Sean the Tea Guy

I have loved tea for the better part of 11 years now. Something about sitting down with a cup of warm drink in my hand makes me content. This summer, I spent time with my family in their Canadian split-level home, to which they recently added a beautiful wooden deck. A freshly brewed cup of tea, a Nintendo Switch, and a refreshing breeze made for a pleasant afternoon.

For this occasion, I chose a Shou Pu’er (shoo poo-ahr), a tea that gets compressed into a round or rectangular “cake” to ferment. Shou Pu’er is a darker tea, looking almost like ink when steeped longer than two minutes. The full-bodied brew, holding an earthy, woodsy minerality, is one I enjoy as a creamy evening drink. My wife, on the other hand, likes to call it my “little cup of dirt.”

Now, she doesn’t mean that in a demeaning way, but she is hitting on a point that I’ve come to appreciate more in my time with tea: taste is subjective. This isn’t news, of course. People have preferences in any matter, but sometimes people in the tea world can be particular about “how it should be done.”

For example, my dad rarely drinks tea, but when he does, it’s an evening Earl Grey. He enjoys the full-bodied flavor with that stronger citrus note found in the classic cup, but I have yet to find an Earl Grey I enjoy because, to me, it just tastes like expired Fruit Loops. Obviously, not everyone agrees with me, since Earl Grey is popular in the tea world.

But there’s more that goes into this than mere preference. With wine, beer, and cheese, you are buying a finished product. You and your friend could buy the same wine in different countries and, provided it came from the same place in the same year, you would have a similar experience.

With tea, however, you are buying an ingredient that involves the addition of variations in preparation method: in what device it is steeped, how long it is steeped, temperature of the water, and the characteristics of the water itself, such as the hardness and inherent minerality. It is nearly impossible to establish true consistency in the taste of tea due to the fluidity of the steeping process from person to person. Because of this, changing even one aspect of the process can greatly impact the end result.

So, with all these variables and preferences, it’s difficult to get a consistent, detailed read on a tea. Now, someone may read that and think, “Well what’s the point? How could I ever find something I consistently like?” Well, I have two responses there.

First, these differences are less significant than it seems. Yes, they can be noticeable, but it is absolutely possible to achieve general consistency in each cup. Second, there is a lot of adventure to be experienced thanks to these variables. With so many different ways to make each specific tea and so many cultures with their own unique traditions, one lifetime isn’t enough to try them all.

Keeping that in mind, when someone asks me for tea recommendations, I ask a lot of questions trying to keep my personal preferences out of the equation. Someone says they want a floral-forward tea, and I can think of a few jasmine greens or rose oolongs. Someone else wants a robust green tea and I can recommend some deep-steamed Japanese greens. For me, if it’s just a quiet afternoon out on the deck, I’ll be reaching for my calming cup of dirt.

Happy steeping.

How You Brewin’

While writing this I was drinking Ripe Bulang Pu’er Tea from Bana Tea Company ($26 for 100g cake). Generally, I’ll steep my Pu’er in gaiwan in gung fu style:

• 4-6g of tea (experiment a bit to find your own preference)
• 6 oz of water 212*F
• Quickly rinse the leaves, pouring just enough water to cover them, then immediately dump the water out.
• Steep for 10 seconds, starting your count after pouring the water.
• For each subsequent steep add 5 to 10 seconds.
• Steep as many times as your taste buds desire.

I am not sponsored or compensated by Bana Tea Company, nor was I approached to review the tea.