Firstly, when brewing loose tea in a mesh infuser, when I pull the
infuser basket out of the pot should I let it drip into the pot for a
couple seconds or should I immediately slide a saucer or mug under it
to prevent this? I know that the water that drains out of the infuser
basket when you pull it out is most likely full of tannic acid and
sediments, but I'm not sure what the accepted practice is.

Secondly, is there any guide or FAQ on how to develop ones palate for
fine teas? I have heard that keemun is a good tea to start with, but I
haven't been able to really appreciate the keemun hao-ya (#503) that I
bought off specialteas. Any suggestions? I too want to be one of the
elite who can tell whether a cuppa is more reminiscent of wooden
steamships or English countryside weather

Alex

"Alex Krupp" > wrote in message
news:2004030521465216807%alex3917@hotmailcom...
> Firstly, when brewing loose tea in a mesh infuser, when I pull the
> infuser basket out of the pot should I let it drip into the pot for a
> couple seconds or should I immediately slide a saucer or mug under it
> to prevent this? I know that the water that drains out of the infuser
> basket when you pull it out is most likely full of tannic acid and
> sediments, but I'm not sure what the accepted practice is.

I let it drip into the pot, but then who cares what I do.8^)

> Secondly, is there any guide or FAQ on how to develop ones palate for
> fine teas? I have heard that keemun is a good tea to start with, but I
> haven't been able to really appreciate the keemun hao-ya (#503) that I
> bought off specialteas. Any suggestions? I too want to be one of the
> elite who can tell whether a cuppa is more reminiscent of wooden
> steamships or English countryside weather
>
> Alex
>

I'm only about a year or so into the tea journey, and when I began I was
told my taste would change. Not only has what I like changed, but how teas
taste to me has changed. When I had my first Keemun Hao-Ya and other
Chinese black teas, I didn't get it. They were kind of woody and funny
tasting to me. I preferred the Indian and Ceylon teas. They tasted more
like what I was used to. I just kept trying a variety of teas, samples from
Upton and Special teas and teas from local tea shops and Asian markets. Now
I love Keemuns, Yunnans and other Chinese black teas, and prefer them to
Indian blacks. That's just one example.

I'm no expert, but I'd recommend that you just keep drinking tea often and
try a variety of kinds. At various points you may want to revisit some that
didn't do much for you to see if your tastes have changed. And don't feel
bad, I often don't taste the hints of this or that flavor that other's note
in their descriptions of tea. But I do know what I like and enjoy the hell
out of it.

I'm sure there is a way to train yourself to "taste" tea, just like for wine
tasting.

Blues

PS. What does English countryside weather taste like anyway?

All things being equal if the infuser is a basket it stays in the
teapot. The first cup of tea or so will drop the water line below the
basket. If the infuser is a ball with a chain use the lid to secure
the chain so the ball is above the water line. If the infuser is a
spoon you can tap the handle on the teapot rim to remove excess liquid
then simply place the spoon on a folded napkin. Keemun is a complex
tea so that would be my last recommendation. I'd recommend store
brand commercial teas noted for their consistency for example English
Breakfast. They all taste different enough so just learn the
difference. There is no right answer but ask yourself why you like
one better than the other. Tasting tea is more about understanding
yourself than the differentiation of any given set of particulars.

Jim

Alex Krupp > wrote in message news:<2004030521465216807%alex3917@hotmailcom>...
> Firstly, when brewing loose tea in a mesh infuser, when I pull the
> infuser basket out of the pot should I let it drip into the pot for a
> couple seconds or should I immediately slide a saucer or mug under it
> to prevent this? I know that the water that drains out of the infuser
> basket when you pull it out is most likely full of tannic acid and
> sediments, but I'm not sure what the accepted practice is.
>
> Secondly, is there any guide or FAQ on how to develop ones palate for
> fine teas? I have heard that keemun is a good tea to start with, but I
> haven't been able to really appreciate the keemun hao-ya (#503) that I
> bought off specialteas. Any suggestions? I too want to be one of the
> elite who can tell whether a cuppa is more reminiscent of wooden
> steamships or English countryside weather
>
> Alex

> PS. What does English countryside weather taste like anyway?

