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Tea Gift Guide- Top Teas, Tea Ware, and Tea Books

Jason — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:55:26 +0000

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I’ve collected my list of teas, tea ware, and tea books that have shaped my 2011 into an enjoyable tea-year. Many of the teas listed reflect the classic beauty that defined teas of their tradition. Others are newer, soon-to-be treasures.

A useful list for when you:

Have a friend or family member who loves tea, but you’re at a loss as to what to buy.
Have been drinking grocery store teas, and ready to graduate to the next level.
Are planning to make healthier choices for the new year.
Want to cultivate a fonder love of tea.

If you have questions or want advice on tea gifts, contact me: jason@walkerteareview.com

Teas

Green teas

Wulong teas

Black teas

Tea Ware

Books

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. For helping understand where teas are grown and how they are processed.
Culinary Tea. Inspired use of tea in excellent dishes. As a result of this book, I created a delightful soup with duck and pu’er.
New Tea Lover’s Treasury. Pratt is the Bill Bryson of tea storytelling. Rarely is historical background so well packaged into an enchanting, flowing, narrative.
Harney & Son’s Guide to Tea. No-nonsense description of what teas should be and how they should taste. Harney goes beyond the cliched tea terms like “grassy” to give meaningful descriptors.
The True History of Tea. Fascinating, well-researched background on tea. Learn how tea created the dalai lama.
James Norwood Pratt’s Tea Dictionary. For the true tea geek, a resource for all those words and terms you wondered about.
The Tea Drinker’s Handbook. An all-around useful resource on tea production and tea appreciation. Especially useful are the sections on tea preparation and tea-drinking as a sensory experience.

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Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings.
Want to see a tea reviewed? Contact me: jason@walkerteareview.com

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Product Review: Libre Tea’s Glass’n Poly Original

Jason — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:00:09 +0000

Comment:

Pros: Glass interior; Protective poly exterior; BPA-free, Solid stainless steel filter construction; Good size, Versatile (can remove filter easily).

Cons: Careful when placing tea above the filter and inverting to steep. When you set it aright you may still have hot, pressurized steam/water trying to escape.

Price (as of post): Original size (260mL / 9oz) = $24
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Sample provided by Libre Tea.
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Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings.
Want to see a tea reviewed? Contact me: jason@walkerteareview.com

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A Trip to MaLianDao, or Navigating a Tea Market

Jason — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:23:55 +0000

Last week I happened to be in the Beijing neighborhood, so I thought I check out one of (probably) the world’s biggest tea market areas. I had heard several U.S. tea retailers tell tales of the place, and so I had big expectations. Maybe too big.

"ma lian dao cha cheng" is just one of many markets/shops on the street

First of all, the place is big. Multiple buildings holding 2 or more storys with dozens, if not hundreds of vendors. At first this seems to be the tea-kid’s candy shop.

Until you look closer. A lot of vendors are selling the same stuff. I mean nearly exactly. I can’t tell you how many places were offering the same pu’er cakes, the same da hong pao sitting in bulk boxes with the same brand logo on the outside. These guys weren’t specializing, they were price competing. And when you did stop to taste I often got the most insipid, pale thimbleful of tea I’ve had in a long while. I mean, I’ve seen darker water come out of rusty pipes than what they served as Wuyi wulong.

stacks of cheap clay pots- buy for friends or leave on the shelf?

There were gems and charming spots, so the rant can end here. There were lessons to be gleaned.

Look for vendors who specialize. Go to a Fujian wulong dealer who only has Fujian oolongs on the shelf. What also helped was asking for more obscure teas like tie luo han. There were too many stores hawking da hong pao. I figured: “If the vendor has tie luo han and at least some mid-grade shui xian, he’s more likely to have some serious da hong pao.
Shop around. Do your homework. Don’t just waltz into the first store you come to and start chatting up the staff. They will likely be trying to chat you up to make you stay and buy tea. Ma Lian Dao has several large markets in the area. You could spend days walking past stalls to find the right tea at the right price.

one hall in the endless maze of tea stalls
Don’t taste tea unless you are seriously considering the tea. The longer you stay, the more likely you will feel obligated to buy, and the more pressure the vendor will feel to make a sale.
When you do taste, take (at most) two sips of each steeping, then pour out the rest. Show the vendor you are serious about tasting the tea, not quenching thirst.
Ask the vendor to really push the tea. Ask them to steep longer (i.e. 30 seconds to 1 minute) if they give you thin, insipid steepings. Don’t let them combine steepings (e.g. first and second steepings) and then serve. You need to now how long the tea can last. Salespeople will do most anything to cover the flaws of their product. Caveat emptor!
Ask about different grades, and see if you can sample the top two grades. You may be able to discern a difference, or you may not.

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Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.

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Tea Ware Review: Adagio’s “Harbin” Yixing Teapot

Jason — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:00:34 +0000

Comment: consider this as a starter yixing for the office or everyday use. Works well with several Chinese greens and many darker roasted wulongs. Consider dedicating it to one category of tea (e.g. dark roasted wulongs) as aromas accumulate in the pot.

well, actually teapot!

Price (as of post): $34

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Compare teas with others on the Scoresheet.
Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.
Sample provided by Adagio.

