Finding Your Tea

When you’re starting out in the world of tea- at least the glorious world beyond that infernal invention know as tea bags- the choices available can be quite overwhelming. There are more than 1,500 varieties of tea in China alone and every year there are new ones being added to the least or historical teas being resurrected.

How do you find what type of tea you would like?

There are some who would pick a tea that is supposedly healthiest. Of course you would be missing out if you are drinking for health alone. Besides there is no real healthiest tea but a most suitable one based on your own constitution- a topic that warrants a post of its own.

The most logical way of finding a tea you like would be based on the taste profile.

Of course it is virtually impossible to go in to a shop and say “I like a tea that tastes like Goji Berry with hibiscus notes”. Taste is often very personal and based on one’s own experience. Not everyone has tried a Goji Berry and prepared in different ways, its taste varies.

To narrow down the search, it is useful to search within the categories and I feel the most useful categorization method to classify teas according to similar taste profile is by method of production. This would be categorizing teas according to green, white, yellow, oolong, black and dark (or post-fermented) teas.

Naturally this is imperfect. Firstly within each category- especially oolong- the taste can vary quite a bit. Try a green style Tieguanyin and a Baihao Oolong aka Oriental Beauty and you will know what I mean.

Secondly, quality varies. Significantly. I have tasted Tieguanyins that are so horrible if that was the only tea I can drink for the rest of my life, I would rather go cold turkey. Of course there are many Tieguanyins that send me into frequent craving frenzies.

But similar arguments would apply for any system of categorization and classification is often meant to simplify and not be the entire solution.

So back to the point, to find a tea you like, it would be useful to taste teas from each of the 6 major categories of tea; preferably a representative variety that would help you narrow down your search.

For example, if you like the refreshing quality of green tea, you might choose to channel a bit more of your energies (and budget) towards different types of green teas. It would make no sense to look for that thirst-quenching quality among black teas for example.

Of course if you like your tea to have a strong aroma and less subtlety, it makes little sense to try Longjing, Biluochun, Huangshan Maofeng etc.

How to prepare the type of tea you like?

Then there is the question of how to prepare the tea. Unlike wine- probably the only beverage comparable to tea in terms of complexity- preparation is not merely popping a cork and pouring out. For someone who is just dipping their toes or barely getting their feet wet in tea, it can be quite intimidating.

While using something like a French Press renders the learning curve smoother, the drop-off in the quality of brew can be quite massive.

Then there is the issue of how much tea leaves to add, how long to steep and what water temperature to infuse the leaves.

Prepared poorly, you will be quite turned off from that category of tea and not be able to find that taste profile you like.

So what’s the best way to find your tea?

Earlier, we talked about a shouzhuawan, what we felt was the easiest way for a new tea drinker to pick up and use.

It can be used to brew every category of tea, it doesn’t retain the taste of tea so you can stick with one, it is inexpensive and it is easy to use. It is essentially a gaiwan with a spout so you don’t need to fuss about the angle of the lid and handles on the side to make it easier to grip without scalding your hands.

We bundled our shouzhuawan set with a representative from each of the 6 categories of tea, packed in 2 sachets with the quantity optimized for brewing with the bundled vessel.

We also provide clear brewing instructions for those 6 teas. You can experiment and taste each type of tea, the way it was meant to be. So you can discover the type(s) of tea that you like.

*Videos of brewing each type of tea with the shouzhuawan set are being uploaded and should be completed within 2-3 days*

Another impediment to brewing tea is not everyone has a variable water kettle or thermometer. We did some experiments with pouring into the bundled serving pitcher (95°C if pre-warmed) and cooling time (2.5 minutes to cool to 80°C if water pitcher is not pre-warmed).

Basically, all you need to concentrate on is finding the tea that suits your taste profile.

And you are ready to dig deeper.

The Finding your Tea Starter Kit is available in store at S$68 and comes with everything you see in the photo above