Teas from India Class #1 - Darjeeling Tea

December has been a very busy month so this is a bit on the late side but here goes...

My first class on teas from India focused on Darjeeling Tea. We had the opportunity to sample many different kinds. Many of the Darjeeling teas originated from the Camellia Sinensis (China var.) Sinensis plant and flourished in the mountains of the Darjeeling region when it was first planted there. Darjeeling tea is known as the champagne of tea, it has a light amber colour to it, the liquid is clear and thin-bodied and is known for a very nice muscatel (musky/spiciness) taste. Sometimes it can remind one of oolong tea. This is quite interesting as Darjeeling tea is normally classified as a black tea but looking at some varieties and the leaves, the amount of oxidation suggest it may be more of an oolong.

After tasting them in class, I found this statement to be quite true. One of the teas, a Tangpana Darjeeling FTGFOP1, in-between (monsoon) flush reminded me of a medium oxidized oolong from Taiwan.

I finally made my way to the Tea Emporium to purchase some Darjeeling tea. This is my first

time (ever!) purchasing Darjeeling tea! I ended up with 2 Darjeeling teas and 1 tea from Nepal (to be tasted at a later date).

Tasting Notes:

(Just to note, this won't be done with standard cupping techniques so I have varied the time of steep)

1st Tea: Makaibari Clonal Tips Darjeeling Organic 1st Flush tea

Dry Leaves: many white haired buds, some rolled green leaves, leaves appear to be broken or cut. Steeping time: 4 mins @ about 100 degrees Celsius. Not sure if this was too long but next time I will try 3 mins.

After Infusion: Leaves: light brown and green leaves, broken leaves. Aroma was light and flowery.

Liquid: Appearance: not a strong aroma, light amber. Taste: tasted a bit green, light bodied. Slightly sweet taste. The package describes a "buttery" taste. I'm not sure if I tasted it. I think I need more practice on identifying this "buttery" taste. This was a first flush Makaibari Darjeeling. In class we tasted a 2nd flush Makaibari Darjeeling TGFOP1 and I found the 1st flush Makaibari had less of the sweetness at the back of the throat than the 2nd flush. Did I steep it too long? But I think this characteristic found more in 2nd flush Darjeelings? Back to some more reading.

2nd Tea: Phuguri Darjeeling SFTGFOP1

Dry Leaves: Dark green tightly rolled leaves and buds. Buds have light hairs on them but not as prominent as the Makaibari.
Steep time: 3 mins.
After steeping Leaves: Cut/broken green/brown leaves. Aroma is greener than the Makaibari, maybe something like cooked asparagus?




















After steeping Liquid: amber, light. Taste: a bit bitter at first but subsides, there is a flowery taste to this tea. It definitely tastes more like green tea than black. Maybe I will try a lower water temperature next time. After tasting these 2 Darjeeling teas, I definitely want to try them again but maybe altering the water temperature and steep time. Hopefully I'll be able to taste more of the flavour notes and provide a better review next time.

Readings: Tea - The Drink That Changed the World

I recently finished reading this book titled "Tea the Drink that Changed the World" by Laura C. Martin. I haven't read many books on tea or the history of tea so I thought this was a good summary.

Some interesting sections included:

• How tea spread to different parts Asian and the world in conjunction with the spread of Buddhism.
• 3 phases of tea: brick, whipped, steeped. It was interesting to note that whipping powdered tea (such as Matcha) actually started in China.
• The influence of tea on social exchanges, ceramics, and other cultivated crops. One effect of the rising popularity of tea that really struck me was that for a period of time famine resulted in China. April was harvesting time for tea but this was also the time rice was to be planted. Thus, the farmers were required to harvest the tea and rice production declined.
• The opium wars and the effect on China. One interesting quote noted by Martin (on p153-4) was from the British Quarterly Magazine in 1836 by John Barrow "It is a curious circumstance that we grow poppy in our Indian territories to poison the people of China in return for a wholesome beverage which they prepare almost exclusively for us."
• History of tea cultivation in India and the horrible working conditions in the early 1800s.
  
• Innovations in tea production and the introduction of the tea bag.
• And the mention of a tea from China called "Pei Hou" that is supposed to be a legendary green tea grown in a tea garden that requires a 5 hour trek.
  

I did a quick search and found that this garden is called "Tian Mu" and is located in Zhejiang province. From Hangzhou, there is a 5hr bus/car ride and then a 5 hr trek by foot. (As written by Karel Thieme in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, March 1, 1992.) The tea is supposed to be of very high quality and is only plucked at springtime. It must be amazing to visit and taste these rare teas from these tea gardens that are so hidden away!

Whole Leaf Tea Bags: Green Tea Passion

A few weeks ago I went to Orlando, Florida for a conference. In between sessions, there were coffee, tea, and snacks available. The teas offered were whole leaf tea bags from "Mighty Leaf Tea". I happened to snag a few to take home so I could cut open the tea bag and take some pictures of the tea leaves. The packaging was very generic as you can see from the pictures, but the pouch that held the tea leaves was nice. According to the company, the tea pouches are made of polylactic corn that is GMO-free and biodegradable.

