Yesterday, Whole Foods (the nation's first certified organic grocery store chain) held the grand opening of its world headquarters here in my hometown. They cleverly combined their offices into an amazing downtown high-rise along with the largest grocery in the city. You actually park in a maze of underground parking garage, and ride special escalators up to the store level with your shopping cart. The store even includes a clothing section, a cafe where you can buy freshly made pizzas and salads, and a huge bakery. It's like an amazing shopping mall, but everything is organic.
Needless to say, I'd been excited about the tea possibilities since before the gigantic store opened. The other grocery stores in the area carry a few good brands like Stash or Republic of Tea, but no one has a good selection of imported loose teas. So last night when I went in (amidst news crews and throngs of people) you can imagine my delight when I saw an entire kiosk toward the back of the store under a large sign "Fine teas."
The store had staff trained specifically to work with customers interested in fine teas. The girl who helped me had been to Japan and was very knowledgeable about all the teas they had available. Most exciting was the extensive array of tiny little glass dishes, each filled with a sample of tea and marked with a name card telling where the tea had come from and giving a brief description of its flavors. You could see, touch and smell each tea before you decided to try it.
I bought three different varieties on the advice of the salesperson. I chose Jade Fire, an organic green tea, Imperial Republic Orchid Oolong, and Silver Rain, a white tea that looked very different from the others. I only bought a small amount of each, just in the interest of trying new flavors.
Last night when I got home, I brewed up a cup of the Orchid Oolong. This was the one that smelled best from the samples they'd had out at the store (it had a heady fruity aroma), and as I found out at checkout, it was the most expensive ($9.37 per ounce!). I put a teaspoon of the leaves in my Republic of Tea brew basket and boiled water in my tea kettle, then let it cool a bit, as the recommended temperature was 185 F. Then, I steeped. I knew from reading posts in this group that the leaves would unfurl, but I was amazed at how such a small amount of tea could expand into such perfect whole leaves. The scent as it was steeping changed from floral to fruity as the flavors developed. The color was crystal clear, a very light golden amber. Upon first sip, I absolutely fell in love, which is exactly what I was afraid of... I cannot afford to love a $9.37-an-ounce tea! But it was delicious. I am no experienced taster by any means, but it seemed to have notes of apple, and of course, orchid. I resteeped for a second cup, and noticed no discernable loss in flavor with the extra minute of steep time.
So... that is my first loose tea experience. I fell in love.
Does anyone have any tips for brewing either the Jade Fire green tea or the Silver Rain?