Tea, teaware

[Anonymous No.8032914]

We had a successful tea thread a while ago, so let's have another one!
Discuss tea meetups, tea shops, teaware, tea, biscuits and everything tea-related here.

[Anonymous No.8032924]

>>8032914
Ooooooht this is great.
I was thinking about doing a tea-tasting meet-up in a high class tea house, but I'm gonna freacking control who's coming because it's one of my favorite place in the city and it's really, really high end. Like they have a Pu-erh cave and auction it for thousands of dollars. I don't want to get banned because of a bunch of frillies just being too loud and runing up the century old decors.
It's gonna be a small, calm meet with adults, and it's gonna be great.

[Anonymous No.8032927]

>>8032924
Sounds lovely! If it were in my town I'd definitely join you. If you're worried about comm members either make it a private meet or have it at a high price that is required prior to the event.

I'm looking forward to the lucky tea pack reviews

[Anonymous No.8032928]

Does anyone know any good tea shops in Finland by the way? I just moved here from the Isles and all I ever see is Robert's Coffee. I've seen some good things in really big supermarkets but that's about it, the only place people seem to care about tea are hippie voodoo shops that overprice everything.

[Anonymous No.8032939]

>>8032927
Nicely enought I didn't have to face with the 'I forgot my wallet' problem yet, and yeah I set it up on invite only and a small group because it'll be unmanageable otherwise.

Also : lucky pack for tea ? Where and how much ?

[Anonymous No.8032940]

>>8032939
Karel Capek had tea lucky packs

[Anonymous No.8032944]

How do you deal with tea staining your teeth?

[Anonymous No.8032946]

>>8032940
Oh ok. What a weird name, I fail to see how tea and robots relate in any sense.
Do you have tea subscription boxes in the US ? I heard of some working like the monthly cosmetic blindboxes.

[Anonymous No.8032952]

>>8032946
I don't know, I live in Europe. I heard the US has a shitty tea scene though mostly due to big chain stores like Teavana.

[Anonymous No.8032956]

>>8032952
Oh sorry Eurofriend. I heard that to. I'm glad we actually have tea here in Europe, even outside the UK.

[Anonymous No.8033020]

My parents brought this great apple tea powder from Turkey, but there's enough for only one more cup now. ;_;

[Anonymous No.8033044]

>>8032944
I haven't noticed significant staining. As long as you brush your teeth twice a day, I wouldn't worry about it.

Anybody know any good information about tea (not afternoon tea) in London? I drink a lot of tea but I don't know about any decent ceremonies or tastings.

Also, though, dated and Japanese-tea focused, this /jp/ guide is pretty useful. http://pastebin.com/hw8XXZV5

[Anonymous No.8033064]

Gonna signal boost a family friend's establishment, stop by if you're ever in DC.

http://www.siteaspice.com

[Anonymous No.8033071]

>>8032944
Like >>8033044 said, as long as you're brushing your teeth twice a day, you should be fine.

Does anyone know if the brewers, or however they're called, for loose leaf teas that Teavana sells are any good?

[Anonymous No.8033078]

Can we post different tea and teaware stores? I'm looking for a place to get nice tea tins but it figures that they're nowhere to be found now that I'm looking for them.

[Anonymous No.8033080]

>>8032928
Finfag here.
In Helsinki there is "Unssi" (The ounce) , "Teehuone" and "demmers teahouse".
Also, welcome to Finland.

[Anonymous No.8033085]

>>8033078
You're looking just for tea tins? If you are, what type and where do you live? I always end up throwing them out because I have no use for them and no one wants them. (I'm London.)

[Anonymous No.8033099]

>>8033085
Some nice, decorative ones. I'm >>8032928 and I just moved to Helsinki so I don't know if it'd be worth it for you.
>>8033080
Thank you! The Ounce looks very promising, I'll definitely stop by.

[Anonymous No.8033103]

>>8033099
Im not sure if this is the time or the place to advertise but there is a fb group for Lolitas in finland called "Lolita Finland", if you want to get into the comm.

[Anonymous No.8033104]

>>8033103
Oh thank you, but I'm not a lolita (mostly here for mori, room inspo and skincare threads) and I don't have a facebook. But thanks for the offer!

[Anonymous No.8033211]

>>8032952
Oh yeah, it's pretty bad with Teavana. It helps when you live in metro areas with large Asian communities, then you at least have a chance at finding a small tea shop run by the loveliest tea fanatics from Hong Kong.

[Anonymous No.8033244]

>>8033071
I have one and I love it.

[Anonymous No.8033254]

Alright, a few things.

Don't buy from Teavana or David's tea. The quality of the tea is shit for it's price point. The prices on all their other items are way too high as well. (example, a tetsubin pot at teavana for $150 vs one from a local shop with the same dimensions, size and everything for $25)

That shit is pretty much trailmix/potpourri and the tea quality is bad. Even if you buy a straight tea, most of them are full or stems or filler(like popcorn to retain freshness) and they cost much more than they're worth.

