This morning, I had my first taste of the Yorkshire Gold loose tea which I recently ordered, and it is excellent. I've had three cups, mugs really, of the tea. Mmm, mmm, good! What a fine way to start the day.
When I visited England three years ago, the staff at Haley's Hotel presented me with a parting gift of chocolates and Yorkshire Gold tea. Now I have what I hope is a reliable vendor at a reasonable price here in the US.
When I had a country church in Southern Illinois as a student, one of my members was English, and went home for a visit. She asked if she could bring us something, and we said "Tea!"
ReplyDeleteShe came back with some, which we declared the best tea we'd ever had. She laughed and said it was a common brand, and she grabbed it at the last minute as she'd almost forgotten her promise to us.
I've since discovered Yorkshire Gold, but I still wonder how much is expectation, and how much is reality.
Or is that a humanist question? ;-)
Suctinsi, anyway!
I still wonder how much is expectation, and how much is reality.
ReplyDeleteI regularly drink Twinings Earl Grey loose tea, which I enjoy immensely. In truth, my morning tea is one of the high spots of my day, which may say more about my life than about tea. I prefer loose tea to tea bags, because it seems to me more of the flavor is present in a pot of tea made from tea leaves, although I admit that the ritual of making the tea is part of the pleasure.
Yorkshire Gold tastes different from Twinings Earl Grey, and I'm fairly sure it's not all expectation. And if my enjoyment of tea is merely expectation, then I don't want reality.
So. Is mine a humanist response?
It's interesting that you should have been able to find a reasonable supplier for Yorkshire tea recently. The company is currently running a television advertising campaign here that revolves around people bringing Yorkshire tea to British expats in America.
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether there is a connection?
Erika, I hate to say who the reasonably-priced and reliable supplier is. It's Amazon, the company which, along with the chain stores, is destroying local book shops and other local shops everywhere. None of my local shops ever carried the loose tea, but for one outlet in New Orleans, and they stopped selling it years ago. What am I to do when Amazon offers the tea at half the price of other online retailers, at $50 rather than $100 for 6 tins of tea.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite sure there is a connection with the advertizing campaign in England. The same thing must be happening to local shops across the pond.
We get tea from the Porto Rico Importing Company in Greenwich Village, lots of selection, some inexpensive. They don't have Yukon Gold -- I'll have to get some when next we order from Amazon.
ReplyDeleteWe got tired of the bergamot overtones in Earl Grey tea, and even of the aftertaste in the English Breakfast (Keemun) tea. We now alternate among a couple of Assams and Darjeelings, with Irish Breakfast a standby. Can I tell the difference? Wouldn't want to take a test.
Wiki on Earl Grey: "The Earl Grey blend is named after 2d Earl Grey, British Prime Minister in the 1830s and author of the Reform Bill of 1832, who reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil, taken from bergamot, a citrus fruit typical of Southeast Asia and grown commercially in Italy."
Murdoch, I like Twinings English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast, also, but I like Earl Grey best, although I've heard it's not really a breakfast tea. Once it's mine, I figure I can do what I want.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me there once was a short biography of Earl Grey on the Twinings tin, but I don't see it now.
Yukon Gold is a potato. The mind wanders.
ReplyDeletePorto Rico doesn't carry Yorkshire Gold, either. They do mail order: www.portorico.com if you're interested. We like loose teas. During visits, my English mother-in-law would tear open the teabags and dump the leaves (or litter) in the cup. Didn't like "the taste of paper."
Yukon Gold is a potato.
ReplyDeleteGary, I noticed, but I didn't say. I'm from the South. :-)
The tea bags taste different. Your MIL may be right. You get the taste of the paper and perhaps the bleach that makes the paper white?
Thanks for the info.
Rmj, the "common brand" that I like is Typhoo! I learned of it by reading George Orwell's early novels about being poor. . . I bought 240 sachets at Tesco when I was in Salisbury in July. It makes a very strong cuppa and I like that because I love milk and sweet in my tea.
ReplyDeleteMimi, are you going on Amazon thru MadPriest's widget(or whatever they call those things) when you buy your tea? Every little bit helps!
susan s., of course I'm going through MadPriest's widget. Why wouldn't I?
