Tea and Health

Tea is really good for you, everyone knows that, right? When you try to think why you know that, though, a cloud of acronyms and contradictory facts floats up, and pretty quickly you try to stop thinking about it and just drink your tea, which you are sure is healthy for you. Somehow.

At least, that’s how it goes for me, and judging by all the people who ask me “which tea is healthiest?” and similar, it goes that way for a lot of other people out there. It isn’t just us, either! People have been looking into their tea cups and saying “I’m sure this is good for me, somehow” for thousands of years, and modern cancer researchers read through the results of all the studies and find they have to drink their tea and hope for the best. I’m just a blogger, so I’m not going to solve the problem, but I’ll lay out the information as clearly as possible. Once you look at all the information out there and take a shot at synthesizing it, you feel really extremely sure that tea is healthy, even if it’s still a cloud of acronyms and contradictions at the end of the day. It’s an encouraging cloud!

Tea has been considered healthy, even medicinal, since the very beginning. The mythical Chinese inventor of the tea drink is the emperor Shennong, a culture hero who is said to have reigned from 2737 to 2698 BC, and brought us agriculture and traditional Chinese medicine as well as tea. A book about the ingredients used in Chinese medicine (written a couple thousand years after those scary dates back there) is attributed to him, and it contains a list of benefits from tea as as long as your arm. In Japan the monk Eisai wrote the first Japanese book on tea, back in the twelfth century, and it’s called How to Stay Healthy by Drinking Tea.

Traditional medicine and the modern scientific type don’t always agree, but when researchers started applying the scientific method to tea, they found plenty of evidence that tea is, in fact, really good for you. The lists of benefits modern medicine thinks tea has are as long and varied as the ones in the old books of traditional medicine. Indeed, they’re more so, for you and me, because there are only a few dusty old books of ancient medicine hanging around, and another study on tea and how it totally cures cancer of the left pinky in rats comes out every day.

Cancer makes everything difficult. The data is never clear, outside of the question of whether or not you should smoke two packs a day. But scientists try their hardest! So what have they found about tea? Well, tea contains polyphenols, which are a kind of chemical that plants produce, and which are great cancer fighters. Have you heard of EGCG? It’s a polyphenol. It’s broken down by the oxidation process, so it’s only found in white and green tea, but there are a lot of other polyphenols in tea, and you’ll find them in any drink based on the Camellia sinensis plant. Exactly how they work and how to get them in the right part of you is harder. Putting some EGCG in a test tube with some cancer cells and shaking it is definitely bad news for the cancer cells, and the Japanese have low rates of lung cancer even though they smoke like chimneys, but it’s hard to get more clarity than that. There’s even indications that one kind of polyphenol, tannins, and also hot drinks (!!!) can promote cancer! At this point, just tell yourself the Japanese have low rates of lung cancer and make another cup of tea. Maybe not too hot.

The other major interest is cardiovascular health, and thankfully, hearts and veins and such are much easier to deal with than cancer cells. Drinking tea is definitely awesome for your heart. Unless you put milk in it, in which case the casein (a protein in milk) gets in the way of the polyphenols (from the last paragraph, the nice plant chemicals), and it’s just a tasty drink. (Good news on the lemon front, though, lemon helps your body absorb the good chemicals.) There are studies suggesting that tea will do practically anything you want to have done to your cardiovascular system, lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, improving the elasticity of veins, performing a charming little tapdance number. And there are other studies that didn’t get those results when they tried it. Of course. So the bottom line is that the FDA won’t let tea marketers call their product blood pressure pills in a cup, doctors generally agree that drinking tea is a good idea for your heart. Even the FDA is expected to relent on that point eventually, once they see enough studies come out well.

There is way more to tea and your health than just the big two killers, though. The range of possible benefits from tea are so varied that they almost sound like they’re being produced by a random generator somewhere. The caffeine in tea speeds up your metabolism and boosts weight loss, but some of the other chemicals in tea may enhance the effect, so you’re better off drinking tea than popping NoDoz pills. The tea plant takes up fluoride from the ground it grows in, some of which ends up on your teeth when you drink it. Tea also inhibits bacterial growth, which cuts down on plaque, improving your teeth and your breath, and suggesting broader antibiotic uses for tea, but that’s the medical researchers’ problem. White tea is probably best for freshening your breath, stick to that. Tea improves your alertness, again beyond what just the caffeine content can explain. An amino acid in tea called theanine is improving your alertness, too, and it gives a calm energy instead of the jittery one from caffeine. One study even showed that habitual tea drinkers recovered from stress more quickly than average! Gyokuro is best for theanine.