I realized I had some Mightly Leaf Tea bags at home afterwards, not sure where I picked them up from but they were a lot nicer in terms of packaging...maybe it was at a spa. Anyway, it's the tea that should be important, right? (But, nice packaging always catches my eye.)

Nicer designed packaging...not sure how old these are though? -- will try next time.

Tonight I decided to try the "Green Tea Passion" tea. Although some consider tea bags to be inferior to loose leaf teas, some tea bags can still produce a nice cup of tea, are convenient, contain the appropriate portion, and are individually packaged/sealed - so tea bags are a staple in my cupboard too. Once you rip it open, the smell of tropical fruits is quite strong. Observations:

• Dry leaves: cut or broken green leaves, with stems, it also appears there may be some dried flowers mixed in but very little

• Liquid colour: yellow


• Liquid aroma: fruity (as it is a blended tea)


• Liquid flavour: mild, fruity, citrus flavours, taste of the green tea is very light - but as it cooled down i could taste more of the green tea however still mild

• Leaves after: looking at the leaves after, the leaves are cut, not all the same size, green in colour

Overall, I think this tea bag is good in terms of flavour. The fruity fragrance of the tea was also good and lingered.

Tea Tidbid: Introduction Class #2

Japanese green teas are distinctively green due to the "moist" heat (i.e. steam) they use when "killing the green" or inactivating polyphenol oxidase to prevent oxidation as compared to Chinese green teas which use "dry" heat.

What's in My Cupboard: Classification Try #1

I have collected many tea leaves over the past 5 years, most from China or Taiwan. Some I have purchased myself and some were gifts. I don't like to admit this, but some of the teas I have I'm not really sure what variety of tea they are, so I thought it would be good to take them out and practice classifying the teas. In class #2, we talked about classifying the teas by tea leaf and by tea liquor.

My first tea I'll attempt to classify is one I purchased in Taipei in Maokong (貓空) which is in the Wenshan area (文山區). This area is well known for it's tea production and quite beautiful at night as there are many tea houses that light up at night. You can also get a good view of Taipei city from this area as this area is situated on the mountainside.

We went one night in December, it was cold and not many people were around. This was the second tea house that we visited but I don't recall the name. Here are some pictures of the place, it might be recognizable to some that have had the opportunity to have tea in this area.


At the tea house, you have to buy a small tin of tea that you steep or prepare the tea yourself. Unfortunately, the tea did not come with a label and I did not write it down at the time. So, I have this tea that I really don't know what it is except that it is from the Maokong region of Taiwan.


Preparation:
Wt = 2 grams
Water = 150ml infused in a small glass teapot
Temperature = unknown except as I didn't have a thermometer and I don't have a water heater that keeps the water at a specified temperature. I let the water cool for a couple of minutes. I really should buy a thermometer.
Steeping time = 3 minutes (this may have been too long)

Observations:

Observations:

• Dry leaves: dark green long twisted leaves with some light edges/stems, unfortunately my picture didn't come out that great
• Liquid colour: yellow, but had a hint of green when I first poured it (with a shorter infusion time, it may be a light yellow)
• Infused leaves: large green leaves with brownish edges on some leaves, single leaves, didn't appear to have any buds
• Aroma of infused leaves: ?? unfortunately I was not able to describe but fragrant
• Aroma of liquid: mild
• Taste of liquid: vegetative but mellow, became nicer as it cooled slightly
  

Verdict: Lightly oxidized oolong tea.
I suspect it may be Baozhong tea (包种茶) as Taiwan and the Maokong area is popular for this tea (and after doing a few searches after my tasting). At first I thought it might be a green tea but the leaves after infusion look like it was slightly oxidized and the leaves are quite big with no buds. Hopefully I'm right...

Tea Introduction Class #1

My first tea class introduced some basic information about tea ("Camellia Sinensis" is the tea plant genus) such as the definition of tea, history, health benefits, cultivation and production. The production of tea is one of the differentiating factors between tea varieties and is quite interesting (which I'll write about at another time) but I think what equally interested me was the brief discussion about L-theanine, an amino acid in tea.

L-theanine or theanine is almost uniquely found in the leaves of the tea plant. It is believed to contribute to the taste of tea and to provide a calming effect. It has also been proposed that theanine in combination with caffeine results in improving cognitive performance and alertness (E.g. See study from Nutr Neurosci.2008 Aug;11(4):193-8.). The research is quite interesting as there are a few other studies and reviews that support this belief. If this research was utilized to promote tea consumption, could tea be the new mid morning, after lunch, or 3pm break beverage of choice to improve performance and efficiency? Maybe good quality tea should be available to workers alongside coffee.

Tea Tidbit: From Introduction Class #1

1 kg of tea makes about 440 cups of tea, while 1 kg of coffee makes 88 cups of coffee; that's about 5x the amount.

Introduction

Ah, tea...one of the few things I get extremely excited about. One day I found myself reading about becoming a Tea Sommelier through courses at George Brown College and started to ask myself, how much do I really know about tea? I was familiar with some varieties of tea and the health benefits, but I quickly realized I knew very, very little. So, I enrolled in September 2010 and thus begins my exploration into tea, tea culture, and tea science. And, what better way to learn, share, and chronicle my journey through the Tea Sommelier courses than to start a blog?!