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Hey Death Vomit Wizard, is there still a chance to get in that sampling action? It's been a long while since I got to expend my horizons.
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Mar 5, 2021 10:41
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:Haha I know what you mean! But the tight press is great for when you want that slow, slow aging process. Such pressings pack more flavor than their looser counterparts, generally. I’d expect it also provides a more anaerobic environment inside the pressed tea. Leaving a bunch of different microbes happy than if you leave it loose and let the oxygen in freely to play.
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Mar 5, 2021 16:49
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Jhet posted:I’d expect it also provides a more anaerobic environment inside the pressed tea. Leaving a bunch of different microbes happy than if you leave it loose and let the oxygen in freely to play. But the taste really is awesome in strong tasting stuff like Xiamen teji sheng tuos and the famous iron cakes. I also appreciate bricks for aging red tea. The leaves are smaller so they can mostly be saved, too. By popular demand posted:Hey Death Vomit Wizard, is there still a chance to get in that sampling action?
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Mar 5, 2021 18:02
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:The trend for top tier puer seems to be loose leaf or pressed in loose-to-moderately-dense bings. In Taiwan at least. Which I am totally on board with -- I hate breaking my leaves after all. Are they wrapping or storing it in a way that would keep out fresh air at all or are they going for the aerobic fermentation instead? I also hate picking apart leaves and it keeps me from pulling out the few bricks I have because of it. So if they can put out something awesome without needing a crowbar to pull it apart then I’m on board with it.
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Mar 5, 2021 18:12
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Jhet posted:Are they wrapping or storing it in a way that would keep out fresh air at all or are they going for the aerobic fermentation instead? All tea should be able to breath in storage. I imagine dense pressings not as a different way of storage, just slower. So if you want to avoid them, you can get a similar taste with a younger (normal density) bing, all else equal. Edit: happy Spring folks 
Death Vomit Wizard fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Mar 6, 2021 |
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Mar 6, 2021 00:52
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Does anybody have advice for drying out spent gyokuro leaves to make furikake out of? I want to be able to dry and keep them for my rice but I want to make sure they aren't getting moldy or oxidizing too much in the process.
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Mar 11, 2021 03:35
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Freeze them?
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Mar 11, 2021 03:57
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Heath posted:Does anybody have advice for drying out spent gyokuro leaves to make furikake out of? I want to be able to dry and keep them for my rice but I want to make sure they aren't getting moldy or oxidizing too much in the process. Unless you added sugar to them if you spread them out on a baking sheet and let them dry out normally it should be fine. You can roast or freeze them (probably experiment here) and also pat dry with some paper towels and let air drying or a dehydrator take care of the rest for a couple of hours.
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Mar 11, 2021 04:02
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Coffee has become too acidic for me and I still need caffeine. What's a good yerba mate or other high caffeine alternative? I've bought some $8/lb pound stuff off Amazon but I figure there are better ways.
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Mar 13, 2021 07:20
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VinylonUnderground posted:Coffee has become too acidic for me and I still need caffeine. What's a good yerba mate or other high caffeine alternative? I've bought some $8/lb pound stuff off Amazon but I figure there are better ways. There's always caffeine pills for $0.05 each per 200mg pill. Then drink whatever tea you like.
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Mar 13, 2021 22:29
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jetz0r posted:There's always caffeine pills for $0.05 each per 200mg pill. Then drink whatever tea you like. Yeah that's unironically what I was gonna suggest.
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Mar 13, 2021 23:30
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xtal posted:Yeah that's unironically what I was gonna suggest. Every Wal-mart in America has Jet Alert for $4 per 90 pills in the pharmacy, and amazon has these at $17 for 500. For tea stuff, I tried out this sampler and really like the russian earl gray (lemon grass, orange peel, and tea), and french earl grey (hibiscus and tea). Anyone have some suggestions for similar teas that I should try? I like the hearty black tea plus lighter citrus or flower notes in those two.
