It doesn't matter if you're a tea novice or expert, this thread is for everyone that likes tea in one way or another.
Almost any refined drink has been discussed here already, so I wonder why not one about tea. There are literaly thousands (China alone has over 20.000 subtypes) of different teas you can try and find around the world during your travel, in your local city store dedicated to selling the better chocolate/coffee/tea or your eBay shopping. Common places to find them growing are India, Japan, China, East Africa and Russia. Tea originates from Asia (where the plant grows naturally). The scientific name of the tea leaf is camellia sinensis. In China and Japan they are highly appreciated for all its healthy benefits and are an important cultural element during ceremonies. It's just one of those great things we import from them, and have found it's use for throughout the ages.
Now you have the normal shop tea (in tea bags), which is usually processed alot and bombarded with flavors. And there are the loose and full leaf teas which are more expensive but generally healthier and more tasteful (people described this as a less watery taste (better infusion and more earthy/natural). People that have enjoyed tea for longer periods usually go for the full or loose leaf tea.
Types from left to right (White, Green, Oolong (not displayed), Black, Pu erh). From left to right is also light to strong flavor (although there are some exceptions). All these leaves came from the camellia sinensis plant.
A) Types of tea
A.1) Pu er / Pu erh Much like good wine, this type of tea can (if all the quality variables are right) be aged to get a better tea. This tea is interesting for those that are looking for something beyond the usual tea flavor that stays identical and perhaps one-sided. Trying various Pu erh develops the senses of taste buds.
It's compressed into shapes (e.g., birds nest, cake and brick) to ferment over longer periods or sold as loose leaf to brew directly. Pu erh (wild/uncooked) is famous for having a complex earthy taste and being used throughout Chinese history. Pu erh changes it's complexion (taste) each 5 years when left to ferment in humid places for longer periods. It's however uncertain how a tea will develop exactly. Some develop a smoky undertone, sweetness or complex aftertaste. Older pu erh is recognizable because it has lost most of it's strong smell. Compressed Pu erh formed in birds nest shapes (aka Tuo Cha) generally are one or more grades below the cake type of Pu erh.
Some commercial Pu erh (cooked) will taste very much like ammonia or fresh fish. Pu erh is often times sold as a healthy drink which promotes weight loss. However, this is not always the case because commercial cooked Pu erh is usually of low quality (exposed to a lot of sunlight and having a speeded up fermentation process to resemble more expensive and better tasting Pu erh).
On December 27 2012 13:09 Thereisnosaurus wrote: Just want to put in a holler for Puerh for those semi-pro tea drinkers who are looking to go from specialist mainstream suppliers like teavana or T2 to something more refined. Puerh is the red wine of teas in that it is often aged creating a cultural tradition similar to wine or scotch aging. There are several types of the tea, some Puerh is flash-oxidised in the same way as black tea before being aged, but the more sought after Puerh is compressed into bricks of green tea and slowly aged until after 6-10 years it has oxidised to a black tea slowly (though it's still technically a green tea). There are thus a whole variety of kinds from young greenish Puerh to ancient rich dark puerh like is showcased in the OP, meaning you can really go wild finding your niche.
All Puerh's I've tasted have a warm, earthy tone compared to the sharp, grassy flavour of japanese greens or rich, toasted flavour of normal black tea, though depending on the origin and age they can have notes of both.
Puerh is a fantastic social tea since the tea-bricks cause the tea to express itself slowly over several pots. The first pot of water is traditionally discarded, simply being used to wet and separate the leaves, after that you can get anything up to six or so pots out of a single set of leaves, with the tea being richest around the second or third pot. This means you can share a pot around a table for quite a long time. It's probably the reason tea drinking ended up as a social thing in the first place, it's pretty hard to drink through the full worth of a bit of Puerh brick by yourself XD.
It's important if you're going to try Puerh to go balls deep and invest in the good stuff, since as mentioned by the OP commercial Puerh is often kind of meh. Like wine, good Puerh is generally produced by small factories and hand-aged. Such Puerh is generally sold in a circular puck of around 300-400 grams that will make a truly ridiculous amount of tea since for single consumption you need about a third the weight of tea than is in a commercial teabag. You can also get samplers (small pucks) from some places that weigh about 20 grams and make about four pots (about 80 chinese style cups). You may need a letter opener or oyster shucker to dig tea out of the cake. A full sized premium puerh cake will set you back anywhere between $40-300. (I've had puerh that costs $40 a pot before, from a cake that was worth upwards of a thousand dollars)
You can also get lower grade teas in brick or loose leaf form, but custom dictates that these are mostly composed of stem and second-grade leaf, while the best leaves go into the teacakes.
Finally you can get Chagao, which is tea that has been brewed, then reduced into a concentrated tablet of solid essence. It is rebrewed by placing in a tea strainer over a pot and slowly pouring boiling water over it. Again this kind of puerh is comprised of offcuts and lower grade leaf, but it has its own charms.
Make sure when you prepare a pot to be careful how you do it. Don't let the puerh brew for long- fill the pot with water, swill it around for a few seconds (very quick at first and then lengthening by the 4th-6th pot) and then pour the tea into a decanter, leaving the leaves in the pot- make sure you drain all the water, don't leave a little lake at the bottom. Repeat until the tea becomes watery. The best flavour comes from the second or third brew as mentioned, since the leaves have by then fully rehydrated and any impurities have been washed off in the first brew.
For quick reference: -Maocha is loose leaf green puerh, the cheapest and most astringent -Aged, pressed green puerh is the highest quality puerh since it responds best to aging and can be aged for well over a decade. -'Ripened' puerh refers to puerh that has been artificially aged quicker through flash oxidation. It still ages well, but is heavier than green puerh and cannot be aged as long without beginning to deteriorate. -Tuocha is a form of highly compressed Puerh in a small bowl shape. You kind of need a jackhammer to get any tea off the cake, so probably not great for noobs. I'm not sure whether the compression style has any unique flavours that go with it. -Don't make the mistake of getting a good quality young raw cake to try, since the qualities that make the best premium aged teas make those same teas often very bitter and astringent when young. - Make sure you store the tea you buy well, away from things that might alter the flavour over time like spices or chemicals. A single cake of good quality puerh can last you several years if you drink it only now and then for social or special occasions.
A.2) Black tea Now you can go pretty wild with this. There are many flavors added to it, masking the original somewhat one-sided flavor of black tea. Now, most unflavored black teas taste quite bold and have a fairly high amount of caffeine. However, this is not always the case, there are some lighter teas such as first flush Ambootia darjeeling (one of the first leaf pickings). These kind of delicate black teas also cost more than your average black tea. And of course the more usual and immensely popular:
Earl grey
Assam
English breakfast
Ceylon
Many of you have probably already tried these. Not to mention the different types of chai tea from India, which is very common nowadays around the world. It has a very spicy flavor for those that want a strong cup of tea exploding with spices. Another popular tea is the Lapsang Souchong which is a fine grade of China black tea with a distinctive smoky flavor (many say: a campfire almost charcoal taste you either love or hate). Hints of bacon aroma can be found in this type of tea.
A black tea that you can brew many times, which develops in taste is called the Bai Lin Gong Fu. This tea has a strong body with a hint of caramel. It's particularly famous in China for use during the Gong Fu Cha ceremony. The ceremony is interesting for those that want to maximize their taste experience during higher grade tea brewing. Almost any High grade tea changes after multiple brews and can be used during this ceremony to fully experience its changing charateristics.
There is no question that black tea is healthy, recent studies have merely scratched the surface of how black tea helps protect you against cardiovascular disease and cancer. To this date I have not been able to find any negative effects caused by black tea (when drinking sensible amounts). A few studies (beginning of 2012) even indicate that black tea could be as healthy as green tea.
A.3) Oolong Chinese and Taiwanese Oolong are really special types of tea (this type of tea is considered between green and black tea), depending on the flavor (aroma ranging from green and floral to dark and roasted with many notes in between) which can vary a lot. If you're looking for a nice Oolong tea, I would start looking the ones grown in Taiwan. For example, the popular and premium Formosa Tung Ting Oolong / Dong Ding Oolong, Alishan and Ti Kuan Yin have a warm, sweet (like caramel or honey) and subtle floral flavor and great almost roasted fragrance. Ideally a tea for those that are looking for something beyond the black tea but still favor a stronger flavor. If you're looking for a more subtle less strong tea you can also try the Pouchong Oolong, which has the lightest flavor of them all.
Taiwan and China have a rich history of Oolongs. Most types are grown in forest rich sections near high mountains and deep water streams which contribute to the development of a very rich, healthy and nutritional tea. Oolong teas also undergo a special process which involves curling and twisting, giving them a unique appearance and freshness. This is also why many types of Oolong have a very strong scent.
A.4) Green tea Going for the refined taste - not everyone likes green tea's - but ones that do (like me) might enjoy a good relaxing:
Japanese Matcha (takes skill and some specific utensils to prepare, you actually drink the leaves that are ground up, very healthy but also quite expensive. Used a lot in the Japanese Matcha ceremony, which consists of many excercises to brew the best Matcha tea, find the highest appreciation and become a respected host).
Japanese Gyokuro (a fine hint of spinach almost, sweet, creamy/milk flavor, very exclusive tea, highly expensive)
Chinese Dragonwell/Longjing (delicate and sweet with chestnut hint, known to be China's finest tea! Make sure to always buy this year's spring harvest, because there's a lot of low grade which taste very different)
On the other side there are the more simple to brew and usually cheaper:
Japanese Sencha (more standard green tea, many qualities (a lot of which low quality) and thus flavors)
Chinese Bancha (lowest grade tea because it's picked latest in the seasons - robust flavor, little caffeine, perfect for children and drinking all day long)
Chinese Sencha (very popular tea, great flavor, the more standard green tea)
Gunpowder (vegetal flavor slight smokiness and smooth mouthfeel)
Yunnan (flavor reminds of herbs, quite strong and a little sweet hint)
Young Hyson (sweet and refreshing taste)
Kukicha (made from stems and twigs, has a mildly creamy and nutty taste)
Genmaicha (usually low grade tea - very hearty green tea with brown rice)
Pi lo Chun/Bi luo chun (similar to Yunnan but less herbal, more flowery and delicate. It has a more vivid refined taste. If you want to get the real deal, it's important to get this one fresh from this year's spring)
Mao Feng (very light with subtle flavor, very close to white tea taste-wise, also known as spring dew)
Hojicha (low on caffeine - very rich, smoky, nutty and earthy flavor)
Luckily green tea contains less caffeine than black tea, usually not enough to keep one up at night. It's not common to add anything to this type of tea, because many are purely going for the taste itself which should not be influenced. Green tea is very delicate and brewing takes special precautions (timers and thermometers). It can easily get too sweet or bitter if its steeped too long or at a too high temperature. Green tea benefits are known to include weight loss, prevent infection (this also works with periodontal bacteria), lower cholesterol, relieve higher stress levels and prevent cancer. It basically boosts your immune function, but more importantly it's not a cure to treat any disease. Many more benefits have been attributed to green tea, but I purely focus on the scientifically proven ones.
If you want to go for the best that green tea anywhere has to offer, definitely go for fresh Mao Feng, Kukicha, Lung ching/Longjing, Bi Luo Chun and Gyokuro. Generally tea experts and makers of the best green tea in the world lists agree with this. If you have tried grocery store green tea (which is usually the lowest grade of gunpowder or sencha you can pretty find much find anywhere), I promise you, this is something entirely different which can not be compared to it.
A.5) White tea I think some might have tried the Pai Mu Tan (aka Bai Mu Dan). White tea is renowned for it's smooth taste. Starters might have a hard time differentiating the subtle tastes of some white teas from actual water. White tea is not nearly as popular as green and black tea. But if you are looking for an easy to drink yet rich in flavor (flowery) tea this is the way to go. This tea underwent the least amount of processing of all teas, but it is not necessarily the healthiest tea because of this. White tea are usually just as healthy as green tea. You can also find white tea combined with very nice fruit and tropical flavors such as pear, lemon, plum, and pomegranate which accentuate the tea amazingly well.
Another great white tea is the Silver Needle; which gives off a sweet very refreshing finish to your water. However, it can hurt your wallet in the long run. Good Silver Needle is considered the Champagne of tea. Because traditionally this white tea was only used by emperors in China. Truely a remarkable tea.
I find that it's very important to use the best water available to brew white tea because tapwater ruins the light but rich flavor.
A.6) Red tea Red tea usually refers to rooibos (one particular kind of tisane) contains no caffeine and is grown in South Africa Cape Town. The word rooibos is translated as "red bush". This healthy drink is perfect for treating some discomforts (such as allergic rhinitis, other allergies and stomachpain) and can easily be drunk before sleeping. It could be described as having a sweet and nutty taste.
Red tea can also refer to black teas that have a red finish.
A.7) Yellow tea Yellow tea refers to a small group of very rare green teas, but without the grassy taste of green tea. The art of making yellow tea is slowly vanishing. While already, it is very hard to find yellow tea available commercially. Some yellow teas to look for are Jun Shan Yin Zhen and Mo Gan Huang Ya.
A.8) Herbal tea (tisane) Celestial seasonings has a wide variety of herbal teas which you can find here:
Most of them are functional (invoke sleep, calm or health benifits). I especially like the Detox AM variant, it tastes so well it should be forbidden (imagine a creamy vanilla with roasted chicory and licorice flavor) :D I've had at least 3 people try it, and they were basically sold after that. Another nice thing about these types is that they don't contain caffeine.
Some other types of popular tisane include Verveine (very unique and a bit sour taste resembling chamomille a bit), spearmint, chamomille and Yerba Mate (very intensive and a little grassy, earthy almost similar to green tea but stronger).
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Tea pick by 'peacenl-i'm-not-a-doctor' for common problems
I'm not a doctor, I did however quote a lot of scientific journal entries, so if you want any sources just ask me.
Cold, fever - Rooibos (vitamin C, good for getting some sleep too), full leaf green tea, the darker green; the better (vitamin C. EGCG and ECG are strong inhibitors of the influenza virus). Forget ginger, honey or lemon: you need to drink loads of these for it to have effect, you can use them to ease the symptoms though.
Stress and anxiety - Matcha is the number one beta wave reducing tea, excellent for meditation and creativity. Stops complex thinking patterns and when used around two times a day, doesn't inhibit sleep function. It beats any so called anti-stress tea with Valerian root or ginseng hands down, add to that that it doesn't make your body feel tired.
Overweight - Matcha has been found to increase your thermogenesis rate (rate for burning calories) up to 40% while normally 10% of your daily energy expenditure. During exercise this increases burning rate up to 25% of your body fat. Remember these two things stack onto each other, burns calories + burns fat at the same time.
- Heating tea leaves and throwing away the first brew quickly lowers the caffeine content for the second brew. - Black tea comes from a different plant than the green or oolong tea. - Green tea contains tannic acid - Green tea should be prepared like any regular black tea - Herbal tea contains tea leaves (camellia sinensis)
B) Tea tips
B.1) What to look for in high grade tea
A quality indicator is how neatly the leaves rolled up, flattened or twisted (e.g., needle or ball shaped) (this preserves the quality and unfurls when brewing the tea) instead of machine crushed tea, which oxidise very fast because air can easily get to all the parts of the leaf. Packaging that is air tight and doesn't let any sunlight shine through is also an indicator that the tea is looked after and as a result of higher quality. Tea that shines in the light because of it's natural oily layer is definitely an indicator of high quality tea.
If you realy want to look for the finest tea out there, you will immediately learn that it depends on the actual location something is grown, the time of year is it extracted, the amount of sunlight and the fermentation methods. These influence the taste a lot (you perhaps would not expect this). Another thing to look for is the history of that particular tea, different grades indicate how well the preparation is done (for example imperial high grade tea or tea plucked from the sun rich mountainside usually is more expensive but also higher quality, having a better taste and being able reuse it for multiple brews without losing flavor). Also having a tea which is harvested by hand without small branches (or just the buds) create a more vivid tasting experience, but also a significantly higher cost.
B.2) Storing and preperation
- Keep tea seperated from eachother in a dark and air tight place to maintain their flavor and health benefits. - Only reuse high grade tea for another brew to get the full flavor. - Try some additional flavorings such as mint leaf, jasmine or honey. - Do not add milk to tea, it has been found by a German study that it counteracts the healthy antioxidants. source of the paper - Instead of adding sugar to tea, which as we all know is bad for you, try agave nectar or maple syrup as a more healthy replacement.
B.3) Where can I buy the finest tea?
Do not expect the best quality tea from Japan or China in a store in the EU or US, it's a known fact that whatever tea is shipped to other countries is usually of less quality. The best stuff is kept at home and is not at our disposal, unless you manage to find someone who is well connected to suppliers.
B.5) If you are new and want to explore the different kinds
I would say start with the cheaper sampling boxes (for example a few sets of many different teas from your local tea store or maybe eBay), these usually provide a good introduction to the types of flavors that are out there. Try to skip the flavored teas at first, because how these taste is very brand related. Go for the original tea flavor and then determine which ones you like the most. From there you can always check which added flavors there are that go with well your favorite basic tea.
Once you've found the ones you like, you may start to try out the different grades of quality. This is usually where the local tea stores can not provide any more, and you might have to look on the internet. Of course you might already be satisfied with your findings and can also stop at this point.
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So tell me which kind of teas you like, I would love to know if there's something I need to try :-). Or how you prepare them, because I know you can get rather crazy with the Chinese/Japanese ceremonial teas and all the different ways or preparation with bowls and filters.
Poll: I drink tea about
2-4 times day (200)
31%
a few days in the week (115)
18%
once a day (102)
16%
over 5 times a day (90)
14%
a few times a year (41)
6%
never?!??! (38)
6%
once a week (31)
5%
once a month (29)
4%
646 total votes
Your vote: I drink tea about
(Vote): over 5 times a day (Vote): 2-4 times day (Vote): once a day (Vote): a few days in the week (Vote): once a week (Vote): once a month (Vote): a few times a year (Vote): never?!??!
Poll: I mainly drink this type of tea
Black tea (earl gray, english breakfast etc) (228)
45%
Green tea (162)
32%
Herbal tea (red/rooibos etc) (54)
11%
Oolong tea (25)
5%
White tea (16)
3%
Flavored black tea (13)
3%
Pu-erh tea (10)
2%
508 total votes
Your vote: I mainly drink this type of tea
(Vote): Herbal tea (red/rooibos etc) (Vote): White tea (Vote): Black tea (earl gray, english breakfast etc) (Vote): Flavored black tea (Vote): Green tea (Vote): Oolong tea (Vote): Pu-erh tea
On May 25 2012 03:53 bailando wrote: damn good idead. i could use a tea my throat is killing me. i think i get sick.
any suggestions for tea against illnes?
Yes, you can buy teas with ginger, camomile, lemon juice or honey or just add your own lemon juice because it's known to ease colds and sickness. Go for green or white if you want to boost your immune system, I havent had a serious cold since I can remember have always been drinking 3/4 cups of quality green tea a day.
Wow! This is some exclusive and high quality stuff. If you have the cash for it, this is exactly where i would buy. I have tried a lot of Twinings teas (for example the more standard ones like earl gray, black lemon etc) but none of them realy caught my attention. Twinings does have one that stuck with me for a while thanks to its amazingly smooth and natural flavor, which was the 'Prince of wales' one.
If youre looking for a more refined flavor (not something ordinary) I would definitely advise Celestial Seasonings, you know that they care for their product when you see their factories and work put into the boxes.
For anyone getting into tea, buying a filter for your tap is almost essential. Unfiltered water really kills the tastes of delicate teas like white or green. Sometimes you won't notice with black but it depends on the type.
Tea might look expensive but compared to coffee prices it's much cheaper. Atleast that's my experience, and I sometimes drink a few liters of green tea a day. Green tea really diminishes your appetite and really does wonders to your energy levels. Drinking it actually feels healthy.
I like Japanese Sencha as my day to day choice, any green tea with lemon if I'm going stingy or just don't have the choice. As a poor student I haven't really tried all those special mixes or expensive varieties. But yeah, I don't like stuff more bitter than Sencha, I guess that's why it's so common.
On May 25 2012 04:24 Seiferz wrote: For anyone getting into tea, buying a filter for your tap is almost essential. Unfiltered water really kills the tastes of delicate teas like white or green. Sometimes you won't notice with black but it depends on the type.
I can imagine, luckily I have my own well with the cleanest water on the planet so I don't need a filter.
On May 25 2012 04:24 Seiferz wrote: For anyone getting into tea, buying a filter for your tap is almost essential. Unfiltered water really kills the tastes of delicate teas like white or green. Sometimes you won't notice with black but it depends on the type.
I resort to using bottled water from the store, but this seems like a better choice, money wise. And the water is realy bad here, I have to decalcinate water handling equipment almost every few weeks. And you're absolutely right it tones down the flavor a few notches, sometimes even masking it.
Indian style chai is good too. Just boil water in a pot and put in an orange pekoe tea bag. You can then add cardamom, cloves, milk, and sugar. Delicious stuff.
I honestly wish tea would just replace all the coffee and alcoholic beverages around the world. Well, maybe barring the more finer wines and champagnes.
On May 25 2012 04:28 HwangjaeTerran wrote: Tea might look expensive but compared to coffee prices it's much cheaper. Atleast that's my experience, and I sometimes drink a few liters of green tea a day. Green tea really diminishes your appetite and really does wonders to your energy levels. Drinking it actually feels healthy.
I like Japanese Sencha as my day to day choice, any green tea with lemon if I'm going stingy or just don't have the choice. As a poor student I haven't really tried all those special mixes or expensive varieties. But yeah, I don't like stuff more bitter than Sencha, I guess that's why it's so common.
On May 25 2012 04:24 Seiferz wrote: For anyone getting into tea, buying a filter for your tap is almost essential. Unfiltered water really kills the tastes of delicate teas like white or green. Sometimes you won't notice with black but it depends on the type.
I can imagine, luckily I have my own well with the cleanest water on the planet so I don't need a filter.
I just checked out where you live, and I'm positively amazed. Are you sure you are preparing the green tea in the correct way? I've lost track of counting people talking about biterness of green tea, but not using the right temperature and steeping time. It's very difficult to do it exactly right, but rewarding in the end :-)
I've made the switch from drinking coffee to tea over the last several months due to the influence of my Chinese wife, and I must say the difference is marked. No longer do I feel jumpy and dehydrated. I get just the right amount of caffeine and it feels good to drink large amounts of it.
My 2cents is partial to Twinnings English Breakfast... enjoy gents!
On May 25 2012 04:28 HwangjaeTerran wrote: Tea might look expensive but compared to coffee prices it's much cheaper. Atleast that's my experience, and I sometimes drink a few liters of green tea a day. Green tea really diminishes your appetite and really does wonders to your energy levels. Drinking it actually feels healthy.
I like Japanese Sencha as my day to day choice, any green tea with lemon if I'm going stingy or just don't have the choice. As a poor student I haven't really tried all those special mixes or expensive varieties. But yeah, I don't like stuff more bitter than Sencha, I guess that's why it's so common.
On May 25 2012 04:24 Seiferz wrote: For anyone getting into tea, buying a filter for your tap is almost essential. Unfiltered water really kills the tastes of delicate teas like white or green. Sometimes you won't notice with black but it depends on the type.
I can imagine, luckily I have my own well with the cleanest water on the planet so I don't need a filter.
I just checked out where you live, and I'm positively amazed. Are you sure you are preparing the green tea in the correct way? I've lost track of counting people talking about biterness of green tea, but not using the right temperature and steeping time.
I live in northern Finland, don't trust the wretched TL location bar. As far as I know they are all pedo's on Pitcairn. Yeah I make it correct I think. But because I'm lazy I sometimes like to make a lot of it at once using slightly less leaves and then stick it in thermos. So it will get bitter. Usually with my brand of Sencha only the last cup is undrinkable when done so. The cheaper, more powdery varieties just go terrible.
I know I should be ashamed but you don't get into masters brewing tea after every game
I have been drink tea ever since my teeth have been fixed (from long time of drinking soda). I can recommend a company that imports world tea that is based in the New England area. They are http://www.uptontea.com. They even do taste testing not too far from where I live. I would be wary because they do only loose leaf, but they have lots of written tutorials for noobs. I have purchased some green tea from korea, dunno if green is for me. I have been preferring black teas like English breakfast blend alot.
I love tea too, I once drank an oolong-tea at a restaurant that after drinking left an unbelievable taste in the mouth, like you put a spoon of honey into your mouth, it was so delicious; never found a tea like that, if anyone of you knows one like that, i would really appreciate a link or a name^^ Anyways, my favorite tea is White and Green, but I also like Oolong in general, but I'm not a real fan of black.
On May 25 2012 05:24 Knighthawkbro wrote: I have been drink tea ever since my teeth have been fixed (from long time of drinking soda). I can recommend a company that imports world tea that is based in the New England area. They are http://www.uptontea.com. They even do taste testing not too far from where I live. I would be wary because they do only loose leaf, but they have lots of written tutorials for noobs. I have purchased some green tea from korea, dunno if green is for me. I have been preferring black teas like English breakfast blend alot.
This is basically why everyone can safely switch to tea, instead of soda or fruit juice, almost all of them contain no callories/sugar (unless you add it of course). In my opinion nothing should be added to tea, unless you dislike the flavor. Drinking water all day can become boring, but tea is one of those drinks that has so many different types that you can surely find one you like.
I roll with earl grey almost exclusively. [edit]Twinings Earl Grey in particular[/edit] Although sometimes I will make myself some oolong tea, Im not that experienced in oolong tea though, so I don't have any favorite brands.
I've also heard very good things about matcha tea, and I hope to some day try that.
On May 25 2012 05:24 Knighthawkbro wrote: I have been drink tea ever since my teeth have been fixed (from long time of drinking soda). I can recommend a company that imports world tea that is based in the New England area. They are http://www.uptontea.com. They even do taste testing not too far from where I live. I would be wary because they do only loose leaf, but they have lots of written tutorials for noobs. I have purchased some green tea from korea, dunno if green is for me. I have been preferring black teas like English breakfast blend alot.
This is basically why everyone can safely switch to tea, instead of soda or fruit juice, almost all of them contain no callories/sugar (unless you add it of course). In my opinion nothing should be added to tea, unless you dislike the flavor. Drinking water all day can become boring, but tea is one of those drinks that has so many different types that you can surely find one you like.
One thing I'd like to add though, because I drink a lot of tea (not so much lately, but some time ago, really a lot, like 1-2 liters a day) my teeth used to get these brown spots sometimes from the color of green or black tea. those are really hard to get off with a brush. I don't know if I'm the only one to have this problem, but I find that's the only downside to drinking tea^^
On May 25 2012 04:17 Trozz wrote: During a work day, I drink ~8 litres of tea. Tea's the Gem League prize.
Wait, what? I'm skeptical that figure is correct. But if it is, you should seriously be careful. It's extremely dangerous to drink that much water in a day.
On May 25 2012 04:17 Trozz wrote: During a work day, I drink ~8 litres of tea. Tea's the Gem League prize.
Wait, what? I'm skeptical that figure is correct. But if it is, you should seriously be careful. It's extremely dangerous to drink that much water in a day.
I assumed he was exaggerating, at least I hope so or he should be taking in additional salt. Not to mention the water you receive from foods.
On May 25 2012 04:17 Trozz wrote: During a work day, I drink ~8 litres of tea. Tea's the Gem League prize.
Wait, what? I'm skeptical that figure is correct. But if it is, you should seriously be careful. It's extremely dangerous to drink that much water in a day.
I drink *so* much tea. I've overdosed on it twice. Black tea escaped me.
I have only been drinking for a few years now, and my favorite has to be white tea. I just love the comforting, soft floral taste...it's so delicious. My favorite so far is the Bai Mu Dan from China; not too expensive but still a delicious hand-picked organic/bio certified tea, with a good amount of caffeine too
Wulong and Black teas I love too, but they are so easy to love right? I have to admit I'm still working on green tea, I hear its an aquired taste so I'm still trying many varieties, some I like more than others. It's so..vegetal? You guys probably know what I mean, but I'm at a lost of word. My favorite so far is the Huiming. Maybe someone can recommend one! (Thanks guy above me!)
If you're around Montreal, check out this tea house / store they have such a variety of high quality stuff.
Anyone ever try Yellow tea? Is it worth the price?
On May 25 2012 06:23 Steel wrote: Good idea OP, I love tea!
I have only been drinking for a few years now, and my favorite has to be white tea. I just love the comforting, soft floral taste...it's so delicious. My favorite so far is the Bai Mu Dan from China; not too expensive but still a delicious hand-picked organic/bio certified tea, with a good amount of caffeine too
Wulong and Black teas I love too, but they are so easy to love right? I have to admit I'm still working on green tea, I hear its an aquired taste so I'm still trying many varieties, some I like more than others. It's so..vegetal? You guys probably know what I mean, but I'm at a lost of word. My favorite so far is the Huiming. Maybe someone can recommend one! (Thanks guy above me!)
If you're around Montreal, check out this tea house / store they have such a variety of high quality stuff.
Anyone ever try Yellow tea? Is it worth the price?
I would also like to know what yellow tea is like :D
I drink some white teas (indeed a nice flowery taste), but they seem to have a subtle taste of branches almost, could this be that I'm just not using the right white tea (mine usually contains a lot of small branches). Does Bai Mu Dan (I think its the same as Pai Mu Tan) usually have that?
Maybe you can try Chinese Dragonwell? I would describe it as a very smooth and subtle, sweet, rounded and slightly herbal and nutty flavor. It's not grassy like, for example, gunpowder.
Gotta agree with those that are biggin' up the Yerba Mate and Lapsang Souchong!
Yerba Mate is just delicious (though not from the same plant as the type you're talking about). Difficult to describe the taste.. it's very flavourful however, and doesn't need a lot of care to make a tasty cup from.
Lapsang Souchong takes some getting used to, I have to say that I hated it at first, but had bought myself a whole pack and so forced myself to get through it.. By the end I was loving it, beneath the pungent aroma there's some really lovely flavours! I could be way off here, but the flavour seems to me most like white tea, but with a really strong smoky smell and taste added to it.
I wish it were easier to make a good cup of black tea honestly. Well made, black (red?) tea is by far my favorite drink (no milk of course, the blasphemy of it!) - incredibly delicate flavours and even beautiful to stare into when you're near the bottom of the cup :p The problem is it's so easy to get it wrong, e.g. too hot, too long etc. Which just makes it come out bitter. Of course that's why, in my opinion, people here in England use milk all the time, since it takes that bitter edge off and you don't have to worry about timings and temperature.
On May 25 2012 07:14 kuroshiro wrote: Gotta agree with those that are biggin' up the Yerba Mate and Lapsang Souchong!
Yerba Mate is just delicious (though not from the same plant as the type you're talking about). Difficult to describe the taste.. it's very flavourful however, and doesn't need a lot of care to make a tasty cup from.
Lapsang Souchong takes some getting used to, I have to say that I hated it at first, but had bought myself a whole pack and so forced myself to get through it.. By the end I was loving it, beneath the pungent aroma there's some really lovely flavours! I could be way off here, but the flavour seems to me most like white tea, but with a really strong smoky smell and taste added to it.
I wish it were easier to make a good cup of black tea honestly. Well made, black (red?) tea is by far my favorite drink (no milk of course, the blasphemy of it!) - incredibly delicate flavours and even beautiful to stare into when you're near the bottom of the cup :p The problem is it's so easy to get it wrong, e.g. too hot, too long etc. Which just makes it come out bitter. Of course that's why, in my opinion, people here in England use milk all the time, since it takes that bitter edge off and you don't have to worry about timings and temperature.
I would not question your judgement on tea being from the UK and such. I will see if I can find some sampler with Yerba Mate, this has caught my attention, never heard of it before.
I only drink Mariage Freres. Best tea I've come across.
It's pretty expensive though Some teas will set you back between 50/100 Euro a small bag. And here I thought 20 Euro was a lot, I guess if you realy want the best, get ready to pay it :D. I'm so buying this when I'm rich though: http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/UK/ft golden-dragon-crafted-green-tea-with-gold TV8677.html Just don't leave them out on the table, someone might mistake them for innocent chocoloate sweets.
I always looked at the tea's in stores wondering what the best ones were. I really wanna try a great tea, I'll try some of the ones you listed in the OP.
How did I not know this thread existed?!?! I am probably the biggest tea drinker out of everyone I know. I usually have cupboards filled with various loose leaf teas and some bagged teas for friends that are not as down with the loose leaf. There is a fantastic store in Vancouver called Bayswater Tea Co. where I go for a lot of my tea supplies. If anyone gets a chance to check it out you really should, one of my favorite places with a great selection of many different teas. Try the Symphony if you like a more floral tea!
On May 25 2012 05:03 MDMA_ wrote: Jasmine+Honey! oh so good! Hot OR Cold!
Also, Tieguanyin " 鐵觀音" is def my fav when having dim sum!
Tieguanyin is the shit dude, I love the full and heavy taste of it, really cleans out and refreshes you while eating dim sum XD. too bad not too many restaurants over in the SF bay serve it, they usually serve oolong and other cheapo teas like that .___.
Best tea I've ever had comes from here (directly from China). It's not a brand per se, but it is very good quality. We should probably put a bunch of good sellers in this thread so that people can use them.
Anyway, my favorites of the 40 types or so that I've tried so far are Tie Guan Yin (lighter oolong), Gunpowder (green), Bai Hao Yin Zhen (white), and Jasmine (green not oolong, though oolong is nice too). I am currently drinking a lot more Bai Mu Dan (white) and I'm developing a fondness for it. I would not be a good person to recommend Japanese teas though, I don't tend to like them much (to vegeteal in their taste).
Also, how is Oolong, Yellow, and Pu-Erh not on this list? Not that I'm a big fan o Pu-Erh, but if we're going to have a Tea thread we should at least mention the many many types. Also, TeaSpring is a very good resource as well for learning types and proper brewing methods and storage.
I drink a lot of lipton fruity teas, My favorite is the Strawberry Passionfruit. Not exactly a fine, top shelf tea, (2 dollars for 20 bags) but it tastes good. I also drink a lot of Earl Grey tea. There's a store at the mall near me called Teavana or something like that, which I may check out some time. I bought myself a teapot, teacup and saucer from my local thrift store, I don't know if china enhances the flavor or anything, but it's handy to have around. Reading this thread does get me really pumped to drink more tea =D
I am currently drinking a lot more Bai Mu Dan (white) and I'm developing a fondness for it.
Thanks I recommend this tea to anyone that appreciates a sweet lingering finish tea of which the pleasant flavor stays with you even a few minutes after drinking it. Amazingly refreshing tea too with some fine hints of flower.
On May 25 2012 09:08 Golbat wrote: I drink a lot of lipton fruity teas, My favorite is the Strawberry Passionfruit. Not exactly a fine, top shelf tea, (2 dollars for 20 bags) but it tastes good. I also drink a lot of Earl Grey tea. There's a store at the mall near me called Teavana or something like that, which I may check out some time. I bought myself a teapot, teacup and saucer from my local thrift store, I don't know if china enhances the flavor or anything, but it's handy to have around. Reading this thread does get me really pumped to drink more tea =D
I know a few tea experts that swear by silver tea pots and delicate bone china cups, they can taste the difference and tell if the tea container was built from wood or metal. This goes a bit far, for most of us I guess =) But as far as experience goes, I enjoy pooring in a fine artistic cup with nice drawings, it just creates something special.
I am currently drinking a lot more Bai Mu Dan (white) and I'm developing a fondness for it.
Thanks I recommend this tea to anyone that appreciates a sweet lingering finish tea of which the pleasant flavor stays with you even after a few minutes after drinking it. Amazingly refreshing tea too with some fine hints of flower.
It's so critical though to make sure you're brewing your teas at the right temperatures, otherwise you can easily ruin the flavor and subtlety of some of these teas.
On May 25 2012 09:22 SgtCoDFish wrote: I love earl grey and Twinings Everyday but I really know nothing about tea short of "hot water, teabag, spoon of brown sugar, splash of milk"
But hey, I like it :D
It's almost like we take it for granted, it's just there when we are born, many just accept the limited options grocery stores offer. Why do we explore different wines, beers and strong beverages but not tea. It's such a missed opportunity, with beers, wines you actualy have a limited range of flavors, but with tea you can basically find any flavor you like (whether it be chocolate, mangos, herbs, roots, flowers, wild berries whatever), which should make it even more interesting.
