What is in your cup?

[desertblues]

Cold Arabica-coffee; had some white wine for lunch. Went to see an exhibition of Russian Orientalism (painting).

[willijt]

Originally Posted by willijt

Actually, pouchong teas are fermented less than oolong teas. It seems to me the flavour is more subtle but the bouquet seems to have a broader olfactory range. Very delicate to the taste and the nose. My favourite is the pouchong, but sometimes I feel like tasting something with just a little more "presence" while still staying in the green tea genre. I used to buy my pouchong and high mountain oolong from a source in Vancouver, but it is no longer available so I now buy my pouchong from Tenren and Tentea, and my oolong from "Tea from Taiwan". ~jim

This link might say it better than I can - with regard to the pouchong tea etc. Believe it or not, I even enjoy chewing on the dried tea leaves. They have a wonderful taste that is obviously more pronounced than the essence you get from the brewing. This trick was shown me by my friend and tea expert, a genuine "Honk Kong Teaman" whom I used to visit while staying in Vancouver.

http://www.tenren.com/pouc1stgrad.html

~jim

[pdurrant]

Coke Zero #3

[Poppaea]

Kusmi Anastasia. Had to go back to the store as Mom claimed she doesn't like that Orange Pekoe anymore, tastes boring was the verdict. Gave in to buying Anastasia and Green Bouquet for myself. Have to lock myself into my flat now to keep me from spending. Unfortunatly there is a 25% rebate on the Prince Vladimir

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by desertblues

Cold Arabica-coffee; had some white wine for lunch. Went to see an exhibition of Russian Orientalism (painting).

How beautiful they are! Thanks for sharing!

[Latinandgreek]

peppermint tea.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

peppermint tea.

Oh, only a few month to go and we can drink pepermint tea made from leaves freshly picked on the balcony

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Oh, only a few month to go and we can drink pepermint tea made from leaves freshly picked on the balcony

Lovely! The tea must be so good when it's made from fresh leaves!

[beppe]

Originally Posted by desertblues

Cold Arabica-coffee; had some white wine for lunch. Went to see an exhibition of Russian Orientalism (painting).

the narghillee girl has a game of complementary colors, plus a funny expression. Pleasant. thank you.

[astra]

A cup of Assam Khongea green tea.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Why not a side-by-side comparison? That might prove interesting.

I am the only one who drinks black teas. Drinking good black tea is a luxury that I do over weekends. Weekdays daytime I am at work where I don't drink premium quality teas or taste new ones. Weekdays evenings I drink different teas. Usually either new teas or finishing samples of the old new teas Then on new teas again. Like right now. I wanted to investigate green teas. Got a sample pack of 24 green teas. Tried all of them. Liked 3. Not sure about 2 others. Finishing off samples now
When I finish the greens, I will start with oolong, although there will be less to taste. Smaller variety, more expensive.
Then white teas. Again, smaller variety, more expensive. Although, I suspect white teas are not my cup of tea. Even the most expensive tea that I have ever drunk (£24 per 100gr) didn't impress me more than - nice, good, white tea (I got a free sample from NBTea).
So, I cannot have 10 different black teas opened. they will go bad if I leave them opened for years. I have 3 now. Assam Harmutty, English Breakfast from Bath and Keemun from Bath.

Originally Posted by beppe

Keemun (2 minutes) for a breakfast of 1 rye bread slice and 1 banana. At the desk, reading dream's post and admiring her avatar. Nice way to start.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Good choice! I too am drinking keemun right now.

I also had a good cup of Keemun today and made one for my wife

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I found an old tin of Twining's 'Prince of Wales' tea. This is a blended keemun, and was the tea that got me started enjoying better teas. As I discovered other tea merchants, I found better keemuns, but every now and then I like to go back to the Prince Of Wales. It has good flavor, is very smooth, but the taste doesn't last. There is no tea aftertaste with it. Once you swallow it's gone.

Interesting. I have bad reminiscences of Twining's 'Prince of Wales'.
Why? No idea. I tried it (summer 2006) on my summer holiday in Prague and was desperate to drink black tea...in bags naturally When I bought a pack of Twining's 'Prince of Wales' in bags I thought it is a standard black tea. You had to see my face when I tasted it. I thought it was the worst tea I have ever tried. Threw away the whole pack of 24 bags. No. 23. My wife tried one too. It would be interesting to try it now and see how my palate dis/likes the flavour.

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Puerh Tea - #1

WOW!
You drink teas? Moreover, Pu-erh!!!
WOW!
What do you think about it?
What kind of Pu-Erh?
Where do you purchase it?

Originally Posted by Iridal

I just made a pot of Masala Chai, I'm relaxing with the Big Bang Theory. Smart is the new sexy

[phenomshel]

Apparently, my taste buds get bored easily. I just bought more flavored teas (and one tisane) while out. Moroccan Pomegranate Rooibos, Blackberry tea, and peach mango white tea. I also bought apple juice to see if I can salvage the apple tea from Adagio.