[Anonymous No.8033271]

>>8032946
I've tired a few tea subscription boxes, but as someone already into tea. I kind of know what I like already so I after getting two with teas I hatted and knew I would hate I stopped. They're good if you're new. I think there's a youtube that do reviews on these.

[Anonymous No.8033273]

For affordable tea and a good selection, Lupicia is my shiiiiieeet. If you visit one of their physical stores they'll (usually) brew a free sample of whatever tea you're considering buying.
Just don't bother with their tea equipment, it's nice and all but you can usually find identical stuff at World Market for a third of the price.

[Anonymous No.8033279]

Personal favorite is Palais des thés. It's a French brand but they have a few shop all over the world (2 in NY for our US friends).

Their flavored tea lines are pretty great, especially the single flavored one (the yuzu one is to die for), but the most interesting thing is their 'grand crus' line. They carry exclusive seasonal tea from smaller, high quality garden from all over the world. I highly recommend it, the shop assistants tend to be pretty knowledgeable

[Anonymous No.8033289]

>>8033044
I was going to suggest the tea and coffee festival on the southbank, but it looks like they're not going to have an event in 2015/they don't have dates up and it's normally later on in the year anyway.

Are you after somewhere to have an event or somewhere to find something for your own tastes? Because the twinings shop has a mini kitchen at the back where you can try stuff out, although I've been told that you have to let the workers make the tea for you now (last time I went you just got let loose with the kettle and the teabags so I can see why they put a stop to that). Yumchaa always have their tea out in pots on the counter for you to eye up/smell before buying, and Whittards always have a selection of testers out, and fairly often will let you ask them to brew something up within reason.

[Anonymous No.8033293]

>>8033020
Life is truly suffering

[Anonymous No.8033299]

>>8033289
Last time I got to London, the Whittards shop in Covent Garden had the nicest most charming little vendor, a tall lad with long-ish dark hairand blue eyes and a really soft, deep voice. I kind of crushed big on him, is he still working over there ?

[Anonymous No.8033305]

Am I just retarded or something?
Because all tea of the same type that I taste, it tastes the same to me.
I once got bitched at for drinking Twinings instead of some other fancy brand of Earl Grey and when I tried the fancy one it's all the fucking same taste, man.
I also got bitched at for drinking my tea with milk but I happen to love milk in my tea.

I don't understand. I tried green tea from a store brand and another from an organic shop that everyone praised and there was little difference.
Is it the brand effect or something?

[Anonymous No.8033307]

>>8033064
Looks pretty groovy anon

[Anonymous No.8033322]

>>8033305
Maybe you make it too hot. You need to brew it at an appropriate temperature or it'll burn and remove most of the taste. Also, don't overtime it.
English breakfast, 5 o'clock, chaï and Earl Grey can all be taken with milk and sugar, don't worry anon.
Twinnings is ok as far as everyday tea goes, especially if you're not a specialist.
I would advise avoiding putting milk in fruit tea, and sugar in anything else than black tea for that matter. If you want to try something different, get a japanese green tea. Warning : they're mostly heavily savoury.

[Anonymous No.8033324]

I love VM's tea sets but I have no idea how to get my hands on any since they don't ship overseas...

[Anonymous No.8033328]

>>8033324
Shopping service in Osaka ? A female one would be better, men are forbidden if not accompanied in their Show Room.

[Anonymous No.8033333]

>>8033322
But what if I like sugar? I normally drink it plain, but just saying. Who's to say what's proper?
Most people in my family just drink regular Twinings in baggies and have done so as far as I can remember.
I'm just confused, why's there a "proper" way of drinking tea? I get the same with coffee enthusiasts who say "well coffee isn't coffee if you put milk and sugar in it". I happen to like it like that, who's to stop me? It just feels like people trying to find something to feel superior over others.
Also, what's the appropriate temperature? The instructions say pour boiling water over it and let sit for x minutes, and I do that. The taste is the same.

[Anonymous No.8033335]

>>8033289
Thanks for the help. I was looking for something more like a tea shop that does tea ceremonies or tasting menu. I think I'll keep an eye out for the tea and coffee festival and see if they're going to do anything this year, and I'll look into Yumchaa.

>>8033305
Maybe you should look into different varieties of tea rather than qualities of a single type of tea. For example, try Darjeeling against Earl Grey instead of trying to see what type of bergamot accents you prefer in Earl Grey. Try a Japanese genmaicha against a Chinese tieguanyin. It might be difficult for a novice to tell the difference between a Shiraz and a Merlot, but they'd still be able to taste the difference between red and white wine.

And don't worry about the milk.

[Anonymous No.8033336]

>>8033299
IDK but I'll ask. When were you up there? A fair amount of Covent Garden people seem to have migrated to Oxford Street, and people move around depending on term time/holidays as well, aside from the obvious christmas temps.