Don't buy expensive tea. One unwritten rule is that the Chinese never export their good tea abroad. Don't bother with the online shops, you won't get what you paid for.
The Chinese scene doesn't recognize brands, only cultivar - kind of like how a sparking wine is champagne if grown in Champagne region of France. Within a single cultivar, you'll get grades that's worth tens of dollars a lb to tens of thousands of dollars a lb. There's no universal standard to judge the grades - it completely relies on the purchaser's experience and understanding. If a merchant sees a fish, they'll 斩你, especially when you don't get to see the product like when you purchase online.
Even the cheap stuff can be quite good. I am drinking $20/lb Golden Buddha/Tai Gui Ying/铁观音 for my pedestrian drink.
Yesterday my stomach pain started to kick in again, I though´t I wouldn´t resist it again. I even thought of committing suicide since my stomach has hurted me severely over the last 10 years.
Tea has made that pain go away ( taking it every day for years now). Unfortunately, I stopped drinking it, and got sick again.
So drink as much tea as you can ( obviously with balance since everything in this life needs to be with moderation). And you will feel much lighter, and with energy
It makes my pain more easy to take. I thank you for this thread since I probably won´t be alive if it weren´t for tea.
I don't go around collecting tea knowledge, unless it pertains to NesTea, but my English half enjoyed this article by Christopher Hitchens immensely. Very much what my Grandfather would make me when I was a kid.
My favorites there are the Regal Rooiboos, the Genmaicha Green, and the Africana Red.
I have a thing for Rooiboos they are so good as iced tea.
I dabbled trying out Teavana, pretty good for someone just getting into tea, if they have a local shop, go into one, the staff are always very knowledgeable.
I always buy some cheap tea bags and mix 2-3 different one's of them together and randomly add honey or citron or other stuff. Almost all combinations are awesome .... random tea for life.
tea is fantastic. Especially for a caster ^.^ there is a guy on twitter called @worldoftea who sent me (and i think moletrap?) some great tea samples. I might order some of the tea's mentioned in this thread. yay for tea drinkers!
On May 25 2012 10:15 Primadog wrote: Don't buy expensive tea. One unwritten rule is that the Chinese never export their good tea abroad. Don't bother with the online shops, you won't get what you paid for.
The Chinese scene doesn't recognize brands, only cultivar - kind of like how a sparking wine is champagne if grown in Champagne region of France. Within a single cultivar, you'll get grades that's worth tens of dollars a lb to tens of thousands of dollars a lb. There's no universal standard to judge the grades - it completely relies on the purchaser's experience and understanding. If a merchant sees a fish, they'll 斩你, especially when you don't get to see the product like when you purchase online.
Even the cheap stuff can be quite good. I am drinking $20/lb Golden Buddha/Tai Gui Ying/铁观音 for my pedestrian drink.
Yep. I always bring back tons of tea to the States every time I go to China. I give it out as gifts.
As for my personal preferences, I love the generic jasmine teas that every Chinese person drinks. That and chrysanthemum tea (not technically a tea). On the darker side, I also enjoy Darjeeling tea and occasionally some Earl Grey. Lapsong Souchongs are great too. Love their campfire nature and the smell that accompanies a good cup!
Oh hell yeah, I bloody love tea. I am from Australia, and if you want to add T2 to the list of sellers, I saw you had UK and Europe, but why not Australia/SEA. Their tea is very good quality, and quite cheap.
I'm a huge japanese green tea enthusiast. www.o-cha.com has a great choice of teas, I can recommend the Kagoshima Yutaka Midori, it's incredibly smooth, lots of umami, but a bit pricy. Damn, I'm gonna make some
I've always preferred coffee myself, but I've stopped drinking coffee in the evenings and stick to tea. It's also much easier to just make a single good cup of tea than it is to make a single good cup of coffee IMO. I'm pretty much stuck with boring teas though, some are quite good, mostly fruit teas I bought at the local coffe/tea shop. There used to be a Chinese shop that sold various items from Chinese culture, including tea that was absolutely amazing. They had to shut down though
Never was a fan of the more regular teas like English Breakfast and Earl Gray, don't think they taste... anything, to be honest. Then again, I am a bit bored with these fruity teas. Anyone got tips for some spicy teas? I'm looking at the teatower.com website, but I'm having a hard time deciding on which I'd like.
On May 25 2012 10:15 Primadog wrote: Don't buy expensive tea. One unwritten rule is that the Chinese never export their good tea abroad. Don't bother with the online shops, you won't get what you paid for.
The Chinese scene doesn't recognize brands, only cultivar - kind of like how a sparking wine is champagne if grown in Champagne region of France. Within a single cultivar, you'll get grades that's worth tens of dollars a lb to tens of thousands of dollars a lb. There's no universal standard to judge the grades - it completely relies on the purchaser's experience and understanding. If a merchant sees a fish, they'll 斩你, especially when you don't get to see the product like when you purchase online.
Even the cheap stuff can be quite good. I am drinking $20/lb Golden Buddha/Tai Gui Ying/铁观音 for my pedestrian drink.
I guess this depends on the shop you were buying, and the standards you personally have. There are shops where famous Chinese brewmasters are willing to put their name on the product, that has to mean something. But yeah, with most quality products you can potentially be fooled, it's our job to check the origin or try samples.
I love tea. I bought an electric tea kettle for my office and I drink cup after another all day long. I'm lazy so I usually go for bagged tea from trader joes, but I keep some loose leaf stuff around for when im feeling fancy.
I cant say that ive tried all that many. So far ive been quite fond of Earl gray and Darjeeling...also some fruity abominations that im kind of ashamed to admit.
In more seriousness, teasy tea (formerly portsmouth teas) www.teasy.com is a nice place in the New England area that carries a lot of good teas. One of my favorites that I can't get anywhere else is their blend that they call "Midsummer Night's Dream" - it's a blend of Black and Green tea with bits of dried fruit. It's sweet without sugar and really delicious. Great for making iced tea, too.
On May 25 2012 22:25 sylverfyre wrote: BAN HIM FROM THIS THREAD.
In more seriousness, teasy tea (formerly portsmouth teas) www.teasy.com is a nice place in the New England area that carries a lot of good teas. One of my favorites that I can't get anywhere else is their blend that they call "Midsummer Night's Dream" - it's a blend of Black and Green tea with bits of dried fruit. It's sweet without sugar and really delicious. Great for making iced tea, too.
ICED TEA??? Blasphemy !! Just kidding, to each his own , for something named like a shakespeare play, it has to be special. Do you have any pics? Am very curious what it looks like.
On May 25 2012 22:25 sylverfyre wrote: BAN HIM FROM THIS THREAD.
In more seriousness, teasy tea (formerly portsmouth teas) www.teasy.com is a nice place in the New England area that carries a lot of good teas. One of my favorites that I can't get anywhere else is their blend that they call "Midsummer Night's Dream" - it's a blend of Black and Green tea with bits of dried fruit. It's sweet without sugar and really delicious. Great for making iced tea, too.
I think you linked the wrong site. http://www.portsmouthtea.com/. seems pretty interesting. I watched the teasy.com intro vid and was like waiting for the tea.
Never expected a thread like this to pop up on TL. I drink Dragon Well tea everyday (Xihu Longjing variant from Meijiawu). Even the Queen has been there before. My current stock will probably last me another year. Stocked up on it when I visited China back in 2010.
On May 26 2012 04:55 Fishball wrote: Never expected a thread like this to pop up on TL. I drink Dragon Well tea everyday (Xihu Longjing variant from Meijiawu). Even the Queen has been there before. My current stock will probably last me another year. Stocked up on it when I visited China back in 2010.
Best way to acquire tea! Although it always unnerves me to walk across customs with a dufflebag of tea.
I am sadly a newbie when it comes to tea, but I just want to point out that a word like "enthusiast" is a perfect word to describe those passionate about tea.
B. I come from the very British tradition of Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar, although any more than half a teaspoon of sugar is gross.
C. My Grandma in Newfoundland has always done the 'all day teapot' thing. If you aren't aware of this, how it works is in the morning you make a pot of tea with 2 teabags. Then midmorning, when the tea has been drunk, you add more builing water and two more teabags. At lunchtime, more water and more teabags. Again at midafternoon, then finally in the evening more water and two more teabags. At the end of the day you get a pot with 10 moldering bags sitting in the bottom and tea that is, well, rather strong.
D. Rooibos is not a type of black tea. It's a herbal tea made from a specific plant from South Africa. To be fair, it's often blended with black teas, and usually drank the same way (milk n sugar), but rooibos itself doesnt come from the tea plant. It's also fantastic. Red tea really should be considered its own kind of tea, like green tea and black tea - or at least it is at most tea stores here in Edmonton.
awesome thread! I got into tea when I went to China for the first time on a business trip. I drank a ton of Ceylon blacks and Jasmine while I was there. When I wound up in Taiwan, I got hooked on Oolong. Japan has some of the best green teas I've ever had. Then Korea just has some crazy weird flavors- I had a chocolate black tea, all sorts of flowers/plants like persimoms, rose pedals, etc, buckwheat... so many. I also picked up some 10 and 15 year pu-ehr that I drink on very special occasions.
Since I don't travel around to Asia anymore, I buy all my tea from Tea Licious (www.tealiciousllc.com). They have a great variety of really awesome loose leaf teas, not the mainstream bagged shit that most people in America drink, and not the stuff full of sweateners and artificial flavors that you get at teavana or whatever my friends always try to show me with some blueberry purple flurpty durp flavor lol <3 loose leaf teas
I drank way too much Irish Breakfast (black tea) yesterday and couldn't fucking sleep to save my life and was up 'til 5:30... DRINK TEA RESPONSIBLY hahahaha
On May 26 2012 05:27 slappy wrote: awesome thread! I got into tea when I went to China for the first time on a business trip. I drank a ton of Ceylon blacks and Jasmine while I was there. When I wound up in Taiwan, I got hooked on Oolong. Japan has some of the best green teas I've ever had. Then Korea just has some crazy weird flavors- I had a chocolate black tea, all sorts of flowers/plants like persimoms, rose pedals, etc, buckwheat... so many. I also picked up some 10 and 15 year pu-ehr that I drink on very special occasions.
Since I don't travel around to Asia anymore, I buy all my tea from Tea Licious (www.tealiciousllc.com). They have a great variety of really awesome loose leaf teas, not the mainstream bagged shit that most people in America drink, and not the stuff full of sweateners and artificial flavors that you get at teavana or whatever my friends always try to show me with some blueberry purple flurpty durp flavor lol <3 loose leaf teas
I drank way too much Irish Breakfast (black tea) yesterday and couldn't fucking sleep to save my life and was up 'til 5:30... DRINK TEA RESPONSIBLY hahahaha
Well it depends how you look at it. I mean didn't we all start this way: with the standard bagged tea that wasn't very high in quality. I think we realy can't expect someone to know their stuff even after a few months of looking and asking around stores and what not. So don't be hating on them
On May 26 2012 05:27 slappy wrote: I drank way too much Irish Breakfast (black tea) yesterday and couldn't fucking sleep to save my life and was up 'til 5:30... DRINK TEA RESPONSIBLY hahahaha
Yeah this is pretty much why black tea is too strong for me. Need something I can drink the whole day. Does anyone have pics of their tea collection? Mine is pretty boring but I can show if you want, but its just a lot of tins.
Recently I've been enjoying a green tea mixed with some maple syrup. At first I wasn't really a fan of green tea or maple syrup, but they blend well together.
On May 30 2012 21:48 EffectS wrote: Recently I've been enjoying a green tea mixed with some maple syrup. At first I wasn't really a fan of green tea or maple syrup, but they blend well together.
I tried this too quite randomly recently, as I was out of sugar and had a jar of maple syrup lying around. It tastes quite good tbh.
On May 30 2012 21:42 JayJay_90 wrote: Not a single poster from the UK on the first page of this thread? WTF is this shit?!
Most british love tea, but we're not connoisseurs. The kind of tea that is drunk in huge quantities is just black tea in single serving teabags with sugar and milk in a mug. The fancy cups and teapots are rare.
Ok so, my grand parents are completely english and my dad was born there before they moved to america. They have always added milk to tea and thats the way i drink my Black tea. earl grey is my favoriate : ) Do you have any sources for that german study? How much anti oxidents are killed because a majority of the tea i drink has milk in it unless its iced tea which is dont drink as often.
I drink a lot of tea, more than any other drink easily, but I haven't done much research about different kind of teas. I love the taste of darjeeling, easily the best tea I've tasted, at least it beats all the Assam and Ceylon teas I've drank. China Sencha is pretty much the only green tea I drink. Awesome thread btw
Really wish I actually enjoyed tea, it's so healthy but I just hate the taste of it ): My roommate last year was a tea fanatic and made me a shot glass of whatever he made to see if I could find one i like, and he failed T_T
On May 30 2012 23:04 FoxShine wrote: Ok so, my grand parents are completely english and my dad was born there before they moved to america. They have always added milk to tea and thats the way i drink my Black tea. earl grey is my favoriate : ) Do you have any sources for that german study? How much anti oxidents are killed because a majority of the tea i drink has milk in it unless its iced tea which is dont drink as often.
On May 31 2012 01:30 phiinix wrote: Really wish I actually enjoyed tea, it's so healthy but I just hate the taste of it ): My roommate last year was a tea fanatic and made me a shot glass of whatever he made to see if I could find one i like, and he failed T_T
Hi phiinix, what was it that you did not like about the tea's you have tried?
Some of the best tea I had was something my granddad gave me, some white tea where the leafs where at the bottom of the cup and when reached the leafs you just poured in new water and you could drink again.. Think that was white tea?
But for now my favorite is the cheap dirty green tea with lemon with honey in it
Who else lives somewhere rural enough (or with appropriate access to plants) to concoct your own teas, freshly? Yesterday I made a half-gallon of delicious birch/mint tea (both harvested behind my house) with a bit of ginger for extra spice. Sweetened it with honey.
As an Englishmen most people are shocked to hear I don’t drink much tea. However recently my flat mate made me one and boy I am now hooked! Twinning’s lady gray is the one. Sounds quite girly but it is delicious
I must say I would have never anticipated so much positive responses! It's realy great to hear that so much people enjoy tea because it's benificial on multiple levels. One thing I've learned is not to be too judgemental about teas you havent tried, many teas I would never thought of liking I actually enjoyed the most, just try them and then decide if you like it. But don't invest a couple of hundred bucks in them, just buy some cheap samplers or ask your friends/family for theirs so you can give them a try. I found it remarkably pleasant to share my love for tea with others.
You sir are a great person for creating this thread. I am obsessed with teas, and the links that you provided at the end of your extremely descriptive guide have made me a happy person : ) . If anyone is new to tea and is browsing through on where to start, I do have to agree with many of the other posters that celestial seasonings brand is great and easy to access in many places.
I started drinking a lot of tea about 6 months ago, and picked up one of those Teavana infusers (pretty much identical to Adagio's "IngenuiTEA"), and some of Teavana's tea... The ones I've bought so far...
-Gyokuro Genmaicha Green: Really savory green tea mixed with brown rice. It sounds strange, and it smells strange too, but the flavor is so wonderful! A little nutty, a little smoky, a little floral in a non-flowery way (if that makes sense).... http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/green-teas/p/gyokuro-genmaicha-green-tea
-White Ayurvedic Chai: Great on its own, or as a half-and-half blend with the Honeybush Vanilla Rooibos. This was the first tea that I really fell in love with. The cinnamon is nicely measured and it's generally a really solid slightly spicy tea. http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/white-teas/p/white-ayurvedic-chai-tea
With the amount of tea i drink (3 - 6 cups a day) you'd think i'd know at least a small amount about the different types lol. All i know is the difference between black and green haha!
I work in a coffee shop and we have a pretty decent selection of loose leaf teas. We have a couple blacks, greens, whites and herbals as well as a couple of blends. You can do something called a London Fog where you steep the tea in half a glass of hot water and then pour steamed milk over it with a touch of vanilla. My personal favorite right now is the Darjeeling/Spearmint blend done this way. Its pretty frickin delicious.
On May 31 2012 09:03 bkrow wrote: With the amount of tea i drink (3 - 6 cups a day) you'd think i'd know at least a small amount about the different types lol. All i know is the difference between black and green haha!
White tea sounds amazing thanks for all the info
If you try white, Bai Mu Dan or Bai Hao Yin Zhen might be a good place to start though I'm more partial to Bai Hao Yin Zhen (also known as Silver Needle, and one of the more famous types).
Sweet, tea thread :D I have a Japanese style tea house called Kucha and a Taiwanese style house called The Dushanbe Teahouse both only a few minutes drive from me... I love this town :D
Look forward to reading the opinions of the fine tea-loving gamers of the world!
EDIT: Forgot to include my own opinion!
My personal favorite teas are usually green. The light caffeine is the perfect amount to focus me without making me restless, allowing me to do low-activity but high-concentration activities like writing and playing Go much better. Plus, the flowery, fruity, and bitter taste combinations are to die for. (But not StarCraft. Apparently the pressure I feel during a game is so much that coffee is actually better!)
But often times I'm just in the mood for BITTER (my favorite taste of them all!) In that case, I find myself dramatically over-saturating black tea... mmmm, the bitter. I might go do that right now.
On May 31 2012 10:05 UmiNotsuki wrote: Sweet, tea thread :D I have a Japanese style tea house called Kucha and a Taiwanese style house called The Dushanbe Teahouse both only a few minutes drive from me... I love this town :D
Look forward to reading the opinions of the fine tea-loving gamers of the world!
EDIT: Forgot to include my own opinion!
My personal favorite teas are usually green. The light caffeine is the perfect amount to focus me without making me restless, allowing me to do low-activity but high-concentration activities like writing and playing Go much better. Plus, the flowery, fruity, and bitter taste combinations are to die for. (But not StarCraft. Apparently the pressure I feel during a game is so much that coffee is actually better!)
But often times I'm just in the mood for BITTER (my favorite taste of them all!) In that case, I find myself dramatically over-saturating black tea... mmmm, the bitter. I might go do that right now.
I usually drink Twinings English Breakfast, with just a bit of milk and ALL THE SUGARS (yes, I'm that kind of guy). After reading this thread, I'm inclined to try out something different though...
Also, props to Trozz for writing all those haiku. That's quite difficult.
I'm not a big fan of flavored or fruit teas generally-- like to stick to the old fashioned kind.
I usually just drink whatever my parents get from Taiwan. Its all loose/ full leaf, and I think most of them are pretty decent quality, though I doubt much (if any) is really high-grade. There's one big bag my mom got from China though-- its wrapped in actual leaves, and its getting a bit old and losing its scent, but its really good. I'd have to ask them for specifics.
We've also got Dong Gua Cha (my pinyin is terrible, excuse me if I make any mistakes), which is really sweet (though not an actual "tea"). We've also been getting some Costco matcha (its the only kind we can find, sadly), which isn't too bad. I've got some peach tea from Japan stashed away somewhere as well.
I usually just take a small spoonful of leaves and put it in the bottom of my mug, then fill it up with hot water. I usually use my tea leaves a few times though-- I don't like using more than one serving a day.
On May 31 2012 08:26 yakitate304 wrote: Great thread!
I started drinking a lot of tea about 6 months ago, and picked up one of those Teavana infusers (pretty much identical to Adagio's "IngenuiTEA"), and some of Teavana's tea... The ones I've bought so far...
-Gyokuro Genmaicha Green: Really savory green tea mixed with brown rice. It sounds strange, and it smells strange too, but the flavor is so wonderful! A little nutty, a little smoky, a little floral in a non-flowery way (if that makes sense).... http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/green-teas/p/gyokuro-genmaicha-green-tea
-White Ayurvedic Chai: Great on its own, or as a half-and-half blend with the Honeybush Vanilla Rooibos. This was the first tea that I really fell in love with. The cinnamon is nicely measured and it's generally a really solid slightly spicy tea. http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/white-teas/p/white-ayurvedic-chai-tea
Teavana also recommends to steep it at 170 F while it is usually suggested to be at around 140. The other issue is similar to the first. Rice AFAIK is not usually added to gyokuro, but doing so is rather in expensive additive to something that is priced very high per lb.
Anyway I personally usually buy numi loose tea in bulk off amazon (the lung jing). I want to try some oolong and have been thinking about getting some Iron Goddess of Mercy. Anyone tried it? I have also been thinking about getting a Gaiwan (seems like the mechanical keyboard of tea community), but I'm not sure yet. Anyone have any recommendations about where to look for Gaiwans?
Call me a noob but I absolutely ADORE sweet iced black tea (or red tea in chinese). Any recs you guys have? Unfortunately I am not as high-brow as you guys and can only enjoy the sweet, sweet goodness of sweet iced tea, but I've really never found one in America (IN AMERICA) that I've liked. Returning to China this summer and going to be able to taste again this one brand of iced tea which I forget for the first time in 7 years; I'm hoping I'll still like it >.<
However, I'm also afraid of iced tea caffeine content. How does it compare to normal tea and could it have a large impact in general? I'm a very strong believer in how caffeine sucks for your system through first-hand second-hand (i.e. friends) experience and always have been a bit afraid that iced tea will also screw me over in the long run. So awesome though, seems like TL has a group for everything ^^ not to mention educated and awesome members in said groups~
Some unfurled oolong. You've gotta love swamp-like teas. Just can't stop drinking.
I'm drinking some right now... I love swamp tea... taiwanese yuelu shan oolong is my favorite...
I never got into the higher fancy teas... I drink it for effect... the taste and the caffeine... I drink a lot of pu-erh and oolong... and some longjing when I go to china... but the differeences in class are never apparent unless its real shit tea...
Just out of curiousity, anyone know where to get Pu'er in the States? I've been in China for a while and have gone through two 350g cakes in the past 6 months and have really been digging it. Also, preferably shou rather than sheng since it tends to be cheaper while getting that good dark taste, rather than paying a ton of money for an old sheng cha that, while better, is a bit out of my budget.
Also, Oolong is pretty sick, but a good Pu'er from Yunnan takes the cake.
That is actually a wonderfully written OP. I've habitually drinked tea in the English fashion for most of my life but still found the aforementioned post to be insightful. You are a credit to the term "good poster".
This is imho the best and cheapest (yes, both) store for Darjeeling. They only sell Darjeeling, only in 500g and more packages, only online and they have very solid information on what they get from where and how and why it is priced like it is. Also you only get certain variants depending on which season it is currently, they don't seem to keep large stock. It's one of the most specialized stores I know, have yet to find a Darjeeling that beats theirs.
Their shipping costs are quite high outside of Europe, but since this is also a great gift (make sure to include instructions as to how you actually make good tea) it's still possible to buy it in bulk and be happy.
For shipping within Germany we charge 4.60 Euro for order up to 34 Euro and 3.20 Euro for order from 34 Euro, to Austria 5.00 Euro, to France 6.00 Euro, to other EU-States and Switzerland 10.00 Euro, to all other countries 20.00 Euro.
Edit: Fun side fact about why you get screwed so much when it comes to tea:
1988 The Tea Board of India, the official Indian tea authority, grants the right to use its seal of authenticity, which certifies 100% pure Darjeeling. Teekampagne is the first German company to receive this right. It is one step to create awareness for the fact that worldwide four times as much tea is sold as Darjeeling tea than actually can be produced. Sales: 80t
On May 31 2012 08:26 yakitate304 wrote: Great thread!
I started drinking a lot of tea about 6 months ago, and picked up one of those Teavana infusers (pretty much identical to Adagio's "IngenuiTEA"), and some of Teavana's tea... The ones I've bought so far...
-Gyokuro Genmaicha Green: Really savory green tea mixed with brown rice. It sounds strange, and it smells strange too, but the flavor is so wonderful! A little nutty, a little smoky, a little floral in a non-flowery way (if that makes sense).... http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/green-teas/p/gyokuro-genmaicha-green-tea
-White Ayurvedic Chai: Great on its own, or as a half-and-half blend with the Honeybush Vanilla Rooibos. This was the first tea that I really fell in love with. The cinnamon is nicely measured and it's generally a really solid slightly spicy tea. http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/white-teas/p/white-ayurvedic-chai-tea
Teavana also recommends to steep it at 170 F while it is usually suggested to be at around 140. The other issue is similar to the first. Rice AFAIK is not usually added to gyokuro, but doing so is rather in expensive additive to something that is priced very high per lb.
Anyway I personally usually buy numi loose tea in bulk off amazon (the lung jing). I want to try some oolong and have been thinking about getting some Iron Goddess of Mercy. Anyone tried it? I have also been thinking about getting a Gaiwan (seems like the mechanical keyboard of tea community), but I'm not sure yet. Anyone have any recommendations about where to look for Gaiwans?
Yes their stuff is overpriced and badly rated by a lot the reviewers. Rice should not be in there, it used to be done (gen mai cha) to create cheaper green tea actually by poor people. So I highly doubt if it would make the production more costly today. It kind of ruins the taste for Gyokuro. Have you tried the Gyokuro quality (the one in the eBay link)?
Does the size of the leaves indicate quality? Because mine seems to have less big leaves.
I recently bought two boxes of tea from publix, the first was a black tea with mint from Twinings, which is very good without any sweeteners or anything, and a green tea from Celestial Seasonings, which I drink with a touch of maple syrup. Also very good. I have a Keurig machine at my house, and it's perfect for making a cup whenever I want =D.
On May 31 2012 08:26 yakitate304 wrote: Great thread!
I started drinking a lot of tea about 6 months ago, and picked up one of those Teavana infusers (pretty much identical to Adagio's "IngenuiTEA"), and some of Teavana's tea... The ones I've bought so far...
-Gyokuro Genmaicha Green: Really savory green tea mixed with brown rice. It sounds strange, and it smells strange too, but the flavor is so wonderful! A little nutty, a little smoky, a little floral in a non-flowery way (if that makes sense).... http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/green-teas/p/gyokuro-genmaicha-green-tea
-White Ayurvedic Chai: Great on its own, or as a half-and-half blend with the Honeybush Vanilla Rooibos. This was the first tea that I really fell in love with. The cinnamon is nicely measured and it's generally a really solid slightly spicy tea. http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/white-teas/p/white-ayurvedic-chai-tea
Teavana also recommends to steep it at 170 F while it is usually suggested to be at around 140. The other issue is similar to the first. Rice AFAIK is not usually added to gyokuro, but doing so is rather in expensive additive to something that is priced very high per lb.
Anyway I personally usually buy numi loose tea in bulk off amazon (the lung jing). I want to try some oolong and have been thinking about getting some Iron Goddess of Mercy. Anyone tried it? I have also been thinking about getting a Gaiwan (seems like the mechanical keyboard of tea community), but I'm not sure yet. Anyone have any recommendations about where to look for Gaiwans?
Yes their stuff is overpriced and badly rated by a lot the reviewers. Rice should not be in there, it used to be done (gen mai cha) to create cheaper green tea actually by poor people. So I highly doubt if it would make the production more costly today. It kind of ruins the taste for Gyokuro. Have you tried the Gyokuro quality (the one in the eBay link)?
Does the size of the leaves indicate quality? Because mine seems to have less big leaves.
I have never tried it. I have no idea about the leaves.That shop seems to have reasonable prices, if you want to try them, but just be aware that they are in China so shipping takes forever(like 2 months). And because they are in China you might be able to find better Gyokuo else where: http://www.reddit.com/r/tea/comments/gvv5y/online_tea_shopping_where_is_the_good_gyokuro/
I would think the only time size would indicate quality though would be if the leaves were broken.
Generally the smaller the leaves the better the quality, but with that being said it really comes down to preference. Small dry leaves after steeping leave behind a lot of residue at the bottom of the cup, and may make it a bit bitter, but you got more flavour out of small leaves compared to larger ones.
On June 09 2012 01:26 peacenl wrote: Thanks for the video :D Is there any particular reason behind pre-heating the cups? And because you poor quite fast do you still get a good infusion?
I was taught the rural version of gongfu tea (read more about it here), so a lot of steps are simplified. Pre-heating of the cups help ensure the leaves unfurl fully and also sanitize the cups. Traditionally, you do not wash the porcelain between servings. As you break in a new set, the cups and utensils will develop its own flavors and add to the tea. Washing, especially with soap, ruins that. This step is useful to preserve hygienes.
It's like you're rolling a blunt or something .. definitely has athmosphere.
The whole ceremony thing just comes across as being very thankful for the food while going for a maximum enjoyment at the same time. Just taking the time to prepare and drink something carries with it some unique benefits. It's a great moment for relaxation and the food is ten times more natural than you'll find in your average shop. Add the relaxation effect that tea gives and you've got a longevity secret right there (this also goes for the way food is prepared). I'm not saying that the west hates cooking or anything, but the average household does not put enough consideration or time into what they eat in my opinion. It's just a matter of priorities I guess
Yerba Mate is just delicious (though not from the same plant as the type you're talking about). Difficult to describe the taste.. it's very flavourful however, and doesn't need a lot of care to make a tasty cup from.
Did anyone try Yerba Mate that can tell me what it is like ?
Yerba Mate is just delicious (though not from the same plant as the type you're talking about). Difficult to describe the taste.. it's very flavourful however, and doesn't need a lot of care to make a tasty cup from.
Did anyone try Yerba Mate that can tell me what it is like ?
Hmm... it's comparatively bitter, but the awesome part about Mate is the way the caffeine works. It literally just makes you awake in the head and that's about it. Completely awesome. :S
Pure Mate tea needs some getting used to before you can appreciate imo, might want to try some flavored versions first. I found combinations with lemon grass or mint to be decent.
This thread made me realize I'm a total newb when it comes to tea. I just drink the Twinings Green Tea & Lemon, which I like that taste of, but THERE ARE SO MANY TYPES. I gotta stock up on some tea supplies and have a tea tasting day.
Ah, nice thread ! My teas : And a lot more with a friend. I tasted white tea once and a lot of green teas with different flavours and grey tea once. I really like green tea but the white tea didn't really feel different (it was favored too), earl grey was really good. Moroccan tea is my favorite one.
What would you advise me? I want a tea that really taste different.
Edit : Real chinese tea, my parents went there and brought me that back (a lot greener IRL) Looks like weed when it's dry and spinash when it's wet, it's funny ^^
On June 12 2012 20:33 Nyarly wrote: What would you advise me? I want a tea that really taste different.
What are you looking for? Something like sweet, bitter, spicy, smooth, refined, creamy or strong? Perhaps try a premium green tea? Lipton tea does not realy match up to the flavor or loose leaf Japanese & Chinese green tea. And gunpowder is always a bit too bitter for some people. If you like the fruit tea's like the one in the picture I would suggest you find a tea such as first flush Sencha or a green tea which is cropped early spring (Shincha). These have a very fresh floral and fruity flavor. Or if you like to have a more herb like flavor a Pi Lo Chun or Yunnan.
On June 12 2012 20:33 Nyarly wrote: Ah, nice thread ! My teas : What would you advise me? I want a tea that really taste different.
What are you looking for? Something like sweet, bitter, spicy, smooth, refined, creamy or strong? Perhaps try a premium green tea? Lipton tea does not realy match up to the flavor or loose leaf Japanese & Chinese green tea. And gunpowder is always a bit too bitter for some people. If you like the fruit tea's like the one in the picture I would suggest you find a tea such as first flush Sencha or a green spring tea which have a very fresh and subtle fruity flavor, or if you like to have a more herb like flavor a Pi Lo Chun or Yunnan.
Thanks, i'm going to write that down ;p But i was kind of hoping i could try something not green tea, white tea didn't taste really different but earl was really special, maybe black or red tea too? I always enjoy teas i like but i'd rather try something totally new and dislike it, just to try new things ^^ So ALL THE THINGS ! (that are very special)
Isn't my real chinese green tea a premium tea already ? It's really smooth, i like it. And yeah, gunpowder is really bitter..
@JitnikoVi When you're high, tea is really great. It's hot, it's good, it's natural, no bubbles.. And you're really thirsty everytime you smoke.
That's the beauty of it, one green tea can have a totally different taste compared to another. And this goes for hundreds of teas. Since you are from France have you tried Verveine (tisane)? It's very fruity and fresh, but be careful in how you brew it if you brew it over 2/3 minutes it could go sour.
On June 12 2012 23:03 peacenl wrote: That's the beauty of it, one green tea can have a totally different taste compared to another. And this goes for hundreds of teas. Since you are from France have you tried Verveine (tisane)? It's very fruity and fresh, but be careful in how you brew it if you brew it over 2/3 minutes it could go sour.
Oh okey, that's nice, green tea is the easiest to find :D I know about verveine or tisane but is it a kind of tea ? It's considered like a grand mother's remedy here.
On June 12 2012 23:03 peacenl wrote: That's the beauty of it, one green tea can have a totally different taste compared to another. And this goes for hundreds of teas. Since you are from France have you tried Verveine (tisane)? It's very fruity and fresh, but be careful in how you brew it if you brew it over 2/3 minutes it could go sour.
Oh okey, that's nice, green tea is the easiest to find :D I know about verveine or tisane but is it a kind of tea ? It's considered like a grand mother's remedy here.
Yep, I drink it occasionally. It's a type of tea called tisane, it's not realy a tea because it doesn't contain any tea leaves. But it has a lot of the same traits. I would say definitely classifies as having a very special taste
Talking about Tea, have any of you ever tried Blooming Tea. It makes a great gift. On several occasion I presented this as a present, good fun and they sell in a bunch of flavors.
Dad brought back some stuff from Taiwan. There's more, but its hidden in the back of the pantry and I'm scared of triggering a landslide and getting trapped under other foods if I try t find them.
On June 12 2012 23:07 gruff wrote: You should try tea's made from mulberry's. Quite unique and tasty flavor.
I have a mulberry tree in the back yard. Could I use this or is there some type of special preparation/ potential poison, or is it possible to just drop the leaves in? I really want to try that now
Anyone recommend any types of tea I could try that don't require like special utensils/equipment to make? I'm kinda bored of the old teabag plus water plus milk.
On June 13 2012 04:16 Mackem wrote: Anyone recommend any types of tea I could try that don't require like special utensils/equipment to make? I'm kinda bored of the old teabag plus water plus milk.
Check out my original post, and let me know if you have any questions. I know it's kind of overwhelming, with all the different types but one has to start somewhere ;-)
On June 13 2012 04:16 Mackem wrote: Anyone recommend any types of tea I could try that don't require like special utensils/equipment to make? I'm kinda bored of the old teabag plus water plus milk.
On May 31 2012 00:16 duckmaster wrote: I drink a lot of tea, more than any other drink easily, but I haven't done much research about different kind of teas. I love the taste of darjeeling, easily the best tea I've tasted, at least it beats all the Assam and Ceylon teas I've drank. China Sencha is pretty much the only green tea I drink. Awesome thread btw
If you are into Darjeelings, you should check out www.teekampagne.de/en (for EU or www.bostonteacampaign.com for US). Their product range is very small, you can basically choose between First/Second Flush black Darjeelings and green Darjeelings. Sometimes they offer some special garden teas and they taste completely different than their standard blend. I can really recommend their tea in general and the second flush black Darjeeling in particular.
@ Roman: What is so special about the Bodum tea pots? Looks like any other glass tea pot to me.
On June 12 2012 23:07 gruff wrote: You should try tea's made from mulberry's. Quite unique and tasty flavor.
I have a mulberry tree in the back yard. Could I use this or is there some type of special preparation/ potential poison, or is it possible to just drop the leaves in? I really want to try that now
I usually buy it in bags so I'm not completely sure how you do it yourself. It's made purely from the leaves of the tree though that are air dried in some way. I'm sure you can find some way to use them yourself, either fresh or leave them hang dry like you do with flowers.
On June 13 2012 04:16 Mackem wrote: Anyone recommend any types of tea I could try that don't require like special utensils/equipment to make? I'm kinda bored of the old teabag plus water plus milk.
I've gotten some boxes with a tea that you simply stirr into a glass with hot water. I don't remember what it was called at the top of my head but I think it was some kind of India Chai and it was surprisingly good. I'll post if I remember brand or name of the tea.
