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Lewis 4/14/04

> (Zephyrus) writes:
>
>> My understanding is that a "good grade" of tea simply is a tea that
>> conforms unusually well to tea-ideals of the country that made it. For
>> instance, Chinese tea drinkers value large, shapely leaves and want
>> many steeps out of leaves, so expensive Chinese teas are usually
>> whole-leaf (and sometimes elaborately shaped) and almost always give
>> multiple steeps, especially oolong.
>>
>> The Japanese, however, don't value the multiple steeps
>
> Really?

Well, Ito En here in NYC scams you out of a delicious second infusion by
chucking the leaves after the first. Slimey, if you ask me. Ginko Leaf, our
best neighborhood Japanese restaurant place, always offers multiple
infusions, each of which is good. In my experience, a good Gyokuro has as
many lives as a cat.

Michael