My Tea Break

Rediscovering Tea around the world

Category Archives: Chinese Tea Culture


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The 10 Famous Chinese Teas

In China there is the legendary list of the 10 Famous Chinese Teas but this list seems to vary from source to source. The lists varies considerable depending on the area where it was compiled and the current trends of Tea consumption.

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However, there are some Teas that appear in every list and that should be a good sign. We’ve created a list of those:

  1. Dragon Well (Long Jing), Green Tea –  Hanghzou, Zhejiang Province
  2. Green Snail Spring (Bi Luo Chun), Green Tea - Suzhou, Jiangsu Province
  3. Iron Goddess (Tieguanyin), Oolong Tea – Anxi,  Fujian Province
  4. Yellow Mountain Fur Peak (Huangshan Mao Feng), Green Tea –  Huangshan, Anhui Province
  5. Jun Mountain Silver Needle (Junshan Yinzhen), A type of rare Yellow Tea - Yueyang,Hunan Province
  6. Qi Men Red (Qimen Hong), Black Tea - Qimen County, Anhui Province
  7. Big Red Robe (Da Hong Pao), Oolong Tea - Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province
  8.  Liu An Melon Seed (Liu An Gua Pian), Green Tea - Jinzhai, Anhui Province
  9. Xin Yang Hairy Tip (Xin Yang Mao Jian), Green Tea - Xinyang, Henan Province
  10. Monkey King Tea (Tai Ping Hou Kui), Green Tea - Taipin,  Anhui Province

For more information about Chinese Provinces check our previous post – Chinese Tea Provinces.

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Aged Tie Guan Yin (Iron Buddha)

This week I tried an aged Tie Guan Yin as part of the Canton Tea Club. Tie Guan Yin is an Oolong Tea also known as Iron Buddha.

This aged Tea was harvested in Spring 2007 and is handmade on a traditional Anxi Farm in the Fujian Province in China.It is heavily roasted and then stored for 4 years away from heat, light and humidity to let the deep, toasty flavours develop.

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The initial rich sweet cocoa flavour develops into a long, lingering, dark fruit taste, with hints of toasted oats and cinnamon along the way.

For more information about Oolong Tea please check our previous post that explains all about this Tea: blog.myteabreak.com/2011/03/11/oolong/

Happy Tea Break.

 

 


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Lapsang Souchong

Lapsang Souchong, often called Smoked Tea, never had much popularity in China. It began as an export product about one and a half century ago. This Tea is known for its distinctive smoky aroma and flavour.

Source: mayatea.com via Dave on Pinterest

To achieve this flavour, the Tea leaves are first withered over fires of pine or cypress wood. After panfrying and rolling, they are pressed into wooden barrels and covered with cloth to ferment until they give off a pleasant fragrance. The leaves are fried again and rolled into taut strips. Then they are placed in bamboo baskets and hung on wooden racks over smoking pine fires to dry and absorb the smoke flavor.

Most say it was invented when soldiers took over a tea factory in Xingun (Star Village) during the Qing dynasty in China. When they finally left, the workers had to dry their tea in record time to sell it at the market. In desperation they lit open fires of pine to speed the process, and wood-smoked Lapsang Souchong was born.

Source: squidoo.com via Pyro on Pinterest

In terms of health benefits, it is considered that Lapsang Souchong stimulates digestion, strengthens your immune system, lowers the bad cholesterol  and helps fighting fat cells.

This is definitely not everyone’s cup of Tea but we would love to hear your opinion on this Tea.

This Tea is often used in Tea cooking as well so stay tuned as we’ll be sharing some recipes soon.

Happy Tea Break.


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Huoshan Huangya – Yellow bud Tea

Yesterday I tried  Huoshan Yellow bud Tea. I only had Yellow Tea once before –  is a rare variety of Tea produced in China – mainly in the Hunan, Anhui and Sichuan provinces. Because the process of making proper Yellow Tea is very time consuming, this Tea is only produced in small volumes and considered quite exclusive and rare.

