Chinese teas help..

[brewmaster15]

Okay all...

Heres the deal...I love my coffee foremost...strong and rich in flavor ( like I like my ales, red wines, and cigars) but I also enjoy teas...but I lean strongly towards Asian teas..

I have several teas that are very strong that I enjoy but I am puzzled by one kind that is mild....I can drink it all day and really enjoy it, especially with meals.... Its mild...but I have no clue what to buy to obtain it..best I can describe it as is the teas that Chinese restaurants serve , at least here in the North East USA. Doesn't matter where I have it..it always tastes very similar....so I guess its a similar variety?

What tea is this? Anyone know?

Thanks a million,
al

[DiscusOnly]

Al

If you are referring to the lighter color tea that are usually serves at Chinese restaurant (espcially dim sum), it's call Pu-erh Chrysanthemum

[diamond_discus]

Al :
Quite honestly, most chinese restaurant do not serve top quality chinese tea. The most common type is called Wu Long Tea (something like http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Foojoy.../dp/B000KYSVRK)
Even this type of Wu Long tea has many different grade level.

There are two other popular kinds being serve at Chinese dim sum restaurant :
One darker kind is called 普洱茶 : Chinese Puerh Tea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-erh_tea

Another popular light color tea is called 香片茶 (Silver Jasmine) . This is the type I order most often. It's more like a green tea. Most Jasmine tea is kinda mild. Perhaps it's the type you are looking for.

If you are into Chinese tea, I suggest you visit a tea store in any Chinatown, like this one :
http://www.tenrenstea.com/templates/home.html

BTW, my latest favorite tea is AMERICAN GINSENG ROOT TEA WITH HONEY :
http://www.popus.com/american.html

Hope this help.

-Larry

[brewmaster15]

Thanks Guys,I'll look into those teas.

I did have a really good Asian tea that a friend gave a while ago.. it was a strong flavored tea, but unfortunately I made the mistake of leaving the bag out on the table, and my Cats decided that it reminded them of cat Nip...That bag was shredded to pieces and scattered everywhere...I walked in and these furballs were rolling around like pigs in mud.

Since we are on the subject, anyone else have any suggestions for Asian Teas that they like? I'm looking for loose teas..not the pre-bagged teabags.

Thanks,
al

[Disgirl]

Al, this reminds me of something funny that happened to us years ago. We were having a week in Hong Kong, while stationed in the Philippines, and went into a very authentic Chinese restaurant, the kind that the tourists wouldn't normally go to. We ordered tea with our meal and what do you think they served us? A pot of tea with Lipton tea bags in it!
Barb

[ashaysathe]

You have it next time I come over.

[brewmaster15]

Ashay,
I enjoyed that Indian Tea that we had at your place too...what was that?

-al

[ashaysathe]

That particular on was "Brooke Bond Red Label" classic Indian style.

http://www.amazon.com/Brooke-Bond-La.../dp/B000JSSNUC

we alternate between this and Taj Mahal :

http://www.amazon.com/Brooke-Bond-Ma.../dp/B000NILLTS

I will get you some for sure. Saturday.

[Alok]

Al, if you really like strong teas, another Indian variety is "Wagh Bakri" You can easily get this in any Indian store in US.

[diamond_discus]

Since we are on the subject, anyone else have any suggestions for Asian Teas that they like? I'm looking for loose teas..not the pre-bagged teabags.

Thanks,
al

Al :
I don't used pre-bagged teabags either. I usually go to local chinese tea house and try out different type of teas before I buy a can. I only know the tea in Chinese but I found this website in English : http://www.teavana.com/The-Teas/Teas.../Chinese-Teas/

I would recommend the following two :
1. Monkey Picked Oolong Tea
2. Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls Green

The pearls type tea is also fun. The dry tea leaves were rolled up into tiny balls. When you put them into hot water, the balls will unfold, releasing a tiny air bubble.
-Larry

[akumastew]

1. Monkey Picked Oolong Tea

Is it really picked by Monkeys?

[diamond_discus]

Is it really picked by Monkeys?

HaHa, good question ...

Monkey picked oolong tea (馬蹓搣) is also known as highest grade of "Ti Kuan Yin" (鐵觀音). Legend has it that monkeys were trained by monks to pick the tea leaves from wild Ti Kuan Yin tea trees unreachable by humans in the high mountains of Fujian Province.

Today, monkey-picked simply means the highest quality Tie Guan Yin tea available. Picked during the spring and fall from higher elevations than other Tie Guan Yin grades, the monkey-picked grade is entirely handmade by experienced tea masters with great care.

[diamond_discus]

Here's a list of top ten Chinese tea :
http://chinese-tea.net/10-famous-tea.htm

I never try them all personally, but I have three of them at home :
龍井 (Dragon Well)
碧螺春 (Spring Snail)
茉莉花茶 (Jasmine)

All 3 are green tea type. I don't particular like the darker black tea, which seems to be a bit stronger and bitter. Just my personal preference.

[gwrace]

Al, this reminds me of something funny that happened to us years ago. We were having a week in Hong Kong, while stationed in the Philippines, and went into a very authentic Chinese restaurant, the kind that the tourists wouldn't normally go to. We ordered tea with our meal and what do you think they served us? A pot of tea with Lipton tea bags in it!
Barb

Well I have another story...sorry off topic. I've been to the Philippines several times. My first trip we walked into a restaurant where I was looking for something close to a burger or hotdog. What I ended up receiving tasted like it had more soybean in it than ground beef. My first mistake was assuming that the red and yellow bottles contained ketchup and mustard. After spreading them over my imitation burger and hotdog I found out in a hurry just how spicey those little Philippine peppers can be. They were variations of hotsauce.
I spent the next few minutes in tears trying to cool down my mouth...

[Wahter]

I'm not an expert on teas, but I've been a handful of tea shops in Yunnan Province and a few dim sum places in Hong Kong. Definitely get the loose leaf tea - not in the tea bag.

These are my favorites:

Jasmine tea 茉莉花茶
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine_tea
my parents like this one a lot; however one of my friends in Hong Kong said it wasn't strong enough for her tastes. On the other hand, my friends in Taipei like this tea too.

Pu-erh tea 普洱茶
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-er_tea
I have tried some of the real pu-er tea in Yunnan and they showed that you can reuse the same tea leaves several times and still have a very nice tasting tea (over a dozen times!). This teas is also sold fermented. My father thinks this tea is too strong. As a footnote - this is the tea Wayne Ng has for his guests at his fish farm.

Tie Guanyin or Ti Kuan Ying 鐵觀音
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tieguanyin
Name means "Iron Goddess of Mercy" This tea has a slightly stronger taste that of Jasmine, but I noticed another one of my Hong Kong friends didn't like this tea as much as Pu-erh.

I'm pretty sure I did take a photo of a package of 'monkey picked tea' - I have to see if I can find it.


Walter