There are a million more. Poke around the internet, someone’s probably run a study on whatever ails you personally and what tea does for it. They probably got some positive results, and are out trying to replicate them right now. I’m not going to think about it more, though. I’m going to have another cup of tea, instead, because it’s tasty. Also, I’m really pretty sure it’s good for me.
Elizabeth, Teahouse Kuan Yin Staff

Come to our class on the health benefits of tea for more in-depth discussion, this Wednesday, November 11th, at 7pm, for just ten dollars each. E-mail us at teahousekuanyin@gmail.com, call at (206)632-2055, or sign up at the teahouse in person!

http://www.teahousekuanyin.com/gyokuro-suimei.html

 

Jasmine Tea

Jasmine tea is extremely popular, not only in our own teahouse but also around the world. While most mixtures of tea and other plants are modern and not quite perfected, jasmine tea has a history that will impress the most stiff-necked tea snob. It was invented in China during the Song dynasty, which ruled from 960 to 1279AD, and was the first scented tea.

In the modern age of industrial production and widespread wealth some corners do get cut. A lot of jasmine tea is now made simply by taking some mid-grade tea leaves, spritzing them with jasmine oils, tossing the result in teabags and calling it a day. But for good jasmine tea, like we sell, the traditional method is still used, and it is quite the process. First the tea is picked and processed as usual. For high-grade jasmine tea, obviously some good tea is made. It can be any kind you like, but is most often green. We also carry a really spiffy silver needle jasmine, though, which I sometimes get out and stare at because it is just so pretty. That doesn’t actually have anything to do with the jasmine, though. They just started with some really nice tea.

The next step is the jasmine flowers, and here we get fancy. Jasmine flowers bloom at night, opening around sunset and closing again by the morning. To make tea, the flowers are picked during the day and tossed in with the tea leaves from the last paragraph, and sometimes stirred around a great deal. Then they are allowed to sit together overnight. The flowers, even though they’ve been picked, still open up as the air cools, and the tea soaks all the fragrance up. Tea is very hygroscopic, which is your awesome word for the day so go use it in a sentence, it means that it is very good at soaking up moisture, including the fragrance. This is why it’s so important to store your tea in airtight containers, because usually you don’t want it picking up every scent in the room! But in making jasmine tea it’s a good trait. The tea soaks up the scent so well that the flowers are totally spent afterwards. The light flowers are blown out of the mixture with huge fans, and then often fed to pigs because there’s nothing left; all the scent is now in the tea.

This process is repeated at least twice, and often many more times. Usually a 4:1 ratio of flowers:tea leaves by weight ends up being used! Once the tea producers feel their tea is scented enough the tea has to be dried again, because it’s absorbed so much water from the flowers. For our most popular jasmine, Jasmine Pearl, they roll them up into the little pearls by hand before the last drying. In high-grade versions, all the flowers are removed, but sometimes a few flowers will be left in for decoration.

Fujian province, the source of our jasmine tea, is considered the best at making it. Jasmine plants grow well there, producing large and fragrant blossoms. The tea plants do well, too, which is critical. The jasmine has a gentling effect on the tea, making the result smoother, sweeter, and a bit gentler on the stomach, but to get a really top quality jasmine tea all the ingredients have to be the best.

While a lot of teas that are mixed with some other plant are flavored teas, jasmine tea is actually scented. When you lean over your cup and take a deep breath it smells like a jasmine plant, perhaps with the bright flower scent gentled and rounded a little by the tea. Plug your nose and take a sip, and it is a slightly sweet cup of tea. But unless you’re drinking your tea with a nasty cold, the scent and flavor of the tea mix while you drink it, combining elegantly into a fun but still refined cup of tea.

Elizabeth Deacon, Teahouse Kuan Yin Staff

 

Darjeeling Tasting Coming Up!

Darjeelings! Called the “beauty teas of India” and the “champagne of teas,” these delicate and elegant teas have a mystique peculiar to them. They are technically classed as black teas, but are so light they seem almost like a green. Their flavor is fruity and astringent, with a delightful floral aroma.

