|
Hummingbirds posted:Is it this? If so there's an ingredients list. Thanks, I checked that site but I had been looking at the full leaf bags and they didn't have an ingredient list. I'm really hoping it's the rose hips too, once I find a supplier it should be all good. It's really delicious, but I can't see myself going to Starbucks regularly for it and when possible I'd rather recreate things. e: I forgot to ask- does anyone have any favorite teas that include lavender? Caffeinated or non, tea or tisane. It's pretty much the only really floral flavour I've tried so far I've really enjoyed, but I'm open to suggestions that aren't rose. uranium grass fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Sep 23, 2013 |
#
?
Sep 23, 2013 18:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 04:33 |
|
|
Woodsy Owl posted:You just chill out for hours at a time while shooting the poo poo, sippin' mad leaves, and making friends. These types of teashops make money from selling tea, but you aren't really expected to buy the tea the first time you visit. We regularly treat the tea girl to fancy dinners as thanks, since we're all friends now. Teashops are, in three words, chill as gently caress.  Found any true gems you'd recommend? I loved going to those places when I visited Shanghai, but language barrier prevented me from learning anything useful; I'd just grab whatever smelled or tasted nice and didn't manage to get a name most of the time.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2013 21:13
|
|
|
Grrl Anachronism posted:e: I forgot to ask- does anyone have any favorite teas that include lavender? Caffeinated or non, tea or tisane. It's pretty much the only really floral flavour I've tried so far I've really enjoyed, but I'm open to suggestions that aren't rose. I've tried a creme Earl Grey with Lavender that was fine, the bergamot and lavender go well together enough together. Forgot who made it though, but I know Upton has a few offerings that might be up your alley. Depends if you like that citrus oil or not!
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2013 03:27
|
|
|
I have some puerh ish tea from not-Yunnan. Not sure how i should be keeping it, there is no stable humidity area in my Korean apartment so right now it's in my liquor cabinet which unfortunately is next to the sink. I'm also fighting a moth infestation I got when i bought some honeysuckle flowers or dried kumquat pieces from an online shop in China. Throwing out three bags that are infested and any others that are close. Sucks because tea is expensive here and importing is a huge hassle but I'm sick of these moths.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2013 06:05
|
|
|
DontAskKant posted:I have some puerh ish tea from not-Yunnan. Not sure how i should be keeping it, there is no stable humidity area in my Korean apartment so right now it's in my liquor cabinet which unfortunately is next to the sink. I'm also fighting a moth infestation I got when i bought some honeysuckle flowers or dried kumquat pieces from an online shop in China. Throwing out three bags that are infested and any others that are close. Sucks because tea is expensive here and importing is a huge hassle but I'm sick of these moths. If the tea isn't too wormy freeze it for at least 48 hours, leave out for a week, then freeze again and store in an air tight container. Freezing kills the moth larvae, but not the eggs, which is why you want to freeze it a second time  This works for birdseed and other stuff that attracts grain moths as well.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2013 06:34
|
|
|
Sirotan posted:So uh why are you even bothering to do this when you obviously already have your mind made up that you'll hate it and probably can't even be unbiased in a review? I guess so someone would ask about the blog/an excuse to post the blog...?
