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Makaibari...
Hi guys.
I recently bought a few items from a tea place mentioned on this site.(it was not the spammed place or the place that prices were sky high without cause) ANyway I received a 2nd flush 2006 sample that was really good. Big sample , the tea I ordered was china special (forest yunnan, sencha, tky )& an oolong from maka.. the 2006 2nd flush was very good, so were the others I bought but I was very pleased especialy since I dont ususally drink darj. I was on a journey guys you all know how that can be and was happy with the tea. So has anyone else tried 2006 makabairi2nd flush? And what did you think of it. Jenn |
Makaibari...
Jenn wrote: > Hi guys. > I recently bought a few items from a tea place mentioned on this > site.(it was not the spammed place or the place that prices were sky > high without cause) ANyway I received a 2nd flush 2006 sample that was > really good. Big sample , the tea I ordered was china special (forest > yunnan, sencha, tky )& an oolong from maka.. the 2006 2nd flush was > very good, so were the others I bought but I was very pleased especialy > since I dont ususally drink darj. I was on a journey guys you all know > how that can be and was happy with the tea. So has anyone else tried > 2006 makabairi2nd flush? And what did you think of it. > Jenn I actually normally only go for the second flush DJ's, I'm not much for the 1st flushes unless it is a particularly noteworthy year... of which we haven't seen lately nor looking good going forward. You can never go wrong with Makaibari. I didn't purchase any 06 2nd flush for myself but I did have some on two occasions and enjoyed it a lot. I wasn't really into any of the TKY's I bought this year, so sencha, young hyson and Pu-erh have been my standby's so far. Looks like you got a nice variety to enjoy. - Dominic |
Makaibari...
"Dominic T." > writes:
> [...] > I actually normally only go for the second flush DJ's, I'm not much for > the 1st flushes unless it is a particularly noteworthy year... of which > we haven't seen lately nor looking good going forward. You can never go > wrong with Makaibari. Sorry to say this, but you can go wrong with Makaibari. When I was in India last year, I saw - and tasted - some low-grade Makaibari tea packaged under the Apoorva brand without any indication of when it was harvested. I haven't seen this stuff for sale in the West, though. /Lew --- Lew Perin / http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html |
Makaibari...
Makaibari, ahh that brings up memories.
Just let´s remember that Makaibari is one of the largest DJ estates, and as with ALL those other gardens [even the big names] the major part of their harvested leaves isn´t really worth mentioning qualitywise and ends up in name- and lifeless blends and -yuk-teabags. BTW, the latest shipment still hasn´t made it here, so darjeelingwise I happily indulge in this years wonderful Castleton 2nd Muscatel (China) and one excellent Lingia 2nd Muscatel, as well as loads of leftovers from late 2005 and early 2006. Lewis Perin wrote: > Sorry to say this, but you can go wrong with Makaibari. When I was in > India last year, I saw - and tasted - some low-grade Makaibari tea > packaged under the Apoorva brand without any indication of when it was > harvested. Lew, we had that Apoorva thing before. I remember you didn´t like those broken leaves too much, me still thinks of it as a nice bold breakfast tea, at least the fresher stuff I had the pleasure to drink over the years. One Makaibari I personally dislike is their steamed green, that one you can get all over Darjeeling, wrapped in aluminized paper sporting bright green stickers - IMO as boring as it gets. Karsten [2006 Lingia FF in der Tasse] |
Makaibari...
Lewis Perin wrote: > About the Apoorva: Sure goodness is a judgment for the mouth to make, > but anyone who drinks the stuff expecting something like a Makaibari > year-stamped FF or 2F is going to be ... surprised? > > /Lew > --- > Lew Perin / > http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html But the Apoorva is not labeled "Makaibari" which was my point, that is why it is labled "Apoorva." As with anything, sure there can be different grades and quality but on the whole I still can't see taking Lipton or Tetley over even the fanings of Makaibari. - Dominic |
Makaibari...
