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did you have a mug of mugicha 
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Apr 15, 2021 15:32
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ShallNoiseUpon posted:did you have a mug of mugicha Just a glAss |
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Apr 15, 2021 15:34
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time for tea!
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything   Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 15, 2021 19:04
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Bilirubin posted:time for tea! what are you brewing up? |
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Apr 15, 2021 19:05
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ShallNoiseUpon posted:what are you brewing up? basic Chinese black. Yesterday was green. I still have not upgraded my game to oolong (other than the infused box I have) or puehr
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 15, 2021 19:07
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I really prefer this black to the green from yesterday. Its a mellower yet deeper flavor
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 15, 2021 20:06
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ok started to do a little shopping to get some upgraded teas and was rapidly overwhelmed by choice. https://mrmaxeystea.com/product-category/area-china/ I have no idea where to even start
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 15, 2021 20:17
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Start at the tops nd work yourself way down until you develop opinions. |
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Apr 16, 2021 00:50
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That's a 100 per cento serious sugg b t dubs |
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Apr 16, 2021 01:02
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I only had time for matcha this morning but I had it, and it was good. |
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Apr 16, 2021 01:03
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aldantefax posted:That's a 100 per cento serious sugg b t dubs It certainly seems like a way to be thorough!
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 16, 2021 01:37
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I'm drinking some sort of honeybush mixed with assam and I don't hate it but I'm still considering donating the remainder of the pot to the ficus. |
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Apr 16, 2021 01:50
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I think I maybe just want a stout Russian caravan with oatmilk, go simple or go home. |
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Apr 16, 2021 01:50
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I suspect by the time you start trying the lapsangs you will figure out if you like more or less powerful flavors. Do keep in mind that all of those teas will change their flavor profile and dimension over multiple short steeps. Try both brewing traditional way or with short fast steeps to see which you like butter, just use two cups so you can empty one to the other. When you first begin to brew tea and try to increase your skill in it, consider it like listening to a symphony, and if you let the leaves brew all at once it gets all muddled up. So, you should taste the leaves like enjoying each movement of a symphony, and then you will begin to develop more experience and a palate that is more refined. Black tea from China is very commonplace and is also pretty tasty and more mellow than the leaf varieties from India and Sri Lanka. Darjeeling in fact comes from Chinese variety tea strain which is why if you look at the leaves they will be similar to the ones you see on that site. Experiment with what you like the best, milk or otherwise. If there is something that is too powerful for you, add a small amount of milk but don't overdo it, then taste again. Alternately, add more water and blend the rounds of steeping. This will temper the flavor and give you more drinkable tea when it might be too strong otherwise. |
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Apr 16, 2021 01:54
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do asian tea cultures usually use milk or no? Maybe lactose intolerance is more common than in people of European descent? Seems like chai usually involves milk but india seems to have much more of a dairy culture than china or japan. Maybe the british learned to drink tea from people in India and so they stuck with milk? Is there a good book on the history of tea/the tea trade? Like Mark Kurlansky does tea or somethin?
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Apr 16, 2021 03:18
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A lot of Asia is lactose intolerant but not all. Tibetan tea usually uses milk and butter, but lots of Asia will use milk for blended drinks or for milk tea, first popularized in Taiwan and SEA region. Usually the milk that is used for those drinks is a soymilk or some such. Brits originally got their tea from China historically but then decided to go do some poo poo in India and that's how you got the East India Company and tea and the like. The biodiversity and what was available in those regions ended up influencing what the traditional method of taking tea was. Look at "For All the Tea in China" for a historic overview of tea and the tea trade. It has a larger impact on global trade and stuff than you think and reaches all across the globe! |
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Apr 16, 2021 03:25
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I drink a lot of Japanese greens and they usually don't add anything to theirs at all (which is generally how I drink it too) For Chinese greens I do like to get some Chinese blackberry leaf and chew up a bit of it between sips. It's related to the stevia plant and has a similar sort of sweetness that can really add some zing to a Dragonwell. I only know one place that carries it here and it's two hours away from me 
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Apr 16, 2021 03:29
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aldantefax posted:I suspect by the time you start trying the lapsangs you will figure out if you like more or less powerful flavors. Do keep in mind that all of those teas will change their flavor profile and dimension over multiple short steeps. Try both brewing traditional way or with short fast steeps to see which you like butter, just use two cups so you can empty one to the other. Thanks for this , its awesome! I normally use oat milk not soy when I have to. I plan to start my tour of tea through China, but its interesting my attraction to Darjeeling is tied back there. Definitely seems my taste profile (at least for now).
