SATURDAY!>>>TeaDay, 3/29/08

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OK, we cannot forget about the "western tea"...Black Tea. This is the tea that started an interest in Tea for most of us. So, today's question is, where do you stand on black tea today?

I love black tea, it is clearly my fav and I have it several times a day
15
27%
I start virtually every day with a black tea, so I guess I love it
6
11%
I really like black tea having it most days
8
15%
I like black tea, having it more days than not
6
11%
I used to really like black tea, but I seem to have moved on to other teas
12
22%
I tried black tea but do not care for it
7
13%
No, believe it or not, I have not had black tea, I guess I should try it
0
No votes
Nope...and not in a rush to try it either
1
2%
 
Total votes: 55

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Mar 29th, '08, 12:01
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by Victoria » Mar 29th, '08, 12:01

I love to start my day with a nice Black tea. Usually my Adagio blend or Yunnan Gold as of late. Only mornings though, I need the rest of the day free for oolong.

Yunnan Gold was my first brew this morning, going for a second steep now. Anyone want to join me?

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Mar 29th, '08, 12:10
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by TimeforTea » Mar 29th, '08, 12:10

I've tried black tea, and I don't care for it very much. However, I do enjoy adagio's Valentine's Tea. I also plan to try iced decaf fruity black tea during the summer.

I know most newbies start with black tea, but I started with green. :D

This morning, I had adagio's white monkey in my cup. The leaves are shaped like a monkey's tail, and this green tea's liquid appears and tastes just like a white tea.
Last edited by TimeforTea on Mar 29th, '08, 23:04, edited 1 time in total.

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Mar 29th, '08, 12:11
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by scruffmcgruff » Mar 29th, '08, 12:11

Since moving on to darker oolongs and puerhs, black teas just aren't that interesting to me anymore. There are a few that are nice and low-key (basically Yunnan Gold and Assam), but I rarely drink them anymore.
Tea Nerd - www.teanerd.com

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Mar 29th, '08, 13:30
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by olivierco » Mar 29th, '08, 13:30

Just had a cup of Keemun.

This afternoon Ippodo Gyokuro Ippoen for the first time. Five steeps of a very good gyokuro. Has anyone tasted Ippodo top gyokuro (Tenka-Ichi)?

Mar 29th, '08, 13:46
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by kikkuman » Mar 29th, '08, 13:46

Only thing black tea is good for is Pearl Milk Tea. I'm going to show my love for black tea by brewing some white peony! :twisted:

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Mar 29th, '08, 14:22
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by Chip » Mar 29th, '08, 14:22

I, like many others, started drinking black tea...that is what was most available (things have changed a lot since then). I really spread out from there and went through the "try everything phase." But black was my first tea of the day everyday for around 5 plus years. My fav was Keemuns and high grown Dajeeling types.

The last 2+ years, I have had black only once a month or so, and when I do, I do enjoy it.

First tea of the day was Fukamushi Superior...this is a great first tea of the day...really bold.

Today, in honor of the poll, Yunnan Gold from adagio. This is the first time in a very long time that I have had a Yunnan black.

And now, Li Sha Winter Petals greenish oolong from V.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!

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Mar 29th, '08, 14:23
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by bambooforest » Mar 29th, '08, 14:23

Black tea is wonderful, and I enjoy it thoroughly. There are incredible amounts of variety within the black tea world.

Black tea has comforting and familiarity qualities that are perhaps unsurpassed. True, green tea is my favorite, but black tea deserves its props.

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Mar 29th, '08, 14:32
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by auggy » Mar 29th, '08, 14:32

I started out with green teas when I spent a year in Japan. That really got me into teas, but when I came back to the US, my green tea was always bitter. I gave up on teas in general because of this until DH decided he wanted hot teas in the morning. Then we started out with bagged teas and it was good. Then, the world changed when I started looking into teas and finally figured out why my green tea was so icky compared to what I had in Japan - wrong temp water. So I pulled out my candy thermometer let the water cool to about 180 before making a bag of green tea. The sweetness was back!

That was the beginning of this last fall and since then, I've been increasingly unsatisfied with black teas and more in love with green and oolongs. DH is still stuck on the morning black tea so I end up drinking a cup of it more often than not. I add enough sugar and milk and I can get through it. Though I still hold out hope that I can find a good black tea. I've got my list of things to try that people have suggested on here and going to pick those up next week. I doubt black teas will ever be my fav though.

