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hope and vaseline posted:I was browsing the Adagio store in downtown Chicago to pick up my monthly batch of Sencha and thought I'd try some oolongs I haven't before. The guy working the counter brewed me a cup of his recommendation, Ali Shan, an oolong that's more on the green side. Good god does it taste amazing. Really smooth and naturally sweet, nothing like any oolong I've ever tried. Too bad it's on the pricier end, I bet multiple resteepings would really bring out different flavors as well. There are cheaper alishans out there. They are usually priced by elevation, so if you want a decent one that doesn't break the bank you probably may want to look at ordering online. I just realized I didn't write anything at all about volunteering at the tea festival in San Francisco last month! Maybe I will do that a little later and add some pictures of some loot.
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Apr 4, 2013 20:35
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hope and vaseline posted:I was browsing the Adagio store in downtown Chicago to pick up my monthly batch of Sencha and thought I'd try some oolongs I haven't before. The guy working the counter brewed me a cup of his recommendation, Ali Shan, an oolong that's more on the green side. Good god does it taste amazing. Really smooth and naturally sweet, nothing like any oolong I've ever tried. Too bad it's on the pricier end, I bet multiple resteepings would really bring out different flavors as well.
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Apr 5, 2013 14:11
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That's quite a coincidence! I really like their retail locations, they'll let you sample or brew you a cup to go of anything they have on hand, and the people who work there are really helpful and love talking tea. I just ordered a batch from Norbutea and I'm excited to get it.
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Apr 5, 2013 14:49
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I haven't tried white tea before and I have a couple of Pai Mu Tan samples from Upton. Everything I've read about white tea says to steep it at 160F or so, but the instructions on the tea say 180F for 3 minutes. Upton hasn't steered me wrong before but this doesn't sound right, and I don't have enough of it to screw it up a lot. Suggestions?
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Apr 6, 2013 03:08
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Vienna Circlejerk posted:I haven't tried white tea before and I have a couple of Pai Mu Tan samples from Upton. Everything I've read about white tea says to steep it at 160F or so, but the instructions on the tea say 180F for 3 minutes. Upton hasn't steered me wrong before but this doesn't sound right, and I don't have enough of it to screw it up a lot. Suggestions? As I understand it, 160F is more for really delicate ones like silver needle. When I make Pai Mu Tan I steep at 175F and it's quite tasty and not at all bitter for several infusions.
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Apr 6, 2013 03:53
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Adagio recommends 195 for Silver Needle as well, and that just didn't sound right.
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Apr 6, 2013 04:08
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I usually brew white teas at 185 and I've never had them come out badly.
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Apr 6, 2013 04:11
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160 sounds really low to me. I have a Pai Mu Tan (also from Upton) and I've always done it around 180 and it turns out fine. If you're really worried, maybe go for a split at 170 and see how it turns out? The one that I have gives a decent second steep, so it shouldn't be a complete wash.
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Apr 6, 2013 07:44
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Thanks, everybody. With your reassurance I steeped at 180 and I think it came out right. I'm surprised at what a different experience it was compared to green tea, flavor wise. Much more delicate.
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Apr 6, 2013 19:34
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hope and vaseline posted:I was browsing the Adagio store in downtown Chicago... Adagio has a STORE?! I can't wait to go back to Chicago now! I was just at their airport yesterday, they have an Argo tea shop there. They make yummy bottled teas (Mojitea is my favorite), and their shop in the airport was like a tea version of a coffee shop.  I can't wait for summer!
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Apr 9, 2013 04:36
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Erm, so I've been wanting to get into tea for a while, except that I didn't really know how to get started... Found this thread, so it's a start, but I have no tea-related gear at all at home. I like to brew fancy coffee, so I have a variable temperature kettle. I also have a french press, but I'm not sure if I want to be mixing my coffee vessels with tea. Is there a nice infuser-pot combo that's preferably not too fragile? Unless it gives better results, I prefer not to deal with the dripping tea balls or whatever they're called when I brew on my desk or something.
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Apr 10, 2013 01:48
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Archer2338 posted:Is there a nice infuser-pot combo that's preferably not too fragile? Unless it gives better results, I prefer not to deal with the dripping tea balls or whatever they're called when I brew on my desk or something. Can't go wrong with the Ingenuitea!
