Harney and Sons Guide to Tea

Spring 2011 OOlongs

2011-05-18T09:39:00.002-04:00

Here is some news about production of some of our favorite teas:

Since early May, the continuous rain fall in Fujian affected tea pluck time, evermore has delayed
2011 new oolong tea crop. Normally, the oolong comes to market at the end of April, but this year,
it will just come out this week.

Morning tea in Darjeeling

2011-04-13T20:32:00.002-04:00

My son Emeric and I are drinking some Selimbong first flush done yesterday, awaiting the sunrise. I just heard the siren that marks the start of the day for pickets. Soon we will look at the withered (wilted) tea leaves that will rooked and oxidized then fired (dried) in an oven to make today's DJ of tea. That tea will be labeled Selimbong SFTGFOP1 DJ 16. We had yesterday's
's DJ 15 and it was lovely. Yesterday started by walking down to the Okayti factory on the Nepalese border. We toured it and tasted some teas. Later we visited the grave of Bernd Wulf, father of my fellow traveller , Marcus. Bernd was instrumental in developing the First Flush style of Darjeeling and printing it around the world. It was a lovely place high on a hill overlooking many tea gardens.

Then we went to Seeyok Darjeeling to tour and taste. Then it was down a steep and bumpy road to cross the river and drive up to Selimbong.these are lovely organic gardens. They make great teas. Today we are off to Risheehat.

Travel to the tea gardens

2011-03-31T13:02:00.003-04:00

We are getting ready to visit India and China to see what nature and the tea workers have made.

We leave on the 10th to visit Darjeeling, then Assam. Then it is off to Hangzhou to taste some great Chinese green teas and then off to Changsha to see what Hunan has done this year.

I am traveling with my tasting buddies Marcus Wulf and Elvira Cardenas. Also my son, Emeric, who manages our SoHo store will be coming.

Darjeeling is open

2011-03-31T12:58:00.002-04:00

There has been labor strife in the mountains of Darjeeling. So, there was none of the First Flush Darjeelings being shipped. Now that seems to have been resolved. So we should have this year's offerings soon. The season, so far, has produced better teas than last year.

Word from Uji

2011-03-16T17:09:00.001-04:00

Our friend, TsuYoshi, sent this yesterday:

However, we have a store in Sendai, which is at the very center of the quake, fortunately all of our employees are fine, and Tokyo is affected a lot in the view of the developing chaos..
We will wait for the Nuclear power plant problem cool down, and then I am sure things will be moving once again...I hope.....but, everything is okay at Uji and with Shohokuen. there is not and won't be any problem in producing tea, and that is what we can only do, producing good tea, that's what we are here for.

Word from China

2011-03-15T17:13:00.000-04:00

Our friend, Jily, who supplies us our Bi Lo Chun sends this encouraging news:

As the temperature of the weather getting better and better, tea will also be listed in the end of this month.this year tea is better than last year .

TsuYoshi Sugimoto at Harney & Sons

2011-03-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

We were thrilled when TsuYoshi Sugimoto visited our Tasting Rooms recently. Here's a video from his time at the Millerton, NY Harney & Sons Tasting Room.

NEW TEA SEASON

2011-03-04T14:04:00.003-05:00

So I just heard that the first First Flush Darjeelings are starting to make the rounds. A friend tasted some DJ1 of North Tukdah. I should see it a few days. Anyway, he said that it was much better than last year. I don't know yet if it is good enough to buy, but an encouraging sign.

Tea Horse Road

2011-02-25T11:57:00.003-05:00

This Saturday (2/26) we will do a book launch of the Tea Horse Road by Michael Freeman and Selena Ahmed. This is at the SoHo store from 6-8 and all are

Richard is a fairly famous British photographer and he went around Yunnan & Tibet for a few years taking lovely photographs. We will have some on exhibit. Selena is a friend in tea. She has spent 4 years investigating Puerh teas and the people that grow it. And for this event she sourced some special puerh's from friends. So please come by.

Fun little article

2011-02-25T11:53:00.002-05:00

Recently, I was interviewed by Peter Weed of Bnet. And we talked about selling teas in England. I do both and sell teas.

Mike & John Host TsuYoshi Sugimoto

2011-02-21T16:05:00.001-05:00

TsuYoshi Sugimoto is the president of Shohokuen, one of Japan's top tea producers, with a more than 300 year history of producing tea. TsuYoshi provides us with outstanding green teas, including Gyokuro, Matsuda's Sencha, and Genmaicha. We were honored to have him visit our Tasting Rooms, both in Millerton and SoHo.

More Upcoming Harney & Sons Tea Events

2011-02-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, February 20, 3pm to 6pm
Harney & Sons Soho
433 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
212-933-4853 TsuYoshi Sugimoto in SoHo
The producer of some of Japan's best teas, TsuYoshi Sugimoto will conduct an in-depth tasting of green teas. Join us as we discover the nuances of Japanese green tea.

Monday, February 21, 2pm to 4pm
Harney & Sons Millerton
One Railroad Plaza, Millerton NY 12546
518-789-2121 TsuYoshi Sugimoto in Millerton
TsuYoshi Sugimoto travels north to our Tasting Room in Millerton, NY. This is a not-to-be-missed chance to learn about green teas from one of Japan's top producers.

