Do Pekoe Buds Really Make Black Tea Taste Better?
Recently I have been considering whether pekoe buds make black tea taste better. To the best of my knowledge the black teas that are graded the highest have a high content of pekoe buds. Pekoe buds are those golden leaves you see blended amongst the assortment of black leaves in black tea. In early spring when young buds are sprouting, they have white fuzz that grows on the leaf before it is fully matured. When black tea is made this fuzz turns golden in the oxidation process. These spring buds are considered to be the best tasting, highest quality tea and teas that have an abundance of buds fetch higher prices than those with less. This idea seems to be a western creation. The Chinese do not drink such tea. The black tea that is drunk in china does not have these buds and is called red tea because of the color of its brew. Now this may seem crazy, but I get the feeling that the Chinese know way more about tea than any of us.
The best black tea I have ever had was void of pekoe buds, because the cultivar that this tea was made from does not produce pekoe buds. On the other hand, one of the foulest tasting black teas I have ever had was only pekoe buds. These teas were Hong Yu, and Yunnan Gold. Both were extremely fresh and expensive. The reason why the Yunnan gold tasted so bad is because it tasted like blue cheese. In another word, it tasted like ferment. The Hong Yu on the other hand was clean and fresh with a whole list of tasting notes.
My theory is this: Pekoe buds, while being oxidized with the other leaves, over ferment creating, off flavors. The hairs on the pekoe buds are oxidizing and actually fermenting at a much faster rate than the leaf itself. The flavors present in these teas are similar to pu-ehr and not pleasant. If I wanted to taste cheese then I would go to a cheese shop. If you do not taste cheese in Yunnan, there could be many reasons. First off, as the tea ages it gets stale and loses its character, in this case it is actually a good thing. Secondly, the amount of pekoe buds varies from tea to tea. The one I am referring to is all buds. The reason I think that pekoe buds are preferred by westerners is because most teas are not drunk fresh and most black teas get milk added. The golden hairs on the buds go stale very fast, making all tea made with buds difficult to keep fresh. The hairs are small and fluffy and are exposed to oxygen much easier than tea leaves without hairs.
The best black tea I have ever had was void of pekoe buds, because the cultivar that this tea was made from does not produce pekoe buds. On the other hand, one of the foulest tasting black teas I have ever had was only pekoe buds. These teas were Hong Yu, and Yunnan Gold. Both were extremely fresh and expensive. The reason why the Yunnan gold tasted so bad is because it tasted like blue cheese. In another word, it tasted like ferment. The Hong Yu on the other hand was clean and fresh with a whole list of tasting notes.
My theory is this: Pekoe buds, while being oxidized with the other leaves, over ferment creating, off flavors. The hairs on the pekoe buds are oxidizing and actually fermenting at a much faster rate than the leaf itself. The flavors present in these teas are similar to pu-ehr and not pleasant. If I wanted to taste cheese then I would go to a cheese shop. If you do not taste cheese in Yunnan, there could be many reasons. First off, as the tea ages it gets stale and loses its character, in this case it is actually a good thing. Secondly, the amount of pekoe buds varies from tea to tea. The one I am referring to is all buds. The reason I think that pekoe buds are preferred by westerners is because most teas are not drunk fresh and most black teas get milk added. The golden hairs on the buds go stale very fast, making all tea made with buds difficult to keep fresh. The hairs are small and fluffy and are exposed to oxygen much easier than tea leaves without hairs.
Another interesting observation is the coloration in the tea. There are some buds that are a darker color gold and some that have a dusty yellowish white look. This shows the unevenness of the oxidation process.
I was so thrown back by the flavor of this Yunnan gold that it has me wondering about all the teas made this way. Now that I noticed the flavor of those buds, I can taste it in any Yunnan that has golden buds. The less pekoe buds the less cheese-like flavor I get in the cup. I am scouting out some golden teas to taste, especially from other places besides Yunnan, so that I can do some more thorough research about this. I will post the results as I find them
-Silas
Labels: Black Tea, Hong Yu, Pekoe Buds, Yunnan