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| Tea (rec.drink.tea) Discussion relating to tea, the world's second most consumed beverage (after water), made by infusing or boiling the leaves of the tea plant (C. sinensis or close relatives) in water. |
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Potential new tea drinker on the block
Hi group,
Although I'm not a tea drinker I have recently acquired a tetsubin¹, and I guess it's time for me to acquire the taste of tea, too, but where do I begin? I have hardly had any tea at all since my teen-age days, and so I know next to nothing about the different teas available... I consider myself a coffee drinker, and I enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning, and another after lunch time, but I think I can learn to appreciate a cup of tea in the afternoon or in the evening - probably accompanied by one or two Wasa crackers with cold butter and strong cheese or a slice of salami. For historical reasons I prefer my coffee sweet (for the past couple of years I use Stevia leaves) and with milk, but I would like to start my tea career with plain tea (or, perhaps, with a few drops of milk and/or a little Stevia to smoothen the somewhat bitter taste of tea). My tetsubin does have a builtin strainer, but I guess the tea leaves will be able to unfold and circulate more freely if I put the leaves directly into the pot, although this will probably narrow the selection of teas I can use. I do not mind paying for good quality tea (within reasonable range), but I do not know where to start, and I do not wish to end up with ten or more teas in my small kitchen. One or two teas will suffice. Could you please suggest a few good "beginner's teas" that will help me acquire the taste for tea? Thanks for your kind help. Cheers, // Klaus ¹) <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Blanu> -- Klaus Alexander Seistrup Magnetic Ink, Copenhagen, Denmark http://magnetic-ink.dk/ |
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On Sun, 02 Oct 2005 12:25:05 +0000, Klaus Alexander Seistrup wrote:
> Hi group, > > Although I'm not a tea drinker I have recently acquired a tetsubin¹, and > I guess it's time for me to acquire the taste of tea, too, but where do I > begin? I have hardly had any tea at all since my teen-age days, and so I > know next to nothing about the different teas available... > > I consider myself a coffee drinker, and I enjoy a good cup of coffee in > the morning, and another after lunch time, but I think I can learn to > appreciate a cup of tea in the afternoon or in the evening - probably > accompanied by one or two Wasa crackers with cold butter and strong cheese > or a slice of salami. > > For historical reasons I prefer my coffee sweet (for the past couple of > years I use Stevia leaves) and with milk, but I would like to start my tea > career with plain tea (or, perhaps, with a few drops of milk and/or a > little Stevia to smoothen the somewhat bitter taste of tea). Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk to begin with. After a while, drop the sugar. You may want to use Keemun or Oolongs after that, without milk or sugar. If you are worried about bitterness in tea do not use boiling water. JB |
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For drinking with salami or strong cheese, I'd try the cheapest Assam
you can find, and drink it plain if possible. For afternoon drinking with anything more delicate, I'd try Sencha, also plain. Sencha is the "everyday" green tea of Japan. Toci Klaus Alexander Seistrup wrote: > Hi group, > > Although I'm not a tea drinker I have recently acquired a tetsubin=B9, and > I guess it's time for me to acquire the taste of tea, too, but where do I > begin? I have hardly had any tea at all since my teen-age days, and so I > know next to nothing about the different teas available... > > I consider myself a coffee drinker, and I enjoy a good cup of coffee in > the morning, and another after lunch time, but I think I can learn to > appreciate a cup of tea in the afternoon or in the evening - probably > accompanied by one or two Wasa crackers with cold butter and strong cheese > or a slice of salami. > > For historical reasons I prefer my coffee sweet (for the past couple of > years I use Stevia leaves) and with milk, but I would like to start my tea > career with plain tea (or, perhaps, with a few drops of milk and/or a lit= tle > Stevia to smoothen the somewhat bitter taste of tea). > > My tetsubin does have a builtin strainer, but I guess the tea leaves will > be able to unfold and circulate more freely if I put the leaves directly > into the pot, although this will probably narrow the selection of teas I > can use. > > I do not mind paying for good quality tea (within reasonable range), but > I do not know where to start, and I do not wish to end up with ten or more > teas in my small kitchen. One or two teas will suffice. > > Could you please suggest a few good "beginner's teas" that will help me > acquire the taste for tea? > > Thanks for your kind help. > > Cheers, > > // Klaus > > > =B9) <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Blanu> > -- > Klaus Alexander Seistrup > Magnetic Ink, Copenhagen, Denmark > http://magnetic-ink.dk/ |