[Anonymous No.8033339]

>>8033335
No, I understand that, I can clearly taste (and smell) the differences between different types of tea, naturally. I'm just confused over the whole "tut tut tut, that's not REAL tea! That's consumerist rubbish! REAL tea lovers drink exclusively loose-leaf earl grey brewed by a secret tea cult in the forests of England!" attitude that some have.

[Anonymous No.8033341]

>>8033335
I can ask my Londoners later on, but from what I know Yumchaa is probably a good bet. If you went in and asked they might be able to arrange something for you. I'm not actually from London, I'm just close enough to spend a fair amount of time up there and know a lot of tea nerds.

[Anonymous No.8033342]

>>8033333
There isn't a 'proper' way of drinking tea as much as there are 'preferred' ways of drinking tea and many different ways of drinking tea. Some say that you need 80c to 100c water, and brew it for 10secs for some types of tea, while others will prefer the same tea at 70c and three minutes (for their first brew and differing amounts of leaves). It depends on the types of flavours you want to capture, i.e. what you like most.

The brewing time and temperature of the water depends not only the type of the tea but, in the case of bags, the quality of the bag. Following the instructions on the box is really the best you can do in your circumstance.

But seriously, don't worry about it.

[Anonymous No.8033348]

>>8033333
Well their is a proper way of drinking tea if you want to enjoy it the true taste of tea. Nobody force you to drink it plain or sugary, but for example using sugar in a really light-weight white tea will totally put-off the flavors. Same for good coffee, you can do whatever you like with low grade coffee but some are meant to be drink as it. You can still use high-end hand picked manually roasted beans to do a latte, but don't complain coffees all taste the same.
Also, the appropriate temperature for regular black tea 85-90°C, 75°C for green tea and 75-85°C for white tea and boiling water only for herbal tea and roïboos. Thanks to Google, it's actually available information.

Give it a try, try to do it following the steps and not overboiling your tea leaves and maybe you'll taste a difference. It's not about being superior or what, it's about having a bit of knowledge on what you're drinking.

>>8033336
Last August. Maybe it was just his student job and I'll never ever see him again (most certainly in fact), but still. I can't help it, the accent is just too attractive.

[Anonymous No.8033350]

>tfw my favourite tea is medicinal nettle and cranberry tea mixed with Russian black chai for treating UTIs
I must be a megapleb but it tastes so good

[Anonymous No.8033351]

>>8033339
Oh, sorry, I didn't read your post properly and thought you were saying all tea tastes the same rather than of the same type. If that's the case, >>8033322 makes a good point about the water being too hot.

Blends will differ but 90c for Earl Grey seems to be the most agreed upon temperature.

[thigh-gap !PicKleqHjM No.8033364]

>>8033254
I was just going to bring this up. I've been frequenting these shops for a while, but I've increasingly been hearing negative things about these companies. So then, where else should I buy my tea instead? Can any Canadians suggest any other brands/tea stores to shop at?

I'm also loving this thread so far

[Anonymous No.8033375]

>>8033348
I think s/he should just follow the instructions on the packaging, measuring the temperature is kind of an overkill
also
>It's not about being superior or what, it's about having a bit of knowledge on what you're drinking
no offence but that made your comment sound kinda pretentious. I think >>8033342 put it best, it's mostly about preferences, I see nothing wrong with putting milk or anything really in your tea so long as you have tried it plain prior and dislike the taste.

[Anonymous No.8033382]

>>8033375
Sorry, I'm ESL so I have sometimes troules to balance the feeling of my sentences. Of course nothing is wrong with putting mile or sugar in tea, and the temperature is a rule or thumb more than set in stone, but their is guidelines setted up for people with no knowledge in tea tasting so they can try and learn easily. Gathering knowledge is for me the best way to enjoy something, but I can understand how it can seems stupid for something as mindless as tea.
OP said they had difficulties with getting the subtilities between different teas, so being a bit more strict on the brewing part could be the easiest answer imo.

[Anonymous No.8033386]

>>8033382
crap
troubles* feelings* milk* rule of thumb* there is*

[Anonymous No.8033393]

>>8033382
Right. Thanks for phrasing it differently, it makes a lot more sense now.

Has anyone tried chocolate teas before? What did you think of them, should I cop?

[Anonymous No.8033395]

is there such a thing as a beginner's guide to tea? if so, can anyone rec a good one?

[Anonymous No.8033399]

>tfw you just drink PG tips
>boiling water
>pinch of baking soda
>5 minutes
>2 scoops sugar

here's a cup cup my husband got me.

I have some blooming teas and flavored tea, but those are for guests.

[Anonymous No.8033402]

>>8033395
The Tea drinker's hand book by Francois-Xavier Delmas...

[Anonymous No.8033407]

>>8033402
thank you!

