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Has anyone played with the Korean traditional teas? From what I have seen they are ridiculously expensive even in Seoul. $25 for 15g?
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Dec 17, 2011 12:59
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:35 |
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This is a thing that is technically not tea and I cross posted because we don't have a dedicated fermentation thread. I was looking around for a fermentation thread and was directed here as one of the closest things. I'm in Korea and trying to make the various Korean fermented fruit teas and I'm using fruits that aren't traditionally used like cherries and prickly pears. I'm running into the same problem as I do with most Korean cooking in that most of the recipes aren't written down yet and are handed down verbally or in family notes. Finding information in Korean is difficult and in English is nearly impossible. I'm hoping someone else has some experience or with something similar. The basic idea is to use ambient yeast and bacteria in the air or on the fruit to ferment it. For making japanese apricot tea you layer the unripe apricots (maesil in Korean and ume in Japanese) with sugar, you close the lead of your clean container and put it in a cool dark place for 100 days. The sugar pulls the liquid out of the fruit and bacteria and yeast eat the sugar and make it a little bit sour. It's not a strong fermentation usually, nothing like kimchi. It seems a way of making a syrup that will keep for a very long time and have some slight health benefits. The problem is I have no idea what bacteria is in it and apparently nobody has ever thought to ask. My biggest problem now is that I'm using some wet fruits and it's summer. My cherry fermented tea is almost violently fermenting, I have a hankerchief over it and then closed the lid so a little bit of air gets in and out but no bugs. I closed the lid all the way for a few hours and when i opened it all the gas released and then when i stirred it it bubbled over. It doesn't smell rotten so I'm saying it's fine, but my friend's mother said I should keep it there for 40 days, but she's never made it, it's just a guess. Anyone have any suggestions, I was a former bio major and I've been fermenting things for a long time, but I'm still sort of flying blind. Maybe if someone knows of a type of fermented product similar that is made in another part of the world.
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Jul 15, 2013 18:41
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Yeah I don't understand how the fermented fruit tea works, I mean I sort of do but I assumed there would have to be a starter, but kimchi works that way too so...
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Jul 16, 2013 14:28
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I've done steeped some of my nicer darjeeling upwards of 5-7 tomes before I got tired of it. My Boseong Korean green I get a out 2 maybe 3 out of. My generic cheap puer I got from a shop in Guangzhou gets me about 3 or 4. That's one of the great benefits of loose leaf tea. I usually do that for southern sweet tea too, but a lot less sugar because I'm not killing the leaves with boiling water. I'm having a hard time replicating Taiwanese and Japanese bottled unsweetened iced tea. I have no idea how to even start. Maybe a cold brew?
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Aug 1, 2013 17:33
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Pyromancer posted:From my experience just cherry and sugar ferments into a cordial/liquor when sealed from air(probably to vinegar if aerated), it's yeast fermentation not lactic and didn't need a starter. Fermentation stops by itself in about a month when alcohol content gets high enough. Hope you removed cherry pits, because you don't want cyanide in them to end in your product Didn't your jars develop really high pressure. Mine felt like the cap was going to burst.
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Aug 1, 2013 19:55
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Cherry cordial made that way tastes great, doesn't spoil when stored at room temperature, but have to be careful drinking it since it's a fair bit stronger than you'd expect from taste.
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I have some blackberry and mulberry ones coming up soon and I hope that my airlocks from the brew supply store come. That might work, I think. I don't know. I wish the whole process was documented and analyzed instead of just being something great grandma said once and nobody thinking about it any more than that. What do you guys think of cascara? I've been playing with it for a few years and it's always hard to find, but I do kind of like it, it's just annoying to get a hold of. The only place I've found it in Far East Asia has been Hong Kong.
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Aug 2, 2013 10:17
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The buckwheat, roasted corn or barley,and corn silk as well as any number of leaves not from a tea plant like persimmon, mulberry, and hydrangea leaf are all common in Korea.
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Aug 11, 2013 11:59
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Archer2338 posted:I was gonna ask if buckwheat/barley tea was something rare after reading Zelmel's post, considering I'm drinking a cold-brewed version of it right now You could just old school it and make it loose ... grain. Doing it in bags is the modern Korean way to.do it. And like most modern Korean cooking is awful.
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Aug 12, 2013 15:29
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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.
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Sep 24, 2013 06:05
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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.
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Oct 17, 2013 07:05
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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. What temp are you using for mate?
