Monday TeaDay 8/2/10 New Tea Philosophy 101?

[Chip]

Welcome to a GREAT TeaDay everyone. Please drop by and share what is in your cup throughout the day.

This past weekend we discussed the second half of the TeaYear. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. When you are trying a completely new type of tea, do you start at entry level and work your way up, or start with the best? Please share why.

I am looking forward to sharing this TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up.

[debunix]

If I don't like the first tea I encounter in a new class, then I do go up until I either decide I don't like it, or find a version I like or a way to prepare it that I like. That search has often stopped well before the 'top' because the 'top' turns out sometimes to be both hard to get, expensive, and increasingly less interesting.

Today I found discovered that I there are a few black teas not grown in Yunnan that I like (two taiwanese black teas, which I discussed in more detail here), and neither of them were 'planned' acquisitions. One came in a tea swap, and one was a free sample in an order of other tea. It was a pretty random introduction to a new group of teas.

[Victoria]

Hard to say, whichever I stumble upon first most likely.

Starting the day with some SpecialTeas Balasun. My mission
is to finish this package this week. I seriously need to move
out some older teas.

Have a nice day everyone!

[LauraW]

I tend to start on the low-mid side and work my way up. But that also depends on the size. If I get through 2 oz of a tea and haven't liked any of it, I'm unlikely to buy it again in most cases, unless I'm told that the particular kind I tried is not representative of that kind of tea. I also tend not to go all the way up the scale, I'll stop after probably 2 if I still don't like something, 3 if I'm starting to get accustomed to it.

On my way out the door for work, so no tea yet. I'm thinking Snowbud...

[dooble]

I start my way from the mid range, then work my way up. Usually I have no interest for the really low grade teas, I'm talking about the industrial, real low grade teas.

Just got new tea today, I think I will have some 2010 bi luo chun today, and maybe even make a big bi luo chun comparison .

[AdamMY]

I will say that after employing this method for a while I have had to admit that some previously teas I thought I hated actually turned out to be incredibly nice in higher grades.

But my new tea philosophy, is to pick out a tea in that category around, but usually slightly less than I would pay for my everyday teas I know I like. And after playing with that tea quite a bit I decide if I think that type of tea is in my opinion worth exploring a little bit more.

[Victoria]

Currently in my cup, Tea Masters DYL.

[Skippyandjif]

I start a little bit above entry level-- basically, the least expensive iteration of tea I can get that isn't in bags. I've had some pretty good bagged teas (lapsang souchong, a pu-erh one time, genmaicha) in the past, as well as some great tisanes, but looseleaf tea just blew them out of the water when I tried it later.

Keemun in my cup right now.

(On another note: I just found out the only Chinese restaurant in the town where my mom lives serves Yunnan black tea with dinner! Score! ...Guess where I went last night? )

[Mrs. Chip]

Great TeaDay so far, Delish YM ala O-Cha at home with Chip and the kittykats and currently in my cup at work Mao Feng.

Have a TEArrific TeaDay everyone!

[nickE]

I tend to start at a mid-range level tea and either stay around there, or work my way up. My first experience with Puerh (very cheap stuff from Puerhshop) and Sencha (supermarket tea) were pretty horrid.

Started the day with Shupu, later will be a tasting of the "08 Qing" tuo from Menghai.

[Katy1977]

I guess I start at right above entry level and work my way up, I have a feeling I'll be working my way up quite a bit in the coming year, the more I learn about tea here, the more I want to learn, and try different things. Iced caramel rooibos in my cup now.

Katy1977

[entropyembrace]

I start above mid-range and branch out from there...I go for the highest grade I can and keep exploring different varieties. I´m not saying I start at the top because the top is very expensive and hard to source!

[brlarson]

I generally start near the top. Defining characteristics are clearest in great things, and once you have experienced defining characteristics you will recognize them in more modest examples of the same.

People are often impressed when great wines are identified by tasting them blind. Truthfully, great wines are easy to identify because their personalities are unique. Once you have tasted Lafite, La Tache, Moulin Touchais, or von Simmern's Erbacher Marcobrunn, you will never forget it. I suspect that the same thing is true with great teas.

[nickE]

The "08 Qing" puerh ended up being decent, not mind-blowing but nice for the price.

AliShan was brewed up later, nice change of pace.

Currently enjoying Sencha Moe from Zencha.

[TwoPynts]

Currently in my cup, Tea Masters DYL.

Thanks for sharing Victoria.
You won me over with that batch. Almost out though, whatever shall i do?

I'm still early in my tea exploration so I take what I can get and try to find reasonably priced teas. Often that means the quality is not the best, but not always.

Isn't there some proverb about life being too short to waste it drinking inferior tea?