jel@digi-g.UUCP (John Lind) (10/24/84)
I have been a casual fancier of teas for some time. Lipton almost killed
my taste, but exposure to the real thing gave my an appreciation I expect
to last a lifetime.
A friend was over the other night, and I offered him his choice from my
collection. He finally settled on a Darjeeling, saying he wasn't ready
for the Lap Song Sou Chong just then, but commented that he really
liked Black China tea.
I would like to make a gift to him of some Black China tea, but my problem
is this: I don't know it it is a specific tea or class; and, if a class,
what would be included. Those of you who are expert in this area, please
mail your assistance to me. If I wasn't planning on making this a surprise
gift, I would ask my friend....
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John Lind, DSC, 10273 Yellow Circle Drive, Mpls MN 55343
mail : { ihnp4 | stolaf }!umn-cs!digi-g!jel
USnail: Starfire Consulting Services, PO Box 13001, Minneapolis, MN 55414sharp@farmer.DEC (Don Sharp, MK Design Services, MKO1-1/B7 DTN 264-6068) (10/31/84)
I'm not a real tea expert, but since no one else has answered this query I'll give it a stab. Most tea in the world come from China. Most of the rest of it comes from India, and I don't think tea is cultivated anywhere outside of Asia. Tea is made from the leaves of a tree. When you pick them the leaves are green. You can brew a beverage from them in this state. Otherwise you can toast them, and they become black. You can brew a beverage from them in this state as well. That's the difference between green and black tea. Tea has very little actual "taste", by which I mean the sensations in the mouth of sweetness, acidity, saltiness or bitterness. It is mostly bitter, with some acid. Most of the enjoyable quality of tea (good tea, anyway) comes from it fragrance, which derives from essential oils and other volatile components in the leaves. As with coffee beans the process of toasting the leaves releases the volatile components and changes their composition to produce a more fragrant and flavorful brew. It takes an exceptional variety of tea to make a good beverage while still green. The flavor of the tea is influenced heavily by the variety of the plant from which the leaves are picked. Different leaves have different characteristic volatile components and lead to brews of differing flavor. Besides the tea variety the method of cultivation and preparation are the major influences. Different varieties lend themselves more or less well to different methods. Pekoe tea is almost always toasted into a black tea, while Lapsong Suchong tea rarely is. 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.) Don Sharp Digital Equipment Corp. ...!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-farmer!sharp