http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/index/ en alnedra.mofi@gmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-20T09:09:13+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/late_night_tea/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/late_night_tea/#When:12:49:31Z After attending a concert the other night at the Esplanade, my friend and I tried to avoid the post-concert rush by sitting down for tea somewhere. We came across the Cookie Museum, but were told that there were no more tables available at the rather small shop. Disappointed, we queued at a shop opposite, but a few minutes later, the waitress who had turned us away came rushing over to tell us a table had just been cleared, and were we still interested? We were, and took a nice window seat in the corner. The decor of the place was very roccoco, full of gilt, mirrors and heavily patterned fabric. The tea menu was quite impressive, with at least 2 or 3 dozen types of tea, including green and white tea. My friend ordered a Lady Grey, which she had not been able to obtain for quite a while. I ordered an infusion named Bed of Roses, which were pale rosbuds with marigold petals. The Lady Grey was impressive, the black tea a soft background to the lavender and bergamot. In successive infusions, though, the bergamot began to get stronger, and the lavender weaker, so by about the third pot, it became rather like a lowgrade Earl Grey. But kudos for the tea lasting even 2 steepings, which is fairly good for black tea. The Bed of Roses was a bit more disappointing, but I was not expecting much from a flower infusion. The rose was fairly strong in the first infusion, subsequent steepings became very weak. We also sampled a white tea named Peony Garden and a green tea named Lotus Garden. We were very taken with the Peony Garden, although they scalded the white tea with water that was too hot. The fragrance of the Peony was noticeable but still delicate enough to allow the innate fragrance of the white tea to come through. The Lotus Garden was less impressive, as the flower scent (definitely not lotus) was too strong, almost artificial. Still, I could tell that the green tea base was good, although overpowered by other fragrances. I am definitely going back to try some of the other teas, and perhaps even the cookies, of which they had a mindboggling variety. Tea, Black, Green, White 2008-12-15T12:49:31+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/flowery_monikers/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/flowery_monikers/#When:00:32:00Z There are many teas endowed with the names of flowers. Some are named so because that flower lends its fragrance to the tea leaves, such as Jasmine tea (香片 Xiāngpiàn or 茉莉花茶 Mòlìhuā chá）and Osmanthus Wulong （桂花乌龙 Guìhuā Wūlóng). Others carry the names of flowers even though they are pure teas, usually because the leaves may resemble the flower named, or the taste of the tea may evoke the scent of the flower. One of the more famous pure teas with a flowery name is the Yellow Gold Osmanthus (黄金桂 Huángjīnguì), sometimes known as the Queen of Teas, as opposed to the King of Teas, Iron Goddess of Mercy (铁观音 Tiěkuānyīn). Tiěkuānyīn is known for its “oppressiveness”, being a tea with both strong fragrance and taste, it overpowers the senses. Even when made as a lighter wulong, Tiěkuānyīn carries a powerful floral scent and almost nectar-like sweetness; in this form, only its mild astringency saves the tea from being cloying. The Huángjīnguì, in contrast, is an exquisite tea that is close in taste, fragrance and colour to Tiěkuānyīn, but is always milder and subtler. As a black tea, Huángjīnguì is smoky and the tea has a dark golden colour. As an wulong, the tea is bright gold and bears a soft floral scent reminiscent of the osmanthus flower. Huángjīnguì is regarded as one of the four top teas from Anxi, ranked just after Tiěkuānyīn. Another notable tea with a floral name is the Golden Daylily (金萱 Jīnxuān) or sometimes known as the Golden Lily in English, since the daylily is not a well-known flower. This light wulong is famous for having a faintly milky taste, and its rich gold coloured tea gives off a mild but pleasant floral fragrance. Other florally named teas include a white tea called the White Peony (白牡丹 Bái Mǔdān) which resembles the peony as the tea leaves are bound together into a peony or chrysanthemum shape; and the Narcissus teas (水仙 Shǔixiān). Other flowers that are popularly used as tea names are the orchid (兰花 Lánhuā) and rose (玫瑰 Méiguì). Tea, White, Wulong 2008-01-23T00:32:00+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/timing/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/timing/#When:00:30:01Z Lu Yü 陸羽 introduces the medicinal uses of tea in the first chapter of the Tea Classic《茶經》：「茶之為用，味至寒，為飲最宜」 ‘As to the usage of the tea leaf, its flavour is exceedingly cooling and is best used as a beverage’.  