Yesterday, many TeaChatters indicated they drink black tea, especially in the morning as their first tea. You can still vote and discuss this topic.
Welcome everyone to teaDay, let's brew and share what is in our cups today, all day.
Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic was "demanded" by several women TeaChatters, but Riene put it in black and white for me. So, TeaDay goes ERA and asks the opposing question to the gong fu question.
Do you brew English style and we are wondering if there is a gender bias. Do you use English style teaware, "girly teaware," fine china, with the full accompaniment? Is there a particular type of tea you always drink English style?
I am as always looking forward to sharing TeaDays with everyone. Bottoms up.....
Aug 7th, '08, 03:38
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Thursday 8/07/08 Western/English style brewing?
Last edited by Chip on Aug 16th, '08, 14:47, edited 1 time in total.
Aug 7th, '08, 03:42
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Blink Bonnie Ceylon Green
Thanks, Greenisgood, for recommending this tea to me. It is a really fine selection.
The vendor calls this “An absolutely unique and gorgeous tea,” and in some ways I have to agree. The shape of the dry leaves is astounding (click on the photo to see the dry leaves.) They are tightly rolled like tiny cigars, so they appear like dinky javelins. Although the tea is labeled as a green, it looks, tastes, and brews more like a yellow in my judgment.
After 8 infusions, the cigars are loose enough that most can be carefully unfurled to reveal moderately large tips + 1 or +2 leaves. You can see the spent leaves HERE if you have a notion to.
The vendor says that Blink Bonnie Green comes from the Idulgasheena Estate in Sri Lanka, but apparently the name Blinkbonnie is (or was) associated with another estate in Ceylon. Cruising Google I found this:
but the keenest of Scots minds (Proinsias) was able neither to confirm nor deny.
The vendor calls this “An absolutely unique and gorgeous tea,” and in some ways I have to agree. The shape of the dry leaves is astounding (click on the photo to see the dry leaves.) They are tightly rolled like tiny cigars, so they appear like dinky javelins. Although the tea is labeled as a green, it looks, tastes, and brews more like a yellow in my judgment.
After 8 infusions, the cigars are loose enough that most can be carefully unfurled to reveal moderately large tips + 1 or +2 leaves. You can see the spent leaves HERE if you have a notion to.
The vendor says that Blink Bonnie Green comes from the Idulgasheena Estate in Sri Lanka, but apparently the name Blinkbonnie is (or was) associated with another estate in Ceylon. Cruising Google I found this:
- May 24th 2008 - Robert Davis: Blinkbonnie Tea Plantation
I have just seen your article. Blinkbonnie is a Tea Estate just outside Dickoya. My Great-Great Grandfather bought it
in 1845 from part of his winnings on the Derby(Blinkbonnie came in at 20-1) My Father PG Davis was born on the estate
and I was taken out there in 1945 at the age of three months. I returned to the UK to go to prep-school in 1952 and
used to return for Summer and Christmas holidays untill 1955 when my father had to sell up because the Government
of the day weren't to keen on European Proprietry Owners. I am hoping to visit next year
Regards Robert Davis
but the keenest of Scots minds (Proinsias) was able neither to confirm nor deny.
Aug 7th, '08, 05:38
Posts: 921
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Location: enjoying a cup of Red Rose down in GA
Looks like I picked the right day to finally add a pic (with my silver tray and calabash)
The tea is Upton's China Black Gunpowder, which I plan on reviewing in the black tea section momentarily.
Oh yeah, while the majority of my pots are Yixing clay, I brew western style 95% of the time. Why mess up perfection?
EW
The tea is Upton's China Black Gunpowder, which I plan on reviewing in the black tea section momentarily.
Oh yeah, while the majority of my pots are Yixing clay, I brew western style 95% of the time. Why mess up perfection?
EW
Aug 7th, '08, 07:46
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Whoops I clicked the wrong button take one of of Male English style and add my note to Male No English style. I just have never been partial to the English tea ware, I think it is mostly because of there large size and floral decorations, but thats just me.
Nothing yet for me this morning but this afternoon, probably a nice Yunnan Gold.
Have a nice day everyone.
Nothing yet for me this morning but this afternoon, probably a nice Yunnan Gold.
Have a nice day everyone.
