Any Tea Lovers?

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It all depends on your upbringing. For those who seldom sip tea, the finest Darjeeling/Nilgiri tea might invigorate, but for us, brought up with "Kadak" chai, the tea sold by teabox is fluke, ghaas phoos, no colour no taste. Just like in the West, even the overhyped Rothmans or Camel or Marlboro is just nothing in front of Charminar.

I remember "Aap ki Pasand" a tea taster's paradise in front of Golcha cinema in Daryaganj, old Delhi, tried their best to serve "your type of flavour" tea for over a decade. Later the owner admitted, that majority customers liked the Assam variety with a small sprinkling of Darjeeling tea, as their choice. Today almost all packaged CTC variety has that mixture.

I visited teabox, but with "each teabag" costing updards of 9-10, is not what will work for me. The flavours look attractive, but surely not my cup of tea. I have tried that "Dip-dip-dip" tea as a last resort on trains, but even after having a few cups, longed for that "boiled tea" cuppa.
 
Try gopaldhara. You will be absolutely blown away then. I found teabox to be strictly meh.

Also buy first flushes not second as the latter has less intense flavor.

As for boiled tea - I find it disgustingly yuck.
 
Have been buying from Teabox for many years now.

You can also tyr Dorje teas. They have a subscription model.
dorjeteas.com

Dorje Teas | The Original Taste of Darjeeling

Dorje Teas sells only whole leaf Darjeeling Tea which has been plucked, packed and dispatched directly from certified Organic Selim Hill Tea Estate. We prepare the tea in small batches. It is our effort to revive and consolidate the beauty and romance of Darjeeling.
dorjeteas.com dorjeteas.com
 
These cultivars come highly recommended from a friend who knows his tea.
1. AV2 (Ambari Vegetative 2). “What is fascinating with AV2 is that it's originally not a camellia sinensis but a cultivar of camellia assamica which usually prefers low altitudes (think tarai). Now AV2 has been thriving in Darjeeling even at higher altitudes giving an exceptional aromatic profile. Also the young buds are very hairy, creating that "silver tips" effect which is a benchmark of quality.”
2. Phoobsering 312
3. Bannockburn 668
The above cultivars are grown in various gardens. Thurbo is getting a lot of attention lately. The highly recommend AV2 ( the go to cultivar for tippy clonal) was , I believe developed in Ambari which is in the plains , so the tea sourced from there will not have the organoleptic profile of those from the higher altitude.
Muscatel Clonal Tippy Summer 21
Gopaldhara Enigma Honey Muscatel - Second Flush 2021
 
moktan said:
These cultivars come highly recommended from a friend who knows his tea.
1. AV2 (Ambari Vegetative 2). “What is fascinating with AV2 is that it's originally not a camellia sinensis but a cultivar of camellia assamica which usually prefers low altitudes (think tarai). Now AV2 has been thriving in Darjeeling even at higher altitudes giving an exceptional aromatic profile. Also the young buds are very hairy, creating that "silver tips" effect which is a benchmark of quality.”
2. Phoobsering 312
3. Bannockburn 668
The above cultivars are grown in various gardens. Thurbo is getting a lot of attention lately. The highly recommend AV2 ( the go to cultivar for tippy clonal) was , I believe developed in Ambari which is in the plains , so the tea sourced from there will not have the organoleptic profile of those from the higher altitude.
Muscatel Clonal Tippy Summer 21
Gopaldhara Enigma Honey Muscatel - Second Flush 2021
Click to expand...
The tea jargon is as bad as audiophile jargon!
Do you have “objective vs subjective” wars among “teaphiles” )too? :)
 
I have two brews

1. Morning Tea - milk +50% water plus sugar plus tea, heat it in low sim for a really long time till the colour is deep brown. Tea Wagh Bakhri
2. Evening tea - water, tea (sometimes jeera/saunf...), boil water, add lemon and honey

Both work for me and I know they are not the 'recommended' ways.
 
On the inter web this is one definition of the term Tea. It seems to have a broad application…

1 : the dried leaves and leaf buds of a shrub widely grown in eastern and southern Asia.

2 : a drink made by soaking tea leaves in boiling water.

3 : refreshments often including tea served in late afternoon.

4 : a party at which tea is served.

5 : a drink or medicine made by soaking plant parts (as dried roots) ginger tea.

https://www.merriam-webster.com › ...

So in essence boil some leaves and or roots, and it’s a tea
 
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As I am an all-night worker, only strong tea or coffee works for me. In the day I have one in "my" morning (2 pm) and one in daytime (6-7 pm) and then in afternoon (11 pm till 5 am) anything of the two goes, coffee in winters.

I tried wagh-bakri but after a few purchases, the quality gone down as is the case with all, even the Taj Mahal.

I have tried black-tea in a glass and enjoy the changing colour after only a few drops of lemon added. I vouch that if added in right proportion, you won't miss milk. I just wish, somehow, if I could find a lemon without its sourness ...
 
I start my day with tea. I usually let it soak in hot water (but not boil it with the tea in it) for 3-4 minutes and then run it through a strainer, add then sugar and milk. This is for "normal" packaged tea brands.

If it's strong Assam tea, I put the tea leaves directly in the strainer and run boiling water over it slowly into the cup, and then add milk/sugar.
 
skroderider said:
If it's strong Assam tea, I put the tea leaves directly in the strainer and run boiling water over it slowly into the cup, and then add milk/sugar.
Click to expand...
If that's what you prefer, I suggest using "Dust" Tea. It dissolves almost entirely in the strainer, and gives a comparatively stronger flavour. Most Rly stations used this variety a decade ago, after which it caught fancy of users and its cost went above.
 
Apologies for pontificating, but couldn't resist.

There are basically 2 tea processes :

Orthodox / Leaf Tea Process :
Used for fragrant, light flavourful teas - eg Darjeeling


CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) :
Used for strong teas - Assam, Tripura, Nilgiris


There is also a 3rd process - the Green tea process, which is not much used in India.


Preparation :
-------------

CTC :
Boil with with water, milk, sugar and tea leaves, all in the same pot.
This is "Chai" or milky sweet tea.


Leaf Tea :
- Must be steeped in boiling water, in a tea pot for 2 - 3 minutes
- Preferably, do not add milk or sugar
- Some like to add a few drops of lemon


I grew up on tea gardens, so couldnt help spouting gyan.

Pls ignore if you find it useless.
 
argho said:
Apologies for pontificating, but couldn't resist.

There are basically 2 tea processes :

Orthodox / Leaf Tea Process :
Used for fragrant, light flavourful teas - eg Darjeeling


CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) :
Used for strong teas - Assam, Tripura, Nilgiris


There is also a 3rd process - the Green tea process, which is not much used in India.


Preparation :
-------------

CTC :
Boil with with water, milk, sugar and tea leaves, all in the same pot.
This is "Chai" or milky sweet tea.


Leaf Tea :
- Must be steeped in boiling water, in a tea pot for 2 - 3 minutes
- Preferably, do not add milk or sugar
- Some like to add a few drops of lemon


I grew up on tea gardens, so couldnt help spouting gyan.

Pls ignore if you find it useless.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing.

I prefer Assam tea mostly - but I use the Leaf Tea process you describe above as otherwise it can become bitter if boiled too much.
 
Apologies , realise I wasn't clear.

There are 2 tea manufacturing processes - Orthodox and CTC.

Assam tea will always be manufactured using the CTC process.

Yes, the CTC process results in strong tea. More suitable to be had with milk and sugar.
 
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