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 16, 2021 05:40
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If you want to get fiddly with it then try to keep notes as you begin to drink through the various things. Most of the specialty varietals in Chinese tea come from a common ancestry or regional taste profile and so as you start noticing more about tea just writing what you feel and taste when drinking the it, aroma, etc. you will start developing critical technique for tasting if that's your thing. Otherwise, if you just wanna chill after you find a tea that you like, then you can absolutely just drink that tea forever and nobody will fault you for it. Tea is a universal thing that can be as deep as you want it to be! |
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Apr 16, 2021 05:51
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aldantefax posted:If you want to get fiddly with it then try to keep notes as you begin to drink through the various things. Most of the specialty varietals in Chinese tea come from a common ancestry or regional taste profile and so as you start noticing more about tea just writing what you feel and taste when drinking the it, aroma, etc. you will start developing critical technique for tasting if that's your thing. Otherwise, if you just wanna chill after you find a tea that you like, then you can absolutely just drink that tea forever and nobody will fault you for it. Tea is a universal thing that can be as deep as you want it to be! Sounds likewine to be honest, Ijust have like a 10 year head start with the spoiled grape juice so start small and work up, and keep an open mind and experimental spirit
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 16, 2021 06:02
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Bilirubin posted:Sounds likewine to be honest, Ijust have like a 10 year head start with the spoiled grape juice so start small and work up, and keep an open mind and experimental spirit oh yeah you will be fine then. using wine vocabulary to describe tea stuff is actually fairly common and a lot of the main words that western language might use, including calling tasting sets flights, sommelier certifications, terroir, etc. all more or less carry the same connotations, though a "certified tea sommelier" may be a bit silly. if you know it. you know it. simple as that |
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Apr 16, 2021 06:40
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aldantefax posted:oh yeah you will be fine then. using wine vocabulary to describe tea stuff is actually fairly common and a lot of the main words that western language might use, including calling tasting sets flights, sommelier certifications, terroir, etc. all more or less carry the same connotations, though a "certified tea sommelier" may be a bit silly. if you know it. you know it. simple as that Awesome, thanks! One thing I am looking forward to is learning more about China. Heck, I already have learned some history and geography! I had a wonderful time when I visited and wish I had gone on the cultural tour that our hosts had scheduled, but I had a deadline that had to be kept (and it turns out the bus's AC died while it was over like 45C in the shade, so I actually dodged a bullet. South China in August is a tad on the warm side). Hope to go again soon.
