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I just got my recent order from adagio, and they sent me a free sample of Lapsang Souchong. I've never had it before, but I'll never turn down any sort of free sample. Drinking my first cup now, and I'm surprised that a tea can smell so much like a campfire. It's not overwhelming, though apparently with this kind of tea it can be going by a quick google search. I get the feeling drinking it black is the best, but anyone have any experience with this kind of tea?
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Jun 6, 2012 13:30
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Lapsang Souchong is considered a black tea, but one that you'll want to try multiple steeps of, so brewing a huge pot of it may not be ideal. It has a very distinct smell due to the way it's finished, but after a few more steeps the flavor noticeably changes. It will probably taste like butt and poop if you try and guss it up with sugar, milk, honey, etc. because you'll eliminate a large portion of the flavor save for the smoke-type notes.
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Jun 6, 2012 19:02
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In the UK and Commonwealth countries, lapsang souchong is often served with milk.
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Jun 7, 2012 00:33
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They have like every tea with milk there, so I suppose that's no surprise! People are fans of milk with tea. There are also different varieties of lapsang souchong that eliminate the smoky scenting and sharp flavoring that I've tried.
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Jun 7, 2012 02:17
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Traditionally, tea is only drink with milk if smoked, otherwise particularly bold, or var assamica. Darjeelingand many keemun blacks would have been taken straight. Of course, now the British tea "tradition," or whatever you'd call it, has given way to teabags of very robust tea that is largely unpalatable without milk, so these sorts of finer grained distinctions aren't quite so true anymore.
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Jun 7, 2012 06:27
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I've had one lapsang souchong, and the smell was so overwhelming I couldn't drink it. The flavor itself wasn't bad if I held my nose, but that's no way to enjoy a tea. I really, really tried to like it but just couldn't, and I couldn't find anyone else that wanted it either. Thankfully all I bought was a small sample, because I ended up throwing it out when even the tea snobs I know didn't want anything to do with it.  I still feel bad about throwing it away, but good lord no one liked it. I hope your batch is a lot better than mine was!
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Jun 7, 2012 13:02
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Mizufusion posted:I still feel bad about throwing it away, but good lord no one liked it. I hope your batch is a lot better than mine was! So far I haven't found anyone else that liked it, but the smoke aroma isn't so strong. Well, let me clarify that it is definitely a powerful scent, but I don't find myself gagging over it- I mostly find it appealing. Going by some of the reviews on adagio apparently it's fairly weak compared to how it could be, and once was. I only tried two steeps though, I think next time I try it I'll go quite a few more if it really changes dramatically. Strangely though, I felt like it would improve from bourbon, and make a weird scotch-like drink. It's an idea that's been eating at me since I had that cup, so I'll probably dedicate a cup to it at least, at some point. So far it's not something I would find myself drinking on a regular basis, maybe occasionally when it's cold outside.
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Jun 7, 2012 13:27
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You can also add a bit to other tea if you want just a hint of smokiness.
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Jun 7, 2012 18:26
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In my experiences the smokiness from lapsang souchong fades to a taste similar to chocolate - darkly sweet, malty, and full bodied. It takes quite some time to do that though, so you may also want to experiment with mixing steeps or cutting the first few brews with extra water.
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Jun 7, 2012 20:25
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Speaking of things with strong smells, is honeybush tea supposed to smell like pickles/rubber? It's so overpowering I can't even taste the tea.
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Jun 8, 2012 03:17
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I was surprised that I liked lapsang souchong, myself. I did not enjoy the smell at all of the first one I bought, but I tried it out and found that I actually really enjoyed the taste in the end. All of this comes with the caveat that I sugar my tea, but I still very much got that earthy flavour.
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Jun 8, 2012 03:28
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Wedemeyer posted:Speaking of things with strong smells, is honeybush tea supposed to smell like pickles/rubber? It's so overpowering I can't even taste the tea. ...It should not. It should be mildly grassy and a little sweet. I think you got some bad tea.
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Jun 8, 2012 14:36
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Wedemeyer posted:Speaking of things with strong smells, is honeybush tea supposed to smell like pickles/rubber? It's so overpowering I can't even taste the tea. Maybe the water was too hot or you steeped it for too long? That's really weird, but I've had some pretty weird flavors show up in different teas because the water was too hot.