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Oct 24, 2013 02:19
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detectivemonkey posted:I typically use around 150. Is that too high/low? Every Argentinian I've met uses boiling and then whatever the temp is in the thermos throughout the day. I usually do 200 or 190, but that's because of what i have access to at work.
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Oct 24, 2013 07:17
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And moths. Those accursed moths!  Never being tea from a shop that handles traditional Chinese medicine again.
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Oct 28, 2013 07:10
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I use my infuser throughout the day at work. Teas set in there and are rebrewed on the hour before lunch and then once after lunch.
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Nov 2, 2013 05:07
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Where do you guys go to for everyday drinking teas. I see a lot of "it's pricey but good for something special". Maybe I'm a bit spoiled from when i got stuff wholesale.
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Jun 2, 2014 03:40
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Back in my poor college days I'd get Mountain Rose Herbs or San Francisco Herb Company. How do you guys brew iced tea? I love the cold bottled green teas i get in japan, taiwan, and hong kong but have no idea how to get that flavor.
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Jun 2, 2014 06:07
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hope and vaseline posted:http://verdanttea.com/how-to-make-iced-tea/ It's pretty much put tea in a pitcher, pour water, steep in your fridge overnight. Really easy and brings out a naturally sweet infusion and never any bitterness. Much better than the southern method. Boil lipton black tea until bitter add hell then add syrup until it tastes good. Still had a soft spot with me, but soo unhealthy. I'll give the cold brew method a shot.
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Jun 2, 2014 13:35
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I'm in Seoul, Korea so tea is crazy expensive. I do have a bunch of bulk tea from Vietnam and Taiwan when I go on vacation. I always feel like I use too many leaves to get sufficient taste when cold brewing. Made a rooibos iced tea the other day, but apparently rooibos that's 2 years and 5 years old in a ziploc takes on flavors. Wasn't very good.
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Jun 2, 2014 16:58
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SwissArmyDruid posted:Yeah, but bitter is refreshing. I still do it the southern method, but I'll leave it just a touch bitter, instead of making fully sweet tea. For Southern style sweet tea I just brew a decent indian black tea three times properly and add syrup to taste. I use about a 1/4 the sugar as my mother that puts the bags in water in the microwave for 15 minutes.
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Jun 2, 2014 19:22
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Yeah my fancifying of the tea is a hot topic sometimes.
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Jun 3, 2014 00:25
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Archer2338 posted:Have you tried getting the cheap green teabags from your supermarket and just shoving a few of the large bags in a 1.5L bottle (I like the samdasoo bottles) to make iced green tea? I mean, I'd love to use real loose-leaf, but as you said, it's real expensive here and I tend to use my loose leafs for hot tea. Oh yeah barely tea and corn silk tea is delicious, but when i want Tea tea... Which green tea bags the 현미녹차? 95% brown rice and 5% green tea fannings. Tesco does have some descent tea for that. In Insadong they occasionally have Korean green tea a bit larger than CTC for $5 for 100g which is way better than the $20 for 20g.
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Jun 3, 2014 16:59
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I actually really enjoy some of the teas from San Francisco herb company. Especially at $8 a pound for O.P. Indian teas. Their Rooibos and Honeybush is sometimes amazing.
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Jun 4, 2014 18:15
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What about the delicious iced teas with no sugar or any sweetener added?
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Jun 8, 2014 04:08
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taters posted:There is a Chinese restaurant that serves a Iced Tea version of a Wuyi Yancha Oolong. It was different. Here in Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan there is cold unsweetened green, black, oolong, puerh, and jasmine tea in bottles at convenience stores that is one of my favorite drinks. Nothing like downing a liter of iced green tea on a hot day.
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Jun 8, 2014 07:51
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Archer2338 posted:Well yeah that's more barley tea than green. I remember seeing 보성녹차(the part of Korea that is known for its green tea) in similar packaging but I have yet to try it. Give the tea section of your supermarket a look? Most of the mass market green tea is dustings and fannings stored in a hot warehouse. Ordering online or at 경동시장 has always been my best bet aside from sales at insadong.
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Jun 8, 2014 17:13
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caberham posted:That's gross man. As the far east Asia food goon master, this is sacrilege to your title. Look on the labels. There are ones with no sugar or other sweeteners. A lot of them actually. Also yeah probably a bit of an inside joke.
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Jun 9, 2014 09:28
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hope and vaseline posted:Batch #2 teavivre samples is up and in stock, who knows how long it'll last. http://www.teavivre.com/special-anniv-sampler-pack/ Thanks I managed to get in this time and was worried it would sell out so I just got the sampler. $3.90 shipping to Korea, though it will probably arrive when I am actually in Yunnan on vacation.
