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

[kuánglóng]

Please forward me the tea rather than throw it out please

You're asking me to dig up the 200g of Keemun that went into the trash just today [sic!]. Seriously, I'm slowly fed up with those business practices that are maintained where I am right now and again - I'm talking of 'reputable' online sellers. Folks that have been in the business for quite a while, have been mentioned favorably on tea blogs, facebook and the like (I usually don't care too much for that sort of information), carry a relative wide assortment of primarily tea and here's where the problem starts: what to do with tea that's getting a bit long in the tooth and has been sitting in the container for some years already with a more or less frequent supply of fresh air, every time you open the lid to get out and sell some grams? Throw away something (your capital) if you can still sell it - online without any information about the age as it seems to be the rule?
It doesn't stop here. One of the shops I ordered from gives you some free samples with every order and so I chose some exotic leaves. What they sent me as 'samples' - something that's supposed to give you an idea of the quality and lure you into buying more of that stuff - those samples were dead - muerto - finished - no aroma or taste whatsoever. WTF??? and this shop is no exception.
I'm not binning any tea lightheartedly - it just can't be my job.

Back OT - some more of that lovely FF Puttabong

[daidokorocha]

I find the bit about samples to be especially true... many people do not take very good care of their samples even if they take good care of their regular stock. Personally, I rarely, rarely buy in quantities of 200 grams. I used to be okay with 100, but these days even that is a fair bit and I prefer 30-50 grams. I do think that things like storing conditions, etc will get better over time as customers come to care a bit more. Me, I tend to stay away from places that offer too much tea if I am looking for higher quality. If I do, I make sure to stay in the category that I feel is their best. One vendor I really like and I think their blacks are great, but I had some of their pu-erh and it was pretty terrible. This is a place that only offers around 20 teas from all categories. Sometimes you lose...

I am going to go brew up some black tea now. Which one? I am not sure yet.. perhaps some Assam, some Azorean tea, or maybe the one from Nepal. Or maybe all three?

[kuánglóng]

... I make sure to stay in the category that I feel is their best. ...

That's what I do as well. What I've described above are mainly experiences with vendors who are more or less focused on Himalayan teas - like me. Oh well ...

Back to some more of that tasty Puttabong (I really dig those Nepali names )

Cheers

[Tead Off]

Please forward me the tea rather than throw it out please

You're asking me to dig up the 200g of Keemun that went into the trash just today [sic!]. Seriously, I'm slowly fed up with those business practices that are maintained where I am right now and again - I'm talking of 'reputable' online sellers. Folks that have been in the business for quite a while, have been mentioned favorably on tea blogs, facebook and the like (I usually don't care too much for that sort of information), carry a relative wide assortment of primarily tea and here's where the problem starts: what to do with tea that's getting a bit long in the tooth and has been sitting in the container for some years already with a more or less frequent supply of fresh air, every time you open the lid to get out and sell some grams? Throw away something (your capital) if you can still sell it - online without any information about the age as it seems to be the rule?
It doesn't stop here. One of the shops I ordered from gives you some free samples with every order and so I chose some exotic leaves. What they sent me as 'samples' - something that's supposed to give you an idea of the quality and lure you into buying more of that stuff - those samples were dead - muerto - finished - no aroma or taste whatsoever. WTF??? and this shop is no exception.
I'm not binning any tea lightheartedly - it just can't be my job.

Back OT - some more of that lovely FF Puttabong

Cold storage should be the norm for every vendor of teas. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and this is especially true in India and Nepal. There may be exceptions, but the sellers I saw personally, all kept their teas in the big sacks that they buy from the gardens exposed to the elements inside their shops. No special treatment given to storing them. This is probably true with most of the Chinese sellers as well.

Japan may be the exception, where many online sellers keep their stock in cold storage. The only thing we can do is ask and then judge accordingly to our sensibilities.

For those teas we either receive or have stored over time and have lost some or all of its flavor profile, the only possibility is refreshing with a heater. It's worth the small investment to get one, but can also be done in a frying pan with care or a rice cooker. A search on teachat should bring up many posts on the subject.

[kuánglóng]

Cold storage should be the norm for every vendor of teas.

Couldn't agree more. Cold storage and an obligation to provide correct information on origin(s) and production dates - on their websites and individual packages. They only could get that far because of uncritical consumerism generating the major part of their income.

Unfortunately, that is not the case, and this is especially true in India and Nepal. There may be exceptions, but the sellers I saw personally, all kept their teas in the big sacks that they buy from the gardens exposed to the elements inside their shops. No special treatment given to storing them. This is probably true with most of the Chinese sellers as well.

Yeah, and again all that silly jabbering of "doing it in the xth generation", as if this means anything. Just look at some sellers in the Yaowarat area with their tons of teas exposed to the heat, humidity and polluted air, day after day, all day long... yikes. Unfortunately I've witnessed the same incredible carelessness and other highly questionable habits all over the place but I won't mention any names - I wouldn't know where to start.

Japan may be the exception, where many online sellers keep their stock in cold storage. The only thing we can do is ask and then judge accordingly to our sensibilities.

