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From: marcus@pyuxt.UUCP (M. G. Hand)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Tea
Message-ID: <213@pyuxt.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-Nov-84 23:30:51 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxt.213
Posted: Mon Nov  5 23:30:51 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Nov-84 05:42:47 EST
References: <732@hound.UUCP> <4059@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J.
Lines: 49

> The most common variety of tea is black tea from China. The standard
> Lipton's or Salada falls in here, as well as many of the Twining's varieties
> (Irish Breakfast Tea comes to my mind). The tea served in Chinese
> restaurants is usually black China tea (except at dim sum meals, where a
> variety of teas may ber served.)

Actually, the most frequently drunk tea in the west are blended teas of
predominantly Indian origin,  although China teas are frequently added
to give aroma and fragrances.

At the cheper end of the market you get tea bags and fine leaf "quick-brewing"
teas.  These are usually dyed too, to give them a strong dark colour.  The
mash quickly and have a strong flavour which quickly turns bitter.  These
are highly popular teas although I have always regarded them as floor sweepings.

At the upper end are the exotic single large leafed teas of which I know
very little,  but in the middle are a whole range of excellent blends
and single leaf teas such as the Ceylon teas  ("tips" are finer leafed and
quicker brewing).  I think the ceylon blends are my favorite blends.
Then there is the very popular Earl Grey, somewhat eau-de-colognish for
my taste, a blend of mostly china with some indian for body.   Most of
the Breakfast teas are largely indian blends

Here are some of the teas that I know about:

	Indian

	Assam		strong black, goes well with a single cardammom seed
	Darjeeling	large leafed, fragrant, but with a hidden strength
			and flavour that makes the longish brewing time
			worth while
	Most other teas are hidden inside blends

	China

	Keemun		Never found this to have much character - rather dry
	Lapsang Souchong	Smoky, and heady aroma - don't make the stuff
			too strong - it will be overpowering
	Gun Powder	never had the courage to try it!

	Then there's orange pekoe, but I'm not sure where this one comes from.
It tastes fairly rich and slightly bitter - Indian?

There are many onthers of course but I can't remember what they are at this time
of night.

		Marcus Hand		(pyuxt!marcus)

PS.  they also make some tea in Malaya and in Kenya.