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After trying a whole Tiesta sample box and deciding this is definitely something I want to get into I made a trip to my local tea shop. I ended up getting: She Chung Oolong Lung Ching Green 3rd grade Pomegranate & Goji Berry White Gunpowder Green Peppermint Looking forward to trying everything, the white tea smells fantastic.
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May 22, 2021 21:31
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Was gonna drop into the discord to ask about this but looks like the link is busted. Anyway, on the thread's recommendation grabbed some 20g samples from Farmerleaf after having a mediocre experience with 'ripe' puerh. Took quite a while to arrive but hoping my random choices will give me some interesting options. From these, any recommended place to start (guessing the gushu?) and steep times, probably with about 1:19 tea to water ratio? Jingmai Gushu Jingmai Tian Xiang Xiao Hu Sai Jingmai Ai Ban and a few of their whites, out of curiosity, but that's sortof a different vibe is my understanding.
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May 26, 2021 02:32
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I tend towards less water to more tea or about 1:15-16. I also start with a short wash, then 15-20 seconds for the first round. Then I go longer each round past the first, but I’m terrible at timing them and just pull it when I’m tired of waiting and the color looks good. Not really a wrong way to do it, but if you do that higher ratio then start with longer times. No place that you need to start, just start with the one that you feel like drinking. It will be more pleasant if you don’t feel like you need to do it while following lots of rules.
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May 26, 2021 03:05
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Lore Crimes posted:Was gonna drop into the discord to ask about this but looks like the link is busted. Awesome! What volume is your teapot/ gaiwan? 7g tea and flash steeps/ 5 second steeps is a good way to dip your toes into a young sheng. Discord: https://discord.gg/h2XR5xTnvQ Jhet posted:
I am revisiting this sheng rn and if I steep it too long it's way too bitter (bile taste), but in short steeps it tastes like chocolate chip cookies
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May 29, 2021 05:40
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Hello fellow tea-drinking goons! My MIL's birthday is coming up and I wanted to get her a nice tea setup. Her current tea level is random crappy bagged herbals and maybe some Lipton. She was big into red wine until ceasing alcohol consumption for health reasons and definitely misses it, so I wanted to get her into what I consider the best nonalcoholic analog for wine appreciation - tea! Coffee was considered, but I know jackshit about coffee because it smells like burnt stale dirt to me and also my husband noted she'd just ruin any high-end coffee with hazelnut creamer. Anyhow, I have access to an excellent local tea shop and don't have a budget (worse case is MIL not taking to the $$$ worth of tea stuff, which leaves me with $$$ of tea stuff whenever we visit). She has an electric kettle and some mugs and teabags, which means I need to get everything. I was thinking: - Cute ceramic teapot with a pair of matching cups and saucers (store had some pretty sets that she'd definitely like) - Strainer and disposable paper tea bags (figure the bags would help make loose leaf consumption more convenient with easier cleanup) - Assortment of loose leaf teas (maybe 2 oz of each): --- Basic green (maybe a sencha) --- Jasmine green --- White (thinking Pai Mu Tan) --- an oolong --- Earl Grey --- chamomile (probably flavored) --- tulsi (I love tulsi) --- a couple fruity/floral flavored teas (I unabashedly love them and I think MIL will like them too) (I can throw in the store's tea list in case she wants to order more) - Cute tins in which to place the teas (with labels that I will make - I used to not label anything until that one time my husband thought my Yerba mate was oregano or something and put a shitton into the pasta sauce and we didn't sleep a wink that night). - A book or two about tea/tea preparation The things I am unsure about are the oolong and the books - I drink mostly green and white tea because anything darker usually upsets my stomach (though I can drink Yerba mate like there's no tomorrow - go figure), so I'm not very well versed in oolong. Also would greatly appreciate some book recommendations. Tea store has some but they seem to be about the history of tea rather than how to prepare tea. In conclusion, any particular recommendations for oolong and books about tea preparation? Any other suggestions for my tea aficionado starter pack? I have enough time before her birthday to sample stuff... for science. Thanks everyone!