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Apr 10, 2013 01:54
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Archer2338 posted:Erm, so I've been wanting to get into tea for a while, except that I didn't really know how to get started... What I would recommend for anyone starting out is to get a Adagio Ingenuitea, you just put your tea (or ground coffee, it doesn't care, it works the same way as one of those Clever drippers) in it, pour in hot water, wait until it's done steeping, then put it on top of your coffee mug, it'll drain into it, to clean just take it a part or place in a dishwasher. Edit: beaten, bah. mikemil828 fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Apr 10, 2013 |
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Apr 10, 2013 02:01
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Oh, that is awesome! I love the clever for it's convenience, so I'm sold! Are there any good oolong teas that you'd recommend from Amazon while I buy this, or would you just recommend getting something from the listed websites in the OP?
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Apr 10, 2013 02:16
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I asked a similar question in the coffee thread, what are some good iced tea recipes?
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Apr 10, 2013 02:54
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In regards to the request for oolongs, try either the Formosa sampler from Adagio or the Taiwanese oolong sampler from Floating Leaves: http://www.floatingleavestea.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=56 They are both fairly similar in terms of price per ounce. Floating Leaves is sometimes a step up the quality ladder from Adagio, though also sometimes not, I think. My favorites these days generally have a medium or so level of both oxidation and roasting, sometimes labelled Hong Shui/Hung Shui/Red Water oolong, but unfortunately neither sampler contains an example. It's harder to find them and tougher still to find good ones. Floating Leaves has them sometimes, but I guess not right now. In any case both cover the three most common types, baozhong, oriental beauty, and very green balled oolong, then throw in one or two extras. Plenty of good oolongs from China too, but Adagio's out of their sampler for that, and I'm not all that familiar with them so I can't recommend an alternative.
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Apr 10, 2013 03:54
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Archer2338 posted:Oh, that is awesome! I love the clever for it's convenience, so I'm sold! Davidson's Tea seems to be a pretty good amazon seller of tea, however they generally sell tea by the pound, so you'd likely be drinking that tea for quite a while (you generally use a teaspoon per 8 oz of tea which means roughly 96 cups of tea give or take) I personally go with one of the listed websites such as Adagio and Upton, as you can buy sample sizes to figure out what you like.
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Apr 10, 2013 03:59
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The Ingenuitea is nice and all, but I'd recommend an in-cup strainer over one of those. I find it easier to clean up and there's pretty much no mess, and if you buy a good one it will last a long time. And you don't need to worry about the dripping since they usually come with some type of cover that you can invert on your desk and place the strainer on after you're finished. Then shake out the leaves and manually remove the stragglers and rinse. Or you can be more lazy with the cleaning like me. They're only good for 1 cup though (unless you buy a kettle). I recently bought one of these and it works but lets finer particles through (a few mint leaves for example), and I've used this one previously for a while but the plastic and fine mesh got a bit grody after a while. And speaking of Oolongs, are they supposed to have a kind of roasty flavor? The one I bought reminds me of some Genmaicha I had previously. And do you find you need a bit more (by volume) than a standard black tea? It's been kind of anemic the times I've made it.
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Apr 10, 2013 04:34
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Eeyo posted:I've used this one previously for a while but the plastic and fine mesh got a bit grody after a while. I have that one and to solve that problem I just run it through the dishwasher every once in a while.
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Apr 10, 2013 04:52
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Eeyo posted:And speaking of Oolongs, are they supposed to have a kind of roasty flavor? The one I bought reminds me of some Genmaicha I had previously. And do you find you need a bit more (by volume) than a standard black tea? It's been kind of anemic the times I've made it. Depends on the oolong, actually, since the roasting process adds the flavor profile you are tasting - a higher temperature or longer roast of the leaves will cause the tea liquor to become darker and take on an amber hue. If you're used to black tea, use more leaf or let it sit for a little longer (depends on the temperature of the water and what black teas you're used to, really). Most oolongs do not become extremely bitter if oversteeped, but they will increase in flavor intensity.