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Jun 9, 2012 21:57
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I just discovered this thread. What a nice surprise! On the subject of milk tea, I find powdered skim milk to be good for maintaining the flavor of the tea while not being heavy like adding actual milk or cream. I know many of the bottled milk tea companies in Asia tend to use powdered milk, so you might find a good black tea with sugar and powdered milk to taste similar to something you've had before. I know powdered milk has its own flavor but I like the taste. I live in India and people who make milk tea at home tend to use powdered milk. Most of the tea dealers sell bulk powdered milk while companies like Nestle sell it refined and cut with sugar in a foil package. The street chai wallas make their tea using only milk (that is what chai is, though I've met Americans who don't get this), but the flavor of it comes in a way that most Westerners don't realize. Cows milk is not very easy to come across in some places and tends to cost more than buffalo milk, which is easy to find almost everywhere due to them being used in farming rice patties and a lot of general labor. Buffaloes milk has a much higher fat content than cows milk and has more nutrients usually. Street chai is either all buffalo milk or buffalo cut with cows milk. Then the billion gram scoops of CTC black tea are added to it and boiled with 45 kilos of sugar and so your 2-3oz cup of chai has the same amount of syrupy punch as drinking 30-40 regular cups of tea. It's highly addictive and if you're not used to it or sensitive to caffeine it can keep you up all night. Buffalo chai is like drinking a cream shot. I live about 6-8 hours away from Darjeeling and my tea dealer always gets random stuff from the estates. I always look up online what I buy later to see how much I'd have to pay for them back in the USA. I'll pay 70 to 120 rupees (about $1.30 to $2.50) for 100gms for what some of these estates mark as $20 or more in the USA shops. It's nice paying local prices but my problem is that I can't find anything other than Darjeeling or Assam teas where I live. The greens from there are all broken leaf and not very good, but decent enough to drink several times a day. I love oolong teas, but the Darjeeling flavors are getting played out after this long, even when trying many of the costly estate brands. CTC chai tea costs about 15 rupees (28 cents) for 100gms and I can never finish the whole 100gms since I don't make my own chai much. I prefer no sugar and no milk everything I drink except chai, much to the horror of the Indians around whose taste buds need maximum flavor at all times. Anyone that knows Indian foods knows they are not fond of subtle when it comes to eating and drinking. I'd kill for any Molihua Cha 
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Jun 10, 2012 07:45
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That's really interesting, I didn't know that chai in India was just milk. A lot of the chai that gets sold in the US has recipes/instructions that say to use a mix of milk and water. I'm probably gonna have to try making some chai with just milk sometime and see how that comes out. Just wondering, Haier, can you get teas imported from China where you are or do they not do that? I'll admit I don't really know anything about the politics/trade relations between India and China.
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Jun 10, 2012 19:17
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I LOVE lapsang souchong, but then again, I also like woodsmoked meats and baba ganoush- that campfire smell is part of what makes it so delicious. Perfect winter tea. Australian tea nerds (like YT) can also acquire teas from Adore Tea, who stock lots of fancypants varieties at prices generally comparable to T2. If you find yourself in Canberra, they have a tearoom where they will sell you tea and breathtakingly overpriced nibbles instore. I die inside for The Tea Centre, who sell more blends than one knows what to do with at (for Australia) reasonable prices, and ship within Australia.