The process is similar to Green Tea but undergoes a slightly longer oxidation process, removing the grassy aftertaste which is often associated with Green Tea. You can learn more about Yellow Tea and its oxidation process in our previous post about Yellow Tea.

Huoshan Hungaya is a high grade yellow Tea from the Huo Shan county, Anhui Province.  It is made from tender slim buds and processed by a traditional stir-fire procedure hence the name Yellow Bud Tea  - Huangya.

Huoshan Huangya was created in the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D) and Lu Yu described this special yellow Tea in his famous book “Classic of Tea”. It is said that the processing method of this Tea was lost in 1940s and only reproduced in 1972 by three distinguished Tea masters.  Some Tea experts say that even today the original processing techniques are not followed and is made as green Tea.

The colour of the Tea is bright and clear and the taste is very subtle, mellow and refreshing with a sweet aftertaste.

If you get the chance do try this wonderful Tea please do so. Highly recommended!

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Why blanch the Tea leaves?

Some people rinse the Tea leaves once before actually steeping it. Blanching the tealeaves is not a ritual, but rather a step to get a delicious cup of Tea.

This is important because allows the Tealeaves to open up  and removes residual microbes  that can affect the taste and also enables an effective infusion.

Blanching the Tea leaves is even more important when the Teas are mature or post-fermented. For example phuer Tea are usually blanched twice before the first infusion.

In practical terms, the first brew should be disposed. You blanch the Tea for about a minute and discard the water. You can then start brewing your real Tea.

Happy Tea Break. :)

Tania


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Interview with Edgar Thoemmes from Canton Tea Co.

Last week I tasted 5 wonderful Teas from the Canton Tea Co. They were all of exceptional quality and each tea had it´s own ´strong personality´. It was a very good way to relax and to experience new smells and tastes.

In this context, we interviewed Edgar Thoemmes, director of the Canton Tea Co.  In this interview, Edgar tells us a bit about himself and also about Canton Tea Co.

M&T. Can you describe how Tea makes you feel in one word? Edgar. Focused

M&T. Do you have a Favourite Tea? 

Edgar. I tend to fix on a specific tea and then move on to another – at the moment it’s the Aged Long Juan Tie Guan Yin.

M&T. What is a perfect cup of Tea? 

Edgar. The one I make

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M&T. Can you tell us about your story with Tea?

Edgar. Got into it through working with friends who had just started the company. I came from a corporate banking background with a keen interest in all things foodie – and this fine Chinese tea just captured me instantly. I was blown away by the range of flavours, the history, culture and stories surrounding each one. Also the incredible parallels with wine – another passion of mine. I love how the terroir affects the flavour of every tea – how good, raw puerh can be put down to age, how many different subtleties there are in the fragrances, flavours and after-taste of each tea from each garden – and the age-old tradition and skill that goes into producing every one.

M&T. Which has been the most wonderful Tea plantation you have been?

Edgar. Mr Xu’s farm in Wen Shan – high up in the mountains of Taiwan has breath-taking views of thickly wooded hills and a lake far below. The Pouchong he produces is one of my favourite teas – always easy to brew, bright, floral and incredibly refreshing. I drink a lot of it iced during the summer.

M&T. What can you tell us about Canton Tea Co?

Edgar. We set out to be the UK’s foremost China tea specialist. After 4 years we can unreservedly make that claim because there’s no one else around with the range and quality of teas that we have. We focus on the provenance of the tea and we spend a lot of time educating people about tea. That may sound a little obsessive – it probably is. We give talks, presentations, tastings, workshops and training sessions to our trade customers. We’ve rapidly grown from a kitchen table start-up to a fully-fledged operation in Bristol. Our buying partners live in Guangzhou and have fantastic links to the traditional tea farms where our teas come from.

M&T. Why should people buy your Teas?

Edgar. You can’t buy better in the UK. Our range is carefully chosen to include great tasting teas at reasonable prices. It’s very hard to find such good teas -  even in China.  We have a large selection so you’ll definitely find some you’ll love.  If you need further reassurance, Teaviews is a leading independent tea review website in America which consistently rates us among the top 3 best tea companies in the world – out of 231 companies.

