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What's on Your Tea List for the New Year?

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niisonge

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Dec 29, 2009, 10:44:12 PM12/29/09
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What teas do you expect to drink this year?

Niklas

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Dec 30, 2009, 12:44:32 AM12/30/09
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I know that I will be drinking at least Yunnan Gold, Jiu Qu Hong Mei, Tan
Yang Congou, Arya Ruby Tippy 2nd flush, Arya SFTGFOP1 2nd Flush, Castleton
Tippy Clonal autumn, Risheehat Clonal Flowery 2nd flush and Giddapahar China
Wiry Tippy FF. A black year ahead - lol.

/Niklas

"niisonge" <niis...@yahoo.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:b9d51007-4ab3-4b99...@e27g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...

Space Cowboy

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Dec 30, 2009, 9:06:19 AM12/30/09
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Ill continue to buy whatever I find interesting at my British and
Chinese tea shoppes. The Chinese tea shoppe now sells its own limited
brand of pressed Puer. They still have a good selection from 2005 in
the $50 range which I can no longer ignore. Teavana has a complete
double walled vacuum glass serving set which I will get. I may try to
order something from TaoBaoNow.

Jim

PS Ill probably break down and have to order a slab of Hunan Qian
Liang from the Internet which is the well known trade name. You
already know it is fermented tea. Someone telling me it is hei cha is
superfluous.

Lewis Perin

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Dec 30, 2009, 9:29:30 AM12/30/09
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niisonge <niis...@yahoo.com> writes:

> What teas do you expect to drink this year?

Oh, there are so many! One worth mentioning, which I don't think has
been discussed here, is Guranse from Nepal: strikingly similar to a
good Darjeeling and reliable year-to-year, but cheaper than real
Darjeelings. Plus, it makes a plausible claim of being organic.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin / pe...@acm.org
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html
recent addition: Dazhong Tuocha

Space Cowboy

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Dec 30, 2009, 11:00:18 AM12/30/09
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My Guranse is identified as a Black Nepal. The dried and infused leaf
reminds me of a green Darjeeling. The aroma is Darjeeling like. The
taste is a little more harsh with more sweet than dry muscatel
aftertaste. I got mine in the discount bin at the local British tea
shoppe. The retail price $12/3oz. I put this in the same category as
classic Taiwan Oriental Beauty. Another example of a tea taste which
can be replicated elsewhere like Sencha in South America.

Jim

On Dec 30, 7:29 am, Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:


> niisonge <niiso...@yahoo.com> writes:
> > What teas do you expect to drink this year?
>
> Oh, there are so many! One worth mentioning, which I don't think has
> been discussed here, is Guranse from Nepal: strikingly similar to a
> good Darjeeling and reliable year-to-year, but cheaper than real
> Darjeelings. Plus, it makes a plausible claim of being organic.
>
> /Lew
> ---

> Lew Perin / pe...@acm.orghttp://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html
> recent addition: Dazhong Tuocha

Natarajan Krishnaswami

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Dec 30, 2009, 12:08:20 PM12/30/09
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On 2009-12-30, niisonge <niis...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> What teas do you expect to drink this year?

I have a thing of zi xun (purple bamboo; Chinese green) which I
(absurdly) have not opened yet.

I need some fresh oolongs, and to rearrange my space to make it easier
to drink gong fu style (currently I have to get up and go elsewhere to
get more water).

Otherwise, I'll be pretty happy finishing off the teas I have. :)


N.

Lewis Perin

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Dec 30, 2009, 2:40:19 PM12/30/09
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Space Cowboy <nets...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>
> On Dec 30, 7:29 am, Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:
> > niisonge <niiso...@yahoo.com> writes:
> > > What teas do you expect to drink this year?
> >
> > Oh, there are so many! One worth mentioning, which I don't think has
> > been discussed here, is Guranse from Nepal: strikingly similar to a
> > good Darjeeling and reliable year-to-year, but cheaper than real
> > Darjeelings. Plus, it makes a plausible claim of being organic.
> >
> My Guranse is identified as a Black Nepal. The dried and infused leaf
> reminds me of a green Darjeeling. The aroma is Darjeeling like. The
> taste is a little more harsh with more sweet than dry muscatel
> aftertaste. I got mine in the discount bin at the local British tea
> shoppe. The retail price $12/3oz. I put this in the same category as
> classic Taiwan Oriental Beauty. Another example of a tea taste which
> can be replicated elsewhere like Sencha in South America.

With Guranse, I think this is true only in a narrow, technical sense.
Guranse is apparently grown just over the border from Darjeeling.

niisonge

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Dec 30, 2009, 2:58:21 PM12/30/09
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> Another example of a tea taste which
> can be replicated elsewhere like Sencha in South America.

