Nepal Black Tea

Shangri-La, the fictional Shambala depicted in James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon", could conceivably be in Nepal.   Situated in the Himalayas and sandwiched between China and India,  Nepal is home to the majestic Mount Everest.

Tea cultivation in Nepal grew slowly but has sped up in the last 20 years.  Most of the tea plantations are located in the eastern regions.  One of the major tea producing regions is Ilam, a hilly and beautiful place.   With its close proximity to Darjeeling, India, Ilam and other Nepal teas seem to be 'Darjeelingish'.  

Nepal Black First Flush

Type:  Black     Producing Country: Nepal      Preparation:  95°C 3 Min

Dry Leaf:  The mixed-colored leaves are wiry and dried-fruity (e.g., raisins).
Wet Leaf:  Interestingly, the wet infusion has a nice menthol or minty aroma.
Liquor:      The golden tea is smooth and floral.  It does have the astringency of a first flush Darjeeling.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Nepal black Ilam Estate

Type:  Black     Producing Country: Nepal      Preparation:  95°C 3 Min

Dry Leaf:  The tea is a TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) grade and contains leaves that are richly stewed-fruity.  
Wet Leaf:  The leaves are floral and wet-hay-like.  
Liquor:      The tea is coppery.  It is sweet with astringency and a cinnamon note.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Yixing Teapots

A 1948 Yixing teapot crafted by a master ceramicist was auctioned off in Beijing in 2010 for nearly US$2 million.   Whoever purchased the teapot must have been guarding it like a crown jewel.

Authentic Yixing teapots are made in Yixing Dingshu Town using Zisha (purple sand) mined from Yellow Dragon Mountain.  Zisha is an overarching name for at least three types of clay: Zhuni (red yellow clay), Zini (purple clay) and Luni (green clay).   The clay mined is in rock form and requires special preparation before it can be used.  Yixing clay is becoming scarce.

The price range of genuine Yixing teapots varies from a hundred to a few thousand dollars.  The collectible teapots are usually designed and hand-crafted by master ceramicists who underwent training for years.  Most  of the economical Yixings on the market are 'wannabes'.   There is nothing wrong using these Yixing look-alike teapots as long as they don't contain harmful lead.

A good Yixing Zisha teapots should have the following characteristics:

• The lid fits the inner rib of the body perfectly.
• The height of the lid stem is 1.5 cm. 
• The lid, the knob on the lid and the handle form one straight line.  
• Water flows out of the sprout effortlessly.

Due to its porous structure and mineral composition, a Yixing teapot retains heat and enhances the aroma of oxidized teas, including Oolong and Pu'er.   A Yixing pot also retains the flavor and color of a tea; therefore, it is best to brew one type of tea in one specific pot.

Yixing lid stem 1.5cm

Iron Goddess Taiwan

The original tea trees planted in Mucha, Taiwan, were brought back from China's Anxi county around 1896. Over the years, Mucha Tie Guan Yin or Iron Goddess of Mercy is still being produced according to the traditional method, including hand-picked leaves, longer oxidation and heavier roast.

Iron Goddess Mucha

Type:  Oolong     Producing Country: Taiwan      Preparation:  95°C 5 Min

Dry Leaf:  The nose of the dark beads is a combination of  toast, mint and chocolate.
Wet Leaf:  The very dark leaves smell floral and a bit charcoal-like.
Liquor:      The golden amber tea is smooth, sweet and creamy.  It can be steeped many times.  The first couple infusions are like tasting airy chocolate milk.  Subsequent infusions are  similar to eating after-dinner mint chocolate thins.  It is lengthy in the mouth and has a pleasant roasted flavor.

Tee Score: 5 out of 5

Iron Goddess China

Iron Goddess of Mercy or Tie Guan Yin appeared to an Anxi county (Fujian, China) tea farmer in a dream about a unique tea tree.  Later on, the farmer did uncover a few special tea trees beside Iron Goddess' temple.  He was able to produce a sweet, fragrant tea from the leaves.  This is one of the legends about Tie Guan Yin, which is also the name of the cultivar.

Traditionally, Tie Guan Yin was a darker oolong.  Due to consumers' preference in recent years, Anxi Tie Guan Yin has become a very 'green' oolong.  This particular tea is Tie Guan Yin King, i,e., a higher grade.   As for monkey-picked Tie Guan Yin, it is also a choice grade.  This is another legend: in the 18th century, monkeys were trained by monks to pick the nicest leaves from wild tea trees to make tribute teas.  Nowadays no monkeys are willing to work for bananas.

Tie Guan Yin King

Type:  Oolong     Producing Country: China     Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  The olive green chunks are vegetal and like tiny frog legs.
Wet Leaf:  The leaves are very large and emerald green.  They are fresh and floral.
Liquor:      The yellow tea is light, clean and sweet.  It is very floral (orchid) as well as grassy.  The astringency is balanced and the aftertaste is refreshing.

Tee Score: 5 out of 5