Tencha

Tea leaves for Gyokuro and Tencha are grown in the shade for two to three weeks before they are harvested and processed.   Unlike Gyokuro, Tencha is not rolled/kneaded after steaming.   Tencha leaves are stoned-ground to make Matcha powder.   Shade-grown teas are darker green in color and contain more amino acids, which our taste buds detect as savory or umami.  

This hand-harvested Tencha from Kyoto has large flakes of dark leaves.   To brew Tencha tea requires more leaves and less water.  It has amazing aromas and flavors of quality seaweed.   It is great for sipping or for pairing with Japanese food.    Even the brewed wet leaves are mild and tasty like cooked spinach.   Adding it to a miso soup or a green salad, this Tencha blurs the line between tea and food.  

Tencha 

Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan    Preparation:  80°C 2 Min

Dry Leaf:   The dark green flat pieces of leaves are milky.  They also have the aromas of roasted seaweed. 

Wet Leaf:   The deep green brewed leaves smell and taste like seaweed and cooked spinach.  

Liquor:       This tea is pale olive green with lots of sediments.  It is sweet and creamy.  Its flavor can be described as a nice light, mellow seaweed soup,  It it not astringent like other green teas.  

Tee Score:  5 out of 5

Sumatra Black Pearl

Indonesia produces both coffee and tea.   In 2010, it was the 7th largest tea production country in the world.   Indonesia exports large amounts of black tea to Russia and Europe for tea blending and tea bags.  Tea is grown mostly in Java and Sumatra.

The Black Pearl tea from Sumatra may look a lot like 99% Oxidized Oolong but it is a black tea.   The distinct malty aroma of the dry pearls and liquor is an obvious giveaway.   For a black tea, it is light in color but rich in interesting flavor.  It is very enjoyable iced or hot.

Black Pearl

Type:  Black Tea     Producing Country: Indonesia     Preparation:  95°C 5 Min

Dry Leaf:  These semi-rolled leaves are strongly malty.
Wet Leaf:  The dark curly leaves are reminiscent of cooked squash.
Liquor:      The amber tea smells malty.  It has a medium body and is smooth, sweet and fruity.  It almost has no astringency.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

Dong Ding

Dong Ding  is not "Ding-Dong!"   Dong Ding (aka Tung Ting) means frozen peak and is an acclaimed Taiwanese Oolong.   Around 1885 a Taiwanese scholar returned to Lugu (deer valley) from China with 36 tea plants from Wuyi mountains as a gift for his sponsor. These shrubs were planted on Lugu's mountain hill side and flourished.  Years later when a tea was skillfully made, it was named Dong Ding, after the mountain in Lugu township of Nantou district.

The tea growers in Lugu organized the first tea competition in Taiwan in 1975.   The competition, now held twice a year, assesses and selects the best Dong Ding teas of the season from thousands of entries.   A champion tea winner can expect to fetch a handsome price for his or her tea.  The record was set in 2011 at US$5200 per 600 gram for the champion tea.  

This Dong Ding is not a competition grade but is nonetheless nice, light and mild.

Dong Ding

Type:  Oolong     Producing Country:  Taiwan     Preparation:  90°C 5 Min

Dry Leaf:   The dark green pearls are sweet and biscuity.  

Wet Leaf:  The large olive green leaves with stems are floral.  

Liquor:       This tea is pale green.  It is light, mild, sweet, creamy and faintly floral. 

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

Tea and Food Pairing

Bon Appetit Magazine reported that 2013 #18 food trend "tea is the new coffee, complete with equipment, techniques, and tons of varieties to nerd out over."   The Age of the Tea Nerds has dawned!

Unlike coffee, tea is delicate and not overpowering.  Tea can be appreciated alone or with food.  Tea and food pairing is not new but has become more sophisticated due to the 'tea movement' in North America.   Genmaicha with Japanese food, oolong with Chinese food, and  black tea with scones are all examples of pairings with which people are quite familiar.

Although tasting principles can be applied to pairing tea with food, the bottom line is to let your palate as well as your imagination guide you.   Perfect pairing is subjective and there are no hard and fast rules.   Nevertheless, there are several tips that may be helpful:

1. Determine if the focus is on the food or on the tea.    
2. Know the flavor profile and weight of the tea.   Know the flavors, cooking method, weight of the food or dish.  Identify the dominate flavor.  
3. Complement tea and food by matching the flavors (e.g., A steamed sole and a Japanese Gyokuro).  
4. Contrast tea and food by counterpointing the flavors (e.g., A piece of rich carrot cake and a light Dragon Well).  
5. Beware of the bitterness, sweetness and astringency in the tea.    Consider the saltiness, sourness and sweetness of the food.   See below for the tricks your taste buds can play on you:    

Food/Tea	Tea Bitterness	Tea Sweetness	Tea Astringency (Tannin)
Salty food	Neutralizes bitterness	Brings out sweetness	Reduces astringency
Acidic food	Mellows bitterness	Complements sweetness	Reduces astringency
Sweet Food	Overly sweetness Heightens bitterness	Reduces sweetness if food is sweeter	Increases astringency

Sencha with Japanese food

A day in the life of a tea nerd could look like this:

	Food	Tea
Breakfast	Bagel with cream cheese & lox	Lapsang Souchong
Break	Apple	Bai Hao Yin Zhen
Lunch	Mac & Cheese	Sencha
Break	Digestive biscuits	Assam
Dinner	Stir-fry beef and rice	Oriental Beauty
Après Dinner	Vanilla ice cream and berries	Keemun

Tea Preparation

The path to tea nirvana is just a few steps:

1. Use freshly drawn, pH-neutral, cold filtered water that still has some minerals or use pristine spring water.  Water can make or break a tea.  
2. Select quality teas, about 2.5 g or one teaspoon per 6-ounce cup.   Except for Pu'er, teas can lose their freshness after 6 months to a year.  
3. Find a lidded vessel to contain tea's volatile aromas.  Warm up the vessel and then place tea in it.  Counter-clock above: Gaiwan (covered bowl) is great for all types of tea. Kyusu is a traditional pot for Japanese green tea.  A glass mug displays the agony of Chinese green tea.  A small fine china pot produces a good cup of afternoon tea. Yixing is ideal for Pu'er and dark Oolong.  
4. Brew according to tea types or individual teas (See guidelines below).  Pour tea through a strainer and enjoy.  (Chinese method often rinses oolong and pu'er leaves for 5-10 seconds to remove the impurities.  If using Gaiwan or Yixing for multiple infusions, fill the bowl or pot with 1/4 to 1/2 full of leaves.  Steep 30 seconds for the first infusion and about one minute for the subsequent infusions.)

Lu Yu, the Chinese tea master in the 8th century AD, advised observing water to determine its temperature.  For example, shrimp eyes (tiny bubbles) indicate water temperature is about 70 C.  Fortunately, a modern day tea drinker only has to press a button or two to control water temperature. 

Tea Type	Water Temperature	Time	Notes
White	75 - 85 C or 165 – 185 F	2 – 5 mins	Chinese white teas can take longer time.
Green	70 – 80 C or 160 – 175 F	1 - 3 mins	Lower temp for Japanese Green and 30 seconds for Matcha
Yellow	75 – 80 C or 165 – 175 F	2 – 3 mins	Similar to Chinese green
Oolong	85 – 95 C or 185 – 200 F	3 – 5 mins	Higher temp for darker oolong
Black	95 – 100 C or 200 – 212 F	3 – 5 mins	Larger leaves need longer time.
Pu’er	100 C or 212 F	4 – 7 mins	Rinse first

                                       shrimp eyes