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Dick Smegma posted:I don't mind being in the ball park. I just hate boiling water over and over and over. I'm a student, and I drink a lot of tea when I'm studying. I just want to pour, brew, and go. I didn't know if something like a cast iron teapot would keep temperature around the appropriate temperature for 2 hours or something. vOv I just flick the switch, wait till it boils, and pour. Keep the kettle near you and get a tea tray. It's really not that big of a deal, you don't even have to stand up.
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Mar 19, 2012 21:57
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GrAviTy84 posted:vOv Are your telling me to pour boiling water on oolong in a gaiwan? Every time I have done this, my tea comes out tasting like bitter soap. Mind you, I'm talking about Tieguanyin.
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Mar 19, 2012 22:14
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how long are you steeping for? what kind of tgy? I'm assuming you mean a greener one and not a high fire.
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Mar 19, 2012 22:28
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GrAviTy84 posted:how long are you steeping for? what kind of tgy? I'm assuming you mean a greener one and not a high fire. My cheap everyday drinker that I am talking about is Rishi's Iron Goddess of Mercy, which I believe is a medium roast. The first few steeps with boiling water were great, but after 3, it all goes down hill and tastes like a bitter mess. Perhaps i'm using too much tea? I steep about 5 seconds the first 5.
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Mar 19, 2012 22:35
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Dick Smegma posted:My cheap everyday drinker that I am talking about is Rishi's Iron Goddess of Mercy, which I believe is a medium roast. The first few steeps with boiling water were great, but after 3, it all goes down hill and tastes like a bitter mess. Perhaps i'm using too much tea? I steep about 5 seconds the first 5. rishi is your cheap everyday drinker? You need to find you a bulk Chinese tea seller. I don't know if it's possible to use too much tea in a gaiwan. When I brew oolongs the leaves physically push the lid up when they expand. Could just be that the quality level of that Rishi is coming out, that it really is only good for 3 steeps.
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Mar 19, 2012 22:45
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The easiest method is using a water dispenser that will keep the water at the temperature you specify. If you can afford one, a water dispenser does the job quite admirably - it's what they're designed to do. Using a thermos is the next best bet (wins over a tetsubin or other teapot for portability's sake and heat retention). Using a tetsubin or other teapot to hold hot water is fine as long as you have something to keep it warm. The venerable tea cozy or using a tea light underneath your pot both suffice in regulating temperature. Lastly, if you're sitting there using a thermometer, just add fresh cold water until you reach desired temperature if you need to cool quickly. It will not harm the overall water experience or anything like that.
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Mar 19, 2012 22:46
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GrAviTy84 posted:rishi is your cheap everyday drinker? You need to find you a bulk Chinese tea seller. I don't know if it's possible to use too much tea in a gaiwan. When I brew oolongs the leaves physically push the lid up when they expand. Could just be that the quality level of that Rishi is coming out, that it really is only good for 3 steeps. Do you have any recommendations? I consider my "good" oolong to be my stash of Verdant Tea's Hand Picked Autumn Tieguanyin.
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Mar 19, 2012 22:49
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Dick Smegma posted:Do you have any recommendations? I consider my "good" oolong to be my stash of Verdant Tea's Hand Picked Autumn Tieguanyin. come here: http://cgiirc.synirc.net/ #tea-chat
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Mar 19, 2012 22:54
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GrAviTy84 posted:come here: thanks for the recommendations Dick Smegma fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Mar 20, 2012 |
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Mar 20, 2012 00:28
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Dick Smegma posted:Do you have any recommendations? I consider my "good" oolong to be my stash of Verdant Tea's Hand Picked Autumn Tieguanyin. Try http://www.lifeinteacup.com/ They do free samples where you pay about $3 for shipping and get around an ounce of great tea, about 7-8 grams of three different kinds. Also, come back to tea-chat sometime just to talk about tea! It is not normal for people to offer to buy you tea and ship it, that was kind of odd, but I think good intentioned!!! ETA: Dick Smegma, Lilly's Golden Tea is a shop in the Bay Area with excellent selection and good prices (better than many or most online stores), but no online shop. They were just offering to pick you something up there and send it. They did offer to open an SA Mart thread if you'd like, as well.
