Archive for the ‘Ceylon’ Category

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what tea do I start with?


2011
08.20

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Posted in Assam, Ceylon, Earl Grey, tea obsessive, tea seller | 3 Comments »

(photo: a new morning-a new tea drinker)

Someone’s been interacting with me on twitter or even in the real world. They’ve politely tolerated my blathering on about tea. How no matter what the topic of conversation is that it somehow veers back to tea drinking.

Finally, the question comes up, ‘Ok, enough already. Go ahead and tell me. What tea should I start with?”

What an exciting prospect, but then I freeze up. Hm? What next?

Well, the first thing I ask is, ‘How do you take your coffee?’ Cream or milk? Sugar or not? What on earth does that tell me? Well, if you drink black coffee, then a delicate subtle tea just won’t do. Not at all.

The next question, ‘Do you like spicy foods?’ does the same thing.

I used to think that a decent Earl Grey was a nice gateway tea. That one might like the Bergamot oil early on and over time want to taste more of the tea and less of the flavouring. I’m not sure if I’d always go that direction anymore. If someone’s already enjoying Earl Grey then I won’t discourage it, but I’m not so thrilled about pushing someone in that direction. Not when there’s so much delicious tea out there.

If someone tends to eat spicier food, I think I’d recommend a malty Assam. If not, a subtle Ceylon. Yes, ok. But which one?

Go to your local tea seller and ask what sorts of Assam they have. Or what about their selection of Ceylon?

Ask to smell the tea leaves. Any decent tea seller will be thrilled that you’re interested. Don’t be shy asking how much a te costs and definitely don’t assume that a higher price means better tea. It simply doesn’t.

I know this answer is very simple. Maybe too simple. But if you’re new to tea (or good tea), you’ll likely appreciate the simplest of answers. Please let me know how it goes.

What about you other tea obsessives? How do you answer the question posed above? Someone shows even a hint of curiosity about trying decent tea. Which direction do you send them?

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don’t mention it


2011
04.05

Posted in Ceylon, serving tea to friends | 2 Comments »

He says everything and he says nothing.

This is a funny saying that the Germans use when they’re talking about politicians. Actually, you could use the phrase when talking about anyone who’s using public relations-speak. Many words…not much actual meaning.

A client visited me this evening, and we had a wonderful time that had everything to do with tea, but simultaneously had nothing to do with tea. Nothing at all.

When I serve tea, I regularly put quite a lot of thought into what the perfect tea for that situation is. Maybe sometimes this analysis borders on the obsessive, but as far as I can see it’s a victimless crime.

So I’ve served this client tea many times. I know she doesn’t take milk, but often adds a little bit of sugar. I’ve been on a bit of a Ceylon kick lately, so I decided to serve one that I like a great deal.

Ceylon Nuwara ‘Lover’s Leap’

I’ve written about it at length before in a number of blogposts, but this was one I liked from last year in the dead of winter.

Normally, I save my best tea for guests, and this was no exception. But here was the thing: although the tea was appreciated and drunk with relish, there was no mention of it. It’s why I say the good time had everything to do with the tea. Yet the fact that it’s impact went unspoken, was almost more of a success than if a big to-do was made about it.

Either Jackie or Pete (or both) over at Leafbox Tea/Tea Trade have made the point that we needn’t always obsess about the tea we’re drinking it. Sometimes the best compliment one can give a great cup of tea is to simply not call attention to it.

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Drinking Ceylon BOP Uva and not comprehending Cricket


2011
04.02

Posted in Ceylon | 1 Comment »

Have gone back and ordered some of the black teas I was drinking when I began this blog early last year. They arrived last week, and I’ve been pondering how to reintroduce them. I drank a lot of Ceylon early on, and it seems fitting to spend a bit of time talking about it since the Cricket World Cup Final between Sri Lanka and India is in full swing, as it were.

Just to be very clear up front: I don’t know anything about Cricket. That isn’t an invitation to try and explain it to me. Many an afternoons sitting in the pub have been wasted by people trying to explain Cricket to me. It’s no use. But I can certainly take advantage of the occasion to rattle on about the tea grown in Sri Lanka.

Here’s how I talked about Ceylon Bop Uva way back then: BOP Uva, what a name, eh?.

So my question is what do I think of this tea now? Has my opinion changed?

When I talk about green or Oolong tea, I make photos of the beautiful leaves. I took a few photos of this BOP Uva, but it’s really nondescript looking black tea. I’ve spent quite a bit of the afternoon reading about tea growing regions of Sri Lanka, and the most definitive thing I can say about this tea that’s labeled BOP Uva, could come from any of a huge number of estates. It’s not a small region at all.

What’s the BOP part all about? Simply stated, BOP stands for broken orange pekoe. It’s described rather well at Wikipedia, but it means that this is medium grade black tea. Rather than full leaves, they’re broken into much smaller pieces. It actually looks a bit like very course ground coffee.

The leaves have a very light floral taste, and the tea itself is mildly spicy. Many sources recommend that tea from this region is good with milk. I tried it first without and then added just a bit. It was tasty either way, but the thing that made the tea interesting without milk was completely masked once milk was added.

(later)

As the day progressed, the Indians prevailed in the Cricket. When I imagine the fields of tea plants that I see in photos of Sri Lanka, I wonder if the people picking the tea even got a chance to watch the Cricket, or if they’d even want to.

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Waking up in Mangalam


2011
03.24

Posted in Assam, Ceylon | 4 Comments »

Ordered a selection of Ceylon and Assam tea that I started my blog with last year. I want to see how my tastes have changed, and find out specifically what I still like about these very traditional black teas. Am also excited to exhibit some of the research skills that I’ve honed in the last year.

The first tea I’d like to reintroduce is Assam Mangalam. This is an excellent Assam with plenty of golden tips. Although it has a typical malty taste, this tea is absolutely not bitter.

Everything I read about the estate is incredibly laudatory. I plan to dig deeper and find out more about its history. No matter how much I enjoy learning about green and Oolong, there’s nothing better to start my day than a strong cup of Assam.

So I’m imagining where these tea leaves were grown. The care that was put into growing and processing them. A part of me is falling asleep tonight wondering what it’d be like to wake up on the tea estate. I’m already there in my dreams. Put on your seat belts…this is going to be an eventful ride.