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Jun 11, 2012 00:20
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DurianGray posted:That's really interesting, I didn't know that chai in India was just milk. A lot of the chai that gets sold in the US has recipes/instructions that say to use a mix of milk and water. I'm probably gonna have to try making some chai with just milk sometime and see how that comes out. Yeah, it's generally all milk but the key to proper flavor is LOTS of tea and LOTS of sugar. Since milk is so much heavier (especially straight from a cow or buffalo, all fat content) the amounts of ingredients need to be increased to retain the flavor. I know milks in the West are cut with a lot of water, even whole milk, but if you're making a cup of chai then the tea and sugar content should be upped. Most people here tend to drink street chai rather than do it at home and their secret is to dump the milk, sugar and tea into the kettle itself and boil it high until the first bubble up. Then they pour and strain the tea into the little 2-4oz cups. For 3 people drinking tea out of 2oz cups ,they'll add 10oz of milk, maybe 40gms of CTC tea and like half a cup of sugar. There is always a remainder of milk and tea left for the next batch and they re-use the tea many times while adding more tea, because it saves money. It's like drinking ultra concentrated tea with a dentist's nightmare amount of sugar. That's why it's in a shot form and not a mug. I know in America and other places chai is seen as having lots of exotic spices, but this is more of a regional and seasonal thing. Generally it's just milk, tea and sugar. Sometimes you can request cardamom or a masala mix, but most street stalls (at least outside big cities) don't do this. The chai stall is like a scaled down version of the TV show Cheers minus alcohol, in that there's always the same characters meeting up and sitting on the little wood benches and talking for hours while getting buzzed on caffeine. There are little 1 rupee packs of sweet biscuits for sale to dip into the chai cup and the picture is complete with one or two street dogs passed out under the benches, hoping when they wake up there are snacks to be found. Indians drinking milk tea in their homes do more of a British style since this is what was introduced to them. It seems like half the people in this country have diabetes and don't want to push their luck. quote:Just wondering, Haier, can you get teas imported from China where you are or do they not do that? I'll admit I don't really know anything about the politics/trade relations between India and China. There are lots of Chinese products here, but they are seen as lesser quality. If you go to a shop to buy something they'll try to sell you everything else but the Chinese stuff first. When you ask about it they'll make a face and be like "sir, it is from China... (you must be poor if you want to buy those things)" Regarding tea, I am sure in the big cities I could find Chinese tea. Calcutta has a Chinatown, even. I live in West Bengal but too far from Calcutta to make any sort of trip. Where I live it's just estate teas from Darjeeling and Assam. Indians tend to not really go for subtle styles, they want lots of flavor. Even the non-export packaging on some of the fancy estate teas I buy say to add milk and sugar to something most people would want to enjoy on its own. "Here is our delicately picked spring time white tea for your pleasure, please add pure-fat milk and a handful of white sugar for taste." For this reason it is hard to find a shop that might sell something interesting. My tea dealer has a shelf of what used to be very nice green teas and oolongs but they're past their good date because no one ever buys them. Most shops (probably outside of big cities) won't take a risk on that kind of stuff. My friend is coming from America in couple months and when I was asked if I needed anything I only asked for ear plugs and a pile of teas from their Chinatown. Edit: I forgot to add a peculiar local way of making lemon tea. It's not-so-strong black tea, fresh lemons squeezed and dropped into the cup/water and a healthy scoop of black salt and maybe some spicy masala. I'm used to it, it's pretty decent but I know many non-Indians to have gagged when thinking they were getting a sweet cup of tea. Black salt smells and tastes very sulfurous. LOL Haier fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Jun 11, 2012 |
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Jun 11, 2012 03:46
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Haha, I know my dad always made his chai here by microwaving a cup of milk with a cheap black tea bag in it, so it's nice to know those results probably aren't too different from back home. On the same lines, I once rented out a meeting room to a group of dudes who brought in one of those large commercial tea making machines, only they filled it with milk instead of water. I don't know how much sugar they went through, but they brought their own box of sugar packets to be sure. That said probably less than I think, since I definitely smelled sweetened condensed milk added to it all, too. I still cry for that machine, it must've been difficult to clean- I hope it got cleaned properly at least.
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Jun 11, 2012 13:13
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I'm happy to have discovered this thread! I normally order my standard fare, various green and herbal teas, from Adagio. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for some less common teas? Ones which have been recommended to me are: Skullcap, Lavender and Catnip, to name a few. No clue where to buy any of these, or if the the calming/relaxation effects are more placebo than anything else. Any feedback would be much appreciated.
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Jun 20, 2012 10:17
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If you're referring to just the flowers themselves, you can special order them online from Amazon or the like or visit a local store that specializes in holistics like an apothecary, if you're lucky enough to have one nearby. For teas that are scented with them, they are frequently black or green teas, and can be found at many tea vendors online such as Upton, Adagio, etc. I can't really say with respect to Skullcap or Catnip but I do know that lavender does have actual properties which helps as a stress reliever (calms anxiety) and a sleep aid (induces a calming effect). They are frequently used in sleep aid tisanes but also are a decent flavoring agent to strong teas as lavender oil is quite potent.