Saturday, February 26, 6 to 8pm
Harney & Sons Soho
433 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
212-933-4853 Selena Ahmed, co-author of Tea Horse Road, in SoHo
One of the longest and most dramatic trade routes of the ancient world, the Tea Horse Road carried a crucial exchange for 13 centuries between China and Tibet. Join Selena Ahmed, one of the collaborators on this fascinating book, as she discusses tea and the biocultural diversity in the regions of the Tea Horse Road.

Monday, March 14, 6 to 9pm
French Culinary Institute
433 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
212-933-4853 Tea Tasting Class with Michael Harney at the French Culinary Institute
Join Michael Harney in a three-hour tasting for an insightful introduction into the complexities of tea. Explore the origins of cultivation, how the leaves are harvested and processed, and some of the key varietals and their flavor profiles. By sampling a range white, green, oolong, and black teas from China, Japan, Taiwan, and India, you'll learn to evaluate aroma, briskness, body, and other nuances, as well as the methods for properly brewing each type. Visit the website of the International Culinary Center to sign up for this class.

Next Harney & Sons Event

2011-02-03T12:33:00.003-05:00

James Norwood Pratt's visit to Harney & Sons Tea was a great success. Now we're looking forward to our next event, when TsuYoshi Sugimoto vists us on February 2o & 21. The producer of some of Japan's best green teas, TsuYoshi will conduct an in-depth green tea tasting to help you discover the nuances of this sublime brew. Visit our site to see our full list of upcoming events.

John Harney and Norwood Pratt

2011-01-31T16:17:00.003-05:00

Here's a terrific photo of John Harney and James Norwood Pratt discussing tea at the Harney & Sons Millerton Tasting Room.

Visit the Harney & Sons Tea Tasting Room in Millerton

2011-01-31T10:30:00.003-05:00

If you are anywhere near Millerton, NY today, (Monday, January 31) and you have an interest in tea, be sure to stop by the Harney & Sons Tasting Room as we host James Norwood Pratt, one of the world's leading authorities on all things tea. Mr. Pratt will be conducting a tea tasting in our tasting room from 1 to 3 pm. I'll be on hand as well, together with my father, Harney & Sons Master Tea Blender John Harney.

If you are looking to learn about tea, this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity. Visit our Upcoming Events page to find out about future events.

Harney & Sons Tea Events

2011-01-22T10:57:00.005-05:00

You can look forward to some great events at Harney & Sons Tasting Room in Millerton and Harney & Sons Tasting Room in SoHo, NYC. Here's the rundown of terrific tea tasting events and opportunities: (see a full an updated list on the Harney & Sons Upcoming Events page)

Sunday, February 20, 3pm to 6pm
Harney & Sons Soho
433 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
212-933-4853 TsuYoshi Sugimoto in SoHo
The producer of some of Japan's best teas, TsuYoshi Sugimoto will conduct an in-depth tasting of green teas. Join us as we discover the nuances of Japanese green tea.

Monday, February 21, 2pm to 4pm
Harney & Sons Millerton
One Railroad Plaza, Millerton NY 12546
518-789-2121 TsuYoshi Sugimoto in Millerton
TsuYoshi Sugimoto travels north to our Tasting Room in Millerton, NY. This is a not-to-be-missed chance to learn about green teas from one of Japan's top producers.

Saturday, February 26, 6 to 8pm
Harney & Sons Soho
433 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
212-933-4853 Selena Ahmed, co-author of Tea Horse Road, in SoHo
One of the longest and most dramatic trade routes of the ancient world, the Tea Horse Road carried a crucial exchange for 13 centuries between China and Tibet. Join Selena Ahmed, one of the collaborators on this fascinating book, as she discusses tea and the biocultural diversity in the regions of the Tea Horse Road.

Monday, March 14, 6 to 9pm
French Culinary Institute
433 Broome Street New York, NY 10013
212-933-4853 Tea Tasting Class with Michael Harney at the French Culinary Institute
Join Michael Harney in a three-hour tasting for an insightful introduction into the complexities of tea. Explore the origins of cultivation, how the leaves are harvested and processed, and some of the key varietals and their flavor profiles. By sampling a range white, green, oolong, and black teas from China, Japan, Taiwan, and India, you'll learn to evaluate aroma, briskness, body, and other nuances, as well as the methods for properly brewing each type. Visit the website of the International Culinary Center to sign up for this class.

NYC store

2010-11-10T21:04:00.001-05:00

Well , it is finally happening. We will open very soon the shop in SoHo. We will do lots of teas tasting. My son, Emeric, manage it.

More to follow.

One more piece of good news

2010-05-29T12:55:00.002-04:00

WE love Taiwanese oolongs. However it has been hard to get samples of great teas. We did find a few ones that are close to 2009 teas.

Here is some comments from our Taipei supplier:

This year, almost buyers are same felling for our Taiwaness tea. Especiall for high quality teas.
The main reason is weather. During February and March when tea leave growing period, the weather was too cold so made the tea leaves growing slowly. This is why sweetness missed. This is depend on weather and beyond our control.

By the way, stocks for these teas will be exhausted soon, your buying quantity for each item to be our further confirmation. Sorry , due to too much Chinese people come to Taiwan and all buy Oolong Tea back home. The more high quality the more better. Please let me know your further instructions as soon as possible.

We will keep you posted.

Crop news from India

2010-05-29T12:39:00.002-04:00

It has been raining quite abit over there. Lord knows they need it. However it is causing a problem. The Second Flush is not starting on time and the teas need sun to make sweetness.

Lets hope we can salvage a good season!