"Dominic T." > writes:
> Lewis Perin wrote: > > About the Apoorva: Sure goodness is a judgment for the mouth to make, > > but anyone who drinks the stuff expecting something like a Makaibari > > year-stamped FF or 2F is going to be ... surprised? > > But the Apoorva is not labeled "Makaibari" which was my point, that is > why it is labled "Apoorva." But it's labeled *both* Apoorva and Makaibari. Had it not been labeled Makaibari, I wouldn't have given it a second thought when I first tasted it and disliked it. > As with anything, sure there can be different grades and quality but > on the whole I still can't see taking Lipton or Tetley over even the > fanings of Makaibari. I don't believe I compared Apoorva to U.S. supermarket teas. A cup-to-cup test against, say, the Lipton label teas you see in India and in U.S. shops catering to South Asians might be interesting. As for "different grades and quality", that was my original point, I think. I'm surprised that it aroused controversy. /Lew --- Lew Perin / http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html |
Makaibari...
Lewis Perin wrote: > I don't believe I compared Apoorva to U.S. supermarket teas. A > cup-to-cup test against, say, the Lipton label teas you see in India > and in U.S. shops catering to South Asians might be interesting. As > for "different grades and quality", that was my original point, I > think. I'm surprised that it aroused controversy. No, no controversy... it was just that in reference to the OP I was mainly trying to say that you really can't go wrong with Makaibari... sure it is a generalization and I'm sure there is poorer Makaibari but it is still "good" and better than the most base teas. For many of us, yes, a Maki FF, 2ndF, Castleton, Margaret's Hope, etc. is the only tea we would seriously consider in this area but for someone just starting out a basic easy to understand rule of thumb would be Makaibari == good. Which is basically what she was asking. I just know that we can get into more detail than needed at times and this can be daunting for a newcomer like the OP, I was just trying to keep it simple :) No worries. - Dominic |
Makaibari...
"Dominic T." > wrote in message oups.com... > > Lewis Perin wrote: >> About the Apoorva: Sure goodness is a judgment for the mouth to make, >> but anyone who drinks the stuff expecting something like a Makaibari >> year-stamped FF or 2F is going to be ... surprised? >> >> /Lew >> --- >> Lew Perin / >> http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html > > But the Apoorva is not labeled "Makaibari" which was my point, that is > why it is labled "Apoorva." As with anything, sure there can be > different grades and quality but on the whole I still can't see taking > Lipton or Tetley over even the fanings of Makaibari. I think Lipton Green Label is pretty good Darjeeling blend (consistent, cheap compared to mail-order). -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
Makaibari...
Aloke Prasad wrote: > > But the Apoorva is not labeled "Makaibari" which was my point, that is > > why it is labled "Apoorva." As with anything, sure there can be > > different grades and quality but on the whole I still can't see taking > > Lipton or Tetley over even the fanings of Makaibari. > > I think Lipton Green Label is pretty good Darjeeling blend (consistent, > cheap compared to mail-order). > > -- > Aloke > ---- > to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com Ahh, look what I've gone and done... I've riled up the natives. Sure I love Lipton green label too, in fact I keep a box of loose at home and work. It is a great cheap DJ. But the OP was speaking about buying tea online from vendors and I believe just wanted some basic advice if Makaibari was a good bet. I was purposefully keeping my reply simplistic, and yes, I left out many teas and made some generalizations... but I swear it was for the greater good. See what happens when you try to give a simple answer :) - Dominic |
Makaibari...
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Makaibari...
snip snip snippity snip snip snip
> One Makaibari I personally dislike is their steamed green, that one you > can get all over Darjeeling, wrapped in aluminized paper sporting > bright green stickers - IMO as boring as it gets. Hey Karsen, I'ts interesting to me that a "steamed green" is popular enough to sell" all over Darjeeling." Boy, have things changed in the world during the 40 years I was a sleep. So real green tea has taking off there? (I don't mean to imply that it is good green tea.) Still drinking the 1980's Ti Lo Han, which holds up beautifully. Lovely tea, it is. Michael |
Makaibari...
"Michael Plant" > wrote in message ... > snip snip snippity snip snip snip > >> One Makaibari I personally dislike is their steamed green, that one you >> can get all over Darjeeling, wrapped in aluminized paper sporting >> bright green stickers - IMO as boring as it gets. > > Hey Karsen, > > I'ts interesting to me that a "steamed > green" is popular enough to sell" all over > Darjeeling." Boy, have things changed in > the world during the 40 years I was a sleep. > So real green tea has taking off there? (I > don't mean to imply that it is good green > tea.) > > Still drinking the 1980's Ti Lo Han, which > holds up beautifully. Lovely tea, it is. I, too, can't imagine anyone in India drinking green tea. Except maybe expatriates who are re-locating back from the West.. I moved the other way back (From Calcutta to Ohio) and I am sticking to black DJ's. -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
Makaibari...
