It's spring, and I'm going batty over the new teas from every tea-producing region. While I understand people's love for Hangzhou's pricey long jing (Dragonwell), I'm not a fan. I'm more curious about the economics behind it and what tea masters consider 'good'. A jaunt to the long jing plantations with learned tea masters opened my eyes to its production, definition of grades of leaves and all. I sipped nothing but long jing all day from different estates till the tongue was numb and still the tea masters made me drink to learn the different characteristics of each estate's treatment of the pre-Qingming longjing teas (明前龙井).
There're green teas due from Kyoto and Shizuoka, but the shipment will only arrive in the second week of May. Shincha. Excited. But just as well that this shipment will arrive later. Need a break between tasting so much green tea. I was so pumped up by caffeine from green tea in Hangzhou that my sleep was badly affected. ARRRRGH. In case you want to know, I'm not selling them. Pekoe & Imp doesn't sell teas either, which is why my partner and I don't have a problem paying, say for example, S$150 for 100 grams of spring tea thereabouts, and sharing it with other tea enthusiasts. Our other jobs sustain this serious tea hobby.
When I got home, I was thrilled to see a new batch of Darjeeling first flush waiting for me. The ones from Namring Estate were the first to arrive. Then from Turzum estate. Now waiting for the box from Orange Valley. WOOT. I LOVE DARJEELING FIRST FLUSH. Classified as a 'black' tea in non-Chinese terminology (it's red tea defined by Chinese terms), it's full of buds, the first pick of the season that's not even a quarter oxidized. Its tea liquor is light green and that signature fruity muscatel note makes me swoon with every sip.
There're green teas due from Kyoto and Shizuoka, but the shipment will only arrive in the second week of May. Shincha. Excited. But just as well that this shipment will arrive later. Need a break between tasting so much green tea. I was so pumped up by caffeine from green tea in Hangzhou that my sleep was badly affected. ARRRRGH. In case you want to know, I'm not selling them. Pekoe & Imp doesn't sell teas either, which is why my partner and I don't have a problem paying, say for example, S$150 for 100 grams of spring tea thereabouts, and sharing it with other tea enthusiasts. Our other jobs sustain this serious tea hobby.
When I got home, I was thrilled to see a new batch of Darjeeling first flush waiting for me. The ones from Namring Estate were the first to arrive. Then from Turzum estate. Now waiting for the box from Orange Valley. WOOT. I LOVE DARJEELING FIRST FLUSH. Classified as a 'black' tea in non-Chinese terminology (it's red tea defined by Chinese terms), it's full of buds, the first pick of the season that's not even a quarter oxidized. Its tea liquor is light green and that signature fruity muscatel note makes me swoon with every sip.
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| A Darjeeling First Flush from Namring Estate nestles on a plate from Democratic Society's 'Singapore Icons'. This one is designed by Chang Shian Wei, titled 'HDB', which stands for public housing built by Housing Development Board. |
2 comments:
I am not an avid tea-lover like you. But I get my tea fix from this shop "Luprica" which is located at basement of Great World City.
They stock decent teas.
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