Tea Origin by Percentage (c.o. Wikipedia.org)

It would not be a proper lesson on tea without sitting down and discussing the origin of tea.  Where is it grown?  More importantly where can it grow?

Let’s start with tea’s origin.  Where did it originally come from?

Originally its natural form was believed to have originated in China.  The most celebrated of teas come from the area of China known as “The Golden Triangle.” This area is found between the mountains of Huang Shan, Mogan Shan, Qi Shan and Tianmu Shan.

In the country of Taiwan, it is well known for its oolong teas.

India has grown in popularity due its Assam teas (which are grown in the Brahmaputra valley) and Darjeeling teas (which is grown in the ex-British hills of the Himalayas).  Darjeeling teas are known as the “Champagne of teas.”

This also spreads into Nepal.  In their side of the Himalayas, they have their own tea that resembles Darjeeling.

Sri Lanka is the source of the famous and fragrant Ceylon tea.  The principle growing regions of this country are Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva.

Of course, we can never forget Japan renowned for its green sencha, courser bancha and matcha.

But that’s just the Asian countries.

Tea growing has also made its way to East Africa to the countries of Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania.   These countries have made a dent in the mark by way of making large quantities of black teas.  However, they have not been able to deliver the same quality of Chinese Yunnan or Indian Darjeeling.

But it does not stop there.  Tea growing has also spread to the Americas to the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and the good old USA.

Tea has spread all over the world and it will continue to do so as it continues to also grow in popularity.

Pretty cool, no?

A Korean made Organic Brown Rice with Green Tea from Daehan Tea.

This tea is known better as either Genmaicha or Popcorn Tea. Either name effuses the correct picture though. This brews up aromatic and comforting. The roasted notes making it into the aroma nicely while keeping the senses from getting excited.

In the mouth this brews with only the tiniest of astringency and vegetal undertones. The rice takes care of calming both down.

Morning Cup #42

What’s in your cup?

I was a bit disappointed this year at the 2011 World Tea Expo, because I didn’t get to hang out with my friends from Puripan Tea Garden. They’re always light, lively and fun, so they’re a frequent stop during my time at the expo. Not so this year. But I do have some of their teas to review! And we’ll start with this Mugwort herbal tea (tisane.)

The loose leaves are a mix of light green and white. They’re very puffy and tend to clump together. These aren’t tea leaves mind you, but the leaves of Artemisia vulgaris, a common plant with many uses and many names. The liquor brews a nice light but bright green.

The aroma from the dried leaves is very leafy (no irony intended.) There’s no hints of fruitiness or sweetened edges, mugwort is what it is. The brewed aroma is light in the nose and doesn’t effuse very well, constraining itself mostly the the pot or cup in which is was brewed.

In the mouth the feel is light and smooth at first. Over the course of a sip some astringency sets in with a light drying of the cheeks and area under the tongue. Oddly the tongue itself and the roof of the mouth didn’t seem to be as effected.

Mugwort Tea from Puripan Tea Garden

This tea is not particularly strong, but it does offer some astringency. The longer you brew it, the stronger the flavor profile and astringency will be. Brewed longer than recommended and the mugwort offers some bitterness. Brewed less than recommended it offers a more creamy palate texture.

Fans of  rooibos (red tea), tippy teas and fresh Darjeelings may enjoy this herbal/tisane brew.

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On a personal note, I find this mugwort tea to be very relaxing and do like to enjoy it a couple times a week.

Regardless, Korea produces some mighty fine teas of both “pure” and herbal beverages. This persimmon leaf tea titled “Reminiscence” from Hancha Tea / TeaClassics is a nice rounded smooth tea.

This particular tisane is made from Persimmon leaves. Persimmons, for the uninitiated are delicious fruits grown around the world. I won’t teach you about them though you lazy bums! Go read Wikipedia!

The  dried leaves in this tisane are jagged and torn. The leaves actually look similar to those of a yerba mate or a guayusa.

The aroma is light and sweet with hints of apple, and peach. These notes continue once brewed.

The flavor is light, with a thin caramel gold liquor that plays on the tongue. Smooth fruit flavors seem to embrace the palate quickly.

