Tea drinking in Bamberg

Why in the world am I in Bamberg? Oh, yeah. Research for a travel article about this small Bavarian city that’s consistently stayed in American’s favor since the end of the war. I’ve wondered about this. Why Bamberg? Why do Yankees love this little city? It’s about an hour due north of Nuremburg and Fürth on the train or by car.

Why Bamberg? I’m sure there are other reasons, but I’m going to give you the two most obvious ones. Many soldiers have been stationed here over the years. Limitless GIs. They go back to their families and tell them about where they were stationed in the Fatherland. Everyone knows Munich (due to a little beer festival in late September) and often travelers make their way to Berlin or Garmisch-Partenkirchen or many other excellent destinations, but these former soldiers want their families to see where they were stationed. So years later they go back to Bamberg.

The other reason it stays on people’s travel lists is that, like Heidelberg, it wasn’t destroyed during the war (like so many other German cities). Not at all. All the landmark buildings you see are originals.

I’m here writing about the cathedral and the history of the Catholic church in Bavaria and where the best places to eat, sleep and explore are. It was a nice day, and I’d unquestionably rather be doing this than some boring, repetitive job. Nevertheless, I’m a bit worn out.

I’ve drunk all my tea, had two shots of espresso and I’m likely to need a third before too long. And that’s when it happens…and why I’m writing about it here. I’m really starting to curse the late afternoon. It’s cold. I’m coming down relatively hard from a caffeine high, I’m dehydrated from the espressos and can’t find a bottle of water.

And that’s when I see it: Schuster’s Tee/Kaffee. An oasis in the desert. But unlike an oasis, this is NOT an illusion.

I stumble in and order a second flush Darjeeling. I mumble to myself, ‘Make it a double, barkeep.’ And she brings my tea. Three and a half minutes later, I take out the tea filter and take a big sniff. Perfect.

I make the biggest slurp I can as I take the first sip…really good.

If you’re ever in Bamberg, go to Schuster's at Au Straße 31 and do what I did. You’ll be glad you did.

What kind of music goes with tea?

Any music, right? Wrong. There are certain sorts of music that really go with a nice cup of tea. Are there any that don’t? Can you put some Metallica on the box and sip from a hot cup of Chamomile? Really?

So my question is: What kind of music goes with which kind of tea? Is classical music better with Darjeeling or Assam? Do you need to match green or Oolong with traditional jazz?

Here are my immediate thoughts on the subject. I’m sure you’ll tell me if I’m way off base here, but I think I’m onto something. First I’ll deal with Ceylon. I’ve already written about Ceylon Nuwara ‘Lover’s Leap’, and it continues to be the Ceylon I prefer. So when I have a cup of this tea, I find myself listening to 60’s and early 70’s soul/Rhythm & Blues. Otis Redding crooning while I take deep slugs of this delicious brew.

And what about Oolong? There are so many sorts, but I’ll use the Dung-Ti Oolong that I’ve written about here. It’s a smooth, hearty Oolong, so I’d say the perfect music for it is: Alt Country. Make a nice cup of Oolong and put on ‘Ohio’ by Lambchop. Or The Flatlanders. Perfect.

Darjeeling? Bach. Or Brahms. Not Beethoven. Ok, Beethoven if you must. I can’t stop thinking of the Goldberg Variations with Wanda Landowska at the harpsichord, while I have a small pot of Darjeeling Singbulli. Mmmmh…

What about Rock and Roll? What’s the right tea for AC/DC? Assam, of course. Are you kidding. I almost want to say Celestial Season’s Rolling Thunder, but I won’t plug a brand. Not here.

A body wants what a body wants

Feel ill today.

For once I'm drinking tea because my not-well body demands it for medicinal reasons.

When I was in Hamburg several weeks ago, I was talking to a shop owner, and she said that people naturally gravitate to tea when they're ill. Not just tea drinkers either.

Coffe drinkers, who'd never ever touch the stuff, will heat up the water and throw a tea-bag in. I find it really interesting that this is something that our body does naturally.

This morning, I awakened with that scratchy sensation I get in my throat when I know a cold is coming. Instead of even considering black or even green tea, my hand reached out for the Rooibus. Now, I have nothing against Rooibus. I like it even. But I only have it in the house to serve other people. And for when I'm ill. Like today.

It's a Rooibus with pieces of orange in it. And I drink it with inappropriate amounts of honey mixed in. It's the only thing that makes my throat feel better.

Hope you're still out there reading. I'll talk about *real* tea again tomorrow.

Virtual tea party

Imagine we were somehow able to have tea with each other here. What on earth would we talk about? There’s no question that we’re a motley crew. As is normal with most blogs, there are some of you who make comments and others who are loyal readers but they’d sooner declaw themselves with pliers than leave any record of having been here.

That’s ok. Am relatively sure my friend Jana still drops in now and then. She religiously read my blog called spearewinds and this tea nonsense is even more to her liking. She’s an anglophile of the highest order.

I could list the others who are lurking, but that might take a while and show the limitlessness of my imagination. Instead I’ll mention the regulars who do make noise. There’s my Canadian friend Asiatic Fox and our New Mexican amigo called Sir William of the Leaf. You likely know of them already. They’re the most regular commenters. Even when they don’t like what I’ve scrawled here, they’ll make a positive comment. I read their blogs. It’s a nice thing.

Then there’s Ice Hellion. Also consistent in the interaction department. I get the impression that Ice has a devilish sense of humour, but that might be my fantasy acting up again. And I can't leave out BobL. He's made some very astute comments about tea and tea drinkers. His participation is greatly appreciated.

