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distortion park
Apr 25, 2011


DurianGray posted:

I looked at the Teapigs site and fiddled with some conversion calculators (I'm bad with grams to ounces and had to check what pounds to dollars is currently at) and at least to me it didn't look that expensive? Is tea generally even cheaper than that in the UK? I'm genuinely curious. From what I saw it looked like you could get quite a few of their teas for something like $14 for ~1/2 lb. of loose leaf which is a great deal compared to what I usually pay or see being charged in the US.

Their bags are really good but more than 4x normal earl grey. The loose tea prices aren't too bad if you buy in bulk but I don't really ant to muck around with that.

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Battle Pigeon
Nov 7, 2011

I am dancing potato
give me millet


I don't know about the loose teas, but Teapigs bagged teas are a bit on the pricey side. They are really nice, but for everyday tea, instead of paying say £9.95 (plus shipping) for 50 bags of their English breakfast/everyday brew http://www.teapigs.co.uk/tea/shop_by_category/black/english_breakfast.htm I'd rather get something like Clipper tea, £12.00 for 480 bags here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clipper-Fai...rds=clipper+tea

distortion park
Apr 25, 2011


Battle Pigeon posted:

I don't know about the loose teas, but Teapigs bagged teas are a bit on the pricey side. They are really nice, but for everyday tea, instead of paying say £9.95 (plus shipping) for 50 bags of their English breakfast/everyday brew http://www.teapigs.co.uk/tea/shop_by_category/black/english_breakfast.htm I'd rather get something like Clipper tea, £12.00 for 480 bags here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clipper-Fai...rds=clipper+tea

Clipper teas are awesome, I bought a big box the other day. I'd strongly recommend them where available.

Vienna Circlejerk
Jan 28, 2003

The great science sausage party!
My Adagio Ingenuitea has been leaking a lot and the top's hinge had cracked, so I picked up a Teaze infuser on sale at a local grocer (Weiland's in Columbus, OH) and I'm really happy with it. It's a lot more solid (thicker plastic, sturdier construction) and just generally nicer to use. It also comes with its own little coaster. Based on a day of use, I recommend it.

hope and vaseline
Feb 13, 2001

Vienna Circlejerk posted:

My Adagio Ingenuitea has been leaking a lot and the top's hinge had cracked, so I picked up a Teaze infuser on sale at a local grocer (Weiland's in Columbus, OH) and I'm really happy with it. It's a lot more solid (thicker plastic, sturdier construction) and just generally nicer to use. It also comes with its own little coaster. Based on a day of use, I recommend it.

Yeah, my Ingenuitea has been leaking also. I only really use it for filling up my thermos before I head out though.

Chef Shimi
Feb 27, 2013

Is there a "best" material for a teapot? I've read yixing pots give the best infusion results, and Teavana pushes the cast iron pot pretty enthusiastically. Is it just a matter of personal preference?

breaks
May 12, 2001

It's mostly personal preference.

The biggest difference any of them make is that depending on the material, they will impart their own flavor/the flavor of previous brewings somewhat. Porous clay ones (eg. yixing) in particular will do that.

A secondary issue is that they can affect the brewing temperature a fair bit, really, depending on the material, thickness, whether you pre-heat, etc.

Aside from those two things I think it's just a matter of your preferred manner of use and style of brewing. Personally, I'm about 50/50 between strainer and cup (mostly at work) and a gaiwan (mostly at home). I also have a houhin for Japanese green teas, but that's really just a Japanese gaiwan anyway.

Teavana pushes the cast iron pot because they want to sell you something expensive. That's not to say that they are bad or unsuitable either, though I think it's worth keeping in mind that the original purpose of the tetsubin was to heat water, not to be a brewing vessel.

breaks fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Dec 2, 2013

neongrey
Feb 28, 2007

Plaguing your posts with incidental music.
Honestly I brew by the cup, myself. I haven't used a teapot in years.

DurianGray
Dec 23, 2010

King of Fruits
I have a few basic ceramic pots that I use all the time and a yixing that I use incorrectly (I just use it as an everything pot--there's not single style of tea that I put in it specifically. I don't really care about seasoning it because I'm a heathen). I also have a tiny glass pot that I got as a gift. It's pretty, but it looses heat so quickly that you have to drink fast or get stuck with cold stale tea.

Honestly, I just go for pots that either look nice or have the right capacity for the amount I want to drink at one time (usually 2~ cup pots). Heat retention is also good to note depending on how fast you tend to drink your tea.

Not to say that they can't when they're used properly, but I've never noticed the materials making a hugedifference, especially compared to how much of a difference temperature, time, and amount of leaf makes.