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to impugn your taste, Grandmère, just to record my own. Gary's sister loves hazelnut coffee -- I like about two sips, then the extra flavor loses appeal. The old taste buds aren't as flexible as they once were.
ReplyDeleteThe "Gary Paul Gilbert" above is me. Blogger uses whatever Google account you have open as ID, and I forgot that I'd been looking at Gary's e-mail.
Murdoch, I didn't think you were impugning my taste. I was simply musing about tea.
ReplyDeleteSo you're Gary. Now I'm thoroughly confused. ;-)
It's just that some would never think of doing it unless it was one of MP's music recommendations. I buy my special cough drops through his widget! It's about the only way to find those things anymore!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday tomorrow!!!(in case I get distracted with church, etc.).
When I resupply myself with tea, MP should get at least a couple of quid.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the birthday wishes. We celebrated all the September birthdays along with the big 50th anniversary.
Yorkshire Gold Tea and English chocolate...are you sure you weren't in heaven?
ReplyDeleteAnd the staff sending me away with gifts! It was a taste of heaven, Kay.
ReplyDeleteThe hotel has been sold twice since then, so it was not the same staff when I stayed this year.
Susan S.--
ReplyDeleteIt was Sainsbury we got, IIRC. My preference is Taylors of Harrogate, for no reason I can discern except I like it. But their Christmas blend (or whatever they call it) is a seasonal treat for me.
I still find it funny the tea we thought so good was, to the British, so ordinary. I think it's actually because tea in England is, on the whole, better than the tea here. Sort of like trying to get good Cajun food outside Louisiana. You just can't do it.
Something about what the locals prefer makes a difference in these things.
Anyway: strepapi
Something about what the locals prefer makes a difference in these things.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I've never had a bad cuppa tea when I was in England.
And I never order what's called Cajun food outside of south Louisiana.
I haven't had the Yorkshire Gold, just the regular Yorkshire Tea. It's excellent.
ReplyDeleteTim, I've never had a taste of the regular Yorkshire that I know of. I'll have to try it.
ReplyDeleteI find it trying to be a tea drinker and a coffee hater. My life would be much simpler if I could stand coffee, because, as Mimi says, part of the enjoyment of tea is the ritual and most U.S. Americans don't have the patience for warming the mug, bringing the water to the right just to the boil and not boiling over, then steeping the tea for more than the three dips of the bag that most of us U.S.ers do. I was a great source of fun on a recent retreat for taking so long making my tea.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites: Assam - Three Leaves and a Bud whole leaf sachets or Harney's loose; Harney's Queen Catharine and their Golden Monkey (very expensive, that second so only buy about 3 oz per year loose, very smokey). And I still like my Earl Grey once in awhile but mostly I like strong teas because I, too, like mine milky with some sweet.
Mariages Freres in their black canisters,,their tea house and emporium in the Marais 3rd arrondisement- I first saw my lover there, a stunning, heart pounding beauty in a house of tea surpassing breafast at tiffanys,,,or the Carette Place de Vosges " a luxurious space, in the historic heart of Paris, is designed by Hubert de Givenchy. The elegant interior is pure Louis XVI style. On offer are gourmet breakfasts, celebrated flavorful macarons, croissants and other artful pastries... you might opt for subtle and delicious finger sandwiches or a plate of multi colored mini-macrons. The fabulous decor is reminiscent of the glory days of the former Place Royale. Marie Antoinette would have loved this spot." I could go on...
ReplyDeleteLois, I grew up in New Orleans, where drinking coffee is socially de rigueur. We had our café au lait from an early age, say 8 or 9. I still like good coffee from time to time, but my daily drink is tea, which I take with a little brown sugar and milk.
ReplyDeletemusculars, next time I'm in Gay Paree, I will check out the shops. Mariages Frères sounds fabulous.
Drinking a cup of Yorkshire Gold tonight (got it at a local Edmonton grocery store). You're right - very good.
ReplyDeleteTim, I'm glad you are pleased with my recommendation. :-)
ReplyDelete