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So I just bought some really nice Sencha premier from Adagio. Before this, I've mostly stuck to cheaper chinese greens like Gunpowder and White Monkey. Out of the japanese greens I tried at the store, Sencha was my favorite (Gyokuro wasn't bad, didn't really like the Genmai Cha or Hojicha). Anyway before this I've really only been doing single infusions, but with how expensive Sencha is I'd like to get the most out of the leaves. What's a general guideline to follow for second or third steepings? My initial steep is the recommended 2 min at 170 F. And how long can I keep the leaves after the first steeping, does it start to go bad or lose flavor the longer I wait until the next steep?
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Dec 22, 2012 16:03
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That did the trick, the previous times I tried a second steep I did it for longer than 2 minutes thinking it'd need more time, but it always came out too bitter. 30 seconds gives it a surprisingly bright sweetness that's absent from the first cup!
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Dec 23, 2012 16:24
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Yeah, that second steeping is just fantastic. I don't think I could go back to cheaper chinese greens now after having had sencha every day for the past month... (getting 3-4 delicious infusions now by the way, thanks thread!)
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Jan 6, 2013 13:55
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That's the same with the rooibos I got from adagio as well, quite a bit got through the strainer. It's not bad but I was having trouble making a strong enough cup, guess I'll steep longer and just use more.
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Jan 14, 2013 15:11
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Anyone have a favorite sencha from O-Cha? Their list is a little, uh, daunting...
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Jan 22, 2013 19:25
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I was browsing the Adagio store in downtown Chicago to pick up my monthly batch of Sencha and thought I'd try some oolongs I haven't before. The guy working the counter brewed me a cup of his recommendation, Ali Shan, an oolong that's more on the green side. Good god does it taste amazing. Really smooth and naturally sweet, nothing like any oolong I've ever tried. Too bad it's on the pricier end, I bet multiple resteepings would really bring out different flavors as well.
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Apr 4, 2013 18:50
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That's quite a coincidence! I really like their retail locations, they'll let you sample or brew you a cup to go of anything they have on hand, and the people who work there are really helpful and love talking tea. I just ordered a batch from Norbutea and I'm excited to get it.
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Apr 5, 2013 14:49
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Adagio recommends 195 for Silver Needle as well, and that just didn't sound right.
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Apr 6, 2013 04:08
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Archer2338 posted:Is there a nice infuser-pot combo that's preferably not too fragile? Unless it gives better results, I prefer not to deal with the dripping tea balls or whatever they're called when I brew on my desk or something. Can't go wrong with the Ingenuitea!
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Apr 10, 2013 01:54
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Got my Ali Shan in the mail yesterday, what's a general guide for steeping Oolongs? I've heard that you're supposed to wash the leaves out first and discard the water, then do the first steep from there, so start at 2 min and increase time per steep? And does anyone brew gongfu style at home? I've had it once in a teahouse in Portland and it was a wonderful way to enjoy tea with friends, but it seems like far too much effort to enjoy tea every day. I just want a big cup to sip while it pours rain endlessly outside.
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Apr 11, 2013 14:56
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Oh wow, apparently I missed those helpful posts on the first page. Will look into getting gaiwan, that looks pretty nifty. Thanks!
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Apr 11, 2013 17:13
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If you like flavored teas and are looking to get into loose leaf teas, see if you can find some jasmine phoenix pearls, it's wonderfully fragrant and light and sweet for a green tea. Most chinese grocery stores around here at least have them readily available.
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Apr 14, 2013 15:50
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Just got a yixing teapot and wow this is a much, much better way to brew oolongs. It's so nice to be able to keep refilling your cup with tea, and the flavor changes slightly on each one! Y'all should recommend me your favorite oolongs, I have Ali Shan winter harvest and Dancong Aria right now. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 20:13 on May 8, 2013 |
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May 8, 2013 19:54
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I don't really see the harm in letting the leaves cool down in between infusions. Reuse that sencha! The second infusion is usually the best, just make sure you lower the time to around 30 seconds. I usually just eyeball how much tea I use. Densely packed teas and pearls are easier to measure, a full tsp, and looser teas like chinese greens and whites you want to use more of. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 03:59 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 03:56
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For some reason senchas benefit from a shorter second infusion. I usually do 1:30, 30s, 1m, 1:30. You could also experiment with using hotter water as you go on.
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May 17, 2013 04:34
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Adagio's got the Utilitea. Variable temp control, though it doesn't have exact numbers there's ranges from green and below to boiling. Only caveat is it's pretty small, you can only heat a little less than 4 cups of water.
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Jun 2, 2013 04:18
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I've had my eye on this kettle as well. http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Vari...ywords=bonavita There's a few concerns about the build quality though from the reviews, in particular the welding of the spout to the base. What are y'all enjoying lately? I just picked up some Dragonwell from Adagio, first time I've had it, and I love the buttery taste and slightly toasty aroma. I've kinda moved away from senchas as I've really enjoyed using my gaiwan. Recently finished my batch of Dancong oolong, so I ordered Four Seasons and Wu Ling oolong from teafromtaiwan.com I'm excited to get!