Chef Shimi
Feb 27, 2013

I figured. I've been using a ceramic pot for a while now and wondered if I was missing out on anything special with some of the other materials.

On an unrelated note, if anyone is in Paris I'd recommend checking out the Mariages Freres tea shop. Its a little touristy and a lot of overpriced, but they have a lot of interesting blends and the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable.

Hummingbirds
Feb 17, 2011

Free shipping on adagio today, just got a pound of their masala chai which I've been meaning to do for awhile.

e: Here are a couple $5 coupons: 2527595044, 9303626361

Hummingbirds fucked around with this message at 07:52 on Dec 2, 2013

Chairman Kaga
Jun 3, 2006
I FAG EVERYTHING UP BECAUSE I AM A WHINEY CUNT!
Had some greek mountain tea that was delicious from amazon.

tweet my meat
Oct 2, 2013

yospos
So I just bought like $20 of black tea on a whim from that adagio site. Here's to hoping I don't mess up what should be a relatively simple process.

I already have an unopened glass teapot with a little mesh basket thing to steep the tea in from a gift exchange a few years back, but I'm wondering if I need anything else special to brew with. I don't have a tea kettle, but I imagine just boiling the water in a pot will do for now until I snag one from goodwill or something. Also, what's a good rule of thumb for how much tea to use per batch?

tweet my meat fucked around with this message at 13:00 on Dec 2, 2013

cobalt impurity
Apr 23, 2010

I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Sergeant_Crunch posted:

So I just bought like $20 of black tea on a whim from that adagio site. Here's to hoping I don't mess up what should be a relatively simple process.

I already have an unopened glass teapot with a little mesh basket thing to steep the tea in from a gift exchange a few years back, but I'm wondering if I need anything else special to brew with. I don't have a tea kettle, but I imagine just boiling the water in a pot will do for now until I snag one from goodwill or something. Also, what's a good rule of thumb for how much tea to use per batch?

Adagio will print it on the package, but for most teas the general rule of thumb is one teaspoon per cup.

And they mean this:



Not one of these:



You can also do it by weight, but it really doesn't have to be that complicated.

tweet my meat
Oct 2, 2013

yospos
Ah, that's simple enough. I figured I was overthinking it. It looks like I may have bought my way into a fun new hobby on a tired whim.

uranium grass
Jan 15, 2005

Are there any good sites that sell bulk loose tea for a reasonable price in/not with ridiculous shipping to Canada? I prefer loose leaf tea, but I usually make it by the pitcher and 150g for ~$15 gets kind of pricey.

distortion park
Apr 25, 2011


Grrl Anachronism posted:

Are there any good sites that sell bulk loose tea for a reasonable price in/not with ridiculous shipping to Canada? I prefer loose leaf tea, but I usually make it by the pitcher and 150g for ~$15 gets kind of pricey.

Twinings is about half that price
http://www.twiningscashop.com/black-tea.html

uranium grass
Jan 15, 2005


Thanks for the recommendation! Unfortunately, the only six teas they offer loose are none of their varieties I would choose. :(

milpreve
Feb 29, 2012
Well, I fell off the don't-buy-more-tea-until-you-drink-what-you-have wagon. :homebrew: Here's more coupon codes for Adagio: 9249091693, 6509453856

defectivemonkey
Jun 5, 2012

milpreve posted:

Well, I fell off the don't-buy-more-tea-until-you-drink-what-you-have wagon. :homebrew: Here's more coupon codes for Adagio: 9249091693, 6509453856

I'm still on the wagon, but for anyone who uses these, the apple spice chai is amazing.

hope and vaseline
Feb 13, 2001

Got my batch of Shan Li Xi in the mail today. It's really similar to the alishans I've had, but with this brothy mouthfeel. Quite delicious.

Culinary Bears
Feb 1, 2007

Grrl Anachronism posted:

Are there any good sites that sell bulk loose tea for a reasonable price in/not with ridiculous shipping to Canada? I prefer loose leaf tea, but I usually make it by the pitcher and 150g for ~$15 gets kind of pricey.

Upton Tea! Last I checked their shipping to Canada was quite reasonable.

Aethersphere
Mar 21, 2009

you see me rollin up pops you step aside
Recently I took a trip down to the glorious nation of America and drank sweet tea for the first time. I brought a massive jug of it back with me, but now it is all gone. I've been informed that if I don't make sweet tea with Luzianne brand tea bags, my sweet tea efforts will be for nought, but I cannot find somewhere that will ship Luzianne teabags north of the border for less than $50 bucks a friggin' box.

Am I doomed to never have delicious sweet tea again? Is there another alternative? Are there any loose-leaf options that make delicious sweet tea, since there's plenty of fancy tea shops where I am (I live in Calgary.) Thoughts?