As the names suggests, Darjeeling teas are all grown in the tiny Darjeeling region in India, but despite their Indian origin they are from the Chinese variety of the tea plant, rather than the Assam varietal more common in India. This contributes to their unique style.

Since we recently acquired several different Darjeelings, we will be having a tasting entirely of Darjeelings this Sunday at 5PM, so come along and experience these remarkable teas with us! Please e-mail teahousekuanyin@gmail.com or sign up at the store in person, as we have a limited number of spaces.

 

Japanese Tea

Japanese tea is not as scary as it sounds.  It’s also delicious, and its strong flavor can appeal to people used to getting their jolts from coffee and soda. The Japanese consume huge amounts of it, but luckily for us foreigners, they produce a little bit more than they drink, so we can have some too.

Tea was first introduced to Japan in the sixth century, brought from China along with Buddhism, and usually by the same people. Buddhist priests brought it back in powdered form, like modern matcha, and were the first fans. Like many other Chinese imports, it quickly caught on with the upper class as well. It spread more slowly to the rest of society, and was used as a medicine at first, but these days there’s plenty of tea for everyone in Japan and a fair amount for export, too.

Tea is grown in the majority of Japan, although the northernmost parts are too cold for it. The tea plant is an evergreen, and will grow into a tree on its own, but is kept a waist-high bush for agricultural purposes. The most exciting harvest is in late spring, and the result is called “shincha” or “ichibancha,” intensely flavored and high quality stuff that sends Japanese tea fans into an absolute tizzy. Shincha is best steeped in cooler water for less time than normal (more specifics later), because this drink will beat you up and take your lunch money if you let it get too strong.

High grade Japanese teas are from bushes that only get harvested once a year in the spring. The fanciest types, including the matcha used in the famed tea ceremony, are from bushes that are kept in the shade during the end of growing season, to make the tea sweeter and less astringent, and turning the leaves an especially bright, deep green.

Only the fanciest Japanese tea is picked by hand; most is harvested by machine. It’s hard to tell, because the Japanese roll their tea, which causes the distinctive fine texture of the leaf that can defeat tea strainers that aren’t made of fine mesh. Another peculiarity of Japanese tea is that when they heat it to stop the enzyme reaction that, left running, turns green tea leaves into black tea, they steam it instead of frying it. There’s even an extra-steamed variety, fukamushi, if you totally love that deep, astringent flavor of Japanese tea. Steaming is the only critical part of the process that makes it Japanese, and other steps get played around with or added to get various kinds of tea. Tea can be rolled, powdered, or charcoal roasted, or even mixed in with rice, which was originally done to stretch supplies but is now popular mostly for being tasty.

Once the tea leaves are finished and shipped out to you, the customer, the producers probably heave a sigh of relief, because freshness is seriously valued in Japanese tea. It’s the only tea that should be stored in the refrigerator. Just wrap up the bulk of your purchase and shove it in the back of the fridge, though; what you’re using on a daily basis should stay in a normal tea caddy in your pantry. Keep out about as much as you drink in a month. The reason for this is that if you expose the tea leaves to the air while they’re cold, then the moisture in the air condenses on them, like it does on the sides of a glass of ice water. Pretty on water glasses, but not so nice on tea! So let your refrigerated tea warm up inside its nice, sealed bag, not out of it.

Brewing Japanese tea makes a lot of people nervous, so if you’re one of them, I promise you’re in good company. I also promise that you can relax. As long as you get the leaves out of the water within two minutes, you’re usually okay. For those shinchas I mentioned earlier, you’ll want to aim for one minute rather than two. Cooler water also takes the edge off, although boiling water is a bad idea for pretty much all green teas, so this isn’t a unique aspect. Try taking the kettle off the heat when it’s rumbling but not yet whistling, or mixing one part cold water with three parts boiling. Anywhere from one to three teaspoons of leaf will make you a good cup of tea, so experiment and see what you like best.

For matcha, the descendant of the first powdered teas that came to Japan which is the star of the tea ceremony, there’s a different set of rules. The other teas don’t absolutely require particular equipment, although pretty little side-handled kyusu and interesting yunomi cups are a lot of fun, but matcha really needs a few central elements of the tea ceremony. First, the chawan, a wide bowl that is used instead of a cup, because matcha is whisked up into a froth with a special little whisk which is our other piece of critical matcha equipment, and is called a chasen. The wide mouth and large size of the bowl are necessary so you have room to whisk and froth up your matcha. That’s all there is to brewing matcha. There’s a lot more to the tea ceremony, of course, but you don’t have to know anything about the rest of it to make yourself a bowl of tasty matcha.