Salsero, what does yellow tea taste like? That's such a pretty color.
Omegapd--love the pipe on the silver tray, made me think of Sherlock Holmes!
Ceylon Sonata for me this morning. Mmmmmm.
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Yes, we brew English style probably 99% of the time. The remaining 1% is when I mess around with oolongs or the occasional green.
I have the family silver tea service, though I rarely use it--I think the silver (no matter how clean) leaves a funny taste to the tea. I have a formal white lace-on-white with platinum trim china service, including the teapot, cups, saucers. *see avatar* Most of my casual pots are plain porcelain or ceramic--solid blue, solid white, or glass.
My husband and I (and occasionally kids) drink hot black tea with a little sugar and often a splash of milk every morning with breakfast. If we have afternoon visitors I'll use the china service, make a pot of tea, get out the silver tray for whatever I've recently baked--nut bread, scones, lemon tart, fruitcake, cookies.
Coffee predominates around here. Serving tea to guests is often a surprise, but one they seem to enjoy. Also, I'd rather my kids develop a taste for tea instead of the icecream&syrup Starbucks drinks from the cost, health, and calories point of view.
Omegapd--love the pipe on the silver tray, made me think of Sherlock Holmes!
Ceylon Sonata for me this morning. Mmmmmm.
-----------------
Yes, we brew English style probably 99% of the time. The remaining 1% is when I mess around with oolongs or the occasional green.
I have the family silver tea service, though I rarely use it--I think the silver (no matter how clean) leaves a funny taste to the tea. I have a formal white lace-on-white with platinum trim china service, including the teapot, cups, saucers. *see avatar* Most of my casual pots are plain porcelain or ceramic--solid blue, solid white, or glass.
My husband and I (and occasionally kids) drink hot black tea with a little sugar and often a splash of milk every morning with breakfast. If we have afternoon visitors I'll use the china service, make a pot of tea, get out the silver tray for whatever I've recently baked--nut bread, scones, lemon tart, fruitcake, cookies.
Coffee predominates around here. Serving tea to guests is often a surprise, but one they seem to enjoy. Also, I'd rather my kids develop a taste for tea instead of the icecream&syrup Starbucks drinks from the cost, health, and calories point of view.
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups on my table.
--Tang Dynasty
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups on my table.
--Tang Dynasty
Aug 7th, '08, 08:59
Posts: 921
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Location: enjoying a cup of Red Rose down in GA
Thanks Riene and Salsero,Riene wrote: Omegapd--love the pipe on the silver tray, made me think of Sherlock Holmes!
* Useless tidbit of information for the day * Holmes never smoked a calabash in all his stories. He would have smoked a common clay pipe- typical of the time period- or the occasional briar pipe. It was Basil Rathbone, the actor who played Holmes on tv, that chose the calabash- the main reason being that it did not get in the way of his pretty face when filming.
Yeah, I'm a Holmes dork...
EW
Aug 7th, '08, 09:07
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CynTEAa
Aug 7th, '08, 09:44
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Based on my very limited experience with yellows (precisely 2 besides this green) I would say they taste citrusy (grapefruity maybe) and floral. Some whites are like this ... though by no means all. The taste is quite light, they are rather aromatic, not very astringent, and have an overall character somewhere between an oolong and a green.Riene wrote:Salsero, what does yellow tea taste like? That's such a pretty color.
Omegapd:
Thanks, Holmeboy, for the Holmes detail.
Aug 7th, '08, 09:54
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Aug 7th, '08, 10:40
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chamekke
I said "I am female and I do not brew English style", because I brew English style possibly once in a blue moon, which to me does not equal "sometimes". The six-cup Brown Betty in our household sits idle for months between uses, perhaps because we so seldom have multiple guests who want English-style black tea. And I use a ceramic kyuusu for the few black teas I do drink.
Also, despite the fact that I inherited some lovely teacups from my mother, I very rarely use them. Really I should at least consider decanting into them from my kyuusu, yixing, or hybrid gaiwan. Sencha might be very pretty in an English bone-china cup.
Also, despite the fact that I inherited some lovely teacups from my mother, I very rarely use them. Really I should at least consider decanting into them from my kyuusu, yixing, or hybrid gaiwan. Sencha might be very pretty in an English bone-china cup.