DurianGray
Dec 23, 2010

King of Fruits
Listen here, honey. As a bona fide Southener let me tell you that all you need to get yourself is some generic store-brand black tea (a lot of it will just say "Orange Pekoe". It doesn't really mean much, it's just trying to dress it up fancy). Luzianne is OK, but really any common black tea should work.

There's a lot of ways to go about making Southern Style sweet tea but the one thing I've seen consistently is taking a lot of bags and steeping them in a relatively small amount of water for a long time (10+ minutes). This makes a concentrate (very important! the more tannins, the better the sugar works) that you can dilute some with plain water, add sugar to, and then usually pour over ice. Since it should still be fairly concentrated at that point, the melting ice doesn't water it down too badly.

My Great Aunt who has lived most of her life in Appalachia pours boiling water into a mason jar with about 8 standard size tea bags and lets it sit for about 10-20 minutes. It's still pretty hot at this point so it's good to add the sugar in then, next she pours it into a pitcher with tap water, then that (still a bit warm) is poured into glasses over ice. Fresh-picked mint leaves and lemon slices served on the side.

That aside, I've found that the best fancier loose-leaf teas that have the right taste for making sweet tea are probably Yunnans and Ceylons, but that gets a lot more expensive than just using the generic store-brands, obviously.

And this might be obvious, but you can really only use white granulated sugar and a lot of it. There's a reason that diabetes is horribly common in the deep south. Any other sweetener like brown sugar, honey, raw sugar, artificial sweetners, etc. just don't taste right for a traditional sweet tea.

DurianGray fucked around with this message at 07:36 on Dec 4, 2013

cobalt impurity
Apr 23, 2010

I hope he didn't care about that pizza.
Lipton would also be an acceptable substitute while remaining relatively traditional. They make special round sachets that are meant to go into drip coffee makers, and that's exactly how my father did it.

Grab 6 of those filters, stack them as best you can in the basket of a drip coffee maker, and run a full pot through them (preferably one that's 10-12 "cups") and add this concentrate to 2 cups of white sugar, stir to dissolve. Dillute with tap water to approximately one gallon or however much fills your pitcher, serve over ice in a worn plastic cup you got at a Mardi Gras parade. You'll have a refreshing beverage that's syrup sweet and with an aftertaste reminiscent of pennies. If the cup is white it will stain, but hell, February is just around the corner and you can get more!

The whole idea is to take cheap tea, extract the ever-loving crap out of it, sweeten it beyond all reasonable measure, and then dilute until palatable. If you have to use ordinary bags, use 8-10, and if you're contemplating using loose leaf tea you've already given it too much thought for Southern Sweet Tea. :911:

Hummingbirds
Feb 17, 2011

cobalt impurity posted:

The whole idea is to take cheap tea, extract the ever-loving crap out of it, sweeten it beyond all reasonable measure, and then dilute until palatable. If you have to use ordinary bags, use 8-10, and if you're contemplating using loose leaf tea you've already given it too much thought for Southern Sweet Tea. :911:

This. The reason sweet tea is so sweet is because it's so over brewed that it's almost undrinkable if it's less sweet (not to say I don't like sweet tea).

That said I've made sweet tea with cheaper loose leafs like ceylons or even fruit flavored black teas, and they're still good, just not ~traditional~

But Not Tonight
May 22, 2006

I could show you around the sights.

I just received my Lapsang and wow, this is definitely not what I was expecting. I was actually looking for a black similar to Black Dragon Pearls on Adagio (Am I right in thinking that they're more like a Yunnan?) when I was browsing through their blacks and went "Hey Lapsang Souchong, I've heard that name, let's try it!". It's good, but the Mrs. won't have it. Alas, I'll have to suffer through it alone :v:

aldantefax
Oct 10, 2007

ALWAYS BE MECHFISHIN'

But Not Tonight posted:

I just received my Lapsang and wow, this is definitely not what I was expecting. I was actually looking for a black similar to Black Dragon Pearls on Adagio (Am I right in thinking that they're more like a Yunnan?) when I was browsing through their blacks and went "Hey Lapsang Souchong, I've heard that name, let's try it!". It's good, but the Mrs. won't have it. Alas, I'll have to suffer through it alone :v:

You can discard the first and second infusions if it's too smoky for you. The more infusions you take the leaves through it tends to give way to a pleasant, unique taste. You could also consider brewing, then cutting the brew for service with some extra hot water to reduce the intensity. Dunno if that's what you're going for, though.

If you want to look around in the future, there are non-smoky varieties of Lapsang Souchong which you might see labeled as "Heritage Lapsang Souchong" or just "Non-smoky" etc.