[Anonymous No.8033409]

>>8033393
The one I tried at a restaurant was quite nice. I would say it wasn't very complex in flavour but it was still an enjoyable tea with light smokiness and nutiness, and it's interesting to see chocolate in a different light too.

>>8033399
Why the baking soda?

[Anonymous No.8033411]

Damn guys, stop getting so buttmad over tealitists. People asked for honest answers, if you don't like that shit go to the damn grocery store and buy lipton and do whatever the hell you want with it.

Anyways, I'll explain some things.

There are obviously many different varieties of teas, and all of them are so different based on simple things like drying methods and location, so you should try to find ones you like. Try to research by looking up different methods(steaming, roasting etc) as teas dried in similar methods have a generally similar flavor composition.

Some teas need to be brewed at certain temperatures(pretty much all but herbal) because otherwise they will taste like shit, or it just won't brew. A japanese green tea for example will taste like pure bitter grass if you use the wrong temperature/steep too long and oolong or other red teas just wont' steep at all if you don't get the temperature high enough. Remember, you're essentially rehydrating and cooking the leaves and that can change the flavor a great deal, releasing bitter tannins and making it inedible.

Also adding milk and sugar to tea is fine if it works with the flavor and depending on ingredients used. Tasting every new tea plain first is only true for pure teas but that's because some of them actually taste bad with sweetener and milk. Things with fruits etc will have different reactions to the milk so you should be weary of that, but adding sugar to them is typically a good thing.

There is an aspect of purism though. Especially among asian teas. If you ask for any milk or sugar for tea at a chinese or japanese restaurant, you will probably get laughed out of the place(only after they've spat in your food) a lot of western teas though almost need milk and sugar(orange pekoe) because they taste so shitty on their own.

We need to cut out this mentality of 'duur duur they can do anything they want!!!' especially when questions are asked.

[Anonymous No.8033417]

>>8033411
>We need to cut out this mentality of 'duur duur they can do anything they want!!!' especially when questions are asked.

Fucking this. Let's not turn into tumblr all at once now.

Also this was very informative.

[Anonymous No.8033422]

>>8033409
Makes it less acidic and more smooth, works great when you make iced tea too.

[Anonymous No.8033423]

>>8033417
>>8033411
But they CAN do anything they want. The only problem is not trying tea plain first and deciding it's shite because it tastes bad with sugar or when over-brewed. You can put your cock into it and then drink that, but it obviously won't taste the same afterwards (or maybe it will, I don't tend to put my willy into hot beverages so I don't know) or it'll taste like shit.

We're just giving them tips on how to get the right taste out of it, but they can shit in their tea for all I care. It's a free country, nothing tumblr about it.

[Anonymous No.8033425]

>>8033411
Goddamn this, thank you anon !
People overcooking tea is my pet peeve. Stop pouring boiling water in the damn silver needles I kindly prepared for you and stop complaining that japanese tea is totally disgusting after adding metric tons of sugar in it when you were warned about it's weird taste in the first place.
If you don't like tea or don't know about it it's not a problem, just stop fucking pretending or make an effort, I don't know.

[Anonymous No.8033431]

>>8033423
I'm >>8033417 the point that I'm trying to make is yeah, they can, they know that, but they wanted opinions from others.

When people ask for actual suggestions and opinions and all you do is say ~teehee don't worry bout da haterz! do wat u want~ it makes you look stupid because you didn't answer the question. Not everyone wants to know that it's obviously okay to have their own opinion, not everyone wants piles of justification and asspats, people want to know opinions that may differ from their own, they want other people who maybe know more about shit to help them.

[Anonymous No.8033436]

>>8033417
word

[Anonymous No.8033444]

>>8033431
I didn't understand it like that though. How one of the anons put it was kind of aggressive, which I think is unnecessary. If someone explained it like >>8033411 has, maybe the whole discussion would have been over sooner.
When you put it like "it MUST be at x degrees" I'd understand it as "you have to measure it with a thermometer otherwise you're a pleb" if I didn't know better like some noobs do. And to a lot of them that may sound intimidating (>inb4 le 4chinz mene).
I just don't think you should be that aggressive about explaining tea of all things to someone who probably only has it as a passing interest.

[Anonymous No.8033463]

>>8033431
Who said 'do what you want' without providing actual suggestions?

[Anonymous No.8033470]

>>8033444
>>8033431
>>8033425
>>8033423
>>8033417
>>8033411
>>8033348
>>8033342
Sorry for causing a shitstorm, it was an honest question since I didn't see any difference in taste. Now I know better and I'll try to follow the instructions better and compare.

Sheesh.

[Anonymous No.8033475]

>>8033470
You didn't cause anything. Bitchy anons complaining about tealitists did. It's okay, they're better than bitchy teawhores, they drink tea at heart! Tea should be fun, it doesn't matter if it tastes good!