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"Klaus Alexander Seistrup" > wrote in message ... > For historical reasons I prefer my coffee sweet (for the past couple of > years I use Stevia leaves) and with milk, but I would like to start my tea > career with plain tea (or, perhaps, with a few drops of milk and/or a > little > Stevia to smoothen the somewhat bitter taste of tea). If you want to have tea plain (no milk and sugar), try Darjeeling 1st flush. These have delicate floral flavor and will not be bitter if brewed for 2-3 minutes. I buy mine from http://www.silvertipstea.com/Merchan...ore_Code=STTRR and there are lots of other sources. Let me know if you want more sites to shop around ... -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
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Danube wrote:
> Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk > to begin with. Aloka wrote: > If you want to have tea plain (no milk and sugar), try Darjeeling > 1st flush. Toci wrote: > For drinking with salami or strong cheese, I'd try the cheapest > Assam you can find, and drink it plain if possible. For afternoon > drinking with anything more delicate, I'd try Sencha, also plain. Thanks for your help. I went to Sweden today (there's a bridge connecting Copenhagen, Denmark with Malmö, Sweden, and it takes slightly less than 40 minutes to reach Sweden by train) and came across a nice tea shop with quite a selection of tetsubins and teas, and the lady was ever so helpful. I ended up with three teas: a Darjeeling 1st flush ("Oaks", new harvest), a stronger tea (I cannot read the lady's handwriting, but the label on the bag might say "Waulagalla" or "Wanlagalla" - anyone?), and a Japanese green tea (the label might read "Sencha" or "Bancha", I'm not sure). I have never liked green tea before (but I had only tasted gunpowder until now, so...), so I was quite keen on tasting the green tea first, and I actually like it as is, without sweetener. I look forward to trying the two black teas tomorrow. Thanks for your kind help. Cheers, -- Klaus Alexander Seistrup Copenhagen, Denmark http://streetkids.dk/ |
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"Klaus Alexander Seistrup" > wrote in message ... > Danube wrote: > >> Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk >> to begin with. > > Aloka wrote: > >> If you want to have tea plain (no milk and sugar), try Darjeeling >> 1st flush. > > Toci wrote: > > I ended up with three teas: a Darjeeling 1st flush ("Oaks", new harvest), > a stronger tea (I cannot read the lady's handwriting, but the label on the > bag might say "Waulagalla" or "Wanlagalla" - anyone?), and a Japanese > green tea (the label might read "Sencha" or "Bancha", I'm not sure). Remember for the Darjeeling: Use boiling water and steep for 2 minutes to begin with, longer if you like it stronger. Have it without milk or sugar (I never thought I'd say that: being from India originally ..). Over steeping 1st flush makes it bitter. And you'll get the light floral aroma without milk+sugar. For 2nd and 3rd flush (or blends) Darjeelings, it's Ok to brew a little longer (3 - 3.5 min) and add milk+sugar. -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
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Aloke Prasad wrote:
> Remember for the Darjeeling: Use boiling water and steep for 2 > minutes to begin with, longer if you like it stronger. Oh, I'm glad you say that. Of course I couldn't wait, and I made myself a cup of the Darjeeling I bought earlier today. I let it steep for five minutes, and it was much too bitter-ish to my taste. I'll follow your advice and let it steep for two minutes next time. Thanks. > Have it without milk or sugar Yes, I'm trying to acquire the taste of plain tea without milk or sugar. It might take a while because I'm used to drinking sweet coffee, but I think it's worth it in the long run. Besides, drinking tea with sugar in it gives me a peculiar (and unpleasant) "sour" taste in my mouth. Is that a known effect? Cheers, -- Klaus Alexander Seistrup PNX · http://pnx.dk/ |
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I don't recognize Wanlagalla, but suspect it is an Assam estate I
