Wednesday 22 January 2014

Nine Teas






9 Teas





Fortune Cookie

在溝通中最重要的是要聽聽是不是這樣說。

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.






Welcome to readers from Finland and the United Arab Emirates


I thought of the happiness drinking tea has brought me lately and it surprised me.



At the shambolic surface of my desk I decided to do an inventory on the teas I had in my tea chest and cupboard.

This is what I found.

In the garage I have a good Sencha, a Genmaicha, three flowering tea balls and another tea I can't remember what. I drank all the Rose Congou and Chun Mee while I was travelling through Indochina last year.

I am just in the process of finishing a batch of Sencha Sakura, and a tiny 50g box of Happy Valley Darjeeling.



That leaves nine teas. Five are Chinese, two Vietnamese, one Japanese and one of indeterminate origin.



Taiwanese Oolong                        Gunpowder tea (Zheijiang province)      Earl Grey Blue Royal



Fujian oolong. I must be perverse because I can never entirely get along with oolong. Woody and smokey more than a little is too much for me. Two cups works fine.



Gunpowder tea from Zheijang

Deep and rich this is smooth and strident green tea using whole leaves.




If you like travel with your tea visit Singing Birds sister site GuerillaZ travel at:








Earl Grey Tea (black tea said to come from China with added oil from the bergamot green orange from Italy). Whether the present day leaves still come from China is moot. Think Kenya, Uganda, India.

The taste is sweet, subtle but the fragrance always fades after three or more weeks. Drink quickly.



Bac Thai (yellow tea)                              Hojicha                          Vietnamese Lotus Tea




                  Bac Thai from Thai Nguyen



It's a nice tea with a rich liquorice smell. The black leaves produce a lemon yellow tea. 





Bac Thai steeped. A rather beautiful thing. 




Hojicha (Japanese roasted tea)


A tea easy on the eye. spiky roasted tea which is rich and nutty. Wonderful on the nose but very mild on the palate. A tea to generate smiles. Made from low grade tea known as Bancha.




Lotus tea (tra sen) from Lamdong


A super tea with floral notes. A subtle tea that carries a bouquet that inspires happy feelings. The smoothest tea I have had in the last 12 months.



                 ? Mystery Tea ?           Yunnan Green Tea            Russian Caravan Tea                




Unknown Tea Leaves



Unknown tea steeped: the aroma is faintly of lemon with a malt undertone. It is a mild black tea. 

I have no idea what this tea is or even where I got it from. It may have been a gift from a year ago when someone bought me six teas.

One day I will discover what this tea is.




Yunnanese Black Tea

Mild and lightly smoky.






Russian Caravan Tea

Russian caravan tea is a blend of oolong, keemun and lapsang souchong.

This tea is not easily found. It is malty and a big favourite at the Cardews Tea Emporium in Oxford. I can see why. A comforting blend.



Happy Tea Drinking!


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