Over his time in college our son has cultivated a taste for tea. Classmates have shared teas with him and he constantly mentions varieties of teas (primarily sourced from Asia). My wife just left for an extended business trip with multiple stops in several Asian countries and we’re thinking that it might be a great opportunity to pick up several teas as a Christmas gift to our son (and perhaps to some of his friends).
So, is there anyone out there with recommendations on teas that would make a good collection? She’ll have time for shopping breaks in: Hong Kong, Penang Malayasia, Bangkok Thailand, Singapore, and Toyko. Any pointers appreciated.
In Hong Kong we did a tea tasting at the Ming Cha tea house which is hidden away in a warehouse like building, but is absolutely lovely. I highly recommend it. We tasted four kinds of teas and learned about doing multiple pourings. (Fuller descriptions at TripAdvisor.) They sell collections that are very nice and come in lovely packages. I think we gave people the floral collections with Jasmine, rose, chrysanthemum, and osmanthus, because they are so pretty, but they have other offerings as well.
I’m a tea drinker! S’pore, Hong Kong and Thailand experience in the last 3 years.
TWG tea was established in S’pore. Shops and restaurants also in Hong Kong which I can recommend from personal experience - other Asian locations as well, but I haven’t visited TWG there. Incredible selections of teas. One can stop by just to purchase tea or for a meal. When dining, you receive a catalogue-like menu of tea options from reasonably priced up to incredible. I always ask to keep the menu through my meal so I can read about the blends, sources, harvesting, etc. that they explain in the menu.
I always come home with a number of canisters of loose tea (bagged also available). Employees are there to help, or you can sniff blends on your own. Ironically, DH prepared “Silver Moon” tea for himself earlier today and remarked on how these loose teas were so far superior to anything bagged (he is comparing with Twinings). I answered that much is in the tea and blend and that TWG is the best I’ve encountered!
If your wife needs a meal in addition to the tea purchase, the restaurant meals served at TWG in S’pore and HK are very good. I’ve had lunch, dinner and “high” tea at multiple locations in both countries. A bit expensive sometimes, but always a treat.
I think TWG may be available catalog or perhaps through sellers in the US. I haven’t tried - still working on my S’pore purchased tea!
Another personal experience, if she really gets caught for time, I have enjoyed the Clipper Teas that I have brought home from Singapore International. Bagged teas, but good.
Thailand - I had a tour of the Araksa plantation, demo and tea tasting near Chiang Mai. Not sure how widely their tea is sold, but I have enjoyed it.
@Momofadult Thanks. TWG is now on her shopping itinerary for Singapore. I’ve actually found several that she could visit depending on her other plans. I’ve just received an email from a classmate of his with some recommendations - Yin Zhen “Silver Needles” (a white tea), Pu-Erh, and Tie Guan Yin (oolong). I cant say I’m familiar with any of these. However, on the TWG website I did find a Pu-Erh from 1998 (our son’s birth year) so that might be of interest. Evidently that type of tea is aged??
When friends and family want to buy tea, we have suggested they check out the Upton Tea Imports in MA. We’ve been his fans for over 20 years. Never disappointed.
The company provides so much good info on variesties of tea from around the world.
Ditto what Massmom wrote. That wasn’t my favorite part of the book, but I learned more about tea than I could imagine. A bookclub member brought in teas for our discussion. A treat
When I was in China, we visited a green tea farm. One thing we learned was that “fragrance” tea (jasmine, etc.) are made to mask sub-par tea leaves. Until that day, I had never had a cup of green tea that tasted good to me. We learned that the set up (water temp) and steep time(s) (and of course the quality of the leaves) were the key to a delicious cup of green tea.
@JustaMom We’ve heard the same from our son although he does enjoy a rather expensive jasmine that is based on a really good green tea. In general he prefers greens, whites, and oolongs. He has a temperature controlled tea kettle in his dorm and is very picky about understanding the correct amounts of tea to use as well as the water temp and steeping times. It’s the engineer in him.