But Not Tonight
May 22, 2006

I could show you around the sights.

I will admit I didn't try a second or third infusion because honestly I wasn't in the mood for it as it seems more like an evening tea to me, and I knew they'd just be hanging out going nasty all day. I'm definitely going to drink it and look forward to trying it again now that I know that. I did add a tiny bit of honey to it and that seemed to go well, almost like a cinnamon and honey taste.

DurianGray
Dec 23, 2010

King of Fruits
The Dragon Pearls are a Yunnan, I'm pretty sure. I got Adagio's Lapsang about four years back (one of my first loose teas!) and it was waaay smokier than I had been expecting/wanting, having had the tea before, and I love that bonfire flavor normally.

I actually ended up leaving the tin open for an hour or so to let some of the smokiness dissipate and it was much more bearable after that. Not sure if I would do that now, but it worked as a solution to having way too much smokiness at the time.

milpreve
Feb 29, 2012

But Not Tonight posted:

I will admit I didn't try a second or third infusion because honestly I wasn't in the mood for it as it seems more like an evening tea to me, and I knew they'd just be hanging out going nasty all day. I'm definitely going to drink it and look forward to trying it again now that I know that. I did add a tiny bit of honey to it and that seemed to go well, almost like a cinnamon and honey taste.

I tend to drink lapsang souchong after I get home from school, especially if it's been a wet or cold day. But I really love lapsang souchong. So I agree that it is more of an evening drink.

Enfys
Feb 17, 2013

The ocean is calling and I must go

Lapsang is also the perfect tea for having with a Saturday morning fry up or the like, though I usually do have it in the evenings as well.

Comic
Feb 24, 2008

Mad Comic Stylings
I've mixed a bit of scotch into a hot cup of lapsang souchong for an extra smoky alcoholic drink, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to drink a fireplace. Also don't use any nice scotch for it that's a waste.

Nephielle
Mar 25, 2005

by XyloJW
I recently bought 4 oz of CTC Assam from Harney & Sons and I'm wondering how I ever woke up in the morning without a cup of assam. It is such a full bodied tea! It's not as heavy as pur-erh, but it's pretty high up there on the "How did I live without this?" list. I also bought something called Matcha iri Genmaicha, which is genmaicha dusted with matcha, and that is another fantastic tea that I've purchased. It's so rich and yummy.

Enfys
Feb 17, 2013

The ocean is calling and I must go

Nephielle posted:

I also bought something called Matcha iri Genmaicha, which is genmaicha dusted with matcha, and that is another fantastic tea that I've purchased. It's so rich and yummy.

Ooooh that sounds really interesting. I absolutely love genmaicha but have never really tried matcha. Was this also Harney & Sons?

Aerofallosov
Oct 3, 2007

Friend to Fishes. Just keep swimming.
... Assam and chocolate are so awesome together. Goodbye, soda.

I like to put some in a thermos and take it with me for long lectures.

Slaapaav
Mar 3, 2006

by Azathoth
Assam and Keemun are my favorites for generic all purpose black teas. I can have a cup of these at any time really. Any other all round blacks I should try?

Culinary Bears
Feb 1, 2007

Slaapaav posted:

Assam and Keemun are my favorites for generic all purpose black teas. I can have a cup of these at any time really. Any other all round blacks I should try?

Yunnan. Assams, Keemuns, and Yunnans are basically my fave trio. Upton's Yunnan Rare Grade is a good starter (but it's Upton so really you can just sample anything that looks good).

Paramemetic
Sep 29, 2003

Area 51. You heard of it, right?





Fallen Rib

Comic posted:

I've mixed a bit of scotch into a hot cup of lapsang souchong for an extra smoky alcoholic drink, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to drink a fireplace. Also don't use any nice scotch for it that's a waste.

Funny you should mention because lapsang souchong when I discovered it brought me great joy. I am a big fan of single malt Scotch whisky but have stopped drinking. I was so pleased to discover that in tea I could still enjoy the smokey flavors. It's not quite a good Lagavulin, but it's an approximation.

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Vienna Circlejerk
Jan 28, 2003

The great science sausage party!

Paramemetic posted:

Funny you should mention because lapsang souchong when I discovered it brought me great joy. I am a big fan of single malt Scotch whisky but have stopped drinking. I was so pleased to discover that in tea I could still enjoy the smokey flavors. It's not quite a good Lagavulin, but it's an approximation.

I'm in the same boat and lapsang souchong scratches the exact same itch for me. Also, an even mixture of honeybush and rooibos reminds me of bourbon for some reason. Probably the sweetness.

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