haven't heard of. Estate teas are usually upscale from the blends. If an Assam (or other tea) is too strong, try some combination of less leaf, brewed a shorter time, at a lower temperature. You got a Sencha if it smells grassy and a Bancha if it smells of some other herb, I believe. Both are good. Toci Klaus Alexander Seistrup wrote: > Danube wrote: > > > Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk > > to begin with. > > Aloka wrote: > > > If you want to have tea plain (no milk and sugar), try Darjeeling > > 1st flush. > > Toci wrote: > > > For drinking with salami or strong cheese, I'd try the cheapest > > Assam you can find, and drink it plain if possible. For afternoon > > drinking with anything more delicate, I'd try Sencha, also plain. > > Thanks for your help. I went to Sweden today (there's a bridge connecting > Copenhagen, Denmark with Malm=F6, Sweden, and it takes slightly less than > 40 minutes to reach Sweden by train) and came across a nice tea shop with > quite a selection of tetsubins and teas, and the lady was ever so helpful. > > I ended up with three teas: a Darjeeling 1st flush ("Oaks", new harvest), > a stronger tea (I cannot read the lady's handwriting, but the label on the > bag might say "Waulagalla" or "Wanlagalla" - anyone?), and a Japanese > green tea (the label might read "Sencha" or "Bancha", I'm not sure). > > I have never liked green tea before (but I had only tasted gunpowder until > now, so...), so I was quite keen on tasting the green tea first, and I > actually like it as is, without sweetener. I look forward to trying the > two black teas tomorrow. > > Thanks for your kind help. > > Cheers, > > -- > Klaus Alexander Seistrup > Copenhagen, Denmark > http://streetkids.dk/ |
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On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 22:08:35 +0000, Klaus Alexander Seistrup wrote:
> Aloke Prasad wrote: > >> Remember for the Darjeeling: Use boiling water and steep for 2 minutes >> to begin with, longer if you like it stronger. > > Oh, I'm glad you say that. Of course I couldn't wait, and I made myself a > cup of the Darjeeling I bought earlier today. I let it steep for five > minutes, and it was much too bitter-ish to my taste. I'll follow your > advice and let it steep for two minutes next time. Thanks. Darjeeling teas should be treated much like green teas, IMO. Don't use boiling water, use 80 deg C, and steep for about 2 minutes. JB |
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Toci wrote:
> I don't recognize Wanlagalla, but suspect it is an Assam estate > I haven't heard of. That makes sense. The lady did talk about Assam, but then I thought she changed her mind and decided to give me this Wa(u|n)lagalla instead (I haven't been to Sweden for a while, so my ears aren't accustomed to the Swedish language). > Estate teas are usually upscale from the blends. If an Assam (or > other tea) is too strong, try some combination of less leaf, brewed > a shorter time, at a lower temperature. Thanks for the hint, I look forward to trying the tea. > You got a Sencha if it smells grassy and a Bancha if it smells of > some other herb, I believe. Both are good. I believe it's a Sencha then, it smells somewhat like when my mom mows her lawn. To my surprise I quite like the taste of this green tea, although I still have to experiment with the dosage and steeping time. Cheers, -- Klaus Alexander Seistrup Copenhagen, Denmark http://seistrup.dk/ |
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Danube skrev:
> Darjeeling teas should be treated much like green teas, IMO. Don't > use boiling water, use 80 deg C, and steep for about 2 minutes. Thanks! -- Klaus Alexander Seistrup Copenhagen, Denmark http://seistrup.dk/ |
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Aloke /6/05
> > "Klaus Alexander Seistrup" > wrote in message > ... >> Danube wrote: >> >>> Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk >>> to begin with. >> >> Aloka wrote: >> >>> If you want to have tea plain (no milk and sugar), try Darjeeling >>> 1st flush. >> >> Toci wrote: >> > >> I ended up with three teas: a Darjeeling 1st flush ("Oaks", new harvest), >> a stronger tea (I cannot read the lady's handwriting, but the label on the >> bag might say "Waulagalla" or "Wanlagalla" - anyone?), and a Japanese >> green tea (the label might read "Sencha" or "Bancha", I'm not sure). > > Remember for the Darjeeling: Use boiling water and steep for 2 minutes to > begin with, longer if you like it stronger. Have it without milk or sugar > (I never thought I'd say that: being from India originally ..). Over > steeping 1st flush makes it bitter. And you'll get the light floral aroma > without milk+sugar. > > For 2nd and 3rd flush (or blends) Darjeelings, it's Ok to brew a little > longer (3 - 3.5 min) and add milk+sugar. Hi, With due respect to my friend and colleague Aloke, I differ with him on this boiling water for two minutes issue. In my opinion, a fine first flush can be *very* delicate, and you can boil the life right out of it. Lew Perin has suggested an almost gung-fu style using short steeps and lots of leaf. I would add that experimentation with lower temperatures is appropriate too. The floral aroma might survive boiling water, but the soft cereal-like quality of the freshest of the fresh will be quickly lost. Experiment around. Michael Michael |
