Drinking the Tea Journey

Gotta Love those church pews!


I am constantly amazed about the tea I drink. It really is a journey of discovery! I used to be a black tea person, with a foray or two into green – just gunpowder please, a few herbals and some flavored blacks – not too many, of course. However, I have really begun to appreciate Oolongs, although I know very little about them and Chinese greens, again, with little knowledge.

I did manage to read a tea book recently, Green Tea by Mary Lou Heiss, who, with her husband, Robert, wrote an excellent book about tea in general. This one states right up front that is filled with recipes – hot and cold drinks, sweets and savoury foods. She does give us a bit of background on green teas and some tips on brewing, but quickly moves to the basics, the recipes. Almost all use fairly readily available items, like lemon juice, strawberries, or pineapple with a few forays into things like chrysanthemum flowers which are a little harder to come by. Many of the recipes will make you say “now why didn't I think of that”. But I hadn't and so I have this book, which I really, really like. At $12.95, it's a bargain


Having said all that,about green teas, I am going to review a black tea. But it still has an element of discovery, as the tea with and without milk are such different experiences. Both of which are excellent. This wonderful tea comes from Dream About Tea and is called Golden Silk Black. It originates in Yunnan, on high mountains and is mostly buds. It's a real smoothy to drink and has that characteristic “Yunnan” smell, but softer and sweeter than usual, with almost no bite. A bit of milk just makes it a whole 'nuther drink. A delicious treat. It is interesting to me that lately I've had a few teas that seem to be one tea plain and something totally different with milk. I'm not just talking about rounder or smoother, but almost as though they were two different teas. Part of the great journey!