Ty-phoo brewed to the colour of chocolate and thinned with a dollop of
double cream, ripe Stilton, fresh bread and Devon butter, pickled onion and
a slice of hothouse tomato dressed with smoke from the oak fire in a Lake
District pub hearth. Old pipe smoke and clean wet dogs. Heather. History and
passion.

-DM

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 15:21:22 GMT, "Dog Ma 1"
(reply w/o spam)> tripped the light fantastic, then quipped:

>> PS. What does English countryside weather taste like anyway?
>
>Ty-phoo brewed to the colour of chocolate and thinned with a dollop of
>double cream, ripe Stilton, fresh bread and Devon butter, pickled onion and
>a slice of hothouse tomato dressed with smoke from the oak fire in a Lake
>District pub hearth. Old pipe smoke and clean wet dogs. Heather. History and
>passion.
>
>-DM

Spot on.

Tee
http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
Remove -no-spam- to email me.

Awesome poetry Mog Ma.
Thank you.

>Subject: Newbie tea questions
>From: "Dog Ma 1" (reply w/o spam)
>Date: 3/6/2004 10:21 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>> PS. What does English countryside weather taste like anyway?
>
>Ty-phoo brewed to the colour of chocolate and thinned with a dollop of
>double cream, ripe Stilton, fresh bread and Devon butter, pickled onion and
>a slice of hothouse tomato dressed with smoke from the oak fire in a Lake
>District pub hearth. Old pipe smoke and clean wet dogs. Heather. History and
>passion.
>
>-DM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


--Tom
-oo-
""\o~
------------------------------------
"Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
Terrance

Sorry for the typo and replying to my own post.
I meant Dog Ma.


>Subject: Newbie tea questions
>From: rown (Tom)
>Date: 3/6/2004 2:49 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>Awesome poetry Mog Ma.
>Thank you.
>
>>Subject: Newbie tea questions
>>From: "Dog Ma 1" (reply w/o spam)
>>Date: 3/6/2004 10:21 AM Eastern Standard Time
>>Message-id: >
>>
>>> PS. What does English countryside weather taste like anyway?
>>
>>Ty-phoo brewed to the colour of chocolate and thinned with a dollop of
>>double cream, ripe Stilton, fresh bread and Devon butter, pickled onion and
>>a slice of hothouse tomato dressed with smoke from the oak fire in a Lake
>>District pub hearth. Old pipe smoke and clean wet dogs. Heather. History and
>>passion.
>>
>>-DM
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>--Tom
>-oo-
> ""\o~
>------------------------------------
>"Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
>Terrance
>
>
>
>
>
>


--Tom
-oo-
""\o~
------------------------------------
"Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
Terrance

"Alex Krupp" > wrote:

> Firstly, when brewing loose tea in a mesh infuser, when I pull the
> infuser basket out of the pot should I let it drip into the pot for a
> couple seconds or should I immediately slide a saucer or mug under it
> to prevent this? I know that the water that drains out of the infuser
> basket when you pull it out is most likely full of tannic acid and
> sediments, but I'm not sure what the accepted practice is.

What drips out of the infuser immediately after it is pulled out of
the liquor isn't any different than what just passed through the infuser
during the last second it was in the pot or mug. I always let mine drip
into the pot/mug for a few seconds. Why waste it?


--
Randy
(if replying by e-mail, remove SPAMFREE from my address)

Alex Krupp > wrote in message news:<2004030521465216807%alex3917@hotmailcom>...
> Firstly, when brewing loose tea in a mesh infuser, when I pull the
> infuser basket out of the pot should I let it drip into the pot for a
> couple seconds or should I immediately slide a saucer or mug under it
> to prevent this? I know that the water that drains out of the infuser
> basket when you pull it out is most likely full of tannic acid and
> sediments, but I'm not sure what the accepted practice is.