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Jun 2, 2021 00:48
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How familiar is she with tea in general? Depending on how much of a "beginner" she is, you can split the difference and get some fruity oolongs -- every store has its own peach oolong, maybe even a passion fruit oolong. They're pretty hard to mess up and very drinkable. I find those make good gateway teas since they smell pretty enchanting and gets their foot in the door with the concept of loose leaf brewing.
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Jun 2, 2021 00:57
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Heath posted:How familiar is she with tea in general? Depending on how much of a "beginner" she is, you can split the difference and get some fruity oolongs -- every store has its own peach oolong, maybe even a passion fruit oolong. They're pretty hard to mess up and very drinkable. I find those make good gateway teas since they smell pretty enchanting and gets their foot in the door with the concept of loose leaf brewing. Oh she's a total noob. A fruity oolong sounds wonderful. And yes, one thing I meant to cover in my previous post but the totally forgot was that teas that are harder to gently caress up are ideal. The riskiest one on my list is probably the white, but I'm one of those lazy savages who puts tea leaves straight into the cup because gently caress washing strainers in my dishwasherless kitchen and I've yet to gently caress up Pai Mu Tan beyond redemption.
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Jun 2, 2021 01:18
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I'd definitely start fruity. Peach in particular has a good natural sweetness that nicely counteracts any bitterness from oversteeping.
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Jun 2, 2021 01:59
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Will do. I don't recall having seen a peach oolong at the shop, but if they don't have one I can always get a custom blend. Also might experiment by grabbing the oolong and the fruity bits separately - already have at least two of their different fruit assortments to play around with.
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Jun 2, 2021 03:44
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I’ve finally had a chance to try all of the teas that I picked up a couple weeks ago, and they’re all really good with the exception of the Lung Ching Green. I’ve tried making it a few times a few different ways (rinsing it first, putting it loose in the cup and straining it, infuser, double checking water temp) and it just doesn’t taste great. The Gunpowder green I got is really good so I’m thinking I might be brewing the Lung Ching wrong. Has anyone had it before that could give me an idea?
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Jun 2, 2021 05:04
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Cant Ride A Bus posted:I’ve finally had a chance to try all of the teas that I picked up a couple weeks ago, and they’re all really good with the exception of the Lung Ching Green. I’ve tried making it a few times a few different ways (rinsing it first, putting it loose in the cup and straining it, infuser, double checking water temp) and it just doesn’t taste great. The Gunpowder green I got is really good so I’m thinking I might be brewing the Lung Ching wrong. Has anyone had it before that could give me an idea? What temperature, weight ratio, and times are you using?
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Jun 2, 2021 06:24
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Jhet posted:What temperature, weight ratio, and times are you using? 1.5 tsp/8oz for about 3 minutes with 160 degree water
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Jun 2, 2021 14:06
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Cant Ride A Bus posted:1.5 tsp/8oz for about 3 minutes with 160 degree water For that I would cut that steep time down a ways. I find that with the longjing I get from teavivre it gets really grassy and off putting if I steep very long. But with a short steep I can come in around 175 for sub 30 seconds. You may find you need more tea, but I don't know the size of the leaves you have. I can't use a teaspoon to measure them, they don't fit on the spoon. I do know that I can take a good size pinch (so accurate), or I can use about 1g per oz of water I'm going to use. I like to go with 5g/5oz because that's the size of cup I like to use. Hopefully this gives you some ways to adjust and make good tasting tea to drink.
