DARJEELING TEA

DARJEELING TEA

The Darjeeling tea, seen as photo below, is my wife's gift. Its original pack of three, Twinning pack with Classics English Breakfast Tea and Origins Darjeeling Tea, is very suitable to be used as a lovely gift. She received it from her friend who must had came out with such a gift after   deep thought, I believed. It was displayed in one of the cabinets and only caught my attention recently, after looking for something to write for my tea blog.

This tea reminded me of my online tea group of friends and I decided to blog it out to kick start of Darjeeling tea and English tea. I believe some of them will take this opportunity to share this tea or experience before I give them a try.

I urge all parties to make use of this platform to have a meaningful dialog. Perhaps we can also have deeper knowledge of Eastern and Western Tea, their differences in term of taste, aroma, their respective preparation and etc..in respect of these two teas.

I was made to understand that this tea is also known as Black tea among tea connoisseurs and it is increasingly gaining popularity. Raised and cultivated in the healthiest environment of the Himalayas, the young leaves are thought to have excellent health benefits from its rich source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. I will share with you its taste once I have tried out. For those who have tasted this tea, please share with us some of your experience. We definitely love to hear from you.

From my understanding this tea is naturally processed. The fresh leaves are carefully handpicked and immediately left to dry; this gives its taste much like of freshly picked leaves. It contains only a small amount of caffeine making it suitable for people with high blood pressure and heart ailments.

The tea is cultivated in the cold mountains of India; they are basically handpicked, air dried, steamed and rolled tightly almost immediately. Once these leaves are completely air dried, it will then be steamed or fired at around 80 degree Celcuis for 2-3 minutes. The leaves can be steeped 3 times, but each steeping thereafter needs a longer period of time. Be mindful not to let the concoction to boil or overheat because it will cause the taste to turn bitter.

Hope you find this article useful and please do not hesitate to put forward your view in this regard. Thanks and have a fulfilling weekend.

 

James Oh

Skype me at james.oh18

GREEN TEA, JAPENESE

VERY WARM WELCOME TO THIS LIFE ENRICHING BLOG,


Recently I have just tried out the Japanese Green Tea, in Tea bag form, from the hotel I stayed during my boot-camp. I took 2 of the Tea bags for One-Cup; Net weight of 0.2g; New family teabag as shown in the photo below.










I found the OSK Japanese Green Tea which is slightly less than RM15.00 for 50 bags is fairly good in taste and value for the money spent. I was made to understand that you could get it from the major market chains such as Jusco, Carrefour and Cold Storage.


I then recalled my very first experience of the Japanese Green tea, given as a gift from a the late local Professor Yap Han Heng after his return from Japan. I had worked for him under several renowned institutions such as WHO and Sumitomo Chemical Ltd., though less than a year. I felt indebted to him as he is the person, apart from my sister who encouraged me to pursue my study in Form Six. We kept in touch for a number of years after I graduated with my first professional degree locally in 1987, until he passed away last few years ago. It turned out to be a horribly bitter experience for me at that time. I instantly vomited out immediately after my very first sip. I thereafter poured away the remaining tea, which was nearly almost a full glass of green tea. Such a waste, yet it gave me an unforgettable experience.


Below please find a copy of the testimony he had given to me after I met him at the University during my studying when he was there to give a talk on his area of expertise.


However, this powder teabag form of Japanese green tea today gives me a very pleasant taste and I truly enjoyed it. The smell is just like a sort of 'greenish-fishy'. Tell us more how you find its aroma and taste? What is the best quality of Japanese Green Tea that you had tasted? I must admit I know very little about it? Can someone tell me the difference between Chinese, Korean and Japanese green tea.Thanks and look forward to hearing from you soon,



James Oh






Skype me at james.oh18

JAPANESE GREEN TEA

Dear readers,

Green tea makes life easy. There are Green Tea teabags that comes with powder form, very suitable for the city folks who have hectic daily lifestyle. You may purchase it at any supermarket, Japanese  Tea Shops and virtual tea shops.

For the best brew, Japanese Green Tea should be steep in water that is boiling around 150-180° F for 1-4 minutes depending on the grade of the tea. You just take out one teabag and place it at a transparent glass cup before adding the appropriate boiling water into the cup and steep it for appropriate time frame. Thereafter, you will enjoy best brew quality green tea at your pleasure at your selected place.

For those who love high quality green tea, you may opt for Premium Green Tea teabags which are made of spring-to-early-summer selected young leaves. The use of early spring leaves together with the gentle processing give  rise to an outstanding taste without a trace of bitterness. The young leaves, after its harvest, are then steamed before being dried. This process is said to keep the abundant polyphenols from being destroyed, as opposed to the fermentation process used for black tea.

Generally, the Japanese Green Tea is a light and smooth tea. They are often used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The initial steaming step distinguish Japanese green tea from Chinese tea.

James Oh