New Old Tea

Bill Waddington, proprietor of the TeaSource (www.teasource.com) shops in St. Paul, Minnesota, says that teas with a long tradition in their country of origin but never before seen in the West are among his favorite discoveries. When he recently stopped by the studio, he brought two of his latest finds for Lynne to sample, both from China and both available in a very limited quantity. Sip these as you would a fine Cognac.

• Wild Mountain Dragonwell: This green tea that brews into a pale gold liquid has a fresh, sweet, lingering flavor. Lynne says its aroma is of toasted barley and the ocean. The tea is hand-made from wild tea trees grown in the West Lake region about 200 miles southwest of Shanghai. A gold prize winner at the Shanghai Tea House Best Teas Competition.



• Longevity Oolong: A unique tea from the Wuyi Mountains of China's Fujian province that's never been available in the United States. The interesting thing about this tea is that, after processing, the leaf is baked to give a slight toastiness. After storing and ageing for a year, the leaves are baked again, and stored for another year, up to five years. The resulting coal-black leaves make a brew that's toasty, musky, fruity, almost tobacco-like, yet sweet.