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Apr 10, 2013 06:25
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Eeyo posted:The Ingenuitea is nice and all, but I'd recommend an in-cup strainer over one of those. I find it easier to clean up and there's pretty much no mess, and if you buy a good one it will last a long time. And you don't need to worry about the dripping since they usually come with some type of cover that you can invert on your desk and place the strainer on after you're finished. Then shake out the leaves and manually remove the stragglers and rinse. Or you can be more lazy with the cleaning like me. They're only good for 1 cup though (unless you buy a kettle). Seconding this. I have an Ingenuitea-type thing but I prefer the in-cup strainer. I have one like the first link. Easier to clean and I always have the right amount of tea. But I use the Ingenuitea for travel mugs since the other one doesn't fit in most of them. If you really want convenience--especially if you're using a tea that can be resteeped--look at the Aladdin tea infuser mug. It has a basket at the top that you put your tea in and you just flip it back up when it's done steeping. I've used it for oolongs at work and it's great because there's no mess at all. Just don't leave it in the sink for a few days with leaves in it. Ew. The basket isn't the greatest since it's pretty small and doesn't give the leaves all the room they need but I've never made a bad cup with it. I've seen them at Barnes & Noble and Target may still have them (in more colors, too) if you want to see it in person.
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Apr 10, 2013 07:11
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PhazonLink posted:I asked a similar question in the coffee thread, what are some good iced tea recipes? Usually you want to get a good Ceylon tea, brew it hot and at least twice as strong as usual, and add some fresh mint leaves if you have it. Then pour it over a pitcher full of ice and let cool. Add sugar if you want and serve. There may be other techniques, but that's how I usually make ice tea.
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Apr 10, 2013 07:31
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For the people having trouble with strainers that let particles through, have you tried anything like these paper filters? http://www.adagio.com/teaware/paper_filters.html?SID=d2bd1bd726602a90537a331857f37d69 I got a pack a while ago with one of my larger Adagio orders (there are other companies that make similar ones though). They keep most of the dust and fannings out that mesh filters can't catch. I usually use them for rooibos or other herbals that have really fine particles (like flowers). Sometimes stuff will still get through, but it's so fine that it's like the small amounts of dust that come out of regular teabags and just settle in the bottom of a cup. e: The paper filters are also really convenient for travel since you can just fold up a few and bring some sample size bags or tins of your favorite tea.
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Apr 11, 2013 01:35
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mikemil828 posted:Davidson's Tea seems to be a pretty good amazon seller of tea, however they generally sell tea by the pound, so you'd likely be drinking that tea for quite a while (you generally use a teaspoon per 8 oz of tea which means roughly 96 cups of tea give or take) I personally go with one of the listed websites such as Adagio and Upton, as you can buy sample sizes to figure out what you like. Since this was in response to someone asking about oolongs: my local Giant Eagle Market District sells Davidson's tea in bulk, so I've tried a little bit of it. Their "Formosa style" oolong is weird, at least compared to the other Formosa oolongs I've tried. It has a flavor that I can really only describe as vaguely walnut-like. I liked it at first and bought a couple little scoopfuls of it ($5 worth or so), but I got really sick of it within a few tries and now I'm regretting that purchase. Their Copper Mountain oolong is pretty tasty, though. I've mentioned it before but I'll say again that Upton's oolong sampler had very tasty teas in it, at least for someone like me who is new to oolongs.
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Apr 11, 2013 01:56
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PhazonLink posted:I asked a similar question in the coffee thread, what are some good iced tea recipes? Try cold brewing a cheap to medium grade green tea or oolong. Use a disposable open-fill teabag and load it up, fill a pitcher with water and ice, let the whole thing sit in your fridge for a few hours. By brewing cold you don't have to brew double and you have a very crisp and usually pretty naturally sweet tea that doesn't have a lot of the bitterness most commonly associated with strong overbrewed hot tea. There are kits and pitchers around that have separate chambers too so you can brew to your desired temperature or add a chamber of chopped up fruit or the like, etc. I would not recommend doing cold brewing with fancy expensive teas, since it seems like a bit of a waste for me - try sencha, genmaicha, bancha, tie guan yin, or other teas that suit your fancy. Generally speaking, the lower the oxidation on a tea, the more friendly it will be to brewing, so you might even try a white tea like Silver Needles.
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Apr 11, 2013 03:13
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Got my Ali Shan in the mail yesterday, what's a general guide for steeping Oolongs? I've heard that you're supposed to wash the leaves out first and discard the water, then do the first steep from there, so start at 2 min and increase time per steep? And does anyone brew gongfu style at home? I've had it once in a teahouse in Portland and it was a wonderful way to enjoy tea with friends, but it seems like far too much effort to enjoy tea every day. I just want a big cup to sip while it pours rain endlessly outside.
