Tea Tip from In Pursuit of Tea:
It's time to move tea out of the teapot and into the glass!
Display teas are made to be enjoyed for the show presented while steeping.
Young tea leaves are bunched and hand tied or rolled to create distinct shapes.
These shapes are eye catching when first seen and truly wondrous to watch
while steeping. In water the leaves unfurl to create a completely different shape.
These teas are best enjoyed in a wineglass, so that the aromas are concentrated
to the nose, and the show is raised to eye-level. They make a wonderful substitute
for wine during a meal, if you want to avoid alcohol.
Often these teas are made with specific varietals of tea that will not get bitter.
This is important as most often the leaves are left in a glass while you drink the tea.
Because they are tied together, the leaves will not enter into your mouth as you imbibe.
Thus the two considerations that are important in purchasing these teas is that they
are made with good quality leaf and that they are well constructed to retain their intended shapes.
When drinking this tea, allow sufficient steeping time. The teas are generally
mild and take a few minutes to begin to impart their flavor to the glass.
Green Tea Anemone is one of our
most popular teas. Its Chinese name is Green Peony (Lu Mudan). The Peony form is one
of very common for various display teas. When you first see this tea, it is a flattened rosette.
This tea is made from quality spring-picked leaves, then hand tied into beautiful rosettes.
Ours was found in southern Anhui Province on a mountain where virtually every family grows tea.
Once the leaves are steeped they swell to create something that looks like a Peony bloom.
It also looks like a Sea Anemone, which is why we have named it such.
Add Flowers to the Brocade
(Jing Shang
Tian Hua) - This extremely rare display tea takes Green Tea Anemone to a whole new level.
Secretly tied into the quality spring-picked leaves is a set of chrysanthemum flowers. These
explode into your glass as the Tea Anemone expands. Very limited quantities are crafted
each year as it takes 45 minutes to craft each rosette.
Litchi Nut-
The only thing this tea has
in common with the litchi nut is its shape. Otherwise this tea is just a high grade pure-leaf green tea.
After hand rolling the early-picked leaf-and-bud sets, they are hand formed into these "nuts".
Other tea merchants sell similar teas under the name Dragon Eyeball.
Dragon Pearls are
also known as Yin Yang Pearls, are produced in the mountains of northern Fujian Province, China.
The name yin yang refers to the appearance of the pearls - each one consists of many leaf
and bud sets. The buds appear soft, downy and almost white; the leaves are a darker, richer green color.
The tea has a mild, pleasant taste and won't become bitter from oversteeping. The leaves
will unfurl and sink to the bottom. Dragon Pearls are fairly dense - you don't need many in the
wineglass or pot!
Black Tea Anemone is the Black Tea version of Green Tea Anemone.
Also from Anhui Province, its a surprising tea since it does not become bitter.
That can be said about very few Black Teas. No need for milk or sugar; this smooth
tea tastes great as it is.
While traveling in China, we always see people sipping tea out of glass with
the leaves floating at the bottom - whether or not its a display tea. They use their teeth as a strainer!
Americans are not at that point, but display teas are definitely changing the rules.
Also see tea tip on White Teas. For more information on drinks and beverages, read Charmaine Solomon's article on well-known
drinks you may encounter in Asian travels or upon inspection of the refrigerator section of your local Asian grocer.
