Leaving the ridiculous (see last week’s post on mee cha and zhucha) for the sublime, we soar to the pinnacle of quality with the name Dragon Well, best known of all China’s green teas. (Longjing is the currently accepted spelling of the Chinese name, which one still sees printed as Lung Ching, also. Chinese [...]

I was browsing the on-line British news recently and came upon an interesting announcement from the World Health Organization. Apparently they made a recommendation that everyone adopt a daily minute of silence, noting such a practive to have “profound healing properties.” It was further proposed that the moment of silence [...]

Pure water, heated.
Dry, fragrant leaves are added
Thanks for water, leaves.
Main Image :: Image 1
 

There are a lot of different types of tea and tea preparations out there, from the highest quality whole leaf artisan teas to the lowest quality $5 a case teabag teas. What I want to know is - what drives your choices? Is it purely taste or purely cost? Or is it both? Does convenience [...]

Here at T Ching, we often debate the issue of orthodox, single estate teas, versus the ubiquitous tea blends on the supermarket shelves. My concern is that people aren’t learning to enjoy the flavor of TEA. They’re certainly increasing their consumption of specialty teas but essentially getting a hot beverage with a serious fruit profile. [...]

Eyebrow (mee-cha)
Green or unfermented tea was the earliest version of modern leaf tea, apparently originating in the late twelfth century under the late Song. Green tea makes up more than half of China’s crop, even without counting the vast amount of green tea made into jasmine. It is made in every tea-producing province [...]

During the Second World War and for many years after, the British made themselves into an icon of perseverance and fierce pride, showing their famous “stiff upper lip.” EVERY commodity that had to be imported was strictly rationed: rubber, steel, sugar, and the list goes on. One story relates how some [...]

Editor’s note: In 1978, Billy Joel released his sixth studio album, “52nd Street.” Three tunes from this work made the Billboard Top 100, including “Honesty.” Thirty years later, Beyonce Knowles- born three years after release of the original - covered the tune, bringing back the universal truth of the original ballad [...]

One of America’s crowning moments was the Boston Tea Party of 1773. Over a period of three years, colonists had endured taxes on sugar, coffee, wine, all printed material - from newspapers to playing cards - glass, paints, paper, and tea. The tax on this last commodity was facing yet another steep [...]

As somewhat of an undeclared tea snob, I know that I tend to be a bit prejudiced on the pure, unadulterated whole leaf tea side of things. I usually don’t drink teabag or blended teas except when out and there is no other choice. Recently, while out for dinner at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, was [...]