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Mar 20, 2012 00:30
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Other places mentioned that may have been missed since Dick Smegma left in a hurry when he thought I was trying to be some kind of big stinky scammer and fleece him: Imperial Tea Court Samovar Seven Cups téance The four above plus Life in Teacup have online store presences. As pork mentioned, the offer was to look for a selection of tea at Lilly's comparable to Rishi's TGY and get it packed and shipped. Sorry if that came off as "GIVE ME YOUR MONEY AHAHAHAHA" or whatever? In any case, I'll see about doing another Let's Drink! some time this week focusing on oolongs or whatever takes my fancy.
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Mar 20, 2012 00:42
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pork never goes bad posted:Try http://www.lifeinteacup.com/ Yeah I edited my post after I looked at there user history and realized they were for real. I don't really follow this thread, sorry for my ignorance. aldantefax posted:Other places mentioned that may have been missed since Dick Smegma left in a hurry when he thought I was trying to be some kind of big stinky scammer and fleece him: Yeah sorry. It just seemed kind of shady. I get invited to a random IRC chatroom and basically you were like "you give me money, I send tea." I was like "who the gently caress is this guy." I thought you and gravity were the same person; a Chinese scammer. It just came across as fishy because you wanted to make a deal off somethingawful. Sorry for the confusion. Question though. I was looking over imperial tea court, and noticed decent oolong was 16$/oz. That is pretty pricy. Is there a site, other then steepster, that has reviews and stuff before I start ordering from tea websites with layouts from 1998? Also I was looking for recommendations for oolong better and cheaper then rishi. Dick Smegma fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Mar 20, 2012 |
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Mar 20, 2012 00:44
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I can review 2 teas from Imperial Tea Court, as of this weekend! If there is a specific one that you are looking at, I could always head over to ITC and try it this weekend and give you impressions. Samovar I can recommend a few more, but the prices there tend to be quite high. They have really good Sencha. If you decide to sample from Life In Teacup, I've tried 7 or 8 teas from there, mostly oolongs. The Li Shan Oolong is really darn good, about the same price as the one you have from Rishi and I think a lot better.
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Mar 20, 2012 01:02
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I'll be heading to Imperial Tea Court this Wednesday evening, actually, so maybe I can hassle them into letting me see their prices. If I had to rank places in terms of how much you can get for, say, 16 bucks: Life in Teacup: 1/8 to 1/4 lb Imperial Tea Court: maybe 1/8 to 1/4 lb téance: 1/8 lb or less Samovar: 1/8 lb or less Lilly's Golden Tea Shop: 1/4 lb easily, I could get a 1/2 lb of a Da Hong Pao Wuyi for 20 bucks (it was 50% off or more since she was trying to clear it out) Even if the prices work out to be the same as what you're currently purchasing from Rishi + Whole Foods, it's always worthwhile to take a look at other places anyway since you're going to have to go in for shipping. There's also like all the places that I talked about which were at the Tea Festival - those that actually are selling tea have a variety of oolong selections, but I'm not familiar with their prices. Sadly, there is no Steepster alternative right now, and I'm negotiating with Roy Fong about a redesign right now, since he acknowledges that the Imperial Tea Court site layout is pretty dated (it hasn't changed in the last 4 years, probably more).