Hazelblackberry and Shirley are regular readers despite the fact that neither of them is a tea drinker. That's ok. If they made the journey, I'd happily make coffee. I'm a decent host and make excellent coffee.

Alex is a tea blogger and tea expert who always has something informative to add. When I’ve been hung up on something or frustrated trying to decipher a topic, Alex has often come to the rescue. He’s got a site about rating tea and a blog as well. Check them out.

Although she’s been otherwise occupied of late, Jackie has been a regular visitor here. Her comments also have a tinge of sarcasm. It’s what I appreciate most about her visits. And how could I forget Jeffrey? He's offered invaluable tips and advice on how to keep it *real*. Thanks dude.

So, what would we talk about over a cuppa? This virtual world is fantastic for playing make believe. How would we interact with one another sitting around my front room here in Munich-Neuhausen? Would we avoid mentioning politics? I certainly hope not. Or would a few of you be wishing I was serving Bavarian beer rather than the tea? I could serve you an Augustiner if you’d prefer that. Who'd be tea mother? Who'd politely avoid commenting on the questionable quality of the biscuits I served?

I mean it. What might we talk about were you here drinking tea with me right now? Be creative.

Blend my tea, baby-Blend it

My opinion of blends isn't so good, but I think I need to reconsider. I only want to drink tea from this or that plantation. 'Where is this Darjeeling from?', I ask myself or whoever's serving it. I avoid non-descript black tea blends. That's a bit idiotic, don't you think? Not all blends are bad.

Here's why I'm talking about this: I have excess tea that I don't know what to do with. Drink it, you say? Well, duh. But it's not to my liking anymore. Or it never was. For example, I have a hundred grams of something called Assam Greenwood. It's not my taste. It's too tannic. I know that's supposed to be healthy (the same stuff that makes red wine good for you), but this tea is somehow displeasing.

So, I've started mixing it with what the Germans call 'China' tea. It mellows out the harshness of the Assam. This is likely where most blends are born. I've talked to quite a few tea shop owners about this. Most shops have their own line of blends. Called things like 'Breakfast blend' or 'Friesland blend'. They've learned that this or that mix of black tea is pleasing to their customer.

Tea shop owners must rue the day when they see me coming. A million questions always at the ready for them. Normally, they're only waiting for me to leave so they can go back to whatever they were reading before I came in.

Am still working on my list of tasting terms. Quite a few people here on the blog and in 'real' life have told me it's a good idea. Very practical. Coming soon, ok?

A couple of greens

Recently Sir William o.t.L. mentioned that he'd like to read more tea tastings/tea notes from me. I aim to please, so this evening I prepared two very different green teas to review here.

One I bad mouthed a long time ago. In the comments to that post, someone recommended I try other Yunnan teas and I'm really glad I did. This one is simply called China Yunnan, which is so vague I almost don't want to review it. Both of these teas I got from Claus Kröger in Hamburg. The other one is much different, and has character that this specific Yunnan could only hope for. It's a Sencha called China Dong-Bai. The Sencha is not a light, soft green tea. Not by a long shot.

I have to say that since that bad experience with one questionable Yunnan, I've tried several and was pleasantly surprised. Have come to understand that Yunnan greens can be very very good, and I just picked a lemon at the outset. It happens. This one I'm drinking tonight is mild, but that's not always a bad thing. It'd be perfect if I'd just had something stronger and wanted a break.

The Sencha, on the other hand, is fantastic. Not a tea for people who're trying to ease into green tea. Very strong and earthy taste. Now, one of the Japanese teas I like most is also a Sencha, but this only tastes remotely like that one. The Japanese is called Schattentee (Shadow Tea) and is very smooth and almost hesitant. This Dong-Bai is the exact opposite. There's something smoky about it. Something so much like Lapsang Souchong. I know that's a black tea and this is green. Nevertheless, the smokiness ties them together in my mind.

So many green teas are called grassy. I guess that's how I'd describe the Yunnan. A bit like the taste of grass. But the Sencha is in no way grassy.

When I first started this blog, I focused on the different kinds of black teas at first. I knew more about them and had more connections to India, so it was a logical decision. The thing was that I was and am very curious about China and Japan and wanted to dig deeper into their teas. I knew even then that the more I got into green tea, the more obsessed I'd be.

Well that's exactly what's happened. I read more about the specific greens and whites, and all I want to do is go there and see where this tea is grown. There was a video blog last summer from Kevin Rose and some of his friends travelling across China drinking tea and eating bar-b-que out of the back of a portable grill pulled behind the guy's bicycle. As I watched the footage, all I could think of was, 'I wish that was me. I wish I was hoofing it across China, looking at tea plantations and interacting with the people.'

Not too late. I could be taking just such a trip later this year. We'll see.

Tea Tasting Terms

Jeff gave me a great idea, and I'm pondering how to present it.

Here's what he said and what I'm thinking:

Why do wine drinkers have such easy, accessible terms to describe the way wine tastes but tea terms are often so indecipherable? 'What the hell does "tannic" mean?', were his exact words.

I have noticed my vocabulary for tea tasting is limited, and I want to develop it. I don't want to just do one or two blogposts about this and forget it. Instead, my plan is to put something permanent on the side of the main page of the blog. So that when people are looking at the other blogs I follow or my twitter feed, they'll also see a list of common tea tasting terms/phrases.

Sounds useful, eh? I think so.

Stay tuned amigos. And have a great May Day weekend. Drink better tea. Much better tea. You'll be glad you did.