[Anonymous No.8033480]

>>8033475
Actually I was those people. Like I said, I was asking for an explanation as to why it is like that.
It's okay, now I know that tea is srs business so I'll stick to my Twinings.

[Anonymous No.8033501]

>>8033364
seconding this. What are some good Canadian tea shops?

[Anonymous No.8033567]

When you guys brew your tea, do you actually check the temperature of the water with a thermometer or have you brewed tea so much that you sorta know when the water is ready?

Sorry if this seems like a really stupid question, I'm just new to drinking tea in general.

[Anonymous No.8033577]

>>8033567
It depends how I'm feeling. If I'm brewing tea especially to drink tea for its worth, I'll use a thermometre. If I'm brewing tea to drink with my meal and I'm cooking at the same time, I'll just guess (and I'll use a tea less sensitive to temperature at the same time).

[Anonymous No.8033580]

>>8033567
I have a water boiler that displays the temp.

[Anonymous No.8033595]

>>8033480
I drink Twinnings too, or Tazo. Whatever's on sale actually. I don't have time to legit brew tea, but I have friends who are super into tea and when I go over they're like "this is blueberry whatever blahblahblah." Everyone I know is super chill about what you put in your tea, because it's ultimately your drink. It's like some people like plain hot dogs, but others prefer it with ketchup or relish. So who the hell cares if I put honey in almost all of my teas.

[Anonymous No.8033596]

>>8033501
There are a bunch of nice tea shops along the Danforth in Toronto. One of them makes really good bubble tea too.

[Anonymous No.8033597]

>>8033567
Same as >>8033577. Tea shop usually sells small thermometers, I use them for my high quality tea. For usual tea I just guess. I'm considering buying something like >>8033580's though.

[Anonymous No.8033600]

i've been buying my loose tea from adagio (online store)....they have a great selection and very reasonable prices. plus you can design your own blends. they also have a great steeper called the "ingenuitea" with a valve in the bottom that releases your tea and catches all the leaves on a filter. works great for those super fine rooibos blends.
http://youtu.be/5XP6GTRNEhg

[Anonymous No.8033608]

>>8033299
How long is longish? Apparently the only guys were training and the one that she thinks you mean was weird to work with. She thinks he went to Oxford street but she's not sure if he's still there.

[Anonymous No.8033612]

>>8033411
Since you seem to know your stuff, I'll ask you. I'm looking at a Zojirushi water boiler, since right now I only have a kettle that doesn't have any specific temperatures (I use it for my shitty Walmart teas that I don't care about brewing well). The only temperatures it has are 175, 195, and 208/212F. Are those the only temperatures I'll really need, or should I find one that I can manually put in different temperatures?

[Anonymous No.8033618]

>>8033608
Like pic related stupid emo cut style a lot of english guys seem to sport (I luv u Chris)

[Anonymous No.8033620]

>>8033612
Not them but you'll want lower for some Japanese green teas, say 70c. I would recommend you get a cheap thermometer if you don't want to spend more for a water boiler with more features.

[Anonymous No.8033625]

>>8033618
Yeah, then he was just training and she thinks he went to Oxford street though we don't know if he's still there and if/where we went from there. Sorry!

[Anonymous No.8033630]

>>8033625
*he went from there

[Anonymous No.8033631]

>>8033625
Thank you anyway based anon !

[Anonymous No.8033661]

>>8032924
I hope that's not creepy but I know who you are and I'm really looking forward to your meet!

[Anonymous No.8033669]

>>8033631
this is like some train main levels of cute

[Anonymous No.8033671]

>>8033597
So which teas are less resistant to temperature?
Are there some idiot-proof ones?

[Anonymous No.8033674]

>>8033671
Herbal and rooibos are probably the most idiot-proof.

[Anonymous No.8033689]

>>8033661
Then you're one of the 5 persons I've invited so far, congrats. It's gonna be pretty nice I'm sure.

[Anonymous No.8033698]

>>8033671
A friend of mine was an exchange student in South Africa. The family father used to boil a large pot with water every morning (we're talking litres here!) which he tossed in a few handful rooibos leaves when the water was boiling, and then turned of the heat. He drank this all day, just re-boiling the water when needed and keeping the leaves in all day to just brew stronger. Aka fool proof for temperature XD

[Anonymous No.8034019]

>>8033698
yeah that works with rooibos because it's a tisane. The only TEA that would work with is pu'rh

[Anonymous No.8034021]

Making tea from cherry stems is good for you.

[Anonymous No.8034039]

Does anyone collect teapots and teacups? I have a few cup/saucer/plate sets which I inherited from my grandmother and recently appear to be collecting teapots at a rate of one per year. Apart from the 'normal' tea pots, I have a lavender tea for one set, chicken + egg cup set from Taiwan and the Doctor Who Tardis special edition one. I'm not particularly snobby when it comes to my tea (compared to some people I see on tea forums/discussions), as long as it's loose leaf, brewed at the right temperature for the vaguely right time and not totally disgusting I'll drink it.