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Why I write about tea.

Jason — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:59:16 +0000

I do precious little writing about tea.
Instead, I create a stage with tea in the center.
I learned a lot about tea just from watching;
If you observe a graceful, skillful hand
Not a drop spilled or a fingertip scalded.
See how the aroma is inhaled-
And the resulting relationships built on sips

The tea Way:
is an artful way;
a skillful way;
a peaceful way;
a mindful way;
a calming way.
A way to show the character of the Preparer,
and a way to show the tea’s true colors.

Reserve Tea Package

Jason — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:40:19 +0000

Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.
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This week in tea

Jason — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:13:09 +0000

This week (as usual, actually), my tea colleagues have produced some treasures. Here’s a highlight of news and info in the tea blogosphere:

Toki shares his Da Hong Pao Wuyi Oolong. Vintage 1985 on The Mandarin’s Tea. Note Toki’s extensive tasting methodology. His highly trained palate realized this da hong pao was not as advertised, and did not make the cut.
Mattcha did his research to show the Christian connections to the Japanese tea ceremony. Even Asian churches are combining tea rooms with their worship centers. Tea is no substitute for Eucharist, but does provide an environment for reflection and communion. See: Christianity & The Tea Ceremony: Reverence For The Holy Spirit
Speaking of communing, I bring you these 2 articles on tea preparation. Brewing Long Jing (dragonwell) from Life in Teacup and tea with skill from TChing both show how that perfect cup of tea arrives less by following precise instructions and more on understanding and responding to the tea you have.
Don’t forget the approach of Earth Day. Cinnabar of Gongfu Girl reports on Adagio Tea’s program forPlanting tea trees via your own tea seeds, and a place in a Chinese tea garden.
Finally, for our Canadian tea-drinking brethren and sisters. Teas Etc Inc. received Canadian Organic Certification Equivalency in late November. The company’s organic certifying agency, Quality Certification Services (QCS), conducted Teas Etc’ annual inspection and, in accordance with the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) rule, granted Canadian General Services Board (CGSB) certified supplier status.

Tea Carnival: Feb 6 – 12

Jason — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:12:58 +0000

Fleur De Vie – Flower of Life Valentine’s Tea

from Art of Tea
(available now thru end of Feb)

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Teas Etc. Year of the Tiger Sale. 20% off everything . Use code: TIGER at checkout.

Tay Teas:

Reminder: I’m just the messenger telling you about the offers. Doesn’t mean I endorse or recommend the offers in the Carnival. Enjoy them at your own risk

Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.

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Book Review: The Great Teas of China.

Jason — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:00:16 +0000

In centuries past, it took Western tea traders decades to figure out that the same plant could produce black, green, and wulong tea. The difference came in the harvest and processing. Fortunately, the modern reader can pick up Roy Fong’s The Great Teas of China and learn how some of the most treasured teas on earth come to be.

Fong’s book tells the stories of teas’ journeys. You almost get the impression that the book is written from the tea leaf’s perspective. Few of the popular books on tea go into such detail on when teas are harvested, and how they are processed.

Along the way, Fong relates how he came to be a part of the tea story. He includes anecdotes of meeting farmers, smelling rooms full of fresh tea being processed, and his first experiences of tasting teas.

The book is interesting from a production perspective, especially considering Roy has begun work on creating his own California tea farm. From the tea drinker’s and tea shopper’s perspective, you are somewhat at a loss as to what to do with the book. Does knowing the production stages a tie guan yin tea goes through help one buy a better tea? Can a tea audience taste a tea, knowing which stage of harvest or production developed the nuances they enjoy in their cup?

Aside from the enjoyment of learning it provides, The Great Teas of China validates Roy Fong’s stance as a patriarch of the US loose leaf tea renaissance and the role of the Imperial Tea Court in that movement.

Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.

Book provided by Roy Fong, Imperial Tea Court

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The Carnival: Jan 29 to Feb 5

Jason — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:00:59 +0000

Samovar’s Romance Tea Gift set. The world’s first tea set for romantics

Mighty Leaf Valentine Gifts. Chocolate truffle teas, tea flowers, spa gifts, tea pouch gift tins and display boxes

Surprise your Valentine with a bouquet of Adagio tea flowers, thrilling to observe and delightful to drink.

Stash Tea’s Valentines Day Sale

Introducing Floral Infusions Gift Set! Rishi’s gift of organic white teas is an aromatic delight. Experience two stunning teas that bring to life the first days of spring: Wild Rose, a perfect infusion of smooth white tea and wild harvested roses, and Peach Blossom, which infuses peach, tangerine and jasmine blossoms with white tea harvested in the high mountains of Fujian, China.

Rishi paired up with Theo Chocolate, the first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country. Theo appreciates origin; buying direct from cacao farmers and grower cooperatives. Here are a few Theo + Rishi pairings: Aphrodisiac Collection paired with Golden Yunnan and Pu-erh Vanilla MintMilk Chocolate with Pink Peppercorn & Cherry paired with Cinnamon Plum

Reminder: I’m just the messenger telling you about the offers. Doesn’t mean I endorse or recommend the offers in the Carnival. Enjoy them at your own risk

Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.

Subscribe in a reader or by email