Top 3 Favourite Teas EVER?

26 Replies

I have two different tea types that I love for different drinking purposes:
Golden Assam (black)- drunk as a breakfast tea or with sweets, brewed strong and drunken with milk/soymilk
or
Iron Goddess (white?)- brewed and sipped hot or cold drunken all day long especially in the summer. no sweetener

I guess I’m a bit of a purist, I am. Classics, and No flavored teas for me.

Dr Jim said

what brand of Iron Goddess? I think of this as an oolong, not a white tea. Is there a white version?

You are right – it is an oolong. Aside from one package from Avanti teas, I’ve drunk alot of Guanyin gifts from chinese relatives. They vary in smokiness – but I prefer the lighter ones (which have some notes of white tea). Do you have a brand that you find superior?

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Excelsior said

It changes every year as the Spring Darjeelings change every year. In 2011 it was the FF Castleton from Mariage Freres. Last year, the FF Namring, from Mariage Freres. Still searching for 2013 as the FF Darjeeling teas from Mariage Freres are less than Stellar. Still waiting for the FF Margaret’s Hope and FF Namring Upper.

Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong. Wish I knew the brand. Got it as a gift from a customer in China. Just instructions on the packaging, no names and the only thing it says on the can is 高山茶(High Mountain Tea) with a picture of a train.

Green Rooibos from Arbor and Upton.

I too was a bit disappointed with certain Darjeelings this year. Some that I had last year were not nearly as good this year but I am absolutely in love with the special lot of Giddapahar. Here are my tasting notes: http://steepster.com/butikiteas/posts/171612#comments

Excelsior said

Thanks for your reply. To get the best out of the tea, I have been increasing the amount of tea and using water close to boiling, 208F. The high temperature dampens some of the subtle notes yet the tea as a whole exhibits more taste. With the exception of this year, I normally used temperatures of 195F.

I think I’ll try order your Darjeeling Samplers.

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ifjuly said

in terms of general categories, mine would probably go something like this:
-A good bergamot-y earl grey, especially one with lavender in it. My always staple.
-A good second flush muscatel darjeeling, or barring that, a similar style black tea from Nepal
-What I tend to think of as a premium, complex, sit-down-and-study-its-nuances-all-afternoon black tea, usually from China. Laoshan Black is still my gold standard here, but there are lots of beautiful options.

I feel a little bummed not including any of the awesome green teas I’ve been introduced to thanks to this community—genmaicha and Den’s Pineapple Sencha come to mind immediately—but I guess even with my fondness for those I’m a black tea girl at heart. And while I have a ton of flavored teas I adore if I think of this in terms of desert island “this is all you get forever!” none are as versatile/enduring in the sense no matter how good, say, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie is there are going to be times I don’t want that, esp. if it’s all I’ve been drinking for days on end. (:

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Sergio said

I guess that our taste evolves as we learn more, taste more, and learn how to differentiate from each tea (and yes, how to prepare them correctly!).

Today, and this can change, but today, my favorite teas are:

1. Caramel Vanilla Assam, Butiki
2. Read my lips , DAvids Teas
3. Maharaha Chai, Teavana

Cheers to everyone!

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Uniquity said

I’ve been thinking about this and I am not sure what to say mine are, honestly.

The first things that come to mind are

Black Dragon Pearl (Teavivre)
Golden Snail (Harney and Sons) – discontinued
Golden Monkey (Teavivre)

For me, it is always unflavoured blacks, usually Fujian, or at the least Chinese. Mmm tea!

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sansnipple said

1. Dian Hong (yunnan blacks)
2…. There are other teas?

Zeks said

yes there are :)

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Zeks said

1. most of yunnan blacks
2. huang zhi xiang oolong
3 verdants’ puer blends (sichuan, silk road, etc…)

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Tea addict said

1.oolong ginseng
2.sencha yabukita (garden to cup)
3.chocolate rocket (mate with rasberry)

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I think I’d have to say:

1) A really nice earl grey cream (SpecialTeas is still so good even though they don’t exist anymore and my little pouch is YEARS old. Does anyone know exactly WHEN SpecialTeas ended anyway?)

2) Definitely a really nice Yunnan and/or Black Pearls

3) It would be too tough to narrow down a third! But it definitely would NOT be a white tea or anything Fujian.

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