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Jun 2, 2021 15:55
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Jhet posted:For that I would cut that steep time down a ways. I find that with the longjing I get from teavivre it gets really grassy and off putting if I steep very long. But with a short steep I can come in around 175 for sub 30 seconds. You may find you need more tea, but I don't know the size of the leaves you have. I can't use a teaspoon to measure them, they don't fit on the spoon. I do know that I can take a good size pinch (so accurate), or I can use about 1g per oz of water I'm going to use. I like to go with 5g/5oz because that's the size of cup I like to use. Thanks! I’ll try a shorter steep. The teaspoon measurement wasn’t super accurate because like you said, It doesn’t really fit. I tried to measure and get a decent idea and just kinda take a decent pinch at this point. I’ll definitely give this a go though
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Jun 2, 2021 16:05
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Trip report: 2021 Wild Taiping Houkui is tasty. Also, both First Grade and Special Grade Dragon Well is pretty good. Got some knowledge about the five protected villages where Dragon Well is produced. Interesting details, but also no surprise that they're similar to other agricultural products that have protected source of origin. Apparently, Shi Feng is the place where you go to harvest tea for presidents and such.
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Jun 2, 2021 16:11
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YS has started begging for an additional tip during checkout all of a sudden. this is utterly ridiculous
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Jun 9, 2021 13:34
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I placed an order at Upton Tea, which shipped today - from Republic of Tea per FedEx. Did Upton get bought out or something?
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Jun 11, 2021 22:12
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effika posted:I placed an order at Upton Tea, which shipped today - from Republic of Tea per FedEx. Did Upton get bought out or something? Yeah, 4-5 years ago. I think they’re still a distinct entity and I have no idea how much screwing around with Upton is done by Republic of Tea.
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Jun 11, 2021 22:20
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Apparently they've recently merged their FedEx accounts, but so far I hadn't noticed anything different over the years. Huh.
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Jun 11, 2021 22:30
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Can the thread help me select a good tea pot from amazon?
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Jun 12, 2021 13:05
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Jon Joe posted:Can the thread help me select a good tea pot from amazon? What are you looking for? Size, material, style?
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Jun 12, 2021 13:20
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Quick answer: get yourself a 2 cup porcelain one with a sieve, never look back. It's good looking, inexpensive, durable and easy to clean. Also a good starting point to a lifetime of gradually purchasing every single teapot in existence, not that I'm speaking from experience.
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Jun 12, 2021 13:25
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Heath posted:What are you looking for? Size, material, style? yeah this is pretty individual and a general rec for a teapot isn't always going to work. That said, here's the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZSA84J/ I like glass teapots, and the spout on that one pours very well. It's pretty large though, so I would get smaller unless you're like me and mostly make tea to put in a giant mug/thermos and sip over the course of a day. Or multiple people in your household like tea I suppose.
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Jun 12, 2021 18:58
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effika posted:Apparently they've recently merged their FedEx accounts, but so far I hadn't noticed anything different over the years. Huh. Oh whoa, I had no idea that had happened. I just started ordering from them again recently and everything has been as nice as I remember it being 8+ years a go - maybe a bit better packaging now I think?
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Jun 12, 2021 23:25
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mediaphage posted:yeah this is my thought on it too, if you can't get yaupon, get a few kinds of mate. it's the same genus. I missed yaupon chat from like six weeks ago, but this thread moves slow and it’s on the previous page, so whatever. Yaupon is delicious and everyone should try it. Yerba mate and guayusa are good, but not as good as yaupon. Unfortunately, that the prices on yaupon reflect its status as a niche product. I seriously suggest harvesting some yourself if you’re in its native range. It’s a hardy landscape shrub, too, but sadly not popular as such outside of its native range. The only commercial brand I’ve had is Yaupon Bros. It was fine. The stuff I harvest myself is better, but I’m biased. Maybe someday someone will make an attempt to determine what the best cultivars are terroir are for quality yaupon, but today is not that day.
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Jun 22, 2021 20:54
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Hawkperson posted:yeah this is pretty individual and a general rec for a teapot isn't always going to work. That said, here's the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZSA84J/ I have this one and I like that it makes 3 cups and that I can use it on the stovetop. I use an infrared thermometer to tell how hot it is. However, the infuser basket can be a little small, preventing the tea leaves from opening all the way depending on what kind of tea you're making.