M&T. When is your next event?

Edgar. We hold regular talks and tea tastings at Petersham Nurseries nr Richmond in Surrey. The next one is with my colleague Jennifer on Saturday 16th July. See this blog post for a list of all of our upcoming tastings

http://www.cantonteaco.com/blog/2011/06/upcoming-tea-tastings/

For more information about the Canton Tea Co, please go to their website. I highly recommend their Teas! http://www.cantonteaco.com/

Happy Tea Time!



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Whisky and Tea

The first time I went to China, I came across with the Whisky and Tea tradition. This probably seems like an odd combination but it is a very popular alcoholic drink in China.

Like in most clubs in London, when you sit in a table you order a bottle which usually comes with coke,tonic,…. Well, in China you´ll often see whisky bottles coming with a jar of cold greenTea. I am not a whisky fan but following the famous say “When in Rome do what Romans do” and being a Tea lover I  tried it straight away and really enjoyed.

It is quite refreshing and you get quite a nice balanced flavour from the two drinks. If you want to try this at home you can add two parts of cold Green Tea to one part of whisky and serve it with ice.

The main problem will be the morning after but that´s another story.

Happy Tea Break. :)

Tania


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Interview with Juyan from The Chinese Tea Company

When I started working in West London, I discovered this amazing Tea shop/house at the end of Portobello Rd. Here you can travel in time and find excellent Chinese Teas! Juyan, the owner, was very kind to do this interview and to give us the pictures used in this post. I hope you enjoy it!

M&T. Could you tell us about your story with Tea?

J.  I grew up with tea. I grew up in a small village in Zhejiang Province, south east of China. We used to produce everything ourselves, such as rice, wheat, vegetables, chickens, ducks, gooses, pig, of course teas too. I started working alongside my mother from very young age from little things to big things. Tea Mountains used to be my playground, and then when I grew a bit older I had to give my mum a hand to pick tea leaves that started at 6 in the morning. We would always keep the first harvested teas which they are the best for ourselves as well as for the guests, and then sold the rest of tea to tea factories. It was this upbringing that shaped a passion for tea and her vast knowledge of production.

M&T.  When did you decide to come to London and when did you decide to open a tea shop?

J.  I came to London in 2002 for studies, and in the university I met my husband, Chris, so I decided to live in London after my graduation. It was originally his idea to have a Chinese tea shop back many years ago. I used to say to him no, it won’t work; people will not be interested in loose leaf teas. Chris used to take tea to work and offer it to his colleagues. Many of them became curious about the weird looking leaves and the wonderful tastes, aromas and relaxing states of mind each would achieve when drinking the brew. Pretty soon people were asking to purchase the teas for themselves and asked for advice on the world of Chinese tea.  So the Chinese Tea Company was born out of our desire to share our personal selections and knowledge with others.

M&T. What is the concept behind the Chinese Tea Company?

J.  The real passion is to bring all these wonderful Chinese teas to England so that everyone can also enjoy and have access to the best teas China has to offer.  We are very practical with our teas which they are traditional and handmade and bought directly bought from the tea growers and tea masters in China. The Chinese Tea Company is also dedicated to promoting Chinese tea culture.

M&T.  Why did you choose West London?

J.  Portobello road is a world famous market and there is a such a diverse range of people who visit the area. I thought it would be a good idea to have a tea shop here as I think it would fit in very well with the eclectic range of products that are available to buy there. I think a lot of people visit the market as they can find a lot of things that may not be available to buy in the high street and I think it would be a nice surprise for people to find a tea shop that sells a wide range of good quality tea and unique tea ware tucked away in the corner.

I found a place for rent, got in touch with the landlord and they were immediately very interested in what I wanted to do.

M&T.  How do you explain the path of your success?

J.  First of all, it is the quality, the uniqueness of our products and our service. We have a lot of customers returning and become good friends and also lots of people come in because of recommendations by others.

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M&T. How do you balance the blend between tradition and innovation?