That's Karsten.
I'm sorry! Shouldn't butcher people's names. Michael |
Makaibari...
> Hey Karsten,
> Honestly, I was just trying to help a newbie out and being purposefully > simplistic in my answer... my bad ;) Hey Dominic, again that´s a tough one. I´ve sampled SH..loads of really BAD Maks, Castletons, Rohinis, you name them, over the years. The secret that makes Castleton Castleton (and the other "top" players) mainly lies in excellent management and quality control over the decades, not in those leaves alone. Even at Castleton´s sometime the final firing or other steps during manufacturing go wrong (don´t get p...ed at me P. :-), but again the next batch WILL be better. Please understand that only about 10-15% of their crop qualifies as high-quality tea, with only around 5% of their leaves being top notch, the stuff that brings in real money. These days in DJ you see managers come and go and quality go up and down, not to speak of the weather (see 2006 FF). Then there are seasonal aspects. Let´s stick with Castleton. They´re not exactly known for their First Flush ... Hence when it comes to recommending teas by their names it gets really difficult. I totally agree with Lew, Michael, and the others on that "Know thy vendor" mantra. So to answer your question somewhat more forward, yes Makaibari is up there, Rajiv Banerjee is one hell of a tea manager, two-three years ago they dethroned Castleton´s SF Muscatel in Kolkata with some white tips AND they´re 100% organic. Me still thinks that with DJs most of the time you get what you pay for (main xception in bad FF seasons) so if you want a "good" Mak or any other top-notch DJ, you won´t get it for cheap. > But, since you popped into this > thread I'm sure a few suggestions of good DJ's beyond my few names I've > tossed out wouldn't hurt coming straight from the horses mouth :) I > know you like the muscatels, and I always enjoy buying whatever you say > is good at the moment, I'm sure the OP would too. I´m still waiting for some other samples from DJ, they´re long overdue. I´ll report back when they arrive. AFAIR I mentioned the Lingia SF muscatel yesterday. PS: I´m still stuck in Germania, yikes, my grandmother is recovering from a minor stroke and I just can´t leave her alone. Karsten [next in cup: 2006 DJ FF oolong gongafua] |
Makaibari...
> Hey Karsen,
> I'ts interesting to me that a "steamed green" is popular enough to sell" all over > Darjeeling." Boy, have things changed > in the world during the 40 years I was a > sleep. So real green tea has taking off there? (I don't mean to imply that it > is good green tea.) Hey Michael, IMO that´s directed towards tourists, indians and westerners, not the locals. They´re married with chai. Ti Lo Han, aahh. From the 80s ??? Mind describing it a bit. Did you reroast the leaves ? How did you store them ? Karsten |
Makaibari...
On the subject of Makaibari, I e-mailed them (off their web site) for the
address of their distributer in Calcutta. I got a prompt reply from Rajah Banerjee!! I'll be in Calcutta in Aug-Sept and will try to pick up their expensive products (hopefully cheaper direct from them, paid in Rupees). -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
[Karsten] > Ti Lo Han, aahh. From the 80s ??? Mind describing it a bit. Did you > reroast the leaves ? How did you store them ? [Michael] Well, there is a sweetness and a roastiness and a Yan/Cliff taste of stone there. The significant thing is that the tea begins in one way and ends in another. The sweetness, for example, holds itself back, and then comes out of the throat back to the mouth. It's delightful, but requires attention. I used about 2.75 grams in a gaiwan that barely holds 25 grams of water once the leaves unfurl. Many would have used more leaf, and indeed I would too, but not much more. I store the leaves as carefully and airtight as I can manage, but it isn't that critical since these teas definitely benefit from a bit of air. In fact, all WuYi teas seem to like a bit of age, even if it's just a few months after arrival. They do suffer from jet lag. Try as I might, WuYi teas, while I like them, will never make my top five list. Ti Lo Han is something of an exception. I have tasted wonderful Shui Xians (sp?), but usually brewed by others; I just don't seem to get it. Usually, they pall. Too bad. Probably too many Chinese restaurants and too much hype killed them for me. Enough nattering after your simple and straight forward question. Best, Michael Michael |
Makaibari...