Some words on the 20201 Uji Sencha crop

2010-05-29T12:36:00.002-04:00

This is from my friend Sujimoto based in the best spot for Senchas: Uji

Just a brief note to update the infos on Ujicha.
Matsuda brought in his final samples yesterday, and we will have another two weeks of Gyokuro and Tenchas.

The cold weather in April sure did some damage to the teas, but they eventually has recovered and latter half of the
crop was good.

We have gotten the new crop from Matsuda. It is quite nice.

Chinese Tea Season

2010-03-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

I just got a report from a friend from Hunan.

The marketing situation of the present Chinese tea line

Due to the national aridity, many tea producing area run up against the aridity, that result in reducing the producing quantity, and the quality of new teas (crops in 2010) will have some difference from last year, eg: the new tea aroma will be higher and better than last year’s, but the new tea shapes may be lower than last year’s.

Due to the good weather at this present, so the new tea producing time may be earlier than last year, the famous and top grade green teas are produced one by one now.

Valentines Day Tea Lesson

2010-02-14T13:36:00.003-05:00

Here we are ( my middle son Emeric and I) at our tasting room. We explore chocolate teas. Later we ate chocolate truffles.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1306124007506&ref=nf

Darjeeling weather

2010-01-22T17:25:00.003-05:00

Here is the current weather in Darjeeling

In general, dry weather is prevailing in Darjeeling estates since November though there have been little and scattered rainfall in December in some places.

This year Holi is on 28th February which is earlier than last year. So first flush is expected around that time.

Normally, first flush comes earlier in Badamtam,Barnesbeg and Thurbo than M'Hope and Castleton.

However, lots of things depend on the political situation as well since the GNLF wants settlement of their claims for separate statehood- Gorkhaland - within 45 days.

So we should new season teas soon. However there maybe some political problems that will prevent the teas from leaving Darjeeling.

Plants explained

2009-12-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

There was a nice article in the NY Times today about plants and why they are so special. I found it great because it talks about plant functions and self-dense systems. AND tea is a reflection of those functions tweaked by humans. So it explains why tea taste so good.

Basics: Sorry, Vegans: Brussels Sprouts Like to L...

Basics - Another Challenge for Ethical Eating - Plants Want to Live, Too - NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com

Want to eat more ethically? It may be more complicated than just giving up meat.

First Flush Darjeeling

2009-12-23T14:11:00.000-05:00

Normally, I am a bit boring and drink straight Assam in the morning. Recently, I have added some lovely Risheehat Darjeeling. It has such a nice aromatic nose. Even if the tea is a bit old, it is a delight.

Northwest Tea Festival

2009-10-07T13:01:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I spoke at the Northwest Tea Festival. They did a great job with lots of good teas tasted and interesting seminars about caffeine, and Chinese tea ceremonies, and Korean teas.

The best part was spending time with my friend: Norwod Pratt. We read Rudyard Kipling "White Man's Burden" and such.

Here is a rare photo of him actually workinga sweat up.

Chicago Tribune

2009-10-07T12:57:00.001-04:00

Nice mention in the Trib

I used to live in Chicago and so I really enjoyed this!!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-tc-food-tea-1002-1007oct07,0,6262725.story

Northwest Tea Festival

2009-09-30T22:03:00.001-04:00

I will be speaking there. I am the first speaker, so lets hope for the nest.

October 3rd in Seatttle

http://www.nwteafestival.com/program09.html

Cornell

2009-09-30T21:53:00.002-04:00

My youngest son, Bertram, is old enough to look at colleges. So we went up to my alma mater.

While there, we visited with the esteemed professor Peter Davies. Peter helped me with my book. Plants are magical creatures. They make life out air, sun and water. Peter is the expert about plants, he is releasing an update to his clasiic testbook: "Life of a Green Plant". I have taken a copy and will plow throug it when I finish up an all consuming project this fall.

Allso I went up the Cornell University Ag Station in Geneva , NY. There I met with Terry Acree. Terry is famous in the smell business (tea is a part of this business). He takes wine and breaks it apart into all the smells. I was up talking with him about a project. I hope to have more in a bit.

Speaking of smart people, I have been hanging around two different sets of them. These two groups have been studying tea and health. Of course, this has been done before. However, these two groups have a different dramatic spin. I wll be getting more info in a about a week and will keep you updated.

So the season is ending

2009-09-30T21:44:00.003-04:00

We are getting the the last few teas from this season. It does take a while at the end of the season. No one is is in a hurry ( but us and you). Last weekend, we tasted the Namring Second Flush Darjeeling. It was a good seocnd flush.We did an experiment with waters. Someone had dropped off a water filtering machine t ha "concentrates" the water through ions. Not sure what that means, however the tea came out much darker than our spring water. My friend Marcus liked the ion water better. I liked the light more aromatic brew from the spring water. We will keep experimenting with the waters and see what we can recommend.

We will get in the Assams and the more muscatel ( fruity) Risheehat Darjeeling. early next week.

I will write about it than.

Live - at the International Culinary Center

2009-07-17T20:46:00.002-04:00

So we are getting ready for the big event. I believe this is the first time tea is being taken seriously by a Cooking school. They have some of the best "foodies" teach hers, so I m honored.

