Indian vs Chinese Tea

George Orwell in his essay on how to brew a perfect cup of tea, said to use Indian or Ceylon tea, not Chinese.

stePH, just sayin' NP: King Crimson, "Facts of Life" in cup: 2003 sheng brick pu-er from Tao of Tea, 4th infusion

That generalization would be a lot weaker, I think, if you measured the amount of tea by weight rather than volume. On the whole, with Chinese manufacturing methods the dry leaf tends to be fluffier.

/Lew

IMHO if you add ANYTHING to tea you turn it into a concoction. Sugar and milk chemically react to tea changing the taste. If you're a Brit you say for the better. I drink my share of Bubble and Chai but it ain't tea. Indian teas are black with less moisture content than Chinese green and Oolong. I can't remember the last time I've seen any Indian tea of any grade bobble in the pot with a SG1. You can't get any more dense and heavy than commercial Indian CTC. That one is interesting because the granules will immediately suspend in the pot before falling like a rock.

Jim

Lewis Per>

As lamented in the teafreaks group on LJ, I cannot find a good green tea from India. I found lovely white teas, but green teas from India are terrible, so far. My 2 cents is that most of these greens have been CTC and green tea doesn't lend itself well to cutting because it causes so much astringency.

1) Any recommendations of good Indian greens? 2) Anyone else agree or disagree?

Otherwise, I find that Indian teas, especially first flush black teas and white teas, are very fruity and malty, whereas Chinese teas tend to have a much broader ranges of flavors. But my sampling of Indian teas has been small, so I'm open to experiences that change my perception.

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I have tried and enjoyed a selection of green Darjeeling teas from the German online shop

Their certified organic teas come from the Seeyok estate. The taste is lovely, herbal and rather subtle, but not so flowery and complex as good Chines or Japanese greens can be. They are orthodox teas, not CTC. I would definitely recommend them at least for trying, however I do not know whether they ship abroad (they certainly did that about four years ago).

Gyorgy

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Hi Jason,

I don't know of any fine truly green Indian teas, but I'd say this: While Nilgiri and Assam teas are truly black -- oxidized to the max -- most Darjeelings nowadays are on the green side, especially first flushes. Just look at the leaf itself. Green bits abound. So, although we call it "black," Darjeeling teas are only partially oxidized...and you know what that makes them, right? BTW, I've heard it said that in times past Darj's were truly black, but modern taste demands otherwise.

Michael

I fully agree, and I have tasted all green DJs I could get my hands on. They're still working on it though, who knows. Same applies to DJ Oolongs. Whatever they try up here IMO it's still more Darjeeling than Ooolong. Especially when it comes to Gong-Fu most if not all chinese Oolongs have been grown and manufactured to be prepared that way. These days I still run into Darjeeling tea masters who don't know too much about GF. BTW: I found quite a few non-Oolong DJs who take Gong-Fu a lot better than their Oolong brethren. But then I enjoy my black and Oolong DJs for what they are, brillant jewels in the world of teas.

Karsten / Darjeeling

semi-OT (as it concerns that "other" drink) but yesterday one of the ladies in the office here was sending another out to get "a coffee" and specified a "white chocolate mocha". I commented, "I thought you were having *coffee*."

stePH in cup: Twinings Earl Grey

I've found that I really love darjeeling first flushes moreso than any others, especially the Namring Estate one that they carry at disneyland. It's got a lot of green in it, too. Gongfu darjeeling...sounds like fun :)

Ferris92, I admire you for being a dilettante. Well done! Your question is a superb one.

As a child I was constantly fed dark Indian tea on a cold and damp island in the North Atlantic. These days, every cell in my body aches for the dark brew. I like it strong, dark, and manly. But is it a good thing? Like you, I have decided to do the decent thing and try Chinese tea, but where to start? For me, it has to be strong, full-bodied, forthright, upstanding, stern even. I know some of you, here on this esteemed group, have refined palettes and probably refined sensitivities, too. But I need to start with a proletarian or plebian tea. I need a tea that riff-raff like me can feel at home with.

You, the wise of the tea world, I need your wisdom. Which Chinese tea should I start with?

Oh! This is such a salacious subject. I am helplessly brewing a pot after only reading ten messages.

Christopher

Slightly true stories of tea drinking.

Lapsang Souchong - smells of bonfires and Laphroaig

anne

How about Yunnan? My coffee-drinking friend swears by it.

--crymad

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WOW! I love Laphroaig, and I recently drank a loose leaf sheng pu'erh that was a little bon fire in a cup. Cool!!

Michael

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A good honest Keemun is what he wants. Nice and thick and winey and/or chocolatey. Can't go wrong. If it's gonna be a Yunnan, he's more apt to find a mapley one in the blond leaf style known as Royal or Golden. Otherwise, more likely peppery. What do you think? Just thoughts.

Michael

Thanks for the recommendations for Yunann. I think I may have tried Lapsang Souchong, some time ago but don't remember it. I'll get both on my next foray to Chinatown.

On Sunday, I went to Viks Distributors in Berkeley. The regal matriarch was not present. I stocked up on some Brooke Bond Red Label (my staple). The package says " A special select blend of 'CTC' Tea from Assam for that distinctive taste and color.

I also bought some Wagh Bakri strong CTC Leaf Tea. It has a beautiful package. It's Assam too but not as flavorful as Red Label. I picked up some Jivraj9 Tea. The beautiful young lady on the package may have swayed me. This tea is "Hygienically" packaged! Makes one think about those other teas doesn't it ? Are you drinking filthy tea? It may taste better? I don't know. I haven't opened my packet of Jivraj 9 tea yet. It does say it is "exotically' fresh. I just love the language. I can imagine such a tea drinker saying things like, "How delicious to meet you." This is also 'CTC' leaf pure Assam.

Not to be too stuck in my ways, I went a bit wild and bought some Tea India Masala Chai Tea. It was a mistake. Why mess tea up? I went with the missus. She bought a package of PG tips. Good tea, but in a bag! She's American so I have to cut her some slack.

No, I'm sure the monkeys wash before going back to work...

--Blair