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Jul 16, 2014 15:08
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Upton teas... They are best for the Indian teas? Teavivre may be my new source for great Chinese stuff. Problem with actual getting them at tea shops here in Asia is they are
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Jul 18, 2014 03:58
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Jhet posted:Yeah, I got another free sample with my order of under 30$. It looks like if I'd ordered more than 30 there would have been even yet another sample added. I'm excited to try another source for my tea making pleasures. I feel a little like I'm cheating on my usual supplier, but maybe I'm just not a one tea shop sort of guy? It's 2014 a man can have as many tea shops as he can manage. We've earned this. So to get that sampler I just add another one manually? Or should they be giving me options? Think they'll have a non puerh $1 sampler? Already got that one.
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Jul 18, 2014 15:31
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gamingCaffeinator posted:I know someone in the thread had mentioned trying it, but can anyone tell me anything about coffee cherry tea? My boss is obsessed with weird coffee stuff and I thought it'd be cool to get her some to try. It's the dried fruit of the coffee tree. Brewed like a tisane, can be quite jammy and fruity. Sometimes like a black tea. Has caffeine, but isn't too popular so it's not necessarily cheap. Counter culture sometimes sells it.
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Jul 18, 2014 17:23
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gamingCaffeinator posted:Is it more along the fruity side of the spectrum, or more like black tea? I'm curious to try it myself. Fruitier, but dried fruit. A little red winey and black tea like. It can be a little tannic i think.
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Jul 21, 2014 04:04
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Thank you Nexus 4 for being fast enough to get a free gift card on TeaVivre.
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Jul 29, 2014 10:07
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Teavivre green and white sale yesterday i bought over $100 of tea. I saw it and was like $9 for 100g? Well hell a cup of bag tea at a coffee shop is $7, I'd be a full not to get this... And this... And this... And  that's a big total. By the end of this sale I'll probably have spent between 200 and 300 on tea.And i already have a huge back log of my stuff from Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
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Aug 1, 2014 02:39
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Yeah, there goes another $100+  got to do my drinking at home now to make up for this nonsense. Please send an intervention.E: I am limiting myself to just 2014 teas unless it's something I really want.
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Aug 2, 2014 20:25
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Maybe you can use the white or red tea pot. It's your choice. Living over here I just kind of gloss over that stuff. I drink about 4 mugs of oolong or green a day so I don't feel too bad about my spending.
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Aug 3, 2014 08:16
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Niemat posted:What teaspoons do you guys normally use for measuring out your tea? I had a couple of the Teavana measuring spoons that have slowly disappeared on me, so I'm in the market for new ones! I liked the Teavana ones enough--I'm just feeling like a change. A scale?
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Aug 6, 2014 17:09
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I put matcha in my tofu yogurt smoothies all the time, it's pretty great. I bought over a kg of tea in Chengdu today for about $22. I passed on the yellow tea because it was $50 for 100g. drat yellow tea, i want to own some but not for that much. So now with the teavivre sale and my stuff from Hong Kong and Vietnam I probably have about 5kg of tea. Help. Me.
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Aug 22, 2014 17:25
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So my tea from teavivre came in.  I also got a few kg in Chengdu. Still haven't unpacked from that trip. DontAskKant fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Aug 29, 2014 |
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Aug 29, 2014 02:17
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Teavivre had such cheap sales and there were so many things I wanted to try. Also it was tough to say no when 100g of tea at a wholesale market in Chengdu is cheaper than anything I can get in Korea. The story of hey this is cheaper than a drink at a coffee shop, is a dangerous one to tell. You should see the hops I got too.
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Aug 29, 2014 04:09
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:35 |
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 BIG TEA SALEFacebook suggested pages actually paid off. Has anyone used Teabox? They are having a sale right now (20-50% off) ends 9/19 so you have a day or two. They are an internet friendly tea company based in India. Kind of like Teavivre. They actually have pretty great prices for the quality grades and variety (certainly better than where I am now in Korea) and the shipping is cheap or free. This is Indian tea so it's mostly black and oolong and chai, but there are some uncommon green and white teas. Wish I had gotten this from someone first, but here's a $25 referral code you can use for the sale. http://fbuy.me/bg3Xs You may remember me posting about my 6kg of tea I have so I'm trying to hold off and hope I can drink vicariously through you guys. I might get the chai sampler so I can be a little more inspired for my winter blending.
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Sep 18, 2014 09:10
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