This is what we are doing:

We are deconstructing Earl Grey
This sounds so foodie to me. Take something familiar and break it apart

Then we are "looking at tea from a plant's eye"
This is a celebration of tea barely messed with- so this is the plant as the tea plant makes it: White and Green teas

Then it is " A death of a leaf"
So when a tea leaf is under stress and dying, all sorts of wonderful things occur and they create lovely aromas and tastes: this is Oolong & Black Teas

Finally, the resident mad scientist at the Center: Dave Arnold, will distill up some tea alcohol and make a few fun drinks

We are up to about 20 people, so it is coming along

Gourmet Retailer review

2009-07-16T21:14:00.000-04:00

This really, really made my day.

http://www.gourmetretailer.com/gourmetretailer/content_display/in-print/current-issue/e3i7cc109eb3af4302c6149efc0dc5102e2

Halekulani

2009-07-15T20:57:00.000-04:00

It went well at the Lovely Halekulani.Hoyel. There was about 40 people, which I thought was alot for an afternoon in sunny Honolulu. The hotel did a good job making the 4 teas. And the chef did a great job ,making savory traets for the afternoon tea. Looks like I did a good enough job to be invited back to the lovely Halekulani, so that made my day

And the winner is:

2009-07-06T09:34:00.003-04:00

Thanks for all the submissions.

We did get a winner. If you would like to attend, it should be a great session.

We will:

Deconstruct Earl Grey

Look at tea from from the plants eye (thanks to Michael Pollan)

The death of a leaf (thanks to Arthur Miller)

We will end with some wacko tea cocktails from the FCI's resident mad scientist: Dave Arnold.

There is still room. Please go to the International Culinary's site:

ttp://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/recreational_classes_tea-tasting-with-harney-and-sons.htm

Contest!!!

2009-06-24T20:55:00.002-04:00

Interested in attending a tea-tasting with Michael Harney? Michael will be hosting a 3-hour class at the International Culinary Center on July 24th in NYC. If you plan to be in NYC on July 24th, you could enter our free-seat giveway for the seminar/tea tasting.

To enter to win a seat at the seminar, please send an email to: ht@harney.com
with the following in the SUBJECT Line of the email.

TEA TASTING WITH MICHAEL.
Include your name and contact details in the email. Send your email before Midnight, Friday, June 26th. We'll pick a name out of a teapot on Monday, June 29th, contact the winner, and post their name on our website.

(no purchase neccessary)

Please please please note,

that we are giving away a seat at the tea tasting/seminar only. Please do not enter the contest if you are not going
to be able to get to, or already be in, NYC on July 24th.

Indian Tea Season

2009-06-24T19:57:00.002-04:00

It has been a tough season in Assam. The weather has been dry and now the season for Second Flush Assams is almost over. Lets hope there are a few good teas. Of course, it is strange for a rainforest to be dry. Maybe all the rain came here instead. We would be happy to send some moisture their way.

Darjeeling has been luckier with the weather. We tasted a Rhisheehat today. It was nice, but I did not take it. I like to them to have a fruitier muscatel flavor.

Top Ti Quan Yin is here!

2009-06-24T18:09:00.000-04:00

As a lover of great oolongs, I am always happy to drink the best. And today, it came in. I love the exquisite flavor.

French Culinary Institute

2009-06-04T09:58:00.003-04:00

Well this is very exciting,

I will be doing a class at the French Culinary (aka International Culinary Institute) in SoHo in Manahattan. I have taken several great classes there, so it is an honor to teach one.

We will talk and taste teas on a Friday night on July 24th.

Please look at the website:

http://www.internationalculinarycenter.com/recreational_classes_tea-tasting-with-harney-and-sons.htm

Aftermath

2009-05-05T21:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I went to James Beard Awards at the Avery Fisher Hall. Had the tux and a beautiful wife in tow. I talked with my friend Drew Nieporent and his chef of Corton: (Paul Liebrandt). Right outside of the hall they had a red carpet. Chefs would arrive and the cameras would flash. It was fun talking with the fabulous Alain Ducasse, he is the embodiment of a elegant Frenchman.

Inside the lights went down and the evening droned on; Best Chef of Kalamozoo, Best Dishwasher, and other awards. The guy in front of me won an award, so I touched his seat for good luck. Finally they got to the book awards. My attention picked up. As they announced the award, I dimly heard that it was the guy further down the aisle. Honestly I wished I won, but look at the good side, I did not have to flub a speech on the stage.

Well life goes on. We will taste some Taiwanese oolongs tomorrow. Also I am planning a tea course at the French Culinary Institute in New York. My son, Bert, is doing well in crew. (rowing). The trees are all aflower and beautiful.

Noble Horizon Talk

2009-04-26T20:31:00.001-04:00

Back in February, I spoke at a local retirement home. It was a lot of fun!

http://podcasts.am1020whdd.com/~am1020wh/index.php

Fox Business interview

2009-04-15T21:26:00.001-04:00

This was a fun interview!!!

Tea Companies Have a Party of Their Own Amid Protests

Kathryn Elizabeth Tuggle

FOXBusiness

Wednesday's Anti-Tax Tea Parties brought groups of protesters from Atlanta to Boston, San Antonio to Sacramento, Calif., together to demonstrate against government spending. Styled as a modern-day Boston Tea Parties, the protests used tea as an integral -- though symbolic -- part of the occasion.

Though no one was pouring tea into the surrounding bodies of water, the demonstrations still made a splash among many tea makers who seemed pleased with the publicity.

Harney and Sons, a high-end tea maker based in Millerton, N.Y., carries many types of teas similar to those thrown into the Boston harbor during the original protest more than 230 years ago.

“Our teas are like the teas they threw in, because a lot of them come from China and are black teas,” said Mike Harney, owner and vice president of Harney and Sons Tea.

