In article >, Ripon wrote:
> AK > wrote in message thlink.net>...
>> I went to brooklyn Ten Ren yesterday and bought some white tea and an
>> oolong (that tastes more like gunpowder green). The nice lady gave me a
>> scan of a ny times story about tea. It said there are 3000 types of tea.
>> Is that true? Are most of them perceptibly different? (more so than
>> different harvest of the same type)?
>>
>> -AK
>
> Dear AK:
>
> I already spent a long amount of time with Tea and I still ask myself
> the same question. I am drinking tea from my childhood but for the
> last 7 years I have been seriously drinking tea with some basic
> background. For the last 1 and a half years I am crazily drinking and
> working on tea. 3,000 types,humm. I don't think so. I have been told
> the same thing(3,ooo types) by many tea experts. But when I asked
> them to give me a full list, believe me -- none of them could provide
> me the list. Then I went throught extensive research and so far my
> list couldn't climb up even near 3,000. But there is a possibility of
> this fact of 3,000 type. For example:-
>
> Chinese KEEMUN can be named like- Keemun Mao feng, Keemun Hao Ya A,
> Keemun Hao ya B,Keemun Hao Ya Grade C, Chi-Men, Fowliang,Keemun China
> Black Grade 1132, Keemun China Black grade 1143, Keemun Congue, Keemun
> First grade, Keemun Grand TGFOP, Keemun Ning Hong Ying Hao,Keemun OP,
> Keemun premium, keemun superior, keemun Imperial, Keemun mao feng Wiry
> Congou, Keemun Ning Chow bla. bla. bla...
>
> About Chinese Gunpowder green tea:- Gunpowder green teas are known by
> their district-Tienkai Gunpowder, Moyune Gunpowder, Hunan Gunpowder,
> Fukien Gunpowder etc. Also sometimes Gunpowder is graded by numbers.
> Its all very confusing.
>
> Think of Oolong:-Famous Ti Kwan Yin- 1st grade, Elegant queen,
> K100,Monkey picked,Special grade,Spring floral,Superior,Sweet lady,Tei
> Baoota,Top Confou....
>
> So you see in this way I believe there can be even more then 3,000
> types. There are also different types of teas from Srilanka, India,
> Bangladesh, Nepal,Japan,Taiwan,Indoneshia,Kenya many other countries.
>
> Last year while I was having a glass of exotic Thai iced tea, I asked
> the tea master, where that tea came from. For my basic Thai language
> knowledge with his kind help, I was able to visit Chang-rai(The tea
> estate area in Thailand by the golden triangle. I found out they grow
> 6 types of Oolong, the red tea used in Thai ice tea and also some
> green tea. I was surprised to see the varities.
>
> Basically there are three types of tea -- black, oolong, and green.
> But now white and yellow teas are available too not to mention so many
> blends.
>
> But now come back to the reality- TASTE, I don't think there are 3,000
> varities of taste. Like all those exotically named Keemuns taste quite
> the same, the differences are some are more smokey, fruity,richer
> aroma. But yes some are really exceptionaly tasty, such as-Keemun mao
> Feng, Hao Ya A or Hao Ya B. For your information, there are also
> Keemun Mao Feng green.
>
> So far I have been able to compile 180 types of Chinese black tea, 179
> types of Chinese green tea, and 147 types of Chinese Oolong tea. There
> are also similar lists (though not as extensive) from India,Srilanka,
> Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc.
>
> Enjoy your cup of tea.
>
> Ripon
> (From Bangladesh)

Thanks Ripon, Derek.. That's what I thought, too, but I was curious
still :-)

-AK