There are plenty of refinements to be made. If you like the precise, chemisty-experiment approach to tea, then you can keep yourself busy for a very long time with a thermometer, a sensitive scale, and a steady supply of Japanese tea. If you want a cup of tea, put about a teaspoon of tea per cup into a teapot with some less-than-boiling water for less-than-two minutes. You can even switch off days, if you like. Tea is forgiving like that, which is probably why I find it to be so much fun.

Elizabeth Deacon, Teahouse Kuan Yin Staff

 

Upcoming Events

We will now be posting teahouse events regularly on the blog, so be sure to check back here to find out what’s happening at the shop. The events are a lot of fun, so come, hang out, drink tea with us!

Sunday Tea Tastings

October 25th at 11AM: Subtle Teas of Green and White

November 1st at 5PM: Darjeelings, the Beauty Teas of India

Wednesday Tea Classes

October 21st at 7PM: How to Choose and Buy an Oolong

October 28th at 7PM:How to Use a Gaiwan and Other Tea Tools

November 11th at 7PM: Health Benefits of Tea

Please sign up in advance via email (teahousekuanyin@gmail.com), phone (206-632-2055), or at the teahouse in person (1911 N 45th St., Seattle, WA). Tastings and classes are limited to six people, so do sign up to be sure you can get in! Cost is $10 per person and includes 10% off any bulk tea purchases the day of the event.

 

New Teas at Teahouse Kuan Yin

I cupped several of Teahouse Kuan Yin’s new teas at tonight’s tasting and we all fell in love all over again with green, darjeeling and black tea.  Goodwin, Elizabeth, Julia and the Teahouse’s new resident tea expert Becky, were knowledgeable, inspiring and wonderful company.  We satisfied our palates with the complex tastes of fine teas, snacked on delicious lavender shortbread and shared knowledge about everything related to tea!

We began with Wuyi Green, a green tea from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, China.  Wuyi Mountain teas are grown at a high elevation amidst rocky limestone soil.  The region is best known for Rock Oolongs, though the Wuyi Green tea was surprisingly not reminiscent of oolong tea.  This green is light, slightly astringent, but smooth and delicate like many of the finest Chinese green teas.

Nepal Himalaya View, also a green tea, was smokey and similar to Green Pu’er, which is not surprising since this region grows the Assam variety of Camellia Sinensis (tea bush).  This tea looks like a 1st Flush Darjeeling, though vastly different in taste, it withstood several steepings and is ideal for those who prefer smokey, strong flavor, yet, prefer green tea.

Soom Estate 1st Flush Darjeeling is perhaps the finest new tea at the teahouse and stood out for its sweet taste and smooth finish.  The Soom Estate Darjeeling withstood 4 steepings of continual bold, delicious flavor.

Sikkim Terri Estate, a black tea from Northeast India, would be classified as a Darjeeling if it were actually grown in that region.  Since it is from Sikkim, this tea cannot carry the Darjeeling name, and is instead relegated to a black tea.  The Terri Estate 1st Flush tea appears like a Darjeeling with light green and brown leaves, it tastes slightly sweet also with an incredibly smooth finish and provides multiple steepings.

Yunnan Golden Snail is a malty black tea from Yunnan Province.  The dry leaves are soft, curly and have golden tips, hence the name which describes the appearance.  The tea withstood several steepings and provided a sweet warmth on one of Seattle’s first cold nights of Fall.

Nilgiri Blue Mountain is an attempt by tea growers in that region to produce a high quality black tea, as opposed to their usual production of Cut Tear Curl (CTC) tea used in tea bags.  While this was a decent attempt it did not fulfill our expectations after tasting so many delicious teas prior.

Come by the teahouse to taste some of the teas described here or order samples on-line! www.TeaHouseKuanYin.com

To sign up for a tasting or tea class please email TeaHouseKuanYin@Gmail.com

 

Upcoming Tea Tastings

Upcoming Tea Tastings!

Cool and refreshing Tea.  Tea is from the hottest parts of the world where it is enjoyed warm or iced.  Join Teahouse Kuan Yin this summer for our hot and cool tea tastings.  We will learn about tea production, history, culture, and service.  While comfortably relaxing in the air-conditioned teahouse we will sample six different cooling teas.  Join us for one or all of the tastings, bring a friend or family member, and give the gifts of tea. 

