Progression through a tea experience curve

first meeting a favorite tea friend in a favorite Chinatown shop

I wrote about how beginners might get into tea awhile back, about how themes like brewing, sourcing, and learning about types works out, here.  It's strange that was 9 years ago, now around half the time I've even been exposed to specialty tea.  I began exploring it more through writing this blog, starting 13 years ago.

The point here relates to seeing post after post--in Reddit now, since FB is kind of quiet in tea groups--about people just getting into tea.  It means different things to different people.  Usually someone posting there, in r/tea, will have only tried tea bag tea, or maybe beyond that mainstream, mass-produced options like Harney and Sons, or Twinings.  Ahmad and Fortnum and Mason wouldn't be so different, or loose leaf Ceylon from Dilmah (which is actually pretty good, within that range).

Already it could sound like I'm looking down on people at that level, that they will get around to exploring "real tea" only when they take the next step, and try out different kinds of sources, and learn about more tea types.  English Breakfast Blend is a tea type, in a sense, but I mean narrower origin, more original versions, like trying Tie Guan Yin oolong, or Longjing green tea, some absolute basics.  In part that works, just not the judgmental tone.  Someone could drink only Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea forever and they would still be a tea drinker who is enjoying tea.  From my perspective that would be kind of a shame, because the really interesting scope starts right after that, or maybe two steps later, but it's their perspective that matters.

So this isn't intended as judgment.  I'll map out some types range and stages without this concluding that people making it to my exposure level and appreciation form have navigated a proper experience curve.  A lot of this is about types, about how people typically explore from one form and type of tea through a larger set, but I'll start with typical brewing and sourcing experience curves.

Brewing approach transition:  it usually goes from using a tea bag, on to using a range of Western approaches and devices, narrowed down to one favorite (often an infuser basket), then to Gongfu brewing, using a gaiwan or clay pot.  You can use other approaches, and what works best depends on the tea type, quality level, and form (broken leaf versus whole, etc.).  It's as well to just shift from tea bag to Western brewing, early on, and explore from there.

pour-over tea with ice cream.  it kind of makes sense, but also not really.

flavored Thai tea, brewed in a French press

Sourcing transition:  people start with whatever they run across or have on hand, so grocery store tea bag versions first, then any kind of loose tea, then onto loose tea versions that aren't random, that represent whatever is most available.  

Someone could stop at any one point; all of this is written as if it would be more natural to keep going.  They could only ever explore tea-bag versions, or only ever try out Western brewing.  Someone might never explore beyond Twinings, Ahmad, Harney and Sons, and Fortnum and Mason tin versions.  That wouldn't be terrible, but to many the more interesting range starts in later.  This extensive typical experience curve description following, related to types, covers how that often works out.

English Breakfast Tea and Earl Grey:  these could be tea bag versions, although loose leaf versions of almost exactly the same tea tend to be better, even from the same producer or vendor source.  Tea bag teas are so broken they're almost ground up material, because that extracts a lot of flavor from a small amount of tea (2 to 2 1/2 grams) in 4 or 5 minutes.  And astringency is increased, and more negative flavor range; that's the bad part.  Flavored teas are fine; I've liked Earl Grey versions I've tried in the past.  Better quality Earl Grey is nicer than what Twinings sells, loose or in tea bags, and that's harder to find.  

But moving on to the next step is the thing, to expand range, and try what is better.  Let's move back a step first though.

Flavored teas, blends:  there's nothing wrong with drinking Sleepytime from Celestial Seasonings or a popular cinnamon blend from Harney and Sons, whatever that's called.  I started on tisanes and these kinds of blends a long time ago, long before getting into real tea.  Tazo Zen was an early favorite, and it's probably still nice, if it exists.  But this is about the other kind of range, so let's consider what that even is.

this is pretty good; I just had it with breakfast, during editing

Tie Guan Yin, Longjing:  these are natural starting points for Chinese light rolled oolong and green tea.  Longjing is either an inexpensive copy of a fairly well established and high quality version, or that original form, which can also represent a developed end-point preference.  

I visited China relatively early in my exposure to tea, on business, about 18 years ago.  A local IT professional working in Bangkok, from China, mentioned that buying Longing in Chinatown is a good starting point.  He was right.  I tried a couple of quality level variations, and couldn't tell the difference, so I bought the next to most expensive one, and I was hooked.  Green tea turned out to not be my main natural preference, but I still like Longjing.

an old mall visit on my first trip to Shenzhen

comparison tasting Longjing cultivars

Light rolled oolong is just a good general tea range, easy to appreciate, easy to brew, good at varying quality levels.  Later people might well change oolong preferences, and like much better Taiwanese high mountain versions, that are more flavorful and refined, sometimes incorporating more oxidation and roast input.  Or Wuyi Yancha (Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui, etc.), or Dan Cong (Chaozhou, Guangdong oolong), that are either fruity or floral, versus Wuyi Yancha / Wuyishan, Fujian teas expressing earthier range roasted notes, and lots of rock mineral base.