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 16, 2021 18:50
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China, in general, has a lot of everything and like most every country has a lot of everything in terms of culture, sub-regional culture, history, and so on. There's a lot of stuff out there to take a look at and explore! Tea, of course, is one such way, and tugging on that thread will lead you along an interesting cultural history. |
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Apr 16, 2021 19:12
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I bring tea tidings from an impromptu jaunt to the teahouse today, which, predictably, took about 6 hours to complete. They have set up a front of house communal table where someone does service but anybody can sit and drink whatever's being brewed for a modest sum. I took over brewing shu puerh duties from the owner as he had stuff to do at the table in short order, and afterwards, took tea with the other owner, and friends of the teahouse who had not visited in some time. There was a lady who showed up and then left quickly to go chase a bird around the block and yell at her friends over the phone who had no idea about any internet things, as well as a well-seasoned couple who were very used to taking tea. We had three teas together, the first of which was old tree shu puerh that is made in very low quantity and thus very difficult to acquire. Using one of the teapots of the house that was dedicated to it, we had quite the good time. The second and third teas were a Wuyi "Horse Meat" oolong and a Phoenix "Water Immortal" (Shui Xian) oolong, which I learned how to pronounce "dan cong" properly (in Mandarin, cong is pronounced closer to tsong, but not quite, apparently). Finally, after all these years! It always plagued me to not know. I used my own tea pot to provide service, and we all marveled at how well it pours. I've had that teapot for well over eight years at this point, since I bought it around the 2009-2012 era, so as they say, it's seen some poo poo and has been dedicated to oolongs since I first acquired it. I'll have to remember to take a picture later. More people came and joined as they waited for company, some even decided to become members of the place on the spot! The lady who went off to chase a bird arrived again and enjoyed tea before taking off again. New tea friends also arrived and we got the customary introduction and masterclass from the owners as they took over serving duties. We had a "Lychee" Yellow tea, which does indeed live up to its name, it's quite a special thing that requires some special brewing technique to avoid over and understeeping it. Like Phoenix oolongs, it requires careful preparation, and so the owner of the place was more than happy to take over duties. The last tea we had (and I was quite impressed that my guest, an internet friend who also lived nearby) stuck through til the very end, Red Guan Yin. Tie Guan Yin is usually prepared as an oolong, but this specific roast was taken all the way into "red" territory, what most in the West would call black tea. One of the favorites of the owners, we drank all the way through closing and then packed everything up. I also got a membership shirt and TWO selfies taken of me (but not by me)! All in all, a good day, and I didn't even miss anything at work! I also had freshly picked mulberries. Nobody else wanted to eat them, so I demolished the whole tiny bowl. Would mulberry again. |
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Apr 17, 2021 02:21
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Thank you for sharing that sounds extremely chill!
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Apr 17, 2021 04:07
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Great advice above, or course. I will just add that dairy is a relatively new thing here in Taiwan, but milk tea (bubble tea) is really, really popular. It's made with cow's milk and loads of sugar. That stuff is made with poo poo tea leaves and has no connection to tradition. I'm not anti-milk because I think everyone should do whatever they want with their tea leaves. But I just want to be clear that adding anything to your tea is not the norm for "real" Chinese tea culture. Milk tea here is more akin to coca cola. |
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Apr 17, 2021 06:23
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I could hella go for milk tea. |
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Apr 17, 2021 06:48
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I don't really do refined sugar these days but my go-to at those tea shops is green tea, milk and coconut chunks. |
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Apr 17, 2021 06:56
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I'm also on restricted refined sugars and also not currently taking in any calorie drinks, so unsweetened fancy tea and coffee with no milk or other additives are my go-tos. Also, the one-eyed tiny dog at the tea house now knows me well enough to the point she will come to stand by me and then wait patiently to be picked up. She also made friends with my guest who was very unfamiliar and quite afraid of dogs, even a tiny one eyed chihuahua that wants to be held! Dogs are treasures of the universe. |
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Apr 17, 2021 07:03
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i'm in the united states and never see people add milk to tea, i've always thought of it as a completely british thing (even though it isn't) i add a tiny bit of honey to chamomile sometimes |
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Apr 17, 2021 08:24
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 that sounds amazing
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Apr 17, 2021 13:48
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Loving these tea stories, keep them coming! I decided on my first step into better teas: an Organic Shui Hsien Oolong, and an entry grade Keemun. Both are lower priced options but I figure start exploring broadly to find what I like, then dig in deeper in that type.
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 17, 2021 16:44
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Bilirubin posted:Loving these tea stories, keep them coming! Just picked up my order and they gave me a sample of Yunnan Organic Black 
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 17, 2021 21:51
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Ah, now for a nice cold glass of piss
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Apr 17, 2021 23:01
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Started with a cup of the Yunnan. Then had another! It holds up to multiple steeps for sure. Tastes slightly smokey, spicy, with a nice sweetness and round mouth feel. I like! Nice dark liquor. Seems to be fairly high caffeine though! Its going to take forever to work through all this tea. Also did you know how large a bag 250g of chamomile flowers comes in?