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Mar 20, 2012 02:41
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Water temperature issues: if you are staying in one place, get a good quality electric kettle that lets you set a specific temperature. If you have to take the water somewhere, use a high-quality thermos and preheat it. You should be able to keep it at a decent brewing temperature for several hours. Cheap oolong: My opinion is that when shopping online, don't bother with Samovar, Imperial Tea Court, Red Circle, Mandarin's Tearoom, Tea Gallery, etc (in common: SF or NYC, high-end or at least trying to be); these are all really loving expensive places to buy tea for the most part. I think that high quality baozhongs tend to outperform their prices, but it's kind of a tough time to buy tea since the spring harvests aren't far off at this point. Floating Leaves has a couple winter baozhongs right now which I haven't tried, but I've been pleased with most of her teas in the past. I can recommend from personal experience the 2011 subtropical forest baozhong from Stephane over at Teamasters, but he doesn't have a formal web shop, which I guess might bother you given the recent posts in this thread. He is reliable and has impeccable taste, I really recommend him if you don't mind that his ordering process is stuck in the 90s. Not always cheap but the subtropical forest baozhong is one of his better deals. Last I checked you can get out under $10/oz even after shipping from Taiwan. Might have changed lately, I don't know. If you like heavily roasted oolong the 2008 heavy roast TGY he has is an excellent example of well-roasted oolong and also relatively cheap unless he's raised the price.
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Mar 20, 2012 03:04
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breaks posted:Mandarin's Tearoom, Tea Gallery, etc (in common: SF or NYC, high-end or at least trying to be); these are all really loving expensive places to buy tea for the most part. I don't think anyone who shops at MTR or Tea Gallery is looking for cheap oolong.
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Mar 20, 2012 05:41
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Picked up a bag of loose leaf masala chai mix, but it didn't come with any directions. What's the best way to brew it up? Steep it in hot water, then add milk/sugar, or simmer it in a water/milk mixture in a saucepan?
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Mar 20, 2012 08:38
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If you want it fairly light, steep in water and then add milk/sweetener to taste. If you want it richer and spicier, combine tea and sweetener with water in a saucepan, simmer until it's reduced to a small amount of liquid, maybe a couple tablespoons. Remove from heat and add a cup (or however much you want to drink) of milk. Return to heat, bring to a simmer, cover and remove from heat, allowing it to steep an additional 5-8 minutes. Strain and serve. It's extra work but way richer than any other chai preparation you'll taste.
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Mar 20, 2012 19:06
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TRIP REPORT! Went to Wing Hop Fung in Monterey Park after a rehearsal today. Tasted some teas, bought some teas, was a good time.  outside  teawares  awesome $1800 stone tea table  Taiwanese High Mountain Oolongs (Li shan wulong)  Weird dragon bench thing   Tasting two dancong wulongs. One at $40/lb one at $138/lb. Without telling me which was which, she asked me which I liked better. I picked the expensive one  So I got an 1/8th of a lb of it. Walked away with an eighth of this, too:  Edit: Forgot to add this picture! not really tea related, but I drank a lovely restaurant tea while eating them. Stopped by a dumpling house for dinner on the way back home because the 60 was a parking lot.  Xiaolong Bao GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 10:13 on Mar 22, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 05:29
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One of these days I shall possess one of those magnificent tables that have built in drains suitable for permanent installation for gong fu. One of these days...  edit: Some content, I was at a thank you volunteer dinner for the tea festival hosted by Roy Fong and the volunteer coordinator, Babbette Donaldson. After hearing about how Roy sources his tea and a little more about his processes, one can certainly say he's the real deal. The man flies out to Huangzhou annually to check the weather for picking, for goodness sake - and, he selects oolongs and has the same half dozen people hand fire them to a certain degree because when imported to his warehouses in Oakland, CA he hand fires them himself. Pretty neat stuff! aldantefax fucked around with this message at 09:18 on Mar 22, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 09:13
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pork never goes bad posted:Try http://www.lifeinteacup.com/ AHHH thank you!! I just got to try ti guan yin for the first time because of this. Here I was, thinking I didn't like oolong very much. drat. And I'm only on the first infusion.