Harney added that if the protesters were going for authenticity, Harney and Sons would be a good choice.

As a matter of fact, “I’d like to encourage them to toss the tea in the rivers,” he said.

If the protesters were to throw the tea into the rivers, they would have to go out and purchase more tea to drink, Harney said.

“It’ll be like our own little stimulus package here. It might even put a smile on my face while I’m paying taxes today,” he said. Harney said he and his company had not been contacted to provide tea for the protests, but would have gladly done so if asked.

Another tea company that was excited to hear of a nationwide tea party was Tetley. Jack Kearney, Tetley vice president of sales for the Northeastern U.S., said that tea was the perfect recession-friendly drink because it’s cheap.

Kearney said he had not been contacted by anyone from the Anti-Tax Tea Party movement to provide tea, but that the company could still see a benefit to the bottom line following the events.

“It might inspire more people to drink tea, and if someone mentions the Tetley name, it can have kind of a halo effect and reach more people than we would expect,” said Kearney.

Kearney said he was pleased the protests had happened, and had suspected that a demonstration was inevitable given the state of government spending.

“I knew that eventually some form of protest would manifest itself, and I’m more than happy it was tea,” said Kearney.

At Celestial Seasonings based in Boulder, Colo., General Manager Peter Burns said that any publicity that would come out of the tea parties would be good for the company, but probably wouldn’t be so tremendous as to make the quarter’s earnings.

“I’m not sure how you get to be the tea of choice at a tea party protest, but if we’re chosen for some of the events out there, we are more than happy to oblige,” said Burns.

Burns said that Celestial Seasonings would be a good choice for the protests because of its eco-friendly packaging without string tags, staples, and tea bag over wrap -- which eliminates 3.5 million pounds of landfill waste each year.

“If you’re going to pour a bunch of tea into the harbor, it should be ours,” he said.

Wednesday’s tea parties were held in locations across the country, including Kentucky, South Carolina and New York.

“Tea just has universal appeal,” said Mike Harney of Harney and Sons. “Tea is a long run play.”

China Report

2009-04-14T20:59:00.007-04:00

Well it was short, but the tea is sweet. Emeric and I were in China for only 5 days. On the first day, we got into Shanghai late in the afternoon. Yet I had my first meeting in 1/2 hour. I have great contacts in ZheJiang, but my contact in SuZhou disappeared. Thus my source for DongTing BiLoChun was gone. So I met this couple that owned a garden on the island. They were very nice and now we have a good source. Also I had dinner with a friend that was a big seller of speciality puerhs. He told me that the demand for puerhs has dropped dramatically (that made my night).

The next day we drove down to HangZhou. An hour later we were on the road again. It was up to a new producer in Anji. This area up in the north makes a special green tea called Anji BaiCha (white tea). Yet it is not like Fujian White tea, rather it looks shades of light green. It is the type of tea that gets Chinese teamen excited. My friend, Lu that has traded tea in ZheJiang for decades stated it was his favorite tea. It sweet and light, yet it has good body. That night, we dined at a tea restaurant in downtown Anji. Most dished had a tea theme, those that did not used fresh bamboo ( the other speciality of the region) We ate in a room full of antiques and a rough wooden table. It put us in the mood.

The next day it was up early and a trip down south to QianDao (Thousands of Islands). Our friend was building a new, huge factory. So some good publicity, he had a local TV station interview me. Then he wanted to impress a local politician with foreigners. So before long, then day was almost over. But, but we had not seen any tea gardens. After stamping our feet and holding our breath, he came up with a plan. And it was a good plan. We jumped into a speed boat and went to an island that makes a nice tea. Luckily it was a beautiful, sunny day. This was the first time I made an amphibious approach. The tea was not the best, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Another day, another trip, on Thursday went south to Dao Ren. This is an organic garden that makes a tea we have bought called Dao Ren Mao Feng. To make Mao Feng tea, the tea plucked must be a bud and 2 leaves. This is made a bit later. At this time they were making a tea with just a bud and a leaf. This makes a tender leaf and a nice brew. However, we found it overpriced in comparison to other Chinese green teas. The other thing we evaluated was the effect of traditional hand processing versus machine processing. More and more in China, machines are replacing costly humans to makes teas. And this applies even to expensive spring teas. Sad but it is true. The day that we visited Dao Ren, they were making both methods. We tasted them and there was no question. The human work made for a better tea.

The last day we went up to Mejiawu in the Lung Ching area. It was a pretty day and all of Hangzhou was out in their cars. So traffic was terrible. We took the back way to Mejiawu. While there, we carried out an experiment between 2 competition grade Lung Chings. These great teas were made in Mejiawu, but they came from 2 different plant stock. One was from the traditional plant and the other came from the "43" plant that was developed recently. Although they looked similarly, the difference was that tea made from traditional tea plants was less of a "noses" (pleasant aroma) but more body. Our Chinese friends said the the "43" was developed to make a Lung Ching tea that was even greener than traditional Lung Ching.

After the tasting, it was a dash to the airport (rather it was sitting in terrible traffic). Then we went to Hong Kong and back home. We bought some great green teas: Bi Lo Chun, Lung Ching, Anji Bai Cha, JinShan and a delicious black tea from Zheng He in Fujian. So although it was a no-huddle style of a trip, it was just what we needed. We came back with some great teas and some more knowledge.

