February 20, 2012 | 
Author I read a very informative book recently about the history of tea from a British perspective: “Tea, Addiction, Exploitation and Empire” by Roy Moxham (Carroll & Graf, New York, 2003). This book is full of surprising facts. Did you know, for example, that tea was fashionable in Portugal, Holland, and France before it caught on in England? Or that Sri Lanka is a tea producer because of a fungus that ruined their coffee crops? Or that the history of tea is about as nasty as it got in the British Empire?
The book begins with an account of how Moxham, as a young man, landed a job running a tea plantation in present day Malawi in East Africa, and the book ends with an account of his year there. In between, we go predominantly to China, India, and Sri Lanka as Moxham tells the often gruesome tale of the history of tea in the British Empire. Moxham is not the most colorful of writers, but the book is obviously well researched, and once I’d picked it up, I found it hard to put down. I don’t find that the old block prints, photographs, and drawings add much to the book, but I do like the maps in the front of the book that show tea plantation locations in Malawi, China, and India.
It may come as a bit of a surprise that the violent history of tea in the Empire is still playing itself out, with sporadic strikes and violence continuing 
to this day throughout Sri Lanka and India, especially in Assam. And then there’s the Sri Lankan civil war where the descendents of Tamils imported from India to work the tea plantations still feel discriminated against by the Sinhalese.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Posted in African Tea, Assam, Book Reviews, Chinese Tea, English Tea, History of Tea, Indian Tea, Sri Lankan Tea | 
Tags: Assam, British Empire, Ceylon, history of tea, history of tea plantations, Tea Book Review | 
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Gorreana Broken Leaf
Gorreana grows and processes tea on the island of S. Miguel, one of the Azores islands in the mid-Atlantic that belong to Portugal. This tea is unique in that it is grown in what is politically Europe. Gorreana teas are characterized by their lightness, the fact that they have very little bitterness and astringency.
This time I tried Gorreana’s Broken Leaf. I had the idea that this tea would brew up richer than the regular Pekoe, but when I opened the package I found irregular leaves, not the uniform ones of the Orange Pekoe, but if they were broken they certainly weren’t the fine cut preferred by the British for their breakfast teas.
The tea has a fairly pronounced smell with hints of fruity, floral, and woodsy (but not as fruity and floral as the Orange Pekoe). It brewed up to a yellow tinged orangy light brown liquor. The flavor was light and a touch woodsy. There was just a hint of bitterness after a longer than normal steep. On the whole, even though the leaves are broken, I find this tea actually has a little less flavor than Gorreana’s Orange Pekoe.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Posted in Coupeville WA, Orange Pekoe, Tea and Treasure, Tea from Europe, Uncategorized | Tags: Gorreana tea, Orange Pekoe, Pekoe, tea grown in Europe | No Comments »
Tit Koon Yum Oolong Tea
My shipment of Kwong Sang’s Tit Koon Yum tea arrived recently, and today I did the taste test. Tit Koon Yum might sound somewhat erotic in English, but the woman on the can is the Goddess of Mercy, not Janet Jackson. I was under the impression that this is a green tea, but my research indicates that Tit Koon Yum is simply another way of pronouncing Tie Guan Yin, which is actually an oolong tea, albeit a very green oolong. This tea originated and is grown in the highlands of China’s Fujian Province. Legend has it that a certain Mr Wei received a single tea plant from the Goddess of Mercy, and he gave cuttings to all his friends. Growing this tea made the entire village rich enough to restore the dilapidated temple that the goddess resided in.
This tea has a nutty aroma and flavor similar to genmaicha, though this one is pure tea with no roasted grain added to it. It does appear, however, that this tea itself was probably somewhat roasted, which appears to be common with teas of this type. It produces a golden yellow infusion with no bitterness whatsoever. It made a fine second infusion, and the third infusion still had good color but the nutty flavor was a bit muted. This type of tea is an everday drinking tea in China, and I can see why: it’s unpretentious but delicious and not expensive.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Posted in Chinese Tea, Oolong Tea, Uncategorized | Tags: Chinese tea, oolong, roasted tea, tea from Fujian, tea with nutty flavor, tie guan yin, Tit Koon Yum, titkoonyum | No Comments »
Shu Xian Oolong Tea
Today I decided to try the Shui Xian (water fairy) oolong imported and packaged by The Tea Farm in Hawaii. It supposedly has a flowery aroma and is very flavorful. It hails from Wuyi mountain in Fujian province, one of China’s most notable mountain tea growing areas. This is where oolong teas were first created and, according to some, perfected.
The leaves are large and quite dark, but they brew up into a pale yellow-brown liquor. When I opened the packet and smelled the leaves I got quite an intense herbaceous and earthy aroma with a touch of floral. It reminded me of chrysanthemum. The flavor seemed milder than the heady aroma, but the chrysanthemum-like aftertaste lingered.
One of the judging criteria for a good oolong is that it should never get bitter, even with long steeping; water fairy meets this criteria admirably. I personally like this tea; however, if you’re not a chrysanthemum fan, this may not be the tea for you.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Posted in Chinese Tea, Oolong Tea, Uncategorized | Tags: China, Fujian, oolong, Shui Xian oolong, water fairy tea, Wuyi mountain | No Comments »
Gorreana Orange Pekoe
Gorreana grows and processes tea on the Azorean island of São Miguel. These Atlantic islands belong to Portugal; thus, Gorreana teas are grown in what is politically, at least, Europe. I’ve tasted Gorreana’s Pekoe and Hysson green tea in the past, and these teas are characterized by their lightness; even with long steeping times they don’t turn bitter, astringent, or metallic. Today, for the very first time, I tried Gorreana’s Orange Pekoe.
When I opened the package, I smelled the tea: pleasantly woodsy with a slight floral note. The tea brewed up into a nice pale orange. The mild flavor was indeed just a little woodsy and floral with a faint hint of orange peel. I brewed a second cup and let the leaves steep until the tea was room temperature. At this point the tea was a little bitter but the woodsy, floral, and orange peel notes were accentuated. Even though at this point the tea would be considered too bitter, I kept sipping it anyway; it was strangely addictive.
I decided to brew this tea for two people who were not tea drinkers until I introduced them to English style tea (strong tea with milk and sugar). They didn’t give it thumbs up but they didn’t give it thumbs down either. They decided that it was not unpleasant but for them it lacked the punch of a propper English cuppa. For the tea connoisseur, however, this Portuguese grown orange pekoe could provide a delightfully subtle tea experience.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Posted in Orange Pekoe, Tea from Europe, Uncategorized | Tags: Gorreana tea, Orange Pekoe, tea grown in Europe | No Comments »