For those teas we either receive or have stored over time and have lost some or all of its flavor profile, the only possibility is refreshing with a heater. It's worth the small investment to get one, but can also be done in a frying pan with care or a rice cooker. A search on teachat should bring up many posts on the subject.

Sometimes it may make sense to rescue some tea that would be lost otherwise but a good part of the aroma/flavor is based on volatile components, other non-volatile chemicals can react even more dramatically - moisture content plays a big role as well and the higher the temperature the faster the evaporation and oxidisation processes take place - until nothing noteworthy makes it into the cup anymore, like in some of those samples I've mentioned. Every time you bake/fire/re-bake tea you will transform but at the same time lose some of those goodies and again that's the main reason those guys are so nervous during the firing or baking stages - you have to get the moisture out of those leaves without losing/oxidising too much of the valuable components - it takes years of daily practise to master this art and you still can't be sure you nail it each and every time. I've discussed this at great length with some tea masters and they know too well that an awful lot of originally excellent leaves gets downright ruined during this critical stage. Nothing against experimenting with raised temperatures, some teas actually benefit from some well dosed heat treatment but at the end of the day most of it boils down to individual preferences anyway.

[daidokorocha]

Shall I take back what I said about the Ceylon tea? Tonight, I decided to try it again brewing it twice, with one cup being made from tap water and the other from poland spring water. Okay.. I do not know what I did to magically make this so much better, but the tap water cup (How I have always brewed it) was first and when I drank it I was hit with a nice, brisk brew with pleasing honey notes. Before all I got was flat, flat, flat and boring. With the Poland Spring, the brew was stronger but the flavor wasn't as nice, and the liquid itself was much more syrupy, whereas the tap water left it thin. Still not a favorite, but that one brew gave me hope in terms of Ceylon.

Sigh, if only I had a perfect water source and did not have to fret about such things.

[ethan]

dai, Never had an exciting Ceylon tea. At best I think they are smooth & simple.

As for water, if you have room & $, I suggest a good water filter. I bought a British Berkefeld on Craigslist. The $100 paid will be recouped in avoiding buying bottled water. Now usually seen as Big Berkey these gravity ceramic filter systems are great. New are over $200. Really makes better tea & drinking water tastes great.

[daidokorocha]

dai, Never had an exciting Ceylon tea. At best I think they are smooth & simple.

As for water, if you have room & $, I suggest a good water filter. I bought a British Berkefeld on Craigslist. The $100 paid will be recouped in avoiding buying bottled water. Now usually seen as Big Berkey these gravity ceramic filter systems are great. New are over $200. Really makes better tea & drinking water tastes great.

Filters stagnant pond water to a drinkable state? I imagine if one can filter pond water with it then it must be rather portable? I have plans to move multiple times in the next 8 months, so I wonder how easy it would be in terms of portability/space it takes up, etc. Moving things overseas is a giant pain. I really wish there were places I could go test out filters before making a decision. Never having to worry about water again though makes it seem worth it. To be honest, there isn't a day that goes by that I do not miss the water from my time in Scotland.

I myself have never had a Ceylon tea that I find exciting or even worth drinking really... I don't say that about any tea honestly. I was happy to get those very vibrant honey notes. It surprised me a great deal. I will try it again as I don't have too much time to devote to good brewing these days. I received your package today and I am eager to try the teas. It will be a few days though until I can give them my attention. It gives me something to look forward to!

[Tead Off]

2010 White Tea from Thurbo. I bought this in Darjeeling and have stored it for 5.5 years. White teas can be aged successfully. The liquor has darkened, but I notice less flavor and aroma. The tea is still smooth and thick in the mouth. I'm not sure where it's headed, though. Still drinkable, but compared to a later Shangrila White Tea from Nepal, it is not nearly as good.

[kuánglóng]

2010 White Tea from Thurbo. I bought this in Darjeeling and have stored it for 5.5 years. White teas can be aged successfully. The liquor has darkened, but I notice less flavor and aroma. The tea is still smooth and thick in the mouth. I'm not sure where it's headed, though. Still drinkable, but compared to a later Shangrila White Tea from Nepal, it is not nearly as good.

That's pretty interesting, J. I don't need to worry about my Shou Mei/Gong Mei cakes but I frequently check my Bai Mu Dan, Yin Zhen and the few white Darjeelings I have left. I keep the latter, more delicate whites in heat sealed, semi-vacuumed mylar bags, 20 grams in each bag. Since you've mentioned cold storage yesterday, I have some bags in the deep freezer at -24 deg C., others in the fridge at around 6 deg. C. and the rest in the cellar at 15 deg. C. To compare a nice FF Darjeeling from 2012 that has been sleeping at constant -24deg. C for four years to something recent from the same estate or sub-division or the same tea from the cellared stash is a real treat in my book.

Got some 2016 Nilgiri frost tea (Parkside) in the pipeline, surprisingly complex leaves with a bit of everything thrown in there, flowers, fruit, herbs, spices, maltiness... The more I drink it, the more I like it. Looks like a good candidate for the torture chamber - I've just ordered another pound.

