TT is a specific mountain in Taiwan and TKI a
specific county in a province in China.

Sorry, not quite right on the TKI thing. It's a varietal, most often
associated Anxi county.

The Tie Guan Yin is indeed a varietal, or tea tree race as we call it
over here. From what I have seen in Anxi (a county in Fujian) during
the autumn harvest, the TKY level of fermentation (oxidization) is
between 20% and 40%. However, one can find some TGY heavily baked. This
is usual practice with old TGY that needs to be rebacked. But mainly,
if you go to any chinese tea market and ask for TGY, you will get some
"green" tea.

Happy new year to everyone!

SEb

12/31/04


TT is a specific mountain in Taiwan and TKI a
specific county in a province in China.

Sorry, not quite right on the TKI thing. It's a varietal, most often
associated Anxi county.

The Tie Guan Yin is indeed a varietal, or tea tree race as we call it
over here. From what I have seen in Anxi (a county in Fujian) during
the autumn harvest, the TKY level of fermentation (oxidization) is
between 20% and 40%. However, one can find some TGY heavily baked. This
is usual practice with old TGY that needs to be rebacked. But mainly,
if you go to any chinese tea market and ask for TGY, you will get some
"green" tea.

Happy new year to everyone!

SEb


I would add a reminder of something Nigel mentioned awhile back about
Darjeelings: Once upon a time it was common practice to produce, and
therefore drink, black (fully oxidized) Darjeelings; but the "trend" moved
toward greener Darjeelings, which is where we find ourselves now. Likewise,
with TGY, I'm sure, although I don't know the precise trend, I think Chinese
TGY's have become greener on average than they used to be. Seb, is that more
or less correct?

Michael

I paint a picture and the next thing I know it is a puzzle of a
thousand pieces. If the heavy large oxidized leaf with serated edges
ain't from Anxi you're drinking a generic and not the Iron Goddess. I
understand TKI is a style like Lapsang Souchong but a bonfire of
baseball bats laced with pinetar just doesn't smell the same and a
green TKI from Formosa ain't no Buddha pumping Iron. At least Hawking
can admit when he is wrong. Somebody owes me a book on baseball
statistics. I'm going to see if the silver bud tuocha can help with a
hangover.

Jim

Michael Plant wrote:
Space
12/30/04

fill in the blanks with google
....blank...
TT is a specific mountain in Taiwan and TKI a
specific county in a province in China.

Sorry, not quite right on the TKI thing. It's a varietal, most often
associated Anxi county.
....blank...
The Chinese variety argument would swallow a black hole
where any information becomes meaningless.

Well, almost meaningless. No argument from me.

....blank...
All he had
left was a mini tuocha which looks like the expensive compressed
silver
bud. It doesn't look like puerh ie the leaf is still malleable.
It
was a sample from the vendor which he will stock.

Sorry you missed it. How's the mini?

Michael

"Space Cowboy" writes:

I paint a picture and the next thing I know it is a puzzle of a
thousand pieces. If the heavy large oxidized leaf with serated edges
ain't from Anxi you're drinking a generic and not the Iron Goddess. I
understand TKI is a style like Lapsang Souchong but a bonfire of
baseball bats laced with pinetar just doesn't smell the same and a
green TKI from Formosa ain't no Buddha pumping Iron. At least Hawking
can admit when he is wrong. Somebody owes me a book on baseball
statistics. I'm going to see if the silver bud tuocha can help with a
hangover.

Maybe so, but strong cooked Puerh, brewed until it's opaque, might be
more effective. (Or maybe it just *seems* more like medicine!)

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

Maybe this website http://www.hangoverproducts.com
should add Puerh to their list of hangover products. :-)

"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
"Space Cowboy" writes:

I paint a picture and the next thing I know it is a puzzle of a
thousand pieces. If the heavy large oxidized leaf with serated edges
ain't from Anxi you're drinking a generic and not the Iron Goddess. I
understand TKI is a style like Lapsang Souchong but a bonfire of
baseball bats laced with pinetar just doesn't smell the same and a
green TKI from Formosa ain't no Buddha pumping Iron. At least Hawking
can admit when he is wrong. Somebody owes me a book on baseball
statistics. I'm going to see if the silver bud tuocha can help with a
hangover.

Maybe so, but strong cooked Puerh, brewed until it's opaque, might be
more effective. (Or maybe it just *seems* more like medicine!)

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

Likewise,with TGY, I'm sure, although I don't know the precise trend,
I think ChineseTGY's have become greener on average than they used to
be. Seb, is that more or less correct?

