Ya-ya Teahouse
All posts tagged "Ya-ya Teahouse"A Leaf and a Bud from Ya-ya Teahouse
This morning I dropped the lid of my glass teapot. It shattered on our kitchen floor. What, pray tell, am I now supposed to do with a teapot that has no lid?
With that out of the way, I turn now to the topic at hand: Ya-ya Teahouse’s A Leaf and a Bud, a furry, luscious tea from Assam’s Satrupa Estate. I’ve had a sample of this tea in my cupboard for months now, and enjoyed it on a few occasions, but decided to take a closer look today.
Castleton FTGFOP1 Special China: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush 2006
Wrapping up my week of Darjeelings, I come to the fourth sample in my cupboard: Castleton Estate’s 2006 Autumnal Flush FTGFOP1 SPL China. This is the tea I would serve to a Darjeeling novice seeking their first taste of the region’s notorious teas. It’s robust, rich in colour and, most importantly, has that classic note of muscatel. A quintessential Darjeeling.
Arya Ruby: Darjeeling 1st Flush 2008
Next up in this week-long Darjeeling festival: Arya Estate’s Ruby 2008 1st flush. This is among the most visually appealing teas I have ever had the privilege of enjoying.
In its dry state, the Ruby is a blend of earthy browns and cream-coloured buds. Once steeped, the leaves unfurl into large, mostly unbroken leaves – testifying to the pain-staking effort and finesse of the tea workers at Arya Estate.
Puttabong Clonal Exclusive: Darjeeling 1st Flush 2007
One of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve picked up about brewing Darjeelings is this: let them steep about 3 minutes, then check them every 30 seconds until they’re ready. Darjeelings have a nasty habit of turning very bitter, very quickly.
But you can also go too far in the opposite direction, as I discovered with this sample of Puttabong Clonal Exclusive 2007 1st flush, graciously sent my way by Jo from Ya-ya Teahouse. Tea needs enough steeping time to develop complexity and body.
Meghma Oolong Limited Edition (Review)
I’ll confess: I’m new to the art of writing about taste sensations. For a long time I’ve marvelled at those perceptive or creative souls who write the blurbs on wine bottles. You know, the type who pick up hints of tobacco, chocolate and dusty desert roads when all you can taste is grape, fermented and alcoholic.
But since I’ve started a website about tea, one of my goals has been to learn this art. Don’t get me wrong, my problem isn’t in picking a good tea from a bad tea, or distinguishing between an exceptional tea and a good tea. I can taste the quality. But describing it is much more challenging.