This is true, I had some great teas "on the street" in Japan that I had no idea what they were or where they came from. Still don't...but they were good.Michael_C wrote: That said, I'm drinking a gyokuro now which is remarkably clean, but the tin just has the name of the shop on it, no other information (the shop was in Kyoto). That's a big part of the charm (romance?) of Japanese greens - buying 500g of sencha from a woman selling it in the name of her family next to a momimanju shop - getting kukicha as a gift from a friend, being offered a cup by people when you enter their kitchen. I love Japanese green tea.
Mmmm...momiji manju.
While I can't deny that there is a certain degree of tea snobbery in that statement, it's more of a shock because I'm not a particularly big fan of the stuff. Like I have a particular penchant to occasionally over water over temp some sencha just because that's what my grandmother always did, but I wouldn't name it my favorite due to sentimental value. It would be like saying that bancha or kukicha was your favorite green tea, just something I would find shocking.tenuki wrote:I agree with you Camellia, don't let these snobby tea bullys change _your_ taste buds.Pentox wrote:*Blank stare of absolute shock****Camellia for us*** wrote:Genmaicha!!!
It's so easy to get caught up in all the tea snobbery. As the father of a young child I've had the 'opportunity' to watch Ratatouille upwards of 20 times. (yikes) Now, it's not a particularily good movie, but it has some moments that are good and one of them applies here:
The moment the food critic tastes the common, humble, peasant dish ratatouille, is transported back to his childhood, casts aside his food snobbery and simply revels in the experience of connecting his senses to his memories, to his essential core of being. That moment. That is what constitutes 'favorite'.
Genmaicha does that for me too. Go away tea snob bullies and get connected again to your own reality instead of trying to force a theoretical reality down everyone's throats. 'favorite' is just that, a personal thing.
Mar 13th, '08, 17:46
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gunpowder tea that comes in a dusty yellow and gold tin found on the second shelf of my local asian food store! NUMMY! 
Don't always believe what you think!
http://www.ancientteahorseroad.blogspot.com
http://englishtea.us/
http://www.ancientteahorseroad.blogspot.com
http://englishtea.us/
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