For those passionate about tea who cannot attend these tastings, please contact Rachel Newman to arrange a private tea event at your home or office. 

 

Hot China, Cool Tea June 14^th 5pm

Six Chinese teas grown in China’s hot, southern climate, where summer temperatures reach 99º with 100% humidity.  Silver Needle, White Peony, Dong Ding Green, Three Roses Charcoal Baked, Pu’er Green, Pu’er Camel’s Breath are the flavors due to cross your palette.

 

Yin Teas for Keeping Cool June 28^th 11am

Six Green teas that are Yin in nature, which help keep the body cool during hot summer months.  We will discuss the nature of Yin foods and how and why these work to cool our bodies.  We will taste Snow Bud, Green Snow Bud, Dragonwell (Longjing), Little Melon Seed, Formosa Green, Moroccan Mint.

 

Himalayan Tea July 12^th 5pm

Grown in the foothills of the world’s highest mountain range, this Indian valley is hot and sunny all summer.  Still, the locals sip hot black tea.  Why?  We will explore this question first-hand with six different teas from the region.  Darjeeling 1^st and 2^nd flushes, Assams and Chai!

 

Healthy Tea including Herbals July 26^th 11am

Come explore our selection of healthy teas including many of our house-blended herbals.  All tea is healthy, though some have more anti-oxidants while others may help lower cholesterol, fight fatigue, and aid in digestion.  We will sample pure herbals, blends – including our house blend World Peace – White, Green and Pu’er.  Bring your curiosity and questions about health and tea.

 

Ice-Teas August 2^nd 5pm

Wonder what your favorite tea tastes like ”on ice”?  We will serve six different teas drizzled over ice so that you may choose how cool your tea needs to be. Teahouse employees love to make their own concoctions of ice-teas all summer long. Some house favorites include Yunnan Gold, Lychee Black, Jasmine, Dragonwell, Silver Needle and Bai Hao, all of which will be sampled.  Requests will be accepted for this tasting only.

 

Southeast Asian Teas August 16^th 11am

How do you make Thai Iced Tea?  What is bubble tea?  We will not drink these, but we will learn more about what teas are used to make them and why.  We will sample six teas used as a base for milky, sweet drinks and try them on their own.  The tasting will include, Assams, Ceylon, Oolong and Green teas.

 

All teas listed are subject to change as we await Marcus’ return with some new wonderful teas from Taiwan and China. 

Please email or come into the teahouse to sign-up for tastings.  Tastings are $10 per person, which includes 20% off any tea purchases made that day.

Please feel free to distribute this flyer. 

Website: www.TeaHouseKuanYin.com

Our new blog: www.TeaHouseKuanYin.wordpress.com

 

Marvelous Mint by PJM

Mint. For some, this is the original green tea. Technically, if all one does is pour hot water over mint, it’s mint tisane. According to Wikipedia, “The English word “tisane” originated from the Greek word πτισάνη (ptisanē), a drink made from pearl barley. Strictly speaking, the name ‘herbal teas’ is a misnomer, as they are not made with real tea (Camellia sinensis), but by infusing other plants.” I, like most mint enthusiasts I know, prefer my mint all by its ownsome without added tea or other herbs.
So what I enjoy isn’t mint tea at all, but mint tisane.
Tea or tisane, mint persists in popularity. North America is original home of peppermint. Mint itself is an Old World herb, found in Europe and Africa quite wild. Both now exist worldwide, yet as a student of the culinary arts (hot beverages certainly is part of de Gustibus!), I find the historical origins of what we consume fascinating.
“In the Moroccan spring, the snow melts off the Atlas Mountains, watering the plains below. As the days warm, some of the most soothing, refreshing and full-flavored mint flourishes in this ancient land of the Berbers. With a flavor as light and lively as a newly picked leaf, our choice organic mint will become your favorite mint teasan. An all-day or after-dinner delight, no wonder the Moroccans drink ten cups a day.” Numi Mint package blurb.
It’s a fact the ancient Romans drank mint and other herb tisanes. Proper tea was unknown to them. As was coffee. Did you know the English were drinking coffee a century before they drank tea? That story another time.
There’s more to tell about mint. Watch this space!
Submitted by Philip Jay Matricardi.

