Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Words , words , words




Words are fantastic!

They can be persuasive, poetic, descriptive ... beautiful and also on the other side of the coin they can be deceptive and nebulous...
For example take the words Single Origin, for some it is now becoming a generic term meaning "quality" when the truth is far from that.
Single origin can be a great thing in tea production, it can assure a quality product but it is far from the end all, we must consider where that origin is... is it a known plantation in India that has been producing quality leaf, or is it a new plantation in Brooklyn!
Now don't get me wrong I am a great lover of Brooklyn and I will have no bad words said about her!
However... Brooklyn as diverse as it is has never been known for producing great teas... so there's the thing... a tea can come from a place well known for tea, claim single origin and still taste like a bit of Brooklyn.
So don't give too much weight to the words the next time you try a new tea ... trust your nose & taste buds they won't lead you astray!