On May 31 2012 00:16 duckmaster wrote: I drink a lot of tea, more than any other drink easily, but I haven't done much research about different kind of teas. I love the taste of darjeeling, easily the best tea I've tasted, at least it beats all the Assam and Ceylon teas I've drank. China Sencha is pretty much the only green tea I drink. Awesome thread btw
If you are into Darjeelings, you should check out www.teekampagne.de/en (for EU or www.bostonteacampaign.com for US). Their product range is very small, you can basically choose between First/Second Flush black Darjeelings and green Darjeelings. Sometimes they offer some special garden teas and they taste completely different than their standard blend. I can really recommend their tea in general and the second flush black Darjeeling in particular.
@ Roman: What is so special about the Bodum tea pots? Looks like any other glass tea pot to me.
I can realy recommend Darjeeling royal first flush if you are looking for a very smooth floral tea
I take second over first flushes any whenever I can when it comes to Darjeeling.
Basically the first flush tastes a bit "crispier" but also weaker. Second flush tastes "smoother" and is a bit stronger overall. Kinda depends on which camp you're in. =P
On June 23 2012 22:14 r.Evo wrote: I take second over first flushes any whenever I can when it comes to Darjeeling.
Basically the first flush tastes a bit "crispier" but also weaker. Second flush tastes "smoother" and is a bit stronger overall. Kinda depends on which camp you're in. =P
I don't now. For me it is the opposite. For a Darjeeling I really like the First Flushes. They are oftentimes flowery and fresh and are very nice to drink in summer. If I want to drink a stronger tea then I take an Assam Second Flush. The Assam teas are much more malty (I don't know if that is the right word), rich and stronger than the Darjeeling. But that is all personal taste I guess.
A tea I really liked is the "Ceylon FOP Special Ratnapura". Spicy and a little malty but still very mild. I also got it quite cheap (7,40€/100g) if I look at the prices in the Internet (23$/100g) :-D
Edit: To all the Germans I can recommend the following site: http://www.nibelungentee.de/ They have a decent selection and very good prices.
We have here at home about 20 kind of unflavored tea... We drink it a lot.
I also have some tisane. As people know well their teas usually.
I can give some hint on tisanes... Try the Verveine/Vervain. Infusion is really easy, just pour straigh the boiling water and wait a good 5 minutes. Works very well with sugar. Willow is my other favorite. Both of those also mix very well with mint.
Ok time to go boil some Viet green tea, no idea what it is but it's supposed to be something good :D
On June 23 2012 22:14 r.Evo wrote: I take second over first flushes any whenever I can when it comes to Darjeeling.
Basically the first flush tastes a bit "crispier" but also weaker. Second flush tastes "smoother" and is a bit stronger overall. Kinda depends on which camp you're in. =P
I don't now. For me it is the opposite. For a Darjeeling I really like the First Flushes. They are oftentimes flowery and fresh and are very nice to drink in summer. If I want to drink a stronger tea then I take an Assam Second Flush. The Assam teas are much more malty (I don't know if that is the right word), rich and stronger than the Darjeeling. But that is all personal taste I guess.
A tea I really liked is the "Ceylon FOP Special Ratnapura". Spicy and a little malty but still very mild. I also got it quite cheap (7,40€/100g) if I look at the prices in the Internet (23$/100g) :-D
Edit: To all the Germans I can recommend the following site: http://www.nibelungentee.de/ They have a decent selection and very good prices.
Thanks, very decently priced stuff in there I can also recommend this one to all the Europeans. http://www.teagschwendner.com/DE/en/Shop_Start.TG. Kind of pricy, but they have a very large selection and better bio qualities.
On June 23 2012 22:14 r.Evo wrote: I take second over first flushes any whenever I can when it comes to Darjeeling.
Basically the first flush tastes a bit "crispier" but also weaker. Second flush tastes "smoother" and is a bit stronger overall. Kinda depends on which camp you're in. =P
I don't now. For me it is the opposite. For a Darjeeling I really like the First Flushes. They are oftentimes flowery and fresh and are very nice to drink in summer. If I want to drink a stronger tea then I take an Assam Second Flush. The Assam teas are much more malty (I don't know if that is the right word), rich and stronger than the Darjeeling. But that is all personal taste I guess.
A tea I really liked is the "Ceylon FOP Special Ratnapura". Spicy and a little malty but still very mild. I also got it quite cheap (7,40€/100g) if I look at the prices in the Internet (23$/100g) :-D
Edit: To all the Germans I can recommend the following site: http://www.nibelungentee.de/ They have a decent selection and very good prices.
Thanks, very decently priced stuff in there I can also recommend this one to all the Europeans. http://www.teagschwendner.com/DE/en/Shop_Start.TG. Kind of pricy, but they have a very large selection and better bio qualities.
Don't. Just don't. Gschwendner might be above average quality when it comes to comparing random tea shops but it's still pretty shitty compared to direct imports and similar sources. You can get better quality for a lower price elsewhere.
Basically they're just another big chain who have a huge storage - you'll never know how fresh the tea is that you're about to order/buy.
On June 23 2012 22:14 r.Evo wrote: I take second over first flushes any whenever I can when it comes to Darjeeling.
Basically the first flush tastes a bit "crispier" but also weaker. Second flush tastes "smoother" and is a bit stronger overall. Kinda depends on which camp you're in. =P
I don't now. For me it is the opposite. For a Darjeeling I really like the First Flushes. They are oftentimes flowery and fresh and are very nice to drink in summer. If I want to drink a stronger tea then I take an Assam Second Flush. The Assam teas are much more malty (I don't know if that is the right word), rich and stronger than the Darjeeling. But that is all personal taste I guess.
A tea I really liked is the "Ceylon FOP Special Ratnapura". Spicy and a little malty but still very mild. I also got it quite cheap (7,40€/100g) if I look at the prices in the Internet (23$/100g) :-D
Edit: To all the Germans I can recommend the following site: http://www.nibelungentee.de/ They have a decent selection and very good prices.
Thanks, very decently priced stuff in there I can also recommend this one to all the Europeans. http://www.teagschwendner.com/DE/en/Shop_Start.TG. Kind of pricy, but they have a very large selection and better bio qualities.
Don't. Just don't. Gschwendner might be above average quality when it comes to comparing random tea shops but it's still pretty shitty compared to direct imports and similar sources. You can get better quality for a lower price elsewhere.
Basically they're just another big chain who have a huge storage - you'll never know how fresh the tea is that you're about to order/buy.
You are right, this is basically what they all do, they buy tea once every year (to save on shipping costs) and stock up on it to the point where they are not fresh anymore in a few months later. Leaves should be a little bit shiny indicating that they are fresh, but it's hard to find this in the regular stores and on the internet unless you buy or import directly. You can realy check the freshness of gunpowder by judging how shiny the pellets are.
Awesome thread. I tend to be lazy and go with Trader Joe's bagged tea or something easily portable and time-saving, but I've now been reinspired to pull out that press collecting dust in my cupboard. My mom just sent me a bunch of black tea from China (apparently lychee-flavoured, so I'm a little wary), but it'll be a good way to restart the habit ._.
On June 24 2012 04:21 faiza wrote: Awesome thread. I tend to be lazy and go with Trader Joe's bagged tea or something easily portable and time-saving, but I've now been reinspired to pull out that press collecting dust in my cupboard. My mom just sent me a bunch of black tea from China (apparently lychee-flavoured, so I'm a little wary), but it'll be a good way to restart the habit ._.
If you can get tea directly from a store in China or Japan, do it Because all the lesser quality tea is exported, while the best stuff is kept in their own countries. Not to say that everything we buy is worthless, but generally less fresh and high grade.
I drink a green tea occasionally before bed since I can't have coffee then, since I heard its great for bodybuilding (not that I'm seriously into it). However I'm a coffee man really, love my high quality instant coffees, not a huge fan of cafetiere coffee though. The one time I'll drink tea is with fish and chips. Its the perfect combination.
Tea is awesome! I try to drink a cup every day. Oolong is especially my favourite because it can be steeped a few times and it always wakes me up. It's a great healthy alternative to coffee.
On June 24 2012 04:21 faiza wrote: Awesome thread. I tend to be lazy and go with Trader Joe's bagged tea or something easily portable and time-saving, but I've now been reinspired to pull out that press collecting dust in my cupboard. My mom just sent me a bunch of black tea from China (apparently lychee-flavoured, so I'm a little wary), but it'll be a good way to restart the habit ._.
On June 25 2012 23:46 TSBspartacus wrote: I drink a green tea occasionally before bed since I can't have coffee then, since I heard its great for bodybuilding (not that I'm seriously into it). However I'm a coffee man really, love my high quality instant coffees, not a huge fan of cafetiere coffee though. The one time I'll drink tea is with fish and chips. Its the perfect combination.
Haha I hear that a lot, it being more of a habit thing. Strangely enough I don't have start the day with a strong tea or anything, so for me it's not about the energy rush, even though I drink about 7 cups a day. I recently bought some Pu-erh, but wtf.. it smelled like ammonia. I've heard earlier that this indicates bad quality? Does anyone have any experience with this?
I recieved my blooming tea with 3 free pu-erh tea samples :D I tryed marigold meadow : I might have let it infused for too long because it was really bitter, i didn't really liked it :s But i have another 11 different blooms and I'm really eager to try the pu-erh tea too, i heard a lot of good things about it.
I live across from a coffee and tea shop. I buy the tea of the month often but my favorite (which I always buy) is Ceylon Tippy Orange Pekoe. A strong flavored black tea that isn't to bitter.
I have a container with like 30 different random teas my family has aquired over the years. I am really fond of the white tea packets in there. Black tea is also good, as is green. The less add ins and the more natural, the better I like the tea. Earthy is the way to go for me.
On June 29 2012 08:13 Sjokola wrote: I live across from a coffee and tea shop. I buy the tea of the month often but my favorite (which I always buy) is Ceylon Tippy Orange Pekoe. A strong flavored black tea that isn't to bitter.
Oh snap, that's where I buy a lot my stuff :D This is like the best store I know in the Netherlands. Have you tried some others from that store?
On June 29 2012 08:13 Sjokola wrote: I live across from a coffee and tea shop. I buy the tea of the month often but my favorite (which I always buy) is Ceylon Tippy Orange Pekoe. A strong flavored black tea that isn't to bitter.
Oh snap, that's where I buy a lot my stuff :D This is like the best store I know in the Netherlands. Have you tried some others from that store?
Well my ex-girlfriend always got up earlier then me and she didn't want to take the time to make tea so she used bags. But she's out of my life so I'll be trying out a lot more. I'm looking for a green tea I really like. So far I like black more.
I personally love matcha tea , not for the taste but the positive effect it has on my body is fantastic , some matcha teas are a better energy boost hen any coffe or energy drink ,as well as its just overall good for you.
On June 29 2012 10:56 r.Evo wrote: You guys do know that there are teabags for loose tea, right? One of the most amazing things ever invented by mankind!
Deffinetly ! my favourite is the disposable cups for loose leaf teas that have a filter in the mouth peice , ITS SO SIMPLE !!(and it works!)
On June 29 2012 10:56 r.Evo wrote: You guys do know that there are teabags for loose tea, right? One of the most amazing things ever invented by mankind!
Deffinetly ! my favourite is the disposable cups for loose leaf teas that have a filter in the mouth peice , ITS SO SIMPLE !!(and it works!)
Waitwaitwhat. Now that is something I haven't heard about, lol.
I pretty much mean these thingies, just with small line so they don't drop in: + Show Spoiler +
On June 29 2012 08:13 Sjokola wrote: I live across from a coffee and tea shop. I buy the tea of the month often but my favorite (which I always buy) is Ceylon Tippy Orange Pekoe. A strong flavored black tea that isn't to bitter.
You sir have made me very jealous... weirdly despite the historic tea herritage it seems to be damn hard to get a good quality ceylon in the UK. Even the companies claiming to be "tea merchants" offer more in the way of coffee than tea :/ (I wouldn't class ceylon as strong though!)
On June 29 2012 08:13 Sjokola wrote: I live across from a coffee and tea shop. I buy the tea of the month often but my favorite (which I always buy) is Ceylon Tippy Orange Pekoe. A strong flavored black tea that isn't to bitter.
You sir have made me very jealous... weirdly despite the historic tea herritage it seems to be damn hard to get a good quality ceylon in the UK. Even the companies claiming to be "tea merchants" offer more in the way of coffee than tea :/ (I wouldn't class ceylon as strong though!)
What a shame I've been in England once (Oxford and London). And my experience was that the tap water was really gross. What do you use to make tea?
Anyone in Australia get their tea from T2? I'm cheapskate and find their stuff to be kind of expensive, but I do enjoy it. The Brisbane Breakfast is my favourite so far - black tea with flavours of mango, papaya and pineapple.
On June 29 2012 10:56 r.Evo wrote: You guys do know that there are teabags for loose tea, right? One of the most amazing things ever invented by mankind!
Deffinetly ! my favourite is the disposable cups for loose leaf teas that have a filter in the mouth peice , ITS SO SIMPLE !!(and it works!)
Waitwaitwhat. Now that is something I haven't heard about, lol.
I pretty much mean these thingies, just with small line so they don't drop in: + Show Spoiler +
This : You put the tea inside and you have a spoon filled with tea (easy to stir and remove). It's just awesome
Believe black and green should be the most obquitous kinds of tea due to commercialisation whereas the others are a bit more niche to the East Asian demographic?
Very interesting read. Will come back to get more inspiration of new teas to try!
On May 26 2012 05:27 slappy wrote: awesome thread! I got into tea when I went to China for the first time on a business trip. I drank a ton of Ceylon blacks and Jasmine while I was there. When I wound up in Taiwan, I got hooked on Oolong. Japan has some of the best green teas I've ever had. Then Korea just has some crazy weird flavors- I had a chocolate black tea, all sorts of flowers/plants like persimoms, rose pedals, etc, buckwheat... so many. I also picked up some 10 and 15 year pu-ehr that I drink on very special occasions.
Since I don't travel around to Asia anymore, I buy all my tea from Tea Licious (www.tealiciousllc.com). They have a great variety of really awesome loose leaf teas, not the mainstream bagged shit that most people in America drink, and not the stuff full of sweateners and artificial flavors that you get at teavana or whatever my friends always try to show me with some blueberry purple flurpty durp flavor lol <3 loose leaf teas
I drank way too much Irish Breakfast (black tea) yesterday and couldn't fucking sleep to save my life and was up 'til 5:30... DRINK TEA RESPONSIBLY hahahaha
Well it depends how you look at it. I mean didn't we all start this way: with the standard bagged tea that wasn't very high in quality. I think we realy can't expect someone to know their stuff even after a few months of looking and asking around stores and what not. So don't be hating on them
Not hating on the people, just the tea. My friends will try to show me some stuff and I'm kind of a snob, I'll admit, but I just try to explain to them that they can't possibly fully appreciate a flavored version of Oolong until they've had regular loose leaf Oolong.
On May 26 2012 05:27 slappy wrote: I drank way too much Irish Breakfast (black tea) yesterday and couldn't fucking sleep to save my life and was up 'til 5:30... DRINK TEA RESPONSIBLY hahahaha
Yeah this is pretty much why black tea is too strong for me. Need something I can drink the whole day. Does anyone have pics of their tea collection? Mine is pretty boring but I can show if you want, but its just a lot of tins.
Black tea > Coffee! Here's a couple pics for ya ^_^ A little dated, but my tea collection:
This is my cousins' stash, but I gave him about half of it, which was stuff I got for him in Asia. He's the one who got me into tea, so I always got a bunch for him.
My favorite pic of all, I bought a LOT of tea on what I knew would be my last trip to Asia, it all fit, but then I had to figure out what to do with my clothes rofl.
BTW, is there anyone else that simply types "tea" into their url bar to get teamliquid to come up every time? I love that about going to TL :D
So much Awesome in this thread :O. Lately i have been drinking sleepy hollow pumkin chai lattes ,taste so good its like tea for days when you really just want to drink coffee
On June 29 2012 08:13 Sjokola wrote: I live across from a coffee and tea shop. I buy the tea of the month often but my favorite (which I always buy) is Ceylon Tippy Orange Pekoe. A strong flavored black tea that isn't to bitter.
You sir have made me very jealous... weirdly despite the historic tea herritage it seems to be damn hard to get a good quality ceylon in the UK. Even the companies claiming to be "tea merchants" offer more in the way of coffee than tea :/ (I wouldn't class ceylon as strong though!)
What a shame I've been in England once (Oxford and London). And my experience was that the tap water was really gross. What do you use to make tea?
I've had quite a lot of black tea when I was in England, for example Tetley classic black they are quite strong compared to the ones we have here. I don't drink a lot of black tea, only when there's no choice, this happens a lot when I'm not at home, so I always try bringing my own tea. Haven't tried it with fish & chips, the last time I had that I got like a bottom covered with fish and fries on top, which was enough for 2/3 persons lol.
On June 29 2012 11:50 .Aar wrote: Worked at a tea shop for a fair bit.. I mainly just enjoy matcha and dragonwell
What kind of Matcha do you use? I've found there to be a lot of different tastes out there, I prefer the sweeter ones (hard to find) and also this one for beginners but eventualy I want to buy pinnacle grade because I learned to appreciate high grade quality since there is so much low quality Matcha which are not fresh, creamy and sweet. The store where they sell this kind of stuff is: http://www.hibiki-an.com/default.php/cPath/40?osCsid=5sla4tdj4kn3079kj5ahv4ts45
If it gets really hot tea is much better to stay hydrated than juice or sodas imoimo.
Not to mention there are lots of teas who taste great if you let them cool down and then put them into the fridge for a delicious fresh selfmade and un-uber-sugared ice tea. =D
How did I not see this thread? Compared to you guys I'm a bronze league tea drinker. I'm a big fan of green tea and Earl Gray. I have at my school who's parents live in China, so every year she goes home, and she always buys me a bottle of Soy Sauce and some Sencha Green.
On July 02 2012 09:30 Retgery wrote: How did I not see this thread? Compared to you guys I'm a bronze league tea drinker. I'm a big fan of green tea and Earl Gray. I have at my school who's parents live in China, so every year she goes home, and she always buys me a bottle of Soy Sauce and some Sencha Green.
On July 02 2012 12:01 tl4life wrote: sipping on 4th brew of gyokuro premier, it almost gets better the more times you infuse it.
Cool stuff, that Gyokuro. Usually after the 4th brew I stop, because I notice the vividness goes down after that. Do you have any pics of what the premier Gyokuro looks like?
On July 02 2012 09:30 Retgery wrote: How did I not see this thread? Compared to you guys I'm a bronze league tea drinker. I'm a big fan of green tea and Earl Gray. I have at my school who's parents live in China, so every year she goes home, and she always buys me a bottle of Soy Sauce and some Sencha Green.
How does that taste together? =D
I cook a lot, and I'm kind of obsessed with Asian food, so soy sauce and other cooking related things are pretty common presents I get.
Just tried my first Pu-er tea today, it smelled slightly of fish (which was off-putting at first) but tasted very good. I can't place the flavor exactly, except for that it was very bold. I also got two different types of sencha, one type of gunpowder and another one I can't remember. I like the gunpowder a lot, but I think I didn't use enough tea when I made the sencha, so I'll have to try it again before I can say any more.
Since tea is all my mother drinks, I grew up drinking tea and still do! However, unlike most Chinese peeps who love Pu'er, I have grown to hate it because it was the only tea we had in house for 3 months... Maybe after a few years I will learn to like it again, hahahaha. For oolong teas, Ti Kuan Yin remains the best ^^ Longjing (Dragon Well) is probably my favorite green tea, although it can be pretty pricey...
Personally, my favorite tea is Jasmine, preferably in Pearl form (sometimes this is called Dragon Pearl or some other related names). www.grandtea.com has affordable good quality Chinese teas which is good on my college budget . Check them out if you like Chinese teas! It's cool to see a thread for other fellow tea drinkers
On July 03 2012 14:15 Golbat wrote: Just tried my first Pu-er tea today, it smelled slightly of fish (which was off-putting at first) but tasted very good. I can't place the flavor exactly, except for that it was very bold. I also got two different types of sencha, one type of gunpowder and another one I can't remember. I like the gunpowder a lot, but I think I didn't use enough tea when I made the sencha, so I'll have to try it again before I can say any more.
I'm pretty sure now, after checking it on some forums that that smell indicates that the quality is low
I got my Oolong-tea this week, three different kinds. Now I'm wondering if anyone has tips on brewing it? The taste is quite weak, weaker than I remembered...
On May 31 2012 08:26 yakitate304 wrote: Great thread!
I started drinking a lot of tea about 6 months ago, and picked up one of those Teavana infusers (pretty much identical to Adagio's "IngenuiTEA"), and some of Teavana's tea... The ones I've bought so far...
-Gyokuro Genmaicha Green: Really savory green tea mixed with brown rice. It sounds strange, and it smells strange too, but the flavor is so wonderful! A little nutty, a little smoky, a little floral in a non-flowery way (if that makes sense).... http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/green-teas/p/gyokuro-genmaicha-green-tea
-White Ayurvedic Chai: Great on its own, or as a half-and-half blend with the Honeybush Vanilla Rooibos. This was the first tea that I really fell in love with. The cinnamon is nicely measured and it's generally a really solid slightly spicy tea. http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/white-teas/p/white-ayurvedic-chai-tea
Teavana also recommends to steep it at 170 F while it is usually suggested to be at around 140. The other issue is similar to the first. Rice AFAIK is not usually added to gyokuro, but doing so is rather in expensive additive to something that is priced very high per lb.
Anyway I personally usually buy numi loose tea in bulk off amazon (the lung jing). I want to try some oolong and have been thinking about getting some Iron Goddess of Mercy. Anyone tried it? I have also been thinking about getting a Gaiwan (seems like the mechanical keyboard of tea community), but I'm not sure yet. Anyone have any recommendations about where to look for Gaiwans?
Thanks for your contribution yakitate304 and windd!!! want me to add it to the first post? I have the premium Gyokuro you mentioned (directly from Asia), but it tastes more like a premium Sencha, sort of lacking the creaminess (almost like milk), sweetness and vegetal flavor of my usual Gyokuro. Not sure why this is.
On July 10 2012 05:44 willoc wrote: I'm a bit surprised Orange Pekoe isn't in the list of common black teas. This is the one I've been drinking most of my life.
I think that's just a description of the quality of the tea. I know that Darjeeling teas are rated like that, but I'm not sure other teas are described with a different system. It describes the kind of leaves used for the tea. A rule of thumb would be, the longer the decription, the better the tea (1. grade Darjeeling tea is something like Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe).
Tea is the master-race drink, so delicious, so smooth, never lets me down when I wake up wanting to punch a hole in a wall.
*edit: Apparently I've been lied to by the tea companies, and orange pekoe is just a medley of other teas at a certain grade, I always wondered why different brands of orange pekoe tasted so different.
On July 10 2012 08:03 treekiller wrote: I didnt know there was tea other than Lipton. Im still skeptical. Or is this all just some drug reference that is going over my head?
Once you get hooked, you won't be able to stop. Confirming drug reference.
Okay after gallons and gallons of different types of teas from green to black to white to red, and from all types of crazy additives such as chocolate, lemon, coffee, pepperminet, a ton of different fruits, the list goes on. I have come to the conclusion that my favorite is plan ol' Chinese white tea. More specificially the brand that is shown below.
The OP states that white tea is not the healthiest, but after some reading, possibly from biased sites such as these White Tea Guide, stating that white tea is the healthiest because it is the most unproccessed directly the same reason the OP states the tea is not necessarilly the healthiest.
I would imagine it is healthier due to the fact that it is the least messed with. But you guys can be the judge.
On July 02 2012 09:13 r.Evo wrote: If it gets really hot tea is much better to stay hydrated than juice or sodas imoimo.
Not to mention there are lots of teas who taste great if you let them cool down and then put them into the fridge for a delicious fresh selfmade and un-uber-sugared ice tea. =D
unfortunately, a lot of teas have caffeine, and caffeine is a diuretic, which dehydrates you . If the tea you're drinking doesn't have any caffeine, then I think it's safe to assume it will hydrate you. Otherwise, you'd best be drinking water along with it
On July 02 2012 09:13 r.Evo wrote: If it gets really hot tea is much better to stay hydrated than juice or sodas imoimo.
Not to mention there are lots of teas who taste great if you let them cool down and then put them into the fridge for a delicious fresh selfmade and un-uber-sugared ice tea. =D
unfortunately, a lot of teas have caffeine, and caffeine is a diuretic, which dehydrates you . If the tea you're drinking doesn't have any caffeine, then I think it's safe to assume it will hydrate you. Otherwise, you'd best be drinking water along with it
It's safe to assume that tea will usually hydrate you. In the high areas of caffeine, the dehydrating effect can be noticeable (5-10 cups of the stuff). Otherwise, you are hydrating yourself in a similar manner to juice. Sodas suffer from salt and caffeine in this respect, however, making it the far worse hydrater.
On July 10 2012 05:44 willoc wrote: I'm a bit surprised Orange Pekoe isn't in the list of common black teas. This is the one I've been drinking most of my life.
Orange Pekoe is particularly popular in the US. But I'll add it because it came up multiple times in this topic already :-) Will have to try it now :D
On July 10 2012 08:30 DodgySmalls wrote: Orange pekoe, REPRESENT! :D
Tea is the master-race drink, so delicious, so smooth, never lets me down when I wake up wanting to punch a hole in a wall.
*edit: Apparently I've been lied to by the tea companies, and orange pekoe is just a medley of other teas at a certain grade, I always wondered why different brands of orange pekoe tasted so different.
Guess you learn something new every day.
There's not realy a structure in the naming of tea's I think. While Indian and Chinese oftenly use provinces (Darjeeling, Yunnan, Xi Hu, Ceylon, etc.) Japanese tea's are usually just a description of the tea characteristics. However, you can always see that if a province is used then there can be different types of tea (green, oolong, white or black), for example you can have Darjeeling green and Darjeeling black. And the ones with a specific meaning like Oolong (black dragon), rooibos (red bush) or Indian chai (tea). Hopefully this clears it up a bit
Having read through all of this threat I have been inspired to try something other than my brewed for 15 mins with a splash of milk standard UK supermarket tea.
Have got some green tea and really enjoying it, will have to look around and get trying more!
How do You guys feel about mixing? I mean, my dad always buys like 3-4 diffrent types of black tea and mix them (using smell as indicator of quality of the mix) it tastes great and better than any single tea i have ever tried. Perhaps i have grown used to the taste and thats why i love it so much. I dont know....
On July 10 2012 19:42 Pleks wrote: Having read through all of this threat I have been inspired to try something other than my brewed for 15 mins with a splash of milk standard UK supermarket tea.
Hear hear! Let us have a tea renaissance!
Over the last year or two I became a bit of a coffee connoisseur (no milk or sugar) and found that I like medium fruity roasts the best. Now it is time for tea to get into the spotlight (Thank you for this thread). Ultimately, I want to take my beverage consumption to the point where I only drink water/tea/coffee/juice/kambucha and the occasional beer.
Dad brought back some stuff from Taiwan. There's more, but its hidden in the back of the pantry and I'm scared of triggering a landslide and getting trapped under other foods if I try t find them.
I can't really see what types there are, my Mandarin is a little rusty But Taiwan is the place where some superb formosa Oolong teas like Dongding and Pouchong and greens like Longjing and Biluochun are grown. Generally all very sweet tea's.
On July 10 2012 21:00 Silvanel wrote: How do You guys feel about mixing? I mean, my dad always buys like 3-4 diffrent types of black tea and mix them (using smell as indicator of quality of the mix) it tastes great and better than any single tea i have ever tried. Perhaps i have grown used to the taste and thats why i love it so much. I dont know....
I'm not sure if mixing is done a whole lot, I've never done it. Only with foods, because certain foods such as sea food, pastries and vegetables go well with certain tea (tannins influence your palate).
On August 13 2012 07:32 neptunusfisk wrote: This fantastic article been linked in this thread yet? I agree fully with Eric Blair aka George Orwell on this matter.
Agreed, except for his limited tea selection, nothing about Japanese or African tea. Probably because Indian and Chinese tea (mainly gunpowder, Ceylon) was most popular in his time. You have to consider that when reading it, things seem somewhat exaggerated or outlandish because there is no science to back his claims up. But if you look into it, most things do make a lot of sense.
On August 13 2012 07:32 neptunusfisk wrote: This fantastic article been linked in this thread yet? I agree fully with Eric Blair aka George Orwell on this matter.
First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays — it is economical, and one can drink it without milk — but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase 'a nice cup of tea' invariably means Indian tea.
on a more serious note, what kind of hardware is recommended for getting int othe tea tasting arena, is any ole pot good enough, or is there a reason for the fancy pots I always see at stores.
On August 14 2012 06:56 abominare wrote: Thats odd sweet tea isnt even on the list!
/southerner
on a more serious note, what kind of hardware is recommended for getting int othe tea tasting arena, is any ole pot good enough, or is there a reason for the fancy pots I always see at stores.
Neither is iced tea The thing is: a tea enthusiast like me is rather particular when it comes to original flavor. If some form of flavor masking ingedrient (sugar or milk) was added to the tea, then I would consider that habitual, rather than enjoying original tea the way it should be. This does not go for natural accentuation flavors such as osmanthus, vanilla, or you name it.
I think I can make sewage water taste great if I added enough sweeteners and flavors. But would one appreciate sewage water in such an event? I wouldn't call them enthusiast.
Would a hardcore hamburger lover settle with a sweetened McDonalds hamburger or go for the handmade original style burgers?
;D Started on my tea journey today. Went and got some loose leaf for what's been the first time in years a week or 2 ago(a nice genmaicha) and decided/always wanted to be more into tea, so now's time for me to start!
Bought like 17 types from Adagio/TeaVivre before heading to school in 2 weeks, got like 3 blacks, 3 or 4 oolongs, 6 greens, and 5 pu erh(got a sampler). Honestly can't wait, i've been drinking tea since I was like 8, but it's almost always been tea bags since my Mom put away her infuser long before I was born.
I wish I was 60 already so I could just run a tea house..
edit; probably the most excited for my Golden Monkey, Almond Oolong, or Jasmine Phoenix Pearls, obvs can't wait for the other blacks/Gunpowder though!
well ive been drinking tea daily for less than 1 month , Since im trying to quit smoking I stopped drinking coffee, coffee makes me go insane for a smoke...
On August 14 2012 08:25 LiamTheZerg wrote: ;D Started on my tea journey today. Went and got some loose leaf for what's been the first time in years a week or 2 ago(a nice genmaicha) and decided/always wanted to be more into tea, so now's time for me to start!
Bought like 17 types from Adagio/TeaVivre before heading to school in 2 weeks, got like 3 blacks, 3 or 4 oolongs, 6 greens, and 5 pu erh(got a sampler). Honestly can't wait, i've been drinking tea since I was like 8, but it's almost always been tea bags since my Mom put away her infuser long before I was born.
I wish I was 60 already so I could just run a tea house..
edit; probably the most excited for my Golden Monkey, Almond Oolong, or Jasmine Phoenix Pearls, obvs can't wait for the other blacks/Gunpowder though!
I'm sure you will enjoy it every second Would be really cool if you could squeeze in a couple of pics.
BTW this is my current top 5:
#1 Superior XiHu West Lake Longjing 2012 (green, China) #2 Ambootia royal first flush darjeeling 2012 (black, India) #3 Ceremonial Matcha Hikari (green, Japan) #4 Formosa Tung Ting (oolong, Taiwan) #5 Gyokuro (green, Japan)
I'll definitely get some pics out^^ the cups won't be anything special, just regular coffee mugs(still working on getting everything, i'll probably try to get official teaware during the holidays), but I worked some manual labor last summer and got a nice camera^^
I need to try more greens though. Tried the bags earlier this year and they were ok, but after trying some loose leaf genmaicha, they just don't compare. Not a huge fan of the earthy taste of genmaicha though, it's definitely better than most that i've had, but hoping to find something a bit more like black/oolong ;o
I'm a big fan of herbal infused tea, my mother is a bit of a hippy and I grew up with a lot of tea without caffeine. My taste has expanded a lot since then, I really love cool black teas with a bit of fresh lemon juice (so good for hot Australian mornings). My favourite tea of all time would have to be this though, again I love it cool with ice on a hot morning:
On August 14 2012 09:00 SKDN wrote: Im not a tea pro or anything But is lipton really that bad? seems to the trick for me..
Not being a "pro" either, but I can appreciate good tea, yet Lipton kind of does the trick for me as well. From time to time I get really bored by the taste of regular bag teas, so for example right now I'm drinking http://www.oxalis.eu/yunnan-black-mao-feng/d-73257/ which is really nice. However most of the time I drink Lipton as well due to how easy it is to get and how cheap it is. The taste of bag teas is alright in my opinion, but I suggest trying out quality teas as well, they're definitely better.
@Seijuurou, you should totally check out some of the tea center stuff, some of it makes amazing cold teas. My favourite iced is Sydney special which has this amazing floral taste with a cooling aftertaste, kind of like mint but without any of the other effects of mint
@Thereisnosaurus, oh nice! Those blends look quite amazing, I'm already putting in an order haha. I've been a long time lurker of TL for games, streams, tournaments and players etc. but this find makes me so happy I actually registered and started posting!
I'll post back when I get my order and let you know what I think.
Rooibos literally only grows in a small mountainous part of the province I live in. As well as being the tastiest drink on the planet, it has a multitude of health benefits! If you can get your hands on some do so.
I've relatively recently started to drink tea, but there are a few kind of tea that I like.
There's one tea company in Visby, Sweden that's called Kränku, and their own Rooibos tea called Den Raude (Which means The Read One), with fruit and vanilla flavors tastes pretty good and that's what made me start drinking tea. If you have a chance to try it, do it.
Other tea's that I like is Lady Grey and orange flavored black tea
Born and raised a tea drinker. Some Indian black tea to start the day and keep me moving in the 4-5 p.m. part of the afternoon, and then a nice warm cup of hojicha or mint tea to finish things up at night. Speaking of hojicha, I didn't see it there in your list of Japanese green teas. Is it just a variety of some other sort? Anyway it is my favorite thing to drink in the evening.
Also, if you DO drink milk with tea, did you know that there's a difference between pouring the milk before the tea and vice versa? Supposedly the tea and the milk interact differently or something like that, at least with black tea. Anyway I've been told always to pour the milk before the tea.
On August 16 2012 07:00 RuiBarbO wrote: Born and raised a tea drinker. Some Indian black tea to start the day and keep me moving in the 4-5 p.m. part of the afternoon, and then a nice warm cup of hojicha or mint tea to finish things up at night. Speaking of hojicha, I didn't see it there in your list of Japanese green teas. Is it just a variety of some other sort? Anyway it is my favorite thing to drink in the evening.
Also, if you DO drink milk with tea, did you know that there's a difference between pouring the milk before the tea and vice versa? Supposedly the tea and the milk interact differently or something like that, at least with black tea. Anyway I've been told always to pour the milk before the tea.
Maybe it depends on whether you stir or not. At least that's the only reason I can imagine because milk fat and water don't mix that well without emulsion. Pouring milk first might decrease the surface for mixing. But let's not look to deep into it :D
My experience is that Hojicha is somewhere in between Rooibos and Lapsang souchong. But yes, it's a totally different type of green tea in the way it's roasted. I must have tried over 100 kinds, way too much to write about, so I tried to include the most popular ones, but it seems some good ones are still missing. So I'll just try to add to the FP as we go.
Unfortunately japanese greens are not as popular now as they used to be, because a lot of people are afraid of radiation.
Unfortunately japanese greens are not as popular now as they used to be, because a lot of people are afraid of radiation.
Really. I did not know that, but that is quite unfortunate. Is there actually anything to those concerns? It would really make me sad if I couldn't drink hojicha
Unfortunately japanese greens are not as popular now as they used to be, because a lot of people are afraid of radiation.
Really. I did not know that, but that is quite unfortunate. Is there actually anything to those concerns? It would really make me sad if I couldn't drink hojicha
Yes, most of Japan’s tea is safe. Tea from the Uji/Kyoto region, and the Yame, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures have not been found to have any radiation to date; they are all west of areas where radiation has been found (Shizuoka).
Yes, there have been some concerns from fellow tea lovers about the Shizuoka area tea (2012). With all the shops pre-emptively avoiding risky areas, all certifications and radiation checks (both in Japan and by your local wholesaler) you can still feel perfectly safe ordering from that region.