Well, try for yourself with every tea you like and decide what suits
you best ... personally, I doubt, that there will be a (great)
difference though.

> Secondly, is there any guide or FAQ on how to develop ones palate for
> fine teas? I have heard that keemun is a good tea to start with, but I
> haven't been able to really appreciate the keemun hao-ya (#503) that I
> bought off specialteas. Any suggestions?

Hm, in my opinion a Keemun is a good start to tea drinking, if it is a
very mild, smooth and sweet one, without much of a smokey taste. In my
case, this changed after some years to a Keemun, which I like to be a
littel bit rough, with some edges and a distinct smokey flavour. To
begin with, ask for a smooth, mild Keemun with a light sweet note.
In contrast I've made the experience, that with coffee-addicts a nice
but strong and malty Assam (with milk or even cream) is a really good
start. It seems, they have to develop a taste for the more fragile
flavours of tea first, after they reduced their coffee consume. Green
teas are mostly a bad idea to start with, because first you have to
learn to taste ...
At the beginning of the tea journey, a Ceylon or even Darjeeling FF
teas are often not the best start, esp. if they are a liitle
"tea-bitter", but try it ...

The best thing is to go to a local tea shop and ask for small amounts
of teas (25 gr.or so or even for an amount which will be enough for
half a litre) -- normally this is a little bit more expensive but
worth it to have a good start into the tea journey. Ask for "typical"
Chinese Black, Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling First Flush and Darjeeling
Second Flush teas. Brew it, try it. And remember, if you don't like a
tea, you don't like it now, that can/will change over the time, so
trying will be one of your hobbies ;-) ...
Afterall, it will be a quick experience, that you have a tea which you
like or dislike not at all, but that you can differentiate what "part"
of the taste you like or you like not ... this is the start ... this
will be difficult to describe, but a good tea shop can help you to go
further into it. A new variety of small amounts of different teas will
be the answer. Try again. After a short while, you will be able to
name the tastes (soft, smooth, fruity, smokey, wooden, nutty, malty,
perfumed and so on) ... then you can ask and discuss further e.g. in
this NG, to find some teas, which come near to your ideal of taste
(let's say, "your" Chinese Black and "your" Darjeeling FF etc.). So
after a while, you will know what teas you do like in general and also
which "characters" of this teas you will prefer. From this time on,
you will taste lots of teas (and buy lots of teas everywehre you can)
of that "character". Don't forget to taste other, different typical
teas again ... at that stage, you also can try an Oolong or even some
green teas.
More and more your taste will change ... so, "your" teas will change
also ... nevertheless, remember that you will drink lots of garden
teas (estate teas) after some time. Every year a new taste ... well,
it's quite interesting to be in the tea thing.

> I too want to be one of the
> elite who can tell whether a cuppa is more reminiscent of wooden
> steamships or English countryside weather

That will be a normal development ... it is not a question to be
elitish, it will be a natural part of your personal taste and
intuition ...

Dieter

"Dieter Folz" > wrote ...
> More and more your taste will change ... so, "your" teas will change
> also ...

Hence that vital internet abbreviation YMMV: Your Mouthfeel May Vary.

Dog Ma 1 (reply w/o spam)> wrote:
>> PS. What does English countryside weather taste like anyway?
>
>Ty-phoo brewed to the colour of chocolate and thinned with a dollop of
>double cream, ripe Stilton, fresh bread and Devon butter, pickled onion and
>a slice of hothouse tomato dressed with smoke from the oak fire in a Lake
>District pub hearth. Old pipe smoke and clean wet dogs. Heather. History and
>passion.

And roll it.
Every day.
For 600 years.

--Blair
"You had to be there.
And I wasn't."