J.  I am more focused on the traditional side both in the products and the decoration of the shop. I always search for teas that made by hand in the traditional ways. I think it is important to preserve our traditions. The tea house is decorated in a very traditional way, especially the furniture that is specifically bought from China for the shop. Including the music we play in the shop.

M&T. What are the most common mistakes that people do when making Tea?

J.  Making tea can be very simple for some people, pouring boiling water into a pot with some tea leaves or teabags can be enough. People have been making themselves tea for years and they know how they like it – so when they make themselves a drink of tea how they like it they are not making any mistakes at all.

However, on the flip side of this, tea making can be very a intricate process to achieve a desired taste and aroma result of a chosen kind of tealeaves by dissolving a certain proportion of the tea materials into water. This is done with an according combination of teaware, water temperature, water to tealeaves ratio and steeping process.

M&T.  From your experience abroad what do you think are the main differences between drinking Tea in China and abroad?

J.  Tea originates from China, we are so lucky to have so many different type and quality of teas to choose from. The selection is very limited in Britain especially for the high quality loose leaf teas. People in China have better understanding – tea is not just a beverage in China it is engrained deep within our culture, is drank for pleasure and used for medicinal purposes.

M&T. Finally, what do you want people to feel when they go to the Chinese Tea Company?

J.  From all the different types of tea that we stock I want people, who are new to tea, to realize that there is a whole big world of tea they might not know about that is open and ready for them to explore. I want them to enjoy tea as much as I do. When people come to our tea ceremony, I want them to feel relaxed and comfortable and inspired by the surroundings that they find themselves in.

You can get more information on: http://www.the-chinese-tea-company.com/               The Chinese Tea Company, 14 Portobello Green, 281 Portobello Rd, London W10 5TZ  Phone: + 44 (0) 208 9600096
Phone: + 44 (0) 7990 898549

E-Mail: info@the-chinese-tea-company.com

Mariana!


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Green T. House: A New style Tea Art House

Teahouses have long been a part of the Chinese people’s life.
It is generally believed that during the Tang Dynasty the Tea peddlers who carried buckets of Tea and the city mobile tea booths were the first signs of what we call now a Teahouse.
Nowadays, they are more than just a place where you can go and drink Tea. They have become an important part of the social and culture life in China and often associated with art, often called “Tea art houses”.In recent years, Chinese Tea culture has gained unprecedent momentum. The number of teahouses and the new style Tea art houses keep growing. They are characterised by a serene inner space, where people can enjoy a quiet moment to rest their minds and body and take a break from the busy city life.

While in China this month I was looking to check what were the coolest tea houses and found Green T. House. Green T. House is more than just a Tea House. It’s a concept…The Green T. House restaurant in central Beijing (6 Gontjixilu Chaoyang 100027 Beijing) combines modern cuisine with Tea. Their dishes and drinks bring the culinary use of Tea into life. The menu is extensive and include dishes like green Tea roasted seabass, fragranced white Tea rice, Roasted Lamb nestled  among coriander and high mountain Oolong Tea,   Green Tea prawns and lobster,  goats cheese and walnut salad with green Tea pesto, jasmine duck among others… You can also enjoy some great drinks like green tea mojito, cold oolong with apple juice, bitter lemon with oolong cocktail, beijing whisky sour and even oolong or jasmine beer.

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If you have time you can also visit the Green T. House Living (318, cuigezhuang Xiang Hegezhuang Cun Chaoyang, Beijing 100015). This is closer to the airport so a good way to relax before catching your flight… You leave the crowded centre of Beijing and suddenly get into a Tea paradise. A place where it is impossible not to relax and enjoy the Green T. Living environment. The pavillion, the centre of the Green T. Living, is a space of serenity where you can enjoy the birds singing and also the nice T. music. and it´s open daily for lunch, dinner or Tea with T. Snacks.  Everything is carefully placed in detail including the staff dress code which changes from winter to summer and is composed of a Kimono. The Tea is served in proper Chinese style and they perform the gongfu cha ceremony when serving your Tea. The T. snacks are also delicious!

