I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water. Not that there's anything wrong with
water, but why mix expensive leaves in it? For those who can taste
and rhapsidize over them, you now have more. Toci

toci writes:

I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water. Not that there's anything wrong with
water, but why mix expensive leaves in it? For those who can taste
and rhapsidize over them, you now have more. Toci

Your generosity is appreciated, but in fairness to yourself, don't
assume your taste will never change.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On Aug 3, 3:02 pm, toci wrote:
I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water. Not that there's anything wrong with
water, but why mix expensive leaves in it? For those who can taste
and rhapsidize over them, you now have more. Toci

I'm not a lover of whites or Darjeelings myself, but I have come
across a number that are undeniably excellent. I think the separation
between bad and good is much greater in these teas, and there is very
little (to no) middle ground for mediocre ones. They also vary more
wildly than a lot of other teas year to year in flavor, so a favorite
this year can be a dog next.

I have one or two whites I go to when I want one, and I tend to favor
the muscatel-ish Darjeelings. They have their own nuances and brewing
characteristics, I'll admit I don't like them enough to spend tons of
time and effort on the subject to be an expert... but I do listen to
the Darjeeling speak on here and occasionally hit a winner. I've never
met a "white tea person", who favors them predominantly or specializes
in just them... they are kind of a curiosity and change of pace, but
not much more for me.

- Dominic

/I hated and swore off Kudingcha (I even talked it down on here) but
guess what I have been craving and drinking as of late? Yep. Those
bitter nails have been in my gaiwan for the past week almost
exclusively.

Hey Toci
Just curios what type of foods do you eat, reason I ask is that the
white teas and darjeelings bode well with light food like say fish
where as the heavy stuff like say keemun goes good with your meats
etc . Maybe that s why they are very uninteresting to to the
pallette ?

Maurice

toci wrote:
I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water.

Have you tried the newly available oolong-style Darjeelings? If they
aren't strong enough, it's a short step to poteen or asphalt.

-DM

On Aug 3, 12:02 pm, toci wrote:
I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water. Not that there's anything wrong with
water, but why mix expensive leaves in it? For those who can taste
and rhapsidize over them, you now have more. Toci

Until recently, I would have agreed with you. Whites, particularly,
have always seemed a little insipid to me.
However, during a recent green tea tasting at Imperial Tea Court, I
had the privilege of savouring some "Everyday White". This white,
unlike one-note others, is thick with flavour: sweet, slightly floral,
but robust and toasty. It was sun-dried and, perhaps, that contributed
to the taste complexity. I don't know.
A pretty inexpensive tea, as well -$5.60 an oz.
Occasionally, I'll find a white tea in Oakland Chinatown that I enjoy
and usually freshness can play a very big part in that selection.
There seems to be nothing more dreary than a stale white tea.
Recently, I've had some Darjeelings from Lochan in India that are
superior - rich, full of muscatel, tawny and fruity. The vendor that
Phyll recommended, The Simple Leaf, has some really splendid
Darjeeling-types and Oolongs,too. The "Honeybee" is exceptional.
None of these teas, in the slightest, resemble water.
A suggestion: take a break from the teas you've considered "dainty"
and try some other vendors. I can guarantee that you'll not find
"Everyday White" from ITC ethereal, light or
dainty....................
Shen

On Aug 3, 4:24 pm, DogMa wrote:
toci wrote:
I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water.

Have you tried the newly available oolong-style Darjeelings? If they
aren't strong enough, it's a short step to poteen or asphalt.

-DM

DogMa, can you recommend a source for those?

Alex

Shen writes:

[...] during a recent green tea tasting at Imperial Tea Court, I
had the privilege of savouring some "Everyday White". This white,
unlike one-note others, is thick with flavour: sweet, slightly floral,
but robust and toasty. It was sun-dried and, perhaps, that contributed
to the taste complexity.

If it isn't (partially) sun-dried, it shouldn't be called white tea.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On Aug 3, 9:02 pm, toci wrote:
I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water.

I don´t know which DJs you´ve tried, but not too few of them, not only
those Oolongs DogMa mentioned, play in quite a different league. And
yes, they´re not easy to tame, can be pretty finicky to say the least
but too me that´s part of the fun. After ??? knows how many different
DJs I´ve tried over the years every single pot I brew remains a
challenge, it never gets boring. No other teas I know of react so
picky when it comes to brewing parameters and water qualities.
Just keep in mind that around 75% of all teas sold as Darjeelings have
been grown somewhere else.

PS: I second lochantea.com as a source for high-class DJs. These guys
know tea - inside and out.
Don´t give up 5 min. before the miracle happens.

Karsten [Eastfrisian blend in tazza]

On Aug 3, 2:15 pm, Lewis Perin wrote:
Shen writes:
[...] during a recent green tea tasting at Imperial Tea Court, I
had the privilege of savouring some "Everyday White". This white,
unlike one-note others, is thick with flavour: sweet, slightly floral,
but robust and toasty. It was sun-dried and, perhaps, that contributed
to the taste complexity.

