Is keemun being forgotten?

Hello.

I am in South Europe, and I really like Chinese black tea.

I am drinking in this period Chingwoo, Keemun, and a Special Gold Yunnan.

Richard, I can imagine how it feels when you are harvesting from the best available stock, and are yet looked down upon with skepticism. It is a well known fact that the initial efforts to establish Tea Plantations in India was by planting Plants imported from China. The effort failed miserably. Then came Cammelia Assamica, and the rest is history. This is the story of the "Black" CTC and some "Orthodox" teas made in most of the plains of Eastern India. These teas can take on milk very well, are robust in body and strong in taste. Ceylon too has most of its plantation in the plains planted with variants of Cammelia Assamica .. please correct me if I am wrong. But Darjeeling is a different story altogether. The Chinese plants (Keemuns) thrived here, and the different geography gave it its own "muscatel" flavour. So, its Gods own little factory injecting different flavours into the the same species.

Tea Cheers! Jayesh S Pandya.

Stop shillin what youre sellin. While Im here in the West black teas are usually drank with cream and sugar. So the cheap stuff is just as good as the expensive. If you are drinking a British tea which says blended with China tea its Keemun. I think Keemun has the prettiest red infusion of any black tea.

Jim

I am so glad to hear you said that. I'd like to talk with you about Chingwo. It seems to be a type of tea more popular abroad than at home. I only knew that Chingwo is a kind of black tea produced in Fujian province,China. Can you tell me something more about it?and from where you usually buy it?

RE: Jayesh S Pandya. Thank you for your understanding and sharing your knowledge with us. Are you sure that Darjeeling began with tea plant imported from keemun? It is hard to believe it.Keemun is small-leaf cultiver called Zhu-Ye-Zhong. I don't think Darjeeling is the same Anyway,I am not so clear about it.

You don't have the gift to be the tea connoisseurs but pls don't think the others are all same as you. You are not the world!!

I'm from the U.S., and I think people are more familiar with cheap non- Chinese teas here. Chinese black teas taste very different from most mass-market black tea that people use and probably grew up using. I definitely prefer Chinese black tea, but when I drink it it usually has to be made by me from tea ordered off the Internet. Restaurants don't sell it in general. When at a restaurant, ordering "tea" usually means some cheap black mix tea or some herbal tisane (or a combination of the two that is heavily focused on the herbs and not the tea in terms of flavor). Even many places that sell tea sell very limited types of tea--their attempt to vary flavor may be solely aimed at adding orange peels or mint or other plant matter to black tea mixes. So the problem may just be that people have different expectations about what tea should taste like and what people will respond to.

Alternatively, there may also be a perception that China largely drinks green tea and is only recently involved in the development of black teas for export because it is trying to get a stake in the western tea market. As wrong as that may be, it could be another hurdle to cross.

In general, people resist change and look for excuses to avoid trying something new or liking something new. Chinese black tea may be new for many in the west.

Chingwo is also known as Zhenghe.

/Lew

I am familiar with Zhenghe which I think probably has been forgotten by most young chinese. Zhenghe is considered to be among the top three congou black teas produced in Fujian,China.

Now I always wonder how mang old famous chinese teas have been forgotten and abandoned by us.

Thank you for sharing your views. From what you said, I got to know how the misunderstanding is huge and unimaginable such as the perception that China recently involved in the development of black teas for export because it is trying to get a stake in the western tea market.

Wow, Mark Shuttleworth! How is Ubuntu these days? And yes, none of us have the gift to be the tea connoisseurs here, we have been waiting anxiously for one to come along and help us all! Should I use water? Is one leaf enough for a pot? I put my teapot in the microwave but it just sparks and I never get good tea from it. Plz hlp!

Thanks!

What is Ubuntu? Pls tell me.

For a pot,you commonly need at least 5g tea leaves. Depending on whether or not you like strong flavor,the amount can vary. Your should not put your pot directly into microwave. Generally, you just need use microwave to boil water and then add the water onto your tea leaves. To get a good cup of tea,you should control the temperature of water. For green tea, you'd better let the water temperature drop below 90'c then use it to brew your tea.

Il Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:39:03 -0700, viconyteas ha scritto:

Hello. I got it in a shop in a little city in North Italy. I am trying to taste different teas and this one was unknown to me. Got some and liked it.

Did some reasearch on web, They say it was the tea drinken during Long March.

Il Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:22:18 -0700, Space Cowboy ha scritto:

In Italy it is rare to see cream or milk in teas. Sometimes lemon, often sugar.

Il Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:26:40 -0700, cha bing ha scritto:

I have to confirm it is the same here. However now you can find good shops and some people begins to appreciate. I live in a little 20.000 people city and we have two nice places to buy and drink teas from all over the world.

My girlfriend once told me: why are you buying so much tea, all teas are the same.

I prepared a Lung Ching and now she drinks only Dragon Well!!!

The story of your girl friend is so interesting. Dragon Well is commonly to be seen as No 1of chinese top ten famous teas. But due to its celebrity status,falsification is widespread. You can see Dragon Well of US$1500/kg in chinese market,also there is one of US $20/kg. there is a picture of dragon well in our website

Everybody says they sell authentic Long Jing tea and everything else is a sham. I know one Chinese guy who says everything is a scam and he specifically goes back back to the area and buys from somebody who has been producing for generations. Commercial advertising is not permitted in this group. Learn something about USENET, read the NG charter, and the sentiment of the people who post here.

Jim

What _is_ the tea generically sold as "panyong congou" here? I have occasionally had marvelous teas under that name and also some pretty undistinguished ones as well.

--scott

I think he or she may have been trying to get a better price from you by downplaying the quality of your product. I have enjoyed many chinese black teas including the ones you mention. When you get down to it quality is equal parts growing area, care in harvesting and processing, and agricultural luck.

panyong congou is a type of congou black tea produced in Fujian province, China which along with zhenghe and bailin are considered to be the three congou black tea of Fujian.