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Natarajan 1/28/05

> In article >, Michael Plant wrote:
>> I've also had some Oolongs with an inordinate amount of stem . It's curious
>> that some of these stemmy Oolongs have been more delightful than those more
>> carefully pruned or plucked. I've been told that sometimes the stems are
>> left because they have a positive effect on the taste and aroma of the tea.
>
> The iron Guan Yin KING from funalliance.com has a lot of stem. Out of
> curiosity, I plucked off a couple of these stem and nibbled on them.
> Yum! Who'd've thought wood could be so tasty? This was one of the
> most delightful (to steal your word) TGYs I've had in a long time (on
> the greener side), so at the VERY least, the presence of the stem
> isn't enough to ruin it, and I'd certainly believe it improves the
> taste/aroma.
>
>
> N.

All well and good, N; but, as you admit, the word "delightful" in reference
to tea was first used by me. So, in the future please get my consent before
using this word. (As for the rest of you, for a small fee, you may use the
word "delightful" in casual conversation.)

Yeah, this stem thing is interesting. I still have to do a simple experiment
by comparing one of these oolongs with the stems left on and with the stems
snipped off. I'm thinking of one particular example: The best Wulong
available at our local teahouse -- the Big Apple Tea House -- in NYC is
chock-a-block with stem, and is absolutely delightful*.

Michael

*See first paragraph.