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2013 06:37
|
|
|
Havin me a cup of Tieguanyin for the first time (traditional I think, the darker kind). This is... definitely some tea. Gongfu brings out a lot more complexities than the sample I had at the adagio store. I am very impressed, I wasn't expecting it to be so sweet to start off with. The darker roast is definitely there, but not right in front of you like the first couple of infusions of a Dancong. 10 infusions in and still going strong! hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Oct 5, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2013 20:16
|
|
|
I'm trying to pick out some teas from Upton and I'm seriously overwhelmed. I'm looking for an Oolong, a black tea, a chai, and an Earl Grey but there's so many options, and I kind of like to try something new every time. Anyone have any suggestions, especially for the Oolong? I love Oolong, especially with a little bit of milk.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 00:29
|
|
|
I just bought a bunch of teas from Upton, same problem you had. I ended up purchasing the oolong sampler. I have had some of their other sampler sets, and 90% of the time been really pleased. The other 10% was getting the holiday sampler and literally just throwing away the cranberry tea because it was so gross. The other three in that set were just what I wanted, though. Actually, if you are looking for a new version of chai to try, that's basically what the holiday sampler teas are. I hear the extra bergamot Earl Grey is their best, although I didn't order it this time. And as far as black teas go, that's such an enormous category on their site I have no idea where to start myself.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 01:08
|
|
|
The nice thing about Upton is you can order a bunch of samples for real cheap. The sampler sets they have are nice. You can also try sorting by bestsellers, staff favorites, or newest. If you want an easier answer though, why not get samples of some or all of the following: Oolongs - Tieguanyin special grade, Da Hong Pao, and China Oolong Se Chung or just get Introduction to Oolong Teas Chai - Hearthside Chai Earl Grey - Original Earl Grey, Lavender Earl Grey Black - Introduction to Fine Tea Sampler covers a nice range of different blacks
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2013 08:19
|
|
|
My advice for Upton orders is to always pick at least one thing per order that looks interesting but you aren't sure you'd like and get a sample size of it. They're less than $5 (usually like 2) and have enough for a few cups.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2013 00:51
|
|
|
Got a question about teapots Is there a difference between heating the water inside a cast iron pot vs pouring in heated water? Is there a difference between using a ceramic vs cast iron pot?
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2013 19:28
|
|
|
Steve Yun posted:Got a question about teapots The cast iron pot is going to be much hotter if you heat the water inside it. I'd recommend preheating it a bit if you're going to do any steeping in it. You should be okay steeping in a cast iron pot, but I'm not much for it myself. I use a ceramic of some sort for steeping and an electric kettle for heating the water. The kettle doesn't hold the heat as long, but it works for when I'm making tea for right then. I think it's easier to control the temperature within small ranges too, cast iron seems to keep heating a bit after I get near my intended temperature and for someone like me who's looking for a particular temperature when it's not just off the boil, that's outside my needs. The ceramic teapot doesn't hold heat as long as cast iron either, but it's long enough for the time it takes for me to drink it as it holds about 28 fluid ounces (3.5 cups) depending on the size of the leaf that I'm brewing. Edit: I've heard people talk about the flavor changing from the cast iron as well, but I've not experienced it myself so long as it's properly cleaned.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2013 19:53
|
|
|
Is ceramic better at keeping a stable temp?
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2013 19:57
|
|
|
Ceramic makes a better heat insulator than iron, all else being equal, but the fact that iron teapots in general have so much more mass to hold heat would almost certainly make them keep liquid hot for longer. It also means you really need to thoroughly preheat it to get it up to temp in the first place. They recommend that you don't heat water in them directly on the stove so that you don't risk damaging the finish on the outside or, if it has one, the enamel coating on the inside. Do you want one just to keep the tea you're drinking warm for longer?
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2013 23:05
|
|
|
I believe most modern cast iron teapots have enamel on the inside. Every single cast iron pot that teavana sells does. So unless you have an antique pot or got one that was specifically said to not be varnished, you don't want to put it on a stove.
|
|
#
?
Oct 16, 2013 01:22
|
|
|
I'd like to buy my girlfriend some tea related things for her birthday. I started off with a sampler tea bag box: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Q8BIAC/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8 then I started looking at tea pots and glasses: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V5X826/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073MXRTO/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8 Then I came here to realize that I'd been doing everything wrong and poor people can't drink tea. In short, I'm looking to spend ~$50 on things needed to drink tea for two inexperienced tea drinkers and I need help.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 04:15
|
|
|