He then proceeds to list the conditions against which it is effective, but also cautions that 「采不時．．．飲之成疾」 ‘If plucked at the wrong time…then drinking it will cause disease.’ It is not probably true that plucking tea out of season will cause disease in the drinker, but it is true that the best tea leaves are taken from the spring and autumn harvests.  Most teas (but not all) use only the youngest leaves, which are sweeter, as older leaves tend to produce a bitter and more astringent brew.  The preference for younger leaves has a number of consequences: the number of leaves harvested and frequency with which they can be harvested must both be limited to avoid killing the plant.  The plants are sometimes guarded so jealously that some plantations have a spring harvest only.  All teas are seasonal to an extent, but the most treasured of seasonal teas are probably Míngqián Lóngjǐng 明前龍井 and Yínzhēn Báiháo 銀針白毫 (literally, “silver needle white fur”).  Longjing is the most highly regarded tea in China and the leaves plucked before the festival of Qīngmíng 清明 (usually around early April every year) are believed to have the strongest fragrance.  Yinzhen is a white tea, made from the first leaves of spring still covered with the silvery white fur that gives the tea its name and also its sugar candy-like sweetness. Miss Neddy adds her two cents: Míngqián Lóngjǐng is aso known as Yüqián Lóngjǐng (雨前龙井), as the festival of Qīngmíng is usually associated with the advent of spring rains.* A famous poem during the Tang Dynasty by Dù Mù 杜牧 highlights this association: 唐·杜牧 Tang [Dynasty] · Dù Mù 清明时节雨纷纷， During Qīngmíng, the rain falls copiously, 路上行人欲断魂。 The passer-byers seem as severed spirits. 借问酒家何处有？ I asked, “Where is the tavern?” 牧童遥指杏花村。 The cowherd pointed towards Almond Blossom Village. *[Edit: Miss Neddy has made a mistake. Míngqián Lóngjǐng comes just a while before Yüqián Lóngjǐng. More specifically, Míngqián Lóngjǐng is harvested between the 25th of the 3rd lunar month and 5th of the 4th lunar month, while Yüqián Lóngjǐng is harvested between the 6th and the 20th of the 4th lunar month.  Of the two harvests, Míngqián Lóngjǐng is considered the superior. Colloquially though, some tea drinkers do not make a distinction between the two. Tea, Green, White, Tea Related 2008-01-14T00:30:01+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/white_tea/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/white_tea/#When:00:00:00Z White tea has been known since at least the Tang dynasty, but it has always been rare. To make white tea, only the unopened leaf buds can be used, and cannot be fermented or roasted. Of all teas, other than decaffeinated ones, white tea has the least amount of caffeine. White tea is also known as the “dancing lady”, as the fine leaf buds will bob up and down gracefully when it is steeping. A popular white tea is known as Yin Zhen Bai Hao (银针白毫) (Silver Needles White Fuzz), so named because the pale fuzz coating the leaf buds make them look silver. Don’t worry about fuzz in your tea, it disappears once the tea leaves are steeped. Another white tea I’ve had the privilege to enjoy is Bai Yu Huan (白玉环) (White Jade Rings), which are from China. The white tea leaves are rolled into rings that are large enough to fit an average finger. The flavour is very light, slightly flowery, and the colour of the tea is almost indistinguishable from plain water. Remember the famous Imperial concubine from the Tang dynasty? Her personal name was Yang Yu Huan (扬玉环), just the same as this tea. In many ways, they are similar: fair, soft, round and delicate, like a cloud and like a blossom (to paraphrase Li Bai 李白 the drunken poet most hideously). White tea is delicate in all ways. Store the leaves loosely, and do not compress or place any pressure on them. As with all tea leaves, store white tea in a cool dark place; like green tea, you can put this tea in the vegetable chiller, although be sure to use an airtight container. The water used for steeping tea must be well below boiling, and do not steep overlong. Use more tea leaves initially, as the elusive taste of white tea may not be detectable when you first drink it. It may take a few more brews of tea before one learns to discern the faintly sweet, slightly grassy and cleansing flavour.  The taste and fragrance of white tea are also delicate and ethereal. Because of this, white tea is unsuitable to accompany any but the lightest and blandest snacks. Anything with a strong flavour will overpower the lightness of the white tea, and it will taste like plain water. Drink it on its own, and you may find that it rewards a patient and relaxed mind. Tea, White 2007-12-14T00:00:00+00:00