But if you still feel worried: just ask your retailer. Usually it's no big deal to show some radiation measurements or certifications for caesium levels or to tell you where the tea is from. Uji and Shizuoka (Honshu) are the biggest tea producing areas. Uji/Kyoto is where I get most of my tea from, it's also an area where the majority of Hojicha comes from.
Yes, most of Japan’s tea is safe. Tea from the Uji/Kyoto region, and the Yame, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures have not been found to have any radiation to date; they are all west of areas where radiation has been found (Shizuoka).
Yes, there have been some concerns from fellow tea lovers about the Shizuoka area tea (2012). With all the shops pre-emptively avoiding risky areas, all certifications and radiation checks (both in Japan and by your local wholesaler) you can still feel perfectly safe ordering from that region.
But if you still feel worried: just ask your retailer. Usually it's no big deal to show some radiation measurements or certifications for caesium levels or to tell you where the tea is from. Uji and Shizuoka (Honshu) are the biggest tea producing areas. Uji/Kyoto is where I get most of my tea from, it's also an area where the majority of Hojicha comes from.
Well that's a relief. Thanks very much for the info, you clearly know a LOT about tea.
Yes, most of Japan’s tea is safe. Tea from the Uji/Kyoto region, and the Yame, Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures have not been found to have any radiation to date; they are all west of areas where radiation has been found (Shizuoka).
Yes, there have been some concerns from fellow tea lovers about the Shizuoka area tea (2012). With all the shops pre-emptively avoiding risky areas, all certifications and radiation checks (both in Japan and by your local wholesaler) you can still feel perfectly safe ordering from that region.
But if you still feel worried: just ask your retailer. Usually it's no big deal to show some radiation measurements or certifications for caesium levels or to tell you where the tea is from. Uji and Shizuoka (Honshu) are the biggest tea producing areas. Uji/Kyoto is where I get most of my tea from, it's also an area where the majority of Hojicha comes from.
Well that's a relief. Thanks very much for the info, you clearly know a LOT about tea.
Thanks Many people don't know this but Japanese government standards for radiation levels and health are much stricter than in the US. Even when they did find elevated radiation levels in the Honshu area, it was still below Japanese acceptable standards.
On August 14 2012 12:08 Empyrean wrote: Seriously, no one likes smoked tea? Lapsong Souchong is my favorite! I love the smell, especially.
Hate it :/ I'm going to sound weird but it feels like drinking horse straw ..
Aww haha. It's an acquired taste for some people (although I loved it ever since trying it). I think I like it because it reminds me campfires and I love hiking/backpacking/living out in the country lol.
So im really new to tea and ive been looking at online stores and I intend on starting to try samplers before commiting to certain teas but I was curious how much tea does like 3oz or 16oz actually make of not teabagged teas? sorry if this was asked already T.T;
On August 16 2012 13:54 Sad[Panda] wrote: So im really new to tea and ive been looking at online stores and I intend on starting to try samplers before commiting to certain teas but I was curious how much tea does like 3oz or 16oz actually make of not teabagged teas? sorry if this was asked already T.T;
If we assume that 3 ounces = 85 grams and that you use one teaspoon tea per cup.
I just weighted my black tea at home, and one teaspoon weighted 3 grams, so you should be able to get 28 cups of tea from 3 ounces of loose tea. 16 ounces means something around 150 cups under the same calculations
On August 16 2012 13:54 Sad[Panda] wrote: So im really new to tea and ive been looking at online stores and I intend on starting to try samplers before commiting to certain teas but I was curious how much tea does like 3oz or 16oz actually make of not teabagged teas? sorry if this was asked already T.T;
If we assume that 3 ounces = 85 grams and that you use one teaspoon tea per cup.
I just weighted my black tea at home, and one teaspoon weighted 3 grams, so you should be able to get 28 cups of tea from 3 ounces of loose tea. 16 ounces means something around 150 cups under the same calculations
Okay thank you very much I really appreciate it! NOW ONTO MY TEA JOURNEY HO!~
On August 16 2012 13:54 Sad[Panda] wrote: So im really new to tea and ive been looking at online stores and I intend on starting to try samplers before commiting to certain teas but I was curious how much tea does like 3oz or 16oz actually make of not teabagged teas? sorry if this was asked already T.T;
If we assume that 3 ounces = 85 grams and that you use one teaspoon tea per cup.
I just weighted my black tea at home, and one teaspoon weighted 3 grams, so you should be able to get 28 cups of tea from 3 ounces of loose tea. 16 ounces means something around 150 cups under the same calculations
Okay thank you very much I really appreciate it! NOW ONTO MY TEA JOURNEY HO!~
Aww haha. It's an acquired taste for some people (although I loved it ever since trying it). I think I like it because it reminds me campfires and I love hiking/backpacking/living out in the country lol.
This. You only appreciate smokey teas when you've made some in a dented tin over a campfire while it's like -2 degrees and you're wrapped in a sleeping bag somewhere out in a mountain eucalypt forest. I've actually just switched to Billy teabags over my usual lipton/twinings pleb tea, partly because it funds legacy, who I respect a great deal, and partly for that rough-around-the-edges camp taste. I don't drink the harder smokey teas like russian caravan and lapsang frequently, but I have a supply of both and they're some of my favourite once-in-a-while teas
Aww haha. It's an acquired taste for some people (although I loved it ever since trying it). I think I like it because it reminds me campfires and I love hiking/backpacking/living out in the country lol.
This. You only appreciate smokey teas when you've made some in a dented tin over a campfire while it's like -2 degrees and you're wrapped in a sleeping bag somewhere out in a mountain eucalypt forest. I've actually just switched to Billy teabags over my usual lipton/twinings pleb tea, partly because it funds legacy, who I respect a great deal, and partly for that rough-around-the-edges camp taste. I don't drink the harder smokey teas like russian caravan and lapsang frequently, but I have a supply of both and they're some of my favourite once-in-a-while teas
Can really appreciate his view on it, that's my reason for loving the more bodied teas like oolong and pu-erh. Because they remind me of some nice things; such as being outdoor.
Aww haha. It's an acquired taste for some people (although I loved it ever since trying it). I think I like it because it reminds me campfires and I love hiking/backpacking/living out in the country lol.
This. You only appreciate smokey teas when you've made some in a dented tin over a campfire while it's like -2 degrees and you're wrapped in a sleeping bag somewhere out in a mountain eucalypt forest. I've actually just switched to Billy teabags over my usual lipton/twinings pleb tea, partly because it funds legacy, who I respect a great deal, and partly for that rough-around-the-edges camp taste. I don't drink the harder smokey teas like russian caravan and lapsang frequently, but I have a supply of both and they're some of my favourite once-in-a-while teas
Can really appreciate his view on it, that's my reason for loving the more bodied teas like oolong and pu-erh. Because they remind me of some nice things; such as being outdoor.
Yeah, the memories that different teas carry definitely add to my appreciation of them. I don't have much experience with drinking tea in the rugged outdoors, but drinking hojicha reminds me of a visit to Japan that I remember quite fondly...
Edit: Now drinking some nice Waug Bakri tea while watching REcco play in the TSL4. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon
On September 21 2012 23:43 FunkyLich wrote: Does anybody have any recommendations for good travel thermoses for tea that retain heat? Or should I just use a coffee thermos?
Zojirushi makes the best thermoses, at least out of the ones I've used.
On September 21 2012 23:43 FunkyLich wrote: Does anybody have any recommendations for good travel thermoses for tea that retain heat? Or should I just use a coffee thermos?
Zojirushi makes the best thermoses, at least out of the ones I've used.
So I just wanted to share a little tea story with y'all. Today was a fairly lousy day by most accounts, and I was alone in my room wondering "what can I do to turn this lousy day around," and then I walked to a nearby coffee shop, bought a cup of black tea, added milk, and sat down to enjoy. Wasn't even close to the best cup I've had but it got the job done and now I feel much better. The name of the tea as far as I remember was just "Chinese Breakfast" or something to that effect.
On September 23 2012 16:08 WindWolf wrote: So I need a little help.
I really like citrus-flavored black tea and I'm wondering what kind of unflavored black tea I'm gonna like.
Your options for unflavored black tea (which compare to citrus type flavors) are limited, so I will also advise you to look at some others types of tea as well:
- First flush darjeeling (Ambootia) black tea - Keemun red tea - Twining's Lady Grey
These were my top 3 most recommended selections given your criteria There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria
- Bai lin gong fu black/red tea - White tea with peach, pear or pomegranate (watch for white tea that comes from Fujian). Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan - Yunnan green/black (e.g., Yunnan gold) - Silk Oolong Formosa Tung Ting
Maybe this can help you decide what kind of tea you can look for: I think that someone with your liking of citrus flavored black will really appreciate the Champagne fruit-like teas out there (taste & quality wise). Especially good white teas, Darjeeling black and Keemun will be a good choice because once you start developing a more refined taste sense you might want to go for some of the sweet and subtle tea's out there. Not to say that flavored black tea is barbaric, the flavor just masks the black tea flavor a lot, while it might be nicer to have a tea in where the tea and flavoring work together better.
I can't remember if I have posted in this thread before, but I am a huge tea drinker (pretty much exclusively black/pu erh).
I always get my tea from republic of tea (republicoftea.com); they have delicious loose leaf (and bags too).
Anyways I recently discovered a new flavor that has immediately become my favorite: Golden Yunnan. It is robust, refined, and has exactly the flavor I crave when I want some tea. Luckily RoT sells little sampler tins for cheap, so I strongly encourage any of you to give it a try if you like pu erh
Also I echo the sentiment about zojirushi thermoses. I use one every time I commentate, and it keeps my soothing honeyed tea hot even if I am casting for 8+ hours.
On September 23 2012 16:08 WindWolf wrote: So I need a little help.
I really like citrus-flavored black tea and I'm wondering what kind of unflavored black tea I'm gonna like.
Your options for unflavored black tea (which compare to citrus type flavors) are limited, so I will also advise you to look at some others types of tea as well:
- First flush darjeeling (Ambootia) black tea - Keemun red tea - Twining's Lady Grey
These were my top 3 most recommended selections given your criteria There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria
- Bai lin gong fu black/red tea - White tea with peach, pear or pomegranate (watch for white tea that comes from Fujian). Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan - Yunnan green/black (e.g., Yunnan gold) - Silk Oolong Formosa Tung Ting
Maybe this can help you decide what kind of tea you can look for: I think that someone with your liking of citrus flavored black will really appreciate the Champagne fruit-like teas out there (taste & quality wise). Especially good white teas, Darjeeling black and Keemun will be a good choice because once you start developing a more refined taste sense you might want to go for some of the sweet and subtle tea's out there. Not to say that flavored black tea is barbaric, the flavor just masks the black tea flavor a lot, while it might be nicer to have a tea in where the tea and flavoring work together better.
Thanks for the tips. I will look into what my local tea-store sells and try some of those when I need to but more tea
On September 23 2012 16:08 WindWolf wrote: So I need a little help.
I really like citrus-flavored black tea and I'm wondering what kind of unflavored black tea I'm gonna like.
Your options for unflavored black tea (which compare to citrus type flavors) are limited, so I will also advise you to look at some others types of tea as well:
- First flush darjeeling (Ambootia) black tea - Keemun red tea - Twining's Lady Grey
These were my top 3 most recommended selections given your criteria There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria
- Bai lin gong fu black/red tea - White tea with peach, pear or pomegranate (watch for white tea that comes from Fujian). Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan - Yunnan green/black (e.g., Yunnan gold) - Silk Oolong Formosa Tung Ting
Maybe this can help you decide what kind of tea you can look for: I think that someone with your liking of citrus flavored black will really appreciate the Champagne fruit-like teas out there (taste & quality wise). Especially good white teas, Darjeeling black and Keemun will be a good choice because once you start developing a more refined taste sense you might want to go for some of the sweet and subtle tea's out there. Not to say that flavored black tea is barbaric, the flavor just masks the black tea flavor a lot, while it might be nicer to have a tea in where the tea and flavoring work together better.
Thanks for the tips. I will look into what my local tea-store sells and try some of those when I need to but more tea
I've tried Lady Grey earlier, and I liked it
No problem! I like your tea policy. No new stuff until the old stuff is out. I wish I had your strength to do that
>.> Orb in california, posting in a thread hours before I find it. I'm a huge 2nd flush Darjeeling fan, any time I can get it I want it. I also like oolongs of various varieties. For the record, whomever was saying Lady Grey was an unflavored black tea is somewhat incorrect, it has beargamont and orange fragments, I have some myself, it's ok when I feel the need for it, I find the beargamont overpowering. I also think I'm spelling it wrong.
On September 23 2012 16:08 WindWolf wrote: So I need a little help.
I really like citrus-flavored black tea and I'm wondering what kind of unflavored black tea I'm gonna like.
Your options for unflavored black tea (which compare to citrus type flavors) are limited, so I will also advise you to look at some others types of tea as well:
- First flush darjeeling (Ambootia) black tea - Keemun red tea - Twining's Lady Grey
These were my top 3 most recommended selections given your criteria There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria
- Bai lin gong fu black/red tea - White tea with peach, pear or pomegranate (watch for white tea that comes from Fujian). Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan - Yunnan green/black (e.g., Yunnan gold) - Silk Oolong Formosa Tung Ting
Maybe this can help you decide what kind of tea you can look for: I think that someone with your liking of citrus flavored black will really appreciate the Champagne fruit-like teas out there (taste & quality wise). Especially good white teas, Darjeeling black and Keemun will be a good choice because once you start developing a more refined taste sense you might want to go for some of the sweet and subtle tea's out there. Not to say that flavored black tea is barbaric, the flavor just masks the black tea flavor a lot, while it might be nicer to have a tea in where the tea and flavoring work together better.
Thanks for the tips. I will look into what my local tea-store sells and try some of those when I need to but more tea
I've tried Lady Grey earlier, and I liked it
No problem! I like your tea policy. No new stuff until the old stuff is out. I wish I had your strength to do that
My limiting factor is the number of tea tins I have. My store requires you to buy at least 100g of loose weight tea, and I only have one 100g tin and two 50g tins. So essentially I can only have two types of non-bagged tea at a time.
On September 23 2012 16:08 WindWolf wrote: So I need a little help.
I really like citrus-flavored black tea and I'm wondering what kind of unflavored black tea I'm gonna like.
Your options for unflavored black tea (which compare to citrus type flavors) are limited, so I will also advise you to look at some others types of tea as well:
- First flush darjeeling (Ambootia) black tea - Keemun red tea - Twining's Lady Grey
These were my top 3 most recommended selections given your criteria There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria
- Bai lin gong fu black/red tea - White tea with peach, pear or pomegranate (watch for white tea that comes from Fujian). Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan - Yunnan green/black (e.g., Yunnan gold) - Silk Oolong Formosa Tung Ting
Maybe this can help you decide what kind of tea you can look for: I think that someone with your liking of citrus flavored black will really appreciate the Champagne fruit-like teas out there (taste & quality wise). Especially good white teas, Darjeeling black and Keemun will be a good choice because once you start developing a more refined taste sense you might want to go for some of the sweet and subtle tea's out there. Not to say that flavored black tea is barbaric, the flavor just masks the black tea flavor a lot, while it might be nicer to have a tea in where the tea and flavoring work together better.
Thanks for the tips. I will look into what my local tea-store sells and try some of those when I need to but more tea
I've tried Lady Grey earlier, and I liked it
No problem! I like your tea policy. No new stuff until the old stuff is out. I wish I had your strength to do that
My limiting factor is the number of tea tins I have. My store requires you to buy at least 100g of loose weight tea, and I only have one 100g tin and two 50g tins. So essentially I can only have two types of non-bagged tea at a time.
Very true, it's just that some of the merchants use grip packages which don't require you to use a tin for storing.
I'm still updating the first post; PM me, if you want to add something! Let's make it the most complete single-page tea resource on the web <3
ive recently started drinking tea again, did always drink a couple of cups of green tea a couple of years ago.
Started again when i had the flu a couple of weeks ago to sooth the throat and i drink a cup or two daily now, usually in the evening. Tried some bag tea's but they are horrible compared to the leaf ones which has much more taste. So never buying bags again!
wow, this thread inspired me to go out and get some good tea. would anyone have a recommendation for something with low/no caffeine? I've started on a new medication and as a result I'm very sensitive to caffeine. Also, I've tried a few random cheap herbal teas but never liked a single one. They all had a funny aftertaste and even the main "flavour" (raspberry, etc.) wasn't quite to my liking. I am quite a fan of green or oolong tea though.
My dad is a huge tea enthusiast so I tend to drink a lot. I don't know what type it is but its traditional Chinese Tea. Although its not actually a true tea, I really love drinking Wheat Tea. I just think it tastes so good.
I'm somewhat new to being a tea enthusiast since I've started drinking it again. I'd like to learn more about better tea than just from the grocery store. I've only had tea from bags and I'd like to try the leaf ones. Any recommended? I usually just drink green tea, if it helps.
On October 01 2012 08:57 StayPhrosty wrote: wow, this thread inspired me to go out and get some good tea. would anyone have a recommendation for something with low/no caffeine? I've started on a new medication and as a result I'm very sensitive to caffeine. Also, I've tried a few random cheap herbal teas but never liked a single one. They all had a funny aftertaste and even the main "flavour" (raspberry, etc.) wasn't quite to my liking. I am quite a fan of green or oolong tea though.
Maybe vanilla rooibos (rooibos and vanilla work together amazingly well) or something with osmanthus or jasmine? It's always hard to advise someone, based on what they have tried.
Inspired by this amazing thread I decided to try some Tea I have never drunk before. I've got some White Tea (Bai Mu Dan) today and I'm quite impressed
Normally I am more a fan of strong flavours but this Bai Mu Dan is so smooth and soft. I think I have to get more of it!
Continue the good work. This is probably one of my favorite threads here on TL.
On October 01 2012 10:34 RaYhN wrote: ti kuan yin is my fav! i'm thinking about heading to chinatown and getting one of those tea trays to dump your tea after you clean it.
Oh I love Ti Kuan Yin; together with Dong Ding and Wu Yi Rock Wulong I would rate them the 3 best oolong that money can buy.
Just had an interesting tea called Tiger Hill Nilgiri from good old Tealuxe. Had a sort of spiced flavor, almost like chai but a bit more bitter. Unfortunately I am pretty sure I added a wee bit too much milk and dulled the flavor more than I would have liked.
Speaking of Tealuxe, is it a decent place to get tea? I like it because they have so many varieties, a 20 oz cup of tea is pretty cheap, I don't have a way to brew tea myself here, and they have different brews on every day.
On September 23 2012 16:08 WindWolf wrote: So I need a little help.
I really like citrus-flavored black tea and I'm wondering what kind of unflavored black tea I'm gonna like.
Your options for unflavored black tea (which compare to citrus type flavors) are limited, so I will also advise you to look at some others types of tea as well:
- First flush darjeeling (Ambootia) black tea - Keemun red tea - Twining's Lady Grey
These were my top 3 most recommended selections given your criteria There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria
- Bai lin gong fu black/red tea - White tea with peach, pear or pomegranate (watch for white tea that comes from Fujian). Silver Needle, Bai Mu Dan - Yunnan green/black (e.g., Yunnan gold) - Silk Oolong Formosa Tung Ting
Maybe this can help you decide what kind of tea you can look for: I think that someone with your liking of citrus flavored black will really appreciate the Champagne fruit-like teas out there (taste & quality wise). Especially good white teas, Darjeeling black and Keemun will be a good choice because once you start developing a more refined taste sense you might want to go for some of the sweet and subtle tea's out there.
Not to say that flavored black tea is barbaric, the flavor just masks the black tea flavor a lot, while it might be nicer to have a tea in where the tea and flavoring work together better.
My tea store had an unflavored black tea called Darjeeling BOP, and I liked it. It will just take some time to get used to it :p
As for you last point, I can understand what you're trying to say, but so far the only tea that I feel fit that criteria is Lipton's Tropical Fruit tea. It tastes good, but the fruit flavor is to strong in that tea.
On October 03 2012 09:11 Larkin wrote: Guys, I'm English, from London, and I have never had a cup of tea in my life.
Is there something wrong with me?
No, there is nothing wrong with you. I didn't start drinking tea until I was 19 years old (Although I drank a cup when I 18, but at that time I was REALLY sick)
Several coffee shops in South Africa have recently begun to sell "red espresso", which is concentrated rooibos served and presented in the style of ordinary espresso. This has given rise to rooibos-based variations of coffee drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos. Iced tea made from rooibos has recently been introduced in South Africa, Australia, and in the United States. A variant of a London Fog, known as a Cape Town Fog, can also be made using Rooibos steeped in steamed milk with vanilla syrup.
This! I have one nearly every day, makes me happy on the inside - anyone ever seen this outside of SA?
Several coffee shops in South Africa have recently begun to sell "red espresso", which is concentrated rooibos served and presented in the style of ordinary espresso. This has given rise to rooibos-based variations of coffee drinks such as red lattes and red cappuccinos. Iced tea made from rooibos has recently been introduced in South Africa, Australia, and in the United States. A variant of a London Fog, known as a Cape Town Fog, can also be made using Rooibos steeped in steamed milk with vanilla syrup.
This! I have one nearly every day, makes me happy on the inside - anyone ever seen this outside of SA?
I haven't heard of this, but iced tea rooibos sound nice. I've tried a rooibos tea once, and I liked it. Might try another rooibos tea next time
Drinking rooiboos from Upton Tea Imports right now. It's really good =D. I have an electric kettle where I boil the water, and then I pour it into this cup with a strainer basket on top that I received as a graduation present.
On October 06 2012 23:44 Silvanel wrote: Yeah, but i use honey instead of sugar, much better.
Me too. I buy a gallon of honey from the local apiary every few months. Costs me about $25 USD. You can use it in almost anything as a replacement for sugar. And it's really good for you.
I love tea. When I was a child I would drink bancha tea when the sun came up and when the sun went down because my mum used to buy it due to how cheap it was. Now my favorite tea is hojicha tea. It's really rich tea. Though there's nothing like an Earl Grey with honey in it sometimes when you're not feeling too well, or just when you're in the mood for something not so engaging. I can't play StarCraft without a tea next to me. Stealing nerds ladder points just isn't as sweet when I'm not drinking a tea. :D
On October 07 2012 09:36 PlaidRabbit wrote: I love tea. When I was a child I would drink bancha tea when the sun came up and when the sun went down because my mum used to buy it due to how cheap it was. Now my favorite tea is hojicha tea. It's really rich tea. Though there's nothing like an Earl Grey with honey in it sometimes when you're not feeling too well, or just when you're in the mood for something not so engaging. I can't play StarCraft without a tea next to me. Stealing nerds ladder points just isn't as sweet when I'm not drinking a tea. :D
My first post on TL is about tea. Wow.
I'm not sure you can have a classier first post. lol
I'm not sure you can have a classier first post. lol
I try xoxox :D
On another note, here's a bit of something I found interesting. I haven't read through EVERYTHING that's happened in this thread so I don't know if it's been covered or not but here goes. My brother smokes tea. Not smokes tea in order to drink it, but he actually puts it into a pipe and smokes it (not every day, and it's really good quality expensive white tea). At first I was very averted to it and thought it was a horrible idea and why the devil is it even in existence blah blah, you get the picture. And then I noticed that a fair few people were doing it, not just him. I used to smoke tobacco. I was a smoker for four years before quitting, so naturally I'd be against anything to do with smoke. It's kinda built into me now. But looking at tea, it has nothing bad in really. Not that we know of. And a lot of people have been telling me that it's a very calming smoke and has a lovely aroma and all sorts of things like that.
I'm not in a position to try it and don't really want to at the moment, but as a tea enthusiast I'd really like to know wether or not some of you guys smoke tea. If so, why do you do it? What's so great about it? What's not great about it? There must be a reason why you're burning perfectly good tea. Is this another way that I can enjoy tea?
It's been bugging me for a while now. If you can direct me toward another way of thinking about this or enlighten me of certain aspects of this type of consuming tea I would be very grateful.
I'm not sure you can have a classier first post. lol
I try xoxox :D
On another note, here's a bit of something I found interesting. I haven't read through EVERYTHING that's happened in this thread so I don't know if it's been covered or not but here goes. My brother smokes tea. Not smokes tea in order to drink it, but he actually puts it into a pipe and smokes it (not every day, and it's really good quality expensive white tea). At first I was very averted to it and thought it was a horrible idea and why the devil is it even in existence blah blah, you get the picture. And then I noticed that a fair few people were doing it, not just him. I used to smoke tobacco. I was a smoker for four years before quitting, so naturally I'd be against anything to do with smoke. It's kinda built into me now. But looking at tea, it has nothing bad in really. Not that we know of. And a lot of people have been telling me that it's a very calming smoke and has a lovely aroma and all sorts of things like that.
I'm not in a position to try it and don't really want to at the moment, but as a tea enthusiast I'd really like to know wether or not some of you guys smoke tea. If so, why do you do it? What's so great about it? What's not great about it? There must be a reason why you're burning perfectly good tea. Is this another way that I can enjoy tea?
It's been bugging me for a while now. If you can direct me toward another way of thinking about this or enlighten me of certain aspects of this type of consuming tea I would be very grateful.
I don't have any knowledge or experience smoking tea leaves. All I could advise you on is the obvious fact that smoking any substance is bad for your lungs.
I'm not sure you can have a classier first post. lol
I try xoxox :D
On another note, here's a bit of something I found interesting. I haven't read through EVERYTHING that's happened in this thread so I don't know if it's been covered or not but here goes. My brother smokes tea. Not smokes tea in order to drink it, but he actually puts it into a pipe and smokes it (not every day, and it's really good quality expensive white tea). At first I was very averted to it and thought it was a horrible idea and why the devil is it even in existence blah blah, you get the picture. And then I noticed that a fair few people were doing it, not just him. I used to smoke tobacco. I was a smoker for four years before quitting, so naturally I'd be against anything to do with smoke. It's kinda built into me now. But looking at tea, it has nothing bad in really. Not that we know of. And a lot of people have been telling me that it's a very calming smoke and has a lovely aroma and all sorts of things like that.
I'm not in a position to try it and don't really want to at the moment, but as a tea enthusiast I'd really like to know wether or not some of you guys smoke tea. If so, why do you do it? What's so great about it? What's not great about it? There must be a reason why you're burning perfectly good tea. Is this another way that I can enjoy tea?
It's been bugging me for a while now. If you can direct me toward another way of thinking about this or enlighten me of certain aspects of this type of consuming tea I would be very grateful.
I've tried it a few times by cutting open a bagged tea and packing it into a pipe. Never tried with a loose leaf tea, but I used a white tea with fruit in it, and it was alright. Definitely something I would try with the right full leaf tea.
Just did an impromptu puerh tea tasting today with a few friends
2005 yiwu golden unicorn (raw) 1994 zhang xiang (ripe) 2001 Yuanye Xiang (raw) And some really unknown age puerh my friend got from his grandma who aged it "a really long time ago"
The ripe was the worst by far, just way too much of the wooden/earthy flavor without anything interesting. 2001 was pretty good, surprised that 2005 doesnt taste that aged yet but the 2001 is pretty damn close. I guess I need to get older ones...
The unknown one is pretty good. I'd say it's at least 30 year old. Need to drink it again to properly judge
whooo.
PS: I'm looking into getting some more chinese oolongs some time soon. Anyone know of a good source that won't rip of you off and have decent leaves? Apparently my friend is also having trouble sourcing them =_=
Also anyone know how the taste changes on an aged oolong?
Really love oolong tea especially tie guan yin. Most people who drink tea in my area, have small tea kits, to brew their tea. (the gongfu cha thing). Generally we dont brew our tea, and always use the first batch to wash the tea cups and wash the tea leaves. The 4th/5th batch is usually the best, as it brings out the gold flavour of the tea.
<3 puer tea. I prefer the fermented generally, but both have their place. It is, in my opinion, the most underrated type of tea. If you are trying to get friends or family into tea, puer tea is amazing because it can be brewed many times, is meant to be steeped in boiling water, and has no right/wrong brewing time.
On October 07 2012 16:13 jbui wrote: hello! i just started drinking tea and i had a few questions i was reading a review on this tea that i wanted to buy and they said
2nd steep: 80degrees, 1.5minutes, a little more vegetal, but still nutty
3rd steep: 85degrees, 2.5minutes, less vegetal with some sweetness remaining.
i was wondering how long you can wait before doing a second steep? ( i assume a second steep means pouring water over the tea leaves again?)
time and temperature depends on what sort of tea it is. and also on how you like it, so i suggest to experiment a bit and find out how you like it the most. What I've read quite some time (about japanese green tea) is to increase the temperature and decrease the time with every steep. I never thought about how long to wait between steeping again. Can't really help you, as I'm a beginner too, but if you say what sort of tea you're talking about maybe someone can give you more detailed information.
On October 07 2012 16:13 jbui wrote: hello! i just started drinking tea and i had a few questions i was reading a review on this tea that i wanted to buy and they said
2nd steep: 80degrees, 1.5minutes, a little more vegetal, but still nutty
3rd steep: 85degrees, 2.5minutes, less vegetal with some sweetness remaining.
i was wondering how long you can wait before doing a second steep? ( i assume a second steep means pouring water over the tea leaves again?)
time and temperature depends on what sort of tea it is. and also on how you like it, so i suggest to experiment a bit and find out how you like it the most. What I've read quite some time (about japanese green tea) is to increase the temperature and decrease the time with every steep. I never thought about how long to wait between steeping again. Can't really help you, as I'm a beginner too, but if you say what sort of tea you're talking about maybe someone can give you more detailed information.
This is how I always do it. Because leaf tends go bad (less sweet and a strong aftertaste) when steeped too hot too quickly. I've never put much thought into the times between steeping. My guess is that it doesn't matter as long as the leaves are not exposed to water in the meanwhile. Just don't wait hours in between, because this can have a bad influence on the taste.
On October 08 2012 21:03 Bwaaaa wrote: Where can I buy good quality loose leaf tea online that can ship cheaply to Australia? I have looked at adagio but unless I buy in bulk the shipping is very expensive.
My experience with Teavivre.com is that they are extremely cheap considering their high quality tea. Their shipping price is very cheap and even at fairly low order amounts for free.
Just had a really good cup from Tealuxe. Yalta Estate Ceylon. Just a bit of milk and mmmmmmm... Sort of light vanilla flavor that I can still taste even after the fact. Best cup I've had in a long time.
On October 06 2012 23:29 Mash2 wrote: Black tea with lemon juice and sugar. mmmmmm
I have not heard of putting lemon juice in black tea. I will have to try that sometime.
On October 09 2012 00:45 RuiBarbO wrote: Just had a really good cup from Tealuxe. Yalta Estate Ceylon. Just a bit of milk and mmmmmmm... Sort of light vanilla flavor that I can still taste even after the fact. Best cup I've had in a long time.
Drinking 3/4 cups of green tea a day every day when i can. Usualy though it's tea bags considering i have trouble finding good tea in my area. I do visit Taiwan on a regular basis and often buy a couple of bags of oorlong tea, often saved for weekends or special occasions
I've just gotten some new tea directly brought in from China: yellow tea!!, Dan cong red tea and wild pu erh. This yellow tea (Huoshan Huangya) tastes like Japanese green tea such as gyokuro or kukicha (Karigane), but more well rounded. I also taste tested about 6 different Pu erh regional teas (each with it's own complex flavor) including old tree (on of the most prized Pu erh). It's amazing how generous and kind tea lovers are when it comes to sharing their experiences and tea! I encourage any of you hardcore tea lovers to meet, when you live closeby. It's alot easier and cheaper to learn from others and try their stuff, than to find out yourself.
Wild Pu erh
Left: Wild Pu erh, middle: Dan cong, Right: yellow tea
Sorry for the bad picture quality. You can see here what yellow tea looks like.
where do you store the leaves if you want to wait an hour or so before re-steeping? do you have to dry the leaves/keep them unexposed to air etc?
It's not really quickly to change in flavor by light or air in such a short time, the only thing to make sure is that the leaves are not soaked in water after each pour.
Does anyone ever eat scones while they have tea? The ones in coffee shops and the like are often a little too sweet for me but homemade ones (my favorite are pumpkin) are an excellent complement to a good black tea if you want a more elaborate tea-drinking experience. Especially great to have with friends.
I'm fairly new to scones, if it helps I've had some cool Eureka moments regarding new flavor experience when eating food followed by drinking tea with white bread. It doesn't limit itself at increasing a flavor's strength, it's a whole new flavor all together.
On October 21 2012 06:39 peacenl wrote: I'm fairly new to scones, if it helps I've had some cool Eureka moments regarding new flavor experience when eating food followed by drinking tea with white bread. It doesn't limit itself at increasing a flavor's strength, it's a whole new flavor all together.
Interesting. I would not have thought of white bread. I find that in general mildly sweet things and things like sticky date cakes are really nice to cleanse with the bitterness of a cup of tea. Hence I seldom have any sort of sweetener or other flavoring in the actual tea when I have, for example, scones. Not that that's the only way to do it, of course
On October 17 2012 05:17 peacenl wrote: I've just gotten some new tea directly brought in from China: yellow tea!!, Dan cong red tea and wild pu erh. This yellow tea (Huoshan Huangya) tastes like Japanese green tea such as gyokuro or kukicha (Karigane), but more well rounded. I also taste tested about 6 different Pu erh regional teas (each with it's own complex flavor) including old tree (on of the most prized Pu erh). It's amazing how generous and kind tea lovers are when it comes to sharing their experiences and tea! I encourage any of you hardcore tea lovers to meet, when you live closeby. It's alot easier and cheaper to learn from others and try their stuff, than to find out yourself.
Wild Pu erh
Left: Wild Pu erh, middle: Dan cong, Right: yellow tea
Sorry for the bad picture quality. You can see here what yellow tea looks like.
where do you store the leaves if you want to wait an hour or so before re-steeping? do you have to dry the leaves/keep them unexposed to air etc?
It's not really quickly to change in flavor by light or air in such a short time, the only thing to make sure is that the leaves are not soaked in water after each pour.
Does Pu-Erh typically come packaged in a pressed disc like that? I bought some before that came pressed and cut up in these little squares, but it was not very good quality tea (smelled like fish). I sort of enjoyed it anyways, but I want to get my hands on some better quality next time, and I'm pretty poor atm t.t
On October 17 2012 05:17 peacenl wrote: I've just gotten some new tea directly brought in from China: yellow tea!!, Dan cong red tea and wild pu erh. This yellow tea (Huoshan Huangya) tastes like Japanese green tea such as gyokuro or kukicha (Karigane), but more well rounded. I also taste tested about 6 different Pu erh regional teas (each with it's own complex flavor) including old tree (on of the most prized Pu erh). It's amazing how generous and kind tea lovers are when it comes to sharing their experiences and tea! I encourage any of you hardcore tea lovers to meet, when you live closeby. It's alot easier and cheaper to learn from others and try their stuff, than to find out yourself.
Wild Pu erh
Left: Wild Pu erh, middle: Dan cong, Right: yellow tea
Sorry for the bad picture quality. You can see here what yellow tea looks like.
where do you store the leaves if you want to wait an hour or so before re-steeping? do you have to dry the leaves/keep them unexposed to air etc?
It's not really quickly to change in flavor by light or air in such a short time, the only thing to make sure is that the leaves are not soaked in water after each pour.
Does Pu-Erh typically come packaged in a pressed disc like that? I bought some before that came pressed and cut up in these little squares, but it was not very good quality tea (smelled like fish). I sort of enjoyed it anyways, but I want to get my hands on some better quality next time, and I'm pretty poor atm t.t
There is also loose leaf raw Pu erh (aka wild Pu erh), which doesn't smell like fish, it doesn't have to be a cake, unless you wish to let it age. Maybe this helps:
I think you've had ripe Pu erh (also known as cooked Pu erh), even though they don't actually cook the Pu erh, but use some techniques to speed up the aging - such as putting damp rags on the tea leaves - to imitate an aged wild Pu erh. As a result you end up with Pu erh that doesn't age well, some say you can only keep them 10 years. Quality-wise ripened tea bricks or small squares are usually the lowest (and consequently lesser in taste).
