The tea that is widely reputed to be the finest in the world is
Kilburn Imperial, a white tea from Sri Lanka. If there's a Rolls Royce
of tea, this is it:
"Inspired by a French perfumer and egged on by an English aficionado,
a Sri Lankan master tea maker has revived a centuries-old Chinese
tradition to make a brew that few but an emperor could afford.
Connoisseurs will have to pay through the nose for the 'white' tea --
the price is a staggering 1,250 dollars a kilogram (2.2 pounds), or
750 times more than the average price of high-quality pure Ceylon tea.
Malinga Herman Gunaratne, 60, said he is recreating a Chinese method
of producing a tea that was demanded by finicky emperors. For the
manufacture of 'Kilburn Imperial', the tender-most innards of the tea
bud are prised out with gloved hands to be sun-dried under surgically
sterile conditions, all without any direct contact with human hands.
Gunaratne said his product is possibly the world's most expensive tea
commercially marketed. It is not available except at his own
plantation, about 160 kilometres (95 miles) south of here, and at a
tea museum in Seoul, Korea."
Things Asian: Sri Lanka's "Kilburn Imperial" tea
http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.2898.html
Although Kilburn Imperial is difficult to obtain, there are other Sri
Lankan white teas that are truly wonderful. Here is one of my
favorites (when I can afford it - it costs $25 an ounce!):
"This platinum-tip white tea is exquisitely rare. Grown at
high-altitudes in Sri Lanka, the cooler temperature facilitates a
slower growing leaf, which ensures a leaf of high quality and full
flavor. These exceptional leaves are painstakingly hand picked, gently
steamed, and then sun-dried. The results are fine tea buds covered in
tiny, silvery-white hairs that resemble the fuzz on a peach. Due to
the scarce nature of these top-quality shoots and the labor-intensive
drying process, only around twenty kilograms (approximately 40 pounds)
of this tea can be made each week during the season.
White tea is subtle. When brewed, it barely infuses any color into the
water. It has a taste that is very delicate but also distinct. Ceylon
Platinum Tip produces a unique, heady aroma and a very light,
liquoring flavor with notes of pine and honey. Also, this particular
tea is extremely high in the cancer-fighting antioxidants found in
tea. Lightly caffeinated, this tea is both tasty and uplifting."
Mitea: Royal Ceylon Platinum Tip
http://www.mitea.com/index.php?main_page=product_tea_info&cPath=1_5&products_id=72
At $10.60 for 1.76 ounces, this Meng Ding Huang Ya is a bargain:
"This rare Yellow tea comes from the misty peak of Mount Meng, where
tea cultivation dates back to the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years
ago. Meng Ding Huang Ya was an Imperial Tribute Tea during the Tang
Dynasty and was recorded in many famous Chinese books.
Only the leaves picked in the misty peak areas of Mount Meng can be
considered as true Meng Ding Huang Ya. Due to its limited supply and
high demand, a lot of teas claiming to be Meng Ding Huang Ya are
counterfiet. As our assurance to you, our Meng Ding Huang Ya comes
with an anti-fake seal issued by China?s Quality Control Department."
Teaspring: Meng Ding Huang Ya Tea
http://www.teaspring.com/Meng-Ding-Huang-Ya.asp
Royal Himalayan Snowflake tea is $80 an ounce. Although I have never
tasted it, I've heard raves about its aroma and flavor:
Mitea: Royal Himalayan Snowflake
http://www.mitea.com/index.php?main_page=product_tea_info&cPath=1_7&products_id=80
If you'd rather give a variety of flavors, Stash Tea (one of my
favorite online tea sites) has a nice sampler, which includes 16
different loose teas:
Stash Tea
http://shopstashtea.com/058460.html
I have made numerous purchases from these sites, and have found them
to be reliable and prompt. You might want to browse around to see
whether anything catches your fancy. One caution: few tea-lovers are
interested in teabags. Most of us prefer loose tea that has not been
chopped and bruised and shoved into a piece of polyester. Also, unless
you know for certain that someone is fond of herbal tea or tea with
flavor additives, it's best to stick with the simpler stuff. One year
I was given a big ol' gift box of mango hibiscus chamomile tea for
Christmas. Although it smelled pleasant, it did not taste like tea. I
ended up using the teabags as sachets in my closet.
A few more tea merchants:
The Joy of Tea Online
http://www.thejoyofteaonline.com
The Tea Caddy
http://www.theteacaddy.com/tea.aspx
Tea Gschwender
http://www.teagschwendner.com
Culinary Teas
http://www.culinaryteas.com
A useful tea reference guide may be found here:
The Tea House
http://www.theteahouse.com/refguide.htm
I hope this is helpful! If anything is unclear or incomplete, please
request clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before
you rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