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Jun 2, 2013 16:57
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I don't think there's any tea pot you want to expose directly to a heating element? That's what kettles are for...
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Jul 11, 2013 23:35
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hayden. posted:I'm sort of new to loose leaf tea and want caffeine-free (or low caffeine, like green) recommendations. It sounds like you just don't like the flavored blends, so how about trying some more greens? There's actually many variations of sencha and you have a lot more choice if you order direct from a japanese supplier like o-cha. You might want to give gyokuro a try, a green tea similar to sencha but cultivated a little differently and is usually pricier. Japanese greens also benefit from being brewed at slightly lower temps than chinese greens, usually around 160-170F, and you want to do about a minute long initial steep, then reduce the time to 30 secs on the second, and add 15-30 secs on successive steeps. They might be a bit higher in caffeine than greens, but oolongs, especially those on the greener side of the spectrum can have really surprisingly sweet and citrusy notes without being infused with orange bits or whatever. I'm a big fan of Ali Shan varieties, Four Season is my daily drink nowadays, it's fairly low on the price point compared to other ali shans and still has a wonderful taste, and can be steeped many times in succession.
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Aug 1, 2013 11:59
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Yeah, loose leaf tea you can steep multiple times, usually the higher the grade the more you can get out of it. The first steeping tends to give off the strongest aroma, the second has the strongest flavor, and you can keep steeping until it starts to taste weak. Generally you want to increase the steep times as you go on, and you get more leeway with the water temperature as well, you can experiment with hotter temps. Gongfu style brewing in particular, where you use a lot of leaves with a lesser amount of water with very short steep times (you start anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds), results in up to 8 or 10 resteepings of the same batch of tea. (I've heard that Tieguanyin can go up to 15 or more) hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 16:01 on Aug 1, 2013 |
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Aug 1, 2013 15:58
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In the river north/near north neighborhoods close to downtown there's Adagio's retail store and TeaGschwendner. Chinatown, I think the go-to place is Ten Ren, never been there myself. If for some reason you're up north near Evanston, there's a really fantastic traditional tea shop, Dream About Tea, they've got a pretty nice collection of yixing and gaiwan sets there, only place I've seen around here who sells them. I really recommend visiting Adagio's store. Their selection isn't as wide as the online catalogue but the people who work there are very friendly and love to chat all day about tea, and they'll brew you a sample of whatever they have on stock until you're sure you know what to take back with you. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 18:48 on Aug 2, 2013 |
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Aug 2, 2013 18:43
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I can never get more than one or two infusions of white teas, but I haven't had them very much.
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Aug 4, 2013 18:14
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Hummingbirds posted:There's a great tea-centric place near me, it's called Kaleisia Tea Lounge. It serves a few different (~10-15) mainly vegan food items and might possibly serve coffee but I've never seen anyone order it. But their foremost focus is tea and they do great business and the tea is really really good, and you can purchase leaves as well as cups/pots of tea. I'm right next to the university though so that's likely why it does so well. That's really similar to a place here in Chicago called Looseleaf Lounge. I think vegan food items and specialty teas just go really well together. Most of their teas are organic or fair trade as well, and I've never had a cup of tea there that was brewed incorrectly at the wrong temperature or too long.
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Aug 25, 2013 21:46
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Havin me a cup of Tieguanyin for the first time (traditional I think, the darker kind). This is... definitely some tea. Gongfu brings out a lot more complexities than the sample I had at the adagio store. I am very impressed, I wasn't expecting it to be so sweet to start off with. The darker roast is definitely there, but not right in front of you like the first couple of infusions of a Dancong. 10 infusions in and still going strong! hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Oct 5, 2013 |
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Oct 5, 2013 20:16
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Help, my Twilight TGY from Adagio is almost out and they're out of stock online and in store. What are some good vendors for both iron goddess and the greener TGYs? My go-to vendor for Alishan has a 2009 fall roast of TGY, and I don't know anything about aged oolongs. Edit: currently looking at Silk Road and Verdant Teas. Verdant's price point seems to be about twice as expensive as comparable ones with Silk Road, is that because it's a higher grade or something? :/ hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Oct 30, 2013 |
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Oct 30, 2013 23:05
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Ah thanks, I forgot about Upton! That Teamaster blog is intriguing, but yeah shipping and not having a direct store kinda puts a damper on that.
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Oct 31, 2013 04:11
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Mostly a combination of those really! I'd like to kind of find a baseline TGY that's decently affordable for everyday drinking, and try smaller quantities of the higher grade stuff. I've just really fallen in love with the amount I got from Adagio, more so than any other tea I've had to date. I think I'm gonna try Silk Road and Upton. There's something that bugs me about the way about Verdant to be honest. The way the information is presented is kind of pretentious and seems to romanticize the experience of drinking tea. I mean, it's more like what I'd expect from someone writing about their tastings in a tea blog rather than from a vendor. It seems there was a little controversy over their pu-er offerings also from a thread I found on teachat.