I live in northern Finland, don't trust the wretched TL location bar. As far as I know they are all pedo's on Pitcairn. Yeah I make it correct I think. But because I'm lazy I sometimes like to make a lot of it at once using slightly less leaves and then stick it in thermos. So it will get bitter. Usually with my brand of Sencha only the last cup is undrinkable when done so. The cheaper, more powdery varieties just go terrible.
I know I should be ashamed but you don't get into masters brewing tea after every game
Tip; Brew your tea. Filter it and then put into thermos. No more bitterness.
Did you know that there is something in Tea that counteracts the effect of the caffeine in Tea?
So, I am a tea dunce myself. Occasionally will make some with the cheap tea bags I got lying around but not much beyond that.
My sister's bday is coming up though and I know she is pretty into tea... Any suggestions for a good gift? I know it's hard since I don't have much idea of her preferences. I'm currently living in England so I thought I might be able to find something decent here, but I guess in this day and age with the internet it doesn't really matter since I might order online anyway.
On October 23 2012 07:58 Jonoman92 wrote: So, I am a tea dunce myself. Occasionally will make some with the cheap tea bags I got lying around but not much beyond that.
My sister's bday is coming up though and I know she is pretty into tea... Any suggestions for a good gift? I know it's hard since I don't have much idea of her preferences. I'm currently living in England so I thought I might be able to find something decent here, but I guess in this day and age with the internet it doesn't really matter since I might order online anyway.
A dedicated tea drinker needs a good teapot. Maybe get her a good one? My family is VERY specific about which teapot is used to brew which kind of tea (no peppermint in the one for the Assam black tea).
On October 23 2012 07:58 Jonoman92 wrote: So, I am a tea dunce myself. Occasionally will make some with the cheap tea bags I got lying around but not much beyond that.
My sister's bday is coming up though and I know she is pretty into tea... Any suggestions for a good gift? I know it's hard since I don't have much idea of her preferences. I'm currently living in England so I thought I might be able to find something decent here, but I guess in this day and age with the internet it doesn't really matter since I might order online anyway.
As far as teapots go, if that's what you decide for her, I'd go with a chatsford teapot. I'm not sure where else you can get them, but I bought a nice 4-cup teapot from Upton Tea Imports for like less than 20$. I'm pretty sure it was on clearance, but the prices should still be pretty decent for a larger one. It works really well for me.
I just got my first lot of loose leaf tea after a friend got me interested and quite frankly I have not had a great first experience. The tea is all crushed up and looks like this http://t2tea.com/assets/Images/Products/Heroes/T120AE011-LG.jpg. It cannot be steeped multiple times because after the first steep it has no flavour, colour or anything else. I bought this batch of Irish breakfast from my local tea shop and I wonder if they just sell terrible tea?
On October 23 2012 11:55 Bwaaaa wrote: I just got my first lot of loose leaf tea after a friend got me interested and quite frankly I have not had a great first experience. The tea is all crushed up and looks like this http://t2tea.com/assets/Images/Products/Heroes/T120AE011-LG.jpg. It cannot be steeped multiple times because after the first steep it has no flavour, colour or anything else. I bought this batch of Irish breakfast from my local tea shop and I wonder if they just sell terrible tea?
Random question for tea lovers. I am in love with this tea Aveda makes called "Aveda comforting tea." It has a natural sweetness from licorice and peppermint, but it is pretty expensive. I've been trying to find another tea, that comes right out of the bag, or from the leaves, sweet and preferably similar to the aveda tea without being a dollar a cup. Has anyone ever had this tea? or know how I could find one that is similar but less expensive? Thanks a ton, this thread is awesome.
On October 25 2012 03:34 sephuys wrote: Random question for tea lovers. I am in love with this tea Aveda makes called "Aveda comforting tea." It has a natural sweetness from licorice and peppermint, but it is pretty expensive. I've been trying to find another tea, that comes right out of the bag, or from the leaves, sweet and preferably similar to the aveda tea without being a dollar a cup. Has anyone ever had this tea? or know how I could find one that is similar but less expensive? Thanks a ton, this thread is awesome.
I have never heard of Aveda, but wow that's some hefty price! If you're looking for a comforting tea with licorice I can definitely recommend this one:
This is one of a few teas I still drink that comes from a sachet.
It might look one of those gross detox products. But it has an incredibly well balanced mix of ingredients making it a sweet, slightly herbal and relaxing tea. No caffeine, affordable and healthy.
On October 20 2012 00:22 RuiBarbO wrote: Does anyone ever eat scones while they have tea? The ones in coffee shops and the like are often a little too sweet for me but homemade ones (my favorite are pumpkin) are an excellent complement to a good black tea if you want a more elaborate tea-drinking experience. Especially great to have with friends.
Do you, or any one else, have any homemade scone recipes? I'd love to try some out.
As for food pairings, I love to eat dark chocolate (70%+) with Da Hong Pao(Big red robe) oolong. Or any tea with a chocolate chip muffin. I just love chocolate chip muffins though.
On October 20 2012 00:22 RuiBarbO wrote: Does anyone ever eat scones while they have tea? The ones in coffee shops and the like are often a little too sweet for me but homemade ones (my favorite are pumpkin) are an excellent complement to a good black tea if you want a more elaborate tea-drinking experience. Especially great to have with friends.
Do you, or any one else, have any homemade scone recipes? I'd love to try some out.
As for food pairings, I love to eat dark chocolate (70%+) with Da Hong Pao(Big red robe) oolong. Or any tea with a chocolate chip muffin. I just love chocolate chip muffins though.
I do love dark chocolate, but I have to admit that sometimes it's a little too strong for me to have with tea. And I'll PM the scone recipe to whoever is interested.
Green and black tea it is! I choose the black tea if I am drowsy and still have hours to go in lab or in front of my PC, otherwise green tea, although I have noticed that it is more delicate to temperature and incubation time!
Fruit/berry tea I very much dislike (the ones I've tasted and smelled at least).
Had my housewarming party last saturday night, and a couple of good mates of mine bought me a really good tea pot and some really nice ceylon leaf tea.
God damn.
I have been absolutely smashing it since. Best housewarming gift ever.
Having said that though, there are genuinely some excellent tea bags you can get if you look around too (thats what I'd been living off since I came home to Australia in January). It's just that this tea is really nice and the present was awesome and its a really nice teapot and it was a good party and...
My status on tea. In college it became my beverage of choice
1) Twinings variety pack. All pretty good. Serious lack of milk right now. Same with sugar. Liking Lady Grey, although Breakfast and Earl Grey arne't bad. I might get loose leaf and ingenuitea microwave teapot, but depends on if I want to go down that road.
2) Some Sadaf tea with cardamom. Got as a gift, absolutely brilliant stuff. Very pungent, and must be stirred, but very good. Sort of my standby.
3) Some random herbal stuff my parents sent. Not bad, really. Really like this blueberry acai one, although its sort of sickeningly sweet even without sugar.
I'm usually a coffee guy, but when i visited London last week I had some amazing tea. It was at a persian/syrian restaurant, which i guess makes it some kind of chai? Any way, it was pretty long leaved (2cm x 0,4cm) tea that was put directly in the pot. Ive been think about going to some immigrant store to buy some, but I dont know what to ask for.
Any one here good with persian (middle eastern) tea types and blends that can point me to the right direction?
I wanna say it tasted pretty fresh (so maybe it had some mint in it?), sweet even prior to the added sugar and a bit earthy (but not like its been brewed in muddy water)
Edit: I think it would have looked like this before it was brewed. The leaves in the pot were straight and not wrinkeled tho. + Show Spoiler +
I just started drinking teas again recently, to help me out in cutting back on how much soft drinks I consume.
Harney and Sons - Formosa Oolong, was (and still is) my tea of choice before so I picked up some more of it and am enjoying at least 1-2 cups a day since.
I've enjoyed reading a lot of these posts, makes me feel less weird since no one around me in the real world is much of a tea drinker.
i have being drinkin green tea for a while now, but after reading this thread i got hyped and i just bough some pomegranate flavored green tea, the smell was great and the flavor a little differente from the normal green tea, i used a bit of honey to make it sweeter and im happy withe the results ifter this im gonna look for some oolong.
a noob question: normally i leave the tea bag while im drinking my cup, it makes any difference? should i get the tea bag out? how much time it must stay in hot water?
On November 14 2012 21:58 SlashCare wrote: I am a really big noob in the tea-scene. What are the more stronger tasting types of tea?
I've been drinking double spiced chai tea for a while now, it's a black tea with a lot of oils in it so the flavour is very strong. There's also lots of white chai's and green chai's if you prefer. Any flavoured tea like mint or cinnamon apple, for instance, is going to be a lot stronger then their plain counterparts.
On November 14 2012 21:58 SlashCare wrote: I am a really big noob in the tea-scene. What are the more stronger tasting types of tea?
I think the strongest type would be Matcha. Just the way it is made (ground tea leaves in small amounts of water) make it strong.
Many types of oolongs have strong, distinct tastes too. Da Hong Pao has a kind of dark chocolate taste. Puer is also very strong (sometimes if not taken care of right strong in a bad way).
Strength of tea doesn't only depend on tea type. It also depends on the preparation (though the tea might be tailored to a preparation style). The amount of leaf to water and the steeping time are big factors on how strong a tea is.
If I had to pick two though, it would be matcha and Puer.
On November 14 2012 21:58 SlashCare wrote: I am a really big noob in the tea-scene. What are the more stronger tasting types of tea?
I think the strongest type would be Matcha. Just the way it is made (ground tea leaves in small amounts of water) make it strong.
Many types of oolongs have strong, distinct tastes too. Da Hong Pao has a kind of dark chocolate taste. Puer is also very strong (sometimes if not taken care of right strong in a bad way).
Strength of tea doesn't only depend on tea type. It also depends on the preparation (though the tea might be tailored to a preparation style). The amount of leaf to water and the steeping time are big factors on how strong a tea is.
If I had to pick two though, it would be matcha and Puer.
I would recommend drinking green tea, matcha or Pu er only twice a day at the most. I'm an avid vintage Pu er and Matcha drinker, but my BMI went from 21 to 18 in a short while because I drink those types about 4 or 5 times a day.
For those new to matcha, I can recommend this US seller (shipping to Europe takes a few days). Normally i don't like to advertise stores, but this store has the biggest selection of flavored Matcha in the world: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/
Nice thread! I'm a big fan of tea, but I'd never think of making a thread for it. My favorite tea would be Gyokuro, the first time I drank it I immediately thought it tasted like butter/cream, but it's so nice and delicate (no homo). Too bad it's kinda pricy (E17/100g). Other kinds I like are Lapsang, Kukicha (twig-tea), Sencha, and I always have black tea with Jasmin lying around.
I've only had Oolong a couple of times and I can't say I was a big fan of it. But then again, I didn't explore much. I also never had Silver Needle, time to try!
On November 17 2012 23:37 aseq wrote: Nice thread! I'm a big fan of tea, but I'd never think of making a thread for it. My favorite tea would be Gyokuro, the first time I drank it I immediately thought it tasted like butter/cream, but it's so nice and delicate (no homo). Too bad it's kinda pricy (E17/100g). Other kinds I like are Lapsang, Kukicha (twig-tea), Sencha, and I always have black tea with Jasmin lying around.
I've only had Oolong a couple of times and I can't say I was a big fan of it. But then again, I didn't explore much. I also never had Silver Needle, time to try!
It's very cool to meet someone with the same love for green tea.
The thing is with oolong, trying oolong for the first time usually gives a bad first impression. This happens because there is a huge selection of 'bad oolong' everywhere you look. And by the definition bad, I mean overly roasted, absolutely not delicate in flavor and a bit overwhelming. Good oolong, in my opinion, should look like this:
Not like this:
I think you're buying from Simon Levelt in the Netherlands, because their remarkable Gyokuro is that cheap there ( Yes, I said cheap because it compares quite well to a superior grade, which is normally 2x/3x that price ). Simon Levelt really doesn't have much going for their limited oolong selection. In fact most of their types of tea are lower grade, except for some of their black, greens and matcha.
If you look at my first post, I've named a few better oolongs, they are extremely different from the oolongs such as their grand pouchong, ti kuan yin and finest oolong.
Does anyone else ever drink like, the whole pot of tea that they give you at Chinese restaurants? I just keep pouring it for myself until we run out. Makes me so happy, even though the tea often isn't great
On November 17 2012 23:37 aseq wrote: Nice thread! I'm a big fan of tea, but I'd never think of making a thread for it. My favorite tea would be Gyokuro, the first time I drank it I immediately thought it tasted like butter/cream, but it's so nice and delicate (no homo). Too bad it's kinda pricy (E17/100g). Other kinds I like are Lapsang, Kukicha (twig-tea), Sencha, and I always have black tea with Jasmin lying around.
I've only had Oolong a couple of times and I can't say I was a big fan of it. But then again, I didn't explore much. I also never had Silver Needle, time to try!
It's very cool to meet someone with the same love for green tea.
The thing is with oolong, trying oolong for the first time usually gives a bad first impression. This happens because there is a huge selection of 'bad oolong' everywhere you look. And by the definition bad, I mean overly roasted, absolutely not delicate in flavor and a bit overwhelming. Good oolong, in my opinion, should look like this. Not like this:
I think you're buying from Simon Levelt in the Netherlands, because their remarkable Gyokuro is that cheap there ( Yes, I said cheap because it compares quite well to a superior grade, which is normally 2x/3x that price ). Simon Levelt really doesn't have much going for their limited oolong selection. In fact most of their types of tea are lower grade, except for some of their black, greens and matcha.
If you look at my first post, I've named a few better oolongs, they are extremely different from the oolongs such as their grand pouchong, ti kuan yin and finest oolong.
Whow, you know an awful lot about this . I do get most of my tea from Simon Levelt indeed. So that probably makes sense. I had a Ti Kuan Yin from there once, the reseller told me he was quite a big fan of those, even though their selection was extremely small and he said he could cover the entire wall with different kinds of Ti Kuan Yin, but they don't go very fast over here. I would love to try out that superior grade Gyokuro, but it wouldn't be something I'd get regularly. Your first post is awesome as an overview, I hope it inspires some people to try new tastes.
So this morning I went to Tealuxe for tea and a blueberry scone for breakfast, and to my disappointment I saw that they had Assam Organic on tap, which hasn't been good the last few times I've been there. But for their flavored black tea they had this thing called creme de la Earl Grey, which was Earl Grey flavored with Vanilla, and I decided why not. And boy was it good. I usually do not go in for flavored black teas, or flavored teas in general, but this tea was delicious. Sort of had a creaminess to it that really made for a great experience. I might have to try more vanilla-infused teas in the future...
In the OP you it is mentioned that gunpowder has a smooth mouthfeel, but when I drink my gunpowder tea it leaves a strange taste/feeling in my mouth. What could be the cause of this?
On November 20 2012 06:23 Golbat wrote: In the OP you it is mentioned that gunpowder has a smooth mouthfeel, but when I drink my gunpowder tea it leaves a strange taste/feeling in my mouth. What could be the cause of this?
I think its primarily brew time. I've had it a couple times, and it varied widely, but I don't know it if was equal quality tea.
On November 20 2012 06:23 Golbat wrote: In the OP you it is mentioned that gunpowder has a smooth mouthfeel, but when I drink my gunpowder tea it leaves a strange taste/feeling in my mouth. What could be the cause of this?
I think its primarily brew time. I've had it a couple times, and it varied widely, but I don't know it if was equal quality tea.
I find that with Gunpowder, it's easy to put in too much tea (as the leaves look tiny when rolled up), and it's also easy to brew it for too long. Also, keep in mind it's a green tea, so the water needs to be cooler than with black tea, about 80 max.
On November 20 2012 06:23 Golbat wrote: In the OP you it is mentioned that gunpowder has a smooth mouthfeel, but when I drink my gunpowder tea it leaves a strange taste/feeling in my mouth. What could be the cause of this?
I think its primarily brew time. I've had it a couple times, and it varied widely, but I don't know it if was equal quality tea.
I find that with Gunpowder, it's easy to put in too much tea (as the leaves look tiny when rolled up), and it's also easy to brew it for too long. Also, keep in mind it's a green tea, so the water needs to be cooler than with black tea, about 80 max.
I think that you can prepare any green tea like this, the problem with gunpowder is that if you even slightly overdo the brewing time or amount, it goes bad very quickly. So I always advise to brew it light because its to only way to make it last flavor wise. It's not possible to fully attribute this to the quality (even though gunpowder is always low quality green), but it definitely plays a major role. If you take high quality green tea, some experts agree that you can even brew them at 90 degrees Celcius / 194 degrees Fahrenheit.
I'm not a tea expert at all but I absolutely love Twinings' Earl Grey Tea and Lemon Scented Tea, I drink it like twice a day: always for breakfast and usually in the afternoon at about 4:00 pm. I also tried other tea flavours like Lipton's Green Tea, and Twinings' Vanilla and Red Fruits Teas but I don't like them as much as the two I mentioned before.
Tea really is a fascinating subject. Though one really has to be careful, because there are many myths around (as mentionend in the OP).
On May 25 2012 03:43 peacenl wrote: Green tea is very delicate and brewing takes special precautions (timers and thermometers). It can easily get too sweet or bitter if its steeped too long or at a too high temperature.
I know there are many complicated instructions regarding the optimal temperature required for green (or white) tea. 55 °C for white tea, 75 °C for this and 78 °C for that green tea. Also pre heating seems to be important. Oh and of course you are forbidden to ever clean your magic tea kettle so that it may develop a magic patina. Note that there are some experts who don't give a crap about all that complicated stuff. For example Mr. Schmitt from the well known KingsTeagarden in Berlin (he claims all the Japanese in Berlin buy at his store ). He does not pre heat anything. He does not use dirty dishes. He brings water to a boil (but does not let it boil for a long time) for every kind of tea - and he does not use tea warmers because he states this would kill the flavour (according to him a freshly brewed tea only tastes good roughly half an hour). And he believes chalky water makes the tea actually taste better (he thinks any degree of filtering water is nonsense (unless of course you have chlorinated or otherwise contaminated water :/)). Note that he likes to add a little amount of sugar to every cup though, which is a no-go for many other tea enthusiasts.
If you want to take a look at his brewing instructions: click here! I think they are far superior compared the harney.com instructions posted earlier; the thing with "add an extra teaspoon of tea 'for the pot' for example probably is just an old marketing trick to increase sales. Many so called tea experts just blindly babble, few actually test.
What to make of it all: One should be very critical when it comes to tea and brewing techniques. A good method is to do blind testings (you obviously need help for this ;P): do you really taste the difference between a green tea brewed at 55 °C or 75 °C? Does pre heating really make a difference? Also: do you really test the difference between this supposedly superb tea and your standard tea?
On November 21 2012 20:40 IPS.Blue wrote: For example Mr. Schmitt from the well known KingsTeagarden in Berlin (he claims all the Japanese in Berlin buy at his store ). He does not pre heat anything. He does not use dirty dishes. He brings water to a boil (but does not let it boil for a long time) for every kind of tea - and he does not use tea warmers because he states this would kill the flavour (according to him a freshly brewed tea only tastes good roughly half an hour). And he believes chalky water makes the tea actually taste better (he thinks any degree of filtering water is nonsense (unless of course you have chlorinated or otherwise contaminated water :/)). Note that he likes to add a little amount of sugar to every cup though, which is a no-go for many other tea enthusiasts.
That's preferences, I suppose. It also depends on water you get. But most spring water I've tried brewing adds an additional flavor I often dislike. One specific one makes it taste like paper.
What to make of it all: One should be very critical when it comes to tea and brewing techniques. A good method is to do blind testings (you obviously need help for this ;P): do you really taste the difference between a green tea brewed at 55 °C or 75 °C? Does pre heating really make a difference? Also: do you really test the difference between this supposedly superb tea and your standard tea?
I haven't played around with Green Tea, but there's a stark difference in things like Oolongs and younger Raw Puerh for temperature. Temperature matters quite a bit.
Glad to randomly see this thread for the first time :-)
I am just an amateur, and probably will remain an amateur, so be kind to me please. I am interested in which kind of tea which is also tea and widely available in stores would help with digestion. I've read up on green tea and chamomile and it says they should do the trick. Basically I just want something soothing for my stomach, that at the moment doesn't have any problems.
On November 22 2012 00:45 Milkis wrote: I haven't played around with Green Tea, but there's a stark difference in things like Oolongs and younger Raw Puerh for temperature. Temperature matters quite a bit.
Funny, I just recently had a fantastic Oolong made with boiling water. I'm not saying temperature doesn't matter. You can ruin any tea in a very short amount of time by heating it after it is brewed.
Did you blind test your Oolong? They are not that far away from Green Tea. Also: when you don't pre heat, even boiling water significantly cools down, when poured into a "cold" tea kettle. So basically you never brew with 80/90+ °C (I didn't measure, though).
As I just bought a good Oolong: What temperature and brewing time do you recommend?
On November 22 2012 00:45 Milkis wrote: I haven't played around with Green Tea, but there's a stark difference in things like Oolongs and younger Raw Puerh for temperature. Temperature matters quite a bit.
Funny, I just recently had a fantastic Oolong made with boiling water. I'm not saying temperature doesn't matter. You can ruin any tea in a very short amount of time by heating it after it is brewed.
Did you blind test your Oolong? They are not that far away from Green Tea. Also: when you don't pre heat, even boiling water significantly cools down, when poured into a "cold" tea kettle. So basically you never brew with 80/90+ °C (I didn't measure, though).
As I just bought a good Oolong: What temperature and brewing time do you recommend?
Roasted oolongs go perfectly well with boiling water. In fact, some of them you should be aiming for as hot as possible. For the greener oolongs (which I assume you're talking about, since you say "they are not that far away from Green", and roasted ones are a world away from Green. Even then, even the greener oolongs are *very* different from green teas, so I have no idea what you're trying to get at) I've never been a fan of making them with boiling water. It makes them taste flat. For greener ones I try to go for a slightly lower temperate (around 80~90). I use gaiwans so I can't really recommend brewing time.
On November 22 2012 00:45 Milkis wrote: I haven't played around with Green Tea, but there's a stark difference in things like Oolongs and younger Raw Puerh for temperature. Temperature matters quite a bit.
Funny, I just recently had a fantastic Oolong made with boiling water. I'm not saying temperature doesn't matter. You can ruin any tea in a very short amount of time by heating it after it is brewed.
Did you blind test your Oolong? They are not that far away from Green Tea. Also: when you don't pre heat, even boiling water significantly cools down, when poured into a "cold" tea kettle. So basically you never brew with 80/90+ °C (I didn't measure, though).
As I just bought a good Oolong: What temperature and brewing time do you recommend?
Roasted oolongs go perfectly well with boiling water. In fact, some of them you should be aiming for as hot as possible. For the greener oolongs (which I assume you're talking about, since you say "they are not that far away from Green", and roasted ones are a world away from Green. Even then, even the greener oolongs are *very* different from green teas, so I have no idea what you're trying to get at) I've never been a fan of making them with boiling water. It makes them taste flat. For greener ones I try to go for a slightly lower temperate (around 80~90). I use gaiwans so I can't really recommend brewing time.
Greener oolongs are definitely comparable to green tea. For example, take the silk/milk oolongs (low oxidization, mild floral taste), such as green dragon oolong (Ben Shan). They are close to the silky gyokuro and kukicha, for example.
On the other side of the spectrum, the darker roasted oolongs are much closer to black tea.
On November 22 2012 00:45 Milkis wrote: I haven't played around with Green Tea, but there's a stark difference in things like Oolongs and younger Raw Puerh for temperature. Temperature matters quite a bit.
Funny, I just recently had a fantastic Oolong made with boiling water. I'm not saying temperature doesn't matter. You can ruin any tea in a very short amount of time by heating it after it is brewed.
Did you blind test your Oolong? They are not that far away from Green Tea. Also: when you don't pre heat, even boiling water significantly cools down, when poured into a "cold" tea kettle. So basically you never brew with 80/90+ °C (I didn't measure, though).
As I just bought a good Oolong: What temperature and brewing time do you recommend?
Roasted oolongs go perfectly well with boiling water. In fact, some of them you should be aiming for as hot as possible. For the greener oolongs (which I assume you're talking about, since you say "they are not that far away from Green", and roasted ones are a world away from Green. Even then, even the greener oolongs are *very* different from green teas, so I have no idea what you're trying to get at) I've never been a fan of making them with boiling water. It makes them taste flat. For greener ones I try to go for a slightly lower temperate (around 80~90). I use gaiwans so I can't really recommend brewing time.
Greener oolongs are definitely comparable to green tea. For example, take the silk/milk oolongs (low oxidization, mild floral taste), such as green dragon oolong (Ben Shan). They are close to the silky gyokuro and kukicha, for example.
On the other side of the spectrum, the darker roasted oolongs are much closer to black tea.
I personally look for completely different flavor profiles when looking at sencha vs green oolongs... it's really not comparable. I really don't understand how it can be? Unless you're tasting really low end stuff :S
Hey, so random question - does anyone know what the tea they serve by default at Chinese restaurants and at yum cha, if you do not specify a particular kind of tea to drink? Tried ti kwan yim and bo lei, and I'm reasonably sure that it's neither. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's not jasmine either.
On November 25 2012 15:21 khaydarin9 wrote: Hey, so random question - does anyone know what the tea they serve by default at Chinese restaurants and at yum cha, if you do not specify a particular kind of tea to drink? Tried ti kwan yim and bo lei, and I'm reasonably sure that it's neither. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's not jasmine either.
From my experience, it's usually jasmine or oolong, with couple places serving pu erh.
On November 25 2012 15:21 khaydarin9 wrote: Hey, so random question - does anyone know what the tea they serve by default at Chinese restaurants and at yum cha, if you do not specify a particular kind of tea to drink? Tried ti kwan yim and bo lei, and I'm reasonably sure that it's neither. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's not jasmine either.
From my experience, it's usually jasmine or oolong, with couple places serving pu erh.
yeah definitely jasmine at my local dim sum
also fuck yeah tea thread, i am really into the Morning Red variety from T2 at the moment - its got some really smoky bush flavour and is just amazing
On November 25 2012 15:21 khaydarin9 wrote: Hey, so random question - does anyone know what the tea they serve by default at Chinese restaurants and at yum cha, if you do not specify a particular kind of tea to drink? Tried ti kwan yim and bo lei, and I'm reasonably sure that it's neither. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's not jasmine either.
From my experience, it's usually jasmine or oolong, with couple places serving pu erh.
yeah definitely jasmine at my local dim sum
also fuck yeah tea thread, i am really into the Morning Red variety from T2 at the moment - its got some really smoky bush flavour and is just amazing
That's a sick blend. I love tea with small rose pieces, but jasmine is just so overwhelming.
Did anyone try this thing (special T) yet from Nestle
So, one thing I saw at my tea store the other day was gingerbread flavored rooibos tea. It sounds good, I really like to drink fruit-flavored rooibos when I need to relieve my stress. But it is expensive, 67SEK (~10 USD) /100 grams with my student discount, and I'm not sure if I should try it or not.
On November 26 2012 02:59 WindWolf wrote: So, one thing I saw at my tea store the other day was gingerbread flavored rooibos tea. It sounds good, I really like to drink fruit-flavored rooibos when I need to relieve my stress. But it is expensive, 67SEK (~10 USD) /100 grams with my student discount, and I'm not sure if I should try it or not.
Do you guys think I should try it or not?
Rooibos is fairly cheap to produce (even organic), as a result it seems that the price is fairly high, have you checked other shops?
Maybe this also helps: I've just added the "Tea pick by 'peacenl-i'm-not-a-doctor' for common problems" paragraph, it's about time to make a nice index lol, losing overview now.
To anyone: Again, feel free to add, I will try to validate everything by scientific papers and journals, we really want to help each other not advise each other miracle cures.
On November 26 2012 02:59 WindWolf wrote: So, one thing I saw at my tea store the other day was gingerbread flavored rooibos tea. It sounds good, I really like to drink fruit-flavored rooibos when I need to relieve my stress. But it is expensive, 67SEK (~10 USD) /100 grams with my student discount, and I'm not sure if I should try it or not.
Do you guys think I should try it or not?
Rooibos is fairly cheap to produce (even organic), as a result it seems that the price is fairly high, have you checked other shops?
Maybe this also helps: I've just added the "Tea pick by 'peacenl-i'm-not-a-doctor' for common problems" paragraph, it's about time to make a nice index lol, losing overview now.
To anyone: Again, feel free to add, I will try to validate everything by scientific papers and journals, we really want to help each other not advise each other miracle cures.
That is a nice addition. I have a cold right now so I will have to try to get a hold of some full leaf green tea or one of the other ones you mentioned.
On November 26 2012 02:59 WindWolf wrote: So, one thing I saw at my tea store the other day was gingerbread flavored rooibos tea. It sounds good, I really like to drink fruit-flavored rooibos when I need to relieve my stress. But it is expensive, 67SEK (~10 USD) /100 grams with my student discount, and I'm not sure if I should try it or not.
Do you guys think I should try it or not?
Rooibos is fairly cheap to produce (even organic), as a result it seems that the price is fairly high, have you checked other shops?
The town where I live in is not very big, and AFAIK there is no other tea-specific shops.
But if we take a look at other rooibos-teas in that shop, most of those teas costs (Pre student- discount) around 30-40 SEK/100grams.
So I guess it is the spices in the tea that is expensive, combined with that it is a "limited edition" Christmas tea
Ive recently bought some Lapsang Souchong black tea, and im not sure what the ideal steeping time is, the pacage says 2 minutes , while most internet sources say 4-5 minutes?
On November 26 2012 05:45 Irratonalys wrote: Ive recently bought some Lapsang Souchong black tea, and im not sure what the ideal steeping time is, the pacage says 2 minutes , while most internet sources say 4-5 minutes?
It really comes down to personal preferences. I'd personally go for 2 minutes, since it's better to not overdo it the first few times, especially because lapsang souchong is an acquired taste. And of course, try to remember the darkness of the color, it's a good indicator of flavor strength.
I have recently got really lucky. I checked the local equivalent of online classified and found a teapot very similar to this in perfect condition for only 8 dollars. I was really happy and decided to go and buy my self some white pai mu tan because I was putting off trying white tea until I had a proper teapot. I have fallen in love with it and it is by far my second favorite tea (behind Irish Breakfast).
I recently have started drinking a lot of Longjing Green Tea, and I've been wondering about the best steeping temperature.
I read on some blog that a lower sub-boiling temperature, about ~71°C is best for green tea, but I haven't had the chance to experiment with taste.
Is there much consensus on optimum steep temperature (to get the right amount of flavor without driving off lighter compounds), or should I just play around with it?
On November 26 2012 08:58 Ichabod wrote: I recently have started drinking a lot of Longjing Green Tea, and I've been wondering about the best steeping temperature.
I read on some blog that a lower sub-boiling temperature, about ~71°C is best for green tea, but I haven't had the chance to experiment with taste.
Is there much consensus on optimum steep temperature (to get the right amount of flavor without driving off lighter compounds), or should I just play around with it?
I've found with green teas in general, if you steep it too hot the taste is off, burnt and acrid. Try out a cooler steep and see how the flavor changes because, of course, it ultimately comes down to personal preference!
I'm tempted to start mixing my own flavoured teas.
I've recently found thesetwo teas work amazingly well as iced tea, just make up a big batch with slightly cooler water than normal (75 degrees or so) then chill it. Either drink it straight or mix in a bit of fruit cordial for the flavoured ice tea style. Amazing flavour
I've been a tea enthusiast for a while now but have found Teavana's teas very expensive. Anyone else buy directly from there? Is there any reason why they are especially expensive across all their products? Are they high quality or just overpriced? My novice taste buds can't tell the difference.
On November 26 2012 13:08 zPhenom wrote: I've been a tea enthusiast for a while now but have found Teavana's teas very expensive. Anyone else buy directly from there? Is there any reason why they are especially expensive across all their products? Are they high quality or just overpriced? My novice taste buds can't tell the difference.
Teavana is like Starbucks of coffee. Quite literally now since Starbucks bought it. That should tell you quite a bit -- it's just mediocre loose leaf tea that they market is as "premium".
Their stuff ends up being about ~40 cents a gram which is enough to get you pretty decent stuff (much better than teavana will ever get you) with a lot more variety of actual tea. Honestly you can probably get supermarket looseleaf teas from your local chinatown that'd be comparable to teavana teas and it'd be much cheaper.
On November 26 2012 13:08 zPhenom wrote: I've been a tea enthusiast for a while now but have found Teavana's teas very expensive. Anyone else buy directly from there? Is there any reason why they are especially expensive across all their products? Are they high quality or just overpriced? My novice taste buds can't tell the difference.
Hello zPhenom ! Which tea stores did you visit until now? What's your favorite type or blend?
On November 24 2012 11:57 Milkis wrote: Roasted oolongs go perfectly well with boiling water. In fact, some of them you should be aiming for as hot as possible. For the greener oolongs (which I assume you're talking about, since you say "they are not that far away from Green", and roasted ones are a world away from Green. Even then, even the greener oolongs are *very* different from green teas, so I have no idea what you're trying to get at) I've never been a fan of making them with boiling water. It makes them taste flat. For greener ones I try to go for a slightly lower temperate (around 80~90). I use gaiwans so I can't really recommend brewing time.
I'm going to test around this weekend!
Here's a cool read about someone who went to China to drink Da Hong Pao Oolong (Big Red Robe Oolong). You can skip the end of the article, it's mostly about some bizarre massage technique.
In Morocco they drink tons and tons of 'Mint tea' which is just fucking awesome. I generally don't like tea, but this 'mint tea' stuff is just insanely good. This is coming from someone who drinks lots of coke every day.
From what I understand, it's gunpowder green tea made with lots of mint leaves and lots of sugar:
I'm not a tea drinker at all but I could tell within a week the quality of a mint tea right away, a really good quality one would just blow you away.
And Tooons of sugar lol. I tried making it when I got back stateside with varying degrees of success.
well as someone who drinks "tons of coke everyday" you are just not used to anything that isnt half sugar. so is see why the only tea you like is the one that is
So i moved to sri lanka, and during my first weeks we went on a roadtrip (15 hours driving, insane fun, broke down on a mountain gg.) but we drove through sri lankas tea fields (forget what they are called) and stopped at this amazing tea shop.
It was literally the best tea i had ever drank, so refreshing, so vibrant with flavour, i cant wait to travel back there again, was so good. It was a form of ceylon tea but im not sure which
Just glanced quickly through the list of teas in the OP and noticed that there no mention of mugicha---when I was in Japan we always kept a pitcher of this in the fridge to have as a cold refreshment after a hot and muggy afternoon of walking around. It is really good, but quite different from other green teas (which I assume it is) that I've had---not sure how to describe the flavor. Definitely recommended.
On December 01 2012 04:15 RuiBarbO wrote: Just glanced quickly through the list of teas in the OP and noticed that there no mention of mugicha---when I was in Japan we always kept a pitcher of this in the fridge to have as a cold refreshment after a hot and muggy afternoon of walking around. It is really good, but quite different from other green teas (which I assume it is) that I've had---not sure how to describe the flavor. Definitely recommended.
Isn't that wheat tea? If so, I should definitely add it yes, because I got introduced to it by a Japanese exchange student that said it was very common in Japan - contrary to what I expected: which is that everyone was drinking premium sencha
It's very unique flavor wise and hard to describe, somewhat similar flavor to beer, I think because of the barley.
On November 30 2012 23:05 Belial88 wrote: In Morocco they drink tons and tons of 'Mint tea' which is just fucking awesome. I generally don't like tea, but this 'mint tea' stuff is just insanely good. This is coming from someone who drinks lots of coke every day.
From what I understand, it's gunpowder green tea made with lots of mint leaves and lots of sugar ...
Had that in France. The sugar was killing me -_- Mint tea can taste great without anything added, though (depending on the kind of mint, there are lots of different mint plants)!
I noticed teavania was mentioned a few pages ago. They can be expensive, but slickdeals has a "$10 off orders of $30+" that may make their prices more worthwhile.
On December 06 2012 14:00 Ichabod wrote: I noticed teavania was mentioned a few pages ago. They can be expensive, but slickdeals has a "$10 off orders of $30+" that may make their prices more worthwhile.
I don't intend this as an endorsement, only a notification of potentially good pricing.