Tots posted:Then I came here to realize that I'd been doing everything wrong and poor people can't drink tea. Sure poor people can drink tea, I got into it when I was a broke-rear end college student. You just have to not buy into all that fancy crap. Fancy teapots and cups are kinda neat but totally inessential. Buy an Ingenuitea and a cheap electric kettle. Just use whatever mugs you have laying around or go to a thrift store and get some for cheap if you somehow don't have any. Spend the rest on loose leaf tea samplers from Upton tea. Edit: If either of you like green or white teas, it may be worth throwing down the extra for a variable temperature water kettle though. I use this Hamilton Beach one that's a reasonable price, although that would take up most of your budget. Arcsech fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Oct 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 04:46
|
|
|
I guess the IngenuiTea is good as a kettle replacement, but I found that in-cup strainers are much less of a hassle to clean/store. The ingenuitea is somewhat bulky; I ended up just getting a large incup strainer and using it on a small teapot I already had (more versatile, IMO). Also, yeah, upton tea is the best.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 04:59
|
|
|
Archer2338 posted:I guess the IngenuiTea is good as a kettle replacement, but I found that in-cup strainers are much less of a hassle to clean/store. The ingenuitea is somewhat bulky; I ended up just getting a large incup strainer and using it on a small teapot I already had (more versatile, IMO). Really? I have a Finum in-cup strainer too and I found it to be kind of a pain in the rear end, leaves were always getting stuck in the mesh. With the Ingenuitea I can just bang it against the trash and then give it a swirl of water and it's clean. The in-cup strainer is way smaller and half the price though. Both work pretty well I guess, whichever you prefer.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 05:04
|
|
|
Arcsech posted:Really? I have a Finum in-cup strainer too and I found it to be kind of a pain in the rear end, leaves were always getting stuck in the mesh. With the Ingenuitea I can just bang it against the trash and then give it a swirl of water and it's clean. The in-cup strainer is way smaller and half the price though. I have this guy. Actually two, I just got one to keep at home. I absolutely love it -- I don't like tea leaves being left in the mug and I never get any with this. It is also the right size for any mug and has a nice holder so you can save it for your next infusion. It's my favorite tea thing.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 05:32
|
|
|
I love in-cup strainers but I swear the cheapest utility teapots can be found at Asian grocery stores. I'm talking like $5.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 06:50
|
|
|
I started drinking great tea with a pocket thermometer, a small strainer, a mug, and a measuring cup. I got my teas from rose mountain herbs or sfherb. Their Darjeeling at $7 a pound is definitely a great value. Sure i can get better tea at $40 a pound but it's not 6 times better or even twice as good. Huge diminishing returns on tea. I planned with friends and got great tea with an average tea budget of $5 a month over the year with drinking a ton. Made my sweet tea with bulk b.o.p. Kunming for pennies a quart.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 07:05
|
|
|
Has anyone ever used these: http://eng.hsuginseng.com/product/list/120584873.htm? Looking to get into matcha, but would potentially drink it on the go and carrying a whisk with me doesn't always seem practical.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 16:25
|
|
|
Tenderloin posted:Has anyone ever used these: http://eng.hsuginseng.com/product/list/120584873.htm? Looking to get into matcha, but would potentially drink it on the go and carrying a whisk with me doesn't always seem practical. I've used them for protein powder and they get things foamy enough that I could see it working for matcha. They also close tight enough that they're good for travel. Let us know!
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 16:51
|
|
|
Steve Yun posted:Got a question about teapots Hang on. What's going on with this cast iron pot that you would be heating water directly inside of it? If it's a tekki (unglazed) then the water will react from the heating action and the flavor will change compared to if you used filtered water and poured it in, changing the flavor (I haven't tried it since I don't have 300 bucks to spend on one from Artistic Nippon or whatnot, but some have said it is better). You do not steep tea in this type of pot - you only boil water in it. If it's enameled, just don't do it. Heating water inside an enameled cast iron pot (the find you buy on Amazon, Teavana, etc) will crack the enamel on the inside and ruin the pot. Conversely to the above, you only steep tea in this type of pot, no boiling. A cast iron pot that is enameled on the inside is intended to have even heating and long heat retention. You'll want to use a trivet when serving at the table and take care with the pot (use a tea towel or something). Ceramic teapots have a wider variety of what's going on since technically that can also cover yixing, tokoname, and regular teapots (gaiwans too maybe). You'll find that for those, it is definitely aesthetics and ergonomics that are the attractions (handle location, ceramic artwork on the outside, wide lid in order to use a filter basket). Tekki is prohibitively expensive for boiling water, and cast iron enameled can be unwieldly (compared to ceramics, which are comparatively lighter).
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 17:22
|
|
|
I used to heat up water in my borosilicate pot and just assumed you could do the same for cast iron, but I guess not!