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Mar 24, 2012 18:19
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Adagio is having a promotion where if you go around their website and click on cherry blossoms, you can save up to 25% off your next purchase. About half of the blossoms can be found in their regular tea pages. The rest are buried in the custom blends pages with no easy way to find them that I can figure.
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Mar 25, 2012 03:14
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Hummingbirds posted:AHHH thank you!! I just got to try ti guan yin for the first time because of this. Here I was, thinking I didn't like oolong very much. drat. And I'm only on the first infusion. Sorry. This was a rabbit hole I could have done without going down. That said, thank Bob_McBob for the vendor recommendation (he pointed me there). It's really his fault.
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Mar 25, 2012 09:35
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Cross-posting from the matcha thread since I am a big Japanese green tea fan and would love to chat about it more.close to toast posted:I've never tried cooking with it, but I like to add a little matcha powder to my genmaicha.
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Mar 28, 2012 21:30
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Oh hey it's you. I've found that genmaicha is basically palatable at all price levels, however matcha, if you have it, is perfectly fine on it's own provided you have a chasen (bamboo whisk) to go along with it to make that frothy creamy texture. For the most part, Japanese teas are a little on the pricey side and rise very quickly in cost as the quality or specific types of tea go up. Naturally, there's a lot of everyday tea from a hundred different brands, but certain things such as Shincha, Gyokuro, and the like are priced considerably higher due to their availability and labor required in picking. As far as I know the only place in the US that specializes in green tea is Lupicia, since they're a Japanese company that has holdings in Hawaii and in a couple of places in the US. There might be a few other places, but the majority of them are based exclusively in Japan and use EMS or another similar courier service, so shipping is extremely high. Genmaicha is also pretty easy to make since it mostly involves roasting dry rice kernels and mixing the desired quantity with bancha, houjicha, or any other tea that you want to 'pad' - I learned interestingly that it is quite popular to do in rural areas of the Phillipines, where my parents are from.
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Mar 29, 2012 05:41
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aldantefax posted:Oh hey it's you. I've found that genmaicha is basically palatable at all price levels, however matcha, if you have it, is perfectly fine on it's own provided you have a chasen (bamboo whisk) to go along with it to make that frothy creamy texture. I totally agree with your opinion about genmaicha, since I drink it practically every day and arrived at Japanese green tea (and any tea other than black tea with milk) through cheap genmaicha. I also potentially agree with your opinion about matcha, but I don't own the equipment and I've never really made it properly for myself. Whenever I've ordered it/tasted it on its own when I'm out, the matcha has started to separate and it can be a bit gritty. In the context of the other thread, I was trying to offer a tea-related application of matcha that doesn't require a bamboo wisk. Do you brew your genmaicha/gyokuro/etc. in a gaiwan? Do you think it alters the taste? Also, to add to the description in the OP of Japanese green teas as "grassy", I think it tastes more of seaweed. To me, Chinese green teas taste of the earth and Japanese green teas taste of the sea  aldantefax posted:Genmaicha is also pretty easy to make since it mostly involves roasting dry rice kernels and mixing the desired quantity with bancha, houjicha, or any other tea that you want to 'pad' - I learned interestingly that it is quite popular to do in rural areas of the Phillipines, where my parents are from. Sounds interesting, what's your technique?
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Mar 29, 2012 08:38
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I really love genmaicha, it's one of my favourite types of teas. For whatever reason it tastes like a warm fuzzy blanket feels to me; it's warm and a bit sweet and cozy and it is the best thing to have on an unpleasantly cold or rainy day. And yeah it's nice because it's not especially expensive, and why should it be, its sole reason for being is to stretch out tea cheaply.