While not astringent, there is a notable drying of the palate. Because it’s smooth to drink and flavorful without astringency, I don’t recommend sweeteners.

Monday is Teahouse/Tea Room, Accessory and Brand Review Day!

It’s been a week since the end of the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas and I’m still a little heady from the experience. Here’s a recap of my time at the Expo and my takeaway from the event.

Like most people, I don’t work in the tea industry. I make my living doing something else. For me it’s in technology in one form or another (I get around). For others it might be banking or retail work. Regardless of our backgrounds we all have limits on the time we can spend away from the office. You can imagine the general level trepidation I had in spending half my yearly vacation allotment (not to mention the monetary costs) to attend this industry only event almost an entire continent away!

Let me start by stating that Las Vegas has never been my kind of town. No offense to those who enjoy it. I’m not one for gambling, unless I’m starting a business… which is a gamble all its own. And while I can certainly get into pretty lights… all the sex advertising is overkill for me. So Vegas is clearly a bit absurd for me. But I follow the tea… and there the tea went.

Although the expo started on Saturday, I spent Thursday travelling to Vegas. This would give me time to rest up before the expo and explore the town a bit more than I’d had on my only previous visit to Vegas. I spent Friday walking up and down the strip photographing the architecture and window shopping in the stores. There’s plenty to see, even if you’re not out for the gambling or the gratuitous nudity everywhere.

Friday night I picked up my badge and packet for the expo to avoid the morning lines. I missed the opening ceremonies Saturday morning… something I’ve never really enjoyed much at other gatherings. I hear there was a very good breakfast there, and that would have been appreciated versus the $9.70 I ended up paying for a bowl of fruit and some yogurt at the Red White & Blue restaurant in the Mandalay Bay hotel where the expo was held.

Right off the bat I had a session Saturday morning. The first was held by James Norwood Pratt on the Myths & Legends of Tea. Of the six sessions I had at this year’s expo this was probably my favorite. Mr. Norwood clearly and entertainingly discussed the real world drawbacks of concentrating too heavily on the oft complicated and confusing (not to mention long and growing) list of health benefits of tea. Also covering modern societies’ general loss of the ability to tell and listen to stories, Mr. Pratt was captivating and educating all at once. If you have the opportunity to read one of his myriad of books, I highly recommend it.

Also on Saturday I had a panel called “Educating Your Customer,” hosted by Michael Harney of Harney & Sons. If you frequent this site you’ll note a number of Harney & Sons reviews here for both hot and iced teas. After Mr. Pratt’s amazing presentation I had very high standards for this followup. However, as much as I admire Mr. Harney and what he and his family’s company have done for the industry over the years, he needs some improvement in the presentation skills arena. Looking past lots of “umms” and “ahhs” flowing through the presentation, Michael Harney gave a good presentation discussing the intricacies of staff training and engaging customers in their education process.

I hit the show floor after this and spent a whole lot of time (6+ hours) networking and meeting people. I’m a bit of a talker, so I got stuck at several booths discussing their teas, company histories and other things along the way. You would think so much time would have allowed me to meet lots of people, but I don’t think I even finished a full row of booths on Saturday out of the seven or eight total rows.

I ended up visiting with ITI (International Tea Importers) right through the door, then moving on to the Harney & Sons booth and speaking with both Michael and John Harney. Both gentlement are uniquely and fantastically knowledgeable about tea and I had been very much looking forward to interacting with them. I also ran into Tea Escapade, another blogger, while at this booth.

I also met with Rona Tison of ITO EN and learned they have been recycling their used plastic bottles and used tea leaves to make other goods. While I found making their business cards of these materials to be a natural extension of things… they also fashion pens, park benches and vending machines out of the plastics and tea leaves! Completely fascinating!

Saturday evening brought the World Tea Championships out. Far and away Rishi Tea took the most awards… walking away with NINE (9) first place wins and numerous runner up positions across multiple categories. I was most excited to see a relative newcommer with Puripan taking away a win. I’ve long been upset at the seemingly clear bias against Korean teas in the industry. I’m very excited to these teas to receive recognition!

Saturday brought many new relationships into my life… but Sunday and Monday were yet to come. Visit back next Monday for a recap of the final two days of my time at the World Tea Expo (WTE).

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