In article . com>,
Jenn > wrote: >Hi guys. >I recently bought a few items from a tea place mentioned on this >site.(it was not the spammed place or the place that prices were sky >high without cause) ANyway I received a 2nd flush 2006 sample that was >really good. Big sample , the tea I ordered was china special (forest >yunnan, sencha, tky )& an oolong from maka.. the 2006 2nd flush was >very good, so were the others I bought but I was very pleased especialy >since I dont ususally drink darj. I was on a journey guys you all know >how that can be and was happy with the tea. So has anyone else tried >2006 makabairi2nd flush? And what did you think of it. A friend sent me some, and it wasn't bad. I'm not a fan of the newer style Darjeelings but I thought it had a nice scent to it, while being more robust than typical of Darjeeling these days. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Thanks for your input Michael.
> [Michael] > In fact, all WuYi > teas seem to like a bit of age, even if it's just a few > months after arrival. Strange isn´t it. A few weeks ago I discovered a long forgotten stash of mainland Oolongs in my cellar. They´ve been kept airtight in aluminum-foil bags but didn´t survive it. 3 years and they´re dead. One TGY from the WuYi area [chinese marketing gag ?] I kept in a box upstairs for around 2 years tastes as good as "fresh". I´d really like to know if there are any special processing techniques behind this ?!?! Time to get back to China, sniff ... Karsten [just gongfuing some of that TGY, shhllrp ...] |
Makaibari...
Aloke Prasad > wrote:
> >I think Lipton Green Label is pretty good Darjeeling blend (consistent, >cheap compared to mail-order). Note two things: 1. In the US, there is a "Lipton Darjeeling" for sale in bags, which is not at all even vaguely related to the Green Label tea sold abroad. 2. Lipton Green Label isn't 100% Darjeeling, I suspect, and contains a lot of the "Darjeeling-style" teas. Which is fine, since you aren't paying some outrageous price for the name. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
Makaibari...
I know what you're saying but the box says "The rare flavour of 100%
pure Darjeeling tea". They also imply that on their Connoisseur green label which isn't cheap. The parent company Brooke Bond says that also on their boxes. AFAIK Lipton owns their own DJ plantations. I don't trust the boxes that just say Darjeeling tea. The fact there is more DJ consumed than produced. Jim Scott Dorsey wrote: ....bit bucket... > 2. Lipton Green Label isn't 100% Darjeeling, I suspect, and contains a lot > of the "Darjeeling-style" teas. Which is fine, since you aren't paying > some outrageous price for the name. > --scott > > > -- > "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Michael where did you get this stuff? It sounds good. I am not much
of a wuyi drinker either but I love that gravel taste. Karsten I find that tea keeps for a really long time in those vacuum-sealed bags. Two weeks ago I was digging around in my tea closet and found one that claimed to contain Si Ji Chun (Taiwanese oolong). The bag was in complex characters too - clearly Taiwanese. Now the last time I went to Taiwan was two summers ago, but that was for work and I didn't do any tea shopping, and furthermore I have no memory of owning this stuff, so I must have bought it the last time I *lived* in Taiwan, which was in the summer of 2000! I opened it and it's amazing - honestly, it's better than most of the stuff I have now, that I spend zillions of dollars on getting from internet vendors. Incredible focused flavors. And, at the time I didn't know jack about tea, I just bought what I liked. So I'm also wondering what's going on with storage and why this particular tea really seemed to thrive in the six years it spent in a dark, airless environment. wrote: > Thanks for your input Michael. > > > [Michael] > > In fact, all WuYi > teas seem to like a bit of age, even if it's just a few > > months after arrival. > > Strange isn´t it. A few weeks ago I discovered a long forgotten stash > of mainland Oolongs in my cellar. They´ve been kept airtight in > aluminum-foil bags but didn´t survive it. 3 years and they´re dead. > One TGY from the WuYi area [chinese marketing gag ?] I kept in a box > upstairs for around 2 years tastes as good as "fresh". > I´d really like to know if there are any special processing techniques > behind this ?!?! > Time to get back to China, sniff ... > > Karsten [just gongfuing some of that TGY, shhllrp ...] |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Alex wrote: > Michael where did you get this stuff? It sounds good. I am not much > of a wuyi drinker either but I love that gravel taste. > > Karsten I find that tea keeps for a really long time in those > vacuum-sealed bags. Two weeks ago I was digging around in my tea > closet and found one that claimed to contain Si Ji Chun (Taiwanese > oolong). The bag was in complex characters too - clearly Taiwanese. > Now the last time I went to Taiwan was two summers ago, but that was > for work and I didn't do any tea shopping, and furthermore I have no > memory of owning this stuff, so I must have bought it the last time I > *lived* in Taiwan, which was in the summer of 2000! I opened it and > it's amazing - honestly, it's better than most of the stuff I have now, > that I spend zillions of dollars on getting from internet vendors. > Incredible focused flavors. And, at the time I didn't know jack about > tea, I just bought what I liked. So I'm also wondering what's going on > with storage and why this particular tea really seemed to thrive in the > six years it spent in a dark, airless environment. Since we are a good bit OT already, I always wonder this myself. I have found a cheap black/white tea blend twice when I moved and each time I pulled it out and brewed a cup and it is just as intense and sweet and great as the day I received it as a gift more than 5 years ago! It was stored in a foil pouch that I always ket tightly rolled and expelled of air and sealed with ordinary scotch tape. No nitrogen, no seal-a-meal, nuttin. But then I have had other teas that are just plain stale after a year of being forgotten and in the back of a cupboard. It's a mystery to me, but at least I'm not alone... I almost feel "dirty" when I pull one of these opened containers from the depths of hell and prepare to brew it. Sometimes for good reason, others I'm pleasantly surprised. - Dominic |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Alex wrote: > Michael where did you get this stuff? It sounds good. I am not much > of a wuyi drinker either but I love that gravel taste. > > Karsten I find that tea keeps for a really long time in those > vacuum-sealed bags. Two weeks ago I was digging around in my tea > closet and found one that claimed to contain Si Ji Chun (Taiwanese > oolong). The bag was in complex characters too - clearly Taiwanese. > Now the last time I went to Taiwan was two summers ago, but that was > for work and I didn't do any tea shopping, and furthermore I have no > memory of owning this stuff, so I must have bought it the last time I > *lived* in Taiwan, which was in the summer of 2000! I opened it and > it's amazing - honestly, it's better than most of the stuff I have now, > that I spend zillions of dollars on getting from internet vendors. > Incredible focused flavors. And, at the time I didn't know jack about > tea, I just bought what I liked. So I'm also wondering what's going on > with storage and why this particular tea really seemed to thrive in the > six years it spent in a dark, airless environment. I have a similar experience with two bags of tea. One was an air-tight, sealed bag of A Li Shan that I got here on the mainland and the other was a bag of A Li Shan that one of my Taiwanese students brought back from Taiwan for me. When I was moving, I came across both of the bags sorta under some stuff in the bottom of my tea closet. The Taiwanese bag survived well and when brewed the tea wasn't too bad. The Chinese bag had air in it. You feel that the bags from Taiwan are of better quality than the sealed bags from China? They do seem thicker, that's for sure. |
Makaibari...
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Makaibari...