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Oct 31, 2013 20:08
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Wow, 10 oz, that's pretty dang big for a yixing isn't it? And speaking of puerh, what's a good way to get into it without breaking the bank?
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Nov 19, 2013 20:23
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adventure in the sandbox posted:My partner would like an automatic tea or boiling water system, like a coffee pot on a timer. Is there such a device? Even a fancy kettle that will have boiling water ready at 0530 would be great. There's the Breville One-Touch. From the web site: quote:Tea Basket Cycle auto lowers & lifts tea to brew It's one pricey thing though.
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Nov 20, 2013 18:23
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Arcsech posted:For just water, I have this one that will let you set an auto-on time and will keep it at that temperature for an hour or until you turn it off, so I just set mine to about 15 minutes before I want to be able to use it to make sure it's done by then. The interface isn't exactly intuitive but if you take the time to read the manual it's pretty straightforward. Hey cool, I think I'll pick one of these up! Been using adagio's basic variable temp kettle but the control's kind of finnicky and lately I've taken to watching how big the bubbles are when boiling to get the right temp. Which I could just be doing on a regular kettle.
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Nov 20, 2013 18:30
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Some pretty nice black friday sales from teavivre! Think I'm gonna pick up their Dong Ding, Da Hong Pao and maybe the tuocha and try out a puerh for the first time. http://www.teavivre.com/black-friday-sales-2013 Anyone spot other Black Friday dealies? Adagio seems kind of lame, just free shipping till the 2nd. Verdant seems to just be "unveiling" new teas or something. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Nov 27, 2013 |
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Nov 27, 2013 19:45
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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.
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Dec 2, 2013 01:08
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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.
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Dec 4, 2013 01:38
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I got some puerh mini tuocha samples from Teavivre in the mail today and brewed one of them up. Are the leaves supposed to be this small and broken up? It pretty much disintegrated after a rinse. The tea comes out a very, very dark brown color and is like a kick in the face. Leather and earthy notes.
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Dec 11, 2013 22:40
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Store-wide 20% off at Taiwan Tea Crafts also. I'm stocking up on their Dong Ding and Lishan.
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Dec 27, 2013 01:28
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Entenzahn posted:Can somebody give me an opinion on the Morphy Richards Tea Maker? I've always wanted to get into the arcane subject of brewing tea so it was a nice surprise when I got this for Christmas but now I'm not so sure if I shouldn't return it and get a see-through water cooker and a teapot instead. My main concern is that it only works at three different temperatures - 85°, 95° and 100°. I have next to no idea about tea but from what I know that's already too high for some (white, yellow, green). However, I've heard people claim that the steeping process somehow makes it work? No idea. Japanese greens like Sencha really should be lower, 160-170 F and initial steep should be under 2 minutes. A lot of the grassy sweetness comes out with lower temps.
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Jan 11, 2014 16:54
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Heads up, Norbutea has 25% the entire order until January 31st. Mostly an oolong and black tea vendor with a few whites and puerhs. I regularly get their Ali Shan and Mi Lan Dancong from them. Check out amazon for some $10 digital pocket scales, they're great for measuring a baseline for gongfu brewing.
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Jan 20, 2014 17:40
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Grrl Anachronism posted:Anyone have recommendations for a floral-based tea? (stuff like lavender, corn flowers, rose petals, hibiscus, chamomile, etc). Right now I'm drinking David's Tea's Jessie's Tea, which has lavender and coconut, and I really want to try the Rooibos de Provence next, which has rose petals, lavender and rosehips. Are you interested just in herbals, blends, or tea in general? Cause a good high mountain oolong is a very floral tea without any herbal infusions, the flavor mainly being affected by the temperature changes in high elevations. It's not as in-your-face as a typical davidstea blend will be, but the qualities are gradually revelead through multiple infusions.
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Jan 22, 2014 16:34
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That one is pretty great if you're okay with not having exact temp readings. It heats super fast and is a pretty good all around design. I've switched to this one though. http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beac...on+beach+kettle
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Feb 17, 2014 03:18
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Totess posted:I have a question about brewing. Some of my teas have specific temperatures on them that they need to be brewed at for a specific amount of time. However, I usually just put the kettle on and boil it until it turns itself off, because literally gently caress trying to use a thermometer for that. Does it really make that much of a difference? Also, is David's Tea better than Teavana tea? Thanks to anyone who might answer <3 Greens and whites are really sensitive to temperature, usually using hotter water than recommended will bring out really bitter flavors (which is why a lot of people don't like green tea, because they've only used boiling water). Japanese greens especially, gyokuro you don't want to use anything hotter than 140 F.
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Feb 21, 2014 02:19
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