MarshalN wrote:
On Jun 9, 3:35 am, Alan Petrillo wrote:
Space Cowboy wrote:
I wouldn't necessarily throw it out.
Throw it out? Good grief no! It was nectar!


You owe it to us to tell us HOW nectar like it was!

I've had a hongcha of some sort that's 10 years old. Very
interesting, sweet, and fruity. A strange tea, but fun.

Well, let's see.

It had a subtle but distinct sweetness. It's aroma was fruity, with a
slightly floral aroma. It had a very strong aroma, and also a strong
flavor, without being tannic. The liquor was bright red, and it always
brewed out nicely clear and clean. There was a very light note of
chocolate in its finish.

Very, _very_ good stuff.

We figured it out, Liz's mom has had this since they lived in Taiwan.
They left Taiwan when Liz was 8, and she's now 43, so this tea was at
least 35 years old. I can honestly say it was the best tea I have ever
had in my life.


AP

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Alan Petrillo wrote:
Space Cowboy wrote:
I wouldn't necessarily throw it out.
Throw it out? Good grief no! It was nectar!

That same brand of keemun is still available today from the same sources.
Kam Man supermarket in NYC stocks it, for example.

Well, if it's still available then it's findable. Since I work for an
airline I get to travel free, so it might be worth a trip to NYC to find
it, if need be.

But as with any
agricultural product, it will change from harvest to harvest.

Indeed. This is the nature of truly natural products, and I wouldn't
have it any other way.



AP

Alan Petrillo writes:

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Alan Petrillo wrote:
Space Cowboy wrote:
I wouldn't necessarily throw it out.
Throw it out? Good grief no! It was nectar!
That same brand of keemun is still available today from the same
sources. Kam Man supermarket in NYC stocks it, for example.

Well, if it's still available then it's findable. Since I work for an
airline I get to travel free, so it might be worth a trip to NYC to
find it, if need be.

But as with any
agricultural product, it will change from harvest to harvest.

Indeed. This is the nature of truly natural products, and I wouldn't
have it any other way.

Sure. But at the risk of saddening you, let me say that I live in New
York, and I have bought the very tea in Kam Man, though not for
several years now, and it's been nothing special for the last decade
or so.

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

On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:
It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".

Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?
http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Karsten [Rose Congue in tazza]

Considering what I've read about the Chinese tea industry going
downhill, should I even try to find more of this tea?

Where might I find a particularly good Keemun?

Thanks in advance,
AP

It is unlikely you will find Qimen of that quality anymore. The newer
higher graded stuff goes pretty high but the quality isn't actually
better.

On Jun 23, 5:05 am, wrote:
On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:

It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".

Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Karsten [Rose Congue in tazza]

Hi, Karsten!
No. This is the Hao Ya - http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Hao-Ya-A.asp.
No tin.
Shen

On Jun 24, 4:34 am, Shen wrote:
On Jun 23, 5:05 am, wrote:

On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:

It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".

Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Karsten [Rose Congue in tazza]

Hi, Karsten!
No. This is the Hao Ya -http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Hao-Ya-A.asp.
No tin.
Shen

Hi Shen,

thanks, the tin somehow looks like all those cheaper tins you´d get at
asian supermarkets. I just haven´t seen any of these over here, but
that doesn´t mean too much. I´ll rather wait for my next trip to China
to stock up on Keemuns.

Karsten [xy tippy Dian Hong in tazza grande]

On Jun 24, 4:34 am, Shen wrote:
On Jun 23, 5:05 am, wrote:

On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:

It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".

Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Karsten [Rose Congue in tazza]

Hi, Karsten!
No. This is the Hao Ya -http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Hao-Ya-A.asp.
No tin.
Shen

Hi Shen,

thanks, the tin somehow looks like all those cheaper tins you´d get at
asian supermarkets. I just haven´t seen any of these over here, but
that doesn´t mean too much. I´ll rather wait for my next trip to China
to stock up on Keemuns.

Karsten [xy tippy Dian Hong in tazza grande]

On Jun 24, 4:34 am, Shen wrote:
On Jun 23, 5:05 am, wrote:

On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:

It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".

Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Karsten [Rose Congue in tazza]

Hi, Karsten!
No. This is the Hao Ya -http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Hao-Ya-A.asp.
No tin.
Shen

Hi Shen,

thanks, the tin somehow looks like all those cheaper tins you´d get at
asian supermarkets. I just haven´t seen any of these over here, but
that doesn´t mean too much. I´ll rather wait for my next trip to China
to stock up on Keemuns.