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Apr 11, 2013 14:56
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hope and vaseline posted:Got my Ali Shan in the mail yesterday, what's a general guide for steeping Oolongs? I've heard that you're supposed to wash the leaves out first and discard the water, then do the first steep from there, so start at 2 min and increase time per steep? And does anyone brew gongfu style at home? I've had it once in a teahouse in Portland and it was a wonderful way to enjoy tea with friends, but it seems like far too much effort to enjoy tea every day. I just want a big cup to sip while it pours rain endlessly outside. This doesn't really answer your question, but I brew my prolongs per package direction in either my cast iron pot or in my yixing-lined tumbler from Teavana. Oolongs vary based on their oxidation. I don't wash my leaves first because I don't brew gong fu. If I were to, I would rinse them, but I'd save the rinse liquid to taste because I'm curious as to why it is normally dumped. But that's me, the girl who follows her own rules.
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Apr 11, 2013 16:09
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hope and vaseline posted:Got my Ali Shan in the mail yesterday, what's a general guide for steeping Oolongs? I've heard that you're supposed to wash the leaves out first and discard the water, then do the first steep from there, so start at 2 min and increase time per steep? And does anyone brew gongfu style at home? I've had it once in a teahouse in Portland and it was a wonderful way to enjoy tea with friends, but it seems like far too much effort to enjoy tea every day. I just want a big cup to sip while it pours rain endlessly outside. Try just brewing grandpa style if gongfu seems like too much of a hassle for you. Otherwise you don't have to use a yixing pot or anything like that, you can buy gaiwan for fairly cheap online and in some asian grocers. I've written about how to brew gongfu in this thread if you search by my username - here is an example post, and one more. For temperature advisories it's generally to taste, but if you need guidelines I also wrote about it in this post. Most oolongs will have a recommended temperature which is just underneath boiling. Rinse the leaves first to clean any dust particles off - as a side effect, you can take a good whiff of the tea as the leaves 'wake up' from the wash, then proceed to steep to desired color and strength.
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Apr 11, 2013 17:01
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Oh wow, apparently I missed those helpful posts on the first page. Will look into getting gaiwan, that looks pretty nifty. Thanks!
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Apr 11, 2013 17:13
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hope and vaseline posted:And does anyone brew gongfu style at home? I've had it once in a teahouse in Portland and it was a wonderful way to enjoy tea with friends, but it seems like far too much effort to enjoy tea every day. I just want a big cup to sip while it pours rain endlessly outside. One thing I really have to say in favor of the Ingenuitea is that I really love it for steeping oolongs. The leaves get plenty of room to open up, it's easy to transfer to a big cup, and the normal nuisance of cleaning it (at work, where the sink doesn't have a garbage disposal) is greatly reduced by the large, intact leaves of rolled oolongs. It's perfect for rinsing and multiple infusions.
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Apr 11, 2013 17:31
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I've actually used this recently which has proven to be pretty awesome - the price point is a bit high however the material quality is good and the plunger works just fine. I got it on sale at the tea festival and if I'm feeling lazy but still want tea I can use that instead of the gaiwan I have at my desk at work/home. http://onetouchteapot.myshopify.com/
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Apr 11, 2013 17:39
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I just got my variable temperature electric kettle yesterday, and tried it out on my white peony tea. Perfect!
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Apr 11, 2013 18:53
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aldantefax posted:I've actually used this recently which has proven to be pretty awesome - the price point is a bit high however the material quality is good and the plunger works just fine. I got it on sale at the tea festival and if I'm feeling lazy but still want tea I can use that instead of the gaiwan I have at my desk at work/home. That is legitimately the coolest tea product I have seen in quite some time.  Am I reading the description correctly: the brewing compartment is plastic while the outside is glass?
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Apr 11, 2013 19:27
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Niemat posted:That is legitimately the coolest tea product I have seen in quite some time. Pyrex on the outside, and BPA-free plastic with a metal permanent strainer on the inside brewing chamber. The top lid is also made of the same plastic, and has a spring lever to flip the lid open by depressing on the tab at the top by the handle.