I see no problem with notifying the community of deals
However, I do not like most of Teavana's offerings. Most of their teas are blended with fruit or flowers. I have heard bad stories about their business practices too. Though that is likely to change with Starbucks buying them.
Has anyone else bought a tea advent calender this year? My mate bought one and has been posting about the various tea's he's had each day. Seems like something some people here might be interested in?
On December 07 2012 18:44 Zealos wrote: Has anyone else bought a tea advent calender this year? My mate bought one and has been posting about the various tea's he's had each day. Seems like something some people here might be interested in?
That seems like a cool idea. If I saw that in a store I would certainly pick one up out of curiosity
In addition to these types of tea sir, there are quite a variety. For example, there are the Andean tea types, the Himalayan tea types, the Argentinian tea types. I am sure that these are the most popular since they are found in most common supermarkets, however, the variety of teas is quite a diverse one sir. I thank you for making this thread, very informative on the study of the diversity of tea types.
On December 08 2012 14:17 GrandMaster_07 wrote: In addition to these types of tea sir, there are quite a variety. For example, there are the Andean tea types, the Himalayan tea types, the Argentinian tea types. I am sure that these are the most popular since they are found in most common supermarkets, however, the variety of teas is quite a diverse one sir. I thank you for making this thread, very informative on the study of the diversity of tea types.
Could you show a couple of the ones you mentioned? I have no idea which ones you mean, besides a couple of himalaya tisanes (herbal tea).
Dunno if this was mention earlier in the thread but does anybody know KUSMI-tea? I really like it (tea like Prince vladimir, black tea) but is there any other tea in that genre thats better to maybe a cheaper price?
On December 08 2012 14:17 GrandMaster_07 wrote: In addition to these types of tea sir, there are quite a variety. For example, there are the Andean tea types, the Himalayan tea types, the Argentinian tea types. I am sure that these are the most popular since they are found in most common supermarkets, however, the variety of teas is quite a diverse one sir. I thank you for making this thread, very informative on the study of the diversity of tea types.
Aren't those places rather than tea types? The place makes the tea taste different, but that is also the essential difference between all teas because they all come from the same plant. When you harvest them (white, green, black), what kind of processing they go thru (steamed? oolong is some kind of oxidization process...? over wood fire?)... You are gonna have to elaborate on just what you mean if you're not only specifying the place a tea was grown. I guess maybe you're referring to the altitude at which the tea was grown? I think that is ok to group with place, aka the name of the specific tea you're drinking 90% of the time.
I like tea a lot. I would never buy from teavana tho, they look horrible.
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/ is a nice place in Quebec with a very large and specific collection of tea. If you want to know exactly what you're getting rather than a vague (aka cheap) idea of where the tea is from, they are a good bet. They do not name their teas silly things that are obviously just marketing for the 20-30 year old demographic.
I have had poor experience with Murchies... They look kinda fancy, but their teas are not that good... They seem to use very cheap leaves.
I've had better experience with David's Tea, but it's the epitome of marketing for the aforementioned demographic lol... Their descriptions of teas are just grating. But so far most of the stuff I've had from them in good quality, with one or two rare exceptions. They also let you buy tea at any amount you want instead of a 50g minimum, so it is easy to try a lot of teas for 30g a bag if you want to, which is probably the best thing about them.
oddly enough, i registered just to post in this thread. =D complete tea noob, but soaking up info eagerly.
a quick question, if i may: i have a Primula Flowering Tea Set. it came with an infuser. how can i tell if it's a good infuser or if i should replace it with a better functioning one? i have no idea what constitutes a good infuser. =)
On December 11 2012 05:40 crichton144 wrote: oddly enough, i registered just to post in this thread. =D complete tea noob, but soaking up info eagerly.
a quick question, if i may: i have a Primula Flowering Tea Set. it came with an infuser. how can i tell if it's a good infuser or if i should replace it with a better functioning one? i have no idea what constitutes a good infuser. =)
any insight is most appreciated. thanks! =)
Honestly, I don't think tea infusers are too different from one another. As long as water can pass through, which happens automaticall because of temperature differences, your're fine. I'd pick one that is easy to clean and re-use. Myself, I use empty paper tea filters that you can just bin, as I'm a lazy bastard.
What is your favorite iced tea? Mine is a brew of half irish breakfast half herbal berry. It is really strange because I love this cold but is mediocre warm.
On December 11 2012 05:40 crichton144 wrote: oddly enough, i registered just to post in this thread. =D complete tea noob, but soaking up info eagerly.
a quick question, if i may: i have a Primula Flowering Tea Set. it came with an infuser. how can i tell if it's a good infuser or if i should replace it with a better functioning one? i have no idea what constitutes a good infuser. =)
any insight is most appreciated. thanks! =)
Honestly, I don't think tea infusers are too different from one another. As long as water can pass through, which happens automaticall because of temperature differences, your're fine. I'd pick one that is easy to clean and re-use. Myself, I use empty paper tea filters that you can just bin, as I'm a lazy bastard.
Especially for flowering tea, you do want your infuser to allow the tea space to expand. That's mostly a simple function of size, though - as long as the leaves can unfurl and float around int he water instead of be cramped, it's fine.
I hate ball infusers, personally - I find that they break easily after regular use.
As far as Teavana goes, I do enjoy a few of their chai blends, especially their mate chai (which is one of their less expensive teas). Most of the time I stick with my local shop, though. I'm a sucker for chai in general though.
Looking for a good thai iced tea blend. The thai restaurants always have soemthing amazing and orange and nothing I've tried really has the same flavor. Of course, the restaurant stuff is loaded with cream and sugar, so maybe what I make at home can't compete with all the cream and sugar?
Recently got into tea when there was no chocolate nesquik in the cupboard. Instead, there lay a shitload of tea stuff - white, green, Earl Grey and a bunch of different Twinings.
I like the white, green, Earl Grey and there's a a box of Pukka tea which has a very nice chamomile and vanilla. The Twinings chamomile and spearmint is pretty chill as is the cherry and cinnamon.
I put in some sugar and started putting in honey since I got this sore throat.
I think it is very amusing that there is such a long thread about tea on TL. I am no tea connoisseur by any means, but as I am English I drink tea every day! Milk, no sugar and certainly not ice!
On December 13 2012 01:34 revel8 wrote: I think it is very amusing that there is such a long thread about tea on TL. I am no tea connoisseur by any means, but as I am English I drink tea every day! Milk, no sugar and certainly not ice!
That's the way to do it
Had this tea called "Golden Monkey" today. Black with milk. Just the thing for a day when I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
For anyone who likes Chinese tea and doesn't mind waiting 1-2 months for it, I've had good success ordering from aliexpress.com. Quality seems good, and since you skip the middleman it's usually around 1/4 of the price.
great thread! I would like to buy a japanese teapot (tokoname kyusu style). Does anyone have experience with these and knows what I have to look out for in terms of quality?
You guys HAVE to look at this tea house. Free shipping all over the Ca/Us if you order for more than 50$ I think. Fantastic teas, best that you will ever taste probably. They have a team of expert tasters and they go directly to the gardens each years to taste and chose for their shop.
The website is really beautiful too. (A bit slow, but beautiful)
On December 26 2012 04:21 duckii wrote: great thread! I would like to buy a japanese teapot (tokoname kyusu style). Does anyone have experience with these and knows what I have to look out for in terms of quality?
Yes, actually, I know quite a bit about them. You really want to look for a kyusu that is not too big, because you want to do multiples brews of the same leaves with little water and a lot of leaves. And I mean between 3 to 6 brews of 70-100ml of water with 1-2 teaspoons of leaves.
you can look at this. It's a fantastic shop/blog. It's pretty much where I get all my kyusu these days.
I personnally started with a Tokoname-yaki kyûsu teapot by Takasuke, 130 ml / 4.3 oz. Really like it. Great to introduce yourself to the senchado.
If you want something cheaper (those are pricey) just look for a kyusu that is not too big and really, anything can do the job if you are only starting. A good teapot is important but a teapot is only as good as the tea that you are brewing, really.
On December 26 2012 05:27 DDie wrote: I tried to drink tea (heard green tea was healthy and whatnot) but i really don't like the taste of it.
Any tips for a complete noob to get started on tea? Something that doesn't tastes mega bitter/vile.
Flavored tea can be a good introduction to get started with tea.
I started by drinking a fruit-flavored Rooibos tea, but for other types of teas, I can recommend Persian Earl Gray. Not to much bitter tea taste if you ask me.
On December 26 2012 05:27 DDie wrote: I tried to drink tea (heard green tea was healthy and whatnot) but i really don't like the taste of it.
Any tips for a complete noob to get started on tea? Something that doesn't tastes mega bitter/vile.
Flavored tea can be a good introduction to get started with tea.
I started by drinking a fruit-flavored Rooibos tea, but for other types of teas, I can recommend Persian Earl Gray. Not to much bitter tea taste if you ask me.
I never liked flavored tea, even when I was a super noob. It smells really good but never delivered tastewise for me (it's only personnal really.)
Rooibos is not a tea, either. It's an african herb/spice that can be brewed. It's really good tho and not bitter at all. I really like to dring a good plain rooibos during a hot summer day. It's quite refreshing for an hot beverage and is actually fantastic iced, too.
If you don't like tea because you it tastes too bitter (should never taste vile... like, never) it's probably because you are brewing it too long. But, really, it's pretty much impossible to get a tea bag that doesn't taste bitter/vile, simply tea doesn't stay good forever. A green tea become bitter or simply tasteless after a year and that's for a tea that was kept in a quality environnement. Black tea/Wulong can last longer tho.
If you really want to try a GOOD tea, that doesn't taste bitter. Try to get your hand on a quality green tea in leaves, on the net, at a tea house or at an asian grocery store and buy yourself a really simple brewer or even empty tea bag that you can fill with leaves (BUT take the biggest one that you can get, leaves need spaces to expand to taste good.) Fill the brewer/bag with a teaspoon full of leaves for each cup of water. Don't use boiling water for green tea, that will burn and spoil the leaves, turning the tea bitter. Try to aim for a simmering water, around 80 celcius. But really... just don't use boiling water for green. For black tea, you can go for boiling water.
Brew the leaves that way for 3 minutes and taste it. If it's tasteless or just not tasty enough, brew it for 30sec or another min and do that until you get a result that you like for those leaves. You should get really good results that way with pretty much any tea.
The only teas that should taste bitter are the black/black wulong/pu erh and japanese sencha, really. And that's not an overpowering bitterness either. Way less bitter than a cofee, for example. If it's bitter to a point where it just taste bitter and nothing else, something went wrong during the preparation or the tea is just shitty.
I got some Jasmine Oolong tea from the Teavana in the mall, and I must say it's really really good, both hot and cold. I actually made some this morning for the road and forgot it on the kitchen counter. I'm drinking it right now and it's delightful. It's the first tea I've purchased from them, and the only qualms I have about the store is that it's a tad on the pricey side, and the names of some the teas are ridiculous. On the plus side, they have free tea samples in both large dispensers and in teapots dispersed throughout the store, which is nice.
Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
In malaysia many chinese drink tea with every meal, and a cuppa in between meals is common. Common teas with meals are jasmine or xiang pian, pu-erh often mixed with chrysanthemum flowers for extra flavor, long jing, and tie guan yin.
And i tell ya nothing beats a nice cup of tea on a cold rainy evening.
On December 26 2012 12:05 drew-chan wrote: Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
Most affordable O_O;
How much are you buying this for/where?
I saw it at my tea shop, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was out of my budget.
On December 26 2012 12:05 drew-chan wrote: Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
Most affordable O_O;
How much are you buying this for/where?
I saw it at my tea shop, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was out of my budget.
Can I get an expert opinion on Teavana tea? I have been drinking their Gyokuro Green and Jasmine for about a year now. It is expensive but has a great flavor and visually it impressive. I can rebrew it many times without losing the essence. However I'm wondering if there are better brands out there. I've almost exhausted my supply.
On December 27 2012 05:59 scaban84 wrote: Can I get an expert opinion on Teavana tea? I have been drinking their Gyokuro Green and Jasmine for about a year now. It is expensive but has a great flavor and visually it impressive. I can rebrew it many times without losing the essence. However I'm wondering if there are better brands out there. I've almost exhausted my supply.
A little earlier in the thread people were talking about Teavana. Seems the consensus was that you can certainly do better.
Just want to put in a holler for Puerh for those semi-pro tea drinkers who are looking to go from specialist mainstream suppliers like teavana or T2 to something more refined. Puerh is the red wine of teas in that it is often aged creating a cultural tradition similar to wine or scotch aging. There are several types of the tea, some Puerh is flash-oxidised in the same way as black tea before being aged, but the more sought after Puerh is compressed into bricks of green tea and slowly aged until after 6-10 years it has oxidised to a black tea slowly (though it's still technically a green tea). There are thus a whole variety of kinds from young greenish Puerh to ancient rich dark puerh like is showcased in the OP, meaning you can really go wild finding your niche.
All Puerh's I've tasted have a warm, earthy tone compared to the sharp, grassy flavour of japanese greens or rich, toasted flavour of normal black tea, though depending on the origin and age they can have notes of both.
Puerh is a fantastic social tea since the tea-bricks cause the tea to express itself slowly over several pots. The first pot of water is traditionally discarded, simply being used to wet and separate the leaves, after that you can get anything up to six or so pots out of a single set of leaves, with the tea being richest around the second or third pot. This means you can share a pot around a table for quite a long time. It's probably the reason tea drinking ended up as a social thing in the first place, it's pretty hard to drink through the full worth of a bit of Puerh brick by yourself XD.
It's important if you're going to try Puerh to go balls deep and invest in the good stuff, since as mentioned by the OP commercial Puerh is often kind of meh. Like wine, good Puerh is generally produced by small factories and hand-aged. Such Puerh is generally sold in a circular puck of around 300-400 grams that will make a truly ridiculous amount of tea since for single consumption you need about a third the weight of tea than is in a commercial teabag. You can also get samplers (small pucks) from some places that weigh about 20 grams and make about four pots (about 80 chinese style cups). You may need a letter opener or oyster shucker to dig tea out of the cake. A full sized premium puerh cake will set you back anywhere between $40-300. (I've had puerh that costs $40 a pot before, from a cake that was worth upwards of a thousand dollars)
You can also get lower grade teas in brick or loose leaf form, but custom dictates that these are mostly composed of stem and second-grade leaf, while the best leaves go into the teacakes.
Finally you can get Chagao, which is tea that has been brewed, then reduced into a concentrated tablet of solid essence. It is rebrewed by placing in a tea strainer over a pot and slowly pouring boiling water over it. Again this kind of puerh is comprised of offcuts and lower grade leaf, but it has its own charms.
Make sure when you prepare a pot to be careful how you do it. Don't let the puerh brew for long- fill the pot with water, swill it around for a few seconds (very quick at first and then lengthening by the 4th-6th pot) and then pour the tea into a decanter, leaving the leaves in the pot- make sure you drain all the water, don't leave a little lake at the bottom. Repeat until the tea becomes watery. The best flavour comes from the second or third brew as mentioned, since the leaves have by then fully rehydrated and any impurities have been washed off in the first brew.
For quick reference: -Maocha is loose leaf green puerh, the cheapest and most astringent -Aged, pressed green puerh is the highest quality puerh since it responds best to aging and can be aged for well over a decade. -'Ripened' puerh refers to puerh that has been artificially aged quicker through flash oxidation. It still ages well, but is heavier than green puerh and cannot be aged as long without beginning to deteriorate. -Tuocha is a form of highly compressed Puerh in a small bowl shape. You kind of need a jackhammer to get any tea off the cake, so probably not great for noobs. I'm not sure whether the compression style has any unique flavours that go with it. -Don't make the mistake of getting a good quality young raw cake to try, since the qualities that make the best premium aged teas make those same teas often very bitter and astringent when young. - Make sure you store the tea you buy well, away from things that might alter the flavour over time like spices or chemicals. A single cake of good quality puerh can last you several years if you drink it only now and then for social or special occasions.
On December 27 2012 13:09 Thereisnosaurus wrote: Just want to put in a holler for Puerh for those semi-pro tea drinkers who are looking to go from specialist mainstream suppliers like teavana or T2 to something more refined. Puerh is the red wine of teas in that it is often aged creating a cultural tradition similar to wine or scotch aging. There are several types of the tea, some Puerh is flash-oxidised in the same way as black tea before being aged, but the more sought after Puerh is compressed into bricks of green tea and slowly aged until after 6-10 years it has oxidised to a black tea slowly (though it's still technically a green tea). There are thus a whole variety of kinds from young greenish Puerh to ancient rich dark puerh like is showcased in the OP, meaning you can really go wild finding your niche.
All Puerh's I've tasted have a warm, earthy tone compared to the sharp, grassy flavour of japanese greens or rich, toasted flavour of normal black tea, though depending on the origin and age they can have notes of both.
Puerh is a fantastic social tea since the tea-bricks cause the tea to express itself slowly over several pots. The first pot of water is traditionally discarded, simply being used to wet and separate the leaves, after that you can get anything up to six or so pots out of a single set of leaves, with the tea being richest around the second or third pot. This means you can share a pot around a table for quite a long time. It's probably the reason tea drinking ended up as a social thing in the first place, it's pretty hard to drink through the full worth of a bit of Puerh brick by yourself XD.
It's important if you're going to try Puerh to go balls deep and invest in the good stuff, since as mentioned by the OP commercial Puerh is often kind of meh. Like wine, good Puerh is generally produced by small factories and hand-aged. Such Puerh is generally sold in a circular puck of around 300-400 grams that will make a truly ridiculous amount of tea since for single consumption you need about a third the weight of tea than is in a commercial teabag. You can also get samplers (small pucks) from some places that weigh about 20 grams and make about four pots (about 80 chinese style cups). You may need a letter opener or oyster shucker to dig tea out of the cake. A full sized premium puerh cake will set you back anywhere between $40-300. (I've had puerh that costs $40 a pot before, from a cake that was worth upwards of a thousand dollars)
You can also get lower grade teas in brick or loose leaf form, but custom dictates that these are mostly composed of stem and second-grade leaf, while the best leaves go into the teacakes.
Finally you can get Chagao, which is tea that has been brewed, then reduced into a concentrated tablet of solid essence. It is rebrewed by placing in a tea strainer over a pot and slowly pouring boiling water over it. Again this kind of puerh is comprised of offcuts and lower grade leaf, but it has its own charms.
Make sure when you prepare a pot to be careful how you do it. Don't let the puerh brew for long- fill the pot with water, swill it around for a few seconds (very quick at first and then lengthening by the 4th-6th pot) and then pour the tea into a decanter, leaving the leaves in the pot- make sure you drain all the water, don't leave a little lake at the bottom. Repeat until the tea becomes watery. The best flavour comes from the second or third brew as mentioned, since the leaves have by then fully rehydrated and any impurities have been washed off in the first brew.
For quick reference: -Maocha is loose leaf green puerh, the cheapest and most astringent -Aged, pressed green puerh is the highest quality puerh since it responds best to aging and can be aged for well over a decade. -'Ripened' puerh refers to puerh that has been artificially aged quicker through flash oxidation. It still ages well, but is heavier than green puerh and cannot be aged as long without beginning to deteriorate. -Tuocha is a form of highly compressed Puerh in a small bowl shape. You kind of need a jackhammer to get any tea off the cake, so probably not great for noobs. I'm not sure whether the compression style has any unique flavours that go with it. -Don't make the mistake of getting a good quality young raw cake to try, since the qualities that make the best premium aged teas make those same teas often very bitter and astringent when young. - Make sure you store the tea you buy well, away from things that might alter the flavour over time like spices or chemicals. A single cake of good quality puerh can last you several years if you drink it only now and then for social or special occasions.
Tastes SOOO good. Great smell. No caffeine. When a round of antibiotics didn't cure my bronchitis (which I don't usually do- but I had an interview)... I started this tea about a week ago. World of difference. I literally think it saved my life. Echinacea and Astragalus together are the best immune-system herbs out there. Fantastic.
Especially this time of year, this stuff is fantastic. Don't do more than 2 weeks on any Echinacea regimen though- it can cause nose bleeds and other various nastyness.
So I just tried this rosebud tea, and man is it good. Very subtle, so subtle that we actually had to prepare it stronger than what the instructions called for, but it's a smooth, almost sweet taste, and very calming. And when I inhale through my nose after drinking I detect the faintest scent of roses... Really a nice experience.
On December 26 2012 12:05 drew-chan wrote: Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
Most affordable O_O;
How much are you buying this for/where?
I saw it at my tea shop, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was out of my budget.
In China the prices of any famous tea (tieguanyin, maojian, longjing, etc) range over multiple orders of magnitude. I saw some for around 80 yuan/half kilo and up to upwards of 800 yuan/half kilo.. and I was at a random supermarket, not even a tea shop.
Tastes SOOO good. Great smell. No caffeine. When a round of antibiotics didn't cure my bronchitis (which I don't usually do- but I had an interview)... I started this tea about a week ago. World of difference. I literally think it saved my life. Echinacea and Astragalus together are the best immune-system herbs out there. Fantastic.
Especially this time of year, this stuff is fantastic. Don't do more than 2 weeks on any Echinacea regimen though- it can cause nose bleeds and other various nastyness.
Wow hadn't seen this tea before. Good to hear that you have so much benefits from this one.
Luckily I haven't seen many nosebleeds after I was a kid, do you know what actually causes it that's in the tea?
On December 29 2012 13:03 RuiBarbO wrote: So I just tried this rosebud tea, and man is it good. Very subtle, so subtle that we actually had to prepare it stronger than what the instructions called for, but it's a smooth, almost sweet taste, and very calming. And when I inhale through my nose after drinking I detect the faintest scent of roses... Really a nice experience.
Lol, whenever my friend talks about rosebud tea (china rose), he talks about how it makes him feel 'high' almost. Haven't tried it myself, but he's not one to complain quickly or afraid to try new 'substances'.
On December 26 2012 12:05 drew-chan wrote: Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
Most affordable O_O;
How much are you buying this for/where?
I saw it at my tea shop, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was out of my budget.
In China the prices of any famous tea (tieguanyin, maojian, longjing, etc) range over multiple orders of magnitude. I saw some for around 80 yuan/half kilo and up to upwards of 800 yuan/half kilo.. and I was at a random supermarket, not even a tea shop.
When i lived in china I was dismayed on how much the highest quality green/white teas cost. Some of the better white teas were over 100$/lb, it was on par with the highest prices in specialized tea shops in NY like (my favorite) McNultys.
On December 29 2012 12:45 Arceus wrote: anyone knows if de-caffeined tea tastes any different? I've always had the impressions of it being bad just like how diet coke is terrible
Depends, it's difficult to say based on the quality of the tea you buy. Nothing wrong with buying Lipton's green tea, but it is rather cheap and a decaf version will taste different but not worse. If you usually enjoy loose leaf tea, well I doubt you will enjoy a decaf version as much. I can't say I drink a lot of decaf tea however, mainly because the times I did try it I was rather disappointed. The decaffeination process will affect the taste (more of less again depending on the base quality and the delicacy of the process), and different doesn't mean bad. Some teas I enjoy much better cooked than not, so I'm sure that if you look enough you'll find something that works for you.
That being said, I'm curious on the nature of your question. The quantity of caffeine in tea differs heavily from the type, but it will always be much less than coffee. The rule of thumb is that a cup of black & red tea have the highest quantity of caffeine; about half the coffee cup. This is a bad rule of thumb, and don't even try to classify caffeine content based on type.
In front of me I have a list of teas that have been tested. In the top 10 we have a matcha, then a Darjeeling Black tea, 2 chinese greens, a taiwan oolong, two greens, a white, and finally two Pu-erh. The bottom 10 is made up of whites, greens, aged oolongs, darjeeling black teas...
The point is that if you want to avoid caffeine as much as possible for whatever reason, but want to enjoy a cup of tea nonetheless, pick your teas cafefully. Caffeine content is already rather low in tea and you'll develop tolerence really fast. You can also do a very quick (30s-50s) first steep and discard it. Second steep will have reduced tea content, I hear 20%-50% the first steep amount.
On December 26 2012 12:05 drew-chan wrote: Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
Most affordable O_O;
How much are you buying this for/where?
I saw it at my tea shop, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was out of my budget.
In China the prices of any famous tea (tieguanyin, maojian, longjing, etc) range over multiple orders of magnitude. I saw some for around 80 yuan/half kilo and up to upwards of 800 yuan/half kilo.. and I was at a random supermarket, not even a tea shop.
When i lived in china I was dismayed on how much the highest quality green/white teas cost. Some of the better white teas were over 100$/lb, it was on par with the highest prices in specialized tea shops in NY like (my favorite) McNultys.
Tea is huge in China obviously! There are towns in the south who have become ridiculously rich just from selling high quality teas. When you're looking at the high quality teas, you're paying for the human labor and also the tea itself. High quality green/white teas only use the youngest buds on the plant and everything is done by hand (drying, sifting, etc). Also, generally the tea you buy in a tea shop in China will be much better quality than what you can get in some tea shop in the US (especially with green tea)
On December 29 2012 12:45 Arceus wrote: anyone knows if de-caffeined tea tastes any different? I've always had the impressions of it being bad just like how diet coke is terrible
Depends, it's difficult to say based on the quality of the tea you buy. Nothing wrong with buying Lipton's green tea, but it is rather cheap and a decaf version will taste different but not worse. If you usually enjoy loose leaf tea, well I doubt you will enjoy a decaf version as much. I can't say I drink a lot of decaf tea however, mainly because the times I did try it I was rather disappointed. The decaffeination process will affect the taste (more of less again depending on the base quality and the delicacy of the process), and different doesn't mean bad. Some teas I enjoy much better cooked than not, so I'm sure that if you look enough you'll find something that works for you.
That being said, I'm curious on the nature of your question. The quantity of caffeine in tea differs heavily from the type, but it will always be much less than coffee. The rule of thumb is that a cup of black & red tea have the highest quantity of caffeine; about half the coffee cup. This is a bad rule of thumb, and don't even try to classify caffeine content based on type.
In front of me I have a list of teas that have been tested. In the top 10 we have a matcha, then a Darjeeling Black tea, 2 chinese greens, a taiwan oolong, two greens, a white, and finally two Pu-erh. The bottom 10 is made up of whites, greens, aged oolongs, darjeeling black teas...
The point is that if you want to avoid caffeine as much as possible for whatever reason, but want to enjoy a cup of tea nonetheless, pick your teas cafefully. Caffeine content is already rather low in tea and you'll develop tolerence really fast. You can also do a very quick (30s-50s) first steep and discard it. Second steep will have reduced tea content, I hear 20%-50% the first steep amount.
Hope that helps.
Hopefully you guys have a better experience with caffeine tolerance. Drinking 6 greens a day is definitely something I feel, it's not bad but a little unnerving to feel the caffeine effects for a few hours. Drinking 4 matcha a day is no problem though, don't feel anything in my stomach, just a very relaxed mental state (basically the opposite). However, a while ago when I had one simple English blend tea during a family visit I got 2 hours of a slight stomach ache. I honestly can not phantom how and why some tea's work like they do. Nowadays, I almost exclusively resort to drinking matcha, it's just one I'm most comfortable with drinking one after another, while with Chinese and Japanese greens (besides matcha) I had the tendency to mix in a few caffeine free teas such as rooibos to stay comfortable.
On December 29 2012 12:45 Arceus wrote: anyone knows if de-caffeined tea tastes any different? I've always had the impressions of it being bad just like how diet coke is terrible
Depends, it's difficult to say based on the quality of the tea you buy. Nothing wrong with buying Lipton's green tea, but it is rather cheap and a decaf version will taste different but not worse. If you usually enjoy loose leaf tea, well I doubt you will enjoy a decaf version as much. I can't say I drink a lot of decaf tea however, mainly because the times I did try it I was rather disappointed. The decaffeination process will affect the taste (more of less again depending on the base quality and the delicacy of the process), and different doesn't mean bad. Some teas I enjoy much better cooked than not, so I'm sure that if you look enough you'll find something that works for you.
That being said, I'm curious on the nature of your question. The quantity of caffeine in tea differs heavily from the type, but it will always be much less than coffee. The rule of thumb is that a cup of black & red tea have the highest quantity of caffeine; about half the coffee cup. This is a bad rule of thumb, and don't even try to classify caffeine content based on type.
In front of me I have a list of teas that have been tested. In the top 10 we have a matcha, then a Darjeeling Black tea, 2 chinese greens, a taiwan oolong, two greens, a white, and finally two Pu-erh. The bottom 10 is made up of whites, greens, aged oolongs, darjeeling black teas...
The point is that if you want to avoid caffeine as much as possible for whatever reason, but want to enjoy a cup of tea nonetheless, pick your teas cafefully. Caffeine content is already rather low in tea and you'll develop tolerence really fast. You can also do a very quick (30s-50s) first steep and discard it. Second steep will have reduced tea content, I hear 20%-50% the first steep amount.
Hope that helps.
Hopefully you guys have a better experience with caffeine tolerance. Drinking 6 greens a day is definitely something I feel, it's not bad but a little unnerving to feel the caffeine effects for a few hours. Drinking 4 matcha a day is no problem though, don't feel anything in my stomach, just a very relaxed mental state (basically the opposite). However, a while ago when I had one simple English blend tea during a family visit I got 2 hours of a slight stomach ache. I honestly can not phantom how and why some tea's work like they do. Nowadays, I almost exclusively resort to drinking matcha, it's just one I'm most comfortable with drinking one after another, while with Chinese and Japanese greens (besides matcha) I had the tendency to mix in a few caffeine free teas such as rooibos to stay comfortable.
Crazy. I used to drink a lot of coffee and enjoy the side effects of caffeine from the jittery/hyper state to the rumblings of an empty stomach. Now I rarely drink coffee and my tolerance has certainly gone down, and I am also able to feel which tea's have more caffeine sometimes, but I'm always relaxed, calm and alert, rather than hyper. Some days I drink a ridiculous amount of tea too. It saddens me to hear about your troubles digesting caffeine
You mentioned how you mix with rooibos to lower the caffeine content. I think that's great, and though teas are great alone, it's also very fun to play around with combination. Some teas (or rooibos or just spices really) are known to have little to no caffeine, like some whites and some jasmines. I like mixing with those two because they have a nice aroma and taste that you will experience if you mix them, but they won't overpower the taste of the other tea.
On December 26 2012 12:05 drew-chan wrote: Tie guan yin has to be the best tea for everyday drinking IMHO. The iron goddess of mercy. Affordable, easy to brew, and hard to make a mistake with (even questionable tea leafs produce a decent drink. Has a nice iron-ish metallic flavor to it which tastes great when hot.
Most affordable O_O;
How much are you buying this for/where?
I saw it at my tea shop, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was out of my budget.
In China the prices of any famous tea (tieguanyin, maojian, longjing, etc) range over multiple orders of magnitude. I saw some for around 80 yuan/half kilo and up to upwards of 800 yuan/half kilo.. and I was at a random supermarket, not even a tea shop.
When i lived in china I was dismayed on how much the highest quality green/white teas cost. Some of the better white teas were over 100$/lb, it was on par with the highest prices in specialized tea shops in NY like (my favorite) McNultys.
Tea is huge in China obviously! There are towns in the south who have become ridiculously rich just from selling high quality teas. When you're looking at the high quality teas, you're paying for the human labor and also the tea itself. High quality green/white teas only use the youngest buds on the plant and everything is done by hand (drying, sifting, etc). Also, generally the tea you buy in a tea shop in China will be much better quality than what you can get in some tea shop in the US (especially with green tea)
That said, some teas are ridiculously expensive
The best teas also tend to not make it outside the country for the most part.
Tea shops in the states for the most part have a markup of at least 3x, probably even more for any place that tries to market or mass produce cause it's really hard to get that much that high grade tea. It's kind of the price you pay though, esp if you're not going to China to pick out teas yourself like a lot of some of the people do. If it's good tea, 100 dollars for a pound can be actually extremely cheap (for example a decent grade 2005 puerh from yiwu is like 150 dollars for a cake of ~350g and that's standard and prices only go up from there).
yeah generally the best green teas will never make it out of China because the market in China is so huge there is no need to export. Puerh is different though since it's basically artificially inflated
I bought some of that Chinese white tea stuff for 30.00 dollars for a few ounces. It tasted like soapy dish water to me. Sticking to my earl grey with milk and sugar from now on.
On January 01 2013 14:41 TotalBalanceSC2 wrote: I bought some of that Chinese white tea stuff for 30.00 dollars for a few ounces. It tasted like soapy dish water to me. Sticking to my earl grey with milk and sugar from now on.
Sorry to hear that. Though there lacks the variety of other tea types, white tea is subtle and delicious, probably my favorite. Try steeping in colder water (~ 75C / 170 F) for 5-7 mins and a lot of tea (2 teaspoon per 250ml) and see what that does for you. Also rinse your tea pot really well with hot water before and NEVER USE SOAP to clean a teapot. Use a soft sponge or hand towel in hot water to clear the stains, though you don't really need to. For the price you paid, you should get something nice!
I know this is a likely longshot, but would anyone know a nice Tea shop in Seoul area. I have not had tea since I came to Korea and since I am going back soon I would like to take some Tea with me. Bear in mind I was only a tea bagger back then, but after reading this thread I really want to get into some quality Tea.
Tea varies and things are different , like today I went and picked up a kilo of a decent green and another of a good oolong for a very cheap price at a food fair in Shenzhen, something around half of what you'd pay at a store in a coastal city and infinitely cheaper than you'd be able to get in the us
My personal favorite is pretty cheap tho, but I can only ever get it when I go to chengdu and go to the actual field for a certain kind of green
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Haha, really? Monks drink matcha?
Yea, the brain imaging blew me away.
If you find this interesting, I think this might interest you even more, most people I talk to don't know the word tea drunk yet:
Taken from that source: "Consumed without caffeine, L-theanine induces a very calm (and often very sleepy) state, and it is in trial stages for use as an anxiety reducing drug. However, when combined with caffeine, L-theanine is thought to increase the production of alpha waves in the brain, inducing a meditative state without making you tired."
The best way to become tea drunk is drinking Japanese shade grown green tea, such as: Premium Gyokuro, Premium Matcha, although with Matcha almost all decent qualities have a noticeable effect.
For spotting matcha quality I always use this reference:
The more vividly green, the better its quality is.
A while ago, some guy tried extremely thick matcha and blogged about it lol:
Knowing what 1 normal bowl can do to you for 2/3 hours, he took the equivalent of 12 servings in three bowls in almost the same amount of time - makes me want to try it out for myself.
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Haha, really? Monks drink matcha?
Yea, the brain imaging blew me away.
If you find this interesting, I think this might interest you even more, most people I talk to don't know the word tea drunk yet:
Taken from that source: "Consumed without caffeine, L-theanine induces a very calm (and often very sleepy) state, and it is in trial stages for use as an anxiety reducing drug. However, when combined with caffeine, L-theanine is thought to increase the production of alpha waves in the brain, inducing a meditative state without making you tired."
The best way to become tea drunk is drinking Japanese shade grown green tea, such as: Premium Gyokuro, Premium Matcha, although with Matcha almost all decent qualities have a noticeable effect.
For spotting matcha quality I always use this reference:
The more vividly green, the better its quality is.
A while ago, some guy tried extremely thick matcha and blogged about it lol:
Knowing what 1 normal bowl can do to you for 2/3 hours, he took the equivalent of 12 servings in three bowls in almost the same amount of time - makes me want to try it out for myself.
That is hella cool. I've never heard the term, but I'm tempted to make some matcha right now!
However, I'm going to take the blog with a grain of salt- since the blogger founded a REALLY expensive matcha company ^^
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Haha, really? Monks drink matcha?
Yea, the brain imaging blew me away.
If you find this interesting, I think this might interest you even more, most people I talk to don't know the word tea drunk yet:
Taken from that source: "Consumed without caffeine, L-theanine induces a very calm (and often very sleepy) state, and it is in trial stages for use as an anxiety reducing drug. However, when combined with caffeine, L-theanine is thought to increase the production of alpha waves in the brain, inducing a meditative state without making you tired."
The best way to become tea drunk is drinking Japanese shade grown green tea, such as: Premium Gyokuro, Premium Matcha, although with Matcha almost all decent qualities have a noticeable effect.
