Categories: Green tea
Tags: 2010 Shincha, Chiran Sencha, Fukamushi Sencha, Kabusecha, Kagoshima Sae Midori, Kagoshima Yutaka Midori, O-Cha, Organic Asamushi Sencha, Organic Sencha, Sencha, shincha, Shizuoka Sencha Hatsumi, Uji Asamushi Sencha
Post date: March 31, 2010
Comments: 1 comment
It’s spring time in Japan, which means that the 2010 shincha harvest is just around corner. O-Cha.com have just started their pre-order sale, and you can get 10% off if you order now with this discount code: shincha2010.
Shincha comes from the year’s first harvest of green tea. Unlike other green teas, which are put into cold storage to maintain freshness, shincha is packaged immediately and sold as quickly as possible. It truly is the freshest of the fresh.
Categories: Pu-erh tea, Tea reviews
Tags: Bana Tea Company, ripe pu-erh, shou pu-erh
Post date: March 30, 2010
Comments: no comments
From 2006′ autumn harvest comes this ripe pu-erh, a wonderfully smooth tea with one dominant flavour: almonds.
Categories: Books about tea
Tags: Amazon, Mary Lou Heiss, tea books, The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook
Post date: March 24, 2010
Comments: no comments
Robert and Mary Lou Heiss’ new book, The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook: A Guide to the World’s Best Teas, is due to be released on March 30. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while ? Mary Lou told us a bit about it last year when I interviewed her.
Categories: Tea reviews, White tea
Tags: Darjeeling, Darjeeling 2nd flush, Darjeeling white tea, Margaret's Hope Estate, Thunderbolt Tea
Post date: March 23, 2010
Comments: 3 comments
Most of the time, I try to review teas that you can buy, should you feel so inclined. Today’s tea, unfortunately, is already sold out. But I’m going to taunt you with my review anyway.
Margaret’s Hope is a tea estate in Darjeeling, India. This is their hand-rolled, special grade 2nd flush tea, a spectacular white tea boasting huge, lush leaves. And I mean seriously huge. Some of the leaves stretch for about two inches. No broken leaves here.
Can you tell I’m impressed?
Categories: Oolong tea
Tags: gaiwan, how to make oolong tea, how to make tea, Yixing Teapot
Post date: March 11, 2010
Comments: 3 comments
As last week’s focus on Ti Kuan Yin made clear, I’m focusing quite heavily on oolong tea this year. Along the way, I’ve improved my brewing technique through trial and error, so I thought I would share some of the lessons I’ve learned.
Categories: Green tea, Tea reviews
Tags: Bi Lo Chun, Pi Lo Chun, Teas Etc
Post date: March 9, 2010
Comments: no comments
Just a few weeks after reviewing Chicago Tea Garden’s Golden Bi Lo, I turn to Teas Etc’s Bi Lo Chun Reserve, a delightful green tea with a remarkable nose.
Bi Lo Chun is a specialty of tea makers in Jiangsu Province, China. This particular sample from Teas Etc (a free sample, by the way) features lovely white downy leaves, indicating that the leaves were harvested at a young age.
Categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Tags: Chicago Tea Garden, ti kuan yin
Post date: March 4, 2010
Comments: 1 comment
This review, the final one in my series of ti kuan yin reviews, comes at an opportune time: Chicago Tea Garden, the suppliers of this final ti kuan yin, officially launched yesterday. Congratulations to Tony and his partner Erin ? all the best of luck to you both!
Now, the tea.
Categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Tags: Orange Tea Co, ti kuan yin
Post date: March 3, 2010
Comments: no comments
A line from Little Yellow Teapot’s review of Chicago Tea Garden’s Golden Bi Luo has stuck with me this week:
The sign of a great tea is when the leaves look great before and after steeping.
Categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Tags: Tea Trekker, ti kuan yin
Post date: March 2, 2010
Comments: 1 comment
It is remarkable just how markedly different two teas of the same style can be. Yesterday’s ti kuan yin, a Taiwanese one, had a sharp nutty character and a wonderful dry aroma. Today, we’re drinking a ti kuan yin produced in Fujian Province, China, and there’s not a hint of nuttiness. But it still smells lovely, as its name suggests: Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin from Tea Trekker.
Categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Tags: Serenity Teahouse, ti kuan yin
Post date: March 1, 2010
Comments: no comments
The first in my series of ti kuan yin teas is the only one from Taiwan.
Highly aromatic teas seem to be the hallmark of Taiwanese tea producers. This ti kuan yin might not be as aromatic as some of the other Taiwanese oolongs I’ve tried, but it still bears a lovely nose of sweet, almond-like nuttiness. One of the best things you can do with a tea like this is to warm the gaiwan or whatever teapot you’re using first, place the tea leaves in there, and then just suck in the aroma. You’ll be amazed at how much you can smell.