Heeeello! It feels great to be back here. I have had quite a rough week with a few very uncomfortable hospital visits. But I am now free to stay away from them for a while, and free to drink more tea! Cheers!
I have been enjoying my latest order from Upton Teas. The first package I opened was a sample of Tippy Yunnan Select. I steeped my first cup at work (where the water is good) and reacted to the aroma about like Toucan Sam sniffs out a bowl of Fruit Loops. It was like my nose just followed that sweet Yunnan tea scent of maple,caramel and nutmeg right down to the top of the pot. It had been several days since I had sipped a good cup of tea you see, so I may have gotten a little excited. Also exciting was the layer of thick malt resting atop the tea leaves, which were very intriguing to look at both when wet and dry. The word "tippy" in the name of this tea is not to be underrated.
Yunnan tea is different to me because it has so much flavor for having such a light body. Maybe not that light, but compared to a lot of other China black teas I think it does. This tea has a very nice array of flavors to ponder. My tongue flipped through them like a rolodex, discovering a modest bit of mocha, chasing a hint of hazelnut, and digging at other flavors lying underneath the ever present honeysuckle maple top. This is a very clean, easy sipping tea. There is not much of a mention of briskness in this cup, which I find common with 'tippy' Yunnans. I gave these leaves close to five minutes of steeping time, and a minimal amount of additives. It's not a terribly expensive tea, and I think its quality makes it a very good value. This is something I would like to have stocked in my tea shelf often. My next order from Upton will probably have to include a larger quantity of this tea.
I have opened a nice Assam and Ceylon BOP to share next time. Need to give them further review tomorrow so... see ya then!!
Showing posts with label china tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label china tea. Show all posts
Monday, May 3, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
‘T’ An Urban Tea House, First Visit
Finally the long awaited ‘T- An Urban Tea House’ is open! The spot has been under preparation for a long while, and everything is set up nicely and ready for you to come in and have a great cup of tea prepared for you. They immediately hold an advantage over any other tea house because of their Curits water aerator system. Oklahoma City water is so vacant of oxygen that the tea I prepare at home with it is often bordering on flavorless. So anything that can be done to get more flavor out of those leaves is a big plus. It is really nice to know that there is a teahouse in Oklahoma City now that cares enough about its tea process to have 2 water aerator machines set up, one at 212 for black tea and one at 192 for oolong or green tea. The tea is kept in airtight and lightproof containers with a narrow opening at the top. When they are opened, I think they let less air out than the hat box looking containers at Teavanna. The customer’s area is really clean and uncluttered, with tons of space for your cup, pot or press, and reading material. The décor is really nice too, there is a soothing feel to the color scheme on the walls and counter area. It appears all the work put into its look has resulted in a teahouse with a comfort level that ranks above any Starbucks type atmosphere.
Thanks to my financial situation, I will not be placing an order from Upton for at least a week. So my purchase plan from ‘T’ was a small package of something affordable yet drinkable. I did not plan to sit and have a cup in the teahouse at this time, but I will be going back for that soon. Their bulk tea prices are too high to put it bluntly, as are Teavanna’s prices. The Golden Monkey was over $22 for 2oz, which is more than double the price of Upton Tea’s Golden Monkey Pekoe. ‘T’s Golden Monkey is priced at $4.50 for a cup, so yes the cup price is set quite high too. But in the inner city where the water is chlorinated and treated to the point of complete sterilization, the availability of a well steeped cup of tea becomes more valuable. I intend on visiting again soon to have a cup made from their ‘special’ water just to see how well these machines work.
The Ceylon tea I bought was a little less than $6 for 2oz, not a great price. I didn’t think it quite had the dry aroma of what I am used to as I poured it into my Bee House container, although I recognized the leaf color and uniformity from other Ceylon OP. I set my kettle of Central OKC swill water on the heated burner and scooped out 1 ½ tsp rounded into my strainer basket. Pouring the boiling water over the leaves didn’t release the aroma so much, and the 4 min steep time didn’t seem to help it much either. Of course, no malty bubbles on the top of the infuser basket, but there never is with that water. After adding a spot of milk and light dose of demerara, the fun began.
Sitting down to my computer desk, I cued up the Acid Mothers Temple CD, “Recurring Dream and Apocalypse of Darkness“. Before taking a bite of my wheat bread with almond butter, I took my first whiff and taste of the tea. Keeping in mind that tea made at home is always less flavorful, I really found this tea pretty flavorless upon first sip I’m sorry to say. With a little almond butter, and an ‘E’ power chord that drones for a good 12 minutes with the Japanese Hendrix wailing over the top of it, the flavor increased to a pleasant ‘better than bagged’ level. There never was that great high region Ceylon aroma rising from the steam. And as the 5 minutes of single note feedback cooled my cup, the flavors just didn’t quite stand out enough to consider buying this one again. The 36 minute and 30 second grunge fest that sounds like the beginning of ‘War Pigs’, with Sabbath forgetting to ever going into the verse part, outlasted my cup of tea. But I enjoyed the abuse of my eardrums a bit more than I did my cup of Ceylon Breakfast from T-An Urban Tea House. I am going to give it another try at my workplace where there is good water. I expect the results will be a little better there, and I will post an update when I do.
Until then... happy sipping!
-Sean
W9GY6TPDWMKA bb
Thanks to my financial situation, I will not be placing an order from Upton for at least a week. So my purchase plan from ‘T’ was a small package of something affordable yet drinkable. I did not plan to sit and have a cup in the teahouse at this time, but I will be going back for that soon. Their bulk tea prices are too high to put it bluntly, as are Teavanna’s prices. The Golden Monkey was over $22 for 2oz, which is more than double the price of Upton Tea’s Golden Monkey Pekoe. ‘T’s Golden Monkey is priced at $4.50 for a cup, so yes the cup price is set quite high too. But in the inner city where the water is chlorinated and treated to the point of complete sterilization, the availability of a well steeped cup of tea becomes more valuable. I intend on visiting again soon to have a cup made from their ‘special’ water just to see how well these machines work.
