Your Favorite Teas

Macarons&Mozart · June 30, 2005

Anyone familiar with the teas of Mariage Freres? They are a Paris institution that makes, IMO, the best flavored teas in the world! Although I generally prefer traditional (un-flavored loose) teas to flavored ones, I do occasionally have a craving for something different. Mariage Freres never fails to impress!

Anyone else like MF?

jpr54_ · June 30, 2005

Anyone familiar with the teas of Mariage Freres? They are a Paris institution that makes, IMO, the best flavored teas in the world! Although I generally prefer traditional (un-flavored loose) teas to flavored ones, I do occasionally have a craving for something different. Mariage Freres never fails to impress!
Anyone else like MF?
←

i enjoy their teas as well as those from le palais des thes

Chef Shogun · July 5, 2005

Few things better than a big pitcher of mugicha (Barley tea) on a hot day!

racheld · July 31, 2005

We had a lovely lunch at a local place yesterday (mine was a masterpiece of a sandwich with grain bread, avocado, tomato, cucumber, roasted peppers, sprouts and pesto---and I'm not a vegetarian). Before ordering our lunch, we strolled the many aisles of wonderful teas and coffees and cheeses!! and all the jellies and jams and pickles and capers....everything under one roof, since we could see through the glassless iron-laced windows into the wineshop side of the store, and could smell the luscious aromas from the cigar shop.

Despite having an entire cabinet devoted to all my lovely teas and cups and various adjuncts (the teapots are all over the house, displayed on rails above both kitchens, over the microwave, nestled into the open dish cabinets and bookcases, etc.), I was just carried away with all the selection. Names I had never heard before, the whisper of a tropic isle, a sun-drenched field, an exotic hillside in a country I'll never see save through pictures and descriptions and sips of their glorious teas.

I overdid it a bit, but I craved those teas, the IDEA of them, the projected tastes and moments and events and frames in which I'd serve them and enjoy them and share them with friends and family.

The new ones on my shelf are: A couple of the old Stash standbys, some chai spice and a new red-and-white combo, with rooibos as the main component. Two questions:

I've never known how to pronounce rooibos---what would I say to order it?

And the white is new to me---if it were alone in the pot, would the tea be almost clear and still flavorful?

A pretty shiny box of Yamamotoyama China Oolong.

A couple of the ROT's---Ginger Peach Decaf and Honey Ginseng Green.

A trio of Grace Rare: Owner's Blend, Darjeeling and Connoisseur...these three on sale rack, but well within ED.

Hedley's EB and EG---Hubby's before-breakfast requirements.

This a.m., I've had a cup each of rooibos/white (lovely vanilla flavor, beautiful color in the cup). And oolong--exactly like I like it.

And last night's bedtime chai spice was just as it should be---gently aromatic of clove and cinnamon and cardamom, sweetened with honey---the perfect sweet-sleep tea. Though it's been unseasonably hot here, the bedtime cup conjured up visions of warm pajamas and soft slippers and a good book before retiring.

And I reserve the right, as a long-time SOUTH person before moving to the Heartland, to enjoy each and every one of these OVER ICE when the spirit moves.

rachel

(taking my classless taste and slinking away).

joiei · July 31, 2005

I like the snow monkey plum that I get from Kitchenique.

When I am gettting dressed in the morning, I like a basic black, and often use the Tazo as my morning tea. In the evening, a nice chamomile is the prefect way to end a day.

sanrensho · August 2, 2005

I've never known how to pronounce rooibos---what would I say to order it?

Just like it sounds: "roo-ee-boss."

sanrensho · August 2, 2005

I've never known how to pronounce rooibos---what would I say to order it?

Just like the spelling: "roo-ee-boss."