>>8032924
>>8032927
Either take a non-refundable deposit or make sure it's people that you know have been reliable in the past.

[Anonymous No.8034043]

>>8034019
oh pish posh let's not get technical now. For the purposes of this thread and looking through every tea shop ever, it's a tea. Let's leave it at that.

[Anonymous No.8034177]

If you're in East Michigan, I'll put in a good word for TeaHaus (http://teahaus.com/).). It's run by a German lady who imports from the EU and has a lot of random harvests and blends that I haven't seen elsewhere in the US. In addition to providing helpful, friendly, unpretentious service at their main tea counter, they also have a small restaurant. For $25, they do full-service high tea of sandwiches, scones, and desserts, along with unlimited tea. I've dragged high tea out for three or four hours before and wound up drinking four or five different pots of tea (you can get different kinds every time you get a new pot).

If you're in the Denver/Boulder metro area, the Celestial Seasonings factory does free tours. Before the tours, there's free tea sampling -- you can sample every tea Celestial Seasonings sells. Most of them are tisanes, but hey, don't be snobby. You're getting unlimited free tea.

[thigh-gap !PicKleqHjM No.8034286]

>>8033596
Thanks anon, I think I know the one you're talking about. I'll check it out sometime this week.

Anybody know any good online stores to buy tea? I bought some from Adagio recently as Christmas gifts, but their shipping costs to Canada really made it not worth it.

I've seen a lot of Aliexpress seller sell tea, anybody know if it's worth looking into?

[Anonymous No.8034331]

>>8033273
I agree. Lupicia is totally one of the best places for good "bang for your buck".
I was lucky enough to get some "lucky packs" from Lupicia while ago. Do you have any recommendations/favourites to go for? I prefer flavored tea.
Pic related, muh tea.

[Anonymous No.8034339]

>>8033671
Most of the stuff that's stupid proof isn't technically tea (i.e. there's nothing from a tea plant in it)
In my opinion some of the herbal stuff can get a bit overbrewed and weird but rooibos seems to be foolproof.

[Anonymous No.8034407]

>>8034331
Wow, that looks like a wonderful haul.

>>8034286
These are the websites linked in the /jp/ guide.
http://www.hankooktea.com/ (Korean)
http://o5tea.com/
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/ (Japanese)

[Anonymous No.8035180]

I'm addicted to green tea, and just got 500g of Bancha green tea. Apparantly Sencha tea is more popular, but i don't know if it's because of taste or quality. Does anyone know which green tea type is the healtiest?

[Anonymous No.8035193]

>>8035180
I love green tea, but it makes me shit buckets. People drink it for weight loss.

[Anonymous No.8035209]

I found this amazing shop in St. Petersburg that sells ceramic tea sets, teapots etc. They also sell samovars and a bunch of other contraptions (I saw the owner make an alembic, and there were even vats for brewing different kinds of booze).

I should cop a little samovar for myself, I think. I wonder if there's a difference in flavour when it comes to different heating methods? Some are electric, some are coal-powered and others run on gas or kerosene.

[Anonymous No.8035225]

>>8035180
>I'm addicted to green tea
I cant drink anymore green tea holy crap yesterday was the first day in like 8 months I drank any tea but green tea
>>8035193
I don't care what the benefits are anymore I might end up hating green tea forever

[Anonymous No.8035229]

>>8035180
i love the flavour of genmaicha.

[Anonymous No.8035264]

>>8035180
I would say sencha is preferred because of taste and quality as well as the variety of tastes and qualities. Bancha is more of an everyday tea.

[Anonymous No.8035280]

>>8035225
You are probably using too high temperature! Green tea should not be boiling, but only 70-80°C!!! if the water is too hot it tastes like shit! Also, drink quality tea and not too strong to begin with

[Anonymous No.8035331]

>>8035180
Sencha and Gyokuro are the high quality one you'll find for tasting purpose, bencha, genmacha and hojicha are everday tea. Overall green tea is healthy, don't worry.

[Anonymous No.8035338]

Any good tea shops other than T2 in Australia?

[Anonymous No.8035389]

>>8035338
Depends where you are. T2 is pretty good, though. I live in Sydney, and we have a store called The Tea Centre that's really good. It's pricier, but they have a few blends you can't get at T2.

[Anonymous No.8035899]

>there are anons here who don't make tea of leaves they grew and picked themselves

[Anonymous No.8035907]

>>8035280
you're too nice anon but I think I'm completely giving up on green tea for the moment
I'll remember those tips whenever I have the heart to drink it again

[Anonymous No.8036775]

>>8033305
>>8033339
>>8033470
>>8033480
It sounds like you've had one bad experience with an elitist and now believe anyone who is an enthusiast is looking down on you. Generally it's not serious business, and I didn't get that vibe from any of the replies to the first post.