To get to this stage you almost have to move past grocery stores as a tea source.  I see inexpensive Chinese Tie Guan Yin in specialty grocery stores in Bangkok, or sometimes sort of related local Thai Jin Xuan rolled oolong, but in general it's just not here either.  We need to go to a tea shop, or buy it online.  In a big city in the US a Chinatown market store should have some basic tins of teas, but it would usually have to be in the range of NYC size for that to come up.  And that's just to buy mixed quality level tea versions; it might be pretty good, or maybe pretty bad, just like in the specialty grocery stores in Bangkok.  So let's consider that next range.

Dian hong black tea, Keemun, Japanese and Vietnamese teas:  none of this is going to be in any grocery store (except maybe Japanese tea in a Japanese grocery store, which they have in Bangkok).  That first example is my favorite black tea category, Yunnan black tea.  You can buy pretty good versions that aren't expensive online, maybe for under $15 for 100 grams.  "Pretty good" is always relative.  In that 15 cent to 25 cent / gram low-medium price range value can become important, but it's not that much to be spending on tea.  People's budgets vary, and this content can't mostly be about that, or address it fully, so I'll be limiting that as a consideration here.  Beyond the Japanese teas range lots of types just mentioned might be closer to 10 cents a gram instead of 15, for pretty good versions.

Vietnamese black tea, essentially made in a Dian Hong style 

Keemun is an exception, relating to two different kinds of things now.  It's cheap, mass produced and sold Chinese black tea, just not as common as it probably was 15 years ago.  Or it's a higher quality range version from the same area and plant type (or types) that's fairly rare, something you wouldn't run across much.

I mention those other origins because it doesn't really work to assume that someone is going to explore only Chinese tea.  Japanese tea is often presented, approached, and consumed as higher end, limited character range, expensive tea versions, as better than average sencha, gyokuro, and so on.  That works, but those Japanese grocery store versions aren't exactly that.  I asked a local Japanese friend once what he drank, and he couldn't even name sencha as a main category description, and just responded "whatever the grocery store sells."

Vietnamese tea is so broad, and a subject so near to my heart, that it's problematic to even say why it's problematic as a category.  There are cheap teas from there.  Fishhook style green from Thai Nguyen (an area) is usually quite good for being so inexpensive, heavy on mineral base, vegetal, and intense.  But they make lots of tea there.  I've been drinking a lot of Vietnamese sheng (the same as sheng pu'er) for many years.  

Black teas from Vietnam can be great (or from lots of different places).  Both Thailand and Vietnam started copying Taiwanese oolong production back in the 1990s, I think, and Vietnam has moved on to making better versions than Thailand, at the higher end.  There are lots of local types and styles; it's a diverse subject.  So it would match to lots of what I'm going to go on to say about other Chinese tea range.

many tea types in a popular Moscow shop.  that guy was so nice.

Wuyi Yancha and Dan Cong oolongs:  I've mentioned that these are natural second levels to explore for Chinese oolong range.  Or at least that's how I see it.  Early on that might relate to Da Hong Pao (from Wuyishan, the Wuyi Yancha or rock oolong range).  That's also called Big Red Robe, relating to an old story about a tea plant being given a robe to wear, out of honor, related to saving the king's life, maybe that was.  Never mind about the myths; it's just colorful background, that doesn't mean much.  Probably the tea plants never actually wore a robe, since that doesn't make sense, or maybe they did.

Dan Cong, left, and rolled Tie Guan Yin

Quality level of these teas varies a lot.  Someone would normally experience the lower level as an intro, keep exploring, and feel like the range of what "real tea" is only unfolds for them in the second half of that exploration.  Dan Cong usually comes after some Wuyi Yancha exposure; it can cost a little more, it's less common to run across, an better versions can be more refined (and of course more costly).

It's tempting to describe the difference between a cheap Chinatown shop Shui Xian or Da Hong Pao and a better tea version, but I wouldn't do that justice in words.  You need to try them, and you can appreciate the quality of the second better after exposure to the first.  That's why listening to a vendor describe a version as communicating the real tea experience can be problematic, beyond that being a typical red flag for over-hyping a product.  You might end up paying $1 a gram for a tea that you can't compare to anything else that you've been exposed to.  It could seem good, but it could be impossible to place that.  It's as well to try some basic teas first.

really inexpensive Shui Xian from a favorite Chinatown shop, sold in folded paper

Better quality versions tend to be more refined, in the sense of conveying a range of very positive aspects that integrate and balance well with each other.  Flavor is usually better, but mouthfeel and aftertaste expression also can be.  A liqueur or perfume-like aromatic character comes across in some versions (maybe the first more related to Wuyi Yancha, similar to cognac or brandy, with strong floral character in Dan Cong seeming more like perfume).

