Feb 27
A number of papers today are picking up the story of the newest craze to hit the Asian tea market: tea coins.
Developed in India by the Singpho tribal people of Assam, and marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to tea bags, these tea "coins" are generally made of tightly-pressed green and oolong blends. As best I can tell, these aren't like the tea "discs" we've seen before - most notably perhaps the "TNT" line from Art of Tea. Whereas those discs would slowly break apart into loose-leaf goodness, these "coins" appear to remain intact despite repeated steepings (depending on who you ask, as few as four good cups per coin, or as many as twenty).
Has anyone tried these? Supposedly they're quite popular in South Asia at the moment, and word is spreading on a soon-to-be European market release. I'm not sure I can see how simply dipping a coin into hot water could produce a satisfying cup, what with the low leaf-to-water surface area ratios... but then again, if they're marketing it as an alternative to low-grade teabags, they're not exactly facing stiff competition in the flavor and quality department.
Addendum: Hmm, different sources are describing these in different ways - some say the coins "dissolve" into water, others seem to suggest that they stay intact, and others that they break up into loose tea. Which is it, or are they talking about different things? The latter would seem to make the best tea, but it would hardly be a convenient enough alternative to replace teabags.
Developed in India by the Singpho tribal people of Assam, and marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to tea bags, these tea "coins" are generally made of tightly-pressed green and oolong blends. As best I can tell, these aren't like the tea "discs" we've seen before - most notably perhaps the "TNT" line from Art of Tea. Whereas those discs would slowly break apart into loose-leaf goodness, these "coins" appear to remain intact despite repeated steepings (depending on who you ask, as few as four good cups per coin, or as many as twenty).
Has anyone tried these? Supposedly they're quite popular in South Asia at the moment, and word is spreading on a soon-to-be European market release. I'm not sure I can see how simply dipping a coin into hot water could produce a satisfying cup, what with the low leaf-to-water surface area ratios... but then again, if they're marketing it as an alternative to low-grade teabags, they're not exactly facing stiff competition in the flavor and quality department.
Addendum: Hmm, different sources are describing these in different ways - some say the coins "dissolve" into water, others seem to suggest that they stay intact, and others that they break up into loose tea. Which is it, or are they talking about different things? The latter would seem to make the best tea, but it would hardly be a convenient enough alternative to replace teabags.
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February 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
This is going to sound incredibly geeky, but those remind me of “dessicated Quark” disks from Deep Space Nine.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 pm
[...] I know the economy’s bad, but… tea coins? » Tea Reviews [...]
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 pm
[...] I know the economy’s bad, but… tea coins? » Tea Reviews [...]
March 7th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Where can I order some of these Tea Coins, or who is manufacturing them is there an email address I could contact them one please.
Thanks
Ben