Many moons ago, I discussed my tea dorkdom and what teas I was drinking at the time. I look back on that list now and think, “Jeez… what a beginner.” So, I figured it was time that I do a follow-up on some of the teas I’ve been enjoying over the last six months or so.
- Pai Mu Tan White from Cognoscentea – This is a mellow (surprise!) white tea that serves me well on the average morning. As you may remember, I’m quite the fan of white tea’s subtle flavor, even though co-workers have described it as “barely flavored water.” That’s heresy.
- Silver Needle White from Cognoscentea – One of the rarest white teas, it’s expensive and supposedly picked on only two days throughout the year. It comes from the buds of the plants and had a light silvery fuzz on it. The flavor is subtly full.
- Valentine tea from Adagio Teas – I’m out of this tea now, but man oh man is it good. It’s a black tea blended with chocolate and strawberry flavors. It gives the kick that one usually enjoys from a black tea, but the flavoring give it an added smoothness that’s really enjoyable.
- Darjeeling from India (specifics unknown) by way of a former co-worker – Not much to say here other than this stuff provides a great cup every time.
- A Chinese green tea (specifics unknown since I don’t read Chinese) by way of Pinger aharris’ significant other (that’s a mouthful) – Interestingly, this is more like a Japanese green tea than a Chinese green (Japanese greens tend to have a “grassy” flavor). It’s stronger and sharper than most greens I’ve had and was purchased from a man who used to sell it to Chairman Mao.
In my earlier Ping, I mentioned Pu-erh tea and though I drank very, very little Pu-erh between that Ping and last year, I picked some up from Cognoscentea with the white teas and have been enjoying it since. A good pu-erh is hard to find, but I’m really happy with this one. While the untrained palette thinks, “This tastes like dirt!,” it can actually be a pretty pleasurable experience if the tea’s aged well and comes from a good source. It’s a good digestion aid, so it’s particularly nice after a heavy meal.
So there you go. See you at tea time.
Posted in Food and Beverage