Hei cha, shou pu'er, white tea:  along the way in exploration you end up trying all sorts of varying types, with very different character.  This is a nice part of exploring tea; you can keep trying something new and pleasant, that doesn't necessarily cost that much, for years.  Looking back you might wonder why someone would keep drinking one tin after another of a few favorite Harney and Sons versions, since they're missing this kind of ongoing exploration pattern.  For the same cost, even, or this exploration of different tea types might even be cheaper.  

It's probably as well if I skip over what these are, for the most part, beyond adding a few short phrases.  White tea is the least processed version, in some examples not as flavorful as others, but versions can also be bright and fruity, or warm toned and somewhat complex, just perhaps not intense.  

golden flowers mold, jin hua, on Fu style hei cha (a positive and valued input, oddly)

Hei cha is a category of fermented teas, more or less, with shou pu'er often regarded as one example of this (or as a separate thing; it doesn't matter that people use category boundaries differently).  Shou pu'er is definitely post-fermented (wet piled) sheng pu'er, which is sort of like green tea, just a little different.  Liu Bao and Fu zhuan are examples of hei cha.  

Shou pu'er, Liu Bao, and Fu zhuan are all kind of earthy, but in different degrees and senses.  Liu Bao includes a slate-like mineral base layer, and can taste a bit like pine, or in aged versions, or versions that are more pre-fermented, more like peat.  Like actual dirt, right?  But in a good sense.  You really need to experience that to see if it's as horrible as it might sound, or great instead.

I'm not implying that someone would try Tie Guan Yin first, then a good Chinese black tea, then Vietnamese teas, then white, and so on.  Everyone's path would be different.  But it is common to run through more common and typical types earlier on, and then expand on that.  But then I've missed a couple, so let's circle back.

Assam and Ceylon:  black tea from India can be basic and pleasant or high in quality and exceptional, from different places.  I'm referring to Assam, or Darjeeling--another area--might also ring a bell.  Ceylon, black tea from Sri Lanka, is an unusual special case.  At one time it was one of the main teas produced, in high demand, regarded as one of the best tea ranges to be experienced.  It's still good, but now it might be regarded as more ordinary range tea instead.  

good orthodox Assam

Why?  It's complicated, how trends and themes go in broad tea preference.  Darjeeling was highly valued as a tea origin and general type as well, and now it's a bit passé.  Teas from there--both places--can still be fantastic, but tea trends come and go.  Nepal teas were really popular for a few years, a decade or so ago, and now they're not trendy, even though it's common for versions from there to be exceptional.  Aged white tea preference seemed to come and go.  It is what it is.

Natural end points for preference:  this might seem a little misleading, because there's no reason why someone would need to settle on one or more types to like best, later on.  They could just keep drinking a broad range, and exploring.  But often people will settle into liking a couple types best, and then mix it up from there.  For me that relates to sheng pu'er, mostly as drinkable younger versions (not aged), and Dian Hong style black teas.  That's a pretty conventional final preference set, but there are others.

Wawee origin Thai sheng "pu'er," a current favorite 

Some love Japanese green teas the most, which is understandable, if umami flavor that leans toward seaweed is regarded as positive.  Or Taiwanese oolongs, or Wuyi Yancha or Dan Cong.  It would seem odd to me for someone to land on loving hei cha or shou pu'er the most, but that does happen.  An older Chinese friend from Malaysia settled on Liu Bao preference, and in Russian culture / tea circles shou pu'er is a main favorite.

It's worth considering why sheng pu'er ends up being the most typical final preference (per my experience in "tea circles").  There's no one answer, but a few possible causes stand out.  It's really two different types of tea, as drinkable newer versions (what I like), and aged versions, so that's actually two possible final preferences.  Younger versions are intense, often sweet, strong in flavor, including substantial bitterness, strong in feel, and complex in character.  I think a natural tendency to prefer more all of the time, of any kind of exposure, leads in this direction.  

Aged versions can be refined and complex in a completely different way.  There's a lot to learning about types, sourcing, storage conditions input, optimum age range, and so on, so people who embrace a learning curve and like the idea of exclusivity have a lot to work with there.

2004 Dayi purple label sheng, in 2020.  it's pretty much ready now.

What is too much learning and exploration input?:  this seems to be what moderates level of exploration; people only want to put so much work into a drink preference.  It's understandable.  It's not even about expense, since that's already occurring for coffee or boba drinks, for many.  It's about reading a 1500 word blog post, watching videos, or placing the first half dozen orders from vendors from around the world.  It can all be a bit much.

So people find whatever balance works for them, for most relating to trying whatever is already on grocery store shelves.  That can be ok, but for tea enthusiasts that's essentially what comes up just prior to the gateway to better tea experience.

rustic "witch's broom" form Da Hong Pao and sheng pu'er; later exceptions keep coming up