The Ceylon tea I bought was a little less than $6 for 2oz, not a great price. I didn’t think it quite had the dry aroma of what I am used to as I poured it into my Bee House container, although I recognized the leaf color and uniformity from other Ceylon OP. I set my kettle of Central OKC swill water on the heated burner and scooped out 1 ½ tsp rounded into my strainer basket. Pouring the boiling water over the leaves didn’t release the aroma so much, and the 4 min steep time didn’t seem to help it much either. Of course, no malty bubbles on the top of the infuser basket, but there never is with that water. After adding a spot of milk and light dose of demerara, the fun began.
Sitting down to my computer desk, I cued up the Acid Mothers Temple CD, “Recurring Dream and Apocalypse of Darkness“. Before taking a bite of my wheat bread with almond butter, I took my first whiff and taste of the tea. Keeping in mind that tea made at home is always less flavorful, I really found this tea pretty flavorless upon first sip I’m sorry to say. With a little almond butter, and an ‘E’ power chord that drones for a good 12 minutes with the Japanese Hendrix wailing over the top of it, the flavor increased to a pleasant ‘better than bagged’ level. There never was that great high region Ceylon aroma rising from the steam. And as the 5 minutes of single note feedback cooled my cup, the flavors just didn’t quite stand out enough to consider buying this one again. The 36 minute and 30 second grunge fest that sounds like the beginning of ‘War Pigs’, with Sabbath forgetting to ever going into the verse part, outlasted my cup of tea. But I enjoyed the abuse of my eardrums a bit more than I did my cup of Ceylon Breakfast from T-An Urban Tea House. I am going to give it another try at my workplace where there is good water. I expect the results will be a little better there, and I will post an update when I do.
Until then... happy sipping!
-Sean
W9GY6TPDWMKA bb
Friday, April 16, 2010
Upton Teas I Have Ordered The Most
When I first graduated from tea bags and into whole leaf teas, I started my journey ordering from Special Teas. Now I order mostly from Upton Teas because their selection and customer service is quite superior to Special Teas. They carry most all of the teas that the other online stores have, and they often offer very high quality tea in samples, and I am more likely to order small quantities of very expensive tea. There are two teas that I order larger quantities of almost every time, they are Upton’s China Keemun First Grade and Ceylon Kenilworth Estate OP.
My favorite tea and standard for morning is the Keemun First Grade. This is China’s most exported tea, and much of it goes to England. The leaves are tightly rolled by skilled preparers of the tea, and this process locks in flavors and produces a rich cup. I am drawn to its smoky mocha characteristics it is known for, even though the flavor is much more complex than simply that. The natural floral aroma and clean taste is not overcome by its unique flavors. Much like roasting a marshmellow, the process actually amplifies the natural flavors. Because it is moderately priced, I can afford to drink it daily. It is the standard by which I measure all other China Black ‘congu’ teas.
When I want to surprise someone who has never had good tea before, and is maybe not very adventurous but likes iced tea, I boil a pot of Kenilworth. Ceylon tea is what usually comes in ice tea bags, but only small broken leaf particles go in to those bags. Kenilworth Estate OP is a great example of what those tea leaves might have produced if they were left as whole. It is a very uniform looking tea, all of the leaf is very dark. The liquor is fairly light for black tea, but the flavor is still nicely bold and brisk. It is picked during the early months of the year after being drenched by the monsoon during August and September. Iced tea made from Kenilworth OP tastes so refreshing and bold that people who drink my iced tea always want to know which brand I use. I am to nice to misdirect them into scouring the Wal-Mart shelves for a brand of iced tea named Kenilworth, so I try to keep extra on hand. It is one of the lowest priced teas that I order, and still one I cannot do without on my tea rack.
Next time I hope to have a nice Yunnan and a choice Assam to report to your tastebuds about. I will probably have to stop somewhere local for a quick fix though, so I'll be back soon with a blog about that! Til then...
-Sean
My favorite tea and standard for morning is the Keemun First Grade. This is China’s most exported tea, and much of it goes to England. The leaves are tightly rolled by skilled preparers of the tea, and this process locks in flavors and produces a rich cup. I am drawn to its smoky mocha characteristics it is known for, even though the flavor is much more complex than simply that. The natural floral aroma and clean taste is not overcome by its unique flavors. Much like roasting a marshmellow, the process actually amplifies the natural flavors. Because it is moderately priced, I can afford to drink it daily. It is the standard by which I measure all other China Black ‘congu’ teas.
When I want to surprise someone who has never had good tea before, and is maybe not very adventurous but likes iced tea, I boil a pot of Kenilworth. Ceylon tea is what usually comes in ice tea bags, but only small broken leaf particles go in to those bags. Kenilworth Estate OP is a great example of what those tea leaves might have produced if they were left as whole. It is a very uniform looking tea, all of the leaf is very dark. The liquor is fairly light for black tea, but the flavor is still nicely bold and brisk. It is picked during the early months of the year after being drenched by the monsoon during August and September. Iced tea made from Kenilworth OP tastes so refreshing and bold that people who drink my iced tea always want to know which brand I use. I am to nice to misdirect them into scouring the Wal-Mart shelves for a brand of iced tea named Kenilworth, so I try to keep extra on hand. It is one of the lowest priced teas that I order, and still one I cannot do without on my tea rack.
Next time I hope to have a nice Yunnan and a choice Assam to report to your tastebuds about. I will probably have to stop somewhere local for a quick fix though, so I'll be back soon with a blog about that! Til then...
-Sean
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