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"Michael Plant" > wrote in message ... > Aloke /6/05 > > >> >> "Klaus Alexander Seistrup" > wrote in message >> ... >>> Danube wrote: >>> >>>> Try a strong Assam or English Breakfast tea, with sugar and milk >>>> to begin with. >>> >>> Aloka wrote: >> Remember for the Darjeeling: Use boiling water and steep for 2 minutes to >> begin with, longer if you like it stronger. Have it without milk or >> sugar >> (I never thought I'd say that: being from India originally ..). Over >> steeping 1st flush makes it bitter. And you'll get the light floral >> aroma >> without milk+sugar. >> >> For 2nd and 3rd flush (or blends) Darjeelings, it's Ok to brew a little >> longer (3 - 3.5 min) and add milk+sugar. > > Hi, > > With due respect to my friend and colleague Aloke, I differ with him on > this > boiling water for two minutes issue. In my opinion, a fine first flush can > be *very* delicate, and you can boil the life right out of it. Lew Perin > has > suggested an almost gung-fu style using short steeps and lots of leaf. I > would add that experimentation with lower temperatures is appropriate too. > The floral aroma might survive boiling water, but the soft cereal-like > quality of the freshest of the fresh will be quickly lost. I meant using boiling water to begin with (pour over leaves in a pot or container) and let it soak for 2 minutes. Boiling Darjeeling for 2 minutes will be blasphemy :-) From my experience, using boiling water to begin with works well for Darjeeling black tea (remember the adage: bring the pot to the kettle and not the kettle to the pot?). Using a little less than boiling water works better for oolong and white teas. Neither type of tea should be boiled for any length of time .. well except the Assamese gunpowder that is used at the road-side tea stalls in India. Those kettles are left simmering all day, with small amounts of tea being added to it as needed!! -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
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> I meant using boiling water to begin with (pour over leaves in a pot or > container) and let it soak for 2 minutes. Yes, I understood what you meant, but I had written badly. > > Boiling Darjeeling for 2 minutes will be blasphemy :-) Of course, of course. > > From my experience, using boiling water to begin with works well for > Darjeeling black tea (remember the adage: bring the pot to the kettle and > not the kettle to the pot?). Using a little less than boiling water works > better for oolong and white teas. > I still stand by my experience that somewhat less than boiling water -- who recommended 180F (or was it 80C)? -- is needed for a fine first flush Darjeeling. > Neither type of tea should be boiled for any length of time .. well except > the Assamese gunpowder that is used at the road-side tea stalls in India. > Those kettles are left simmering all day, with small amounts of tea being > added to it as needed!! Again, steep length needs to be correlated to the amount of leaf used. More leaf, less steep. There is a lot to play with here. Anyway, these are my thoughts on the matter. By the way, in my experience, nearly all first flushes are quite "green," no matter what we call them. I understand that the earlier tradition was to produce a fully oxidized Darjeeling. At that time, pouring boiling water over the leaves would most likely have been appropriate. Could this perhaps be part of the source of our difference of opinion? Michael |
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"Michael Plant" > wrote in message ... > > > I still stand by my experience that somewhat less than boiling water -- > who > recommended 180F (or was it 80C)? -- is needed for a fine first flush > Darjeeling. > Again, steep length needs to be correlated to the amount of leaf used. > More > leaf, less steep. There is a lot to play with here. Anyway, these are my > thoughts on the matter. > > By the way, in my experience, nearly all first flushes are quite "green," > no > matter what we call them. I understand that the earlier tradition was to > produce a fully oxidized Darjeeling. At that time, pouring boiling water > over the leaves would most likely have been appropriate. Could this > perhaps > be part of the source of our difference of opinion? You are correct. For the most part, it is easy to overbrew 1st flushes. However, for 2nd or autumnal flushes, I would still recommend trying with boiling water and play around with steep times. This especially true if you add milk and sugar, like I tend to do with these 2nd and 3rd flushes. Clearly, the amount of tea leaves used also matter in this. Like you said.. best is to try different things and see what turns out to your liking. -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