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 18, 2021 00:23
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To reduce the caffeine a bit you can discard the first steep since a lot of the extraction for caffeine will take place there. You may also use other techniques to consume the tea, since I'm not sure how much you made, but you can use a higher quantity in a teapot or for cold brew, or even as an ingredient in something like a salad or to make a mixed drink. Experiment with it and probably in a month or two you'll be ready for another batch to try. Flowers...Are big! |
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Apr 18, 2021 00:28
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aldantefax posted:To reduce the caffeine a bit you can discard the first steep since a lot of the extraction for caffeine will take place there. You may also use other techniques to consume the tea, since I'm not sure how much you made, but you can use a higher quantity in a teapot or for cold brew, or even as an ingredient in something like a salad or to make a mixed drink. Experiment with it and probably in a month or two you'll be ready for another batch to try. Thanks for this. I used a level teaspoon of dry leaf to about an 8 oz cup of water, then repeated. I read somewhere that some folks will "rinse" the leaves a first time with boiling water before steeping, might this also help with the caffeine? Regardless, I loved how the flavour changed as the cup cooled. For my second cup I did the steep, then took the dog for a walk and let it cool before drinking any. It turns out my partner HATES our large teapot (I do as well, its a generic white porcelain thing just like the one that got panned on Amazon for failing on the stovetop) so we will be looking to invest in something better eventually. Going to try the oolong tomorrow. quote:Flowers...Are big! Big, and light! Holy hell. But it will help the somewhat stale box of sleepytime in the cabinet.
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 18, 2021 00:47
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Normally, rinsing the leaves is to just give them a wash and to wake up the aroma of the wet leaves as well as rinse any old dust they might have on them. The way that I usually take tea when I am getting acquainted with one: - Dry aroma - Post-rinse, drain, wet aroma - Aroma from the drained tea liquor - First round. Fast or slow, just based on feel. Inspect the color and flavor of the tea brewed. - Second round. Adjust water temperature as needed. - Third round onwards. Mostly dialed in, so focus on the specific qualities of the tea and how they are changing. How is the arrival? Finish? Mouthfeel? Flavor profile? Etc. Sometimes I just like to focus on if I like it or not and how it makes me feel. Do I feel sharper, more talkative, more relaxed, contemplative? How is the tea influencing me? There's more rigorous ways of doing it but I have found this to be a pretty good way to start critically tasting tea. It's very informal and you can do so without much pomp or circumstance (though, those are very fun too) and can be used with the stuff you already have! If you want to try your hand at draining the tea to prevent it from oversteeping from one round to another, use a basket filter and pour into another cup after you've let the leaves brew for a little while. You don't have to extract all the liquid, but most of it, and then you can taste in different segments the nuances of the tea as it opens up. |
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Apr 18, 2021 00:57
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aldantefax posted:If you want to try your hand at draining the tea to prevent it from oversteeping from one round to another, use a basket filter and pour into another cup after you've let the leaves brew for a little while. You don't have to extract all the liquid, but most of it, and then you can taste in different segments the nuances of the tea as it opens up. Thanks again for all the information! I'm not sure what you mean by the above though. Like, when I am steeping the first cup after say 2 minutes pour some off into another cup and save to taste and then refill the first cup?
OMGVBFLOL posted:if you have the money and the patience, you can Hello Kitty anything Thank you deep dish peat moss! |
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Apr 18, 2021 01:33
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Bilirubin posted:Thanks again for all the information! I'm not sure what you mean by the above though. Like, when I am steeping the first cup after say 2 minutes pour some off into another cup and save to taste and then refill the first cup? You got it. Decant, serve/taste from your 2nd cup. |
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Apr 18, 2021 02:50
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