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Agrinja posted:Given that I really liked Top of the Clouds, do you have any recommendations as to where to go from here? I'm still learning, and there seems to be a ton of stuff out there. My next thought was to pick up a few of White2Tea's "Basics" packs, taste a little more, learn a little more. The more I look, the deeper the puerh hole seems to go. The Basics sets aren't bad, but I don't think they bundle any aged sheng in there. Aged pu is a slippery slope... I tend to buy mostly mid 2000s-early 2010 budget selections. I've been really enjoying this '09 Jingmai from W2T. I've also sent out a few of their '06 Old Bear as gifts and they were a pretty big hit with some of my scotch loving buddies. Other than that... most western pu vendors tend to focus on their pressings nowadays, which means lots of young sheng, some of it ready to drink as-is and some meant to be aged a lot further. I'd recommend looking at Yunnan Sourcing's selection of aged sheng and buying samples until you find something that hits your sweet spot.
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Nov 1, 2018 13:47
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Alright, thank you, I appreciate the guidance. I've heard good things about Yunnan Sourcing, but wow does their inventory run deep.
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Nov 1, 2018 14:22
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this is a pretty good semi aged tea, albeit a little pricyAgrinja posted:Alright, thank you, I appreciate the guidance. I've heard good things about Yunnan Sourcing, but wow does their inventory run deep. yeah, unless you have an idea of what you’re after, it can be pretty overwhelming. even the selection of their own brand puerhs tends to be really extensive ulvir fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 14:53
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Does anyone have any suggestions for brewing a 4 yr old Singpho Falap tea? It's an Assam cake packed and smoked in bamboo, and at first guess I'd treat it like a pu erh, but I'm not sure the best temperature to brew it. I've only ever had cheap shengs.
Stuporstar fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Nov 2, 2018 |
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Nov 2, 2018 00:12
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Does anybody have any suggestions for how to store cakes of puerh while you're drinking them? The wrapper no longer fits quite so tightly, and is starting to wear from getting opened over and over again. How do you keep your broken cakes?
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Nov 10, 2018 04:41
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For what it is worth I keep mine in a half-open waxed paper bag that used to hold donuts.
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Nov 10, 2018 14:52
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Any recommendations for an electric kettle that doesn't beep or make any noise when it's done with variable temperature settings? I'm trying to cut down on the number of devices that beep at me. I live in a tiny apartment so I can easily hear when it's done.
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Nov 11, 2018 18:14
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LOL, that might be a tall order. I have a Cuisinart CPK-17 based on the Wirecutter recommendation. It beeps once when it’s done; I don’t think it’s a very shrill tone or anything. Edit: looking over their blurbs on other kettles that didn’t get their recommendations, they mention several of them have annoying beeping, so this might be one of the better ones for that. david_a fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Nov 11, 2018 |
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Nov 11, 2018 20:35
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I have the same Cuisinart and while the sound doesn't bother me, there's a solution if you're up for performing some minor surgery on it:quote:Remove the cover from the bottom of the kettle. Remove the pin marked "BZ" from the 9 pin connector. Cover the end of your lose connector in electrical tape and tuck away from the heating element. Replace bottom cover.
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Nov 11, 2018 21:14
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Another owner of the Cuisinart who hates beeping devices chiming in to say that it's not too bad as far as beeping devices go—I have mine on my desk at work, so I sit about two feet away from it, and I don't find it overly bothersome. I've had it for four years and it's still going strong!
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Nov 11, 2018 21:46
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I bought this cheap thing a year ago and it doesn't beep at all. There's a lot of mixed reviews on Amazon, but I use mine multiple times a day, almost every day, and have never had a problem with it. The controls are just kinda meh, but I drink a lot of black tea so I rarely futz with them. You can also try searching Amazon for kettles with "no beep" in the search string. This particular brand seems to make two versions of this (and several other) kettles, with and without beep. That alone is enough to get my money.
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Nov 12, 2018 00:09
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I've fallen in love with the jasmine teas over at teavivre. The exhale after a sip seems fill my skull with heady vapors.
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Nov 13, 2018 18:19
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Biomute posted:I've fallen in love with the jasmine teas over at teavivre. The exhale after a sip seems fill my skull with heady vapors. Good news then, Teavivre's black friday weekend sale is live and there's a couple of jasmine greens in the 30% off bracket. As usual the 40% stuff is kind of like their odds and ends they're getting rid stock off, but plenty of other great deals in the lower brackets. Teaware.house also has a 15% store-wide discount, and I'm annoyed I didn't think of waiting cause I just ordered a few pieces two weeks ago  Beautiful Taiwan Tea has 15% store-wide as well with the BLACKFRIDAY15 code. Their Dayuling and Lishan is legit, not quite as good as some of the higher end vendors but very good for the price bracket. I haven't ordered from them in a few years but it looks like they've expanded into a few other styles as well. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Nov 24, 2018 |
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Nov 24, 2018 16:28
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Thanks friend, I should have enough to last me to the next harvest now.