Not really. In these times any sentence can be parsed to mean
anything. You mean something like the 1% of Darjeeling is rare and by definition making it 100%. I'm sure if BrookeBond and Lipton were cutting their teas at packing plants in India the Darjeeling Certification board would be raising a stink with statements like this. I think in general the problem is with Private labels and distribution. Jim Michael Plant wrote: > Space 8/9/06 > > > > I know what you're saying but the box says "The rare flavour of 100% > > pure Darjeeling tea". > > Jim we live in a rotten capitalist world. Let us therefore examine the > syntax of that sentence you quoted above. See what I mean? > > Michael |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
I have gotten good vacuum sealed bags in China, but, as we both know,
like everything else, it's better in Taiwan. As a foreigner anyway you are far, far less likely to get ripped off there than in China. The bag seemed unusually thick and heavy compared to a Chinese bag. Are you getting any good Anxi TGY these days, by the way? Lightly roasted. I'm still on a mission for that stuff. Mydnight wrote: > Alex wrote: > > Michael where did you get this stuff? It sounds good. I am not much > > of a wuyi drinker either but I love that gravel taste. > > > > Karsten I find that tea keeps for a really long time in those > > vacuum-sealed bags. Two weeks ago I was digging around in my tea > > closet and found one that claimed to contain Si Ji Chun (Taiwanese > > oolong). The bag was in complex characters too - clearly Taiwanese. > > Now the last time I went to Taiwan was two summers ago, but that was > > for work and I didn't do any tea shopping, and furthermore I have no > > memory of owning this stuff, so I must have bought it the last time I > > *lived* in Taiwan, which was in the summer of 2000! I opened it and > > it's amazing - honestly, it's better than most of the stuff I have now, > > that I spend zillions of dollars on getting from internet vendors. > > Incredible focused flavors. And, at the time I didn't know jack about > > tea, I just bought what I liked. So I'm also wondering what's going on > > with storage and why this particular tea really seemed to thrive in the > > six years it spent in a dark, airless environment. > > I have a similar experience with two bags of tea. One was an > air-tight, sealed bag of A Li Shan that I got here on the mainland and > the other was a bag of A Li Shan that one of my Taiwanese students > brought back from Taiwan for me. When I was moving, I came across both > of the bags sorta under some stuff in the bottom of my tea closet. The > Taiwanese bag survived well and when brewed the tea wasn't too bad. > The Chinese bag had air in it. > > You feel that the bags from Taiwan are of better quality than the > sealed bags from China? They do seem thicker, that's for sure. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Alex wrote: > I have gotten good vacuum sealed bags in China, but, as we both know, > like everything else, it's better in Taiwan. As a foreigner anyway you > are far, far less likely to get ripped off there than in China. The > bag seemed unusually thick and heavy compared to a Chinese bag. > > Are you getting any good Anxi TGY these days, by the way? Lightly > roasted. I'm still on a mission for that stuff. Many people tell me that living in Taiwan is leaps and bounds better than living in China, that's for sure. As for Good TGY this year, you are going to have to wait until the Autumn pick and hope for the best. Both spring picks this year yielded very little good tea. The highest grade is going around 800RMB which is 300-400 shy from the best grade last year...what basically means that this year's highest grade dropped a whole class. Anyway, autumn is right around the corner. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
It varies. China is a lot more exciting but Taiwan has a lot of
advantages, and not getting ripped off at every turn is chief among them. China is certainly a way better place for learning Chinese (pinyin, simplified characters, and largely standardized pronounciation), if you can get out of the trap of everyone you know trying to get free English lessons out of you. It sounds like you're not having problems with that though. One very cool thing about Taiwan is that the main form of transportation is motorcycles, but on the other hand I hear they are now letting white people ride those in China too. This is for those less fortunate of us that don't live within striking range of a wholesale Chinese tea market: if you hear about good TGY online, please, please let me know. I am still looking. Mydnight wrote: > Alex wrote: > > I have gotten good vacuum sealed bags in China, but, as we both know, > > like everything else, it's better in Taiwan. As a foreigner anyway you > > are far, far less likely to get ripped off there than in China. The > > bag seemed unusually thick and heavy compared to a Chinese bag. > > > > Are you getting any good Anxi TGY these days, by the way? Lightly > > roasted. I'm still on a mission for that stuff. > > Many people tell me that living in Taiwan is leaps and bounds better > than living in China, that's for sure. As for Good TGY this year, you > are going to have to wait until the Autumn pick and hope for the best. > Both spring picks this year yielded very little good tea. The highest > grade is going around 800RMB which is 300-400 shy from the best grade > last year...what basically means that this year's highest grade dropped > a whole class. > > Anyway, autumn is right around the corner. