Technical Tea 2: My Faves

Posted in Personal on Tea, Review

In episode one we looked at three of the six categories of tea.

• The green tea was rather bitter (but that could have been because I over-steeped it)
• The black tea was smooth and bold
• The white tea was…not good. It smelled nice, but tasted bland and empty.

My plan was to then try the other three categories: Oolong, Yellow, and Fermented. But my tea stash is running low, and I don’t have any yellow or oolong teas! AUGH!

So instead we’re going to spend today’s session taking a look at three of my personal favorites!

Disclaimer

Thanks to colonialism tea is a surprisingly tricky subject to talk about. I’m a pasty white guy who is NOT qualified to speak on the history or culture of the teas I enjoy. I’m hoping these reviews will encourage me to grow in my understanding.

I call these brewings “ceremonies” because I am a moron. I am not a tea master, I’m just enjoying the quiet experience of making tea via the gongfu brewing brewing method. If you’re curious I highly recommend looking up some official ceremonies online; they are beautiful!

Today’s Picks

Listen to the Tea Review:

All three of today’s teas come from Elden Street Tea Shop which was recommended to me by a friend.

• Emperor Pu’erh - Aged 4 years. Elemental earthly with chestnut notes. Smooth finish.
• Organic Lapsang - A smooth crisp character with the remarkable and heady aroma of a pine and oak wood fire. Cup tends bright with reddish hues. (this is also from Elden Street, but I couldn’t find a link on their site)
• Organic Earl Grey - A classic tea that will never go out of style. Ceylon black tea blended with bergamot and blue cornflowers. A great pairing with milk and sugar.

This review will be a little different. I already drink and enjoy these teas every day! This will be less of a review and more of a chance to ramble about teas I like and some of the history behind them.

In addition I got this fancy new tea tray to celebrate the podcast! It’s WAY easier cleanup than the big one I use for group ceremonies.

Earl Grey

Emperor Pu’erh

Lapsang