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Nov 24, 2018 20:33
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What would be a good Sheng Pu-er cake to pick up? Preferably from TeaVivre or Yunnan Sourcing. Something on the fresh, floral, fruity side.
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Nov 26, 2018 01:51
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Biomute posted:What would be a good Sheng Pu-er cake to pick up? Preferably from TeaVivre or Yunnan Sourcing. Something on the fresh, floral, fruity side. I don’t really have too much experience with YS's raw puerhs. my earlier recommendation to Truck Stop Daddy or whatever stands though (bitterleaf Yiwu), and Crimson Lotus teas always has some really fresh and nice teas at hand, such as their 2018 Intrigue if you have lots of cash at hand and really want to burn them off  style, Bitterleaf's 2018 Na Ka is great (I only had their dragon balls, but I’d guess the cake is on par with that)
ulvir fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Nov 26, 2018 |
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Nov 26, 2018 15:36
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Nah, I don't have that amount of money to spend, especially when I don't quite know if I like young sheng yet, but cheers, I'm going to try the Intrigue one.
thotsky fucked around with this message at 00:11 on Nov 27, 2018 |
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Nov 26, 2018 23:59
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I've read that puerh has less caffeine than other styles, but after a session I find myself way more buzzing than with other sorts. Is this common?
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Nov 27, 2018 01:43
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Agrinja posted:I've read that puerh has less caffeine than other styles, but after a session I find myself way more buzzing than with other sorts. Is this common? I think I read the opposite. Black and puerhs having the highest caffeine content of teas, with green teas containing the least. Water temperature seems to affect how much caffeine is released when steeping as well. Higher temps= more caffeine. Can't remember if lower brewing temperatures was the given reason for green teas have the lowest caffeine content... I think oxidation/fermentation also played a role here. Think I read this in Gebely's Tea - a users guide... Truck Stop Daddy fucked around with this message at 12:35 on Nov 27, 2018 |
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Nov 27, 2018 12:32
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Meanwhile I've noticed that processing style affects me far less than the leaf quality. Teas that are heavy on buds get me buzzing pretty good (I'm looking at you silver needle whites), and teas that have mostly mature large leaf (huangpian shu especially) are pretty mellow on caffeine content. There's also the whole Qi thing that supposedly high end puerhs are full of (authentic Lao Banzhang anyone? Way out of my price range) that can leave you with a full body energy rush, depending on whether you buy into that whole part of Chinese medicine.
hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Nov 27, 2018 |
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Nov 27, 2018 13:13
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caffeine content in tea waries a lot even within each broader type, and green tea definitely has a bunch of caffeine, contrary to what many believe. Matcha isn't included here, but afaik since it's highly concentrated green tea, I would rank it up there with coffee since tea has a lot of other stuff in it like L theanine and so on, you don't necessarily get the same uncomfortable buzz that too much coffee gives you, though I've had it from drinking young Lao Man E and Na Ka on an empty stomach ulvir fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Nov 27, 2018 |
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Nov 27, 2018 13:30
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Looking for a gift for my mom, I normally get her tea or somesuch. She tends towards herbals/roobois, loose leaf, hoping to find something on amazon in the 10-20 range. I know how to shop on other sites, but timing means prime shipping would be nice. Any thoughts? Really, any thoughts on brands that actually ship quickly on amazon?
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Nov 27, 2018 16:33
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silvergoose posted:Looking for a gift for my mom, I normally get her tea or somesuch. She tends towards herbals/roobois, loose leaf, hoping to find something on amazon in the 10-20 range. I've really liked the roobois from Upton best. Not Amazon, though. My favorite herbals are still from Adagio (blood orange and dewy cherry) though I am slowly replacing them. Adagio often ships through Amazon.
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Nov 27, 2018 17:00
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I'm a fan of Harney and Sons' stuff for reasonably-priced, ships-via-Prime stuff. Granted, I mostly drink their flavoured black teas (Paris, Earl Grey Supreme) but I've also had their sampler tins and are yet to have anything of theirs I didn't like. My favourite rooibos ever is Rouge Bourbon by Mariage Freres though, and there are some examples of it on Prime as well. You just won't find it for <$30.
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Nov 27, 2018 17:07
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effika posted:I've really liked the roobois from Upton best. Not Amazon, though. Her go-to is ordering from Upton so it's fine that that's not on there.  Thanks!Trabant posted:I'm a fan of Harney and Sons' stuff for reasonably-priced, ships-via-Prime stuff. Granted, I mostly drink their flavoured black teas (Paris, Earl Grey Supreme) but I've also had their sampler tins and are yet to have anything of theirs I didn't like. Eh if I have to spend a little more. Thanks to you too!