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Mar 29, 2012 09:09
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Matcha, from the limited times I've tried it, is meant to be whisked fairly vigorously so as to absolve the liquid of that graininess - ideally (and anybody can feel free to correct me here that's had more experience with it as a beverage) you're looking for this creamy, frothy consistency in the bowl (chawan) you're whisking it in. There's a few places around that sell matcha starter sets, which contain bowl, whisk (chasen), and some matcha (sometimes also a measuring spoon) at a reasonable price, somewhere around 30 to 50 dollars for the set. I've seen cheaper as well, but the idea is that the bowl has an irregular pattern so as to facilitate intense agitation from whisking, compared to a gaiwan or normal bowl, both of which are intended to be perfectly smooth on the interior. --- In terms of brewing, I use a kyusu, which is a Japanese teapot with mesh filter. I find that unless the leaves are whole it's not worth the effort to try brewing genmaicha in a gaiwan. Gyokuro, on the other hand, has something similar to a gaiwan that I see typically used with a permanent filter (just holes near the spout) and a stronger taper - the design is intended to keep the water at a consistent temperature during the brew process. I have also heard of yuzumashi, which is a water bowl designed to allow freshly boiled water to cool to the appropriate temperature. When I was watching kukicha being prepared at the tea festival, it was okay to use hot water and cool down with refrigerated spring water to bring it to the desired temperature. I'm not sure about the ratio though, sadly. --- Generally speaking using a cast iron pan or similar with a small bit of oil should suffice, similar to if you're making popcorn on a pan. I've never tried it personally, but I imagine that's how it would go, and not for too long lest you scorch the rice. Brown rice, in this case, would be the one to use, but possibly white rice might do the job as well (and, truth be told, is more readily available in greater quantities than brown rice in the US).
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Mar 29, 2012 10:12
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You know, I bet a french press would mix matcha up really well. I know from experience they froth milk and milk based stuff amazingly well. Put some hot chocolate in one, run the press up and down a bunch, and prepare to have your mind blown at how easily you just got perfect velvety foam at home, no steam wand needed.
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Mar 29, 2012 17:56
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My order from Mountain Rose Herbs came in the mail today! I went a little nuts and got myself a huge order of tea, and their awesome mug. 
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Mar 29, 2012 19:22
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Mr. Fedora posted:My order from Mountain Rose Herbs came in the mail today! Want that mug. I can't find it on their site though? vvv gently caress's sake, I'm blind apparently. Thanks! MIDWIFE CRISIS fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Mar 30, 2012 |
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Mar 30, 2012 22:55
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Admiral Goodenough posted:Want that mug. I can't find it on their site though? http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/mrh/mrh.html
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Mar 30, 2012 23:35
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Mr. Fedora posted:My order from Mountain Rose Herbs came in the mail today! Congratulations, and enjoy the mug! That's a great deal of tea... Tried any so far? In other news, I tried the Starbucks green tea frappé thing on the recommendation of this thread and it was pretty good. I like how frothy it managed to be with all the crushed ice. Thanks! milpreve fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Mar 31, 2012 |
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Mar 31, 2012 15:10
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I finally decided to pick up some more oolongs and other varieties of tea, since the genmaicha I had lying around was gone, and my houjicha (however it's spelled) is also about done. Since I was completely overwhelmed by the vast array of teas in every category available on Upton's website, I just ordered three of their samplers - green tea, oolong, and ceylon. I'm not really sure what's in the ceylon sampler, but oh well. I forgot to get a genmaicha, but I can head to a local tea store and pick one up. Anyways, this is a long introduction to ask a fairly simple question. How do you guys go about starting to stumble your way around the giant variety of every type of tea out there?
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Mar 31, 2012 22:37
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Arcturas posted:I finally decided to pick up some more oolongs and other varieties of tea, since the genmaicha I had lying around was gone, and my houjicha (however it's spelled) is also about done. Since I was completely overwhelmed by the vast array of teas in every category available on Upton's website, I just ordered three of their samplers - green tea, oolong, and ceylon. I'm not really sure what's in the ceylon sampler, but oh well. I forgot to get a genmaicha, but I can head to a local tea store and pick one up. I haven't tried any of Upton's samplers yet (though I should get the British Blend sampler in the mail tomorrow), but the Ceylon sampler should be all black teas from Sri Lanka. Upton's genmaicha is alright, but if you're getting one from your local shop at a good price, I'd say buy that anyway.