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Jun 20, 2012 19:09
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Does anyone use those hourglass-style sand tea timers? I see a few different sets on Amazon with different lengths of time (3/4/5, 1/3/5, 3/5/7, etc).
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Jun 21, 2012 19:38
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Does anyone use those hourglass-style sand tea timers? I see a few different sets on Amazon with different lengths of time (3/4/5, 1/3/5, 3/5/7, etc). I typically use an electronic timer such as on my phone or on a computer nearby when timing brews, but any timer works and can be aesthetically pleasing. If you have a link to them, please share! In other news, I've been enjoying dancongs ("Phoenix Mountain" oolongs) recently, but today I am drinking Ginseng Oolong from Aroma Tea, which seems to keep well since this batch appears to be from last year some time or even earlier than that. Because it's popular around the house I'm considering getting a pound or two of it, but from where? I'll figure it out at some point.
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Jun 22, 2012 17:34
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I want something quiet and independent, and the novelty factor is a bonus. I'm leaning towards this one with 1, 3 and 5 minute timers:
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Jun 22, 2012 18:07
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I have one that's 3/4/5 that a friend gave me. It's great and way handier than pulling out my phone and setting that. It I bought one myself, it would be a 1/3/5, though. 3 minutes is too long for many of the teas I drink.
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Jun 22, 2012 20:14
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Here's my process: - Go to local Persian market - buy awesome loose leaf tea for US$6/lb (usually Ceylon or Assam) - optional: do the same at local Indian market (usually Tetley) - brew for 6-8 min using a Forlife or Bodum infuser I don't mean to minimize goodness of the exotic/fancy/estate stuff. I just love the huge price difference between the ethnic markets and specialist tea vendors.
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Jun 22, 2012 23:08
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Nah, I buy cheap tea from time to time (more often than not before I had a selection to choose from I was buying Twinnings and Peet's, things like that). Cheap teas work well for everyday drinking and are still a cut above your bog standard bag of tea (depending on where you are).
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Jun 22, 2012 23:53
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Does anyone here cold brew? My preferred method is throwing in a few grams of oolong per liter into a lidded glass jar, and letting it sit overnight. The next morning I filter it, then just leave it in the fridge. It's damned good, but then I have only done it with tea snob leaves. All this talk of cheap tea has me wondering if that wouldn't be the best way to make some regular old iced black tea. Anyone have a method?
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Jun 26, 2012 05:00
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:Does anyone here cold brew? My preferred method is throwing in a few grams of oolong per liter into a lidded glass jar, and letting it sit overnight. The next morning I filter it, then just leave it in the fridge. It's damned good, but then I have only done it with tea snob leaves. All this talk of cheap tea has me wondering if that wouldn't be the best way to make some regular old iced black tea. Anyone have a method? I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but yeah, I typically cold brew cheap green tea like bancha and enjoy it iced. I have a 3.5L pitcher that I fill up with water, and then I use a loose-fill teabag like a t-sac or a reusable pouch and use probably double the amount I'd use for hot. Stick that into the water, preferably fully submerged under the ice, and chill overnight. You get less bitter and more refreshing this way, which is quite nice during the summer. Replace green tea in this case with black tea, like a run of the mill Ceylon or Earl Grey, and you'll probably have similar results. The method you mentioned is similar to brewing sun tea, but as long as there's water for the leaves to expand in, it will steep over a day or so.
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Jun 26, 2012 17:30
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Man, this place is kind of a ghost town. Here's a video for your Friday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9zT5VZKHI0
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Jun 29, 2012 18:18
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OK, I keep loving it up, so I'm coming here for guidance. I have an ingenuiTEA and it works great, but I can't seem to get my brewing quite right. For example, I have this great loose leaf earl grey with bergamot and lavender (Davidson's) but it always ends up either too strong or too weak. The water I'm using is boiling although I don't know the exact temperature. I'm typically using about 2 teaspoons of loose tea for a full strainer. I like it strong but not real bitter which is what keeps happening. Also, can this type of tea typically be brewed twice like some others?
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Jun 30, 2012 17:37
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It sounds like you are leaving the tea to steep for too long. Most black teas are supposed to be steeped for about 3 minutes. If you'd like a stronger cup, add more tea. Most places say one teaspoon per cup, but for my mug that's about 1.75 cups I use 3 teaspoons, at least.  edit: If you steep black teas twice the second cup is going to be all bitter like you don't like.
