11.14.07
Travels with Paul: The continuing Journeys of a Tea Novice
posted by Anon Anonymous | 8 comments
Second in a series
Time flew between 2003 to 2006, and my exploration into different tea varieties did not progress much. Remember this was a transition period, and I was still very much involved in the specialty coffee industry as a consultant.
The big eye opener for me came in October 2006 at a Fresh Cup Magazine “Road Show” event in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I was running a booth for a client, a craft specialty coffee roaster. Around the corner from us on the trade show floor, was Bill Waddington, owner of Tea Source. We talked a while, and he served me a cup of Puerh Tuo Cha that “knocked my socks off”. It beat any espresso, or espresso based drink I had ever had. Mind you, Puerh is an acquired taste far healthier for you than any coffee drink. It wasn’t until 1995 that the United States Food and Drug Administration would recognize and allow it imported to this country on a regular basis.
A professional relationship between Bill Waddington and me grew from that introduction, and I discovered how educated and well traveled he was in the art Teas & Herbal infusions. It was here that my real education about the exotic variety of high end quality teas from around the world really began. In 2007 I discovered T Ching. Then and there things really started changing. My first shipment from T Ching contained a very efficient, hand crafted, single serve glass tea pot.
T Ching’s teas are probably the best that money can buy. I am having a great time enjoying them every day - numerous times when I’m around. Or taking part of my “stash” with me to introduce to others. In my next installment, I will share my learning to enjoy these teas, as well as my experimentation with different styles of preparation. I hope that many of you are relating to this little story as it unfolds. Thank you for your kind comments thus far. All helpful suggestions about this process as I am going through will be greatly appreciated.
Till next time….PJF
November 14th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Thanks for the great post, Paul. I’m dying to know in what way that Puerh Tuo Cha knocked your socks off–can you describe how it tastes? I’m not familiar with that kind of tea. I’m especially intrigued by your comment that it’s an acquired taste–and I’m also intrigued by why the FDA wouldn’t allow it to be imported on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing your experience “walking through the door” to tea.
November 14th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Can’t wait to read the experimentation part, Paul! That’s where I am now: the experimentation part. So far, I have followed label directions to a T . . . and I am thinking of taking a few risks! I look forward to the next installment!
November 14th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Thanks to the Both of you for your kind comments.
Anne, Puerh Tuo Cha is very aged tea from south of Yunnan Province. It’s my favorite of several varieties of Puerh.
It has a very strong earthy almost musty odor and smooth but strong taste. It gives you an immediate sense of well being, plus the same eye opening awareness you get from espresso without the jarring caffeinated jolt. This effect stays with you far longer than an espresso would create.
Puerh is one of China’s oldest known processed black teas. having be used as currency thousands of years ago in the form of scored bricks, that could broken off in trade.
It is known as a “Living Tea” the active microbial process grows with further aging. Thus giving it many restorative healthful properties.
Regena, Risk away. I’m a great blender with different same types of teas, as I was with coffee. creating new taste profiles…..PJF
November 16th, 2007 at 3:18 am
Tuo Cha is not a variety of Pu’er, it is merely one of the shapes pu’er can be pressed into by the tea processor. A “tuo” in Chinese is a top (the children’s toy that spins) the tuo resmbles a top in shape, therefore it is called a tuocha. The variety of Pu’er could be said to come from the differences in soil from different growing areas, or differences in the processing technique, the biggest difference being cooked and raw pu’er. The cooked is roasted to speed the drying process, and the raw is dried more slowly. The raw form usually requires a lot more aging before it is considered mature.
The notion that Pu’er tea is thousands of years old is certainly spurious. A Chinese author described our current understanding most succinctly when he said, “Pu’er is the only tea that has continued the Tang (618-906) and Song (1127-1279) dynasty tea tradition until the present. Cakes of tea, indeed have been used in China for at least two thousand years, but not necessarily in the same form as pu’er. The earlier versions were mixed with glutinous rice in order to make the leaves cake together. This is very probably the oldest type of tea available in the world today, certainly has the longest unbroken tradition. But there is no need to make spurious and unfounded claims about something as wonderful as Pu’er tea/
November 16th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
There you go Will, Thank You! I have now become re-educated. Remember people “I only sell the stuff” famous quote from one of the Industry’s, since past, Broker/Marketer/and Sales Guru.
That statement can be taken with “a grain of salt”.
I learn from you, the purists, what it is that we eat and imbibe. I’m just a humble wholesaler, enjoying life, in the twilight of my years.
So no offense was meant. I am just quoting from a source (believe it or not) in China.
I never ceases to amaze me how many watch this site.
Please continue to educate us Will, you don’t become a purist over night.
Sincere apologies to All for my distorted interpretation. By the way I still love my Tuo Cha….PJF
November 16th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
No need to apologize, Paul. This is a learning and teaching forum after all, remember. That’s part of the derivation of our name, T Ching. As old as tea is, we are all
still learning about it. Nobody knows everything there is to know about it. That’s part of the joy of the journey.
November 16th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Thank You Sandy, I believe Anne received a bonus on that one. One thing this old man has learned in life, is that there are NO EXPERTS. There is only speculation and interpretation of the facts as discovered. Which can change on a moments notice….PJF
November 17th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
What a great dialog! Thank you, Paul, Will, Sandy.
Interesting to me is that this same information could, with a few word changes, be a dialog about wine. Terroir, processing, aging: whatever we imbibe, it goes through a journey, has a history and a tradition that was probably born of an innovation or discovery (therefore, cyclical). Life is good!