A power cut this afternoon here at driftwood tea left us without computers, wifi, and - gasp - no kettle! We’d also consumed all the overnight, cold infused, Dong Ding iced tea that we’d made, to enjoy later in the afternoon, yet had drunk before lunch simply because it was delicious and we were hot!
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New Harvest Teas: From Sample To Sale
From when I first sample a new harvest loose leaf tea, to receiving my first shipment of it in the UK, during that period of waiting I always feel a real sense of childish excitement as I imagine the journey it’s making half way around the world.
Drinking new harvest teas at this time of year, in the UK, is still fairly astonishing. I find it remarkable to think that 10 or so years ago, when I first started sourcing loose leaf tea - and perhaps up until even 5 years ago - that outside of Asia it was rare that you were able to find or drink loose leaf leaves this fresh. Quite literally only a couple of week after they have been harvested and crafted into their delicate final product.
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A First Flush of White Tea
It’s always with a certain degree of trepidation that I try teas that are perhaps more traditionally from another region or country however, over the past couple of years certainly, the range of white tea coming out of India has been particularly notable.
Around this time of year I will taste more teas than at any other point and, while the romantic notion would have me travelling around seeking out individual farms the reality for myself, and most other small-medium tea retailers is that many of these teas will be sent to me directly from farmers, friends, past colleagues and other tea aficionados I’ve met over the past decade or so.
Romantic ideals aside, I am confident that each of the teas driftwood stocks are among the highest quality and best tasting examples of that particular tea available. If I can’t source a tea that doesn’t taste fantastic, we won’t simply stock one to plug a gap.
I’ve heard a lot about the Organic Silver Needle White Tea from the Doke Estate in Bihar and so it was among the first I tried from a new batch of samples that arrived from India today.
This tea had a lot to live up to. Our White Tea is our biggest selling and so far we have chosen only to focus only on Chinese and Taiwanese teas. I was thankfully not to be disapointed.
The silver needles are shorter and finer than Chinese examples but these buds have clearly been expertly hand harvested and retain a uniform size. The aroma of fresh white tea is simply etherial and this did not disapoint. Once brewed these leaves produced a fresh and soft, fruity liquor with teasing hints of cream and a lingering aftertaste. This is a very special white tea, of extremely sound quality, and certainly one I would like us to stock in the next couple of weeks.
James
Another picture of my favourite loose leaf tea caddies. I would also highly recommend seeking out a copy of the coffee table book set The Time Of Tea by Dominique T Pasqualani, bottom left of the photo, a perfect tea gift for anyone who likes reading about the history of tea.
My beautiful Japanese tea caddies made for me by a friend. These are currently being used to store a selection of white tea samples from last year which I’m working my way through before the first of the 2012 harvest arrives.