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Mar 14, 2021 05:50
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I mean, I also like the taste of yerba mate. So it works as a coffee replacement that keeps a nice ritual. Drinking some nice jasmine tea in the morning does sound appealing though.
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Mar 14, 2021 07:01
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Welcome to my new (to me) pot!     100ml — crafted from hongni + zisha clay by an up and coming Yixing artist. Death Vomit Wizard fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Mar 17, 2021 |
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Mar 17, 2021 05:00
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jetz0r posted:For tea stuff, I tried out this sampler and really like the russian earl gray (lemon grass, orange peel, and tea), and french earl grey (hibiscus and tea). Anyone have some suggestions for similar teas that I should try? I like the hearty black tea plus lighter citrus or flower notes in those two. They're my go-tos for nearly all flavoured teas, so I've pitched them before (and probably bored everyone at this point) but you might want to try stuff from Harney & Sons and Mariage Freres.
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Mar 17, 2021 05:09
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Trabant posted:They're my go-tos for nearly all flavoured teas, so I've pitched them before (and probably bored everyone at this point) but you might want to try stuff from Harney & Sons and Mariage Freres. I wound up buying some Harney & Sons english breakfast, Ahmed Tea earl gray, and a bag of hibiscus flowers, and drying some orange peels myself. Adding hibiscus to those teas, and chamomile has been excellent.
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Mar 17, 2021 06:08
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:Welcome to my new (to me) pot! I love these little yixing pots, really should get one one day and give it a go 
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Mar 17, 2021 07:05
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Why wouldn't you just make it in the cup? A small kettle just sounds like an extra thing to clean and an annoying one at that.
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Mar 17, 2021 14:42
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xtal posted:Why wouldn't you just make it in the cup? A small kettle just sounds like an extra thing to clean and an annoying one at that. It's for gong-fu brewing - you keep the leaves inside the pot and resteep many times. If the leaves were in the cup, they would never stop brewing.
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Mar 17, 2021 14:47
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xtal posted:Why wouldn't you just make it in the cup? A small kettle just sounds like an extra thing to clean and an annoying one at that. they look cute, feels nice to use, pours nicely and is also just as easy to clean as, say, a mesh basket I usually go for pots around 150-180ml but they work wonderfully
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Mar 17, 2021 15:03
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:OK Tea Study Goons, I finally got moving on these samples. Sarrisan and Irony.or.Death: I shipped your packages on Tuesday. Nyquil and CopperHound: yours are going out as soon as Chinese New Year (no post office) is over next Wednesday. I would ask all participants to save your samples until everyone has received theirs so that we can drink them together. Also, tea leaves need a week+ of rest after air travel to completely acclimate to your home. Thank you for your patience.
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Mar 17, 2021 16:27
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I’m currently breaking in a new zini julunzhu pot myself. Got it as small pot for when I’m drinking solo. 90m, has a really fast pour and seems to brew great tea. Haven’t dedicated it to a specific tea, but it seems to excel at brewing dancong and ripe puerh for some reason.  A question for everyone: if you’re familiar with the term “hui gan”, how would you describe it? Truck Stop Daddy fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Mar 17, 2021 |
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Mar 17, 2021 23:34
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Truck Stop Daddy posted:
Chinese
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Mar 18, 2021 00:10
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Truck Stop Daddy posted:A question for everyone: if you’re familiar with the term “hui gan”, how would you describe it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hkdVnSgus Maybe that video will help?
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Mar 18, 2021 01:52
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Truck Stop Daddy posted:I’m currently breaking in a new zini julunzhu pot myself. Got it as small pot for when I’m drinking solo. 90m, has a really fast pour and seems to brew great tea. Haven’t dedicated it to a specific tea, but it seems to excel at brewing dancong and ripe puerh for some reason. Everything in this picture is so nice lol I really need some nice coasters and those are perfect  You probably know this but hui gan literally means return sweetness. It's used when talking about the sweet second wave of flavor in your sip (typically in a young, puer). The implication being that it follows a very bitter first impression. It's quite real, and varies by mountain and other factors. Although it's also a phrase used liberally in tea marketing-speak so there is probably some misinformation out there.
