"Michael Plant" wrote in message
...
Aloke /6/05



"Klaus Alexander Seistrup" wrote in message
...
Danube wrote:

Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk
to begin with.

Aloka wrote:

Remember for the Darjeeling: Use boiling water and steep for 2 minutes to
begin with, longer if you like it stronger. Have it without milk or
sugar
(I never thought I'd say that: being from India originally ..). Over
steeping 1st flush makes it bitter. And you'll get the light floral
aroma
without milk+sugar.

For 2nd and 3rd flush (or blends) Darjeelings, it's Ok to brew a little
longer (3 - 3.5 min) and add milk+sugar.

Hi,

With due respect to my friend and colleague Aloke, I differ with him on
this
boiling water for two minutes issue. In my opinion, a fine first flush can
be *very* delicate, and you can boil the life right out of it. Lew Perin
has
suggested an almost gung-fu style using short steeps and lots of leaf. I
would add that experimentation with lower temperatures is appropriate too.
The floral aroma might survive boiling water, but the soft cereal-like
quality of the freshest of the fresh will be quickly lost.

I meant using boiling water to begin with (pour over leaves in a pot or
container) and let it soak for 2 minutes.

Boiling Darjeeling for 2 minutes will be blasphemy :-)

From my experience, using boiling water to begin with works well for
Darjeeling black tea (remember the adage: bring the pot to the kettle and
not the kettle to the pot?). Using a little less than boiling water works
better for oolong and white teas.

Neither type of tea should be boiled for any length of time .. well except
the Assamese gunpowder that is used at the road-side tea stalls in India.
Those kettles are left simmering all day, with small amounts of tea being
added to it as needed!!
--
Aloke
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