No one was implying people who don't measure the temp are pleb trash. People were suggesting the temp may be the reason teas taste the same to the original poster, because people generally use boiling water for every tea. Teas of the same kind can cover a huge swath of flavors, but that flavor can be ruined by too-hot water.

It's perfectly fine to stick to twinings and add milk and sugar. No enthusiast is looking down on you, only elitist twats who place too much importance in a goddam drink. However, it is not a brand effect, teas of the same variety (black, oolonng, green, etc) can taste very different depending on the estate where they were grown, the time they were picked, the way the were brewed and so on.

[Anonymous No.8036788]

>>8033612
Hey anon, I work at a tea shop and we use those Zojirushi boilers daily. For the few teas that require a water temperature below 175F, we add a bit of cool water to the pot before adding the 175F water. They are really easy to use and I'd recommend purchasing one if you drink a lot of tea. They're also convenient for getting hot water fast, for disinfecting and such.

[Anonymous No.8036795]

Tea newfag here.
I honestly don't know a shit about tea brewing. Right now I'm on my way to lose weight, and I've heard green tea is good for weightloss. I have green tea bags on my groceries, but they're the supermarket kind, and everytime I try and boil them they taste awful bitter.
I need help. Please show me your ways.

[Anonymous No.8036804]

>>8036795
Green tea is suppose to be bitter. If youre brewing it from leaves, add less leaves. My preference for green tea is when it's a light green. I find it more tolerable if it's iced

[Anonymous No.8036814]

>>8036795
>>8036804
Don't boil it. They shouldn't be awfully bitter, that's a sign the water you've used is too hot or you've brewed it for too long. As >>8035280 and >>8033620 mentioned, green tea needs lower temperatures - more like 70-80 degrees, so either turn your kettle off before it boils or let it cool for a bit before you make tea, and don't leave the tea brewing for more than about 3 minutes.

[Anonymous No.8036885]

>>8036795
Do tea drinking for weight loss and for hobby purposes not require different approaches? As a hobby drinker, I feel that way. >mfw

I can tell you though, that the meditative whiff between sips goes a long way. Pouring water onto the tea leaves rather than the other way around adds a nice aroma. Tea water should be piping hot. Three minutes left to cool after coming to a boil works well. With respect to the above, drinking before it cools compliments the overall experience.

For milk and cream, it ought to go before the water and tea leaves due to curdling. Black teas stain pots and cups, thereby intruding on the flavor of other teas. It's good to have separate pots and cups for different tea types, if you can.

To control bitterness, be mindful of how long you let the bag steep for. It goes against the weight loss process, but the most bitter teas without milk or sugar become godsends if you drink them before having a good sweet.

[Anonymous No.8036891]

>>8036885
>For milk and cream, it ought to go before the water and tea leaves due to curdling.

No, not only that, this whole post holy shit.

[Anonymous No.8036912]

>>8036814
Agreed, green tea can't be made with boiling water because it will make it too bitter. Another thing that ruins pretty much any boxed tea is squeezing the tea satchel before throwing it away.

>>8034331
>Do you have any recommendations/favourites to go for?
For loose leaf I've bought a couple teas from Crepes, their webshop usually has free shipping for US orders too.
http://www.crepesteahouse.com/storechai.php

[Anonymous No.8037184]

>>8036795
Try Pu-erh/Tuo'cha. It's usually maketed as weight-loss tea, and it's called fat burner in chinese medicine.

[Anonymous No.8037301]

>>8035389
The Tea Center now have a shop in Emporium in Melbourne. There's also an Australian branch of http://www.lupicia.com.au/ in the QV Center.

[Anonymous No.8037307]

>>8036885
Milk before tea or tea before milk is an obvious class marker in England. Only the upper crust or the most working class put their milk in first because the working class learned it from serving the upper class.

[Anonymous No.8037312]

>>8035899
>mfw I want to have a garden but the people we share the yard with have a dog that chews up everything.

She destroyed my succulents. Those plants were like, three times older then she was.

[Anonymous No.8037315]

tea confession :

I collect tea and have my fair share of really good ones, yet my go-to lazy winter drink is royal milk tea. Boiling milk, low grade Earl Grey, raw sugar and it makes a creamy creamy milk tea. I love it.

[Anonymous No.8037336]

>>8037312
I feel you Anon, I had a dog like that before. She would actually eat my plants before they even had a chance to fruit.

[Anonymous No.8037498]

>>8036795
When I first started drinking green tea, I also bought teabags, but moved over to loose leaf, especially since I learned that the most popular green tea in my country - Twinings Green tea & lemon - adds sugar in their tea without sayning so on the package! When you buy pure quality leaf tea, you actually know what you get. And it tastes better

[Anonymous No.8037527]

>>8037307
Nobody cares.

[Anonymous No.8037529]

>>8033596
Another Toronto tea anon here. Thanks for the tip! Can you be a bit more specific? I'm not that familiar with the Danforth area. I'm in Scarborough.