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Apr 11, 2013 19:56
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aldantefax posted:Try cold brewing a cheap to medium grade green tea or oolong. Use a disposable open-fill teabag and load it up, fill a pitcher with water and ice, let the whole thing sit in your fridge for a few hours. By brewing cold you don't have to brew double and you have a very crisp and usually pretty naturally sweet tea that doesn't have a lot of the bitterness most commonly associated with strong overbrewed hot tea. There are kits and pitchers around that have separate chambers too so you can brew to your desired temperature or add a chamber of chopped up fruit or the like, etc. I just tried this last night because I never thought of doing it, and I'm happy with the results! I got one bottle of plain ol' black tea and one of a green tea / peppermint mix. This'll help me use up my tea as it starts getting warm, I hate boiling water when it gets above 75 outside.
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Apr 12, 2013 16:34
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Glad to find a tea thread here, never thought of looking. I'm currently in a tea frenzy and can't stop drinking the stuff. Currently am into oolongs (taiwanese ones mostly), but I finally managed to enjoy black tea. Turns out I like it when it's steeped for only a short time (around 1 minute) Also, I just tried an aged oolongs, anyone else drank that before? I'm still not sure if it's something I'll want to buy again, but I'm not hating it at all up to now. It's smells like wood and may be leather. It's so weird. I just want to add a nice word for my favorite tea house ( http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/ ) which has free shipping in Canada/US on order over 40$ I think. Great collection of teas and tea accessories. They have a lot of info on all of their tea and you often can see pictures of the gardens/producers which I think is neat. They have a nice variety of both everyday tea and some stupidly expensive one. You guys should take a look! Oh and if you're in Quebec or Montreal actually go buy tea in person.
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Apr 13, 2013 20:03
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KingColliwog posted:Glad to find a tea thread here, never thought of looking. I'm currently in a tea frenzy and can't stop drinking the stuff. Currently am into oolongs (taiwanese ones mostly), but I finally managed to enjoy black tea. Turns out I like it when it's steeped for only a short time (around 1 minute) I have a 2002 alishan that I've been enjoying at home (a bit too expensive to cart around). The roasting style is suitable for long term storage and overall it's much more mellow but has that toasty feeling.
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Apr 13, 2013 20:50
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aldantefax posted:I have a 2002 alishan that I've been enjoying at home (a bit too expensive to cart around). The roasting style is suitable for long term storage and overall it's much more mellow but has that toasty feeling. How do they compare to pu erh? I Think they are completely different since they are roasted? That's the one I got : http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea/mucha-tie-guan-yin-1994
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Apr 14, 2013 01:59
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I really love green teas, but I have tried a sencha that I got a couple of times now, and it just tastes, looks and smells like stewed grass clippings each time. I've been steeping it at ~80C for 3 minutes. I tried cold brewing some earlier today as suggested a few posts up just to see what iced green tea would taste like, but it was still so grassy that I couldn't finish it. I tried again with some bancha that I have, and that is much better. Never really been into iced teas, but this was nice and didn't have that chemical sweetness I associate with them.
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Apr 14, 2013 03:05
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KingColliwog posted:How do they compare to pu erh? I Think they are completely different since they are roasted? They're oolongs, so they will retain their original oolong flavor profile, but still change over the course of time while still retaining their original potency. Puerh of both raw and cooked varieties tend to be a whole other ballgame in terms of flavor. Hopefully you like the aged oolong you have! Enfys posted:Is sencha supposed to be really grassy tasting or am I just doing something wrong? I really love green teas, but I have tried a sencha that I got a couple of times now, and it just tastes, looks and smells like stewed grass clippings each time. I've been steeping it at ~80C for 3 minutes. I tried cold brewing some earlier today as suggested a few posts up just to see what iced green tea would taste like, but it was still so grassy that I couldn't finish it. I tried again with some bancha that I have, and that is much better. Never really been into iced teas, but this was nice and didn't have that chemical sweetness I associate with them. e: It sounds like you're steeping it a bit too long in that case. Sencha by itself isn't support to taste overly bitter and green, it generally is a bit on the sweet side in my experiences. However, it could also be a taste preference issue if you're not into the greener/vegetal tastes, since it will never really go truly away if you're picking up something that doesn't taste right. Find a happy medium for what works best - reducing steeping time, altering leaf quantity, and letting the water cool down a little more are three key parameters you can change if you are willing to experiment with it. If you still don't particularly like it even if cold brewed, you can consider cutting it with extra water, adding sweetener or other different teas - in your above example, you can stretch your bancha iced tea by adding in some sencha from your "bad" batch to add some extra complexity to it. aldantefax fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Apr 14, 2013 |
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Apr 14, 2013 07:21
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