At the NYC Coffee & Tea Festival

2009-04-14T20:55:00.002-04:00

Hello,
We are doing a stand at the Festival,

THE 4th ANNUAL COFFEE & TEA FESTIVAL: NYC

April 18-19, 2009

Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
Sat: 11AM-6PM
Sun: 11AM-5PM

Hope to see you

First Flush Darjeeling

2009-04-05T22:27:00.003-04:00

I have mentioned the bad drought affecting Southern Asia ( India and Sri Lanka). Now it has gotten press in The Financial Times and Forbes. Our tastings confirmed the rumors of a terrible season in Darjeeling. Luckily, we did stumble on a lovely Rhisheehat. The Djs (invoices or lots of 5 chests that represent similar teas) on either side of Dj. 8 were not good, so it is very lucky to get this one.

Forbes commented on the production problems in Assam. THat is not a serious problem (yet). There is still chances of rain before the crucial 2nd Flush season in about 2 months. However it is troubling that one ofthe wettest spots in the world is having a drought.

Off to Hangzhou

2009-04-05T22:17:00.002-04:00

Well, it is the time of the year when I am bound for China to take in the new teas. I am a little late because of an event at Cornell University (my alma mater). The other exciting part is that my middle son , Emeric, is coming. He has become a bit of a photographer . With the economic tumes, it is a short trip to Zhejiang Province. We will be based in lovely Hangzhou and run around tasting early spring teas.

These teas are so good because the tea plants send up so much goodness to get the growing season going. The plants want to have new leaves to make energy, so the plant survies and thrives, so the new tender leaves have more sugars, healthy antioxidanst ( mostly EGCG) , and Amino acids (like theanine) .

So I will keep you apprzied of the trip.

Allright!

2009-03-23T22:04:00.002-04:00

Well, I am feeling good. The book made it to the finals of the James Beard Awards. It is at least a top three book on beverages. Let's hope. Let's hope.

May 4th is the ceremony.

Tea in Houston

2009-03-17T21:17:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I did an event at British Isles in Houston

http://www.britishislesonline.com/cms_home/

All those Brits were fun to be with. I did have to be careful explaining about Earl Grey. The first Earl (the father of the one memorialized by the tea) was famous for his abilities to thwart the American rebels ( I would guess that would mean killing rebels).

WAMC Radio Interview

2009-03-13T21:09:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday,
I went up Albany to be interviewed by Joe Donahue at WAMC. I took my son, Bert. We tasted three teas in about 20 minutes. Joe was a great sport and let us run over the alloted time.

Here is the web id:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1481775&sectionID=231

2009 crop report

2009-03-05T22:56:00.004-05:00

My friend, Marcus Wulf is traveling through South Asia. Here are his preliminary reports:

"It is very very dry in parts of Assam (North Bank only) in Darjeeling, in Nilgiri, in the Anamalai, Karnatata, High Range, Wayanand, Travancore and also very very dry in Sri Lanka overall. Crops will be down.

Flying to Darjeeling in few hours and will be back in Kolkata on the 09th. Have a nice weekend."

Some first flush teas Darjeelings have happened. We bought some Frost tea from Chamraj. Marcus reports all the major Dimbulla gardens in Sri Lanka have had problems. Let us hope for some rain soon!

Yale Tea Exhibit

2009-03-05T22:19:00.005-05:00

It was standing room only at the kickoff of this celebration of Japanese "Teaism". This is the cult of simplicity. Exquisite and expensive items that are austere. So if you love Japanese tea ceremony that uses matcha, this will very enjoyable. Beautiful pieces that are complimented lovely ceramic objects and multi-layered fabrics. The exhibit is until April 26th in New Haven, CT.

Now two minor comments: there is little focus on tea, rather all the stuff that goes with it; and this exhibit concentrates on the matcha ceremony. There is no mention of the sencha tea ceremony that started in reaction to this ceremony.

Tea and Water

2009-03-05T19:00:00.003-05:00

There was an interesting article in The Economist on 2/28/09.

The article, " Excess Liquidity" describes the "suprising amount of water needed to produce some everyday items."

The good news is that tea requires a tenth (1/10) of the amount of water from growing and processing to brewing as coffee requires. So you can drink your cup of tea and feel good!

On "Chef's Table"

2009-03-05T12:17:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Feb. 7, I will be interviewed by Jim Coleman of WHYY, the NPR station of Philadelphia. It will be on WHYY at noon and will play on various radio stations around the country. This was a fun interview. Jim is a former chef, so he a great point of view concerning tea flavors. We tasted three teas and with each one, he grew more and more excited. His favorite was Ti Quan Yin, and who could blame him. The aromas are an intriquing mixture of floral and elegant fruit flavors, with a creamy topnote.

I adore those aromas that are the marriage special plants grown in traditional areas of China's Fujian Province and ballet of rolling the large leaves by the teamaker. My preferred style is a a lightly oxidized version. This is different than the darker style that was only the Ti Quan Yin made for the last few centuries. Since the beginning, Ti Quan Yin was finished over charcoal embers. this dried out the tea and preserved it. But that was not all, the charcoal imparted a toasty, slightly smoky flavor to the tea. Recent innovations gave teamakers the option of drying the tea in electric ovens. Thus there was not the charcoal aroma, just the delicous aromas of the tea. I like this "cleaner" style, although some still like the darker style of TQY.

So the teamaker has the option to add a charcoal flavor to their oolongs. This is similar to the winemaker who has the option of adding oak flavors to their wine. Both charcoal and oak were used for centuries to preserve the product (charcoal for tea and oak barrels for wine). Now neither is necessary but is a stylistic decision by the maker. Thus some Chardonnay wines are celebrated for the "clean" flavors of just the fruit, while others are adored for the heavy oaky aromas that complement the chardonnay aromas. Please give Ti Quan Yin a try.

