tea that needs no marketing

Blending teas isn't some sort of alchemy or anything. Blending is a nice name for mixing. Calling it blending might be good for marketing, but it's really quite simple.

It seems most tea people I know are fanatic about green and Oolong teas. They might drink black tea occasionally, but some have admitted to me in confidence that they really don't like black tea. I'm the opposite. I like green tea as well as black, but certainly not more.

I've mentioned this before, but this seems to be the obstacle to enjoying a good Assam for most people: the tannins. That musky, tart taste you get all the way down your throat when you drink it (but especially on the backside of your tongue) is what makes Assam unappetising for so many. But that's easy enough to deal with. You simply mix a tea with a high tannin content with one that is milder. Problem solved, yeah? Not quite.

Some others like (dare I say love) that tart slightly bitter taste. The objective for me when I blend these teas is to keep a bit of the bite but to temper it enough that a non-Assam drinker can enjoy it. That's where the milder Assams come in.

Before I get wrapped up in China blacks and Ceylons, I try to stay at least near the Assam family. Lately I've been using an Indonesian tea that is strong like an Assam but not malty. It blends beautifully to temper the natural qualities of a strong Assam.

When you're buying loose-leaf Assam, this is what you should look for. It's all about the colour of the tips of the leaves. Unlike many good Ceylons, which can be dark dark brown and have no other shades or colours, the Assams I like have light yellow or even red tips. I've had good ones that didn't-that were only deep dark brown. But that seems the exception rather than the rule.

Right now, I'm using Assam Khongea a lot to soften my stronger Assams. Hajua is good for this, too. Please, if you don't like malty, strong teas, don't spend too long here in this neighbourhood. Ceylons or Darjeelings are probably more your style.

Tempering my Assam

Here's a tea review for you. Sort of. It's an anti-tea review, actually. And then a traditional review. Or as traditional as I'm capable of. I've already written a bit about Assam Greenwood. It's not a bad tea, but it's not to my taste. The best way to describe it is that it's too bitter for me. Now some say all black tea is bitter. Or that it depends upon steeping time. Or that it really depends upon which specific black tea you're talking about. All of these things are true. Certainly some black teas are less bitter, and the more developed your tongue, the better you can differentiate the amount of bitterness.

But what is the bitterness? It comes from the tea tannins. It's not tannic acid. It has nothing at all to do with that. The chemical compound is one of the things which makes tea so healthy. There are many other chemicals involved, some of which we know about. Many we don't. But many black teas are loaded with these bitter tasting tannins. Herein lies the problem. I like the Assam Greenwood, but it's too bitter. There's something about it that's just a bit too much.

A blend recipe

So now I'm going to describe the simplest of blends. Some of you seem interested in this, so I'll tell you what I'm doing. If you can't get these exact teas, try this with an Assam that has a lot of tannins. Ask your tea-seller which one. Then take another Assam that's definitely not so bitter. The ones I've been using most are Assam Hajua and Assam Khongea. The Hajua is stronger, and although it tempers the tannins quite nicely, this is not a light tea. Not by a long shot. But when you mix these two teas (1 part Greenwood plus 1 part Hajua/Khongea), it takes away some of the bitterness. Not all of it, but certainly the lion's share.

Like I said, you needn't try and get these exact teas from these exact plantations. Just because you find a tea online or in a shop that comes from Khongea, definitely does not mean that you and I are drinking the same tea. Two teas from the same plantation can have incredibly different qualities. It depends upon what season, as well as what year. And not all the plants are identical. Both your Khongea and mine will have the characteristics of what I'm describing, but they'll never be identical.

Assam Khongea

For an Assam, this is a surprisingly subtle tea. Like most, if not all, Assams, this has a taste of malt. No matter how smoothly in goes down, there will always be a bit of earthiness in an Assam. This one is typical on both counts: smooth and malty. It's certainly worth trying. I had multiple pots of straight Khongea today. Still prefer that to any Greenwood or highly tannic blend I've tried.

Would love some feedback on this. Try blending a few black teas. Whether the ones I've mentioned or the ones you already have in your pantry. Let me know.

What sort of tea goes with miserable football?

Vorher

Somehow I was able to sneak a thermos into the stadium a few weeks ago. Because it worked so much better than expected, I plan to see how much I can manage again tomorrow. A picnic? Actual bone china teacups? Will do what I can, take photos and report on the results.

It's the last match of the season. Am going with a crowd of rough trouble-makers. The last thing they're thinking about is tea. With these animals, I'm always a bit nervous they'll get angry at the officiating and go out onto the pitch. If they do, they'll be going without me.

Can't you just see it? My hooligan friends completely without regard for human decency scurrying over the barricades to attack the opposing players or photographer or the guy dressed as a Disney character...all the while, I'll be sitting calmly sipping my tea. Happy that I know better than to try and provoke the German police.

Am sure some of you are saying, 'What does football have to do with tea?'

Well, it does. Why does football have to be associated with beer? I know it's the most logical fit, but still. Bowling makes me think of White Russians. And Bourbon goes with the Kentucky Derby (for obvious reasons). Cricket is much more associated with tea, but I'm no cricket fan.

So while everyone else in the stadium is enjoying malted hops, I'll be clandestinely sipping my tea. What would you suggest I brew for the big event?