Ah! This is exactly the kind of tea I want to try! I want to try
replicated teas grown in other areas. See if they can really be of the
same quality as the originals. A friend of mine in Zhangping said some
Taiwan business people set up shop in Zhangping to grow Gaoshan Cha
(High Mountain Oolong) - except in Zhangping, where they're growing
anyway, isn't really high mountains. Still, it intrigues me enough
that I'll just have to go there and see for myself.


Space Cowboy

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Dec 31, 2009, 8:31:12 AM12/31/09
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If I place Guranse tea estates near Dhankuta Nepal it is a few
Himalayan peaks 100km West of the border. And if I use the business
addresses in Kathmandu it is way way West in the Himalayas about
300km. If you want cheap Darjeeling I buy Sikkim. The Darjeeling
only claim to fame seems to be a geographical location if the muscatel
taste is your guideline.

Jim

On Dec 30, 12:40 pm, Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:


> Space Cowboy <netst...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
> > My Guranse is identified as a Black Nepal. The dried and infused leaf
> > reminds me of a green Darjeeling. The aroma is Darjeeling like. The
> > taste is a little more harsh with more sweet than dry muscatel
> > aftertaste.
>

Space Cowboy

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Dec 31, 2009, 8:33:04 AM12/31/09
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I think tea taste may not be unique as we think. Ive said before
mainland Ben Shan taste like Taiwan Gao Shan.

Jim

niisonge

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Dec 31, 2009, 9:54:11 AM12/31/09
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> I think tea taste may not be unique as we think.  


Check out the photos in this blog:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/articlelist_1224489453_11_1.html

These were taken on the tea farm in Zhangping.

Lewis Perin

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Dec 31, 2009, 10:35:36 AM12/31/09
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Space Cowboy <nets...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>
> On Dec 30, 12:40 pm, Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:
> > Space Cowboy <netst...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
> > > My Guranse is identified as a Black Nepal. The dried and infused leaf
> > > reminds me of a green Darjeeling. The aroma is Darjeeling like. The
> > > taste is a little more harsh with more sweet than dry muscatel
> > > aftertaste.
> >
> > With Guranse, I think this is true only in a narrow, technical sense.
> > Guranse is apparently grown just over the border from Darjeeling.
> >
> If I place Guranse tea estates near Dhankuta Nepal it is a few
> Himalayan peaks 100km West of the border.

Yes, you're right about that. But the Darjeeling district extends to
the border, and what matters in the cup is the climate and soil (not
to mention the agriculture and manufacture!)

> And if I use the business addresses in Kathmandu it is way way West
> in the Himalayas about 300km.

That's irrelevant. There are Darjeeling companies whose head offices
are in Calcutta, and their tea isn't considered to come from the
Ganges delta.

> If you want cheap Darjeeling I buy Sikkim.

I drink Sikkim tea, too, but in my experience over a few years Guranse
has had a consistent level of quality I haven't seen in the Sikkim
teas I've drunk.

niisonge

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Dec 31, 2009, 11:11:06 AM12/31/09
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Wish everyone a happy 2010 New Year. Let's all raise up our tea cups
to mutually toast and ring in the New Year. We should have a New Year
tea song or something.

Space Cowboy

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Dec 31, 2009, 11:22:34 AM12/31/09
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Theyre reproducing Taiwan ALiShan. GaoShan is an understatement. In
my younger days I would have hunt some down.

Jim

Space Cowboy

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Dec 31, 2009, 11:41:56 AM12/31/09
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Agreed on the Guranse location. When it comes to mountain ranges I
think the terroir varies. Darjeeling is in Sikkim. It might be like
saying Yellowstone is in Wyoming. I can taste the difference in the
estates and flushes of Darjeeling. Some think it worth pursuing. I
can take it or leave it. I usually get a first and second flush each
year. However if I do run across the muscatel taste elsewhere I do
get excited.

Jim

On Dec 31, 8:35 am, Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:
> Space Cowboy <netst...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>
> > If I place Guranse tea estates near Dhankuta Nepal it is a few
> > Himalayan peaks 100km West of the border.
>
> Yes, you're right about that. But the Darjeeling district extends to
> the border, and what matters in the cup is the climate and soil (not
> to mention the agriculture and manufacture!)
>

toci

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Jan 2, 2010, 5:02:59 AM1/2/10
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On Dec 29 2009, 9:44 pm, niisonge <niiso...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> What teas do you expect to drink this year?

I think I've settled on organic Nilgiri and Ceylon for my blacks.
Occasionally a heavier, Assam type, breakfast tea. I'm still
experimenting with my taste in greens. Toci

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