Help, please! I'm looking for some sort of "tea for dummies" - yes, I've
read the FAQ, and several books, and scores of websites and tea company
catalogs. What I'm really looking for is advice in how to branch out -
what to try first, and from there move on to something else, etc.

I love Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas. I know they are blends, and
don't know which way to branch out. I tend to think I should find
similar teas, and then teas similar to those, etc.

I'm learning some things - I'm pretty sure that the reason I think I
don't like green teas is because the friend who drinks them steeps for
no more than 30 seconds - for any of his teas - and so to me it tastes,
well, tasteless. When I told him about trying 2nd flush darjeeling, and
steeping for three minutes (tea was good - tasted like green beans, but
less so as it cooled off a bit, and when I tasted what was left in the
pot that was totally cooled, that taste disappeared) he gasped, certain
it should have been tossed out.

Is there some sort of suggested roadmap? I know to stay away from
sampler packages, based on what I've read here. And I know that even if
I never get past drinking only really terrific Earl Greys and English
Breakfasts, etc., that I'm still going to be happy. But I'd like to
learn more.

Any advice? Thanks!!

Resa

PS - I'm set (for now, anyway) in the kettle/teapot/infuser/water
filter/etc. area - I hear a collective sigh of relief!

PPS - Shouldn't unbrewed tea have a scent, some scent? When I open the
bags of tea I brought home the other day, there is no aroma at all. Does
that indicate tea that isn't fresh? They are a 2nd flush darjeeling, an
assam, and a keemun.

try this site also
www.246.dk/index.html

where did you buy tea?
yes, there should be a scent.
i would start with www.uptontea.com
and try some of their small sample packets-
also try teas from different countries-
oolongs-taiwan, china,india
greens-china, japan, korea
"Serendip" > wrote in message
...
> Help, please! I'm looking for some sort of "tea for dummies" - yes, I've
> read the FAQ, and several books, and scores of websites and tea company
> catalogs. What I'm really looking for is advice in how to branch out -
> what to try first, and from there move on to something else, etc.
>
> I love Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas. I know they are blends, and
> don't know which way to branch out. I tend to think I should find
> similar teas, and then teas similar to those, etc.
>
> I'm learning some things - I'm pretty sure that the reason I think I
> don't like green teas is because the friend who drinks them steeps for
> no more than 30 seconds - for any of his teas - and so to me it tastes,
> well, tasteless. When I told him about trying 2nd flush darjeeling, and
> steeping for three minutes (tea was good - tasted like green beans, but
> less so as it cooled off a bit, and when I tasted what was left in the
> pot that was totally cooled, that taste disappeared) he gasped, certain
> it should have been tossed out.
>
> Is there some sort of suggested roadmap? I know to stay away from
> sampler packages, based on what I've read here. And I know that even if
> I never get past drinking only really terrific Earl Greys and English
> Breakfasts, etc., that I'm still going to be happy. But I'd like to
> learn more.
>
> Any advice? Thanks!!
>
> Resa
>
> PS - I'm set (for now, anyway) in the kettle/teapot/infuser/water
> filter/etc. area - I hear a collective sigh of relief!
>
> PPS - Shouldn't unbrewed tea have a scent, some scent? When I open the
> bags of tea I brought home the other day, there is no aroma at all. Does
> that indicate tea that isn't fresh? They are a 2nd flush darjeeling, an
> assam, and a keemun.

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 12:34:36 -0500
Serendip > wrote:

> Help, please! I'm looking for some sort of "tea for dummies" - yes, I've
> read the FAQ, and several books, and scores of websites and tea company
> catalogs. What I'm really looking for is advice in how to branch out -
> what to try first, and from there move on to something else, etc.
>
> I love Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas. I know they are blends, and
> don't know which way to branch out. I tend to think I should find
> similar teas, and then teas similar to those, etc.
<Snip!>
> Is there some sort of suggested roadmap? I know to stay away from
> sampler packages, based on what I've read here. And I know that even if
> I never get past drinking only really terrific Earl Greys and English
> Breakfasts, etc., that I'm still going to be happy. But I'd like to
> learn more.
>
> Any advice? Thanks!!


In the US, both of those blends are typically ceylon & kenyan. A lot of
people like ceylon orange pekoe, so you might try finding some reputable
whole leaf ceylon and branching out from there.

You also might enjoy a russian caravan blend, which is often a little
bit of everything, even some lapsang.

Personally I started out enjoying EGT and not so much EBT, but i found i
did enjoy irish breakfast tea, which it turns out is typically an assam
tea.

I went from there to broken leaf (not fannings) tea bags of ceylon
black, and I enjoyed it, but didn't find anything special about tea until i
bought a box of very good assam chai tea bags. That experience led me to
throw away a large number of year old teabags and buy 12oz of loose assam
tea. It's been a good experience.