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Jun 30, 2012 17:44
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Sounds like it's related to a timing issue, yes. You may also wish to preheat the ingenuiTEA first with a bit of water before you start putting the leaves in, too. For Earl Grey, try about 2 minutes to 2 1/2 minutes, since it can be a bit delicate. Just make sure you set up a timer for it and you're good to go. With multiple steeps, I'd say to experiment with it, as it will become more bitter as Hawkgirl mentioned, but you can control that somewhat by not oversteeping and possibly even diluting your actual cup with some added hot water.
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Jun 30, 2012 18:06
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How hot should the water be? I've read elsewhere that you shouldn't boil the water because it can make it taste...flat? 
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Jul 1, 2012 00:18
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Powdered Toast Man posted:How hot should the water be? I've read elsewhere that you shouldn't boil the water because it can make it taste...flat? Temp depends on the type of tea. You can heat up to the right temperature or heat just to boil and let it cool. Or get a fancy digital kettle with different settings. I believe boiling for a longer time will remove oxygen from the water. That's why I always dump and refill the kettle instead of using previously boiled water. I got a small sample of a local black tea blend with damiana in it and probably some other things. Smells kind of like hippies but has nice rich earthy taste. Gonna have to track it down to get some more.
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Jul 1, 2012 02:10
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Powdered Toast Man posted:How hot should the water be? I've read elsewhere that you shouldn't boil the water because it can make it taste...flat? Using water that's already been boiled or otherwise gone stale for being unused for so long will yield the flatter taste you mention. Depending on the type of tea you'll want to use the suggested water temperature - tisanes, black tea and puerh typically demand freshly boiled water, and the rest require the water to be a little cooler by anywhere from 10 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain teas are exceptions to that, and can yield different flavor profiles if you use cooler water. Hotter water will provide much more astringency and bitterness as a general rule.
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Jul 1, 2012 18:29
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Finished my first attempt at homemade masala chai mix today. Ended up tasting fantastic. I used a cup of tea for the final mix. For every 2 tsp of tea, I included: 6 pods worth of cardamom seeds 1/4th stick of cinnamon ~1/2 tbs dried ginger 1/4th tsp black peppercorns 1/2 clove Definitely a fair amount of effort, but definitely worth it. One tablespoon of this, boiled in 1 cup of water/1 cup of milk for 6-7 minutes. No sugar. uh oh pancho! fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Jul 2, 2012 |
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Jul 2, 2012 03:58
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Any recommendations for an electric kettle, preferably around $80 or lower and available on Amazon? I don't need fancy temperature controls, since I only drink black teas, but I'm willing to pay more for a quality device that won't crap out after a few months.
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Jul 3, 2012 02:39
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Most any should do you fine, Zojirushi is considered the best. Here's one for you at 81 bucks: http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-CW-PZC22FC-Micom-Boiler-Floral/dp/B00009K3TJ
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Jul 3, 2012 03:06
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I got some Lopchu Tea Estate Darjeeling Flowery Orange Pekoe recently. It came in a 100gm box with foil and paper wrapper and I got it for about $1.25, though I've looked online and it's about $12 for the USA. It tastes more like a Chinese oolong than a Darjeeling, but it has the good qualities of both (maybe it's this batch, I don't know). Its flavor is pronounced but gentle, even a half amount in a regular cup will still give something nice to drink. I think it's a very good daily Darjeeling and there's more than enough to share. I have no refrigerator, but I bet it would be really good iced, too.
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Jul 3, 2012 04:05
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For black tea an actual kettle will work better than a water boiler because those last 2-3 degrees can make a positive difference with some black teas. http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115...keywords=kettle if you are worried about plastic or care about looks just a bit http://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex...keywords=kettle if not If you need it to look *~*~*nice*~*~* then get one of the Capresso glass ones, but those are like 90. @Haier - many Darjeeling taste like Chinese oolongs because Darjeeling uses var. sinensis plants, and because most producers don't fully oxidize their teas seeking to maximize the characteristic "muscatel" aroma of Darjeeling.
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Jul 3, 2012 04:11
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