A nibble of Sencha as your summer cold tea.

I haven't been blogging much lately as I'm in the middle of a busy summer of travel and a big move from Europe to UAE. However I think it is time to give a shout out to a small independent tea shop in my barrio in Barcelona. There is a good selection of teas at Tea Shop Gran de Gracia, although there is a huge selection for the purists like me who dislike the flavored tea, which is so popular in Europe. 

I continue my mission of trying to spread the word in Europe of how nice green teas can be IF ONLY we made them correctly. Often burnt and more frequently steeped for far too long, many people here think green teas are bitter and its totally a brewing issue. Japanese greens are particularly sensitive to brewing with water over 80C. 

Sencha Organic [Japan, grassy, green] *** $   by Tea Shop Gran de Gracia, Barcelona, Spain

Other names: none

As is usual with Senchas the leaves are small and break up a lot, so if you dont like dealing with bits of leaves in your cup, you will need a very FINE tea filter. I often think the true test of a tea filter is how well it deals with sencha tea ie if it leaves through or not. Luckily I have a brand new German quality metal tea strainer to use while on the move. 

This is was a decent mid quality Sencha with a pleasing mild taste and light green in the cup. I go to a festival in the summer here in Spain, where we camp in over 35C. The light cheap greens like this one are very popular as a cold tea with my fellow campers.

In a brewing method that the chinese would certainly NOT approve of, I wash the leaves and then put about a handful of them in a 5L water bottle and leave to brew overnight. The result is a refreshing tasty alternative to the not-so-pure water we get at the campsite. A sure summer winner and a way to hydrate a bunch of people with little effort. 

I don't advise having this with ice and lemon like the Americans have their summer tea, as either will ruin the pure taste of the sencha. 

Similar Teas: any sencha, bancha, grassy lowland Chinese greens

Review: Golden Horse

Yet another trip to San Francisco where i spent more time in the Chinatown tea shops than engaging in sightseeing. Maybe I'll see the city on another trip..

Golden Horse was one of the first teas we tasted with Chris, I thought he told us that it was a yellow tea but there was a smoky taste to it that I did not experience with any other yellow tea. For a few days this made me very curious, until a little online research and a lucky reference on a blog pointed me in the right direction.

Golden Horse [China, smoky, black] **** $$$   by Vital Leaf Tea, USA

Other names: Golden Horse Eyebrow, Jin Jun Mei, 金骏眉

Small leaves, subtle smoky flavour and an uncharacteristic deep golden/brown colour made me wonder if I had remembered correctly what had been said in the shop. Could this really be a yellow tea? It was so unlike other yellow teas that I had experienced.

First clue that I might be on the wrong track was that the label on my tea said "RED TEA". In China, fully oxidised teas are called Red teas, this is what we usually call black tea in the west*. Certainly the colour of the brew would be more characteristic of an oxidised tea. A googlesearch threw up nothing for the term Golden Horse tea (besides a reference to the Vital Leaf website)  but another blog mentioned that it was a shorter version of the full name Golden Horse Eyebrow. 

Eureka! Golden Horse is a version of Lapsong Souchong tea, albeit a very drinkable version as the smoky tones are subtle. Well I'll be damned! 

Its a tea from WuYi region which explained a certain familiar taste as I drink a lot of the WuYi rock teas. This is a very interesting little tea and worth checking out even if you dont like other Lapsong Souchong tea.


* The chinese reserve the term black tea for Pu'erh, a type of aged fermented tea.

Similar Teas: Da Hong Pau, Lapsong Souchong

Review: Champagne Oolong, Vital Leaf Tea, USA.

San Francisco, Chinatown - Ground Zero for my tea obsession. It was a well timed return to the source of this blog, retracing my steps to Vital Leaf Tea and half hoping to see Kenny, the tea vendor from 2011. I didn't meet Kenny but I did fall into the thrall of Chris, and another fantastic tea exposition.

Shoutout to fellow tea geeks Jason and Elon who shared my time in the shop, and even my milk-and-sugar loving companion Brian learned a thing or two about tea that day, as he gracefully indulged me. 