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Nov 27, 2018 17:43
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hope and vaseline posted:Good news then, Teavivre's black friday weekend sale is live and there's a couple of jasmine greens in the 30% off bracket. As usual the 40% stuff is kind of like their odds and ends they're getting rid stock off, but plenty of other great deals in the lower brackets. Teavivre has a lot of nice looking jasmine greens this year, so just for fun I decided to get samples of most of them in the sale. Re-upped my favorites too, but with the ongoing Canada Post labor dispute I have no clue when I'll actually get my order.
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Nov 27, 2018 21:44
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Can anyone recommend a high quality thermos that is made in the US? Or somewhere other than China?
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Nov 29, 2018 05:17
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Lovelyn posted:Can anyone recommend a high quality thermos that is made in the US? Or somewhere other than China? Based on the reviews I guess this is made in Thailand: https://smile.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-SA60-BA-Stainless-Steel-20-Ounce/dp/B00HYOGUM2/ I know it always gets high marks on Wirecutter, and I got one for my mom one year and she loved it so much she got another to keep at work.
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Nov 30, 2018 19:21
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Sirotan posted:Based on the reviews I guess this is made in Thailand: https://smile.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SM-SA60-BA-Stainless-Steel-20-Ounce/dp/B00HYOGUM2/ This seems to be the prevailing champ! Thank you
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Nov 30, 2018 22:01
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Hey all, I was looking for something that would help me brew tea in a thermos which has a narrower opening than the tea balls I've got. I found stick infusers which look like they'd work, but I'm not sure which brand would be best to get something like this from, any opinions or other ideas? https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...sl_2ochle7vtv_e
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Dec 8, 2018 00:49
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Ordered a clay pot today! It looked gorgeous, matches my tea tray and YS had 10% off on teaware... 200ml so its a tad bigger than my gaiwans. Reckon I'll use it for oolongs, perhaps also blacks?
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Dec 14, 2018 17:00
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post a pic I have a 150-180ml clay pot that I use solely for young sheng puerhs. I find it mellows out some of the bitterness in a good way. I’d love to hear how oolongs or blacks “react” to clay as well
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Dec 14, 2018 17:50
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I wish I could find a cool tea tray that would not cost an arm and a leg to ship.
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Dec 14, 2018 17:54
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I have some puerhs, but find myself mostly returning to oolongs. Not sure how strict I need to be with the whole one tea type per pot. I sort of get it with the puerhs tho. Let’s see if this works:  Got a clay tea tray/boat off aliexpress in summer. Clay colour matches + it has a similar etched motive. Was fairly cheap and functions well, can post a pic of it later when I get back on a computer.
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Dec 14, 2018 18:56
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that looks adorbs  I've seen reports/posts online that says it really isn't that big of a deal to begin with (which is like several months) because seasoning takes a really, really long time (years). so there's nothing stopping you from mixing it around until you figure out what tea works best for your taste
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Dec 14, 2018 19:15
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ulvir posted:that looks adorbs Good to know! I’m very curious if it has a noticeable effect on taste... Another question: picked up some taiping houkui a little while back, but haven’t figured out how to steep it yet (missed with tea amount both times I’ve tried it, my scale is out of batteries...). Stumbled upon a site suggesting you brew it “fire and ice style”, as in ice cubes in the brewing vessel + boiling water. I’m a bit skeptical. Anyone used this way of infusing tea before?
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Dec 15, 2018 10:48
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as I said earlier, my pot affected sheng puerh by making it somewhat less bitter and astringent. it was a subtle yet noticeable change, if that makes sense. I never tried it with my oolongs, blacks or ripes though, so I’d be glad to hear a trip report.
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Dec 15, 2018 11:43
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Yeah, what I hear is that is supposed to take sharper “edges” off the taste. Had a go at the ice-fire stuff. Got a very tasty brew, but it was not particularly warm at the end of the steeping. Guess I’ll use less ice next time. Here’s a pic of the tea bot I mentioned yesterday. Was looking for a nonwood tray, as my last one started leaking quite fast. Think it was around 50usd with shipping included 
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Dec 15, 2018 12:12
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I picked up a canister of https://www.teavivre.com/rose-whisper-herbal-tea.html for a friend but I found out she wouldn't be able to drink it. Coincidentally, there's an upcoming Christmas party for the DSA. Does anyone have any ideas what sorts of alcohol the tea would pair with?
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Dec 15, 2018 12:49
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Truck Stop Daddy posted:Think it was around 50usd with shipping included Where?
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Dec 15, 2018 13:57
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