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Jun 30, 2021 20:57
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I've been sampling two new teas I picked up last weekend, my first milk oolong, from Wuyi in China, which is amazing and complex and will be one I want around forever. Today I tried out a new batch of Dragonwell. Whereas it is not as high a grade as what I bought when actually in Hangzhou, it is still legitimately tasty and refreshing on a summer day.
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Jul 11, 2021 01:33
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it's been ages since I last bought dark roast oolongs. what's a good source for those that ship to Norway? I seem to recall someone itt not being too impressed by Yunnan Sourcing's selections. (and to the norwegians: how does spill the tea's oolongs fare?)
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Jul 13, 2021 12:35
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ulvir posted:it's been ages since I last bought dark roast oolongs. what's a good source for those that ship to Norway? I seem to recall someone itt not being too impressed by Yunnan Sourcing's selections. (and to the norwegians: how does spill the tea's oolongs fare?) Never had anything from spill the tea :/ perhaps I should order some stuff and sample their selection... ville trær has some alright ones, but it seems to be stuff you can get from other stores (at half the price...). Decent but overpriced The last batch of oolongs I ordered were from nannuoshan. Only had a couple, but they were all decent, with fast delivery from Germany. Apart from that I've recently been happy with oolongs from hy chen, tillerman, taiwan sourcing and wuyiorigin.
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Jul 15, 2021 21:59
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What's a good budget-conscious online shop to order from? I'm in grad school and can't afford the really nice stuff. I'd gotten some stuff from Adagio, but I've been informed that the owner's problematic. Generally I like greens and whites in either pure or mixed form, and I adore a good genmai cha, but I'm also a sucker for a chai latte in the morning. Also, any tips on how to brew puerh without having it be incredibly bitter? I got some for christmas and I've tried it a couple times but it's always been extremely overpowering, even at significantly reduced steep times. It's nice stuff and I feel bad just letting it sit in the cupboard. Maybe I need to cut the balls in half? EDIT: Oh, should add that I did check locally. Unfortunately there's only one tea place around here and they are not exactly in my price range. Karia fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Jul 25, 2021 |
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Jul 25, 2021 21:11
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try lowering the water temperature a bit. instead of a full boil, brew it at 90°C. if you don’t have a kettle with temperature control, pour the water into another container and let it sit for a minute and then pour that into the teapot
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Jul 25, 2021 21:43
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Hrmm. I mostly order from Upton and I feel like their prices are ok, but they're definitely not big on whites and greens
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Jul 25, 2021 22:14
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Karia posted:What's a good budget-conscious online shop to order from? I'm in grad school and can't afford the really nice stuff. I'd gotten some stuff from Adagio, but I've been informed that the owner's problematic. Generally I like greens and whites in either pure or mixed form, and I adore a good genmai cha, but I'm also a sucker for a chai latte in the morning. teavivre.com is good for greens and whites, but the more rare stuff does get expensive. The good news is their cheaper options are still great daily drinking teas. They have some blends and fruit/flower options, but I've not tasted any of them. They should be fine. teasource.com is going to be good for blends and fruits and the occasional single green/white. They're also pretty well priced and I've tasted quite a few of those blends and have mostly enjoyed them. Upton is also good, but doesn't do much for greens/whites when I look at them. I feel like they're just a little more expensive though and have just tended to skip them. Not for any bad reason, just haven't gotten around to ordering from them. They'd be a good place to buy from if you see something you like. Puerh should be steeped for shorter than you're expecting and then steeped again 8-12 times at least. I start with water just off the boil and start with a 10 sec wash step (it gets tossed) and then usually start at about 15-20 seconds for the first steep. Some of the tuocha pucks are meant for a small pot and you just need to make a bigger cup. You could try to break it in half, but most of them are pressed so hard it won't work.
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Jul 26, 2021 00:48
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not even newer factory teas are immune to the immense levels of bullshit going on with pu-erh prices http://www.marshaln.com/2021/07/2019-2021-7542s/
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Aug 1, 2021 11:57
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quote:These 7542s are for people who have too much cash and nowhere to spend it. Seriously, $450 for a single thing? Am I reading this right? That's nonsense. That's the kind of price you pay for an artisanal tea set, not the tea itself. And if you're not even gonna drink it, what's the point?!
