I would love to hear your recommendations for Chinese books on tea
(especially oolong).

There are some tea books devoted to oolong tea. But I haven't bought
any yet. And I haven't read any of them. So I don't know if I could
recommend them.

Mydnight wrote:
I'm starting to buy Artisan teas from a vendor in Shanghai.

Actually, I've heard many people say that buying these teas can be
harmful to your health because they have to add certain things into the
teas when making them; plastics to hold the shape of the "seed pod",
dyes, etc. Most people I've talked to only view the teas and never
drink them. I mean, it is just a bunch of flowers.

I have heard the same and have drank a few that I instantly picked up
an "off" taste from that was a chemical taste. I have also had a few
that were very good, but not mind-blowing. I think artisan teas are
just a novelty, nothing more nothing less. Generally a novelty that
ends up costing more than a high quality tea that produces a much
better brew.

FWIW the one that sticks out in my mind as having the chemical taste
was a lotus shaped lotus flavored green tea brought back from Bejing.

Also FWIW, I tend to find that the "elitest" or "Orientalism" stuff is
found mainly online/forums/NG's/etc. Most all
Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean/Japanese people I have met have been very
helpful and while they may be a bit wary of the large American who
attempts to speak their language and has a solid understanding of their
culture, food, and tea they quickly warm up to me. I'm sure some folks
who I genuinely thought liked me have ripped me off, but that is my
fault not really theirs. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle of the
debate (a rarity for me) I would be just as leary at first of a total
outsider and stranger trying to discuss and express their knowledge of
Italians, and our food and culture... but once I'd see they were
genuine I would be fine with it and flattered. People are people, I
don't think this is exclusive to the Chinese. Everyone likes to have
some national pride, and think that their culture is too deep and
difficult to share the full backstory on with an outsider who may not
understand or appreciate it the way we do. We sell $5 bottles of junk
Chianti at Italian restaurants for $25 to "outsiders" that we wouldn't
give to a dog... same difference.

- Dominic

I'll send an email to the Shanghai vendor and ask him what he knows
about artificial flavorings and color. It never occurred to me but I
thought at the most the 'natural' flower would add a little taste. For
example you can buy Jasmine and Osmanthus arrangements. My only
experience so far is a jar of Fairy Peach green tea from Chinatown.
However no flower appears when blossomed. It is one of my favorite
green teas from China with multiple infusions. The price wasn't bad
$10/170g for many pods.

Jim

PS Where there is tourism there is gouging. Ski slopes come to mind.
My favorite American ripoff Beer and Peanuts at a baseball game.

Dominic T. wrote:
Mydnight wrote:
I'm starting to buy Artisan teas from a vendor in Shanghai.

Actually, I've heard many people say that buying these teas can be
harmful to your health because they have to add certain things into the
teas when making them; plastics to hold the shape of the "seed pod",
dyes, etc. Most people I've talked to only view the teas and never
drink them. I mean, it is just a bunch of flowers.

I have heard the same and have drank a few that I instantly picked up
an "off" taste from that was a chemical taste. I have also had a few
that were very good, but not mind-blowing. I think artisan teas are
just a novelty, nothing more nothing less. Generally a novelty that
ends up costing more than a high quality tea that produces a much
better brew.

FWIW the one that sticks out in my mind as having the chemical taste
was a lotus shaped lotus flavored green tea brought back from Bejing.

Hi, Lily. Your English is charming, and way, way, better than my
Chinese. I am the ignorant one. I appreciate that you speak for a
merchant, which you made clear at once. I appreciate your being
friendly and polite, which we Americans usually expect of our
merchants. There is an old English saying "Let the buyer beware" which
comes from the Latin "Caveat emptor." Both merchant and buyer always
understand this to be the case. I have three suggestions about your
advertising site: 1- Don't use the word "spit" in any name, as in "spit
pearls." 2- Don't use the term "bright red" about tea liquor; it would
mean the color of blood. 3-we really do need to know price and postage
about your teas, so we can compare. Toci
wrote:
Nice day!Every one!

Now,I get a foot in tea field and have a chance to meet various china
teas in my company.
One of our products are Artistic teas with their beautiful chinese name
full of poetry.For example,hanyanshijing stands for ten different
landscapes about a famous ancient showplace named Hanyan in Hangzhou
while dielianhua not only includes a scene full of affection,but also
make one engulfed deeply into the atmosphere of the ancient music of
song which is also named dielianhua.But how superficial usually their
english names are !Because some of them have already lost all of their
originally loveliness. When you see the name of "butterfly love
flower",what's your feeling of it if you are once moved by
"dielianhua"?Now there are many
new kinds of beautiful Artistic teas, whose chinese names are
charming, why not to add your
aptitude in order to make them famous around the world?I think maybe
someone of you would
help me to change this situation.Thank you very much in advance.

Here I give two names as below:
丹桂飘香；danguipiaoxiang,天山雪莲，tian shanxuelian,tianshanlotus
满å›*香；manyuanxiang

For your refference,you can email me for their images.

look forward to hearing from you.
Lily

i think through this whole conversation its been said, translation is
not easy. there are many factors. we can use literal, connotation or
the pingin (chinese). i do some translating/writiting and i do some
for tea and i also have to take in account how it sounds, because
someone will have to drink it...but i try to keep the meaning the same
or as close as possible, i dont expect people to know chinese... take a
look at some of our translations... i dont take credit for all of them
for many of them have been used before.
http://teaarts.blogspot.com/2005/10/...nthly-273.html
---icetea