A question about classification and desireability of early greens

Some good sense there, Dominic.

My retail company Nothing But Tea Ltd based in the UK sells around the
world (34 countries to date) and our second biggest market is the USA
from which I have noticed over the past five years increasing clamour
for teas that are "earliest", "youngest", "first", "this season's".
Many of the teas we sell are better for some aging - our hand made
Georgian teas are an example, where given the choice of a range of age
from our stock, I prefer drinking ones at least two years old - but
impossible to sell a 2005 season Georgian into the US, already we are
being asked for 2008 season samples - unobtainable until June.

Nigel at Teacraft

On Mar 10, 11:31 pm, "Dominic T." <dominictibe...@> wrote:
> Honestly I don't really concern myself with all the first flush stuff
> anymore, I just buy what is good - not new.
> Rarity used to be a game I played, but I quickly realized that rare or
> "first" doesn't always amount to much but an empty wallet. Sometimes
> some new fresh green is worth it, but mostly it is just hype IMO. It's
> worth trying a few each year but I wouldn't stock my cupboard solely
> on FF/First Picked Spring's.

"Nigel" <nigel@teacraft.com> wrote in message
news:130279a3-bc34-4d8f-ab14-f6c7957a03f4@b1g2000hsg..com...
Some good sense there, Dominic.

My retail company Nothing But Tea Ltd based in the UK sells around the
world (34 countries to date) and our second biggest market is the USA
from which I have noticed over the past five years increasing clamour
for teas that are "earliest", "youngest", "first", "this season's".
Many of the teas we sell are better for some aging - our hand made
Georgian teas are an example, where given the choice of a range of age
from our stock, I prefer drinking ones at least two years old - but
impossible to sell a 2005 season Georgian into the US, already we are
being asked for 2008 season samples - unobtainable until June.

Nigel at Teacraft

This also brings up another point for me... I've seen some places selling
older (meaning last years or year before last's) red teas, and so I am torn
between what I thought was "conventional wisdom" of the fresher the tea the
better, or this "aging" issue. I know the oolongs are aged, the puerh is
aged, I guess some of the reds are too. I don't think anyone could age a
green sucessfully though, but who knows, I could be proved wrong some time.
I do wonder what an aged Yinzhen would taste like, were one to be able to
keep it unfaded...sort of an older honey taste I imagine.

Also there are those countries that may have no dormant period...Kenyan or
African teas? Nigel, do some of the African tea bushes produce all year
around?

Melinda

On Mar 12, 10:32 am, Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:

> Have you given thought to addressing this issue directly on your
> company's website?  > /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin

I second Lew's suggestion. There is no tea product we Americans need
more than education! And I think most all of us are very eager to
learn. I know I have purchased a previous year Yunnan Gold because
part of the description stated that it was best X years aged, a
concept that was new to me.

Aged green teas? I very much doubt it. The received wisdom is that the
delicate flavour of Korean green tea (at least) goes away after two
years at most, and sometimes much earlier. There is also said to be a
possibility of restoring it at least in part by gently heating the tea
as in the last part of the drying process. But no one has ever
indicated to my knowledge that green tea could get better with time.
My favourite Korean maker is now producing a yellow tea that 'ages' in
a big pot for several months after the initial drying, but I think
that is to allow a gradual oxidation process to continue.

When it comes to aged oolongs, which have recently come to my notice
(from Taiwan, 15 years old or perhaps more), could someone tell us if
these are simply left lying around or if they are (as I suspect) re-
heated regularly to maintain dryness. I assume that oolongs, like
puerhs, would not age correctly if kept hermetically sealed?

When it comes to puerhs, is it not true that the total collapse of
trust in the age claimed for them by merchants has encouraged many
people to look for recently made puerhs that they plan to store and
age for themselves?

Br Anthony