Wow - long answer. Sorry! :oops:

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Mar 29th, '08, 14:34
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Re: tea day

by omegapd » Mar 29th, '08, 14:34

Ron Gilmour wrote: but some of my favorite black teas are inexpensive things like Twinings Prince of Wales (which I'm drinking right now) and the CTC Assams that you can buy in huge boxes for a few dollars at Indian food stores. I hope I don't get myself kicked off of this forum for my confessions.
I'm with you, Ron. My "everyday" black tea, that I drink at least once hot and many glasses of iced, is Red Rose. I just love the stuff.

EW

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by Proinsias » Mar 29th, '08, 15:06

I've never gotten the black tea in the morning thing. I understand the need for caffeine kicks but my body just doesn't go for it.

I tend to opt for light greeny/white in the morning and get darker throughout the day. Something that is light and fresh like a nice sencha or long jing with a little fresh fruit wakes my body up far better. If that fails then I'm all for caffeine overdose during the day. I suspect it comes from watching my father and brother-in-law welcoming the world each morning with a double espresso and a cigarette.

I harbor a love for black tea but moreso than any other tea it is something that grips me like an addiction once or twice a month and is almost non-existent in between. This is quite handy as black tea isn't really plagued by the 'need to drink it while it's fresh' syndrome that comes as soon as I open many other packs of tea.

Today: Ku-ding for the first few hours of the day - as Phyll once said around here: Who needs caffeine from Ku Ding (a.k.a. Wu Tang) when the bitterness punches you awake! and now a good way into some Honey Orchid Dancong from Imem, I feel as the tea loses its freshness my brewing is improving and the tea is holding a middleground.

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Mar 29th, '08, 15:24
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by RussianSoul » Mar 29th, '08, 15:24

Black tea is my true love. I wrote yesterday that Japanese green is my new-found love. It is true, but like with any new love it is not time tested yet. My love for black tea took the time test and passed.

Had a new Assam TGFOP from English Tea Store in the morning and did not like it. What they forgot to mention is that it is Broken OP. Not all BOP are bad per se, but this one was low quality. It had some golden tips, I could see them, but not taste them. Too much dust.

It appears to me that English Tea Store doesn't have higher quality teas. I still love their Buckingham Palace blend, but that's the only one that I still care for. For the rest of their teas - I found better versions elsewhere.

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Mar 29th, '08, 19:04
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by henley » Mar 29th, '08, 19:04

I've been drinking tea for apr 2 yrs & am still a big fan of black tea. Probably 80% of my tea collection is black & the other 20% oolong. Black tea is like an old friend... It's not too fussy & you can kick back & relax with it. Plus I like the rich taste & full body to it. I also like playing w/flavor combinations. Some of my favorites are vanilla mint & chocolate blackberry.

This morning's tea was Adagio's oolong #8. We finished off the sample with breakfast & the whole family agreed we need more of it next time I order. I forget who suggested this one but thanx!:wink:

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Mar 29th, '08, 19:08
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by witches brew » Mar 29th, '08, 19:08

I never could get into black teas. I remember enduring afternoon tea at college by using lots of sugar and lemon, a splash of extra water, and not much tea. Hot lemonade with a tea undertone.

My mother drank black tea all day, and that's the fondness I have, for the scent but not the taste.

I've been drinking peppermint tisane all day today. There was a pinch of Silver Needle in the first cup of it, just enough to balance the flavor but not enough to set off the caffeine alarm in my head.

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Mar 29th, '08, 21:29
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by Cinnamon Kitty » Mar 29th, '08, 21:29

I never liked black teas in the past and am just slowing beginning to drink them again. I found that I enjoyed Darjeeling and the Valentines flavored black tea thanks to the random samples that Adagio sends with orders. Without those I would have never realized that there are some black teas that don't taste too strong and bitter. So now I am beginning to try other black teas, but it is a slow process.

Today was a busy day. I enjoyed three steeps of White Tip Oolong, which were great. After driving halfway up to school, a friend let us know that the dorms were going to be closed until tomorrow. Thankfully, my relatives live close to where we were when we learned this so we are crashing there for the night. I am incredibly happy that I have my large box of tea stuff with me or else the over night stay would not have been bearable.

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Mar 29th, '08, 22:08
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by Victoria » Mar 29th, '08, 22:08

With all the black tea talk, I ended up placing an order with TeaSpring today for more Yunnan Gold types. I'm so impulsive!

This afternoon's cup - Purple Leaf Pu-erh. Thanks Salsero.
I'm on my second infusion; rich and full bodied, very nice.

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