Tea myths that need to be abolished?

[RMartin]

What are some of the most common myths or mis-informations about tea that need to disappear ASAP?

[chaiguy]

That matcha makes you skinny.

[bintuborg]

That tea has health benefits on the same scale as eating a salad.

[hopeofdawn]

That monkey picked oolong was actually picked by monkeys.

[john.b]

That brewing tea is difficult. There is a lot to making a relatively optimum cup of tea, years of training involved, lots of gear issues, use of ideal water at the perfect temperature, and so on, but dumping any mediocre loose tea into an open coffee cup with boiling water and straining that would turn out better than tea from a tea bag.

[Midwinter_Sun]

That brewing tea is difficult.

Could not concur more.

I offered a friend that is a coffee snob to taste some properly brewed tea with me and he told me it sounded "pretentious and too much work".

This from a man that only drinks whiskey from regionally correct glasses and buys certain beers at certain pubs. And grinds his own fair trade beans roasted at his select local coffee house, of course.

[Bok]

I offered a friend that is a coffee snob to taste some properly brewed tea with me and he told me it sounded "pretentious and too much work".

This from a man that only drinks whiskey from regionally correct glasses and buys certain beers at certain pubs. And grinds his own fair trade beans roasted at his select local coffee house, of course.

Haha, I guess we all know that kind of people…

Well, I’ll return to my Taiwanese tea, brewed in a teapot made of Taiwanese clay, matchin tea cup, with locally filtered –of course– Taiwanese water, all the while breathing authentic Taiwanese air

[Midwinter_Sun]

Well, I’ll return to my Taiwanese tea, brewed in a teapot made of Taiwanese clay, matchin tea cup, with locally filtered –of course– Taiwanese water, all the while breathing authentic Taiwanese air

Bok, are there defined subcultures as to tea preference in Taiwan?

I.e. scholars drink a certain type of tea, some other group something else?
What about buble tea? how is that percieved?

[Bok]

Bok, are there defined subcultures as to tea preference in Taiwan?

I.e. scholars drink a certain type of tea, some other group something else?
What about buble tea? how is that percieved?

Young people and the ones who can’t be bothered drink Bubble tea or another variety of the myriad of available tea drinks.

Young people with more developed taste buds tend to like Taiwanese Black teas. Found in quite a few Cafés and trendy snack bars.

Older generation Taiwanese drink mostly Aged or more heavily roasted/oxydised Oolong tea.

Tea people are mainly divided into two factions Oolong and Puerh drinkers.

Hard (and dirty) working people tend to favour Puerh or roasted oolongs.

The most expensive and difficult to find High Mountain oolongs are drunk by the Mafia and people from the government.

Green, white, yellow teas are hardly drunk by anyone. Same for foreign teas like Daarjeeling and the like.


Another interesting thing is the way tea is drunk. South is more casual, with practical tea ware and sitting outside on the street, chit-chatting and having a good time.

North (basically Taipei area only) is more formal and snobby, with more people doing it in a ceremonial like fashion, with expensive and exquisite teaware.

The young people who take tea seriously are more inspired by wabi sabi like tea settings (Young people in Taiwan tend not to look much further than Japan for inspiration, not only tea-wise).

All those are of course generalisations… but that’s the broad picture as far as I observed it.

P.S.: Sorry for hijacking the original thread with my reply! Mods feel free to split the thread if appropriate.

[Midwinter_Sun]

P.S.: Sorry for hijacking the original thread with my reply! Mods feel free to split the thread if appropriate.

Well I started it!

That was fascinating, thank You for Your detailed reply.

But i think Your feedback does add to the topic - tea myths to abolish.
You have just given more proof that good tea is easy and fun and does not have to be expensive

[john.b]

I don't have any problems with someone spending outrageous amounts on tea and related gear, or claiming that results are better if the brewing process incorporates attention to many small details, or should be based on years of training at the feet of a master. But relatively ordinary tea prepared in a relatively non-skillful way is going to be better than Lipton, a lot better, especially if someone has even a basic awareness of what kinds of tea they like best.

It's unfortunate that this isn't common knowledge, that the opposite impression might be more common. Someone that loves tea might think "more tea for us then," or that tea would remain inexpensive if total demand is low, but I'm not so sure it works like that. It seems there is potential for better tea to become more normal and available once demand for it increases, for supply and demand to balance, for people producing ordinary grades of tea to improve upon that. If that supply is somehow restricted, as in the case of narrowly defined regionally limited production, it may well not work out like that, but in other cases it seems possible the pricing could even decrease.

[Bok]

Someone that loves tea might think "more tea for us then," or that tea would remain inexpensive if total demand is low, but I'm not so sure it works like that. It seems there is potential for better tea to become more normal and available once demand for it increases, for supply and demand to balance, for people producing ordinary grades of tea to improve upon that. If that supply is somehow restricted, as in the case of narrowly defined regionally limited production, it may well not work out like that, but in other cases it seems possible the pricing could even decrease.

I think it has more to do with how many people actually have the taste bud capacity to discern what is good and what not. Throwing pearls to the pigs as we say in Germany

Most people won’t simply be able to tell the difference, or do not care in the first place what they are consuming (food or drink). Developing a sense of quality and taste (for anything) takes time, effort and a good portion of luck (in that you will need to have access to it in the first place, or someone who can teach it).

Excellency has and always will remain rare and not available for everyone, no matter the subject.

P.S.: In the case of Taiwanese Oolongs I am quite happy there is not more people drinking it – the island is small and there is not much space left to increase the output… Might explain why Taiwanese Tea sellers can be very reluctant to give foreigners their best tea!

[Rui]

Throwing pearls to the pigs as we say in Germany

Oh yes, a very well known saying in Germany "Perlen vor die Säue werfen".

[ethan]

I think one of the Apostles quotes Jesus as saying, "Don't cast your pearls before swine." I don't know the context of the quote though I have used it.
One of my nephews has tried to enjoy life to the fullest & his earliest foray into the world of "good" tea was at Teavana where he was told he needed such & such teaware to go w/ his teas. His wife proudly served me from a cast iron pot in which the tea leaves were remaining throughout our session. I told them one cup of their tea was so delicious that I was satisfied. I did not watch their reaction to a second pour of the tea which has steeped for 20 minutes or so. (It was Lapsang Souchong).
My point is what we already know & has been said, most people want to add water to a cup w/ a teabag or a pot w/ leaves & be done thinking about it.

[Rui]

I think one of the Apostles quotes Jesus as saying, "Don't cast your pearls before swine." I don't know the context of the quote though I have used it.

Yes, Matthew 7:6.