Edited August 2, 2005 by sanrensho (log)

tafkap4d · August 17, 2005

I love the Spicy Lemon tea from adagio teas. They have discontinued it as they are reformulating it. I also love making my own Chai by using the loose ginger tea from Dekalb Farmer's market.

jokhm · September 20, 2005

Its true.. from many people's perspectives when you begin listing all different teas mixed with other flavoring ingredients they make a sour face. I work with a group of tea traders from the Wu Yi Mountain area in Fujian province... and I must say that their minds are quite closed to all that which is not pure 100% fine quality tea. Ba Bao Cha or 8 treasure tea (direct translation) is a very popular chinese mix of ingredients and tea (usually with tea at least) --- and if I am in the company of my Fujian friends, I dare not mention it! I like to think I am more open to some of the different blends out there.. some can definitely be delicious. I don't currently handle any though I plan to. I'm sampling a reaaaallly fantastic Dian Hong Yunnan black tea infused with roses and Chinese dates at the moment. It IS delicious, even if the hardcore Ming/Qing era purists turn their noses at it. Anyway, besides tea trading from China, I do have some which are selling online.. though I'm a reasonably active member here so I will refrain from pushing any of the addresses to these sites... The one in the signature is enough. I have a few favorites that I'd love to mention here.

I'm incredibly nuts about certain Long Jing teas, especially one specific Ming Qian West Lake Long Jing (Dragon Well)... one which is too expensive for my online partners to sell as of yet !!, but if you can find any, I promise it is delicious. I might convince them to change their tune in the next few weeks before supplies totally run out. Besides that... I regularly drink An Ji Bai Cha; Anji White it can be called. I'm not clear on whether there are any other english equivalents. Anyhow, don't let the idea of 'white tea' get in the way or make you think this tea is another species. A lot of good white teas share a very similar flavour with greens. This one in particular is a bit lighter, holds the flavour far longer than average and also has a twinge of honey aftertaste; but perhaps that's just me! Another big one that I like to share is Tie Luo Han, one of the big top 4 Oolong teas from Wu Yi mountain. The one I have has many similarities with Da Hong Pao (king of wu yi mountain oolongs).. so much so that I know of a few small buyers from me that resell it as Da Hong Pao!! I'm trying to correct that now. Anyway, I can't push this tea enough, it is supremely delicious. I would recommend any of the Wu Yi teas especially to people accustomed only to black teas... anyone who wants to try something new without going as far as completely changing the nature of the drink. Wu Yi teas are very dark, roasted oolongs.. they share many characteristics from one another and are sometimes quite difficult to tell apart.

OK enough.. I can go on for a long long time.. haven't even started with Tie Guan Yin. Let me know if you want any direct links to the exact teas I'm talking about. (I mean precisely the one sitting in front of me now! )

Joel

jokhm · September 20, 2005

Almost forgot the Chais... I'd love to show some good ones to the tea people here in China that I work with. .. except I can't find some of the right spices to make it (in Beijing). Particularly green cardamom pods. I love those things. I remember a thread about Chai blends in the India forum.. must find it now. Anyway, I'd bet a lot of purists here would keel over when smelling the stuff.. but I'd bet that some would appreciate it. I'm totally nuts about Chai.

I usually (back in Montreal) throw some cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, a peppercorn or two and a cinammon stick into a mortar and give it one smash, then boil with a mix of 1:1 water and milk.. then add black tea for another minute or so. mmm

Joel

kjohn · October 14, 2005

Anyone familiar with the teas of Mariage Freres? They are a Paris institution that makes, IMO, the best flavored teas in the world! Although I generally prefer traditional (un-flavored loose) teas to flavored ones, I do occasionally have a craving for something different. Mariage Freres never fails to impress!
Anyone else like MF?
←

Love Mariage Freres - their The Rouge Bourbon is my favorite, the bouquet and the flavor are non-pareil.

Blair P. Houghton · December 13, 2005

i like any good single-crop estate darjeeling where the astringency doesn't detract from the sweetness. makaibari, poobong, puttabong, goomtee, that sort of thing.

www.specialteas.com is my usual source; they have a wide selection and they sell a very tasty decaf darjeeling (#881; essential if i want to sleep at all).

i like getting the sample sets, comparing several estate teas i'd never try anywhere otherwise. as hobbies go, trying new tea is cheap.

sorry if this sounds like spam. it's not. i may take a look at a few things from www.kyelateas.com soon; they've got a number of estate names i've never heard before.

some day i expect i'll want to figure out chinese green teas as well.

i've had pu-erh, and, well, it's an experience and probably an acquired taste. looks like dark coffee, tastes like a fresh stout (not a bitter one), smells like, um... a farm... but a very well-kept farm...

and white tea is actually very interesting. subtle and sweet. almost like it's not there.

