I've finally come to the conclusion that both the white teas and Darjeelings are not for me. Ethereal, dainty, light, are all words that mean- tastes like water. Not that there's anything wrong with water, but why mix expensive leaves in it? For those who can taste and rhapsidize over them, you now have more. Toci
Your generosity is appreciated, but in fairness to yourself, don't assume your taste will never change.
/Lew
I'm not a lover of whites or Darjeelings myself, but I have come across a number that are undeniably excellent. I think the separation between bad and good is much greater in these teas, and there is very little (to no) middle ground for mediocre ones. They also vary more wildly than a lot of other teas year to year in flavor, so a favorite this year can be a dog next.
I have one or two whites I go to when I want one, and I tend to favor the muscatel-ish Darjeelings. They have their own nuances and brewing characteristics, I'll admit I don't like them enough to spend tons of time and effort on the subject to be an expert... but I do listen to the Darjeeling speak on here and occasionally hit a winner. I've never met a "white tea person", who favors them predominantly or specializes in just them... they are kind of a curiosity and change of pace, but not much more for me.
- Dominic
/I hated and swore off Kudingcha (I even talked it down on here) but guess what I have been craving and drinking as of late? Yep. Those bitter nails have been in my gaiwan for the past week almost exclusively.
Hey Toci Just curios what type of foods do you eat, reason I ask is that the white teas and darjeelings bode well with light food like say fish where as the heavy stuff like say keemun goes good with your meats etc . Maybe that s why they are very uninteresting to to the pallette ?
Maurice
Have you tried the newly available oolong-style Darjeelings? If they aren't strong enough, it's a short step to poteen or asphalt.
-DM
Until recently, I would have agreed with you. Whites, particularly, have always seemed a little insipid to me. However, during a recent green tea tasting at Imperial Tea Court, I had the privilege of savouring some "Everyday White". This white, unlike one-note others, is thick with flavour: sweet, slightly floral, but robust and toasty. It was sun-dried and, perhaps, that contributed to the taste complexity. I don't know. A pretty inexpensive tea, as well -$5.60 an oz. Occasionally, I'll find a white tea in Oakland Chinatown that I enjoy and usually freshness can play a very big part in that selection. There seems to be nothing more dreary than a stale white tea. Recently, I've had some Darjeelings from Lochan in India that are superior - rich, full of muscatel, tawny and fruity. The vendor that Phyll recommended, The Simple Leaf, has some really splendid Darjeeling-types and Oolongs,too. The "Honeybee" is exceptional. None of these teas, in the slightest, resemble water. A suggestion: take a break from the teas you've considered "dainty" and try some other vendors. I can guarantee that you'll not find "Everyday White" from ITC ethereal, light or dainty.................... Shen
DogMa, can you recommend a source for those?
Alex
If it isn't (partially) sun-dried, it shouldn't be called white tea.
/Lew
I don´t know which DJs you´ve tried, but not too few of them, not only those Oolongs DogMa mentioned, play in quite a different league. And yes, they´re not easy to tame, can be pretty finicky to say the least but too me that´s part of the fun. After ??? knows how many different DJs I´ve tried over the years every single pot I brew remains a challenge, it never gets boring. No other teas I know of react so picky when it comes to brewing parameters and water qualities. Just keep in mind that around 75% of all teas sold as Darjeelings have been grown somewhere else.
PS: I second lochantea.com as a source for high-class DJs. These guys know tea - inside and out. Don´t give up 5 min. before the miracle happens.
Karsten [Eastfrisian blend in tazza]
Lew, I believe this is totally sun-dried. Shen
PS - From what I understand, most whites today are roasted dry. Shen
Karsten, I'm sipping Lochan's Okayti Wonder right now! A wonder it is, too! The Lochan Darjeelings Oolongs are also exquisite, though, without the lingering depth of other teas. I agree. Before negating the briallance of some Darjeelings, try some from Lochan. The Lochan family take personal pride in their teas, deservedly so. BTW, I also enjoy Okayti wonder chilled. Shen
Slightly Off-topic Maurice, I REALLY appreciate your mentioning food pairings with tea. We are planning a dinner party (pot-luck) soon in which guests will be asked to pair a tea, as well as a wine, with different courses. Should be fun! I agree about the white tea. I recently prepared a sole entree with a white tea and caper sauce. Shen
Shen, it´s already too late for another pot of tea over here, but I´m looking forward to a exquisite pot of some of my remaining Gopaldhara Red Thunder tomorrow. Aahh ... PS: I forgot to mention the pot. No other pot I owned brings out the nuances of my beloved 2nd flush and autumn DJs like that tiny but heavy, dented 8oz silver pot I carry around wherever I go. My DJ Oolongs though end up in a 3.oz Yixing or gaiwan. PS: I never tried them chilled, just cold.
Enjoy your wonder !
Karsten [sacktime]
I also don't really like Darjeeling right now. I haven't really played much with whites. I tried a few DJs, first and second flush, and they were okay, but didn't thrill me.
But I feel compelled to celebrate two other comments made above, which are (1) the great thing about tea is that there is enough variety out there so as to fit your every mood. There are often times when I buy a tea I don't like initially, only to crave it later . . . from seeing what is above, this must be a common occurrence. It can drive me crazy, such as when I crave one tea, only to buy a whole bunch and realize a week later that I am actually craving something completely different; (2) brewing parameters really can affect tea a lot. I guess this is obvious, but anecdotedly I recently bought an aged oolong from Hou De and didn't really like it at all when I tried to brew it gong fu style. It tasted kind of musty and somehow incomplete. I was lamenting the purchase. Yet one day on a whim I put a lesser amount in my gaiwan and brewed it as a relatively lighter brew, which totally changed the experience and brought out a lot of things I actually liked about the tea.
I guess my lesson has been to never swear off one particular tea--but rather to just say that it is not my current favorite.
Charles
Well said, Cha bing! Shen
Hey, just to add a few comments on white tea here:
I think it is more important to get the tea garden and cropping dates. Tea selection is always the single most important determinant of quality.
Jing, for example, has always insisted that Zhenhe as superior, as it was a tribute tea. It is misleadng, as White tea plant was first invented in Fuding, and later successful cultivated in Zhenhe.
Zhenhe did have a tribute tea much earlier, but it was a steamed tea, not a white tea.
But still nice to have in the summer :)
Julian
Ephemeral is a term I use to descibe white tea taste. I wouldn't use that to describe any DJ I've tasted. White teas can take a beating so use boiling water, clog a pot, sit back and wait. Go to Chinatown and buy some cheap Fujian SowMee. Be sure to have a snake handy. The Yunnan Silver and Purple buds are very tasty and cheap by the 1/2 kilo from Chinese sources.
Jim
toci wrote:
I don't mean to be schoolmarmish, but my understanding is that a tea that's dried completely with added heat, with no input from the sun, is green. Not that there's anything wrong with that - I'm currently enjoying a *green* Fuding Silver Needle tea - but sun-drying gives tea a different "personality". For one thing, it's inevitably somewhat oxidized, as green tea shouldn't be.
/Lew
Hey Jim
I heartily agree with you, although I may need to further research the brewing temperature just to be sure.
Most people recommend brewing white tea the same way as the more delicate green tea at 70 to 80 degree celcius and steeping for 1 to 3 minutes.
But they forgot that the Da Bai tea plant produces very fat tea bud, and it may take higher temperature and longer brewing time to extract it.
Just had another 3 cups just now .. hmmm... not bad at all :) Probably my last cup until my next order.
Julian
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