Champagne Oolong [Taiwan, green, oolong ] *** $$$   by Vital Leaf Tea, San Francisco, USA

Other names: Dong Fang Mei Ren, Oriental Beauty, Bai hao (白毫), 東方美人, White Tip Oolong

The smell from the leaves is similar to many of the medium oxidised oolongs I've tried from Taiwan over the years, which are along the lines of Da Hong Pao and Wu Yi styles but not as oxidised as either. This sometimes and indicator for me that the tea will "fall between two stools" of neither being a light green oolong nor a nicely oxidised one. However the champagne oolong has the all the taste of a Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) 

The colour is a light brown, and it finishes with a subtle sweet note (a little bit like Vital Leaf Tea's Blue People Ginseng Oolong). 

Similar Teas: Te Luo Han, 

Review: Mi Lan Xiang (Phoenix Dan Cong)

I wandered into TheTeaTee determined I didnt need any new tea. I failed. I saw the leaves and aroma of this tea and thought I had to give it a try. 

Mi Lan Xiang [China, green, oolong] *** $$   by TheTeaTee, Lausanne, CH

Other names: 米蘭香,Honey Orchid, Phoenix Dan Cong
Origin: Phoenix Mountains, Guandong province, China

Almost a citrus notes to dry leaves of this tea but it doesn't get picked up once the tea is brewed, as there is definite floral smell to this tea in the cup. I didn't pick up the orchid at first smell but after having seen the translation of its chinese name I would agree its noticeable. 

This is a semi oxidised oolong as evidenced by nature of its leaves and the brownish colour when brewed, although taste-wise I found it an interesting mix of the strongly oxidised oolongs (such as Wu Yi, Dan Cong) and the less oxidised varieties such as Guan Yin. It has a distinctly green oolong after taste, although the first flavours are like typical woody oolongs. 

Very interesting little tea and a good price!

See Also:  Rui Gui, Guan Yin

Review: Kekecha

Try as I might, I can't avoid tea shops and it was quite risky for me to go near Chinatown while in London. i resisted but finally gave in to the temptation of a yellow yea in a fabulous little tea shop near Covent Garden.

This tea was newly arrived at the shop when I bought it and doesnt seem to be listed on their website yet, but from other tea providers, it seems that kekecha is from Fuijan.

Kekecha [China, yellow, grassy] **** $   by The Tea House , London, UK

Other names: ??

The leaves are quite twiggy looking when dry but unfurl into Smokey and mineral nose on the wet leaves, its a nice smooth yellow tea with a deep golden yellow colour. Be careful not to steep it too long as, I found, that it more quickly developed a bitter note when oversteeped than other yellow teas. 

Typical of yellow teas, its very easy drinking and the quality-to-price on this tea was very good. Very slight smoky taste to this tea. 

See Also: Yellow Mountain Fur Peak

Review: Kenilworth Tea

I didn't go into Marriage Freres looking for a black tea, but I had really enjoyed the tea I bought in Sri Lanka and was in the market for something similar....

Kenilworth [Sri Lanka, Black] ***** $   by Marriage Freres , Paris, FR

Other names: 

This tea is immediately distinctive on the nose, with a pronounced very pleasant orangey smell. I really liked this tea, as normal for a hilly black tea its very light taste and has a light brown colour. Kenilworth stands out in a subtle warm spice notes (cinnamon perhaps?) and an ever so slight bitter finish note. 

Recommended!

See Also: Darjeeling, Niligiri, Rwandan Black teas

Review: Huang Shan Mao Feng

I found some more of my mystery tea in Switzerland, and it was just as good.

Huang Shan Mao Feng [China, green, grassy] ***** $$   by Langassetee , Bern, CH

Other names: 黄山毛峰, Yellow Mountain Fur Peak, 

Same soothing taste and beautiful green colour to this tea, but lacked the chocolate nose of its counterpart from a chinese company (reviewed in 2016). Overall a top tea and great value for money. Recommended.

See Also: Main Review for this tea

Review: Lune D'Or by Marraige Freres, Paris

A chance visit to Paris on the eve of the Presidential Election sent me searching for some good tea shops. The French have always favored style over substance, and though the teas at Mariage Freres are excellent, I'm not so much excited by their penchant for giving Chinese tea varietals their own "romantic" names. I like to know what I'm drinking!!!

Lune D'Or Yellow Tea [China, yellow, grassy] *** $$$   by Marraige Freres , Paris, FR

Other names: ??

