Tea connoisseurs?

Jeltz

Jeltz

Messages
3,188
Location
Wiltshire
Since I quit smoking about 2 years ago I've discovered that many things that I like numerous things that either I disliked or just didn't have a taste for (also some things I did like but now I can taste them properly I don't :? )

The latest of which is Tea, I didn't like it and was a constant coffee drinker but I've taken to having a mug now and again of what I call normal tea. At the weekend over at a friends I had a cup of a Sainsburys blend of Darjeeling and China and it was the nicest cup of tea I have ever had. Our local Sainsburys doesn't stock it :cry: but its only a short diversion from my daily commute to visit the one they use.

I did however get some Darjeeling which seemed like normal but a bit weaker, which was a disappointment so what might be worth trying. I saw Earl and Lady Grey, Assam, Kenyan and Ceylon.
 
Out of your list, I've only tried Earl and Lady Grey. Earl Grey is a little bit 'orangey' (Bergamot) and Lady Grey was the same but a bit 'perfumey' (Jasmine?).

If you can find it, Lapsang Suchong is very nice - in a 'smokey fish' kind of way.
 
Tea nutter reporting in.

Unlike shaving supplies there isn't much quality tea in the shops here. If you want to dip your toes into the world of quality tea Nigel at Nothing But Tea is UK based, has a huge selection and is rather well regarded himself in the tea world. The black tea sampler might be good place to start.

The Chinese method of kung fu tea is well worth a shot instead of the usual western 'stick a few leaves in a giant pot for five minutes' method. Lots of leaf, tiny vessel, lots of infusions. The current brew I've got on is about 5 grams of dan cong in a 60ml brewing vessel. It's seen about 2 litres of water since this morning and is still going strong. Good whole leaf tea can last a whole lot longer than little bits of broken up leaf/dust that made it through the factory sieve and onto the supermarket shelf.

TeaChat is a great resource. They do tasting events which are dirt cheap for what you get and are excellent intros fr whatever type of tea is on the menu at the time.

If you want something with a kick to compare with coffee, without drinking your body weight in fluid, Japanese Matcha is the way to go. Very high quality Japanese green tea is powdered, you whisk it into hotish water and drink. Much loved by those in hardcore mediation or martial art regimes.

My addiction was so bad I ended up blogging about the stuff but I've managed to keep that in check recently.

I'll stop now and head over to Tea Chat before I get carried away.
 
Thanks both,

Looks like I better steer clear of that site or the wallet 'll get more of a battering :eek:

Best stick to locally available so that's Assam and Lapsang Souchong to try, as well as that blend I liked :)
 
I've just been getting into tea drinking in a more refined manner and the biggest change for me was ditching the tea bag.

Use a tea strainer or even a french press and the difference is astounding. I've been buying some of the waitrose teas and for a milder cup the ceylon is reliably good.

Bought some 'Lucky Fish' jasmine tea from Birmingham's Chinese quarter which I'm quite looking forward to. Hopefully no real fish were involved...
 
Darjeeling and Ceylon are nice but far to weak for me.

Assam, English breakfast and Sainsburys Kenyan are worth having in the cupboard. A nice strong cup of tea. Kenyan I think is my favourite out of this lineup.

Earl Grey is very nice. Lady grey is vile in my opinion.

Lapsang Souchon is like your tea break and your fag break combined into one. The tea stinks and you will get comments but its rather nice actually particularly after lunch.

If I could only have three teas I'd have Kenyan (for the morning), Lapsang (for after lunch) and Earl grey (for late afternoon/evening). I drink about 5 cups a day in total.

Personally green teas, red bush teas and anything claiming to be a tea but doesn't actually contain tea (peppermint, blackberry, camomile etc) should be avoided at all costs.

I also find supermarket branded versions of the above good teas to be just as good as more expensive makes.
 
Funny - I got back into tea after giving up smoking in 2004!

Perhaps an expert can enlighten me here - I really liked the "Captain Scott's Expedition-Strength" tea that Tesco recreated and sold for a while. Lovely STRONG & flavourful brew. Since they discontinued it, I've not been able to find anything else like it. I've tried other teas labelled as 'strong' but they were nothing like as good as the Scott's; can anyone recommend a tea that would give me that combination of strength and flavour without bitterness?
 
In June I went back to Asia for a couple of weeks.

Bought some nice green tea in Shanghai, and a number of TWG tubes in S'pore.

Does anyone know if TWG is available in Europe, or where can I get http://www.dammann.fr tea?

TWG_16Jul2010.jpg
 
I really like genmai green tea, it's Japanese 'rice' tea.

SenchaGenmaiCha.jpg


I've heard of the health benefits of matcha, but for me it's too strong and I kind of associate it for 'special' occasions.

Proinsias: just reading your blog Kung-Fu Cha, fascinating! I tried a sample pack of pu'er tea from different years... Couldn't get my mouth to agree with that old woody taste. It's a shame really, because I like the idea of older tasting better; rather than always chasing fresh crop.
 
Flatfish said:
Earl Grey is very nice. Lady grey is vile in my opinion.

Lapsang Souchon is like your tea break and your fag break combined into one. The tea stinks and you will get comments but its rather nice actually particularly after lunch.

If I could only have three teas I'd have Kenyan (for the morning), Lapsang (for after lunch) and Earl grey (for late afternoon/evening). I drink about 5 cups a day in total.

Personally green teas, red bush teas and anything claiming to be a tea but doesn't actually contain tea (peppermint, blackberry, camomile etc) should be avoided at all costs.

I also find supermarket branded versions of the above good teas to be just as good as more expensive makes.
Click to expand...

I'm with Kristian all the way - although I like a Peppermint or Chamomile: not teas but infusions.

My uncle drinks this:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://steepster.com/teas/kusmi-tea/2139-prince-vladimir" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://steepster.com/teas/kusmi-tea/213 ... e-vladimir</a><!-- m -->

and gave me a tin: not one for every day drinking but very nice from time to time
 
these have been coming around here in a little van an knocking on doors for years

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ringtons.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ringtons.co.uk/</a><!-- m -->

i bought a twinings lapsang...piggin vile
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom