I've drunk Twinings Prince of Wales (and China Black when it was
available in the US in tins) for years and am very fond of the "woody"
flavor. I also like the fact that I can make quite a strong cup of tea
using these blends without finding it bitter. Twinings describes Prince
of Wales as "a bright liquoring tea with Keemun character with a hint of
Oolong" and China Black as "mellow in flavor with the distinctive aroma
of fine Keemun teas."

However, sourcing Twinings is a bit of an issue, and anyway it is past
time to broaden my horizons. Would anyone care to suggest teas that may
be of similar types and flavors from other sources (especially those
widely distributed in the US)?

By the way, my locale is near Cincinnati, Ohio, which is not exactly a
prime area for exotic brands. So widely-distributed brands are much
preferred.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Bill Heck

Bill Heck > writes:

> I've drunk Twinings Prince of Wales (and China Black when it was
> available in the US in tins) for years and am very fond of the "woody"
> flavor. I also like the fact that I can make quite a strong cup of
> tea using these blends without finding it bitter. Twinings describes
> Prince of Wales as "a bright liquoring tea with Keemun character with
> a hint of Oolong" and China Black as "mellow in flavor with the
> distinctive aroma of fine Keemun teas."
>
> However, sourcing Twinings is a bit of an issue, and anyway it is past
> time to broaden my horizons. Would anyone care to suggest teas that
> may be of similar types and flavors from other sources (especially
> those widely distributed in the US)?
>
> By the way, my locale is near Cincinnati, Ohio, which is not exactly a
> prime area for exotic brands. So widely-distributed brands are much
> preferred.

Cincinnati is big enough to have at least one Chinese grocery store,
isn't it? If so, you can probably find a Chinese black tea you'll
like as well as Twinings POW there, likely for less money. Words to
look for: Keemun, Congou. Bitterness isn't something you'd worry
about with teas like those.

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

Bill Heck > wrote in message >...
> I've drunk Twinings Prince of Wales (and China Black when it was
> available in the US in tins) for years and am very fond of the "woody"
> flavor. I also like the fact that I can make quite a strong cup of tea
> using these blends without finding it bitter. Twinings describes Prince
> of Wales as "a bright liquoring tea with Keemun character with a hint of
> Oolong" and China Black as "mellow in flavor with the distinctive aroma
> of fine Keemun teas."
>
> However, sourcing Twinings is a bit of an issue, and anyway it is past
> time to broaden my horizons. Would anyone care to suggest teas that may
> be of similar types and flavors from other sources (especially those
> widely distributed in the US)?
>
> By the way, my locale is near Cincinnati, Ohio, which is not exactly a
> prime area for exotic brands. So widely-distributed brands are much
> preferred.
>
> Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Bill:

I don't know, anything about Ohio,sorry. I am a big fan for Twing's
Prince of wales(POW). I use POW as a blend tea. You can try Keemun
China Black Grade #1132 or # 1143. I even don't know if this grade
will be avilable around there. But Grade #1132 can give you almost the
same taste of Twining's POW. Grade # 1143 is not bad at all.


Ripon
(Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Bill, Have you tried Jungle Jim's in Fairfield? He has a very large variety of
teas. A tea aficionado in Cincinnati. Rusty

Bill Heck > wrote in
:

> I've drunk Twinings Prince of Wales (and China Black when it was
> available in the US in tins) for years and am very fond of the "woody"
> flavor. I also like the fact that I can make quite a strong cup of tea
> using these blends without finding it bitter. Twinings describes Prince
> of Wales as "a bright liquoring tea with Keemun character with a hint of
> Oolong" and China Black as "mellow in flavor with the distinctive aroma
> of fine Keemun teas."
>
> However, sourcing Twinings is a bit of an issue, and anyway it is past
> time to broaden my horizons. Would anyone care to suggest teas that may
> be of similar types and flavors from other sources (especially those
> widely distributed in the US)?
>
> By the way, my locale is near Cincinnati, Ohio, which is not exactly a
> prime area for exotic brands. So widely-distributed brands are much
> preferred.