You also have the bath house residence, a spa retreat, with a giant indoor Green Tea bath, inspired in the Tang Dynasty bath houses. Overnight stays at the Bath House Residence can be arranged but you need to book in advance. Green T. House Living has been awarded several wallpaper and other design awards and is home for several top events including fashion shows, product launches, Tea tastings and art exhibitions.

Drinking Tea in such a relaxed environment felt like a whole day at a spa. I was very relaxed, peaceful and with an amazing state of mind. These are the kinds of experiences that stay in your memory forever and I will definitely start trying some homemade dishes with Tea.

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Interview with John Kennedy from TeaSmith

As you know our passion for Tea started a long time ago but our journey started at the TeaSmith when we had our masterclass back in 2008. John Kennedy, owner of this amazing Teahouse in the heart of Spitafields Market, and  his Japanese wife Tomoko Kawase, created the TeaSmith -  a unique Tea bar where you have a great selection of exceptional Teas paired with indulging fine chocolates and patisseries from  William Curley.

Today we had the pleasure to interview John while tasting some amazing Teas. During this interview John told us more about the complex and exceptional world of Tea.

M&T. What is the concept behind TeaSmith?

J. Our idea is to modernise drinkers attitude towards Tea, particularly British. Most of the Teas available are fairly out of style and the approach to Tea is often stuck in the past. We want to help people appreciate a wider variety of Tea in a very accessible and modernised way while demystifying what is a very complicated subject: Tea. Even our name – TeaSmith is a very down to earth name and it makes it more available to everyone.

M&T. How do you explain the path to your success.

J.  I first got into Tea in 1991. My wife is Japanese so I already knew quite a bit about Japanese green Tea, but it was when I was working in San Francisco for a Technology company that I discovered the world of Chinese Tea in China town. My motivation started when I found that the Tea that I was drinking in my daily work commute was not as good as the ones I tried in China Town. I started to explore and discovering a whole new world. There is just another dimension further to the taste and aroma, which is the power and effect of Tea in your body. You don’t find that in other drinks. I spent a lot of time talking to people in China town, reading a lot about Tea and tasting a lot of different Teas. When I decided I wanted to do more with Tea, I looked for someone who could teach me more. I had tried these amazing Teas that were being sold at Selfridges and contacted the person who made them. I met Leo Kwan, a world-class expert in Tea and founder of the Tea Guardian website, and not only worked in his Teahouse but also had some formal training in China during the summer of 2004 and 2005. When I felt ready, I opened TeaSmith in November 2006.

M&T. How do you balance the blend between tradition and innovation?

J. We make Tea in a very traditional way, using the small pots, cups and serving Tea using the Gong Fu Cha methodology, in a modern and familiar environment. The shop design is quite modern and, for example, the music we listen to is different from the traditional Tea House music. We also wanted to reflect the East London style. People come to East London looking for a different experience, to discover new things and therefore the way we present Tea is not a shock to them. I regularly go to Tokyo and use it as a source of inspiration. The Japanese have an appetite for reinvention and innovation and so it is very refreshing to go there.

M&T. What are the most common mistakes that people do when making Tea?

J. Good Tea leaves always taste good (unless you do something really wrong…). I would say, don´t let the process get in the way of enjoying your Tea. In practical ways, people should feel the Tea and experiment to see what is the best flavour for them. A good cup of Tea can become a moment of immortality and we should let those moments happen. The same Tea can taste different every time you drink it, it depends on the water you use, the temperature you brew your Tea, your mind frame, your body…  Once you become sensitive to the effects of Tea in your body, some Teas can get you amazing experiences so just enjoy drinking Tea and enjoy these great moments of immortality.

M&T. Finally, what do you want people to feel when they go to the TeaSmith?

J. I want people to feel inspired, rejuvenated, educated and entertained.

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For more information please visit:

TeaSmith
6 Lamb Street
London E1 6EA, England
WEB: http://www.teasmith.co.uk/
TEL: 020 7247 1333
EMAIL info@teasmith.co.uk

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