This is correct. I have been drinking a 21 years old TGY for the last
few days and the tea is clearly more baked and not rolled in the fist
form we see nowadays. As for the level of fermentation, it has always
been around 40%. Apparently, the TGY started to be greener when tea
makers in Anxi started to use the machine that was created in Taiwan to
rolled the tea leaves in the fist form. It seems that they started to
bake less the tea due to an increasing demand for more "green" tea.

SEb

Likewise,with TGY, I'm sure, although I don't know the precise trend,
I think ChineseTGY's have become greener on average than they used to
be. Seb, is that more or less correct?

This is correct. I have been drinking a 21 years old TGY for the last
few days and the tea is clearly more baked and not rolled in the fist
form we see nowadays. As for the level of fermentation, it has always
been around 40%. Apparently, the TGY started to be greener when tea
makers in Anxi started to use the machine that was created in Taiwan to
rolled the tea leaves in the fist form. It seems that they started to
bake less the tea due to an increasing demand for more "green" tea.

SEb

Jim,

Are you saying that TGY from Anxi should have big leaves?
SEb

Broad might might more correct than big. I also include the word heavy
for the weight(thickness) of the leaf. I checked with my undisputable
Chinese source and TKI is also a varietal that has migrated from Anxi.
The real classic Anxi TKI is 60% oxidized and large whole nugget. I
have a dark green version called Xue Feng which means Snow Summit but
I'd guess still 50% oxidized so Iron Goddess is still faint. I've seen
the trends in marketing for more green such as darjeeling and nilgiri.
Interesting I've only found that in tea shoppes and not on the
commercial shelves. My cheap bubbly blanc de noirs methode champenoise
from Napa Valley taste excellent but isn't expensive Champagne from the
self name wine district of France.

Jim

SEb wrote:
Jim,

Are you saying that TGY from Anxi should have big leaves?
SEb

Broad might might more correct than big. I also include the word heavy
for the weight(thickness) of the leaf. I checked with my undisputable
Chinese source and TKI is also a varietal that has migrated from Anxi.
The real classic Anxi TKI is 60% oxidized and large whole nugget. I
have a dark green version called Xue Feng which means Snow Summit but
I'd guess still 50% oxidized so Iron Goddess is still faint. I've seen
the trends in marketing for more green such as darjeeling and nilgiri.
Interesting I've only found that in tea shoppes and not on the
commercial shelves. My cheap bubbly blanc de noirs methode champenoise
from Napa Valley taste excellent but isn't expensive Champagne from the
self name wine district of France.

Jim

SEb wrote:
Jim,

Are you saying that TGY from Anxi should have big leaves?
SEb

I agree with the leaves of the TGY varietal being thicker than most of
other of varietal from Anxi. However, my sources on Chinese tea tells
me that the level of fermentation (called oxidization in the west) has
always been around 40%. The difference between the TGY that we are
seeing now and the one that was produced a couple of decades ago is in
the baking stage. The TGY is very lightly baked nowadays.

SEb

I agree with the leaves of the TGY varietal being thicker than most of
other of varietal from Anxi. However, my sources on Chinese tea tells
me that the level of fermentation (called oxidization in the west) has
always been around 40%. The difference between the TGY that we are
seeing now and the one that was produced a couple of decades ago is in
the baking stage. The TGY is very lightly baked nowadays.

SEb

In the last month I bought a $10 500g TGY tin which contained 100/5g
individual packets of tea used for Dim Sum. The tin can easily hold a
kilo of loose tea. The leaves infuse to a dark red/black comparable to
any cooked puerh. Believe me you want the Iron Goddess in the pot for
Chinese leftovers.

Jim

SEb wrote:
I agree with the leaves of the TGY varietal being thicker than most
of
other of varietal from Anxi. However, my sources on Chinese tea tells
me that the level of fermentation (called oxidization in the west)
has
always been around 40%. The difference between the TGY that we are
seeing now and the one that was produced a couple of decades ago is
in
the baking stage. The TGY is very lightly baked nowadays.

SEb

In the last month I bought a $10 500g TGY tin which contained 100/5g
individual packets of tea used for Dim Sum. The tin can easily hold a
kilo of loose tea. The leaves infuse to a dark red/black comparable to
any cooked puerh. Believe me you want the Iron Goddess in the pot for
Chinese leftovers.

Jim

SEb wrote:
I agree with the leaves of the TGY varietal being thicker than most
of
other of varietal from Anxi. However, my sources on Chinese tea tells
me that the level of fermentation (called oxidization in the west)
has
always been around 40%. The difference between the TGY that we are
seeing now and the one that was produced a couple of decades ago is
in
the baking stage. The TGY is very lightly baked nowadays.

SEb

I've tried my Tung Ting yesterday in gaiwans and water at 180F. This
tea is really awesome. It was as much good as it was awful the first
time I tried it (with higher temperatures and longer steeping time).
Thanks for your help!