Mystery Teas - need a detective
Hi all
Just returned to UK and looking at some puerh cakes I bought in a previous decade.
I’d be grateful for any advice identifying what I’ve got – Here we go…..
First one is a 357 gram Meng Hai Yu onn N the back it says the/t22111-2008 and it’s dated 2015.04.05.
Number two is chafong tea factory 250 gram 2007 on the front and on the back 2012.
bought one from tea makers of London and one in Zango Chinatown outside Luanda Angola in 2018 (not sure if that makes it more likely to be real or fake)
I have another250 gram add dated on n back 2016 and 3 from EOT
2000 green peacock
2007 qui sheng gu
2000 Kai yuan green stamp
I’d be more than happy to share sips with any Pu’eads in my area. Here until July and looking forward to a steep
Oops forgot to ask – how can I post pics of these in my posts
Here’s another mystery for you – Earl Grey is it really flavoured by bergamot oil?
Whilst I was in Zango chinatown buying the mentioned above I picked up two bags of what I thought were green peppercorns (I always stock on these when overseas as I can’t find them anywhere in UK)
I was wrong They were unripe (green) Sichuan peppercorns and they have a couple of unusual properties I found when I sampled one on the ride back to Luanda.
Firstly they make your lips numb which lasts for about an hour and a half. They also smell exactly, I mean exactly, like bergamot.
Is it possible, do you think, the original Earl Grey was a tea stored near this type of peppercorns?
Do anyone here know anything about the origin of Earl Grey?
Sadly, there is no way to share pictures directly here. Simple sharing website is for example ImgBB :)
Also, I am not UK member sadly. But probably I live closer to you than most of us here. One past member of Steepster, Izzy, is having their own blog. Maybe you could contact her? https://www.immortalwordsmith.co.uk/
Many EGs are indeed flavoured by bergamot oil, but they usually vary in quality. I never experienced that unripe green Sichuan peppercorns, so I can’t say they are like that. Also, I think they rather mixed it with actual bergamot fruits instead of oils; than with those peppercorns. I assume (just assume!), it is more Ceylon thing; as Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was British colony. But to be honest, I did no research regarding this, and I think it’s mostly about the tales and stories which may be true.
Many Thanks Martin I didn’t know Earl Grey used Ceylon tea as a base. In that case it probably was bergamot.
You might try some of the folks over in Liquid Proust’s discord — I know mrmopar, for one, is more active there these days, and he is quite knowledgeable re:identifying cakes.
Here is an invite link: https://discord.gg/KSKxqFeB
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