Green doldrums

Walking this morning, surrounded by the exuberance of a New York spring, I felt a bit gloomy. After searching for a reason, I came up with this: I haven't had a good cup of green tea in a couple of months. I've been drinking a few different greens, but they've all been boring, generic at best.

(I'm aware that this ranks pretty low on the scale of suffering in the world today. I'm also aware that some tea has been harvested already this year, and some of it is undoubtedly for sale somewhere.)

I suppose it's over-optimistic to expect a green from last year to taste fresh in April, even if it's been kept carefully. But maybe there are varieties that store better than others. Is anyone currently drinking a last year's green and *enjoying* it?

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin
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Lewis snipped-for-privacy@panix1.panix.com4/21/04 12: snipped-for-privacy@panix.com

Lew,

Sorry to hear about your doldrums. Last year's Zhengong Competition Grade (577) from SpecialTea -- lovely silver needle style leaves full of fluff, an exuberant clean, sweet waft out of the opened package, organic, appears to be hand made. And gentle taste complements all this. Fine aftertaste. Green floral fresh. Like a tea midway between a white of highest quality and a green. Looks like rosemary needles in the water. Happy nose. Happy mouth. Too bad I'm such a miserable cuss, or I'd be happy too.

(Just opened it.) Think you could escape early tomorrow? I have extra.

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

I've been enjoying Honyama Sencha from Den's Tea. I assume it's last years, but I don't really know. It's a delicious sencha that holds up very well to

5 or more steeps. I am looking forward to the Long Jing I ordered from Teaspring.com that says it's from the 2004 season.

Blues

Reply to
Blues Lyne

"Lewis Perin" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@panix1.panix.com...

I still have some enjoyble green that keep well if stored in the freezer. In any case today I received a can of fresh Longjing from a friend who was in Hangzhou last week. Of course the taste of new tea is impossible to compare with the old one of the year before. Chinese literati used to compare tea with female beauty: even the once gorgeous Liz Taylor is no more than a nice granny today.

Reply to
Livio Zanini

Currently? I ran out of enjoyable stuff a month or so ago, so no. Though it was from last year, it was very much enjoyable. Can-sealed sencha that had been stored in the freezer. I've been holding off acquiring anything else in anticipation for this season's new crop.

--crymad

Reply to
crymad

Wow, you must be desperate. You don't drink anything but Japanese greens, right?

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin

In that tradition, then, Puerh is like the decomposed corpse of Clara Bow.

--crymad

Reply to
crymad

Greens? Yes. Though occasionally I do pilfer some of my wife's Darjeeling. Do drink Oolong every now and then, usually after meals.

--crymad

Reply to
crymad

Lew:

I am drinking one of the rarest green tea from China (Jiangsu province)-Wu Xi Hao Cha.After I had read your mail, at once brewed with my Gai-Bei pot( your mail remind me,long time I hadn't had any pot of a good green tea). Full bodied aroma, sweet,hint of nutty and honey-a truly rare kind of taste you can find in Green tea. Young buds are very interesting looking-thick,moldy,long light green-silvery buds. Will post detail tomorrow at tea mail group.

Ripon (Vienna,VA)

Reply to
Ripon

snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com4/22/04

00: snipped-for-privacy@dhaka.net

Ripon, you might want to check youir dictionary for "moldy," although I don't doubt the veracity of your statement. Where did you get this rare Lu Cha?

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

"crymad" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@xprt.net...

:-) Definitely yes! In any case Pu'er consumption is not reported in Ming dynasty treatises on tea, most of which were composed by literati from the Jiangnan area.

Reply to
Livio Zanini

"Ripon" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com...

Ripon I am also drinking some Wuxi haocha that a friend brought to me last Christmas. It looks like Biluochun (and actually much of it is sold with this name) but but it is more fleshy with very thick and nice greenish hair. It is still very good and, differently from Biluochun, still manteins its bright green colour.