HERE Is the MP3 of the interview

http://www.whyy.org/podcast/chef/chef20090207.mp3

It is 3/4 ofthe way through, right after the nutritionist.

Japanese teaware exhibit

2009-02-03T14:39:00.005-05:00

We are helping this great Japanese tea exhibit. I will visit it next week and make a report.

http://artgallery.yale.edu/pages/info/teaculture.html

Autumn Oolongs from Taiwan

2008-10-03T11:33:00.002-04:00

Taiwan has 4 seasons of tea production. Spring is usually the best tasting teas. This year, Taiwan has been battered by several typhoons, so production is way off. Lets hope they recover in time for the Winter production.

A side note, it does get quite cold on the high peaks of Taiwan. Some years, there has been a foot of snow on the tea plants. This causes damage to the plants, but forces the plants to direct resources to the leaves that grow. Those resources (glucose and other energy products) results in great tasting oolongs, but smaller amount of tea made.

Lung Ching Rolling

2008-09-28T14:31:00.003-04:00

This is not the best movie, but it gives you an idea of how the tea maker produces Lung Ching. How the small two leaves and a bud are flattened and joined into a single unit. Also you can understand how the nutty flavor happens. The leaves are "fixed" green and "fired" at the same time in the hot wok. The intense heat causes a Maillard reaction between the sugars and amino acids in the fresh leaves, creating that delicous flavor. That is why the best Lung Ching have the highest amounts amino acids (the more to transform into lovely tea)! The highest amino acids are early in the season, thus the obcession for teas harvested before the spring Ching Ming festival.

The world from a tea plants view

2008-09-28T14:02:00.005-04:00

The great author, Michael Pollan, wrote a book called the "The Botany of Desire" that discusses man's relationship with several plants. He asked that we look at the world from the plants' view.

When analyzing and considering tea, we should remember that tea was not originally designed for our pleasure. Like all plants, tea evolved according to its own propagation peccadillos and survival needs. When we talk about tea and components of the leaf, we tend to focus on what they do for humans. Caffeine keeps us awake. Certain polyphenols help keep us healthy. The warm beverage cheers our souls and nourishes. But from the plant’s point of view, from nature’s standpoint, why are these components present inside the green leaf of a perennial plant? How did this humble plant become the most popular beverage on the planet? Tea, like most plants, just wants to grow. Its growth is fueled by glucose, which it magically creates out of sunlight and carbon in the air. Also tea can not run from its predators, it remains firmly planted in the ground. So to survive thousands of years, tea plants have developed many different defenses against those pests that would eat the leaves until the plant dies and threaten the entire species.
Caffeine is an important component of tea’s appeal. For centuries it has kept tea-devoted Buddhist monks awake and closer to enlightenment during long meditations. We like the gentle stimulation tea provides.

Consider, that caffeine does not serve the same stimulating purpose for the tea plants themselves. It is not the caffeine within that stirs tea leaves to wave at you wildly in the wind, or allows the plant to sit there forever rooted in deep meditation, at one with the ground of being. Research suggests that caffeine helps repel pests. (It is natural OFF.) A bug eats a leaf that contains caffeine, is zapped with repulsion, and moves on.

Similarly, the polyphenols (ECGC and the others) help protect the fragile leaves against fungi, viruses and other harmful microorganisms. Polyphenols also, remarkably, seem to help protect against excessive ultraviolet light. (The plant’s own sun-block.)

Two of the most popular types of teas are green tea and black tea. Both come from the same leaf. The difference is that the green tea is kept green by steaming it immediately after plucking. To make black tea, a leaf is rolled enough to make it limp, so that the polyphenols within mix with an enzyme PPO (PolyPhenolOxidase), also released inside the leaf, and the green tea turns into black tea. Why plants have these reactive substances within them, and why they keep them safely apart (until we rupture them) is still under study. One elegantly simple theory, property of Dr. Peter J. Davies, of Cornell University, suggests that when these two reactive substances coagulate, making tea in the bug belly! – the bug finds the tiny tea mix repellant, and it stops eating the leaf. Experts have unilaterally, in any case ruled out the old theory that polyphenols and its enzyme’s natural role in the tea leaf was to give the Brits a brisk cuppa.

An inherent charm of oolong tea (and, more subtly, of black tea) is its lovely floral fragrance, which derives from at least two sources. One is the reaction between sugars in the leaves and the enzyme PVO (PrimeVerOsidase), which together produce the building block that morphs into various aromas. The other source of oolong’s alluring floral fragrance and taste is the breakdown of the leaf’s fatty acids into a variety of compounds, including Methyl Jasmonate (also found in Jasmine flowers). These, too, help defend a leaf against bugs. Again Dr. Davies: “It stimulates production of proteases that precipitate the digestive enzymes of the insects’guts, ruining their digestion and their lunch!” Thus they promptly cease and desist their tea leaf lunch. It follows, also, that the released aroma serves the same role as a flower’s scent: to attract another insect or animal that might eat the offending bug, poisoned and paralysed with insectile indigestionThere are as many compounds derived from these building blocks as there are indigenous types of invader bugs.

Nature is elegant. All that is needed to make the tea you like, exists in the green leaves. The components are in the tiny leaves to protect those leaves. We love to drink the byproducts of the plant’s self defense. We express this love by carefully tending tea plants throughout the world!

