Reading the Tea Leaves
Tea Education, Consultancy, and Tastings
Gold Rush
Posted in Black Teas
There are Silver Pearls and Silver Needles to be found in teas, and as these Jasmine and White teas become better known, “silver” attached to tea has entered common parlance. The grey-silver sheen of certain types of teas comes from the fine, downy hairs of unopened buds. Silvery sproutings contrast against darker leaves in some teas or they make comprise the entire tea; in either instance, this whitish luster is an easy-to-recognize marker of tippy quality.
Golden tips in fully oxidized teas also make for an elegant, dramatic contrast against darker, black leaves, and this feature is sometimes the basis for a tea’s name, such as Golden Monkey Black.
A lavish Black tea, full of golden buds
Of late, I have noticed a clamor for such teas. Years ago, a gold-tipped Yunnan Black was always a steady seller among a select number of knowledgeable customers, but now there is growing, serious interest in and demand for teas with ever increasing proportion of gold to black leaves in the tea. Suppliers clearly see this and are sending samples that reflect this trend. This group of five, for instance, is from a selection that arrived last week. Continue reading…
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