Like most yellow teas, this is an exceptionally delicate flavored tea which will need a longer drawing time to show a distinct flavor. The wet leaves have a gorgeous bouquet but I found the tea itself wasn't as complex in the drinking as the nose would suggest. Clean, slightly grassy taste, without a hint of bitterness. A soft likeable tea and I wish I knew what type it was....

As the temps are hitting 36C this week, I'm trailing this leaf as a cold tea and seeing how it works.  

Similar Teas: Bai Mu Dan, Yellow Teas

Review: Bai Mao Hou

Review: Bai Mao Hou

TouThe is really a fabulous little shop, dedicated entirely to tea and tea accessories. The staff are very friendly and will be sure to point you in the right direction, whether its for a gift or you are a die hard tea addict. There's a little cafe area out the back of the store where you can buy a cup of any tea they have in store.

Bai Mao Hou, Spring Harvest Tea [China, grassy] *** $$   by Palais Des Thes, from TouThe, Lausanne,  CN

Other names: 白毛猴,White Haired Monkey

Is this tea really called white haired monkey? I'm not sure, probably the french have some special name for it. This early harvest tea from Fuijan could be mistaken for a white tea, especially looking at its leaves. I didnt go wild about the smell of this one but in the cup it was pleasant with some sweet end notes.

Similar Teas: Chinese grassy teas, white teas

Review: Huo Shan Yellow Bud

Langass Tee is a fantastic tea seller and tea shop, certainly well worth a detour if you happen to be passing by the Swiss capital sometime. That's Bern, not Zurich. Nor Geneva.

I spent some time in Bern last year and had been looking to try a yellow tea....mostly because I didn't know what the term yellow tea means nor how it differs from green tea. It would appear Yellow Tea is all about post production processing, something to do with using a humid cloth which I don't quite understand. I also read that yellow teas were the preserve of Emperors in days gone by.

I wasn't sure about buying a 75g of a tea I had not tried but the shop assistant told me it would drink faster than I expected and she wasn't wrong!

Huo Shan Yellow Bud [china, yellow, grassy] ***** $$$   by Langass Tee, Bern, CH

Other names: 霍山黄芽,Huo Shan Huang Ya, 

First off, the smell this tea is amazing: fresh, buttery, slightly nutty. I could smell it all day long. For me the nutty notes become stronger when the leaves are wet and reminds me of Silver Needle white teas, with a long note of some astringency. In the cup, it turns to a rather sweet nutty very pleasant smell.

The leaves look somewhat like Long Jing leaves but these two teas are quite different. 

I'm someone who likes to steep my teas for quite a short time, most green teas are steeped too long for my taste even in speciality shops to extent when all I can taste is the bitterness. By contrast, this yellow tea needs a good 1m30 to 3min infusion or you risk missing its extremely subtle flavours. 

I find its taste very pleasant but rather difficult to explain, you can certainly taste the tannins but beyond that there's not too much to say apart from a slight bitter notes. Very easy to drink, very easy to like and one of those teas that is very comforting in the feeling it brings after drinking.

Recommended as a gift tea or for anyone who is starting out on the exploration beyond green tea bags. 

Similar Teas: The des Acores, Silver Needle

A sweet comforting little brew

We've done some shopping!

My very photogenic housemate Eliane went to Bern this week and came back with some goodies. She's moroccan so she knows a thing or two about tea. Apart from the classical mint tea from Morocco, she also enjoys korean teas and Genmaicha from Japan.

The latest additions to our collection

Review: FBOP SPEXN01 - High quality Black Tea from Sri Lanka

I spent a month in Sri Lanka in December 2016 and much of the tourist trail (such as it is) loops through the highland tea growing areas. Mostly Sri Lanka grows black tea for the mass and premium tea bag market so I didn't go out of my way to do any tastings or visit estates, although I did find a spectacularly good cuppa in the southern fort city of Galle.

However I found a speciality tea seller on a lazy walk one evening in the party town and surfers paradise of Hikkaduwa on the south coast. It was enough to turn my head and I came away with a few goodies. 

FBOP SPEXN01 [Sri Lanka, black, grassy] **** $$   by Ceylon Gold Tea, Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

Other names: ??? 