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Apr 1, 2012 18:37
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GrAviTy84 posted:TRIP REPORT! And how do you like your Alishan Jinxuan? As I said before, I personally avoid Alishan teas unless I am specifically recommended one, just because the name Alishan includes such a wide range of qualities. I have a 2011 spring Jinxuan from Hehuanshan (He Huan mountain) that I love though. The two best high mountain oolong varieties -as reflected by those price tags- are in your other photo. The right-most jar (Da Yu Ling), and the jar next to it (Li Shan). Did you get to try either of those? You should go back in a few weeks after the spring teas have arrived. Tomb Sweeping (Qingming) Day is this Wednesday, so here in Taiwan that means 2012 spring oolongs will start hitting the market next week. I'm not sure about the U.S. arrival times.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:23
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:Awesome post Gravity! I gather that the $138/lb tea you bought was the honey aroma. What about the tea that lost in that taste test, was it a honey aroma too? I find that the honey aroma oolongs I've tried taste very similar to Oriental Beauty (even though they look different), have you tried that variety? The other was a honey aroma also. It just tasted milder, didn't have the balancing bitterness that the more expensive one had, and wasn't nearly as aromatic, the more expensive one just "jumped out of the cup" for a lack of a better description. Thanks for the rec, I will keep an eye open for it. The alishan jinxuan is pretty good. I know it's not as high of a grade, but I kind of got it as a casual drinker. I didn't get to try the others. I didn't want to push my luck with trying all the expensive stuff, but I also plan on going back, so I will try them another time. I have had a Li Shan before though, a friend gave some to me as a gift a while ago. Thanks for the heads up on the spring oolongs, I will keep my eyes open.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:35
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I just got Upton's "introduction to fine tea" sampler and the Yunnan is eye-opening. Holy gently caress, I didn't know teas could taste so interesting. It almost has a smoky aftertaste? Kind of like a nice, peaty whisky, except it tastes like tea? I can't really describe it. It's drat good, though! I'm certainly going to buy a big bag of it once I finish up the sampler. Thanks, Tea Thread, for convincing me tea was worth it. Ghost of Reagan Past fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Apr 3, 2012 |
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Apr 3, 2012 01:12
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Tea Report! My mom got me this tea as a gift:  Here are the leaves in the very nice glass jar:  In the infuser:  Water just added:  At the end of it's brewing period:  The spent leaves:  I tried to get a picture of it in the mug, but the clouds came out and none turned out well. The second brew picture below shows the color pretty well, though. The rose does not make a big appearance like jasmine would. It might be more pronounced in hotter water, though. I was stuck using the Instant Hot tap, which dispenses water somewhere between 190-210 degrees ("steaming" hot). The smell was pretty normal, and the taste is pleasant. It's not terribly remarkable, but I'm on my third cup for the day. This third cup is my first second brewing, because my mom cleaned up my first first-brew. The second brew:  Only a half of a cup because I forgot to take a picture before I started dispensing! The flavor isn't that different, but I let it steep a little longer. I'm sorry I wasn't better about noting times and temperatures, but I'm at my parents' for the week and it's unfamiliar territory now. I probably wouldn't do more than 3 steeps just because it's already a little weak. Again, though, that could be the fault of insufficiently hot water. milpreve fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Apr 3, 2012 |
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Apr 3, 2012 03:49
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Thanks for the great pics. Come to think of it, I haven't tried any "tea leaves + flowers" teas. Does the oolong taste not completely mask the rose taste? Also, have you gotten the oolong leaves to unfurl all the way yet? They still look half-balled in your last pic.
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Apr 6, 2012 02:58
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