If it isn't (partially) sun-dried, it shouldn't be called white tea.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /

Lew,
I believe this is totally sun-dried.
Shen

On Aug 3, 3:59 pm, Shen wrote:
On Aug 3, 2:15 pm, Lewis Perin wrote:

Shen writes:
[...] during a recent green tea tasting at Imperial Tea Court, I
had the privilege of savouring some "Everyday White". This white,
unlike one-note others, is thick with flavour: sweet, slightly floral,
but robust and toasty. It was sun-dried and, perhaps, that contributed
to the taste complexity.

If it isn't (partially) sun-dried, it shouldn't be called white tea.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /

Lew,
I believe this is totally sun-dried.
Shen

PS - From what I understand, most whites today are roasted dry.
Shen

On Aug 3, 3:01 pm, wrote:
On Aug 3, 9:02 pm, toci wrote:

I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and
Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words
that mean- tastes like water.

I don´t know which DJs you´ve tried, but not too few of them, not only
those Oolongs DogMa mentioned, play in quite a different league. And
yes, they´re not easy to tame, can be pretty finicky to say the least
but too me that´s part of the fun. After ??? knows how many different
DJs I´ve tried over the years every single pot I brew remains a
challenge, it never gets boring. No other teas I know of react so
picky when it comes to brewing parameters and water qualities.
Just keep in mind that around 75% of all teas sold as Darjeelings have
been grown somewhere else.

PS: I second lochantea.com as a source for high-class DJs. These guys
know tea - inside and out.
Don´t give up 5 min. before the miracle happens.

Karsten [Eastfrisian blend in tazza]

Karsten,
I'm sipping Lochan's Okayti Wonder right now! A wonder it is, too!
The Lochan Darjeelings Oolongs are also exquisite, though, without the
lingering depth of other teas.
I agree. Before negating the briallance of some Darjeelings, try some
from Lochan. The Lochan family take personal pride in their teas,
deservedly so.
BTW, I also enjoy Okayti wonder chilled.
Shen

On Aug 3, 1:20 pm, magicleaf wrote:
Hey Toci
Just curios what type of foods do you eat, reason I ask is that the
white teas and darjeelings bode well with light food like say fish
where as the heavy stuff like say keemun goes good with your meats
etc . Maybe that s why they are very uninteresting to to the
pallette ?

Maurice

Slightly Off-topic
Maurice,
I REALLY appreciate your mentioning food pairings with tea. We are
planning a dinner party (pot-luck) soon in which guests will be asked
to pair a tea, as well as a wine, with different courses. Should be
fun!
I agree about the white tea. I recently prepared a sole entree with a
white tea and caper sauce.
Shen

On Aug 4, 1:09 am, Shen wrote:

Karsten,
I'm sipping Lochan's Okayti Wonder right now! A wonder it is, too!
The Lochan Darjeelings Oolongs are also exquisite, though, without the
lingering depth of other teas.
I agree. Before negating the briallance of some Darjeelings, try some
from Lochan. The Lochan family take personal pride in their teas,
deservedly so.
BTW, I also enjoy Okayti wonder chilled.
Shen

Shen,
it´s already too late for another pot of tea over here, but I´m
looking forward to a exquisite pot of some of my remaining Gopaldhara
Red Thunder tomorrow. Aahh ...
PS: I forgot to mention the pot. No other pot I owned brings out the
nuances of my beloved 2nd flush and autumn DJs like that tiny but
heavy, dented 8oz silver pot I carry around wherever I go. My DJ
Oolongs though end up in a 3.oz Yixing or gaiwan.
PS: I never tried them chilled, just cold.

Enjoy your wonder !

Karsten [sacktime]

I also don't really like Darjeeling right now. I haven't really played
much with whites. I tried a few DJs, first and second flush, and they
were okay, but didn't thrill me.

But I feel compelled to celebrate two other comments made above, which
are (1) the great thing about tea is that there is enough variety out
there so as to fit your every mood. There are often times when I buy a
tea I don't like initially, only to crave it later . . . from seeing
what is above, this must be a common occurrence. It can drive me
crazy, such as when I crave one tea, only to buy a whole bunch and
realize a week later that I am actually craving something completely
different; (2) brewing parameters really can affect tea a lot. I guess
this is obvious, but anecdotedly I recently bought an aged oolong from
Hou De and didn't really like it at all when I tried to brew it gong
fu style. It tasted kind of musty and somehow incomplete. I was
lamenting the purchase. Yet one day on a whim I put a lesser amount in
my gaiwan and brewed it as a relatively lighter brew, which totally
changed the experience and brought out a lot of things I actually
liked about the tea.

I guess my lesson has been to never swear off one particular tea--but
rather to just say that it is not my current favorite.

Charles