[in-person] tea tasting: Tiěguānyīn and all that!

If you think tea is bland/boring/weak, this event is especially for you. If you have only tried "Earl Grey", "English breakfast", or flavored teas like "jasmine", get ready to have your mind (and palate!) expanded!

Come learn about and enjoy gōngfū chá (功夫茶) tea tasting.
We will aim to taste at least one "oolong" (烏龍) and one pǔ'ěr (普洱).
Tea tasting at the front tea bar typically works out to about $10/hour.

If the parking lot is full, you may park around the corner on Harmon Ave and walk on the sidewalk along the I-35 frontage road.

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Tea is a beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot water over leaves of the tea plant, an evergreen shrub native to Asia. The tea plant originated in the region which today is NE India/SW China.

The word for tea in almost every language is derived from either Hokkien (Amoy or Teochew dialects) tê or Cantonese (and later Mandarin) chá. Many major European languages (Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish), Tamil, and Telugu have words that come from the first pronunciation, while the words in Arabic, Hindi and many other Indian languages, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish derive from the second one, particularly the Persianized form chai.

Chrysanthemum, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, hibiscus, lavender, peppermint, rooibos, and rosehip "teas" are infusions of bark, flowers, herbs, leaves, roots, or spices and not truly tea in the strict sense.

Every high quality tea has a variety of interesting and complex aromas and flavor notes that come through intensely or subtly, depending on the type and the steeping process. Most will have some "grassy" vegetable-like taste, with some astringent and/or bitter flavors. Some may even have a fruit-like sweetness. Appreciating these components is part of the enjoyment process.

烏龍/乌龙 ("Oolong") wū lóng "dark dragon"
毛蟹 máo xiè "hairy crab"
鐵觀音/铁观音 Tiěguānyīn ("Iron Goddess of Compassion"), 安溪 Ānxī County, 福建省 Fújiàn Province
大紅袍 Dà Hóng Páo ("big red robe"), from 武夷山 Wǔyí mountains, 福建省 Fújiàn Province

普洱 pǔ'ěr, traditionally from 雲南/云南 Yúnnán Province
生 shēng "raw"; unfermented; "classic pǔ'ěr"
熟 shú (or shóu) "ripe"; wet piling and fermented to simulate aged pǔ'ěr

Here's a list of famous teas, most with names in Chinese and English.

蓋碗/盖碗 gàiwǎn covered bowl, for steeping tea
公道杯 gōngdào bēi equity cup, for serving tea
茶杯 chábēi teacup, for tasting/drinking tea

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