Reading the Tea Leaves

If you’ve read Part 1 of this post, you’ll have an idea of items you’ll need for brewing and serving the teas you plan to share.  Now for some ideas about which teas:

Silver Needles White

If you want to provide a broad introduction to different tea categories, it follows that you would select one tea from each category.  For a White tea, White Silver Needles are beautiful but expensive, even though you’d need only a couple of ounces (@$100-120/lb).

Consider instead a White Peony (Bai Mudan); this tea may be a quick lesson about White teas given what most people’s expectations are about this category.  A special grade or first grade White Peony will range between $10-20/lb.

White Peony (Bai Mu Dan), Special Grade

For a Green tea, I suggest a Dragonwell.  A famous tea, this Green shouldn’t be too hard to find, and you needn’t to buy a top, top grade to get a sense of what the leaves should look like.  In terms of flavor, Dragonwell is a good choice because it is sweeter than some other popular Green teas, such as Chunmee or Gunpowder.

To showcase Oolong teas properly, bring two to the table: one that is lightly oxidized (greenish curled leaves) and one that is more heavily oxidized (long, dark brown leaves).  The latter might be a Shui Hsien (Water Sprite or Water Spirit) or if you are feeling extravagant, a Rock tea from WuYi or the silver tipped Oriental Beauty from Taiwan.

In the Black tea category, bring in one from India; I am more partial to First Flush Darjeelings than 2nd Flush teas but that’s a personal preference.  Do look for a Darjeeling (or Assam) from a named estate rather than a tea labeled only as “Darjeeling.”  Then contrast that with a China Black, and Keemuns are probably the best known.  Try to find a Keemun that is all Keemun and not just a “breakfast” tea with some Keemun in the blend.  Again, it isn’t necessary to buy the top Hao Ya grade, but the dry leaves should have a relatively uniform appearance showing wiry, taut strips.  Even in dry form, the leaves should give off some hint of the distinctive aroma that will really open up when

Keemun Black (Hao Ya grade)

brewed.

A naturally scented tea such as Jasmine Green, should follow a Green tea, lest the Green taste bland in comparison.  For the same reason, as I recommended in Part I, Flavored teas (i.e., artificially flavored) should be tasted as a separate category altogether, or allow some time to lapse after tasting non-flavored teas.

A grouping of Flavored teas unified by a theme would make a fun session: flavored Green teas such as Peach, Mango, or Coconut along with Flavored White teas could make up a fruit medley.  After all, both White and Green teas are unoxidized.  See how much of the tea flavor, either Green tea or White tea, comes through underneath the more pronounced fruit flavors.  The brew colors may surprise you: a Sencha flavored with pineapple will yield a cup that is golden; a pomegranate Green (depending on the manufacturer) may be a bright fuschia in the cup.

If you can find an Earl Grey Green, set it alongside an Earl Grey Black to taste the difference the tea base makes.

There is a wide selection of Flavored Black teas available, with berry, spices, and other dessert inspired flavors.  This may well be the easiest category to shop for.

And if, after such a marathon tasting, anyone is still interested in sampling more teas, in Part 3 I suggest teas grouped within each category.

For this introduction to teas, I would skip aged Puer teas unless someone has asked for this expressly.