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I just want to throw in a word of thanks for this discussion as I am now
dealing with some first flush DJ's that I keep reading the "boiling water" parameter for and it helps to hear about the nuances. Thanks all. Melinda "Michael Plant" > wrote in message ... > > >> I meant using boiling water to begin with (pour over leaves in a pot or >> container) and let it soak for 2 minutes. > > Yes, I understood what you meant, but I had written badly. >> >> Boiling Darjeeling for 2 minutes will be blasphemy :-) > > Of course, of course. >> >> From my experience, using boiling water to begin with works well for >> Darjeeling black tea (remember the adage: bring the pot to the kettle and >> not the kettle to the pot?). Using a little less than boiling water >> works >> better for oolong and white teas. >> > I still stand by my experience that somewhat less than boiling water -- > who > recommended 180F (or was it 80C)? -- is needed for a fine first flush > Darjeeling. > >> Neither type of tea should be boiled for any length of time .. well >> except >> the Assamese gunpowder that is used at the road-side tea stalls in India. >> Those kettles are left simmering all day, with small amounts of tea being >> added to it as needed!! > > Again, steep length needs to be correlated to the amount of leaf used. > More > leaf, less steep. There is a lot to play with here. Anyway, these are my > thoughts on the matter. > > By the way, in my experience, nearly all first flushes are quite "green," > no > matter what we call them. I understand that the earlier tradition was to > produce a fully oxidized Darjeeling. At that time, pouring boiling water > over the leaves would most likely have been appropriate. Could this > perhaps > be part of the source of our difference of opinion? > > Michael > |
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"Michael Plant" > wrote in message > > Darjeeling teas should be treated much like green teas, IMO. Don't use > > boiling water, use 80 deg C, and steep for about 2 minutes. > > > > JB > > > > Wouldn't the steep time depend on the amount of leaf? I recommend more leaf > and less time. I think that brings out more nuance. That makes it bitter. My guests (raised with gyokuro in the baby bottle) all hated the first flush served gong fu. I enjoyed it because I appreciate bitterness. Now for others I prepare it low temp 70/80 degres, few leaves and 2-3 min steeping. Kuri |
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/8/05
> > "Michael Plant" > wrote in message > >>> Darjeeling teas should be treated much like green teas, IMO. Don't use >>> boiling water, use 80 deg C, and steep for about 2 minutes. >>> >>> JB >> >> >> >> Wouldn't the steep time depend on the amount of leaf? I recommend more > leaf >> and less time. I think that brings out more nuance. > > That makes it bitter. My guests (raised with gyokuro in the baby bottle) all > hated the first flush served gong fu. I enjoyed it because I appreciate > bitterness. Now for others I prepare it low temp 70/80 degres, few leaves > and 2-3 min steeping. > > Kuri > Kuri, Do you think that increasing leaf amount and decreasing steep time would create a bitter brew? Why? We haven't said anything yet about temperature, but a bit of experimentation ought to get it just right. Michael |
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Potential new tea drinker on the block
try out www.grandteastand.com, they have great flavours for a person
like you to start off with. Once you are comfortable with flavours then move on to plain teas and learn to appreciate them. |
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Potential new tea drinker on the block
try out www.grandteastand.com, they have great flavours for a person
like you to start off with. Once you are comfortable with flavours then move on to plain teas and learn to appreciate them. |
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Potential new tea drinker on the block
try out www.grandteastand.com, they have great flavours for a person
like you to start off with. Once you are comfortable with flavours then move on to plain teas and learn to appreciate them. |
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Potential new tea drinker on the block
try out www.grandteastand.com, they have great flavours for a person
like you to start off with. Once you are comfortable with flavours then move on to plain teas and learn to appreciate them. |
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Potential new tea drinker on the block
try out www.grandteastand.com, they have great flavours for a person
like you to start off with. Once you are comfortable with flavours then move on to plain teas and learn to appreciate them. |
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