my favorite teas

Over the last 2.5 years I've become something of a loose-leaf tea junkie (thus the title of this blog). I have sampled many varieties in my quest to find what my favorites are. I have decided that for the most part, Chinese black teas are my preference. I also like some oolong, green, and white teas and some from other areas, but I always come back to a couple of specific types as my daily tea.

The first is from the Yunnan province and generally called something like "Yunnan Gold". It has a slightly peppery and malty flavor. I've even experimented with adding a little freshly cracked black pepper as it steeps to build on that flavor - pretty good but not something I'd do every day... :-)

My second favorite is called "Golden Monkey" and comes from the Fujian province. It is picked with one leaf and one bud and supposedly the name comes from the fact that it resembles a monkey hand in its final form. It has a slightly chocolaty flavor.

I drink them both without sugar, milk, or lemon. Making tea from full leaves instead of the small pieces found in bags leads to a less bitter taste so I don't miss the sweetening at all. I tend to make them both pretty strong - they look more like coffee from a distance.

I buy most of my tea from two sources. Adagio has a good variety and a great web site. Seven Cups is more expensive but tends to higher over all quality and is more seasonal I think. Here are links to Yunnan Gold and Golden Monkey at Adagio. I have gotten "Yunnan Golden Palace" from Seven Cups before but they don't have it right now.