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Aug 10, 2021 19:27
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Just like the page says, it's an investment vehicle. They're harder to gamble with so not exactly analogous, but you can just file this next to bitcoin for your approximate understanding of why it will not change without complete societal collapse no matter how stupid it obviously is.
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Aug 10, 2021 19:48
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Skylight posted:Seriously, $450 for a single thing? Am I reading this right? That's nonsense. That's the kind of price you pay for an artisanal tea set, not the tea itself. And if you're not even gonna drink it, what's the point?! A place to hide money from your government of choice.
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Aug 10, 2021 20:42
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BrainParasite posted:A place to hide money from your government of choice. I like tea and watches. What does it say about me that my (consumption) hobbies have bribery and money laundering undertones?
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Aug 10, 2021 20:49
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 Yunomi.life order arrived today. Came wrapped in what I believe is a furoshiki this time? Really appreciated that. The houji genmaicha on the right remains my overall favorite, I've had and enjoyed the red-bordered echigo boucha in the middle left, so the other 3 are entirely new to me. Looking forward to them, especially that mocha houjicha in the back.
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Sep 2, 2021 02:49
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Hey guys, so a few months ago I posted about wanting to get a tea set and assorted teas for my MIL for her birthday. She'd stopped drinking wine for health reasons and missed it, so I figured I'd get her set up with some actual nice tea to help fill the void. I ended up getting a western style tea set (complete with matching sugar pot and creamer) and 2 oz each of six teas that I spent an inordinate amount of time placing in cute tins I bought and labeling. Also threw in a book on the history of tea that the tea store was selling for good measure. And plenty of paper tea bags. I ended up going heavy on the fruity/floral teas because I find them to be a good gateway to the finer stuff. And she's the type to add sweet flavored coffeemate poo poo to her coffee. The six teas I ended up getting were: - Jasmine green (everyone likes jasmine green!) - Bancha (I got a higher quality sencha for this slot but my husband vetoed it, concerned his mom might not like it for being too grassy - he thought the bancha I had on hand smelled a lot more agreeable) - Peach white tea (pai mu tan with some peachy goodness and other things in it - one of my own favorites) - Ice wine tea (this was a weird one - quality black tea laced with Ontario ice wine with added raisins and other dried fruits and stuff. It smelled pretty divine though, in a sweet dessert wine sort of way) - Blueberry herbal (super fruity, figured I'd add a no caffeine option for nighttime tea drinking) - Buckingham garden party (one of the shop's proprietary blends, basically Lady Grey on crack. Needed at least one tea to go with the sugar pot and creamer) My hope was that she'd at least enjoy the novelty of loose leaf tea and a teapot for a while before returning to Lipton teabags and hazelnut creamer coffee out of habit/convenience, but holy poo poo you guys, she LOVED it and got way more into it than I thought she would. Like, added tea making/drinking to her routine, started a journal chronicling her tea journey with all the teas I gave her, and she mostly stopped drinking coffee because why drink mediocre coffee when you have fine tea? Also she really liked the bancha and mentioned she'd enjoyed sencha during her travels to Asia and that she generally liked the more delicate Japanese greens over the Chinese and Taiwanese types. So she would have loved the sencha I'd picked out. Husband earned a glare. For the next batch of teas to give her (possibly as part of a Christmas present), I'm thinking oolong, a fancy white sans fruit, tulsi, and more Japanese greens. --- In other news, I was at the tea shop today and picked out a couple new high end rare teas to try: Tamaryokucha (new item at the shop, recommended by owner) and Sparrow's Tongue yellow tea. Also got more monkey-picked Hunan gold, which I found to be absolutely exquisite and oddly craving-inducing (so basically, worth the $12/oz).
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Sep 14, 2021 05:44
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