 

Chinese Teas: White, Green and Black

At our most recent tasting we explored the vast world of Chinese teas, sampling three main types, White, Green and Black. China, considered the home of tea, was the first place to widely cultivate and create a culture for tea.
Green tea is most often associated with China, where it is grown, processed and exported more than any other type of tea. White Tea the most rare of teas just has a few varities to enjoy. The three most common, Silver Needle, White Peony and Shou Mei are each fine examples of delicious low caffeine, high antioxidant tea. Black teas are rarely enjoyed by the Chinese, despite the great care given to their cultivation and processing, this tea is mainly for export.

Our tea tasting group thoroughly enjoyed the Silver Needle and Shou Mei White tea, which we steeped for nearly 10 minutes. The long steeping produced no tannins at all and the brew was smooth, slightly grassy and earthy.

At Teahouse Kuan Yin we carry about fifteen Chinese Green Teas making the choice of just two very difficult. I choose Lu An Gua Pian (Little Melon Seed) and Morning Dew, both beautiful examples of Chinese Green tea. The Little Melon Seed, from Anhui Province, is named because of it’s appearance. The brew is light, taste only slightly astringent, and steeps two to three times. Morning Dew, as one taster noticed, is like Kale, or the Sea. It is an evergreen color with a strong green tea taste, as described above, like kale or seaweed, though not nearly as much as Japanese Green tea.

The Black teas truly surprised me since I am an avid Green tea drinker and, like the Chinese, not enthused with Black tea. We planned to try just two, but ended up tasting four, including Golden Monkey, Keemun, Fujian Ancient Tree, and Gold Yunnan. The Golden Monkey had few tannins, which are typical of Assam’s and the taste I don’t like in a black tea. The Keemun also lacked strong tannins and had a slightly smokey taste. The Fujian Ancient Tree amazed us all, the taste was reminiscent of cocoa butter, or more specifically, Hershey’s Chocolate. This beautiful tea when dry is golden in color with long, twisted leaves, appearance is similar to the Yunnan Black teas.
Yunnan Gold produced a fine malty flavor with hints of sweetness. These Chinese black teas didn’t have any  apparent tannins, steeped multiple times and had no need for milk or sugar.

All of these teas and merchandise can be found in our Seattle store, 1911 45th Street. We host regular tea tastings on Sundays, if you are interested please stop by, call or email us.
We also sell all of our wonderful teas around the world. Please visit www.TeaHouseKuanYin.com to order!

 

Teas of India

Most of the worlds best-known and most delicious black teas are made from Camellia Sinensis Assamica, the tea plant varietal native to India. Home to three growing regions, Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri, all have teas named after their place of origin. The Assam and Darjeeling regions lie at the foot of the Himalaya mountain range where the soil, climate and perhaps extraordinary scenery give rise to rich, bold, malty and floral teas. Nilgiri teas are grown in Southern India and reminiscent of Ceylons. Originally, the British brought tea seeds from China to India before noticing the Indians picking and drinking the leaves of wild assam bushes. Once the native Assam bush was discovered the British quickly planted tea gardens and created a vibrant world tea market.

Throughout India, England and many other parts of the world, excluding China and Japan, black tea is consumed with milk, sugar, and in India with various other sweet and savory spices. As sam teas are best enjoyed with milk and sugar which lessen the tannin content and accentuate the malty flavor.

Darjeelings, perhaps the most unique of all black teas, are lightly floral, mildly tannic, sometimes earthy and light. These fine black teas are commonly enjoyed with out milk or sugar and can stand several good steepings, especially if each steeping is just one minute.
Each Darjeeling is named after the estate it is from, such as Margaret’s Hope, Pussingbing, Risheehat and Namring. Teahouse Kuan Yin carries at least two of each estate, usually a first and second flush, which refers to the time it is plucked. First flushes are plucked in early spring after the first rains, second flush are picked in June and Autumnal Flush is plucked in Autumn.
Nilgiri tea, often used for blends or tea bags, is best known as Orange Pekoe and despite its use in tea bags can still be considered one of the finest black teas when grown, plucked and processed with intention. The Nilgiri region is proximal to Ceylon so the teas have similar growing climates and therefore are closer in appearance, aroma and flavor.

During our tasting we talked about the history and culture surrounding India’s black teas and were carried away to a place and time that brought forth one of the worlds most consumed beverages.

All of these wonderful teas and many more can be found at www.TeaHouseKuanYin.com