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Mar 18, 2021 06:59
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I was asking, because while drinking certain pleasant teas I end up feeling this sensation of something sticky and sweet stuck at the back of my throat. The sensation never appear after drinking the first cup, but perhaps after the third or fourth. I lack a word to describe this, but hui gan seems to sort of fit... It's a really nice feeling/taste that I only really encounter during my most pleasant tea drinking sessions. Doesn't tend to get it from Puerh though, primarily when I drink sweet taiwanese oolongs. Had some really good (but pricier than I'd like) dancong last night, and had this sensation again
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Mar 18, 2021 14:29
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Yummm! I too get sweetness from various oolongs. The range of different tastes in dan congs always blows my mind. But I don't think there is a common terminology for this sweetness. (My teacher calls the sweetness in a high mountain qingxin oolong "pineapple taste", and there are plenty of bug bitten oolongs that have a famous "honey taste") Huigan, though, is present from the first steep and afaik used only for shengs. Edit: what steep are you on when you taste it? If the 3-4 cup is still steep one, the cooling down may trigger the sticky sweetness. There are a LOT of cool changes to taste and mouth feel if you let it cool to room temp. I tend to always wait a while before sipping now. Also there is a trick where you pour one cup from the first steep and set it aside to revisit at the end of the session. That's always a trip Death Vomit Wizard fucked around with this message at 15:32 on Mar 18, 2021 |
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Mar 18, 2021 15:04
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CopperHound posted:I took a peek in the box. I'm excited to try the stuff you sent out. Is that coaster you sent made from luffa? Ok cool. Can everyone email me when you get your box so we can coordinate the first sesh? teafriends@spiritwoodtea.com Yes, it's luffa. This is the ultimate material for "yang hu" which means seasoning your pot. It will last for years. It dries out fast after use if you prop it on something, too. You can make your own or buy them from Taobao. Here's a broken in one. You don't appreciate it when it's dry like in this photo, but when you're brewing tea it has a sweet rear end groove in the middle that molds to your pot and cradles it. 
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Mar 18, 2021 15:27
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Death Vomit Wizard posted:Yummm! I too get sweetness from various oolongs. The range of different tastes in dan congs always blows my mind. But I don't think there is a common terminology for this sweetness. (My teacher calls the sweetness in a high mountain qingxin oolong "pineapple taste", and there are plenty of bug bitten oolongs that have a famous "honey taste") Huigan, though, is present from the first steep and afaik used only for shengs. Third or fourth steep. I only make a cup of each usually.
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Mar 18, 2021 15:55
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i am not the tea nerd in the house; we do have a ridiculous cupboard filled with all sorts of packages of tea so generally i'm content to let my other half have the tea ritual and i'm content to enjoy having it done for me. that said, i have been playing around with cold steeping black teas in the fridge overnight lately; being from the south i still enjoy iced tea especially as it's starting to warm up outside, and i find that compared to the way most people back home do iced/sweet teas, this makes for a great, balanced flavour with little to no bitterness. this picture is faintly cloudy because i just did a coarse strain this morning and not through any filter.  this was a blend from a lovely local shop that does porch deliveries for free in town (and leaves a warm, handwritten note inside of every delivery).
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Mar 21, 2021 15:27
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I picked up a cheap bag of Japanese Sencha from my local asian mart yesterday because I was in the mood for green tea. The instructions say to steep for only 30 seconds, is that really correct? I ask because what I typically buy (black and fruit tisanes) generally says 3-5 minutes, depending.
