A Real Teashop... finally!
So I just discovered a recently opened TWG branch in a mall about a ten minute walk from my grandma’s house. After eating out for my big sister’s birthday (a classy Euro-Jap restaurant that nevertheless served me TEA BAG Sencha, though I shouldn’t have been surprised given it cost just a little over a dollar) in aforementioned mall, I asked for five minutes to check it out. When I stepped in, I think I was blinded by the walls and walls of ginormous tea tins lining the shelves. Like I died and went to heaven or something.
And that five minutes turned into God knows how long, as the family tried out samples of matcha cookies, tea cakes, and other things that they were sampling out to potential customers.
I spent a lot of that time asking the clerk about their offerings, until she finally asked if I owned a tea shop, since I seemed to know so much. XD My Mum explained that I recently got into tea and was ordering it online and such. That said, the TWG’s are all in the city, a 2-hour drive from my place. Starting a tea shop with TWG as a supplier might not be a bad idea (if that was what the clerk was implying). Ultimately, they gave me their price list, and I believe they said the standard order size (reflected on the list) was 50g. Smaller than what I’m used to, but nevertheless… at least I don’t have to pay for shipping.
I’m divided between being overwhelmed by all this real tea, and being cautious of the quality. Says here TWG has been around since 1837. That alone says a lot, I’d say, but I just want to be cautious. So my two questions concerning this matter.
1) Is TWG really all it makes itself out to be? Is it a good company? Are these prices cost effective? Since my Mum drops by my grandma’s several times a week, it wouldn’t be hard for her to pass by the store and get my order, though I’d think to make it worth the while, several in one go would be nice. Just a quick look at a few that caught my eye, assuming the prices at 50g (apologies to those who don’t like lists…):
DRJ First Flush Puttabong SFTGFOP1 @ $34.38 DRJ Second Flush Jungpana FTGFOP1 @ $13.35 DRJ Second Flush Castleton SFTGFOP1 @ $34.38 DRJ Autumn Flush Okayti Prestige @ $19.03 ASM Second Flush Harmutty SFTGFOP1 @ $11.13 English Breakfast @ $7.23 Matcha Nara @ $622) Anyone here with experiences of TWG… would you care to give me any recommendations? I’m thinking of starting with a breakfast tea, to be simple about it.
Thanks for your advice! :)
I’m not at all familiar with this company, but they were founded in 2008, not 1837 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWG_Tea
Holy Shit! That Matcha Nara is one expensive tea! I can’t wait to see your tasting note!
Yeah, it’s… I’m worried about that one, especially since I don’t really know much about this company. Heck I don’t even know what makes Matcha Nara so special. First time I ever came across the term “nara”.
There’s hundreds of teas on this pricelist and it’s making me dizzy. Most of the Darjeelings here are First Flush (though there’s about half a dozen second flush and a couple autumn flushes), and I’ve already been told that FF is dangerous if you don’t have experience with it.
It’s why I’m asking if anyone has had experience with this company.
Oh. Thanks for that! Is it ceremonial grade stuff? Considering it’s the most expensive matcha on their list…
I have no idea, sorry. I’m not familiar with their product line at all and would have to examine it to be able to tell quality.
Maybe you should ask them if it is ceremonial grade and also ask why it is that expensive. If they can’t explain why it is the price that it is then that is a huge red flag. For instance, I can tell exactly why our Organic Huangshan Mao Feng is more expensive than average. If I wasn’t able to justify it’s price to a customer then I would never sell it.
I can’t speak to the quality as I have never heard of or tried this company, but some of those prices seem really high. Is there a possibility of buying smaller sizes than 50 g at a time? That way you could see if the value is there for some of these teas at $15, $30 and $60 per 50 grams.
Sometimes you have to bite the bullet, roll the dice, and take a chance. You also have to keep in mind, preparation and steeping parameters are just as important as the quality of the tea to extract the best possible taste from the tea.
We went to my wife’s friend’s house for dinner. Then her friend served matcha after dinner. It was absolutely the best I had ever tasted. My wife later told me her friend was a Japanese tea ceremony instructor the tea she served was moderately expensive yet it was the preparation, the amount of tea, the temperature of the water, the bamboo whisk, the technique of whisking, the tetsubin, the bowl she served the tea in, etc., that made the tea very special and excellent in taste. I don’t argue with her because she too, is certified in Japanese tea ceremony.
That’s true. Preparation is also a big part of it… that’s why I’m staying away from the First Flush Darjeeling until I can get a better handle on steeping. I don’t have a thermometer so I try to eyeball the temperature with the traditional chinese method ( http://blog.mightyleaf.com/bubbles-and-steam-boiling-water-for-tea/ ). I use an online tea timer for the steeping time.
So far I’ve made pretty okay tea, whether it’s matcha, Autumn flush Darj, or sheng pu-er. I guess I’ll just have to try them out myself.
That’s why I never ask for Spring Darjeeling samples and will only order 50g or more when I purchase a Spring Flush Darjeeling to try various steeping parameters. Mariage Freres makes it easier though as they have suggested brewing tips for each and every Darjeeling. Even if the tea is from the same flush, the tips will differ year to year, from estate to estate. The suggested steeping times can vary anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes with the difference in tempertures of 90 or 95C. This provides a good starting point to start my brews.
Each year I bite the bullet. My previous order to Mariage Freres consisted of Spring Flush Castleton, Namring, Narming Poomong, Bloomfield, Ambootia, Chong Tong, and North Tukvar. While they were all good, they were not great. I’m hoping that my order, which arrived today, Spring Flush Margaret’s Hope, Margaret’s Hope Supreme, Arya, Singbulli, Puttabong, Happy Valley, and Moondakotee, will be better.
Happy Steeping!
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