> PPS - Shouldn't unbrewed tea have a scent, some scent? When I open the
> bags of tea I brought home the other day, there is no aroma at all. Does
> that indicate tea that isn't fresh? They are a 2nd flush darjeeling, an
> assam, and a keemun.


It should have a fragrance. The strength or quality of that fragrance is
not a 100% reliable method of determining age or quality of the tea, but it
should probably smell like something.

Since you brought up aroma, I'm going to recommend the place I've been
getting my loose assam teas from.

www.assamtea.biz -- they have a hinky domain name, and *another hinky
domain name for their customer service email, and the website layout is
confusing - but the teas are tasted and graded according to aroma,
appearance, body, and briskness, and have a picture of the tea itself
alongside a picture of a white ceramic cup of brewed tea.

I really appreciated that, because it gave me some idea what i was
supposed to expect from the tea, which allowed me to get a few different
types and figure out what qualities i really like - instead of just
shooting in the dark and hoping for a good cuppa.

They don't sell samplers, but they do sell 1oz samples of every tea they
sell, most of the sample bags are $1 or $2, so it's not expensive to try a
bunch of different types. Aside from about three different assam estates,
they sell some darjeeling oolongs and some surprisingly expensive 'silver
needle' type white teas.

Shipping costs are average - not really low, not really high. Customer
service is exceptional.

I've got some of their samples, and it appears that an actual human
being measured an ounce out of a chest, poured it into a foil bag, and
scribbled the variety name on the label. The samples obviously haven't been
sitting on the shelf.

I can personally vouch for the 'cream of assam' SFTGFOP - it's
excellent. The 'morning glory' is a pretty alright breakfast tea, the
'golden golaghat' is a better breakfast tea - but it turns out i don't
really like breakfast teas.

The 'Kama Black' is very interesting. Broad leaf, second flush, late
summer harvest iirc. Rolled and fully fermented. Tastes like a very malty
and somewhat fruity (tannic?) oolong, but it's best brewed at 212f for 5
minutes or even slightly longer - it doesn't seem to ever get bitter. And
it's very reasonably priced. I plan to blend it with the breakfast teas
I've got to give them some more flavor and body.

They sent me a free sample of their 'black florets' as well - which is
basically a knot of oolong. Very fruity, steeped it three times. Good, but,
I'm not really an oolong guy. And it's $97/lb.

A friend of mine ordered some of their darjeeling oolong, and likes it,
but i haven't personally tried it.

I don't usually shill for any vendor, but the quality of service i got
from these guys when i had an unexpected brewing experience was
exceptionally responsive, and i felt they deserved a plug.

"Serendip" > wrote ...
> Help, please! I'm looking for some sort of "tea for dummies" - yes, I've
> read the FAQ, and several books, and scores of websites and tea company
> catalogs. What I'm really looking for is advice in how to branch out -
> what to try first, and from there move on to something else, etc.

TeaHomeUS: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZteahomeusQQhtZ-1 has good tea.
They also sell sample amounts of tea. I like their Jasmine, Osmanthus, and
Aa Li Shan tea.

"Serendip" > wrote in message
...
> Help, please! I'm looking for some sort of "tea for dummies" - yes, I've
> read the FAQ, and several books, and scores of websites and tea company
> catalogs. What I'm really looking for is advice in how to branch out -
> what to try first, and from there move on to something else, etc.
>
> I love Earl Grey and English Breakfast teas. I know they are blends, and
> don't know which way to branch out. I tend to think I should find
> similar teas, and then teas similar to those, etc.

Since Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Prince of Wales, etc.,
all depend on the base tea(s) and any flavorings, I would prefer that you
start with the basics.

For example: Earl Grey is usually made of (1) China black w/ bergamot, (2)
Ceylon w/ bergamot, (3) a blend of several teas w/ bergamot, etc. The only
ingredient reliably in common is the oil of bergamot and the amount of that
may vary widely.

I've only had English Breakfast made of Ceylon, but adagio.com describes
theirs as Keemun.

The classic Irish Breakfast is a blend of Assams, but I recently saw it as
Assam w/ Ceylon.

Twinings makes Prince of Wales with Keemun and oolong/wu long while another
lists Assam, Lucky Dragon (a hyson), and gunpowder w/ larkspur. The only
common ingredient that I've found amongst the Prince of Wales that I've seen
has been black currant.

So, what am I suggesting? I'm suggesting that you first acquaint yourself
with the basic teas because by doing so, you'll have a better idea of which
grades and estates to explore and what blends to pursue.

