Tea Tasting

"There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Though I love the idea of a tea party, I don't know the first thing about the drink itself (I usually opt for coffee or water). But I guess it's time I educate myself, so join me as I try exploring a bit of the culture surrounding the drink, the history, and of course, the taste.

Here's to the teas. To begin, I raided my grandmother's cabinet and found three tea varieties.

1) Twining's Darjeeling Tea - Wikipedia says that this is a "thin bodied, floral and fruity tea from Darjeeling [India] with defining muscatel tones." Though it is a black tea, both ooling and green varieties can be made from this Camellia sinesis variety. The Twining's wrapper told me that "Darjeeling is often regarded by connoisseurs as one of the finest teas."

(Well, I find it a bit bitter. It doesn't taste like that much to me, but maybe I over steeped it. It's a pretty color when brewed, with a hint of orange to it, but I can't say that I am impressed with this one.)

2) Twining's Earl Grey Tea - Well, the wrapper tells me little about this tea beyond the ingredients (Black Tea, Bergamot Flavoring), but the sixth Earl Grey endorses this brand as something that his family has enjoyed for years, presented to his ancestor (the second Earl Grey) in a recipe from China. However, the Bergamot flavoring is, according to Wikipedia, what makes this blend so famous. An oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange is what makes this such a distinctive tasting tea.

(I've had this variety before, and I know that I like it. I definitely oversteeped this tea, but the hint of bergamot really adds a delightful flavor to the tea. I recommend this to newbies.)

3) Twining's Ceylon Orange Pekoe Tea - Ceylon is the old name for Sri Lanka. This black tea, according to the wrapper, comes from Sri Lanka, a major tea producing island. This is just a black tea from Sri Lanka.

(I guess I was expecting another mild citrus flavor, but I didn't get it. There is no orange in this tea; it's just a term used for tea grading. This is mild and not too exciting for me, though I prefer this over the Darjeeling.)

So, I guess my taste buds need to warm up. I really liked the Earl Grey, but I think next time I need to learn how to steep these properly!