I started this teablog lark in January of this year, but the truth is that I deliberated about doing it for nearly nine months. When I finally decided to stick my neck out, it was after looking at other blogs and sites that were out there. It was disheartening at first.
I wanted to be knowledgeable, but there were people out there who knew so much more than me. As a matter f fact, some people said that my lack of expertise could be used to my advantage. That my readers would increase their knowledge of tea while I did. That's sort of how it happens here, incidentally.
I wanted to make a beautiful site, but I’m neither a web designer nor a graphic designer. I’m limited in how much I can pretty it up visually. Really limited.
My focus has tended to be on my writing. I get a lot of compliments on my writing, but I assure you I don’t believe any of them. To be candid, I wouldn’t put myself out there if I didn’t think I had a voice. But I almost feel as if I’ve been becoming a writer for so long. I hope I never arrive.
The tea reviews here are nothing special. I know that. It’s not what I’m best at. It’s ok. I do want to talk about a green tea I’ve been drinking, because I’m almost out of it and I’m not sure when/if I’ll get it again. Have mentioned it in passing once while reviewing a string of greens, but never given it its due.
China Sencha Dong-Bai
From Claus Kröger (in Hamburg)
Here’s how he described it:
Der Tee zeichnet sich durch ein langes , dunkel grünes Blatt aus, sehr milder & bekömmlicher Grüntee.
This is not the nicest tasting green. Actually, it’s got that bitterness that makes some
not like green tea so much. Definitely ‘grassy’ and not bad if you like strong green teas, but this was only the first infusion. We’ll see how the tea improves in the second and even third infusions.
As expected, the second infusion was far superior. This is a much nicer tea than I first noticed. Might be getting more of it soon enough, after all. It’s no longer at all bitter. There’s more of the nice green tea taste now and I’m pretty sure that this tea’s taste will mellow as it cools.
This is something I’ve learned about green tea thanks to Sir William and Asiatic Fox. I used to make green tea once and pitch the tea immediately afterwards. I wasn’t knowingly wasting tea. I didn’t know.
These days, I really infuse green or Oolong every single time. It’s rarely better on the first infusion. Tea almost always improves the second or third time around. Not true with black tea unfortunately, but you can’t have everything, can you?
From what I understood from the review in Deutch, you don't have the same description.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Ice. I should've made that clearer. He makes it sound like a smooth, light green tea. It's not the strongest green I've had, but it's not that light either.
ReplyDeleteGreat, I am improving my German :D
ReplyDeleteThere are only a few blacks that can be infused more than once if brewing gong fu style.
ReplyDeleteGolden needles is one of those few teas. I think you would enjoy this tea!
Keep on the lookout for it.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/golden-needle-organic-fair-trade-black-tea.html
THE SECOND INFUSION IS ALWAYS AWESOME. 8D
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Sencha, I've found huge differences in how long the tea lasts. Cheap sencha is often done after one infusion. But the best sencha I often just keep brewing over and over again and I typically get tired of drinking sencha before the leaves run out of flavor.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed any pattern in quality, comparing Sencha grown in Japan to that grown in China or other countries? The Chinese stuff is often cheaper...does the quality always lag behind too or can it be just as good?