A little backstory: it's one of the worst teams in the second division of German football (Zweite Bundesliga) and no lead is ever safe. Watched them leading 3-0 going into the 80th minute against Wiesbaden a few years ago, and they blew it. The game finished 3-3.

What tea goes with a miserable football side? Am sure some of you support a terrible team and you can help me out. Red Dave need not answer. And you FC Bayern fans can enjoy your title(s) and please be quiet about it. Enough already.

You have about 12 hours to influence my tea choice.

Nachher

Well, my prediction was totally off. We won. Handily. Was unbelievable. I screamed so much that I have no voice left. Am glad I had both tea in the stadium and another thermos in the car for the drive home. During the match, I drank a blend of Assam Hajua and Assam Greenwood.

Afterward, I had a Japan Sencha Fudjithat helped soothe my throat.

Drink better tea

We've had several days of beautiful, almost perfect weather, and I was beginning to get accustomed to it. Today is overcast and the rain stops and starts. A bit like Hamburg. I love it.

I find that this is thinking weather. Far superior to clear, blue skies. When the sun is out and it's warm enough to lay in the grass while the dogs scamper round me, it's not particularly likely that I'll get philosophical. Quite the oposite will happen.

My brain empties and I find myself really entering into some sort of odd half zen/half stupid state. It's not a bad thing, but it's not necessarily good for productivity. Today I've already written for a few hours and had a doctor's appointment. Now I'm on my way to my first meeting of the day. I always walk into such Monday morning appointments with a spring in step. This is the advantage to doing something you really like.

Don't tell my clients how much I love my job. They'd never pay me to do it. I'm sure of it.

What tea am I drinking these days, you ask? Quite a lot of Darjeeling. Even have a Darjeeling Oolong that I found in Hamburg (have written about it here before) and it's been a nice mid-morning follow-up to my initial pot of Assam. Still brew the Assam Hajua that I love so much most mornings. Love the dark, bitter taste of Assam Hajua first thing. After that I drink something a bit lighter.

And thanks to something Asiatic Fox and Sir William of the Leaf have been chatting about. I've been infusing white, green and Oolong teas twice and sometimes three times. The tea lasts longer, tastes fantastic and I'm really enjoying figuring out how long the various teas should steep and at what temperature to make them stretch out optimally.

For those of you who still bristle at my fiction, please be tolerant. I had a blast yesterday with my little #teahobo. He's certainly not based on anyone I know, but he does reminds me of so many old men I've been acquainted with over the years. Let me know if it's still confusing when I write prose here. Hope once a week or twice a month I can still do that without alienating my scores of loyal readers.

Have a great Monday and drink better tea. You'll be glad you did.

Navel gazing

Am finishing off a kilo of Assam Hajua. Sounds like I’m a drug addict, eh? I guess I am. Of sorts.

Tonight I had my birthday party and of the forty or more guests, six brought me some sort of tea. Not bad, eh? I was thrilled. And just like at other social events in the last several months, people wanted to talk with me about tea. What kind they should drink, why green tea was difficult to get used to, whether glass or china teapots are better…you understand.

This is exactly why I wanted to do this blog. Exactly.

To learn more about tea is a plus. No doubt. But I could’ve done that on my own without advertising to the bloggosphere that I was doing so. I could easily have read a book about tea, frequented tea shoppes or found a tea mentor. None of those things demanded my doing this blog lark.

The blog allows me to do several things. My friend J thinks all blogs are a bit of self-congratulatory navel gazing. Yeah? So? Have you seen my navel? Honestly?

My navel is something to be documented.

I can get others into tea the way I got into it. I still have a cup of coffee periodically, but for the most part I’ve made the switch. I believe I’m healthier as a result. No empirical proof of that, but I'm not nearly as stressed and am better able to handle the emotional fluctuations of my day. I attribute that entirely to my increased tea consumption. There’s no other change in my life that I can point to. None.

If anything my life has become more overwhelming in the last several months. I’ve left one client and been asked to leave by another one. Have made huge decisions about moving house and continue to drink more tea and breathe more deeply. Did I mention my undeniably intriguing navel?

If you still drink a lot of coffee and don’t have any adverse health problems as a result, keep doing so. If you’re in no way interested in tea but just come here for the gripping social commentary, I can tell you about some much better blogs/sites. But if you’re even remotely similar to me and want to know more about tea and its history, then keep reading, commenting and questioning. You’re certainly welcome to do all three.

Sorting out black tea

Eventually, I’m going to meander over to white, green and oolong teas. Eventually. There’s so much to talk about with black tea. Colonialism is one of the topics I’ve only scratched the surface of. Before I get to green tea and China (and Opium Wars), I’d rather delve deeper into black tea and India. I’m intrigued by both, but know a bit more about the latter. And have more knowledge of Assams, Ceylons and Darjeelings. To you green tea lovers, be patient. I’ll get to China eventually. Maybe. India is just too vibrant and intoxicating.

Today, I’m drinking Assam Hajua. Another tea that’s recommended to be drunk with milk. It’s a good tip. Without milk, the tea’s still tasty. But nicer with milk and maybe a lump or two. Water should be, as always with black teas, boiling hot (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and steeping time 4 minutes or so (less than I normally steep black tea).

Located a map of the Hajua region in the internet and it’s at the foot of the mountains on the border with Bhutan (north of both Meghalaya and Manipur). Excellent Assams can be grown at very low altitudes, but it looks like this Huajua region is a bit higher.