Four Larks StuRoasted Taiwan tea sample catch up...
Half a dozen fine teas, including this odd fella and a wild looking 80's oolong that I forgot to photograph 🙃
(Now to check availability and prices 🤞)
@nomadbynature @tea
#TheTeaCatcher
Sure, with this many teas, most of them being familiar styles and ones I needed to choose for restocking, it was fairly simple..
I used four standard tasting sets, equal size/volume and weighed 3g of 4 x similar teas, steeping for 4-5 minutes.
The liquor is strained into the cup using the lid and then the leaves shaken onto the lid and upturned (as per photo here)
This allows evaluation of the aroma and quality of the leaf...
Liquor spooned into a smaller cup for tasting, sometimes just a sip says " not the one" others require a return taste..
Often what is missing is as important/obvious as what's there..
Today I was choosing some teas for my wholesale customers/cafes/restaurants and wanted to compare against last year's tea and each other, as well as a few fancier retail teas from Darjeeling SF etc
It's always hard to not get too excited and temper my enthusiasm with the reality of having customers for teas I like..!
I also have 2 x 4 tastings to repeat tomorrow just to confirm my choices, free of overload and de-stimulation after trying so many ..
I have no idea how the real professionals manage tasting hundreds of teas for large companies or to blend, but I've seen spittoons in use overseas and understand completely...snacks are useful too, to soften the "blow" to the stomach
(Sorry for the ramble, but there's a few thoughts...🤷♂️)
@tea
Sheesh, 5 hours, 150g of tea...
A dozen Assams as the knock-out punch...phew 🤪
The great catch up commences...
30 odd teas from China, and a similar number from India/Darjeeling to follow...🤞🥴
Kalapani Saino high mountain organic second flush..
A wonderful Nepalese anomaly, summer tea, spring style processing..
Best of the best worlds...?! 🤷♂️
A catch up on Nepalese tea tasting...
Time to add a few freshies to the line-up...
Tea of the Week- "Ginger Flower" Jiang Hua Xiang Dan Cong oolong
Grown near Dan Hu village at an altitude of 900m in the Feng Huang (Phoenix) Mountains of Guangdong province, S.E. China, this is another fab medium oxidation/roast tea (15hrs @ 98 Deg.C), mild, light, fresh, sweet and floral, with a warming hint of spice and of a high quality that can steep and steep.