Advent of great darjeelings

2008-09-28T13:17:00.007-04:00

Darjeeling was always different.

With its mountains and cool winters, it could never compete with Assam as producer of low cost simple teas. It worked out that there was an established base of high quality “china” tea plants. So the teas were always more aromatic than those from Assam. However, the British consumers drank their Darjeeling with milk, so the teas were dark and thick. By the late 1960’s, the British influence was waning in those mountains. The new Indian garden owners were ready to rethink. At that time, a unique partnership happened between an Indian tea man: Ranabir Sen and German tea buyer: Bernd Wulf. Germany represented a new market for the Indians and one that was willing to pay more money for good tea. They felt that underneath all the darkness in traditional Darjeelings, was a great tea full of wonderful aromas. It just needed to be released. So the teas had to be lighten up. As mentioned, plucking standards were tightened up so just the two leaves and a bud were harvested. Withering time was lengthened so that aromas could develop during the chemical wither. Rolling was done easier (less pressure), with a special attention to avoiding heat buildup. Oxidation time was cut back. The result is drastically different tea. It is more aromatic and lighter in body. Now one can taste the difference between different gardens. The aroma of Pussimbing Garden is very different from Puttabong Garden. Before this was not as noticeable. Also it was known that the teas produced during different times of the year, tasted differently. With the new production methods, the distinctions were more noticeable. So now, the same duo started to develop teas that would be sold as First Flush Darjeeling. In 1968, Bernd Wulf airfreighted the inaugural First Flush Darjeeling from Tumsong & Teesta Valley gardens into Germany. In the beginning, there was little demand for this new tea, but that has changed over the years. Many people prefer the First to the Second. Each year more tea is shipped by air. In fact, now this is done with early spring teas. This is a reprise of the Clipper Ship tea races of the 19th century.

Thanks Bernd (father of my friend Marcus Wulf) and Ranabir!

The b/w photo is one of the first air deliveries into Germany. The son of the man in the picture is in the tea business also.

This color photo is a picture Bernd Wulf. Bernd was the mentor of most of Germany's best tea tasters. He taught me a great lesson: only buy teas tha make you smile.

Economist article 2006

2008-09-28T12:23:00.007-04:00

Two years ago, I was quoted in the Economist. Not much of a quote, but a start.

"America's tea boom

Steaming ahead

Jul 6th 2006 CHARLESTON
From The Economist print edition

America's baby-boomers are embracing tea for its health benefits

The Spokesman

“PROFIT is not our basic motive,” says David Bigelow. He is referring to his tea plantation outside Charleston, South Carolina, which his family company bought in 2003. Its American Classic brand is sold only locally, though Mr Bigelow hopes to extend distribution throughout the South. His 127-acre farm, where bendy old oaks give way to neat rows of waist-high tea bushes, is the only place in America that produces tea commercially. Even though the climate is suitable, tea-growing is simply too costly, since the process is labour-intensive and resists automation. Mr Bigelow hopes to break even eventually through tourism: public tours kicked off earlier this year.

But although tea production in America is minuscule, consumption is booming. Sales have more than tripled in the past 15 years, exceeding $6 billion last year. Some 85% of the tea drunk in America is served iced—for easy sipping on sleepy summer days. Lately, sales of “ready to drink” bottled teas have been growing particularly fast. Mike Harney of Harney & Sons, a tea firm based in New York, calls the United States “the most dynamic tea market in the world”.

Americans' growing enthusiasm for tea can be explained in large part by its health benefits. Tea contains less caffeine than coffee, and the industry touts studies that suggest it can help with heart problems, blood pressure and even cancer. This explains tea's particular appeal to the ageing baby-boom generation, suggests Brian Keating of Sage Group, a market-research firm, in a recent report on the industry. Green tea is perceived to be especially healthy, though white teas, which have undergone minimal processing, are also popular, says Karen Dunlap, a “tea sommelier” based in New York. Tea-based soft drinks are doing well, too.

Tea still trails far behind coffee, of course. The Sage Group estimates that tea sales in America will reach at most one-third the level of coffee sales by 2010. Yet the relationship between the two drinks is oddly collaborative. Starbucks, the dominant coffee chain, bought Tazo, a fast-growing brand of speciality tea, in 1999. Just last week the chain rolled out tangerine and pomegranate frappuccino juice blends, which mix Tazo tea with other fruity flavours. Also on sale, since the spring, has been Starbucks's blackberry green-tea frappuccino. Other chains have also turned to tea-based drinks. Jamba Juice, known for its smoothies, offers a “Matcha Green Tea Blast”, with green-tea powder, soya milk, sorbet and frozen yogurt.

That may not be how they drink tea in traditional China or staid English drawing-rooms. But in the land of the Boston Tea Party, the drink has a certain unconventional history to live up to."

Mike in Fuding

2008-09-17T09:32:00.004-04:00

A warm day in the hills outside Fuding.

These plants are the the Da Bei (Big White ) that produce the big buds that turn white when dried. They turn white because the chlorophyll that makes the leave look green when fresh is not mature and can not "fixed" green. The bud has little hairs (correctly known as tricomes) that serves as additional protection of the young bud. This bud would unfurl into leaves if not plucked. Thus it is the teaplants future. So the plant spoils its young by giving them more energy (glucose) and more protection against bugs (anti-oxidants & caffeine). And it is these extras that makes the buds into the highly desirable white tea.