09.03.08
eating crow
posted by Sandy M. Bushberg | 7 comments
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 no exception. It turned out that we were in for a surprise, but it involved some unintended subterfuge on their part.
On their menu they listed just China black tea, China green tea and a chrysanthemum tea. We opted for the green. They always bring their tea in a very nice Tetsubin-like cast iron teapot with small white porcelain cups. We let it steep for a minute or so and then removed the strainer with the leaves when it had steeped
long enough. The first thing I did was examine the tea leaves to give myself some idea of the quality of the tea. As you can see from the picture below (sorry about the quality, but I used my iPhone and the camera doesn’t take high resolution pictures), the leaves were all small broken pieces of leaf and some stems. Not a good indication of quality. So I set my mind to a poor to mediocre pot of gpgt (general purpose green tea) commonly found in so many asian restaurants. I tasted it expecting it to be either overly bitter or just bland. What I got was totally unexpected. It was a lovely, lightly sweet tea with a flavor for green tea that I just couldn’t quite put my finger on. I asked the waitress about the tea and she brought over the bulk bag she got it from. Mystery solved. It turned out to be a very cheap green Earl Grey tea by Lily’s Tea House from some local asian store. I couldn’t identify the flavor because, firstly, I always associate Earl Grey with Black tea (mostly Indian) and secondly, because I don’t drink Earl Grey or many other blended teas. In fact, I wouldn’t have ordered this if they provided full disclosure and had it listed as China Green Earl Grey Tea. Despite receiving a tea I mistakenly ordered due to an error of omission on their part, we never-the-less requested a refill of hot water to enjoy a second pot.
The lesson here, I’m sure, is pretty obvious to most. Variety IS the spice of life and keeping an open mind (and palate) can bring you surprising rewards. I don’t think I will be changing my preference any time soon, but I do think I will be less limiting in trying some of the, shall we say, “less expensive” teas out there.
It turns out that eating crow doesn’t have to leave a bad taste in your mouth after all.
Image 1 and Image 2 courtesy of the author.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
You can no longer consider yourself an “undeclared tea snob,” once you include the phrase “but I do think I will be less limiting in trying some of the, shall we say, ‘less expensive’ teas out there.” That’s a declaration any way you slice it.
An awful lot of us drink “less expensive” (or shall we say, “cheap”) tea because it tastes good; it is good for us; and we have no choice. With the riches on this planet being held in the hands of fewer and fewer people, there are a lot of us drinking “cheap” tea. The price of an item is not always a correlation of quality.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Very true indeed, Regena. However, I might point out the obvious that tasting good does not always correlate with quality.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Well, I don’t know about other people, but I drink tea because I like the taste. Thanks for sharing, some lesser snobs would be too embarrassed to admit such a story.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Sandy,
OK thanks for the confession, in an upcoming posting (YES I actually did write something and Regina graciously accepted it) I too “eat” a bit of crow. I’ve never particularly cared for tea bags but I found one that actually contains whole leaf tea (not the highest quality mind you, as are your wonderful selections at TChing) but nice enough that I thought “why not just cut open the bag and brew it like I usually would.” Guess what, it works quite well. I agree that I’m open enough to try LOTS of new tea experiences, including herbal infusions and the like but I do tend to agree with you…there’s nothing quite like a properly prepared pot of wonderful carefully cultivated whole leaf unadulterated tea! But, I’m open enough to know that most of us while we enjoy hopefully some healthful benefits from our favorite beverage of choice none the less ultimately drink it because we like it!
Cheers, keep drinking the good stuff and many blessings
Fr. Patrick
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm
As we know, tea enjoyment is highly dependent on the environment / ambiance, your mood, and the food you are having or just had. As a matter of fact, I still remember dearly how fond I was of the cup of Twining’s Lady Grey tea at a tea house in Santa Monica. It was enjoyed with some milk, some home-made scones, and some freshly made Devonsh…(I can’t finish the sentence for your sake, Sandy).
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Phyll, maybe you can just refer to it as Devonshire cream. That sounds much more appetizing.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Patrick, I wonder if the company that sells that tea bag ever envisioned their customers preparing it more inconveniently than it was designed for.