> > Russia, along with Ireland, is the last bastion of tea drinkers. . .
Don't forget the Middle East. Around here (the SF Bay Area) we have a large number of middle eastern food stores (some Syrian, some Iranian, some Iraqi, and some who don't have any ethnicity discernible to a western eye). Almost every one of then has a wide variety of teas for sale. Apart from the ubiquitous Sadaf brands, and cheap junk such as PG Tips, Liptons, and Typhoo tea bags, you can also find some somewhat better choices such as Twinings or Taylors of Harrogate, and my own particular preference - the range of teas from Ahmad. Back when I lived in the UK I used to buy most of my tea from Jacksons of Piccadilly, but nowadays that's a bit of a way to travel, and apparently they're no longer what they used to be. Ahmad, however, have enough choices to satisfy most tea drinkers. In particular (and veering back towards the original topic) they have something they call Russian Imperial Blend. This is a blend of Darjeeling and Assam teas, together with a little Bergamot. The amount of Bergamot is less than is found in Earl Grey tea (which is where most people will have encountered the flavour), and the use of Darjeeling and Assam leaves rather than the Ceylon tea commonly found in Earl Grey also affects the overall taste. The Russian Imperial blend is the mainstay tea in our house, although we usually add a little long-leaf Ceylon tea for the morning tea, or a similar amount of Assam in the afternoon (and for Iced Tea we use Earl Grey, brewed double-strength). That, however, is a matter of personal taste. The most important things to remember are: o Use loose tea, not the rubbish they package in teabags. o Tea from a teapot tastes better than the same tea in a teaball. I'm a big fan of the Bodum tea presses, but I'm sure there are equally good results to be obtained from alternative equipment. I've tried, but not been that impressed by, the seriously high- end tea emporia. These are the places that will sell you one or two ounces of tea (with or without assorted spices) at a price per ounce significantly higher than I pay for a pound of Ahmad. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
