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Sunday, 10 October 2010

The tea that got me through

So it's been a long trip for a tea drinker in a coffee drinking culture. Have had my share of Greek coffee with the grounds sifting to the bottom. If you want to be a tea snob on this tiny little island in the Aegean, you have to bring your own. And I did.

Have already written about the teas I discovered in Athens, but there are a few mainstays in my tea chest that got me through.

If I wasn't drinking the new Grand Yunnan first thing in the morning, I was happily guzzling either Assam Khongea or Ceylon Nuwara. Here's the roof terrace where I'd try to have a cuppa before the heat of the day was so strong.


















That took me through to early afternoon where I often switched to either Darjeeling Singbulli or a variety of Oolongs that I'm a bit obsessed with right now. The Formosa Oolong was a fall back if I couldn't decide on another, but often I was dipping into the ones I've been talking about here lately. Especially the Bao Zhong Imperial. I get thirsty just thinking about this tea. And after four, or even five, steepings of the Oolong, I'd move onto some green. More on that later. Off to the airport on a tiny propeller plane to Athens. Then home to Munich.






The above-mentioned transition from Oolong to green often happened while I was watching the sunset from the roof terrace. Nice, eh?
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4 comments:

  1. Gingko10 October 2010 at 08:16

    I have been jealous about the picture you posted on top right of your blog! Look at the blue sky and white castle! If I could have a vacation there, I am willing to settle with coffee for a few weeks! :D

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  2. Xavier10 October 2010 at 09:12

    Cool pictures.
    I just have a question: how did you ever decide to take this tea or that one at a peculiar time of the day?

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  3. Unknown10 October 2010 at 14:24

    Gingko, it's funny you say that. There's a time for coffee. But as I sat swilling the stuff, I wondered if talking about it here would interfere with my tea snob street cred.

    Ice, I think that the answer to your question is a great idea for another blog post. But I will say that I typically start with strong black teas and move my way lighter as the day progresses. I might drink an earthy, powerful green tea in the afternoon but rarely late in the evening. More on that soon.

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  4. Alex Zorach11 October 2010 at 11:19

    Ceylon from Nuwara Eliya has so far been the only Ceylon region that I've consistently liked...the other regions have been hit-or-miss for me, and more often misses. But I do love trying teas from different regions, even if they don't end up being favorites...it's fascinating how different they can taste.

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