I got some "Keemun Panda China" from www.englishteastore.com. They also
have a couple of Assams I like very much. I can get all of these pretty
strong without bitterness. I'm still reeling from a dose of the Keemun.

I can't honestly say much about their quality or value, though, since I'm
guilty of not having shopped much beyond them. I've enjoyed the tea I've
bought from them, but I need to buy from other places in order to compare.

By the way, these particular teas are loose leaf, which may not be, well,
your cup of tea.

--
fD

Bill Heck > wrote in message >...
> I've drunk Twinings Prince of Wales (and China Black when it was
> available in the US in tins) for years and am very fond of the "woody"
> flavor. I also like the fact that I can make quite a strong cup of tea
> using these blends without finding it bitter. Twinings describes Prince
> of Wales as "a bright liquoring tea with Keemun character with a hint of
> Oolong" and China Black as "mellow in flavor with the distinctive aroma
> of fine Keemun teas."
>
> However, sourcing Twinings is a bit of an issue, and anyway it is past
> time to broaden my horizons. Would anyone care to suggest teas that may
> be of similar types and flavors from other sources (especially those
> widely distributed in the US)?
>
> By the way, my locale is near Cincinnati, Ohio, which is not exactly a
> prime area for exotic brands. So widely-distributed brands are much
> preferred.
>
> Thanks in advance for any ideas.
>
> Bill Heck

Hi Bill,

Try a standard Keemun OP (often called Keemun Conguo / Gongfu) or, if
you like a smoother cup, try "Finest Keemun" (often with a special
remark as "Chuen Cha" or sth.). Personally, I prefer the standard
Keemun OP. Never noticed big differences between a decent Keemun and
POW, by the way (mostly, I found a Keemun more nicely, with more
nuances of flavour, some nice edges which I don't want to miss, and
more of this light sweetness of course). A cup of Keemun after Dinner
without or sometimes with very little milk, is really a nice thing.

BTW I love to blend a standard Keemun OP with a FTGFOP1 Assam (approx.
3 Asam : 1 Keemun) for my Breakfast Tea (served with a splash of fresh
milk).


Dieter

>> However, sourcing Twinings is a bit of an issue, and anyway it is past
>> time to broaden my horizons. Would anyone care to suggest teas that may
>> be of similar types and flavors from other sources (especially those
>> widely distributed in the US)?
>> Bill Heck

I've posted the web site for the Porto Rico Importing Company
(www.portorico.com) before, but I have no affiliation with them except
that I am a very satisfied customer. Though primarily a coffee
importer, they offer a wide selection of quality, international teas
at exceptional prices. They carry a quite excellent English Breakfast
Keemun that may be a more-than-adequate replacement for the Twinings
POW blend. If you're interested, take a look at their web site; I
notice they have quite a few new offerings since last I perused their
teas.

·.·´¨ ¨)) :¤:
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
Tee
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
:¤: ((¸¸ ·.·

http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
Remove -no-spam- to email me.

(Dieter Folz) wrote in message
>
> BTW I love to blend a standard Keemun OP with a FTGFOP1 Assam (approx.
> 3 Asam : 1 Keemun) for my Breakfast Tea (served with a splash of fresh
> milk).
>
>
Dieter:

Good choice. Harney & Sons famous "Supreme Breakfast blend" is also
Keemun Hao Ya B and Tippy Assam. After having that, I am making my own
version of it- Keemun Hao Ya A + Assam FTGFOP + a little touch of
Bangladeshi BOP( I want it a little strong). Wonderful breakfast blend
with milk.


Ripon
(Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Thanks to all who replied...the replies contain very helpful advice.

For those familiar with the Cincinnati area: yes, Jungle Jim's is a good
choice. My problem was that they have a little *too* much selection,
and I had no idea which choices I might like. But the pointers in
various replies are clear enough to give me some direction in finding
exactly what I want.

Thanks again, everyone!