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Mar 22, 2021 00:50
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Steeping a very large amount of leaves in relatively little water for less than a minute is a valid alternative to steeping small amounts of tea for a long time. More leaves per volume of water for very short times usually means you can reuse the leaves a lot more than if you steeped them in more water for a longer time, so you don't necessarily get much less drinkable tea per gram of leaves (but you will of course get a smaller volume per each steeping). If you look at the past couple of pages, this what people are usually doing when they post small teapots or bowls packed almost full of leaves. For most kinds of tea either way can result in a tasty drink, but they will usually taste reasonably different from each other. Short time with little water relative to amount of leaves is more common with east Asian teas than Indian subcontinent ones, but which method you personally like best for any specific tea is up to your taste and only trial and error will tell. Waci fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Mar 22, 2021 |
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Mar 22, 2021 01:36
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^Yes, sencha can have very short steep times.mediaphage posted:i am not the tea nerd in the house; we do have a ridiculous cupboard filled with all sorts of packages of tea so generally i'm content to let my other half have the tea ritual and i'm content to enjoy having it done for me. that said, i have been playing around with cold steeping black teas in the fridge overnight lately; being from the south i still enjoy iced tea especially as it's starting to warm up outside, and i find that compared to the way most people back home do iced/sweet teas, this makes for a great, balanced flavour with little to no bitterness. As opposed to "boil for 10-15 minutes and then remove Luzianne tea bags"? Yeah, that's going to taste so much better and looks really lovely. I like making it concentrated by using 2x loose tea and other flavor components (I like fresh ginger and black tea) to the hot water for 5 minutes is perfect too, but then I have to wait for it to get cold. I should just try sticking the tea in overnight cold, but I like how green tea turns out for that. I can imagine a bunch of tea blends that would work well cold steeped.
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Mar 22, 2021 01:38
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Jhet posted:^Yes, sencha can have very short steep times. haha! don’t forget to tie the bags together when you boil them. add a cup of sugar and 2L of water and you’re good to go 
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Mar 22, 2021 01:42
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mediaphage posted:haha! don’t forget to tie the bags together when you boil them. add a cup of sugar and 2L of water and you’re good to go Only way to make that gross sweet tea taste good? Bunch of bourbon, but that’s going to really offend some people. Definitely keep playing around with it too. Rose petals can be really good steeped, and citrus peels too. I always have those big bottles of lemon juice around and I’ll just add that straight to the glass in the summer. Between summer iced tea and kombucha, I’ll use basically any tea even if I ended up not liking it much hot and normal. I have some Darjeeling that was too astringent and tasted a bit blah that works much better as kombucha. Still do love good tea, but I’ve picked some duds over the years. Once I use up the backlog I have a few types to try to keep in stock, but it was a trip getting there.
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Mar 22, 2021 03:03
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ordinarily i wouldn’t double steep black tea but i used a fair bit of grounds for this. so the first steep was probably a day in the fridge. for the resteep they were probably soaking for 48 hours or so. result: just as good as the first batch and i think i’ll just do it this way from now on.
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Mar 25, 2021 23:37
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So I've discovered a local tea-shop that specializes in Pu-erh, and bought my first one to try (an aged ripe pu-erh from 2013). It's good, though very subtle. Brewing gong-fu style, this poo poo seems like it just keeps going forever without running out of juice - the shop owner claimed 30+ steepings before it's done, which, even if an exaggeration, is way more than I can drink in a day. Is it safe to just leave the leaves in the teapot overnight and start brewing again in the morning?
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Mar 26, 2021 17:47
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If you're worried about mold or what not I'd make sure to drain the liquid fully before continuing again but I mean, I've used the same teabag for multiple days in a mug and it has been fine. You'll very likely know right away if things went south, but for a single day you're going to probably be okay.
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Mar 26, 2021 17:54
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no reason to risk bacterial growth, put it in the fridge.
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Mar 26, 2021 18:20
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I drink teas over two days all the time. Leaving it out is fine.
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Mar 27, 2021 00:27
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