For black teas: Assam, Ceylon, China black/China Congou/red tea, Darjeeling
dubbed "the champagne of tea," Keemun dubbed "the burgundy of tea," Kenya,
Lapsang Souchong, Nilgiri, and Yunnan.

For oolong/wu long: Pouchong, Tie Guan Yin/Ti Kuan Yin/Iron Goddess of
Mercy, Tung Ting. (I'm extremely weak in this area so others will have to
provide more.)

For Chinese greens: Chun Mee/Precious Eyebrows, gunpowder - there are
various gunpowders (FWIW, black tea also comes as gunpowder), Hyson, Lung
Ching/Long Jing/Dragon's Well/Dragonwell dubbed "the cream of tea," Pi Lo
Chun/Green Snail Spring.

For Japanese greens: Bancha, Genmaicha (sencha w/ puffed rice), Sencha.
(Another area in which I'm weak.)

For white teas: Pai Mu Tan/Bai Mu Dan/White Peony, Mutan, Shou Mei/Sowmee,
Snow Buds, Yin Zhen/Yin Chen/Silver Needles/Peony White Needles.

Then, there's pu-erh <g>.

And, the jasmines.

And, the flavored teas as well as the blends.

And, chai.

How about tisanes? Chamomile, honeybush, lapacho/pao d'archo, lemon grass,
lemon verbena, peppermint, rooibos, spearmint, yerba mate, and all those
fruit teas?

> I'm learning some things - I'm pretty sure that the reason I think I
> don't like green teas is because the friend who drinks them steeps for
> no more than 30 seconds - for any of his teas - and so to me it tastes,
> well, tasteless. When I told him about trying 2nd flush darjeeling, and
> steeping for three minutes (tea was good - tasted like green beans, but
> less so as it cooled off a bit, and when I tasted what was left in the
> pot that was totally cooled, that taste disappeared) he gasped, certain
> it should have been tossed out.

Different strokes for different folks. I suggest that you start at the
standard starting point for each type of tea, work up/down/more/less from
there, and discover what suits you the best. After all, they're your taste
buds and it's your money that you're spending on tea. When it's his tea, he
may, and most certainly will, do as he likes, but you don't need to conform
to anybody's preference but your own.

> Is there some sort of suggested roadmap?

I hope what I listed above helps.

> I know to stay away from
> sampler packages, based on what I've read here. And I know that even if
> I never get past drinking only really terrific Earl Greys and English
> Breakfasts, etc., that I'm still going to be happy. But I'd like to
> learn more.

Knowledge deepens enjoyment and that's part of the fun of it.

> Any advice?

I suggest that you get a notebook or a small journal in which to record your
journey. There are so many teas from so many retailers.

> Thanks!!

You're welcome.

> Resa
>
> PS - I'm set (for now, anyway) in the kettle/teapot/infuser/water
> filter/etc. area - I hear a collective sigh of relief!



> PPS - Shouldn't unbrewed tea have a scent, some scent? When I open the
> bags of tea I brought home the other day, there is no aroma at all. Does
> that indicate tea that isn't fresh? They are a 2nd flush darjeeling, an
> assam, and a keemun.

Yes, the aroma of dry tea leaves is wonderful, IMO.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

Are you the science fiction writer?

On 2/19/2005 1:05 PM, Joanne Rosen wrote:
> try this site also
> www.246.dk/index.html
>
> where did you buy tea?
> yes, there should be a scent.
> i would start with www.uptontea.com
> and try some of their small sample packets-
> also try teas from different countries-
> oolongs-taiwan, china,india
> greens-china, japan, korea

Thanks for the info and additional site! I bought the tea at Dobra Tea
House - Vermont, not Prague.

Thank you all for being so generous with your advice and suggestions!!

This grouped "thank you" isn't lack of interest in individual thanks,
but based in not wanting to bore you all to tears, and fear that those
with a dial-up connection would really be cursing!

I've copied and printed your posts, and am going from catalog to
website, pulling together my order lists. The UPS driver will be
thrilled that all these packages shouldn't weigh too much!!

And thanks, Bluesea, for the journal suggestion - at some point that
would have dawned on me, but now I can do it from the beginning, rather
than wishing I had done so.

Again, thank you all!!

Resa

"Serendip" > wrote in message
...
>
> And thanks, Bluesea, for the journal suggestion - at some point that
> would have dawned on me, but now I can do it from the beginning, rather
> than wishing I had done so.

You're welcome. I wish I had started mine from the get-go <sigh>.

Something that I was thinking about after I got off last night -

If you sample a tea, fiddling around with amount/time/temp, and decide that
it's "okay" but not something you'd repurchase, I suggest that you get other
samples from different prices/grades/estates/etc. because the slight change
might move you from a "been-there, done-that <yawn>" to a "must reorder!"

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.