Archive for the ‘Ostfriesen Blend’ Category

3 comments

reunify around one sort of black tea blend


2011
10.02

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in German, Ostfriesen Blend | 3 Comments »



You know I can't let German Reunification Day go by without at least touching on it a little bit, right?  Those of you who read this blog even semi-regularly must've expected some mention of this one.


 


Not only is it a very important historical moment, but I have the day off tomorrow. I posted this on Sunday, but German Reunification Day is 3 October. 





‘Wait, you always have the day off.  Are you even employed?’, I hear you asking.




Definitely employed.  I’m so gainfully employed that I’m already relishing the wild and limitless impending celebrations.  Celebrations that every last German will be participating in with enthusiasm and fervour.  Well, maybe not.




Actually not at all.  Many Germans I talk to say they can’t imagine a Germany still divided.  But that doesn’t mean these Germans are actually celebrating reunification.  They’re speechless when they hear surveys cited where some former East Germans even say that they wish they could go back to the time of the Berlin Wall.




The response to this from the people who’ve been paying a Solidaritätszuschlag, which is a tax levied on many West Germans to help ease the transition of East Germany to a modern economy, is that it’d be nice to let those unhappy with the present situation go back to the old ways (if you really want to know more about this Solidarity surcharge, look at this Wikipedia article on Taxation in Germany).




But I’m getting far too deep into history and/or politics for a teablog.  My obvious question is:




What tea does one drink for German Reunification Day?




I refer you to my middle of the road blend post from the summer.  The perfect tea for bothEast and West Germany is an Ostfriesen Blend.  No matter what one thinks about the politics or the Solidarity surcharge, all can agree that this sort of blend is somethingGermans can be proud of.





















				

				








			




		
		





5 comments




				
the ‘best tea’?








					2011 


					07.19




 Posted in Assam, best tea, Darjeeling, Keemun, loose-leaf tea, Nilgiri, Oolong, Ostfriesen Blend, Taylors of Harrogate, Uncategorized, Yorkshire Gold |   5 Comments »


				

				


					

Was asked by a friend today what the ‘best tea’ was.  What a question, eh?  But I love a good debate.  And blog comments.  In case I’ve been unclear in the past, I really really like blog comments.  So here’s my not-so-humble answer.  I wonder how the rest of you might respond.


Many teabloggers focus on green and/or Oolong tea, but as much as I like them, I’ve focused more on black tea.  Most tea sellers in Germany make their own unique Ostfriesen Blend that is often a mix of strong, malty Assam and a Chinese Keemun (and maybe an Indian Nilgiri).  If I had to choose my favourite non-single estate tea, it’d be one of those specialty blends.


But if it’s brands we’re talking about, the tastiest and most consistent tea I’ve found is ‘Yorkshire Gold‘ made by Taylors of Harrogate.  But that’s only if we’re talking about black tea blends.  


I’d say the best non-green/Oolong tea, in my opinion, is still a single estate Darjeeling (to be truly accurate, most ‘black’ Darjeeling is really only 90% oxidised, so it’s actually Oolong).  I like stronger tea, so I enjoy second as well as first flush Darjeeling.  


But the best brand?  If you’re buying from a seller that can tell you on which estate a Darjeeling was grown, then the likelihood is that it’ll be better than something labeled simply as ‘Darjeeling‘.  The estimation is that 40,000 tonnes of Darjeeling are sold worldwide, while only 10,000 tonnes are grown.  Logically, one isn’t always entirely sure that purchased Darjeeling was actually grown there.


Again, I’m very grateful for the question.  Clearly the answer you’ll get is entirely objective.  I like thinking about how to make loose-leaf tea drinking more attractive.  If I were a tea snob, it’d be the worst way of going about the whole thing.  


What about you other tea obsessives?  When someone asks you what the ‘best tea’ is, what might you say?  I know on the face of it, it’s an impossible question.  But please jump in and claim your stake on this issue.  


Did I mention that blog comments are encouraged?