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 17:32
|
|
|
Yep! Please don't waste fifty bucks breaking an enameled pot on your stove.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 18:00
|
|
|
Tenderloin posted:Has anyone ever used these: http://eng.hsuginseng.com/product/list/120584873.htm? Looking to get into matcha, but would potentially drink it on the go and carrying a whisk with me doesn't always seem practical. Are you drinking the matcha hot or cold? If it's hot, the pop top on that will explode open and shower you with hot liquid. I know this from experience. If you just take a regular thermos or nalgene with a screw on top and shake it really well it should foam up just fine. Alternatively, you could get a portable french press. You can use one to make things foam by simply ramming the plunger up and down repeatedly. Works fine for matcha and works amazingly well for anything with milk in it, hot or cold. Only problem with that is that you'd have to figure out somewhere to put the lid while drinking from it or bring another cup to pour off into.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2013 18:27
|
|
|
Steve Yun posted:I used to heat up water in my borosilicate pot and just assumed you could do the same for cast iron, but I guess not! There is a such thing as cast iron kettles, but I really only ever see those at antique stores or in my grandma's basement. I'm talking about the kind that people would hang over a cooking fire to boil water back in pioneer days or whatever. Probably not what you'd want to be making tea in, though. Modern cast iron pots are usually only for brewing from what I've seen.
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2013 00:07
|
|
|
I've been operating for some time on the assumption that anyone who still boils water on the stove has just never used an electric kettle or something because they are the best. I've recently gotten back into tea, because I was drinking too much coffee and it was affecting my sleep and giving me indigestion. I found an old tin of Pouchong from Adagio which reminded me how good this stuff is. poverty goat fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Oct 18, 2013 |
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2013 20:08
|
|
|
I asked about heating water on the stove because I figured it would help with heat retention and a stable brewing temp to make the vessel hot, but I guess if pouring hot water in before making tea is good enough for the experts it's good enough for me
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2013 20:20
|
|
|
My "daily drinker" tea is Rishi Masala Chai. As such, I go through a lot of it. I've had a number of other chai blends but none of them come anywhere close, and I want to buy this stuff in bulk to save a bit of scratch. My local coop charges a bit over $2/oz, which isn't terrible, but is there somewhere that sells it, say, by the pound, that I can order from to save some money? edit: Amazon has it for $38 with prime (or $36 with subscribe and save) but that doesn't save any money over buying it locally.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2013 17:53
|
|
|
You could try ordering direct, of course; Rishi does have their own website: http://www.rishi-tea.com/product/masala-chai-organic-fair-trade-chai-tea-blend/chai - $41 (5% discount for 2+ lbs) Amazon probably might be the best bet since you drink it regularly and you can get a subscription discount + 1 or 2-day with Prime.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2013 18:08
|
|
|
Do you not have electric kettles in like, every household? As a Brit this utterly baffles me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2013 22:29
|
|
|
Spuckuk posted:Do you not have electric kettles in like, every household? Nope. Most people here drink coffee and if they don't usually get it at Starbucks they probably have a coffee maker. I like my Cuisinart because it has a french press setting so I can make tea and coffee with it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2013 22:33
|
|
|
Spuckuk posted:Do you not have electric kettles in like, every household? According to my British husband our inferior American wattage means our kettles are terrible anyway .
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2013 12:49
|
|
|
Mercury Hat posted:According to my British husband our inferior American wattage means our kettles are terrible anyway Haha. I know it takes a little longer to heat, but I still prefer my inferior electric kettle to using a stovetop kettle. It's quick enough, and I don't have to worry about burning my hand on the handle. If you drink tea regularly though, it's a good investment, even if it's a $20 kettle.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2013 16:37
|
|
|
Jhet posted:Haha. I know it takes a little longer to heat, but I still prefer my inferior electric kettle to using a stovetop kettle. It's quick enough, and I don't have to worry about burning my hand on the handle. If you drink tea regularly though, it's a good investment, even if it's a $20 kettle. I just got this to keep at work. The variable temperature really seems to just range from 190-212, but I'm happy with it so far. I have a tea thermometer so I can just cool the water to the correct temperature for green tea or mate.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2013 17:40
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 04:33 |
|
|
detectivemonkey posted:I just got this to keep at work. The variable temperature really seems to just range from 190-212, but I'm happy with it so far. I have a tea thermometer so I can just cool the water to the correct temperature for green tea or mate. That looks exactly like the one I have with a different paint job! Once you get a feel for the settings, it makes a great cup almost every time. Got it on clearance at Target Dot Com for twenty bucks and have used it several times every day for a couple of years. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2013 20:17
|
|
