May
29
Taiwan Tea
Filed Under Tea Blends | Leave a Comment
Taiwan Tea.
If you’re planning to visit the island of Taiwan, do make sure you include a trip to one of its teahouses. One taste of its oolong tea is equivalent to a glimpse of heaven.
The History of Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is also spelled as wu long or wulong tea, but they all refer to the semi-oxidized tea produced under subtropical weather in the mountainous regions of central Taiwan. In its early days, tea was mainly imported to Taiwan from China or the provinces of Fujian and Jiangsu to be specific.
In those times, only the wealthy and the powerful as well as the intellectuals were able to afford tea. When Japanese troops came to occupy the country, tea was also imported from Japan. Later on, Chinese goods returned to the market, allowing the masses to finally afford them. It was only in the 1970’s that locally produced Taiwanese tea was sold within the country as well.
Two Main Types of Tea
All Taiwanese teas are produced in the country’s mountain regions. Two varieties emerged from local tea production: sprout mountain tea with its fuchsia-colored sprouts and Taiwan mountain tea, with its light-purple to green sprouts.
Taiwan tea is an absolute delight and one that many tea drinkers tend to overlook, we tend to only try the teas that we are familiar with therefore I always suggest that anyone wishing to try more tea should try and purchase a tea tasting kit or variety box. These will contain a mixture of tea blends which will anable you to sample the different flavors, a very cost effective way to buy and can open up a whole new world of tea drinking delights.
Track down a good tea supplier and try some today…
May
28
The first blend of Earl Grey tea was different.
What we commonly know and recognized today as Earl Grey tea was not blended in the same way when it was first produced. Back then, it was made using fermented black Ceylon and Indian teas.
Earl Grey tea was named after a noble. The name Earl Grey actually belonged to the Second Earl Charles Grey. He once served as Britain’s Prime Minister in the 1830s. He is credited for the preparation and special blend of tea that now bears his name.
There is a story – actually a legend – that says Lord Charles Grey was given the secret to blending a special type of tea by a Chinese Mandarin. The Chinese man bestowed it as a gift to Grey after he saved the man’s life.
Well what a noble tea this is, sadly it is still not my favorite but still has the right to remain one of our most poular tea blends.
