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Alex wrote: > It varies. China is a lot more exciting but Taiwan has a lot of > advantages, and not getting ripped off at every turn is chief among > them. China is certainly a way better place for learning Chinese > (pinyin, simplified characters, and largely standardized > pronounciation), if you can get out of the trap of everyone you know > trying to get free English lessons out of you. It sounds like you're > not having problems with that though. One very cool thing about Taiwan > is that the main form of transportation is motorcycles, but on the > other hand I hear they are now letting white people ride those in China > too. Sure, if they want English lessons, they can pay the standard rate of 350RMB an hour and I'll try to fit them into my schedule. But, then again, I get free Chinese lessons from everyone I know... Yeah, us honkies can buy and own cars here now too. Motorbikes are such a hazard on the roads, that most cities limit the amount of motorbikes that can be purchased or sold. Here in Dongguan, the numero uno cause of death on the road is motorbike collision. > This is for those less fortunate of us that don't live within striking > range of a wholesale Chinese tea market: if you hear about good TGY > online, please, please let me know. I am still looking. Well, even for us within striking range, most people didn't buy TGY this year. Everyone around here is on a pu'er binge and the lack of quality TGY only reinforced it. Do yourself a favor and wait until autumn. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Mydnight wrote: > Alex wrote: > > It varies. China is a lot more exciting but Taiwan has a lot of > > advantages, and not getting ripped off at every turn is chief among > > them. China is certainly a way better place for learning Chinese > > (pinyin, simplified characters, and largely standardized > > pronounciation), if you can get out of the trap of everyone you know > > trying to get free English lessons out of you. It sounds like you're > > not having problems with that though. One very cool thing about Taiwan > > is that the main form of transportation is motorcycles, but on the > > other hand I hear they are now letting white people ride those in China > > too. > > Sure, if they want English lessons, they can pay the standard rate of > 350RMB an hour and I'll try to fit them into my schedule. But, then > again, I get free Chinese lessons from everyone I know... > > Yeah, us honkies can buy and own cars here now too. Motorbikes are > such a hazard on the roads, that most cities limit the amount of > motorbikes that can be purchased or sold. Here in Dongguan, the numero > uno cause of death on the road is motorbike collision. > > > This is for those less fortunate of us that don't live within striking > > range of a wholesale Chinese tea market: if you hear about good TGY > > online, please, please let me know. I am still looking. > > Well, even for us within striking range, most people didn't buy TGY > this year. Everyone around here is on a pu'er binge and the lack of > quality TGY only reinforced it. Do yourself a favor and wait until > autumn. Thanks for the TGY update. English lessons, that is the only attitude to have. As for bikes, when I lived in Taiwan, they were also the numero uno cause of my broken bones. They sure are fun though. Just saw this in the Times and thought, "Just like China!" http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/wo...0&ei= 5087%0A Some people are just scum, and some countries seem to have more of them than others. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
> Thanks for the TGY update. English lessons, that is the only
> attitude to have. As for bikes, when I lived in Taiwan, they were also > the numero uno cause of my broken bones. They sure are fun though. > > Just saw this in the Times and thought, "Just like China!" > http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/wo...0&ei= 5087%0A > Some people are just scum, and some countries seem to have more of them > than others. Stuff like that doesn't happen here AS MUCH but it does happen. Like when I was in Beijing a few weeks ago, someone tried to charge me 10 or 15 yuan for a bottle of water that should normally go for 1.5 because I'm a foreigner. What he didn't realize is that I am a foreigner that's lived in China for a while and can also cuss him out in his own language for being such an dishonest merchant. As for cutting the quality of some dishes, I haven't really seen that as much but the food in most restaurants around here isn't that good to begin with; so, who knows. I think it's a general trend to try to use as low quality food stuffs in restaurants as possible in the Guangdong province. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Alex wrote:
> Karsten I find that tea keeps for a really long time in those > vacuum-sealed bags. For sure. I still have some mainland Oolongs around I too bought some 6-7 years ago and they´re in amazing shape. Back to those dead samples, one possible explanation would be some excessive moisture [>~ 4-5%] those teas contained before I put them into my oh-so airtight zircon-incrusted bags, since those bags had been stored under almost ideal conditions. What else is that tea afficionado supposed to carry on his travels ? Karsten [gongfuing some unknown yellowish Fujian Oolong] |
Makaibari...
