@nomadbynature @tea
#TheTeaCatcher

Sure, with this many teas, most of them being familiar styles and ones I needed to choose for restocking, it was fairly simple..

I used four standard tasting sets, equal size/volume and weighed 3g of 4 x similar teas, steeping for 4-5 minutes.

The liquor is strained into the cup using the lid and then the leaves shaken onto the lid and upturned (as per photo here)

This allows evaluation of the aroma and quality of the leaf...

Liquor spooned into a smaller cup for tasting, sometimes just a sip says " not the one" others require a return taste..

Often what is missing is as important/obvious as what's there..

Today I was choosing some teas for my wholesale customers/cafes/restaurants and wanted to compare against last year's tea and each other, as well as a few fancier retail teas from Darjeeling SF etc

It's always hard to not get too excited and temper my enthusiasm with the reality of having customers for teas I like..!

I also have 2 x 4 tastings to repeat tomorrow just to confirm my choices, free of overload and de-stimulation after trying so many ..

I have no idea how the real professionals manage tasting hundreds of teas for large companies or to blend, but I've seen spittoons in use overseas and understand completely...snacks are useful too, to soften the "blow" to the stomach

(Sorry for the ramble, but there's a few thoughts...🤷‍♂️)

@tea
Sheesh, 5 hours, 150g of tea...

A dozen Assams as the knock-out punch...phew 🤪

#TeaTasting
#TheTeaCatcher

The great catch up commences...

30 odd teas from China, and a similar number from India/Darjeeling to follow...🤞🥴

#TheTeaCatcher
#TeaTasting
@tea

"Your tea has arrived " 🥴

#NepaleseTea #HimalayanTea
#TheTeaCatcher @tea

Kalapani Saino high mountain organic second flush..

A wonderful Nepalese anomaly, summer tea, spring style processing..

Best of the best worlds...?! 🤷‍♂️

#NepaleseTea
#SecondFlush
#TheTeaCatcher
@tea

@tea
And on it goes...
#TheTeaCatcher

@ematts @tea
There were a few good ones amongst the 30 or so tasted today..!
#TheTeaCatcher

Tea of the Week- "Ginger Flower" Jiang Hua Xiang Dan Cong oolong

Grown near Dan Hu village at an altitude of 900m in the Feng Huang (Phoenix) Mountains of Guangdong province, S.E. China, this is another fab medium oxidation/roast tea (15hrs @ 98 Deg.C), mild, light, fresh, sweet and floral, with a warming hint of spice and of a high quality that can steep and steep.

#TeaOfTheWeek
#TheTeaCatcher

Tea of the Week - Anji Bai Cha

A tea cultivar only 40 years old, Anji Bai Cha (Anji White Tea) is so called due to low chlorophyll content of leaf and resultant paleness of the Bai Ye cultivar.  (Yes, it's a green tea)

The dry leaf is narrow, pine-needle like, and picked early in quite a narrow harvest window, which accounts for the relatively high price. 

The liquor is limpid and pale, with buttery notes of pine nuts, gentle florals and vegatal greens.  

The heady aroma lingers satisfyingly after consumption.

As beautiful as it is tasty, well worth a slurp..

#TeaOfTheWeek
#TheTeaCatcher
#AnjiBaiCha
@tea

Tea of the Week- Himalayan Jade

Anomalous second flush in a "first flush style" from the Himalayan highlands of Nepal..

Floral, fruity, brisk and crisp...😋

#Tea #HimalayanTea
#TheTeaCatcher
@tea

@threedradio is here @womadelaide ..

Come by and check out the live interviews, grab a free slurp from @theteacatcher and chill under the cosy tent...🤘

Pssst, we're over towards @zoossa
and the WoShop...

#WomAdelaide
#TheTeaCatcher
#Music #Tea
@tea

Tea Travel Thursday- TBT- Yunnan borderlands ...

Valley's, Tea trees, corn mash and a log beehive..

A few scenes from deep in the south western corner of the province/country..

#TeaTravelThursday
#TheTeaCatcher
#Yunnan #China
@tea

@haydenthorne @SecularJeffrey
I would guess strength relates mostly to taste/tannins, strength of the "brew" and the ability to "withstand" milk..

Caffeine content is an ornery thing with tea and not always related to taste, some bud-heavy white teas can have a decent amount of caffeine, greens too..

Growing location, altitudes, time of harvest all seem to factor in..

I haven't found a lot of great science but this book from Canadian biz Camellia Sinensis has some great charts ..

https://camellia-sinensis.com/en/camellia-sinensis-tea-history-terroirs-varieties/1896?searchBarValue=Book

@tea
#TheTeaCatcher

@lednabm @qurlyjoe @SecularJeffrey @cstross @Dwinle @DarryB @qwertzalotl @Remittancegirl @tea
I hope so, there are many great varieties and one of the spindly legs #TheTeaCatcher stands on..!

@SecularJeffrey @qurlyjoe @cstross @Dwinle @DarryB @qwertzalotl @lednabm @Remittancegirl
#SayNoToTeaBagging
#TheTeaCatcher
@tea

Tea Travel Thursday- TBT Menghai, Yunnan

Mountain tea heading to the factory on the edge of town for pressing into tea cakes..

Known in this form as Mao cha or "raw tea", it will be steamed and pressed as is into Sheng Puer, or fermented first to create the immediately darker, funkier, Shu Puer ..

#TeaCatcherOnTour
#TeaTravelThursday
#TheTeaCatcher
@tea

#TeaTravelThursday TBT Yunnan tea mountains, hopefully a return is on the cards someday 🤞
@tea
#TheTeaCatcher