Karsten [xy tippy Dian Hong in tazza grande]

Lewis Perin wrote:
Alan Petrillo writes:

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Alan Petrillo wrote:
Space Cowboy wrote:
I wouldn't necessarily throw it out.
Throw it out? Good grief no! It was nectar!
That same brand of keemun is still available today from the same
sources. Kam Man supermarket in NYC stocks it, for example.
Well, if it's still available then it's findable. Since I work for an
airline I get to travel free, so it might be worth a trip to NYC to
find it, if need be.

But as with any
agricultural product, it will change from harvest to harvest.
Indeed. This is the nature of truly natural products, and I wouldn't
have it any other way.

Sure. But at the risk of saddening you, let me say that I live in New
York, and I have bought the very tea in Kam Man, though not for
several years now, and it's been nothing special for the last decade
or so.

A pity indeed.


AP

wrote:
On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:
It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".

Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?
http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Nope. Not even close.


AP

Shen wrote:
On Jun 23, 5:05 am, wrote:
On Jun 8, 12:36 pm, Alan Petrillo wrote:

It's labeled as "Keemun Black Tea", and the manufacturer label is "China
National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation
Shanghai Tea Branch".
Does it resemble those tins they´re selling at teaspring [19 $/100g] ?http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Black-Tea.asp

Shen, is this the Hao Ya you mentioned ?

Karsten [Rose Congue in tazza]

Hi, Karsten!
No. This is the Hao Ya - http://www.teaspring.com/Keemun-Hao-Ya-A.asp.
No tin.
Shen

I got some Hao Ya A from Upton. It's good, but it's not the same stuff.


AP

Mydnight wrote:
Considering what I've read about the Chinese tea industry going
downhill, should I even try to find more of this tea?

Where might I find a particularly good Keemun?

Thanks in advance,
AP

It is unlikely you will find Qimen of that quality anymore. The newer
higher graded stuff goes pretty high but the quality isn't actually
better.

sigh

Isn't that always the way of things.

:-(


AP

This was in a Japanned tin that was sealed with lacquer, so that might
have had something to do with it.


Undoubtedly so - for long keeping of tea the keys to success a

1. A well made tea - it has to be good quality at the start to end up
good quality after storing!
2. Correctly dried tea - to between 2 and 3% moisture content - must
incorporate a high temperature stage as all residual enzymes must be
"killed"
3. Absence of light - even well dried tea is still photochemically
active and will produce taints when illuminated.
4. An air tight container (tin or poly foil laminate - the container
must not leak (check - most storage tins made for tea are not airtight
at the seams; laminates can be pinholed and while they may not let
water through will allow air (inevitably damp) through)
5. Densely packed tea with minimal headspace (minimal amount of free
air - even tea without enzymes can continue chemical oxidation - leave
some green tea liquor overnight to see the color change). There's no
need for nitrogen or vac packing however, tea will soon scavenge a
small amount of oxygen in a minimal headspace.
6. Hermetically sealed (that means a complete and absolute barrier to
air exchange - if you wouldn't risk storing the pack under water then
you haven't got an hermetic seal)
7. Store cool in an even temperature (temperature change can induce
free water inside the container if the temperature drops - inside the
container tea equilibrates with the air and at 3% tea moisture the air
will have a dew point, albeit low, below which free water condenses).

I have not tried this on a 35 year test basis but recently was looking
for some old "tired" tea for a manufacturing faults class I was
teaching. Seeking this in my oldest tea samples I opened up a pouch
of black tea I had made in Pakistan in 1992. This had been processed
and dried under precise conditions in our miniature tea factory and
packed the same day in a heat sealed polyfoil pouch. Far from being
tired from long storage and despite being 15 years old it proved to be
as fresh, colory and flavorful as the day it was made.

Maybe we should set up Tea Banks - storing examples of our best teas
for the benefit of future generations of tea freaks in the same way
that seed banks are kept against loss of genetic material?

Nigel at Teacraft

I've always maintained that well stored teas are a snapshot of tea
taste frozen in time including the fermented teas. I think time has
taken more of a toll on my tastebuds than my teas.

Jim

PS I enjoy my old teas for the memories as much as the taste.

Nigel wrote:

Maybe we should set up Tea Banks - storing examples of our best teas
for the benefit of future generations of tea freaks in the same way
that seed banks are kept against loss of genetic material?

Nigel at Teacraft