[Tead Off]

2010 White Tea from Thurbo. I bought this in Darjeeling and have stored it for 5.5 years. White teas can be aged successfully. The liquor has darkened, but I notice less flavor and aroma. The tea is still smooth and thick in the mouth. I'm not sure where it's headed, though. Still drinkable, but compared to a later Shangrila White Tea from Nepal, it is not nearly as good.

That's pretty interesting, J. I don't need to worry about my Shou Mei/Gong Mei cakes but I frequently check my Bai Mu Dan, Yin Zhen and the few white Darjeelings I have left. I keep the latter, more delicate whites in heat sealed, semi-vacuumed mylar bags, 20 grams in each bag. Since you've mentioned cold storage yesterday, I have some bags in the deep freezer at -24 deg C., others in the fridge at around 6 deg. C. and the rest in the cellar at 15 deg. C. To compare a nice FF Darjeeling from 2012 that has been sleeping at constant -24deg. C for four years to something recent from the same estate or sub-division or the same tea from the cellared stash is a real treat in my book.

Got some 2016 Nilgiri frost tea (Parkside) in the pipeline, surprisingly complex leaves with a bit of everything thrown in there, flowers, fruit, herbs, spices, maltiness... The more I drink it, the more I like it. Looks like a good candidate for the torture chamber - I've just ordered another pound.

I have only had one Nilgiri that I bought in New Delhi. Excellent tea. Still have a bit. Hard for me to find. I bought it at a very good tea shop called Mittal's at Sunder Nagar Market.

Keeping the teas in cold storage is great. But, they won't age that way, of course. White tea is a commonly aged tea in China. It is supposedly very good for you according to their traditional medical system.

So many white teas have very little flavor. The Himalayan ones have been the best for me although I've bought some with no mojo in them, too.

[daidokorocha]

Tead, have you ever tried the white tea cakes like this one from Yunnan Sourcing? They apparently are supposed to be good for aging.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/3 ... -cake.html

[Tead Off]

Tead, have you ever tried the white tea cakes like this one from Yunnan Sourcing? They apparently are supposed to be good for aging.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/whitetea/3 ... -cake.html

No, never tried.

[kuánglóng]

...
So many white teas have very little flavor. The Himalayan ones have been the best for me although I've bought some with no mojo in them, too.

I remember my first whites (and green teas) from Nepal and Darjeeling back in the day and even though the average quality got sooo much better over the years; as with any other type of tea you can still end up with a bag of dead matter, especially online. Regarding Yin Zhen I'm not too big a fan of the fresh stuff either. The better qualities can turn into something surprisingly fruity though but that's a bit of a hit or miss game and I rather waste my €urons elsewhere.
Just in case, J. ... I've got some nice Shou Mei/Gong Mei bings in storage and the better qualities age a bit slowly but beautifully - imagine something like a blend of Bai Mu Dan, Oriental Beauty and what they sell as 'Formosa Fancy' over here - they can turn into something really complex and tasty with some funny side effects on your body-mind system that I'm not too keen on anymore

Got to take a closer look at the FF Risheehat that just came in.

[daidokorocha]

After some Vietnamese "Tiger Monkey" from Hatvala, I decided to break out Evan'S HOR Himalayan Orange black tea from Jun Chiyabari Estate. As mentioned whatever page ago I recently also got one called Himalayan Spring from the same estate from Happy Earth Tea. I must say, they are radically different. Heaping teaspoon to 5 oz at 93.3 C for 1:30 first and second infusion, and then 3 minutes for the third, I believe it was. I will say, from the smell of the leaf, I smelled some darjeeling and maybe a little chocolate and was wondering if it would turn out like the Himalayan Spring.

The answer was a profound no. This is a very clean tea with very high aroma. Fruity and floral, I can't help but think it reminds me of an oolong and darjeeling hybrid but with more astringency. It ends up tasting a bit soapy by the third infusion, and more shared characteristics with the Himalayan Spring and some Chinese black teas come out. I think that I will surpass Ethan's heaping teaspoon in favor of much more leaf and shorter steeping times next time I go at this and try it that way. Though, Ethan's preparation certainly makes a satisfying cup. The flavor stays in the mouth prominently for a long time afterwards. Judging from the teas I have had so far, Nepal tea will have its place in the tea world, certainly. I have a few more to try still.

After that, I had Dragon Tea House's "Yixing/Yangxian Congou/Gongfu". Smell is chocolate, taste is all chocolate. Tea heaping teaspoons to 3-5 oz, boiling water, 1 minute first steep, second steep same, third steep 2 minutes. Nice mix of deep and light flavors, though nothing complex. Second steep was much richer. The color was a very beautiful amber. Good... but not great. I feel I should have used more leaf, but I only have a 10 gram sample and didn't want to use it all just yet. Perhaps next time I'll use 7 grams or so to 5 oz or so. Edit: I came back to this a few hours later and found the leafs to be incredibly fragrant, so I brewed up another infusion at 4 minutes. I should have left it in longer but, oh well, it was fine.