[Stitchawl]

I get this feeling I may know you as a lover and a friend.
But this voice keeps whispering in my other ear,
Tells me I may never see you again.

'cause I get a peaceful easy feeling
And I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing...
I'm already standing...
Yes, I'm already standing on the ground

Happy Sunday, everyone. English Breakfast tea, compliments of the kind folks at Taylors of Harrogate, along with freshly baked biscuits and a plate of Country style breakfast sausages! What a wonderful way to greet a new week!

Originally Posted by willijt

Believe it or not, I even enjoy chewing on the dried tea leaves. They have a wonderful taste that is obviously more pronounced than the essence you get from the brewing. This trick was shown me by my friend and tea expert, a genuine "Honk Kong Teaman" whom I used to visit while staying in Vancouver.

It's an old Chinese tradition to chew young green tea leaves as a breath freshener! It's no wonder your Hong Kong friend knew about it!

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Unfortunatly there is a 25% rebate on the Prince Vladimir

It's calling you... There is no escape from good tea!

Originally Posted by astra

Interesting. I have bad reminiscences of Twining's 'Prince of Wales'.
Why? No idea. I tried it (summer 2006) on my summer holiday in Prague and was desperate to drink black tea...in bags naturally

My guess is that it was the tea sweepings that are used in tea bags accounted for the bad taste. I can't drink Prince of Wales that is pre-packed in bags. But the loose leafe Prince of Wales is a very nice keemun blend, and once I put it into good quality bags to make life simpler, it's an enjoyable drink.

It would be interesting to try it now and see how my palate dis/likes the flavour.

That would be an interesting test! I have a feeling that if you were to taste the loose leaf blend you'd enjoy it. As I said before, it has a good flavor and aroma, and it's enjoyable while it's in the mouth. It just lacks the usual aftertaste of keemun teas.

Well, talking about it convinced me to make Prince of Wales my second cup!

Stitchawl

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by astra

A cup of Assam Khongea green tea.

Then white teas. Again, smaller variety, more expensive. Although, I suspect white teas are not my cup of tea. Even the most expensive tea that I have ever drunk (£24 per 100gr) didn't impress me more than - nice, good, white tea (I got a free sample from NBTea).

How did you brew the whites? Mariage Freres do recommend a steeping time of 7 min for the Pai Mu Tans (Fancy White Peony) and 15 min for Yin Zhens (Silver Needles) using 70°C water and 2 teaspoons per cup!!! It also takes some time to be able to distinguish their subtle flavours. When starting whites it is a good idea to stick exclusivly to white tea for some days so your taste buds are not overwhelmed by stronger flavours.

Here is a link to their steeping chart.

The green Khongea btw is to be steeped only for 2.5 min in 90-95°C water! Try to detect its sweetness.

Right now I am having a good strong Assam Blend for breakfast.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

My guess is that it was the tea sweepings that are used in tea bags accounted for the bad taste. I can't drink Prince of Wales that is pre-packed in bags. But the loose leafe Prince of Wales is a very nice keemun blend, and once I put it into good quality bags to make life simpler, it's an enjoyable drink.



That would be an interesting test! I have a feeling that if you were to taste the loose leaf blend you'd enjoy it. As I said before, it has a good flavor and aroma, and it's enjoyable while it's in the mouth. It just lacks the usual aftertaste of keemun teas.

Well, talking about it convinced me to make Prince of Wales my second cup!

Stitchawl

A bag of Prince of Wales was what started me on this recent tea adventure! Wife had bought a Lipton suite of bags for her father when he came to visit. I usually drank bags of green tea, but I wanted to try something more teaish. At the supermarket they sell a metal box of it for 4.5 e. Your post makes me think to get it so I have the tin also. Than my mountaneer upbringing tells me no Beppe, than you will have to drink it instead of the wonderful Keemun that you already have in the house, and that keeps the flavor so well.

I came to learn about Keemun from one of my know_all friends that told me that Keemun does not become tanninic, which all other blacks do (Assam especially). Recently I asked my friend where all this tea knowledge comes from. I read about it and tried them all. And now, why you do not drink fancy tea anymore. Whah ... Too lazy, too busy reading ...

The question of purity and mixities has similarities with the one for wines. I will meditate on it and may be post.

BTW I am going to karma you for your nice post.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

How did you brew the whites? Mariage Freres do recommend a steeping time of 7 min for the Pai Mu Tans (Fancy White Peony) and 15 min for Yin Zhens (Silver Needles) using 70°C water and 2 teaspoons per cup!!! It also takes some time to be able to distinguish their subtle flavours. When starting whites it is a good idea to stick exclusivly to white tea for some days so your taste buds are not overwhelmed by stronger flavours.

Here is a link to their steeping chart.

The green Khongea btw is to be steeped only for 2.5 min in 90-95°C water! Try to detect its sweetness.

Right now I am having a good strong Assam Blend for breakfast.

Very useful post. Personally, I find those high steeping times for black teas too much for my taste. I like tea as it is, without sugar or milk or any flavoring added.