As we go about our daily lives, the teas we anticipate are being grown, plucked, and processed. I have reached out to my connections across the tea world to collect their reports of how the 2014 Spring Harvest is progressing.
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Harney
Tea Tasting Through Coffee & Tea Fest NYC 2014
Tickets for the 2014 Coffee & Tea Fest NYC sold out well in advance of the weekend event, and next year will mark its 10th year. Reports estimated some 7,000 attendees with approximately 80 exhibitors. Among the coffee, tea, chocolate, cheese, and other companies, what did the Fest hold for those looking for pure, single origin teas? Quite a bit. There were several offering unflavored, un-blended, single origin loose leaf teas that you may want to keep on your radar.
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What Should It Taste Like: Ali Shan
Part of a series: What Should It Taste Like?
It is tempting to pile all the Taiwan high mountain oolongs into the same heap. After all, there can be strong similarities across them. These higher elevation mean some of the highest tea gardens in the world- even higher than Darjeeling estates.
But lumping them together would be to ignore the variety that is created. Mountain location can be an important issue. As tea bushes respond to longer days in the Spring, they shoot out new leaves. New leaves marks the time to pluck. If the mountain is too northerly, leaves are sprouting before the warmer, dryer air has arrived. And so tea processors may have leaves to process, but terrible weather withering and drying a final product. Ali Shan, being further south than Li Shan, has the advantage of getting that warmer, dryer air in time for optimal growth and processing conditions.
Ali Shan wulongs are generally known for:
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Conversation: Sri Lanka Teas
Workers Weighing Tea at Dessford Estate.
Courtesy of Michael Harney, Harney & Sons
Sri Lanka has been producing teas now for about 150 years, yet they can be some of the least understood, and least appreciated teas. For so many years, Ceylon teas were found in Lipton teabags, or were commodity grade offerings. That is changing.
Elevation, location, and harvest time can make significant differences in your Sri Lankan tea experience.
I asked Michael Harney of Harney & Sons to share his views on Ceylon teas. Michael travels the globe to select teas for Harney & Sons, and is author of The Harney & Sons Guide To Tea.
Beverly-Claire Wainwright is Tea Maker and Business Development Manager of Amba Estate, Bandarawela, Sri Lanka. Her estate and others in Sri Lanka represent the new generation of specialty teas coming out of Sri Lanka.
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How To Expand Your Tea Education: Books
Part of a series on How To Expand Your Tea Education.
There is so much to read about tea. It is very likely that there are more tea books than the population of tea-book-readers can sustain. With a potential overabundance of tea books, choosing the more useful can be a challenge.
Some categories of tea information can be considered more useful than others. The historical and cultural background of tea helps show how tea shaped society, economics, and politics. A bit of tea science enables each of us to appreciate the mechanics and chemical compounds that create good tea and affect our bodies. Descriptions of tea characteristics and flavors help us savor tea and give us a stepping stone to new tasting experiences.
And so, a list of tea books that provide those valuable kernels of Culture, Science, and Appreciation:…
Best Teas, Damned Lies, and Stastics
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Who has the best teas? This question gets asked by WTR readers at one time or another.
I decided look at the Scoresheet and try to answer that question from a more objective approach.
The results may be surprising. Take a look:
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Tea Bloggers’ Choice Awards: Congratulations Winners
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Tea Bloggers’ Choice Awards Winners 2012
Unblended/Unflavored Black: Teavivre Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip
Blended/Flavored Black: Harney & Sons Earl Grey Supreme
Unblended/Unflavored Green: Den’s Tea Gyokuro Kin
Blended/Flavored Green: Aiya Tea Matcha Infused Sencha
Unblended/Unflavored Oolong: Teavivre Jin Xuan Milk Oolong
Blended/Flavored Oolong: Naivetea Lychee Oolong
Unblended/Unflavored White: Rishi-Silver Needle Premium
Blended/Flavored White: Art of Tea White Coconut Creme
Unblended/Unflavored Puerh: Rishi Ancient Puerh Classic
Blended/Flavored Puerh: Stash Black Forest Cake Puerh
Herb Blend: David’s Tea Chocolate Rocket
Single Herb: David’s Tea Spearmint
About the Awards
The Tea Bloggers’ Choice Awards are some of the first tea awards that celebrate the preferences of the larger tea drinking public and publicized as the democratic voice of consumers. No entry fees were collected. No corporations sponsored the event. The Tea Bloggers’ Choice Awards reflect the choices of people who drink tea for the enjoyment of tea.
The Tea Bloggers’ Choice Awards are independent awards of the Association of Tea Bloggers (ATB) determined by members of the Association of Tea Bloggers and their readers to celebrate favorite teas of the online tea marketplace.
We hope the Association of Tea Bloggers can lead for years to come in recognizing popular, well-liked teas.
Publication of the award winners are scheduled to potentially be featured in Tea Magazine, Fresh Cup, World Tea News, and popular tea blogs across the world.
Thanks to Jason Wilson, freelance artist, for designing this year’s award logo.
Compare teas with others on the Scoresheet.
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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