Tea Tastings
Our free tea tastings have begun. We will offer a tea tasting every Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. The tastings will usually offer two teas side by side for sampling. Each tasting will last about one hour and will involve some discussion about the teas, their history, and their special qualities, followed by the tasting. This is a very fun and interactive way to introduce yourself to the broad range of Chinese teas.
Below is the schedule. Check back each month for further schedules. We look forward to tasting some teas with you.
November Tastings
7th: Rock Oolongs: 2007 and 2008 Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe). I know we just did Da Hong Pao a month and a half ago, but we just got the 2008 crop in and it is divine! We thought we would do a side-by-side comparison against last year’s crop. You don’t want to miss this.
14th: Greens: Tai Ping Hou Kui & Liu An Gua Pian. Here are a couple more delicious 2008 teas. These two teas have leaves larger than most other greens, with rich tastes. Come and watch the tea leaves dance.
21st: Yunnan Blacks: Golden Buds Dian Hong and Gong Fu Dian Hong. While these have been in the Seven Cups catalog before and are now back by popular demand, they are brand new to Denver. We can’t wait to get these in (they should be arriving any day now) and try them out. [These are so new we don't have any pictures of them yet!]
28th: Taiwanese Oolongs: Qilaishan Long Wu (Dragon’s Fog) and Alishan Tong Fang Mei Ren (Oriental Beauty). We move back to the world of oolongs, this time to the greener realm of Taiwanese teas. We’ll explore two popular tea-growing regions, as well as two very poetic names.
October Tastings
3rd: Lapsangs: Premium Lapsang Bohea (black tea) and Imperial Qi Zhong Lapsang (oolong tea). We will start the month trying two different kinds of Lapsang tea, neither of which are the familiar smoked flavor of Lapsang Souchong. This will help show how the differences in processing can lead to very different flavors.
10th: Dan Cong Oolongs: Xue Lan Xiang (Snow Orchid) and Jin Jiang Mi Lan Xiang (Gold Medal Honey Orchid). This will be our first time tasting some of our Dan Cong oolongs. These are similar in look and style to the rock oolongs, with their long twisty leaves, but more floral and fruity.
17th: Puers: Big Leaf and Little Rose Tuocha. We venture back into the world of puer with a loose leaf and a small flavored tuocha.
24th: Scented and Herbal: Yin Hao Jasmine and Eight Treasures. After so many dark, heavy teas, it’s time to lighten up. We will give one of our four jasmine teas a try, as well as a signature herbal blend from China, Eight Treasures. Find out the health benefits of each of the eight treasures in this delightful and refreshing tisane.
31st: No tasting due to it being Halloween.
September Tastings
5th: Whites, Silver Needle and Shou Mei. We start September with two fresh 2008 teas. White teas have received a lot of attention recently due to their health benefits. We will discuss those benefits and talk about what makes white tea white.
12th: No tasting due to the Grand Opening the next day.
19th: Rock Oolongs, Bai Ji Guan (White Rooster Crest) and Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe). These are two of the four most famous rock oolongs and with good reason, as they are two of the most complex and distinctive teas in China. As with the first two rock oolongs we tasted, we will be tasting these using the Taiwanese fragrance and drink cups.
26th: Greens, Imperial Mao Feng and Meng Ding Mao Feng. To end September we will try two different kinds of Mao Feng. With this we will explore the concept of terroir, how the soil, environment and climate of the region in which a tea is produced effects the overall character of a tea.