OnigiriFB · December 14, 2005

Someone asked earlier in this thread about the tea served in dimsum restaurants. I believe it's chrysanthemum tea or jasmine. At least thats what I've had at the Empress Pavilion in Los Angeles. I'll ask my chinese foodie friend that I make take me there yearly to make sure.

My favorite is either jasmine tea or Earl Grey.

prasantrin · December 14, 2005

Anyone familiar with the teas of Mariage Freres? They are a Paris institution that makes, IMO, the best flavored teas in the world! Although I generally prefer traditional (un-flavored loose) teas to flavored ones, I do occasionally have a craving for something different. Mariage Freres never fails to impress!
Anyone else like MF?
←
Love Mariage Freres - their The Rouge Bourbon is my favorite, the bouquet and the flavor are non-pareil.
←

I love Mariage Freres, too, and I think I referenced them early on in this topic. I am lucky enough to live in Japan, where there exist the only Mariage Freres shops outside of France. My first experience with them, some 12 or 13 years ago, had be swooning. I especially loved the waiters (they only have male waitstaff) in their white (more ecru, really) linen suits, although I was sad to find they no longer wear linen, but cotton or some blended fabric.

I will have to try the Rouge Bourbon. I usually drink flavoured teas and am making my way down the list, alphabetically. I can't remember where I am, though.

vkn · December 14, 2005

More bone-chilling weather... cocooned up for hours inside blankets...take some time off, and breakout with a Spicy Special Masala Tea/Chai.

Every person drinks their tea differently! The nice thing about tea is that you can have all the pleasure of tea in the privacy of your own home or at the office. Stay warm. Cheers!

PS: Lipton yellow label and Brookebond's three roses are our favorite.

Edited December 14, 2005 by vkn (log)

Hector · December 19, 2005

My favorite tea must be Organic Earl Grey. Preferable from the "Twinning Aromatics" type.

Yup Earl Grey sounds boring.. and I wouldn't normaly go nuts about the organic part, but this time the organic produce does lots of difference flavourwhise.

It makes an absolutely delicious cup of tea with a nice lemony flavour.

Served with milk off course Excellent.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Hector (log)

jokhm · December 21, 2005

Pu'er tea smelling... as a farm.. hah. I've never heard that one before. Definitely it is an acquired taste. Keep in mind that there are two major sub groups of pu'er, the cooked one is dark and coffee-looking, and 'raw' one is clear and green-yellow. The tastes are completely different. You have to be a lot more picky of 'raw' ones, and most floating around the market aren't of great quality. They also mature much later (10-20 years)..

Suzanne Podhaizer · December 21, 2005

I'm a bit of a tea purist since I used to work at a tearoom. My favorites are:

Chinese Green--

Dian Lu E-Shan, Bi Lo Chun and Huang Shan Mao Feng

Japanese Green--

Gyokuro and high-grade Tamaryokucha

Chinese and Taiwanese Oolongs (most of my favorites are in this catagory)

Tai Guan Yin

Tung-Ting

Huang Dan Cong

and of course Pu-Er. When customers asked me to describe the flavor of Pu-er, my favorite answer is that it tastes like a basement, but in a good way.

I also enjoy tisanes of Rooibus (btw--I think there may be different regional pronunciations for this word--a South African woman told us that it is pronounced Roo-boy) and I also like Mate--served in a gourd with a bombilla.

The tearoom where I worked, which is located in Burlington, VT, also sells tea on-line--here's the URL Dobra Tearoom.

Edited December 21, 2005 by hungry for knowledge (log)

TarteTatin · December 23, 2005

I only read this last page, so I don't know if it's been mentioned...

But we love Britain's Typhoo Tea.

Very basic, but the loose tea is delicious.

It's our house blend.

Rebecca263 · December 23, 2005

My lovely #1 Boy just visited for a week, and I have a new favorite tea. It's his Earl Grey, sitting all masculine and unsweetened in my Hello Kitty cup, on the side table. It's nothing like the white and green teas that I drink, the oolongs and such. It's a strongly bergamot scented dark brew, masculine, although flowery, too. #1 Boy left on Monday night, but I've JUST today managed to remove the cup from the side table for a washing. It just smelled so nice and masculine and comforting. I sat near it all week, just to catch the scent. :wub: New Jersey is getting colder and more desolate by the moment. :sad: I think I'll go wake up my kiddle for a hug and a look at the moon.