There are dozens of black tea varietals made for tea bags, or essentially black tea made to be drank with milk (oh, the horror!). I don't tend to pay too much attention and the names usually wont mean anything to those who are not tea purchasers. 

Very often the names resemble this one - FBOP SPEXN01 - and are not exactly poetic. "First Bush Orange Pekoe" is the front part of the name but after that I give up!

As it was already quite late and the shop was closing, I didnt do any tastings so I picked this one strictly on smell from the handful of teas recommended by the owner once I told him what I liked.  It has a delicate nose, where the orange notes are fully evident - this is not often the case with Orange Pekoes I find.

The leaves are very small and in the cup this is an absolute smasher of a tea, full of tannins and with a light subtle flavour. And no, I didn't try it with milk. Recommended for those who like lighter, high altitude black teas.

Similar Teas: Nilgiri, Darjeeling

I recommend a visit to this shop in south Sri Lanka

Review: Thé des Açores by Saveurs PimenThe, Switzerland

I was wandering around Lausanne city centre last Saturday, catching the last of the weekly market of local products. I went down a street I knew well and found a tea shop that I didn't know at all. The lady in the tea shop seemed surprised as the shop has been in her family for 3 generations....though it might not help that its easier to see the "Au Cafe do Bresil" sign then a sign of a tea shop.

The window display has the feel of an olde shoppe and the place is small and cluttered, so easy to miss that it is a shop selling loose leaf tea. They do also sell spices, crockery and a good selection of coffee from around the world - Guatemala is particularly smooth if memory serves though I'm not much of a tea drinker.

Thé des Açores [Azores Islands, grassy, green] **** $$   by Saveur PimenThé, Lausanne, CH

Other names: None

So there is tea from the Azores islands of Portugal. Who knew?

The leaves scent reminded me of some of the green teas I'd had in Malawi, and as the lady in the shop mentioned, there was a vague hint of vanilla.

The colour is a dark yellow, the first hint that this was not a typical green tea and in fact the taste was much more reminiscent of white teas to me, very subtle and extremely smooth. Azores green tea is a throughly likable tea and the kind of tea that will get along well with most people. This should make it an excellent gift tea. There is no bitterness at all and no hint of the vanilla comes through in the taste. 

The leaves are good for about 3 brews before it looses flavour, the tea also does well on longer brewing times, and doesn't appear to be very temperature sensitive. This tea is very good for those venturing into green teas for the first time. 

Similar Teas: Bai Mu Dan

Review: HuangShan MaoFeng

Another mystery tea from the stocks brought into the T2000 Chinese shop in Kigali in the run up to Chinese new year. Comes in one of those intriguing boxes where the only thing I can read is the name. Good luck reading their website :)

I vaguely recall having a MaoFeng sometime in Switzerland and not liking it but I find my tastes change from time to time and the other teas I bough were such good quality I thought I'd give it a go.

Huang Shan MaoFeng [China, grassy] *** $$   by  by Tea Tf, CN

Other names: 黄山毛峰,Yellow Mountain Fur Peak

The leaves were short and spiky, somewhat like white tea and there was a fresh, definite chocolate nose to the leaves which was divine. Indeed the "shan" part of the name would suggest that its a young tea, given my very limited knowledge of Chinese*

In the cup the tea was a light green, much like LongJing and the colour stayed pale even with longer brewing. There were grassy fresh tastes again like LongJing but also has a soft milkyness like some of the floral Oolongs. Overall a very likable tea indeed and recommended for it smooth drinking and wonderful colour. 

Similar Teas: Chinese grassy teas such as LongJing, Bancha, oolongs.

* Yes I know Chinese isn't a language, I'm using it here as shorthand for all of the dialects and languages in China!

Review: Moli Maojian

So it turns out Chinese new year was an unexpected boon for me, as the local Chinese mega-store (and in the running for Kigali’s oldest department store) T2000 got a whole bunch of awesome teas that they don’t normally stock.

I took the opportunity to restock on Puerh and Guan Yin and also found two others I didn’t recognize. First up, MoLi Maojian....

 MoLi MaoJian [China, grassy/floral] **** $$   by  by Tea Tf, CN

Other names: 信阳毛尖, Fur Tip

I had a vague recollection of having something with a name like Maojian in Switzerland and not being that impressed, however with the first smell of the tea when I opened the package I knew I was in for a treat.