For spotting matcha quality I always use this reference:
The more vividly green, the better its quality is.
A while ago, some guy tried extremely thick matcha and blogged about it lol:
Knowing what 1 normal bowl can do to you for 2/3 hours, he took the equivalent of 12 servings in three bowls in almost the same amount of time - makes me want to try it out for myself.
That is hella cool. I've never heard the term, but I'm tempted to make some matcha right now!
However, I'm going to take the blog with a grain of salt- since the blogger founded a REALLY expensive matcha company ^^
Probably a good idea, I can however attest to his claims. Have tried my fair share of extra dosages and even using a little more with normal quality can make you feel ultra-relaxed without becoming light headed or hit by caffeine, as I would describe it.
The flavored matcha contains I believe around 2 calories per serving.
New customers can always use my personal referral code for 50% discount: FYR54
I'd love to give some other webshops, but this is the only place with a good selection of natural flavored matcha. Especially as a beginner it helps to buy flavored matcha, because unless you have premium matcha the pure matcha flavor usually is too overwhelming for beginners.
Specific utensils are nice to have, but not at all required to prepare matcha. A regular small spoon and glass or mug will do.
Got a question for any Twinings Early Grey fans who have been drinking for some time...
I just recently started with Earl Grey tea. It's awesome.
But then I read, that in August, 2008 Twinings changed the flavor. It's nearly unanimous that it was a bad change.
Have they moderated the flavor back from the more lemmony change? Is it really that much worse? Is there any tea that you can recommend that is good and more like the old Twinings? Or another fantastic Earl Grey?
Recently started drinking more tea, since I'm trying to move away from pop and other soft drinks and don't like the taste of coffee. Glad to see there's a group page on TL for damn near everything.
I've been drinking mostly Chai and Green teas as of late, I find black teas to be somewhat bitter (dry? not really sure of the word I'm looking for) for my tastes, except for ones that have citrus flavorings like Earl Grey. I'm still trying new things to find what I like, what are some suggestions for a drinker who likes more flavor to their tea? My current favorite is a French Vanilla Chai from Twinnings, if it's any indication, though I have one of those cups with the steeper that you put loose leaf in as well.
On January 16 2013 00:07 Requizen wrote: Recently started drinking more tea, since I'm trying to move away from pop and other soft drinks and don't like the taste of coffee. Glad to see there's a group page on TL for damn near everything.
I've been drinking mostly Chai and Green teas as of late, I find black teas to be somewhat bitter (dry? not really sure of the word I'm looking for) for my tastes, except for ones that have citrus flavorings like Earl Grey. I'm still trying new things to find what I like, what are some suggestions for a drinker who likes more flavor to their tea? My current favorite is a French Vanilla Chai from Twinnings, if it's any indication, though I have one of those cups with the steeper that you put loose leaf in as well.
Always good to read when someone goes from soda to tea One of the things that held me back in the beginning was that it was easy to see loose leaf tea as being expensive. I then went on to buy the lowest quality there was not knowing how price and quality are closely related (somehow their marketing can make you believe your buying emperor grade tea for a few Dollar). Drinking this stuff was disappointing, and I would then spend less on tea to lower the risk of being disappointed again. I was only able to break the vicious cycle when I bought some good quality stuff, after that I would only buy high quality stuff that was a bit more pricy.
But when comparing reasonably expensive loose leaf tea ($ 10~20 3.52 oz) to soft drinks it's still about the same price per glass. And believe me it feels like it takes ages to finish a 3.52 oz bag, especially when it's not the only you have lying around.
So with regard to your question, Taiwanese or Chinese Oolong is one of those teas that I find that people coming from black tea backgrounds appreciate the most. And because there is so much difference in the Oolongs, I would first have to know if you prefer a dark roasted, robust flavor or a sweet fruit / vegetable like flavor. Or anything in between, of course.
I used to think Earl Grey was pretty 'natural', but after several years of intensive tea drinking, it's turned into 'flavored tea', more or less. That's generally not a good thing in my book, but I'll still drink it occasionally, with milk. Just like Chai, actually. Straight-up tea is at least 90% though. But black tea has been on the decrease for years, it's nearly all white/green/oolong nowadays...
On January 16 2013 00:45 aseq wrote: I used to think Earl Grey was pretty 'natural', but after several years of intensive tea drinking, it's turned into 'flavored tea', more or less. That's generally not a good thing in my book, but I'll still drink it occasionally, with milk. Just like Chai, actually. Straight-up tea is at least 90% though. But black tea has been on the decrease for years, it's nearly all white/green/oolong nowadays...
The same happened to me. If anything the chai, english blend, ceylon, earl grey will never be a gateway to try and experiment with more exotic stuff like white, green and oolong. That's a shame, because in my experience, most people that have been introduced to loose leaf hardly ever go back to the standard commercial tea bags
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Haha, really? Monks drink matcha?
Yea, the brain imaging blew me away.
If you find this interesting, I think this might interest you even more, most people I talk to don't know the word tea drunk yet:
Taken from that source: "Consumed without caffeine, L-theanine induces a very calm (and often very sleepy) state, and it is in trial stages for use as an anxiety reducing drug. However, when combined with caffeine, L-theanine is thought to increase the production of alpha waves in the brain, inducing a meditative state without making you tired."
The best way to become tea drunk is drinking Japanese shade grown green tea, such as: Premium Gyokuro, Premium Matcha, although with Matcha almost all decent qualities have a noticeable effect.
For spotting matcha quality I always use this reference:
The more vividly green, the better its quality is.
A while ago, some guy tried extremely thick matcha and blogged about it lol:
Knowing what 1 normal bowl can do to you for 2/3 hours, he took the equivalent of 12 servings in three bowls in almost the same amount of time - makes me want to try it out for myself.
Haha, usually two sessions with senchas are enough to get me tea drunk. It's a very nice state to be in :p
Actual studies are cited, this isn't a random kook
Somewhat funny that this was only recently found by scientific study, while Japanese Zen monks already started meditating on Matcha about 9 centuries ago
It's good that it's confirmed by scientific data now, but I feel sometimes that too much deep understanding is 'forgotten' throughout the ages.
Haha, really? Monks drink matcha?
Yea, the brain imaging blew me away.
If you find this interesting, I think this might interest you even more, most people I talk to don't know the word tea drunk yet:
Taken from that source: "Consumed without caffeine, L-theanine induces a very calm (and often very sleepy) state, and it is in trial stages for use as an anxiety reducing drug. However, when combined with caffeine, L-theanine is thought to increase the production of alpha waves in the brain, inducing a meditative state without making you tired."
The best way to become tea drunk is drinking Japanese shade grown green tea, such as: Premium Gyokuro, Premium Matcha, although with Matcha almost all decent qualities have a noticeable effect.
For spotting matcha quality I always use this reference:
The more vividly green, the better its quality is.
A while ago, some guy tried extremely thick matcha and blogged about it lol:
Knowing what 1 normal bowl can do to you for 2/3 hours, he took the equivalent of 12 servings in three bowls in almost the same amount of time - makes me want to try it out for myself.
Haha, usually two sessions with senchas are enough to get me tea drunk. It's a very nice state to be in :p
The best Tea I have ever tasted. Is eucalyptus tea. I still long to find one. I remember it was in celestial seasonings - with a picture of a panda. But I never saw it again - in the stores.
Just had my first Matcha tea, bought some because I read about it in this thread. I tried whisking it quite well, but I can't get that mousse-like bubble texture that you see in demonstrations. It turns out more like the bubbles on indian tea and disappears a lot faster too. Is my temperature of 160/71 off, is it my concentration of tea or did I get lousy quality (it says Ceremonial Quality, but what do i know). Anyone has any tips? Thanks!
On January 20 2013 04:57 aseq wrote: Just had my first Matcha tea, bought some because I read about it in this thread. I tried whisking it quite well, but I can't get that mousse-like bubble texture that you see in demonstrations. It turns out more like the bubbles on indian tea and disappears a lot faster too. Is my temperature of 160/71 off, is it my concentration of tea or did I get lousy quality (it says Ceremonial Quality, but what do i know). Anyone has any tips? Thanks!
It's really difficult to get it right the first time. Maybe this helps (2 teaspoons worth of powder):
Never seemed to able to find a good book on the types of tea. The ones that I did see were always very general in their description of what is out there. Does anyone know a good one?
On February 06 2013 01:49 peacenl wrote: Never seemed to able to find a good book on the types of tea. The ones that I did see were always very general in their description of what is out there. Does anyone know a good one?
A teataster I talked to recommended me a book called "The Tea Drinker's Handbook". I ordered it, but don't have it yet so I can't comment on it's content though. I have some very specific books about Japanese tea, with very detailed descriptions also of very rare teas only grown in a specific area and not known outside of Japan, but it would be of no use to you unless you speak Japanese.
I would also like to know any good books about tea, particularly about Chinese tea.
On January 13 2013 14:19 CursOr wrote: Got a question for any Twinings Early Grey fans who have been drinking for some time...
I just recently started with Earl Grey tea. It's awesome.
But then I read, that in August, 2008 Twinings changed the flavor. It's nearly unanimous that it was a bad change.
Have they moderated the flavor back from the more lemmony change? Is it really that much worse? Is there any tea that you can recommend that is good and more like the old Twinings? Or another fantastic Earl Grey?
THANKS!
Hot damn that's why it started tasting like shit lately.
I'd recommend Lady Grey if you're sticking with Twinings. It's always been my favorite of the two.
If you want straight up Earl Grey, I'm a huge fan of Ahmad Tea's brand. It's a lot stronger in my opinion and even if you dilute the flavor it still fills you up nicely.
On January 21 2013 05:08 KAB00000000M wrote: No one like eucalyptus tea?
Anyone got some good suggestions for tea during studying and gaming?
Can't go wrong with some good hojicha for either occasion, especially in the evening
What kind of Hijocha do you recommend? I've tried local Chinese store Hojicha at a whopping 2 dollar But that one was roasted until nearly black.
I don't know which kind we use back home (pretty sure some sort of loose leaf), but where I am now I have some Yamamotoyama Hojicha which is pretty good. Comes in bags though.
On January 16 2013 00:07 Requizen wrote: My current favorite is a French Vanilla Chai from Twinnings, if it's any indication, though I have one of those cups with the steeper that you put loose leaf in as well.
You should try making your own Chai. If you have a mortar witih pestle you can buy all the spices and crush it
I just bought for 70€ of quality teas. Matcha uji : very unique and funny, i love it ! Marco polo green tea : best odour you can smell for a tea, excellent taste and quite cheap, i highly recommend it. Darjeeling namring-poomong (avaliable in only one store in france) quite good and particular but maybe not worth 19€/50g, try it if you like testing unique varieties. Tomorrow i'll try the blue tea. I'm very happy with my purchase so far. If you're in France and love tea, i'd definitely suggest you to visit a Mariage freres store! It's expensive but you know you won't buy shitty classic tea.
I'm starting to run out of ideas for new stuff to try, i have red and yellow teas left. i tried black/white/blue/green/oolong/earl grey/darjeeling/matcha and pu'erh. Any suggestion ? I want very unique tastes, whatever the origin or price.
On February 22 2013 17:30 Snoodles wrote: Does anyone have any suggestions on preparing a good yerba mate?
Boil water, fill the gourd 2/3 with yerba, put your hand on it, turn it upside down, shake, then sloooowly turn it back again so that the surface of the yerba is kind of lopsided. Pour a little bit of water in. Take the bombilla, close upper end with your thumb and carefully insert it on the lower side of your yerba. Fill the rest of the gourd with water. Drink, fill again, rinse and repeat!
On February 28 2013 05:37 Nyarly wrote: I just bought for 70€ of quality teas. Matcha uji : very unique and funny, i love it ! Marco polo green tea : best odour you can smell for a tea, excellent taste and quite cheap, i highly recommend it. Darjeeling namring-poomong (avaliable in only one store in france) quite good and particular but maybe not worth 19€/50g, try it if you like testing unique varieties. Tomorrow i'll try the blue tea. I'm very happy with my purchase so far. If you're in France and love tea, i'd definitely suggest you to visit a Mariage freres store! It's expensive but you know you won't buy shitty classic tea.
I'm starting to run out of ideas for new stuff to try, i have red and yellow teas left. i tried black/white/blue/green/oolong/earl grey/darjeeling/matcha and pu'erh. Any suggestion ? I want very unique tastes, whatever the origin or price.
For almost all of the categories you've listed, there are many, many flavors... Even within the same tea you can bring out different flavors by improving your brewing or different pots or even different water. Just in oolong there's a ton, like dancongs (and within dancongs, there's a huge variety of flavors) or even yancha and TGY which vary on aging and roasts and trees and all of that... and puerhs... don't even get started on those :D
perhaps you should choose a tea and try to delve into it!!!
On February 28 2013 05:37 Nyarly wrote: I just bought for 70€ of quality teas. Matcha uji : very unique and funny, i love it ! Marco polo green tea : best odour you can smell for a tea, excellent taste and quite cheap, i highly recommend it. Darjeeling namring-poomong (avaliable in only one store in france) quite good and particular but maybe not worth 19€/50g, try it if you like testing unique varieties. Tomorrow i'll try the blue tea. I'm very happy with my purchase so far. If you're in France and love tea, i'd definitely suggest you to visit a Mariage freres store! It's expensive but you know you won't buy shitty classic tea.
I'm starting to run out of ideas for new stuff to try, i have red and yellow teas left. i tried black/white/blue/green/oolong/earl grey/darjeeling/matcha and pu'erh. Any suggestion ? I want very unique tastes, whatever the origin or price.
For almost all of the categories you've listed, there are many, many flavors... Even within the same tea you can bring out different flavors by improving your brewing or different pots or even different water. Just in oolong there's a ton, like dancongs (and within dancongs, there's a huge variety of flavors) or even yancha and TGY which vary on aging and roasts and trees and all of that... and puerhs... don't even get started on those :D
perhaps you should choose a tea and try to delve into it!!!
Wonderful ! :D i didn't know tea could vary so much within the same sort. I'm still a beginner, i only have the basic tools but i plan on buying teapots and something to boil water at the perfect temperature for every kind of tea (i'd love links if that kind of stuff exists !). My favorite tea by far is oolong, i have Shui Xian and Tie Guan Yin, it's so smooth <3 i'll dig into that :D Thank you very much and if i may add, i really like you as a person and as a translator!
I used to hate tea, but then after I needed coffee to get through the day, tea became a much more relaxing drink. I'm still not sure whether or not I'd be ready to appreciate Earl Grey, but I like orange flavored and herbal teas so far. Is Earl Grey really as bitter as everyone I know says it is?
On March 01 2013 04:58 DavoS wrote: I used to hate tea, but then after I needed coffee to get through the day, tea became a much more relaxing drink. I'm still not sure whether or not I'd be ready to appreciate Earl Grey, but I like orange flavored and herbal teas so far. Is Earl Grey really as bitter as everyone I know says it is?
I did have unpleasant experiences with earl grey but now i find it really nice to start the day with. I don't know much but i'd say it doesn't fit well for an all day long drink. You should try atleast once or twice, i did have very nice surprises with it too.
I used to hate tea, but then after I needed coffee to get through the day, tea became a much more relaxing drink. I'm still not sure whether or not I'd be ready to appreciate Earl Grey, but I like orange flavored and herbal teas so far. Is Earl Grey really as bitter as everyone I know says it is?
Whenever you're beginning to drink a new tea, try just infusing it very briefly (15-20 seconds), in slightly cooled water (pour a cup, add a thimbleful or so of cold water and then the teabag). This generally gives the more subtle flavours a better weight and reduces the heavier flavours of teas, especially the smokey or leathery teas like caravan and sushong.
Earl gray is an acquired taste, bergamot oil is a strange flavour. Personally, I think lady gray is the better consumer grade tea blend, but really good earl gray teas are lovely.
On February 28 2013 05:37 Nyarly wrote: I just bought for 70€ of quality teas. Matcha uji : very unique and funny, i love it ! Marco polo green tea : best odour you can smell for a tea, excellent taste and quite cheap, i highly recommend it. Darjeeling namring-poomong (avaliable in only one store in france) quite good and particular but maybe not worth 19€/50g, try it if you like testing unique varieties. Tomorrow i'll try the blue tea. I'm very happy with my purchase so far. If you're in France and love tea, i'd definitely suggest you to visit a Mariage freres store! It's expensive but you know you won't buy shitty classic tea.
I'm starting to run out of ideas for new stuff to try, i have red and yellow teas left. i tried black/white/blue/green/oolong/earl grey/darjeeling/matcha and pu'erh. Any suggestion ? I want very unique tastes, whatever the origin or price.
For almost all of the categories you've listed, there are many, many flavors... Even within the same tea you can bring out different flavors by improving your brewing or different pots or even different water. Just in oolong there's a ton, like dancongs (and within dancongs, there's a huge variety of flavors) or even yancha and TGY which vary on aging and roasts and trees and all of that... and puerhs... don't even get started on those :D
perhaps you should choose a tea and try to delve into it!!!
Wonderful ! :D i didn't know tea could vary so much within the same sort. I'm still a beginner, i only have the basic tools but i plan on buying teapots and something to boil water at the perfect temperature for every kind of tea (i'd love links if that kind of stuff exists !). My favorite tea by far is oolong, i have Shui Xian and Tie Guan Yin, it's so smooth <3 i'll dig into that :D Thank you very much and if i may add, i really like you as a person and as a translator!
Yeah if you're going for oolongs, you can get a huge variety just on roasts and aging, especially on stuff like the Shui Xian. I had some aged Shuixian a week or so ago and it was quite nice and mellow, and I had another one this past weekend and that one almost reminded me of coffee, so you'll get a huge range just within that.
For TGY, you can get them green or traditional (more roasts) or some places even do really heavy roasts on the TGY. You should figure out what kind you have on that so you know where to expand just on that.
Don't really bother buying too much teapots though... unless you're going for tiny yixings or something.
And... thanks, haha. Surprised people still remember me for stuff like that ^^;
On February 28 2013 05:37 Nyarly wrote: I just bought for 70€ of quality teas. Matcha uji : very unique and funny, i love it ! Marco polo green tea : best odour you can smell for a tea, excellent taste and quite cheap, i highly recommend it. Darjeeling namring-poomong (avaliable in only one store in france) quite good and particular but maybe not worth 19€/50g, try it if you like testing unique varieties. Tomorrow i'll try the blue tea. I'm very happy with my purchase so far. If you're in France and love tea, i'd definitely suggest you to visit a Mariage freres store! It's expensive but you know you won't buy shitty classic tea.
I'm starting to run out of ideas for new stuff to try, i have red and yellow teas left. i tried black/white/blue/green/oolong/earl grey/darjeeling/matcha and pu'erh. Any suggestion ? I want very unique tastes, whatever the origin or price.
For almost all of the categories you've listed, there are many, many flavors... Even within the same tea you can bring out different flavors by improving your brewing or different pots or even different water. Just in oolong there's a ton, like dancongs (and within dancongs, there's a huge variety of flavors) or even yancha and TGY which vary on aging and roasts and trees and all of that... and puerhs... don't even get started on those :D
perhaps you should choose a tea and try to delve into it!!!
Wonderful ! :D i didn't know tea could vary so much within the same sort. I'm still a beginner, i only have the basic tools but i plan on buying teapots and something to boil water at the perfect temperature for every kind of tea (i'd love links if that kind of stuff exists !). My favorite tea by far is oolong, i have Shui Xian and Tie Guan Yin, it's so smooth <3 i'll dig into that :D Thank you very much and if i may add, i really like you as a person and as a translator!
Wow, you sound really enthusiastic and I know exactly how you are feeling. I also get very excited when talking about tea or drinking it.
I was a passionate tea drinker even before I discovered this thread, but when I read that so many of you love tea as much as I do it really started to take off. I started to experiment a lot with amount of tea/temperature/steeping time, just to find out which I like best and which gives you the best overall experience. I have to say that every tea is a little different and you should never be afraid of trying something new. I also started a tea journal where I write down exactly how I felt about the tea, how it tasted, how I prepared it etc.. I tried a couple of different tea stores as well and probably tried 30-40 different teas in different qualities in the past 2 months. The more I learn about tea the more fascinating it is, and the more I want to know and taste.
Just today I bought a wenshan pouchong and I can't wait to try it.
The best thing about such enthusiasm is it's contagious, I got my whole family and friends hooked on tea now. Whenever I get a new tea now not only I am, but everyone is getting excited to try it.
I also started a tea journal where I write down exactly how I felt about the tea, how it tasted, how I prepared it etc.. I.
This is so geeky lol. But awesome
You might enjoy the site http://steepster.com. Its a pretty good site for finding out what tea other people like and also for documenting your tea drinking.
I also started a tea journal where I write down exactly how I felt about the tea, how it tasted, how I prepared it etc..
Haha, I do the same thing! I'm a week behind though, i have a lot of things to write and catch up on T_T
Currently seasoning my yixings since i obtained a few more so i swapped my old one as my puerh one. Going through a bunch of puerhs atm and experimenting with this high mountain taiwanese oolongs, heh.
It might sound strange but i am starting to getting concerned. Can too much tea be hermfull for You? Recently i was drinking black tea up to 10 times a day in 0,3-0,4l amounts. Are there any threats arising from driking a lot of tea over long periods of time?
What TONS mean? Anyone have some hard data on this? Or at least some experience? I have been drinking tea my whole life, but now i feel like i am consuming increasing amounts.
I would like to point out that pu'er is a diuretic.
Tea is great for you but too much of anything isnt as great. If you are like me and drink 10-20 8oz cups a day you should vary what kind of tea you drink.
On March 21 2013 23:08 Silvanel wrote: It might sound strange but i am starting to getting concerned. Can too much tea be hermfull for You? Recently i was drinking black tea up to 10 times a day in 0,3-0,4l amounts. Are there any threats arising from driking a lot of tea over long periods of time?
The only possible serious drawback I'm aware of is the fluoride in teas. Before I started drinking regularly I did some research and came to the conclusion that the amount I drink, about a liter a day, is unlikely to cause any negative effects. Excessive amounts of fluoride can cause a condition known as osteofluorosis, kind of like osteoporosis and there are some cases where it has been confirmed to be caused be excessive tea drinking. Some research has even shown a link between exposure to fluoride in drinking water and lower IQ. Maybe you should look into that and decide for yourself if you're worried.
I'm on a constant diet of perhaps 2l of tea a day, often double strength. About 60% is black tea with milk and sugar, 40% is green and white tea of various varieties and Rooibos for late nights.
Apart from occasionally needing to take a week off to reset my caffeine tolerance a bit, no downsides I can see. Beats the shit out of being an alcoholic or drinking softdrink or cordial, that's for sure
In other news, does anyone else have a closet dream to become a tea mixer. Like, I've always wanted if I randomly come into a few thousand bucks to buy one of these things and then fill it with various single origin teas, spices, dried fruits and herbs so I can mix teas on demand.
In a super ideal world I might get one made that not only has drawers, but niches for a pestle, kettle, cups and pots etc.
On March 22 2013 09:04 Thereisnosaurus wrote: I'm on a constant diet of perhaps 2l of tea a day, often double strength. About 60% is black tea with milk and sugar, 40% is green and white tea of various varieties and Rooibos for late nights.
Apart from occasionally needing to take a week off to reset my caffeine tolerance a bit, no downsides I can see. Beats the shit out of being an alcoholic or drinking softdrink or cordial, that's for sure
In other news, does anyone else have a closet dream to become a tea mixer. Like, I've always wanted if I randomly come into a few thousand bucks to buy one of these things and then fill it with various single origin teas, spices, dried fruits and herbs so I can mix teas on demand.
In a super ideal world I might get one made that not only has drawers, but niches for a pestle, kettle, cups and pots etc.
I actually have not heard of tea-mixing before, but that sounds amazing.
On March 22 2013 09:04 Thereisnosaurus wrote: I'm on a constant diet of perhaps 2l of tea a day, often double strength. About 60% is black tea with milk and sugar, 40% is green and white tea of various varieties and Rooibos for late nights.
Apart from occasionally needing to take a week off to reset my caffeine tolerance a bit, no downsides I can see. Beats the shit out of being an alcoholic or drinking softdrink or cordial, that's for sure
In other news, does anyone else have a closet dream to become a tea mixer. Like, I've always wanted if I randomly come into a few thousand bucks to buy one of these things and then fill it with various single origin teas, spices, dried fruits and herbs so I can mix teas on demand.
In a super ideal world I might get one made that not only has drawers, but niches for a pestle, kettle, cups and pots etc.
I actually have not heard of tea-mixing before, but that sounds amazing.
I love mixing teas. I don't mix with milk these days. This is my fav mix:
Peppermint + Ginger + Echinacea + Gojiberries (in mug)
This mix is dreamy. Coconut mixes well too. Who else likes mixing?
honestly, I haven't really heard of it before either. There are references to it in a couple of fiction books I've read and it has clearly been a thing because, well, most of the tea you drink is blended or mixed in some way. There does seem to be a tisane mixing scene, which makes sense because you can basically throw anything together to make one. I got interested in the idea thanks to looking at some really nice chai blends which had a really chunky sort of mixing that you could see whole cloves and cardamoms and shiz in. that particular blend is hella expensive, so I figured it might be easier just to buy the spices wholesale and mix my own chai spice. then I figured, why not do the same with fruits or herbs. I haven't actually tried it much yet, because I'm poor as fuck right now and the weather has been hot, but when we hit winter I think I'm going to do a shopping trip and stock up on stuff to spike my daily tea with. May as well start a of listing of basic stuff, see if anyone else has any wild ideas Dried fruits: orange, mandarin, lemon and lime peel, crystalised ginger, slivered almonds, wolfberries (goji), dessicated coconut, dried cranberries, dried apple, dried pear, dried peach, dried apricot, dried forest berries (straw/blue/black), dried mango, dried pineapple, macadamia nuts, coffee beans. Dried florals & herbs: dried rose, dessicated safflower, dried jasmine, dried spearmint & peppermint, fresh eucalyptus leaf, dried cornflower, lemongrass, liquorice root, ecchinea Spices: green cardamoms, nutmegs, cinnamon quills, cloves, vanilla bean, (when I win the lottery XD, they cost like 7 bucks each here), fennel, Random stuff: caramel/toffee chunks, various essences incl. bergamot, rose, peppermint etc, ginseng, freezedried chocolate,
I'm not the greatest tea connoisseur but I was in Shanghai during restaurant week and oh my god, I drank so much tea. The fancier restaurants charged a shit ton for the high end teas though.
I'm not a tea fanatic but I am posting in this thread because I'm sick and on a bunch of weird meds that made drinking all the things I usually drink seem very unappetizing. But then today I was like: Tea would be pretty good right now...
Randomly stopped into Adagio Teas earlier this week, thinking it was a sit-and-drink cafe, and left with three different kinds of tea: ali shan, gunpowder, and jasmine phoenix pearl. Have since been making my way slowly through the gunpowder. Pretty good, man. :O
(Think my favorite is the jasmine phoenix pearl tea though. My parents can't stop singing praises of the ali shan, of course, since they're Taiwanese.)
On March 22 2013 10:37 Thereisnosaurus wrote: honestly, I haven't really heard of it before either. There are references to it in a couple of fiction books I've read and it has clearly been a thing because, well, most of the tea you drink is blended or mixed in some way. There does seem to be a tisane mixing scene, which makes sense because you can basically throw anything together to make one. I got interested in the idea thanks to looking at some really nice chai blends which had a really chunky sort of mixing that you could see whole cloves and cardamoms and shiz in. that particular blend is hella expensive, so I figured it might be easier just to buy the spices wholesale and mix my own chai spice. then I figured, why not do the same with fruits or herbs. I haven't actually tried it much yet, because I'm poor as fuck right now and the weather has been hot, but when we hit winter I think I'm going to do a shopping trip and stock up on stuff to spike my daily tea with. May as well start a of listing of basic stuff, see if anyone else has any wild ideas Dried fruits: orange, mandarin, lemon and lime peel, crystalised ginger, slivered almonds, wolfberries (goji), dessicated coconut, dried cranberries, dried apple, dried pear, dried peach, dried apricot, dried forest berries (straw/blue/black), dried mango, dried pineapple, macadamia nuts, coffee beans. Dried florals & herbs: dried rose, dessicated safflower, dried jasmine, dried spearmint & peppermint, fresh eucalyptus leaf, dried cornflower, lemongrass, liquorice root, ecchinea Spices: green cardamoms, nutmegs, cinnamon quills, cloves, vanilla bean, (when I win the lottery XD, they cost like 7 bucks each here), fennel, Random stuff: caramel/toffee chunks, various essences incl. bergamot, rose, peppermint etc, ginseng, freezedried chocolate,
Cool list, thanks.
Making your own orange, mandarin, lemon and lime peel is quite easy. When cutting the fruits, don’t cut to deep and avoid the white stuff, which is bitter.
I am by no means an expert, but I really like Earl Grey. My question to you all is: Is there any tea similar and/or even better tasting than Earl Grey that I should try? Unflavored black or any green is not my cup of tea (Did you see what I just did?).
On April 11 2013 19:24 HowardRoark wrote: I am by no means an expert, but I really like Earl Grey. My question to you all is: Is there any tea similar and/or even better tasting than Earl Grey that I should try? Unflavored black or any green is not my cup of tea (Did you see what I just did?).
I like Lady Grey as well. Both of those teas are my favorites (though Jasmine is really good too, as is white) and depending on my mood in the morning I'll choose between Lady and Earl Grey teas.
Not sure if you're from the US, but I just went to the mall a few days ago and we have a store called Teavana that has a bunch of assorted teas. I picked up a creme early grey that's unbelievably good. They seem to have a pretty good selection too I'm going to have to go back soon and grab some more stuff.
On April 16 2013 10:17 Watchy wrote: Not sure if you're from the US, but I just went to the mall a few days ago and we have a store called Teavana that has a bunch of assorted teas. I picked up a creme early grey that's unbelievably good. They seem to have a pretty good selection too I'm going to have to go back soon and grab some more stuff.
Edit: This was for the guy asking about other Black Teas
I already have it. The only thing I don't like about it is that the vanilla rises to the top so its annoying to drink if you dont use a strainer. I don't really like teavana, they add to much stuff to their tea. When i go to buy tea, I want to buy tea, not apples.
I've always found black teas to be too bitter. No matter how they're prepared I just can't get used to the taste. Rooibos teas make the best iced teas imo... They're naturally sweet so there's no need to add sugar or anything to them. They also taste great with a meal (I like a cup with my lunch). I'm addicted to genmaicha tea atm, it's so delicious! For anyone experiencing allergies this time of year, I totally recommend nettle tea. It has antihistamine and anti-hemorrhaging properties. Beware of the smell though! It smells like wet dog to me and the first few cups I had caused me to gag. Only have one cup per day for the first week or so because you might get diarrhea but once your body gets used to it, go to town (though I don't know many people who truly enjoy nettle tea). Tea is definitely superior to coffee in all respects. It's healthier, considerably less caffeine, and doesn't leave you feeling like a dehydrated energizer bunny. For the people who are consuming over 3L of tea, I seriously recommend taking some form of salt supplements. Over 2.5L/day of any fluid isn't recommenced and salt supplements are necessary if you want to continue to drink large amounts of tea.
@ zodiac. The key to getting a mellow black is to use slightly under boiling temp water and a very quick steep. So you only want to steep the leaves for maybe 10 seconds with a teabag, or 30 seconds with full leaves. Also, pick teas known for their sweetness or maltiness as this generally counteracts bitter flavours.
On April 16 2013 14:34 Thereisnosaurus wrote: @ zodiac. The key to getting a mellow black is to use slightly under boiling temp water and a very quick steep. So you only want to steep the leaves for maybe 10 seconds with a teabag, or 30 seconds with full leaves. Also, pick teas known for their sweetness or maltiness as this generally counteracts bitter flavours.
On April 16 2013 14:34 Thereisnosaurus wrote: @ zodiac. The key to getting a mellow black is to use slightly under boiling temp water and a very quick steep. So you only want to steep the leaves for maybe 10 seconds with a teabag, or 30 seconds with full leaves. Also, pick teas known for their sweetness or maltiness as this generally counteracts bitter flavours.
Hmm... ten-thirty seconds seems so short... I will look for teas that are sweet though. I might just not be made for black tea. Who knows...
10-30 seconds does sound very short to me. I think it would result in a quite weak tea unless you increase the amount of tea leaves. I usualy drink black tea in the morning, but sometimes I got a little sick of drinking strong black tea on an empty stomach. When I drink black tea on an empty stomach now I reduce the amount of tea by roughly one third and let it steep for 2 minutes and I feel fine. I also liked my tea sweet especially in the mornings I always added sugar to my tea. I stopped adding sugar to my tea at some point and after a short period I got used to drinking it like that. Maybe a month later I tried a cup of tea with sugar and I didn't like it at all. It is the same with certain types of tea, for example most people don't like green tea when they first try it, but once they got used to it they really enjoy it. Maybe you are not a black tea person, or you are just not used to it.
yes, overloading tea leaves are a reasonably good way of getting strong tea without the woodyness. 30 seconds with a double serve of tea leaves is fine. My usual brew is two teabags in a mug about twice normal mug size, jiggled for about 10 seconds. It might be a bit weak for some, but it's a good, smooth taste.
If you want a light tea to start your day, try out chinese jasmine leaves, preferably whole young leaves curled and dried into balls. Light and floral (brewed below boiling) tea for those who dislike a cup of heavy black tea in the morning. Personally I like New Zealand Breakfast teas in the morning with a touch of milk.
On April 16 2013 14:34 Thereisnosaurus wrote: @ zodiac. The key to getting a mellow black is to use slightly under boiling temp water and a very quick steep. So you only want to steep the leaves for maybe 10 seconds with a teabag, or 30 seconds with full leaves. Also, pick teas known for their sweetness or maltiness as this generally counteracts bitter flavours.
Hmm... ten-thirty seconds seems so short... I will look for teas that are sweet though. I might just not be made for black tea. Who knows...
10-30 seconds does sound very short to me. I think it would result in a quite weak tea unless you increase the amount of tea leaves. I usualy drink black tea in the morning, but sometimes I got a little sick of drinking strong black tea on an empty stomach. When I drink black tea on an empty stomach now I reduce the amount of tea by roughly one third and let it steep for 2 minutes and I feel fine. I also liked my tea sweet especially in the mornings I always added sugar to my tea. I stopped adding sugar to my tea at some point and after a short period I got used to drinking it like that. Maybe a month later I tried a cup of tea with sugar and I didn't like it at all. It is the same with certain types of tea, for example most people don't like green tea when they first try it, but once they got used to it they really enjoy it. Maybe you are not a black tea person, or you are just not used to it.
No, no.
Especially when it comes to black teas the idea is to manipulate the flavor with the steeping time, not with the amount of leaves. The amount of leaves dictates how "strong" the flavors will be. However, most people err on the side of using too much tea. If you have a high-quality product using about half of what is in your average store-bought teabag gets very good results and using more leaves would most likely harm the flavor of the tea.
Steeping time. In a nutshell the longer the steeping time the more bitters get released which counteract the caffeine. What this means in practice is that (in general) a steeping time of 1-3 minutes makes for a stimulating tea and 5-8 minutes makes for a tea that will calm you down instead. The longer the steeping time the more bitter and "fruity" the tea becomes while a short steeping time results in a more "crisp" or "natural" kind of flavor.
Also, in general, the worse the product in terms of age and quality the more you have to tend to the long side of the above numbers. If I compare my "omg I'm so bio and garden"-Darjeeling to a random store bought Darjeeling the latter needs more around 3 minutes while the former gets his best results around 1.5 minutes. 30 seconds steep time isn't way out there, it all depends on the specific tea and how it was processed. Again in a nutshell, the weaker the fermentation process the longer the tea will need.
Especially when it comes to black teas the idea is to manipulate the flavor with the steeping time, not with the amount of leaves. The amount of leaves dictates how "strong" the flavors will be. However, most people err on the side of using too much tea. If you have a high-quality product using about half of what is in your average store-bought teabag gets very good results and using more leaves would most likely harm the flavor of the tea.
there's a style of brewing that just uses extremely high leaf to water ratio with very short infusion times, just throwing that out there, which is what I think the 10-30 second infusion time is referring to. (but why they would brew this style with a blend, i have no idea, so carry on)
Especially when it comes to black teas the idea is to manipulate the flavor with the steeping time, not with the amount of leaves. The amount of leaves dictates how "strong" the flavors will be. However, most people err on the side of using too much tea. If you have a high-quality product using about half of what is in your average store-bought teabag gets very good results and using more leaves would most likely harm the flavor of the tea.
