn't too bad, but not any better then cheap tea bags.

[Chip]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Chip » Jun 27th, '12, 16:03

HA, I have purchased more than my share of realllly bad tea for the canister. In fact, many of these canisters still have the teas in them.

TBH, some were so vile tasting, I concluded they were likely unsafe to drink ... and from that point forward I stopped drinking Asian market teas in canisters.

[Kalmal]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Kalmal » Jun 27th, '12, 16:10

Haha I've gotten lucky a couple of times with the teas I've purchased at asian markets. I bought a big tin of lychee black tea that is actually pretty good :]

[Chip]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Chip » Jun 27th, '12, 16:20

Haha I've gotten lucky a couple of times with the teas I've purchased at asian markets. I bought a big tin of lychee black tea that is actually pretty good :]

Do not get me wrong, often the teas were drinkable, though not exceptional. But a few realllly bad ones made it hard to enjoy any of them.

Generally ... or almost always, teas sold cheaply in canisters in Asian stores are marketed via the canister, not the contents. You are sold a "hope" that the tea is going to be good.

Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a [Tea]man insane. (pivital quote from the Shawshank Redemption)

[Kalmal]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Kalmal » Jun 27th, '12, 16:28

Hmm never thought of it like that

[Chip]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Chip » Jun 27th, '12, 16:33

Hmm never thought of it like that

Of course, old Andy had a different spin on hope.

Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

So, do not give up hope ...

[Poohblah]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Poohblah » Jun 27th, '12, 17:22

1. gunpowder green
2. cheap longjing
3. ??
4. tieguanyin
5. another tieguanyin?

these are just guesses.

[Kalmal]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Kalmal » Jun 28th, '12, 02:11

Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

So, do not give up hope ... [/quote]

I like that quote much better!

Poohblah- thanks for guessing! haha gives me an idea of what it might be

[Herb_Master]

Re: What Kind of Tea is This?

by Herb_Master » Jul 9th, '12, 19:34

Love the tea caddy, it is identical to the one my mother stored tea in, in the 1950s

Tea was purchased at the grocer's shop, from tea chests and carried home in brown paper bags. Into the caddy and a flat copper tea spoon lay on top for measuring into the tea pot.

Sadly I have not seen that type of tea measure spoon for decades.


Circa 1960 a supermarket opened in my hometown
Circa 1966 teabags appeared

edited
I quoted the photo of the tea caddy and the picture is truncated removing the design