Reply to
Livio Zanini

Livio ZaninijhPhc.16647$ snipped-for-privacy@twister1.libero.it4/22/04

08: snipped-for-privacy@libero.it

Livio,

Could that be part of the reason why I see such a lot of variation in leaf style from one Biluochun to another?

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

This clarifies a few things. Samuel Johnson's famous quote "... the expense is damnable, the position is ridiculous, and the pleasure fleeting." has been misattributed to sex, and actually was meant to apply to tea.

Dr. Johnson further recorded that in drinking tea he was "hardened and shameless", that his "kettle has scarcely time to cool" and "who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnight, and with tea, welcomes the morning."

Rick (who has gotten into hot water from both causes)

Reply to
Rick Chappell

Michael:

Sorry for the wrong spelling. My Dictionary is coming with my sea-shipment. I have to wait until next Monday- The tea was a gift from a friend. If you can come here, I would love to share with you-:) You better come then, very good reason-:)

Ripon (Vienna,VA)

Reply to
Ripon

snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com4/22/04

17: snipped-for-privacy@dhaka.net

Maybe next Sunday (May 2). You free? You can show my Ching Cha, and I'll find out if Brian Wright has a real store or not. Can I bring another? By the way, you spelled "moldy" correctly. BTW, if you listen to merchants,

*every* tea in the universe is rare. I'm sceptical.

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

I've had it too, at ITC in San Fran. Very nice tea. They seem to carry it regularly. BTW, if you find that it keeps well, last year's is probably at discount there right now. Me, I think I'll wait.

Joe

Reply to
Joseph Kubera

Livio:

Actually Jiangsu province is famous for two green teas- Biluochun and Wu Xi Hao Cha( In China they call- Yu Hua Cha). This two teas sold in this two different name in China. It was first introduced at 70's. Without careful checking, anyone can mixed up between this two teas. To me both are far different from each other by taste. Without very careful looking, it is not so easy to differentiate this two teas appearances.

If I remember correct- you have been to China, right? Have you ever try Gu Zhang Maojian green tea? I would like to know your expert comment. Thanks.

Ripon (Vienna,VA)

Reply to
Ripon

I'm still drinking packets of '03 harvest sencha I bought in Japan last summer. It's been in the fridge and is still tasty. I take out one 100-gram packet at a time, which I keep in a zip-lock bag or mason jar (nothin' fancy) in the 2-3 weeks in takes for me to finish the packet. A big factor is whether the grower processes and vacuum-seals the tea promptly after harvest. A lot of the smaller, family-run tea operations in Japan are pretty scrupulous about that. (At least the ones I saw.) The "shincha" (new tea) or first harvest is, of course, considered the best, but after that everyone's got to wait another year till it comes around again!

Rich

Reply to
Rich Hudson

"Ripon" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com...

Ripon, I have lived for some months in Nanjing, I have been once in Dongtingshan (South-West of Suzhou, where original Biluochun is produced), but I have never been to Wuxi. For what I have personally seen, Yuhua cha is the tea of Nanjing, originally produced on Yuhau tai (raining stones terrace) in the south part of the city. It is a complitely pan fired tea which is hand rolled to look like pine needles. It is the most "sencha like" amoung Chinese pan fired tea. I went to Dongtingshan in late April 1993, in order to see Biluochun production. The answer was: you're too late, you should have come here before 5 April ("Pure light festival"), now we produce only Chaoqing (general term for Pan-fired green). Chaoqing was almost identical to BIluochun, but produced with bigger leaves. Considering the huge amount of Biluochun on Chinese and world market, I personally dubt that it is all "real" Biluochun from Dongtingshan. I first drunk Wuxi haocha last Christmas, brought by a friend of mine from Wuxi. The can had the indication "Biluochun". The tea is very heary, like Biluochun, but totally different from Yuhua cha. Sorry but I have never tryed Guzhang maojian. I'd like to konw where it is produced and what kind of tea it is? Livio

Reply to
Livio Zanini

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