Fresh, floral notes very reminiscent of Guan Yin and another aroma I could not quite place. In short this tea smells awesome! The freshness carried through to the taste and for the floral notes, it certainly contains some flower looking thing. Ozymandias maybe?

Footnote:

I am an idiot, the flowers in the tea were JASMINE. In my defense I didn't have jasmine tea for a very long time, however its one of the easier flavors to discern. Usually. 

That said, this is a remarkably well put together jasmine tea as the grassy notes from the MaoJian play off well against the Jasmine, which is not overpowering. Note that like most jasmine teas, if you try to reuse the leaves too often all you will taste is jasmine.  

Review: Silver Tips, SORWATHE, Rwanda

"What kind of tea do you like" ? asked the lady at Inzora Cafe in Kacyiru, Kigali, which like all the best tea/coffee places these days, is attached to a book shop and offers fantastic views of Kigali.

At the outset her tea selection was minimal. However when i told her Chinese teas were my thing, she immediately pointed me to Silver Tips by Sorwathe. Sorwathe is a massive tea concern in Rwanda, it may even be government owned, and has started on its journey into speciality tea. I was intrigued.

The cafe lady told me to let it steep for a few mins and I was immediately suspicious....no good Chinese tea should be steeped for more than a minute on first brewing! However this is a relatively common faux-pas in european tea shops too (over-brewing green and white teas).

Note that over brewing usually leads to the teas tasting bitter no matter how careful you are with water temp or how quality the tea is.

Silver Tip [White??, faintly woody] ** $ at Inzora Cafe, Kigali,  Rwanda



This tea looks a little like Silver Needle, I have no idea if its a white or green or black tea but I would suspect from the very faint nutty smell of the leaves and its pale colour it a white tea.

 After brewing for longer than I would ever brew a tea, I still had only the vaguest flavor from the tea. Mind you, they used very very little leaves: a tiny teaspoon as far as I could tell. 

It is certainly a chinese style tea but beyond being warming and tea-like I could discern a flavor...leading me to conclude that the tea is the very definition of inoffensive. 

Similar Teas: White teas?.

Review: Japanese Bancha by Clement & Pekoe, Ireland

There were plenty of green tea temptations in Clement & Pekoe but there were only so many teas I could actually try as they don't taster menus. There was a wide selection of teas for take away and drinking in the shop, the ones I tried where at decent quality for the price point.

Japanese Bancha [Japan, grassy/floral] **** $$   by Tea Tf, CN

Other names: 番茶, common tea

I agree with the Tea person in Clement & Pekoe that Bancha is much easier to like than Sencha, and this Bancha had an absolutely fantastic smell, beautifully floral with grassy and citrus notes. The taste didn't come off quite that strong but it remains a very pleasant tea, very smooth and with its lively green colour like its neighbour Sencha. I took a bag away with me! 

Similar Teas: Sencha, Chinese grassy teas such as LongJing.

Footnote

On further reading Banchas are later picked Sencha leaves and so are considered lower quality. I think I'll still stick with Bancha over Sencha any day!

Review: Shui Xian Oolong at Chi Asian Bistro, Ireland

One cold christmas night, an old friend and I went to try and find the famous fish and chips at McDonaghs only to have our efforts thwarted by missing last orders by a nose. My friend Brian didn't appear to have sufficient coats on for the evening so we quickly replanned and after a christmas of meat and potatoes with our respective families an authentic noodle soup seemed like just the thing.

Imagine my surprise on finding an oolong on the menu that I had never heard of....I think Brian liked it too.


Shui Xian Tea [Green, woody] **** $$ at Chi Asian Bistro, Galway, Ireland

Other Names: 水仙茶 , Shu Hsien, Sacred Lilly, Water Sprite

This tea has leaves that look more green (small leaves like white teas) than usual WuYi oolongs, intially had more woodiness on the nose than in the taste but the colour was unmistakably the brown-red of a semi oxidised oolong. It has a taste that is neither floral, like Guan Yin, grassy like Longjing or strongly woody like most of the other Wuyi oolongs but is a distinctive mellow taste that incorporates elements of all three. Me likey!

Similar teas: Semi Oxidised Oolongs, WuYi teas, Da Hong Pao, Fancy Oolong, Zui Jia Ren