Hello again...I think I started a new thread here but I am not 100% sure so please let me know. I posted about 1 day ago and got some really helpful tips on where to start looking for some high quality green teas. I just have two follow up questions:
1. There are a lot of places out there that claim to have excellent green tea. Is there anything in particular to look for when purchasing a green tea? or is it just a matter of sampling? or both?
2. I know the brewing process is important to get the most out of a good tea. Is there any place out there (whether online or in a book) to read more about it.
Thanks hope to hear from someone!
Jan 17th, '10, 13:06
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Re: New to Tea
Welcome to TeaChat. There is as much or as little info on TeaChat as your reading will allow. As posted in response to your other question in another topic under Introduction, try reading some topics/posts under Green Tea.
Then it would likely be better to post specific questions there versus your introduction.
I am looking forward to seeing you around the forum.
Then it would likely be better to post specific questions there versus your introduction.
I am looking forward to seeing you around the forum.
Jan 17th, '10, 17:17
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debunix
Re: New to Tea
A quick search--I used advanced search, tea + books, topic titles only--came up with several topics here.
Tea books for the novice
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... ks#p106037
looks like a good place to start.
And this thread
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5055 has even more.
Tea books for the novice
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... ks#p106037
looks like a good place to start.
And this thread
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5055 has even more.
Re: New to Tea
Great! Thanks again for all the help. I will be sure to check out those links. There seems to be so much out there on tea! Excited to start my quest into the tea world!
Re: New to Tea
Green tea is really diverse and people's tastes can differ hugely. My main advice is to form your own opinions and not listen to people's advice too strongly.
In terms of brewing, the most important thing with green tea is to use water well below boiling point--it depends on the tea but in general 160-180F is a reasonable range and most teas fall somewhere in there, although depending on taste and type of tea, you might want to use something outside that range.
My other big advice for you would be to try teas from different regions. Japan is well-known for green tea, but Chinese green teas can also be outstanding--and usually have a very different character. Less common and harder to find, I find Darjeeling makes some outstanding green tea. I am also very partial to green teas from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, myself--and again, they have a unique character (even if you're buying a style or variety of tea that is supposedly similar to a kind produced elsewhere, like Sencha).
Just try a bunch of teas. My favorite sources of mail-order are Upton Tea Imports and Rishi Tea. Rishi is the leader in fair trade and organic teas. Upton has a huge selection (which can be a bit daunting), and huge range of prices. I've also had a good experience with Adagio--I find their teas tend to be lighter and more aromatic. All three companies offer samples--and I'd recommend trying small samples as it's a great way to get into tea!
In terms of brewing, the most important thing with green tea is to use water well below boiling point--it depends on the tea but in general 160-180F is a reasonable range and most teas fall somewhere in there, although depending on taste and type of tea, you might want to use something outside that range.
My other big advice for you would be to try teas from different regions. Japan is well-known for green tea, but Chinese green teas can also be outstanding--and usually have a very different character. Less common and harder to find, I find Darjeeling makes some outstanding green tea. I am also very partial to green teas from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, myself--and again, they have a unique character (even if you're buying a style or variety of tea that is supposedly similar to a kind produced elsewhere, like Sencha).
Just try a bunch of teas. My favorite sources of mail-order are Upton Tea Imports and Rishi Tea. Rishi is the leader in fair trade and organic teas. Upton has a huge selection (which can be a bit daunting), and huge range of prices. I've also had a good experience with Adagio--I find their teas tend to be lighter and more aromatic. All three companies offer samples--and I'd recommend trying small samples as it's a great way to get into tea!
Re: New to Tea
alexzora...thanks for input much appreciated! At the end of the day it comes down to personal preferance. Thanks for the links and I'll be sure to check them out.
Today I went to a speciality tea shop and picked up two green teas, one from China and one from Japan. I noticed that the chinese tea was a little lighter and not as bitter. The Japanese tea I thought was a little more bitter and had a little of an earthly taste. However, this was my first real "taste test" and I would like to expand and see some others. Although both were really good! Do you find that Chinese and Japanese green tea differ much?
Thanks again!...and I will probably post a similar message on the green tea thread to see what other input I get.
Today I went to a speciality tea shop and picked up two green teas, one from China and one from Japan. I noticed that the chinese tea was a little lighter and not as bitter. The Japanese tea I thought was a little more bitter and had a little of an earthly taste. However, this was my first real "taste test" and I would like to expand and see some others. Although both were really good! Do you find that Chinese and Japanese green tea differ much?
Thanks again!...and I will probably post a similar message on the green tea thread to see what other input I get.
Jan 18th, '10, 22:05
Posts: 5896
Joined: Jan 10th, '10, 16:04
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Contact:
debunix
Re: New to Tea
So far I've found huge variation between different green teas in china, and not that much difference in the japanese green teas I've tried, but that's probably because I've tried about 4 japanese teas, mostly senchas, and probably a dozen or so chinese green teas.
Of all of those, only one was 'love at first sip' (the Yunnan Mao Feng from norbutea.com, an inexpensive and extremely forgiving green tea); most of them took some experimentation. As the most extreme example, I bought some nice Dragon Well from my local tea shop, didn't like it that much, and thought maybe it was a problem with a lower-grade tea. I bought a top-of-the-line version and it still was just so-so. Then last week I did something a little different (a little more leaf, I think), and got a sweet and lovely brew, after six months of grumbling and mostly leaving it sitting on the back of a shelf. And that breakthrough tea, made from flat green pan-roasted leaves, tasted sweet and rich, almost as sweet and quite as rich as the lovely sencha I'd figured out with a lot less trouble.
Similar, and wonderfully different too.
Of all of those, only one was 'love at first sip' (the Yunnan Mao Feng from norbutea.com, an inexpensive and extremely forgiving green tea); most of them took some experimentation. As the most extreme example, I bought some nice Dragon Well from my local tea shop, didn't like it that much, and thought maybe it was a problem with a lower-grade tea. I bought a top-of-the-line version and it still was just so-so. Then last week I did something a little different (a little more leaf, I think), and got a sweet and lovely brew, after six months of grumbling and mostly leaving it sitting on the back of a shelf. And that breakthrough tea, made from flat green pan-roasted leaves, tasted sweet and rich, almost as sweet and quite as rich as the lovely sencha I'd figured out with a lot less trouble.
Similar, and wonderfully different too.