Tea tasting in Berlin and Potsdam

We just came back from an intensive weekend in Berlin, where we organized two tea tasting events.

The first one at Si-scuola italiana, Deutsch-italienisches Kulturzentrum in Prenzlauer Berg, is a success! Friday night, cold but not freezing as we were expecting, still the ideal condition to be warmed up with some good tea! Many people join our event, the room is packed with tea enthusiasts from allover Europe, adoptive citizens of this cosmopolitan city. We welcome our guests with a green tea, Jin Shan Shi Yu, followed by another one from the same category, Lu'an gua pian, to compare the different taste: more vegetal the first, full and brisk the second one. Our journey into the world of Chinese tea continues with a mineral and roasted Oolong, Shui Xian, and a floral and smoky black tea, Yi Ji Qi Hong Xiang Luo. We end the evening enjoying Bai Mu Dan, an intense white tea. The last guests leave at 11:30 pm, time for us to pack everything, have a nice sleep and prepare for the event of the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday afternoon we drive to the elegant city of Potsdam. Our tea tasting event is hosted by FrauRaum, a cozy cultural space in the city center. Today's audience is more limited then in Berlin but still very curious and interested in Chinese tea. We taste more or less the same teas as the the day before; in addition we explain a bit about Chinese porcelains from Jingdezhen and our recent journey in this city.

 

 

 

At the end of these two days we can say that the most appreciated tea, according to our German customers, is the Yi Ji Qi Hong Xiang Luo, a high grade Qimen Hong Cha. This tea is known in the Western world as Keemun, and its success confirms that it is one of the most famous Chinese black tea outside China, maybe second only to Lapsang Souchong (Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong in Mandarine). Rich and floral, clearly smoky and with leather and cocoa notes easily detectable even by those who drink Chinese tea for the first time.

Written by Michela