Steeping time. In a nutshell the longer the steeping time the more bitters get released which counteract the caffeine. What this means in practice is that (in general) a steeping time of 1-3 minutes makes for a stimulating tea and 5-8 minutes makes for a tea that will calm you down instead. The longer the steeping time the more bitter and "fruity" the tea becomes while a short steeping time results in a more "crisp" or "natural" kind of flavor.
Also, in general, the worse the product in terms of age and quality the more you have to tend to the long side of the above numbers. If I compare my "omg I'm so bio and garden"-Darjeeling to a random store bought Darjeeling the latter needs more around 3 minutes while the former gets his best results around 1.5 minutes. 30 seconds steep time isn't way out there, it all depends on the specific tea and how it was processed. Again in a nutshell, the weaker the fermentation process the longer the tea will need.
I absolutly have to disagree that it harms the flavor of the tea, but it greatly depends on which tea you are using. I find that the gongfu cha method produces an overall better experience when used for oolong or pu-erh tea, or at least I find it more enjoyable. I have not tried this method on any Indian black teas and I was also not recommending using it, since I have never tried it before and thus can't provide an educated statement.
I would be curious, have you actually tried doubling the amount of tea leaves and reducing the steaping time when preparing black tea? Or is it something you have heard that you should not do?
I experienced that there are a lot of different ways to prepare your tea and it is not only different between cultures and specific teas but also every person likes their tea a little different and often they will recommend you prepare the tea in which way they like it. That is not necessarily the method of preparation you like the most. There are people who like their tea stronger and others who like it weaker and you can't say that either of the two is preparing it incorrectly. Usually the recommended method of preparation is the one which most people find enjoyable.
I don't know if its just me or not, but so far my experience with twinings tea, their pure green and chinese oolong, the tea taste kind of plastic-like in a way and makes me not want to try any other flavors. I thought maybe this has something to do with their packaging since the tea packets smell like a fresh pack of a trading card game
Especially when it comes to black teas the idea is to manipulate the flavor with the steeping time, not with the amount of leaves. The amount of leaves dictates how "strong" the flavors will be. However, most people err on the side of using too much tea. If you have a high-quality product using about half of what is in your average store-bought teabag gets very good results and using more leaves would most likely harm the flavor of the tea.
Steeping time. In a nutshell the longer the steeping time the more bitters get released which counteract the caffeine. What this means in practice is that (in general) a steeping time of 1-3 minutes makes for a stimulating tea and 5-8 minutes makes for a tea that will calm you down instead. The longer the steeping time the more bitter and "fruity" the tea becomes while a short steeping time results in a more "crisp" or "natural" kind of flavor.
Also, in general, the worse the product in terms of age and quality the more you have to tend to the long side of the above numbers. If I compare my "omg I'm so bio and garden"-Darjeeling to a random store bought Darjeeling the latter needs more around 3 minutes while the former gets his best results around 1.5 minutes. 30 seconds steep time isn't way out there, it all depends on the specific tea and how it was processed. Again in a nutshell, the weaker the fermentation process the longer the tea will need.
I absolutly have to disagree that it harms the flavor of the tea, but it greatly depends on which tea you are using. I find that the gongfu cha method produces an overall better experience when used for oolong or pu-erh tea, or at least I find it more enjoyable. I have not tried this method on any Indian black teas and I was also not recommending using it, since I have never tried it before and thus can't provide an educated statement.
I would be curious, have you actually tried doubling the amount of tea leaves and reducing the steaping time when preparing black tea? Or is it something you have heard that you should not do?
I experienced that there are a lot of different ways to prepare your tea and it is not only different between cultures and specific teas but also every person likes their tea a little different and often they will recommend you prepare the tea in which way they like it. That is not necessarily the method of preparation you like the most. There are people who like their tea stronger and others who like it weaker and you can't say that either of the two is preparing it incorrectly. Usually the recommended method of preparation is the one which most people find enjoyable.
Oh, yeah, I'm talking about black tea exclusively, oolong or pu-erh are a different story. From my understanding when it comes to green teas (since techincally oolong or black tea are just more fermented green teas) the less fermented the tea is the less leaves you need as a rule of thumb.
I've tried both increasing/decreasing the amount of leaves and playing with the steeping time. I'd say the steeping time influences the kind of general flavor (mostly bitterness) and the amount of leaves the "strength" of that specific flavor. However, the higher quality the tea the less leaves I need to get the "right strength" together. Wording it this way probably makes more sense.
@Milkis: Got any more info what that is referring to? That sounds interesting. :>
(since techincally oolong or black tea are just more fermented green teas)
Hmmm. It's not exactly fermentation, it's oxidation of the leaves before processing. Although you're right in that part of the aging process is the leaves slowly getting oxidized, but there are very few teas that do well to long term aging. Also a big part of it also depends on processing.
Anyway...
However, the higher quality the tea the less leaves I need to get the "right strength" together. Wording it this way probably makes more sense.
The higher the quality the tea the more you're wasting it if you're not using enough. This is the point of gongfu brewing -- only the best quality teas can stand up to gongfu style brewing without being terrible. Most teas can taste somewhat decent if you just brew them lightly, but only the good ones will stand up to the test of being brewed gongfu style.
Although when you're brewing gongfu style it's a completely different philosophy than western style tea brewing, since you're looking for more things than just aroma and flavor
I always have a tough time figuring out how long I want to steep specifically chais (and it probably also depends on the type of chai, I guess)
I often run into either a problem where I am getting too much bitterness from the tea itself, or I'm not getting the spicy flavors from the other spices. Maybe I should just be looking for different blends? (these are mostly Rishi brand chai blends. I was surprisingly not fond AT ALL of their Mint chai, and I otherwise love mint teas.)
However, the higher quality the tea the less leaves I need to get the "right strength" together. Wording it this way probably makes more sense.
The higher the quality the tea the more you're wasting it if you're not using enough. This is the point of gongfu brewing -- only the best quality teas can stand up to gongfu style brewing without being terrible. Most teas can taste somewhat decent if you just brew them lightly, but only the good ones will stand up to the test of being brewed gongfu style.
Although when you're brewing gongfu style it's a completely different philosophy than western style tea brewing, since you're looking for more things than just aroma and flavor
Just had dragonwell for the first time today. I mainly stick with Gyokuro since I've found a sick place in Chinatown to get high grade for relatively cheap, but dayum. Really subtle flavor, has a nice sweetness to it.
I think I may try upping the brew time a bit, I let 6g seep for 3 1/2m in a 16 ounce pot, but I was quite satisfied with my first brew for sure, this may quickly become a favorite of mine.
On May 24 2013 02:10 LinPernille wrote: -qouted post removed -
I think a reference would be in place. We're not making a profit here, we're just discussing the subject. Otherwise, would be nice if someone made another version of that same setup. Btw, congrats on your award!
On April 30 2013 21:49 Badfatpanda wrote: Just had dragonwell for the first time today. I mainly stick with Gyokuro since I've found a sick place in Chinatown to get high grade for relatively cheap, but dayum. Really subtle flavor, has a nice sweetness to it.
I think I may try upping the brew time a bit, I let 6g seep for 3 1/2m in a 16 ounce pot, but I was quite satisfied with my first brew for sure, this may quickly become a favorite of mine.
Try dragon well mixed with a little chrysanthemum. Really nice flavor.
Hi, I'm starting to get interested in Green Tea, since I haven't a good one in Germany since I came back from Japan last year. I've researching a bit concerning good teas for beginners.
Many people mentioned the standard Japanese Sencha and Chinese Longjing, are there any tricks in the preparation except for the standard 60°-80°C when steeping? Especially when it comes to the duration and the number of brews.
(Sorry if this question is answered anywhere in the 30 pages)
P.S. Bought me some Gunpowder tea for the everyday drinking (I basically drink tea the whole day at work), any good cheap teas that would deserve a mention for daily drinking?
Personally I recommend genmaicha for the new green tea drinker. A good genmaicha is simply the most pleasant green tea around. Warming, homely and almost impossible to kill with bad brewing.
Just bought 2 bags of tea at TeaGschwendner. One standard Japanese Sencha and one Genmaicha. The sencha is really great, even though it's not even the extra fine one. Have to try the Genmaicha tomorrow, really excited how the rice will taste :D
On May 24 2013 02:10 LinPernille wrote: Hi, The "Five Types of Tea" photograph on your tumblr is copyrighted, all rights reserved, by Lin Pernille Photography. Please remove it from your page immediately, or legal action will be pursued. Thank you, Lin lin@linpernillephotography.com
I see someone went in to their legal mode It's better to learn to control your emotions or try to be friendly first; if you wish to get something done. I never owned a tumblr account? Maybe you have the wrong person.
It might take some time to get used to the strong aftertaste that common genmaicha and mugicha (roasted barley tea) have. Especially those directly from Japan. Much like the English blend tea, no where is the tea as strong and pure being served as is in the source country.
Genmaicha used to be the poor man's first choice as the rice was a cheap alternative to having tea leaves only. I have a nice bag of fresh Japanese morning dew from TeaGschwendner here, the best green tea they have if I recall correctly, totally recommendable.
If you are you going to buy tea at this time, ask for the spring 2013 variant, this is the time where they are being placed in shelves. Strong smell, oily leaves, vivid color indicate freshly picked tea.
Please be careful when buying matcha, there is a large surge of tencha kuki matcha currently going around (which contains a mix of leaves and twigs and appears to have a less vivid green color). The taste of branches in Matcha kills the tea, remember: matcha is never cheap and if it is it's probably not going to taste good (even though the health benefits are still plently).
On May 31 2013 20:03 peacenl wrote: Please be careful when buying matcha, there is a large surge of tencha kuki matcha currently going around (which contains a mix of leaves and twigs and appears to have a less vivid green color). The taste of branches in Matcha kills the tea, remember: matcha is never cheap and if it is it's probably not going to taste good (even though the health benefits are still plently).
Peace: Are there any places you know of that serve matcha (in my country)? I'd like to try out a guaranteed good quality version of it first (brewed correctly too), see if it something I'd like to get into. Just going by Youtube videos probably isn't the best way...
my stash (severely down-sized to create some room):
Regarding good Matcha in the Netherlands. I have tried to get a sample from the premium hotsoup.nl matcha variant, but they won't send it :| 30 Euro's seems to big of a risk. But I highly doubt it's not great quality, so I might place an order anyway.
I've tried their usucha lower quality, but it's terrible.
Bought some Rooibos team from adaigo.com, i bought "Jasmine Roobios" to be exact, how would you go about straining loose leaf tea without proper equipment, and where besides online could i get a nice tea set in the US also, is Jasmine a very floral/perfume style, its very strong and i can't really tell if i want to keep drinking it d:
Tulsi Red Chai Masala from Organic India is what I have been drinking lately. Sometimes I feel a bit of a mental high after drinking it, but I'm not sure why.
Ingredients: Tulsi (holy basil -- krishna, rama and vana tulsi), cinnamon, rooibos, ginger, cardamom, chicory (roasted), black pepper, clove, nutmeg and mace (all organic, obviously).
I'm love tea. I drink loose leaf. I think teavana is the devil. Why the hell would you "infuse" mango and passionfruit into your tea. What is wrong with them.
On June 02 2013 14:08 OneManTeam wrote: Tulsi Red Chai Masala from Organic India is what I have been drinking lately. Sometimes I feel a bit of a mental high after drinking it, but I'm not sure why.
Ingredients: Tulsi (holy basil -- krishna, rama and vana tulsi), cinnamon, rooibos, ginger, cardamom, chicory (roasted), black pepper, clove, nutmeg and mace (all organic, obviously).
Where did you get this tea, online? it sounds interesting because i just recently started drinking rooibos tea, and the mixture of organic chai ingredients sounds good
On June 03 2013 09:51 T.O.P. wrote: I'm love tea. I drink loose leaf. I think teavana is the devil. Why the hell would you "infuse" mango and passionfruit into your tea. What is wrong with them.
You just gotta think of them as cocktails. You don't use the best alcohol usually for cocktails, since they're best off being enjoyed on their own. but if you're drinking something crappy you need to mask the bad taste (or if you're drinking to get trashed or whatever and what to mask the taste of alcohol). Cocktails are nice in their own way, but they're no aged scotch or good wine.
hi guys i started getting rly into tea like 1 year ago . atm i have like 30 bags with different teas and at the moment im rly into black tea . what types of black tea you guys recommand me ?
On June 16 2013 09:38 xsnac wrote:what types of black tea you guys recommand me ?
Black teas are a huge category, how do you like to drink your tea?
There is probably not much point in my listing off brands or stores since I live in Australia but for flavoured black teas I can't go past a good earl grey (bergamot) blend. For example: french earl grey (fruit/floral), lady grey, or black monk (pear/bergamot). If I am drinking a black tea with milk and sugar then I lean more towards an Assam, these are amongst the strongest back teas around and take milk, sugar and honey very well in my experience. My personal favourites to drink straight up are Chinese black teas and Darjeelings due to the complex flavours and variety, technically not all are true black teas though. Hopefully that gives you a bit of a starting point.
I'm also curious if anyone has tips on sourcing puerh in Australia. I notice that T2 has one but they don't offer any specifics like dates, how it is processed, where it is grown, etc (common across a lot of their tea unfortunately) which makes me very dubious about its quality/origins. I'd love to start out with a small quantity of 2 or 3 different kinds and then explore from there but it is hard finding a source at this stage.
On May 31 2013 06:26 soda ark wrote: tea has a steep learning curve i see
Just a little. First you learn that there are around 7 general categories of tea, and then as you go deeper you realize that there are many different variations to each category where region plays a big role. Yea, I'd say it's complicated.
hi i am currently in china. i love tea but do not know much about it. i am looking for some recommendations for cant miss teas that arent too expensive and some ideas for tea tourism. id love to see some tea terraces or fields. any ideas appreciated.
edit: i prefer fragrant greens and milder oolongs, although a nice strong black tea recommendation for when i need a little caffeine would be nice too.
I like to take weird high res close up pictures of tea. I think TL's image upload service would just downscale them tho, and they wouldn't be nearly as interesting.
The fun of tea for me is in variety, but I have tried so many teas over the last few years that I am settling down to just having a green tea or wulong I like around. Right now it is Fukujyu for me. I would like to try some more expensive gyokuros, but unfortunately they are expensive There's a shop in Quebec which is a haven of expensive green teas, but only in my wildest dreams would I buy much of them.
Lately I'm also just enjoying the pleasure of trying to develop my own sort of ceremony / ritual with tea. A lot of wabi-sabi ideas have influenced me, so I feel less guilty about not getting expensive tea, although I guess being able to get tea from other countries is hardly destitute. But I like the idea of having tea in a serene environment, being calm, and letting the focus be on the small sounds and the smell and the taste and the touch of things.
Reading some books about tea ceremony is pretty interesting. Watching Rikyu (1989) was pretty interesting too, but only a little informative.
One thing I realise about drinking tea, is that I enjoy the flavour far more if I don't have a large amount. A large amount encourages me to gulp it quickly before it gets cold. So I am starting to use smaller cups.
I would never say tea has a really steep learning curve. There is a lot to know about tea, but there is only a little you need to know and a lot comes naturally. As long as you are diligent enough to research what temperature to heat steep your tea at, and for how long, you are fine and most places will just tell you. Even at a grocery store, it often says on the box. So just get whatever intrigues you and enjoy it ;p Oolong tea is probably the most resilient if you don't want to be bothered, since often it won't get bitter whatever temperature and steeping time you choose, as long as you don't go too crazy.
On June 01 2013 09:43 Fortis-Et-Fidus wrote: Bought some Rooibos team from adaigo.com, i bought "Jasmine Roobios" to be exact, how would you go about straining loose leaf tea without proper equipment, and where besides online could i get a nice tea set in the US also, is Jasmine a very floral/perfume style, its very strong and i can't really tell if i want to keep drinking it d:
I use a 1 cup instant coffee filter I got from the grocery store. Metal mesh coffee filters tend to have the finest mesh since they are normally used for coffee grind. I find teaballs and the like consistently disappointing and leaking bits of leaves out. I steep my tea in a measuring cup and then pour it through that filter. I wouldn't recommend a paper coffee filter tho, since it will be too slow and tedious, and might affect the flavour of your tea. Rooibos doesn't do well in tea balls, so I recommend my method.
Lately I'm also just enjoying the pleasure of trying to develop my own sort of ceremony / ritual with tea. A lot of wabi-sabi ideas have influenced me, so I feel less guilty about not getting expensive tea, although I guess being able to get tea from other countries is hardly destitute. But I like the idea of having tea in a serene environment, being calm, and letting the focus be on the small sounds and the smell and the taste and the touch of things.
I really craved some good matcha again because it helps me relax and meditate for hours, so I bought about 10 bags of quality Matcha. Will definitely upload the pics when the goods arrive.
On August 09 2013 06:36 peacenl wrote: I really craved some good matcha again because it helps me relax and meditate for hours, so I bought about 10 bags of quality Matcha. Will definitely upload the pics when the goods arrive.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooh... I'm jealous.
A friend of mine gave me several bags of some tea that she brought from England. I think it was a Yorkshire brand... Not sure, though. Anyway, it was some of the best black tea I've had. Them British people do know their teas, that's for sure.
Are those lots of different kinds of matcha? I'd still like to get into matcha at some point, but the stuff I ordered just seems extremely bitter, I don't know what it's supposed to be like...
Yes, they range from basic, royal, premium, superior and imperial.
Some contain white matcha (the left ones), which makes them more lighter brown-ish. And a few on the left contain black matcha, which makes them dark green almost dark brown. The grades of white and dark matcha are usually basic, which makes them robust in flavor. Might not be so bad if you're used to dark roasted coffee.
The best ones imperal and royal have the most vivid green color (3rd and 4th from the right). These are very different from normal grades because they are not bitter, sweet, very smooth or mild in flavor and have the highest concentration of l-theanine.
I took all grades because I really want to be able to make a good comparison after I've been out of it a while. Even though the low grades are bitter. To combat that I usually mix them as a smoothie with fruit or buy them with flavorings such as caramel. You'll still know it's basic quality, it just makes the whole experience a whole lot smoother.
I always test if the water can come in contact with my skin without it hurting. About 60 degrees, not any lower though.
On August 15 2013 00:16 peacenl wrote: Yes, they range from basic, royal, premium, superior and imperial.
Some contain white matcha (the left ones), which makes them more lighter brown-ish. And a few on the left contain black matcha, which makes them dark green almost dark brown. The grades of white and dark matcha are usually basic, which makes them robust in flavor. Might not be so bad if you're used to dark roasted coffee.
The best ones imperal and royal have the most vivid green color (3rd and 4th from the right). These are very different from normal grades because they are not bitter, sweet, very smooth or mild in flavor and have the highest concentration of l-theanine.
I took all grades because I really want to be able to make a good comparison after I've been out of it a while. Even though the low grades are bitter. To combat that I usually mix them as a smoothie with fruit or buy them with flavorings such as caramel. You'll still know it's basic quality, it just makes the whole experience a whole lot smoother.
I always test if the water can come in contact with my skin without it hurting. About 60 degrees, not any lower though.
Thanks for the information. Matcha is something I'd like to investigate a bit more before taking the dive.
Can u do the Gong-fu brewing method with any kind of tea? Or is it for some sort of teas? I have some Pai-mu-tan that I really enjoy, what you think about trying Gong-fu with that?
On August 15 2013 08:29 sGDaevil wrote: Can u do the Gong-fu brewing method with any kind of tea? Or is it for some sort of teas? I have some Pai-mu-tan that I really enjoy, what you think about trying Gong-fu with that?
I'd do gongfu with any high quality tea -- all it is (despite what people make it out to be) is that it's just a high leaf to water ratio (i'd do 5g/100 ml minimum, but I've hard 3g/100 ml for some other types of teas and i'm not a big red/white tea drinker, so i can't help). The other parts to it are just complementing the fact that you're using a lot of leaves.
Gotta be really careful when using a lot of leaves. Probably thinking 15-20 seconds steeps, sometimes 5 seconds. Camellia Sinensis (Quebec based) has really good instructions for each tea. If you don't buy your tea from them, look for a tea that looks similar and follow those instructions.
On August 09 2013 06:36 peacenl wrote: I really craved some good matcha again because it helps me relax and meditate for hours, so I bought about 10 bags of quality Matcha. Will definitely upload the pics when the goods arrive.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooh... I'm jealous.
A friend of mine gave me several bags of some tea that she brought from England. I think it was a Yorkshire brand... Not sure, though. Anyway, it was some of the best black tea I've had. Them British people do know their teas, that's for sure.
I second that, Typhoo is also pretty okay, but Yorkshire is way beyond.
I'd love to see an an analysis of different brew techniques in the OP, or in the discussion.
I've heard such varying accounts, be it in books, in-person, or online. The general White, Green, Yellow, Oolong, and Black 'rules' are good rules-of-thumb, but specific teas often require different temperature and brew times!
I also wonder if things like elevation and even humidity may effect brewing techniques.
I think the general theme is that you want it to be as hot as possible without getting bitter ;o
Depending on the tea, that can change.
Other things that affect brewing is how tightly the leaves are rolled up. If you do multiple short steeps, it means the first steep is actually going to be longer than the second, if you don't want it to be bitter, since the leaves have to open up.
I've found there are some teas which I like much more when I use a lot of leaves and a short brew time, as opposed to just brewing a small amount of leaves for a long time... Especially with teas that have to steeped at a relatively low temperature, it's best for the steep time to be short so you don't lose too much heat.
General rules for the categories are good starting points I guess. I think a lot of the more trendy shops will try to buy teas that conform to those guidelines to lower the learning curve for their customers / not get people thinking the tea is bad when they mess it up. A legit tea shop that tells you exactly the place they bought it from and when and everything else rather than just telling you a trendy name, though, is most likely going to tell you exactly how to make it properly, so don't bother with the rule of thumb.
I just learned so much about tea. Because YES it's more important than homework awesome thread! Since I live in the midwest tea isnt as common but some good ol green tea hits the spot.
On September 04 2013 01:23 tili wrote: I'd love to see an an analysis of different brew techniques in the OP, or in the discussion.
I've heard such varying accounts, be it in books, in-person, or online. The general White, Green, Yellow, Oolong, and Black 'rules' are good rules-of-thumb, but specific teas often require different temperature and brew times!
I also wonder if things like elevation and even humidity may effect brewing techniques.
Every once in a while I ruin the first oolong and pu erh steep because it was 5 degrees Celcius too hot. It's really tricky to try and get it right the first time with new young tea, especially if there's an oily layer (or film if you will) on the leaf it tends to get burned more quickly, resulting in quite sour and bitter tea.
Every half year I visit the Pu Erh ambassador of Europe, who gives me tips on the new harvest of Pu Erh while we drink it. But yeah, even she throws away the first steep in an almost religious fashion. This usually helps a lot, because the second steep is almost always spot on if you carry out a small smelling test on the first one. And of course, it seems to get rid of any sourness or biterness resulting from the temporary burning (and the accompanied chemical flavor response) that happens when introducing steaming hot water to fresh leaves (what I sometimes call scaring the leaves).
Does anyone in here like Irish Breakfast? The stuff at Tealuxe is really, really good, and I like Twinings too. Only problem is that sometimes the bitterness feels a bit excessive and I get an almost paper-like taste in my mouth. Any suggestions for how to mitigate this, or do I just need to suck it up?
I've found myself making more herbal tea's with some things from my garden. Lemon balm (I think that's the English name), different kinds of mint leaves, licorice root (or powder), ginger and a little bit of lemon juice works really well together in different combinations. I do love mulberry tea as well but I've had a hard time finding it lately.
On September 28 2013 00:10 paddyz wrote: Over 10 years of drinking tea (pretty regularly) and Ive only had the "normal stuff" :S
The rabbit hole is pretty deep
I sometimes laugh at my past self for liking stuff that I now find to be at the bottom of what excellent tea is.
that could be said for almost everything that could be considered a serious hobby. fitness, tea-making, kite-flying, poker, penmanship. the list goes on.
On September 28 2013 00:10 paddyz wrote: Over 10 years of drinking tea (pretty regularly) and Ive only had the "normal stuff" :S
The rabbit hole is pretty deep
I sometimes laugh at my past self for liking stuff that I now find to be at the bottom of what excellent tea is.
that could be said for almost everything that could be considered a serious hobby. fitness, tea-making, kite-flying, poker, penmanship. the list goes on.
In my experience earl grey is always a black tea blend, if it's some other kind of tea it's called something else, like earl green etc when they're being witty.
On October 25 2013 03:23 KalWarkov wrote: just read the op - imo earl grey isnt a "black tea", its flavored and sometimes a mix of ceylon + X. Am i wrong on this?
assam best imo, im not the biggest tea drinker though
I would classify Earl Grey as black tea - it's just that it has an addition. A lot of teas have additions though, doesn't change the base. Just like Jasmine tea is still a green tea.
I just took a tea lesson from mariage frère. Crus d'exception : - White himalaya (very good, it has that very particular taste i immediately loved when i discovered the Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong) - Lung Ching impérial (i don't really like long jins) - Gyokuro (made by gods. Strong "spinash" taste, i fell in love, i bought 50g at 100€/100g.) - Lune d'or (golden moon, i barely tasted something, Huo Shan Huang Ya was a far better yellow tea to me.) - Aloobari (i don't really find anything to darjeelings but this green one was quite particular and nice) - Mountain Li Cha (Good blue tea, i didn't really like my other blue tea but this one made me interested in blue teas) - Gold Himalaya (Very good, humidified leafs have a strong smell of tomatoes, and again that nice taste like the White himalaya) - Aiguilles d'or (golden needles, black tea very slightly smoked, quite enjoyable for a black tea i don't particulary drink often)
It was so great, i'd really recommend it to anyone in france/visiting france ! It costs 65€ for 8 teas to taste + some cakes and 10% off everything you buy that day. The guy teaching the lesson is very informative, clear and knowledgeable, you can ask questions and he'll always answer perfectly.
Do you know any other places to learn about tea ? What can i do to learn how to work in the tea culture ? (seller/finder/taster/..)
So, my favorite tea is definitely gyokuro now. I've tasted three types of gyokuro + a sencha wazuka and i absolutelu love it inconditionally. Is there anything like this you can recommend me to try ?
On March 01 2014 21:15 Nyarly wrote: I just took a tea lesson from mariage frère. Crus d'exception : - White himalaya (very good, it has that very particular taste i immediately loved when i discovered the Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong) - Lung Ching impérial (i don't really like long jins) - Gyokuro (made by gods. Strong "spinash" taste, i fell in love, i bought 50g at 100€/100g.) - Lune d'or (golden moon, i barely tasted something, Huo Shan Huang Ya was a far better yellow tea to me.) - Aloobari (i don't really find anything to darjeelings but this green one was quite particular and nice) - Mountain Li Cha (Good blue tea, i didn't really like my other blue tea but this one made me interested in blue teas) - Gold Himalaya (Very good, humidified leafs have a strong smell of tomatoes, and again that nice taste like the White himalaya) - Aiguilles d'or (golden needles, black tea very slightly smoked, quite enjoyable for a black tea i don't particulary drink often)
It was so great, i'd really recommend it to anyone in france/visiting france ! It costs 65€ for 8 teas to taste + some cakes and 10% off everything you buy that day. The guy teaching the lesson is very informative, clear and knowledgeable, you can ask questions and he'll always answer perfectly.
Do you know any other places to learn about tea ? What can i do to learn how to work in the tea culture ? (seller/finder/taster/..)
So, my favorite tea is definitely gyokuro now. I've tasted three types of gyokuro + a sencha wazuka and i absolutelu love it inconditionally. Is there anything like this you can recommend me to try ?
You should see if you can find some good genmaicha. Really distinctive Japanese green tea infused with brown rice, always brings my mood right up Not enough of an expert to know where you'd find it in France, but it couldn't be that hard.
On March 01 2014 21:15 Nyarly wrote: I just took a tea lesson from mariage frère. Crus d'exception : - White himalaya (very good, it has that very particular taste i immediately loved when i discovered the Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong) - Lung Ching impérial (i don't really like long jins) - Gyokuro (made by gods. Strong "spinash" taste, i fell in love, i bought 50g at 100€/100g.) - Lune d'or (golden moon, i barely tasted something, Huo Shan Huang Ya was a far better yellow tea to me.) - Aloobari (i don't really find anything to darjeelings but this green one was quite particular and nice) - Mountain Li Cha (Good blue tea, i didn't really like my other blue tea but this one made me interested in blue teas) - Gold Himalaya (Very good, humidified leafs have a strong smell of tomatoes, and again that nice taste like the White himalaya) - Aiguilles d'or (golden needles, black tea very slightly smoked, quite enjoyable for a black tea i don't particulary drink often)
It was so great, i'd really recommend it to anyone in france/visiting france ! It costs 65€ for 8 teas to taste + some cakes and 10% off everything you buy that day. The guy teaching the lesson is very informative, clear and knowledgeable, you can ask questions and he'll always answer perfectly.
Do you know any other places to learn about tea ? What can i do to learn how to work in the tea culture ? (seller/finder/taster/..)
So, my favorite tea is definitely gyokuro now. I've tasted three types of gyokuro + a sencha wazuka and i absolutelu love it inconditionally. Is there anything like this you can recommend me to try ?
You should see if you can find some good genmaicha. Really distinctive Japanese green tea infused with brown rice, always brings my mood right up Not enough of an expert to know where you'd find it in France, but it couldn't be that hard.
Wasn't Genmaicha originally a poor man's tea? Pure tea leaves was too expensive, so they added rice? And indeed, Gyokuro has to be the best tea ever. Steep at very low temperature for that spinach+buttery taste, just amazing.
On March 01 2014 21:15 Nyarly wrote: I just took a tea lesson from mariage frère. Crus d'exception : - White himalaya (very good, it has that very particular taste i immediately loved when i discovered the Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong) - Lung Ching impérial (i don't really like long jins) - Gyokuro (made by gods. Strong "spinash" taste, i fell in love, i bought 50g at 100€/100g.) - Lune d'or (golden moon, i barely tasted something, Huo Shan Huang Ya was a far better yellow tea to me.) - Aloobari (i don't really find anything to darjeelings but this green one was quite particular and nice) - Mountain Li Cha (Good blue tea, i didn't really like my other blue tea but this one made me interested in blue teas) - Gold Himalaya (Very good, humidified leafs have a strong smell of tomatoes, and again that nice taste like the White himalaya) - Aiguilles d'or (golden needles, black tea very slightly smoked, quite enjoyable for a black tea i don't particulary drink often)
It was so great, i'd really recommend it to anyone in france/visiting france ! It costs 65€ for 8 teas to taste + some cakes and 10% off everything you buy that day. The guy teaching the lesson is very informative, clear and knowledgeable, you can ask questions and he'll always answer perfectly.
Do you know any other places to learn about tea ? What can i do to learn how to work in the tea culture ? (seller/finder/taster/..)
So, my favorite tea is definitely gyokuro now. I've tasted three types of gyokuro + a sencha wazuka and i absolutelu love it inconditionally. Is there anything like this you can recommend me to try ?
You should see if you can find some good genmaicha. Really distinctive Japanese green tea infused with brown rice, always brings my mood right up Not enough of an expert to know where you'd find it in France, but it couldn't be that hard.
Thanks, exactly the kind of suggestions i wanted ! Unfortunately, i already tried genmaicha, and I loved it. I might have to try differents sorts of genmaicha though.
Any TL-ers have any experience with preparing matcha green tea? I've been reading some guides and articles online, but it's always nice to have some input from TL
Do you really need that little strainer and bamboo brush?
Will it seriously affect the taste negatively if I just create a paste like consistency with the powder with a spoon first and then pour the hot water afterwards (and try and get rid of any large bubbles)?
The Japanese are very ceremonial about things. If you want to have the tea like they make it I'd suggest not cutting too many corners in the preparation of it.
On May 13 2014 10:32 Gamegene wrote: Do you really need that little strainer and bamboo brush?
Will it seriously affect the taste negatively if I just create a paste like consistency with the powder with a spoon first and then pour the hot water afterwards (and try and get rid of any large bubbles)?
I bought one of those bamboo brushes and a small pack of matcha to try it out. Can't say I liked it that much, it's quite bitter, and I found it hard to get it to look the way it should. It's hard to say whether the stuff you order is good quality or not. I wish there was a place near me that would serve it, I would I could at least try it once the way it's supposed to be.
Hey guys. i'm not sure if i'm aloud to post these types of links but I wrote a tea review for the Ali Shan Winter Harvest from camellia sinensis on tumblr. enjoy it Will start working on a Pu-Erh review, Tie Guan Yin(iron goddess) and some davids tea stuff too just for fun.
EPT![[image loading]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Tea_in_different_grade_of_fermentation.jpg/640px-Tea_in_different_grade_of_fermentation.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://static.productreview.com.au/pr.products/144949_twinings_prince_of_wales.jpg)
Beats being all jacked up from the coffee doesn't it.
Some teas will set you back between 50/100 Euro a small bag. And here I thought 20 Euro was a lot, I guess if you realy want the best, get ready to pay it :D. I'm so buying this when I'm rich though: ![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nuvXgMSA4g8/T2YQj5I1LlI/AAAAAAAACBw/eq7UpSxkX0w/s1600/mate+yerba+and+bombilla.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QOOxr.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PdLS5.jpg)
, for something named like a shakespeare play, it has to be special. Do you have any pics? Am very curious what it looks like.
![[image loading]](http://www.teekampagne.de/download/images/Calculation_retailprice_2011.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i50.tinypic.com/s30nee.jpg)
?![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/FTCCx.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/GGWQW.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/p6uz9.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/media.steepster.com/product_images/3732/large.PNG)
![[image loading]](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDYwMA==/$(KGrHqZHJBgE-QSFYkJyBPpdSvUW6!~~60_35.JPG)
![[image loading]](http://www.teareviewblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/heatsealbags-300x256.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.best-b2b.com/userimg/764/797-2/tea-spoon-35.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/tea2.jpg/)
![[image loading]](http://i49.tinypic.com/e6tvfk.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i49.tinypic.com/w1xjig.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.fomos.kr/board/interview/1288696999_1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i46.tinypic.com/2lwrer4.png)
![[image loading]](http://i45.tinypic.com/2l89fmv.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.colnect.net/images/f/419/152/Chinese-White-Tea.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.colnect.net/images/f/419/153/Chinese-White-Tea-back.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Teaareas_taiwansmap.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.arborteas.com/product_images/uploaded_images/pg-sup-loosevsbag2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.harney.com/cm/Assets/sku/35423.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.yuuki-cha.com/images/radjapanmap.jpg)
There are also these, if you want to try more diverse tea's that fit your criteria 
![[image loading]](http://www.alwaysfoodie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/nestea.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i47.tinypic.com/swxt9u.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i46.tinypic.com/2eydoxg.png)
![[image loading]](http://hojotea.com/img/puerh_diagram_e.gif)
![[image loading]](http://www.puerhshop.com/images/mgh1104Brick.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/media.steepster.com/product_images/21479/large.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://mimiskitchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/img_1621.jpg?w=450)
![[image loading]](http://jingtea.com/thumbnail/350x350//var/files/Tea/Oolong/Lishan_Oolong_Tea.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Da_Hong_Pao_Oolong_tea_leaf.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.miamz.fr/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/specialtnespresso3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9JFf_ccbDY/T9pMRH-uusI/AAAAAAAAAFc/Lzh-EIISLn8/s1600/moroccan_mint_tea.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Teavana/10001355%20100%20100_d?$snrl$)
![[image loading]](http://shop.yogiproducts.com/img/product/yog-076950450103.gif)
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t2sg4kULsgM/UIYtafJbuCI/AAAAAAAAEmo/IkqaWQoYfac/s1600/matcha-tea.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i47.tinypic.com/33f9mhc.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/uyZyTnm.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/dZHLCcm.jpg)
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![[image loading]](http://i41.tinypic.com/2941755.jpg)
