I usually take any chance I get to learn more about tea, so when Ten Ren's Tea began offering a tea class, I immediately signed up. Even though I got my tea sommelier certification from George Brown College, I don't mind hearing information again and sometimes there may be small pieces of info that might be new. Tea is also a very vast topic and even brewing methods can be different. Offered in English and in Mandarin/Cantonese, I took the English class.
What you'll get...
- basic introduction to tea production and brewing
- some info on the company and products
- Gong fu cha presentation
- chance to brew your own tea gong fu style
Who this is for...
- Interest in tea but you have very little knowledge
- Interest in trying to brew tea gong fu style
Not for you...
- If you have advanced/expert knowledge on tea (unless you're like me and love to soak up any info)
Cost: FREE
If you're interested in a little more detail...
We got to sample Jin Xuan oolong or what some call "milky" oolong and it was smooth and quite nice. This tea naturally has a subtle "milky" flavour and fragrance to it but contains no milk additives. The "milky" flavour is a natural characteristic for this cultivar but I believe the environmental conditions aid in whether it is stronger one year versus the next. I've heard that there must be a temperature drop during the growing period before it is picked to ensure this characteristic is there. Often, high mountain oolong gets this temperature drop. But, I've also read that it has to do with the processing as well but this is an area I'm not too sure about the details. (Be aware that there are milky oolong teas that have been processed with milk essence or additives to give the tea a strong milk fragrance and they are not the same.)
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| Tea master brewing tea |
We got to brew two types of tea. Both were okay, not extraordinary but one was a bit nostalgic for me. We weren't told what kind of oolong tea at first but upon first taste I noticed something familiar about it. I couldn't pinpoint it...something about the flavour? Mouthfeel? When I was told it was Dong Ding oolong I immediately went "ahhh" (in my head of course).
Dong Ding Oolong tea is actually one of the first oolong teas I started drinking. When the Ten Ren's Tea on Highway 7 first opened, I had ordered a pot of Dong Ding Oolong tea. Not knowing much about tea at the time I still experienced something different, a type of "cooling" sensation after I drank the tea and then a slight sweetness. Not like menthol cooling but a very natural feeling and it was subtle but I was intrigued and loved it. But, on a subsequent visit I ordered the tea again and unfortunately didn't really get the same feeling. I remember that year Ten Ren's carried 2 grades of Dong Ding; one was approximately $20 for a cannister and the other >$100 so I purchased the lower grade because I just couldn't bring myself to buy the higher grade. It wasn't the same but still was okay. In some ways, I think that first experience was the higher grade tea and was served in error. Now I always wonder...was it the grade of tea, the temperature of the water, or just my imagination...
Anyway, back to the class. I think I enjoyed the class because I got to just relax and think only about tea and tea brewing. Sometimes brewing tea is a very thoughtful process and drinking tea can take you to a very calming place and I miss that aspect during my regular day of chores and responsibilities. Definitely a good 2 hours in my opinion.
Aside from the presentation and drinking tea, we also got some tea treats which were quite nice.
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| L: Green tea tea cookies, Middle: Candied Guava with Green Tea, R: Sun Moon Lake Black Tea with Walnut |
All were actually better than I expected for different reasons. The tea cookie had green tea flavour but also the hint of seaweed gave it a twist. The cookie also had the taste of "HK style waffle". The candied guava didn't have much tea flavour, but what I liked about it was the softness of the dried fruit and it wasn't overly sweet. You'll also notice they have bits of green tea in the package. The sun moon lake walnut candy was soft and chewy with some tea flavour, not too sweet and the walnut was a good accompaniment.
Overall, a nice experience (thanks Ten Ren's)! Definitely renewed my interest in the brand. And, I got to ask why the tea drinks at the flagship location on Highway 7 were not offered at the other locations. The response: it was a new concept at the time to have tea centred food and drinks made with fresh fruits and increased tea flavour. Now they are slowly going to roll it out to other locations. My response, yay!!
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