I tried to get some official information on Lipton Green Label from Lipton
(part of UniLever) but could not find any mention of it at any official UniLever, Lipton, or Tata Tea site. Anyone know of the "official site" about Green Label tea? -- Aloke ---- to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com "Space Cowboy" > wrote in message oups.com... > Not really. In these times any sentence can be parsed to mean > anything. You mean something like the 1% of Darjeeling is rare and by > definition making it 100%. I'm sure if BrookeBond and Lipton were > cutting their teas at packing plants in India the Darjeeling > Certification board would be raising a stink with statements like this. > I think in general the problem is with Private labels and > distribution. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
snip > Many people tell me that living in Taiwan is leaps and bounds better > than living in China, that's for sure. As for Good TGY this year, you > are going to have to wait until the Autumn pick and hope for the best. > Both spring picks this year yielded very little good tea. The highest > grade is going around 800RMB which is 300-400 shy from the best grade > last year...what basically means that this year's highest grade dropped > a whole class. > > Anyway, autumn is right around the corner. What's really interesting about what you report is that they dropped the price because the leaf was less good. In the happy world of Pu'erh, I'm given to understand, the quality can fall through the floor, but the proce will forever rise. No price drops reflecting poor quality leaf to be seen. Sounds as though with TGY there's some integrity somewhere. Michael |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Did you find that the quality actually improved? I think my Si Ji Chun
must have. I certainly don't remember it being this outstanding back then. wrote: > Alex wrote: > > Karsten I find that tea keeps for a really long time in those > > vacuum-sealed bags. > > For sure. I still have some mainland Oolongs around I too bought some > 6-7 years ago and they´re in amazing shape. Back to those dead > samples, one possible explanation would be some excessive moisture [>~ > 4-5%] those teas contained before I put them into my oh-so airtight > zircon-incrusted bags, since those bags had been stored under almost > ideal conditions. > What else is that tea afficionado supposed to carry on his travels ? > > Karsten [gongfuing some unknown yellowish Fujian Oolong] |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
I wouldn't be too quick to attribute integrity to tea middlemen. Puer
is really popular right now, and I think TGY, which previously was, as I understand it, commanding the higher prices, is falling out of favor a bit with the Chinese nouveau riche and those with money in HK and Singapore. Michael Plant wrote: > snip > > > Many people tell me that living in Taiwan is leaps and bounds better > > than living in China, that's for sure. As for Good TGY this year, you > > are going to have to wait until the Autumn pick and hope for the best. > > Both spring picks this year yielded very little good tea. The highest > > grade is going around 800RMB which is 300-400 shy from the best grade > > last year...what basically means that this year's highest grade dropped > > a whole class. > > > > Anyway, autumn is right around the corner. > > What's really interesting about what you report is that they dropped the > price because the leaf was less good. In the happy world of Pu'erh, > I'm given to understand, the quality can fall through the floor, but the > proce will forever rise. No price drops reflecting poor quality leaf to be > seen. Sounds as though with TGY there's some integrity somewhere. > > Michael |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
> What's really interesting about what you report is that they dropped the
> price because the leaf was less good. In the happy world of Pu'erh, > I'm given to understand, the quality can fall through the floor, but the > proce will forever rise. No price drops reflecting poor quality leaf to be > seen. Sounds as though with TGY there's some integrity somewhere. It's all markets. It has little to do with integrity; I mean, you go to shop, they will still try to tell you their tea is perfect and would be happy to part with 1500-2000 for their rubbish tea. I got a couple of good pals at market that usually tell me the approximate pricing schemes for each season but that doesn't mean it's set in stone. Anyway, the weather was wretched this year for mainland Wulongs. They had a horrible dry spell during a very important time followed by days, weeks, and months of rain. Not enough sunlight or too much sunlight can ruin a crop. These things sorta determine the prices, not to mention the sheer volume of tea produced. This year, not as much of the higher quality stuff was produced so the costs are much lower. With pu'er they are using leaves of all qualities to produce tea to fit demand. We discussed this earlier: the 2005-2006 pu'er is much lower quality than previous years because too many people are buying up all the reserves. It's the 2003 stuff and back that's going to tell the tale. |
Ti Lo Han/WuYi's [was:Makaibari...]
Mydnight wrote:
> With pu'er they are using leaves of all qualities to produce tea to fit > demand. We discussed this earlier: the 2005-2006 pu'er is much lower > quality than previous years because too many people are buying up all > the reserves. It's the 2003 stuff and back that's going to tell the > tale. > I have tasted some 2005 puerhs that were very good but prices were so expensive that my first reaction was that it is probably price for an aged tea quoted by mistake. |
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