Which speaking of, any good places for tea that way?

[Anonymous No.8037546]

Anybody know any good tea shops/tea houses in the Tokyo area? I also frequent Yokohama and Yokosuka, if anybody is familiar with those cities. I haven't had a chance to check out a tea ceremony yet, I'm trying to explore as much as I can while balancing the rest of my life.

What's everybody's opinion on roobios/red tea? Personally I've found it's an acquired taste, but man do I love it. ...Dammit, now I'm craving a cup.

[Anonymous No.8037565]

>>8032944
THIS.
I wash my teeth 3+ times a day and they are still very stained thanks to tea/coffee. It may be due to my teeth being terribly crooked and thus harder to wash. Solutions to this or am I doomed to having disgusting yellow teeth forever?

[Anonymous No.8037603]

>>8034331
Oh my god that is glorious. Is that the $100 lp? I want to try.

[Anonymous No.8037717]

>>8037603
5400 Yen one. The 100$ one was mostly fancy non-flavored teas. If they have them tomorrow, I consider buying one.

>>8036912
Oh thanks. Though I meant recommendations from lupicia. Also residing in japan.
But I will check that one out aswell, never too much tea.

>>8037546
In tokyo there is:
Lupicia (multiple and one has tea room),

Marriage Freres (Shinjuku one is near Marui annex and it has tea room if i recall correctly),

Ocharaka in Kichijoji, I havent tried it yet but it seems great. Teastore and tea room.

[Anonymous No.8037747]

>>8037527
It was quite interesting!

[Anonymous No.8037765]

>>8037565
The person you replied to here
I have it on the occasion but hesitate on the occasions I do because I'm always self conscious. Maybe
>>8033044
>>8033071
have different standards, and as do you. I'm aware teeth aren't meant to be pure white but regardless?

[Anonymous No.8037768]

I love mint tea and camomilla tea alot and I'm considering becoming an expert and make it myself (a.k.a >>8035899), how do?

[Anonymous No.8037786]

>>8037565
Dentists can help out with removing the more difficult stains and then suggest some products that might help. I can't help thinking that aesthetics aside, wearing down of the enamel is the bigger worry. I usually brush soon after I'm done with drinking coffee or tea.

[Anonymous No.8037853]

>>8037765
Well there are teeth whitening treatments and whitening strip kits available but stuff like that can weaken your teeth. I've used Crest whitening strips a couple times but the last time I bought one of their "professional" level treatments instead of the usual ones I was getting (in comparison you have to wear the strips for over an hour instead of the 20 minute or so ones) and they made my teeth incredibly sensitive for a couple days. Plus when I took them off my teeth had spots of white on them and a gradient. It faded to normal after but if you want whiter teeth before an event or something definitely use them ahead of it.

[Anonymous No.8037939]

I had a roommate once who got this batch of tea online called "Fairytale Tea" or something once, and I'm so mad that I never thought to ask her where she got it. It was so wonderful tasting

[Anonymous No.8037953]

>>8033254
>Teavana
Worked here for a while, I couldn't bullshit customers for too long so I quit. Nice people came in and I knew what we were selling was a lie.
Only reason I own some Teavana tea is because I got it for free due to unopen returns or something.

However I will say the PerfecTea Maker is still one of my favorite products regardless.

[Anonymous No.8037971]

>>8037953
Hello, fellow Teavana anon! I quit for the same reason. That big huge textbook they give you for training was filled to the brim with lies and we had to pile a crap ton of sugar in the samples to make it appealing to customers.

[Anonymous No.8037983]

>>8037953
>>8037971
Teavana secrets!
Tell us some of those lies, I'm curious what treachery that place was up to.

[Anonymous No.8037985]

Celestial Seasonings have some really great teas! I especially love their holiday teas like "Nutcracker Sweet" and "Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride". I would also recommend their Coconut decaf Chai tea (tastes best without milk or sugar). Also, they're in tea bags.

[Anonymous No.8037986]

>>8037971
Man, I quizzed my friend on that book when she was training for Teavana. It was seriously insane.

[Anonymous No.8037990]

>>8037983
We're not happy.
They tell us to "not be used car salesmen" but that is EXACTLY what we are forced to do.
We have sales goals, our hours depend on it. Most people only work 2-3 days a week with minimal hours (I've worked at two different locations) and then they get mad at us because we aren't experienced. Oh, it's not commissioned based either. At one location I worked at we had goal incentives, at the second one where I did more work we didn't.
We. Hate. Sampling. The sample cart is the FUCKING WORST thing EVER to be INVENTED. Fucking seriously. No one wants to sample.

Besides that, meh. Samples are very heavily sweetened, same with teabars/Starbucks Teavana drinks. We are told a lot of brain-washing stuff like our "Tea is the best available", and personally I would never ever ever ever drink from the samples we give out to customers, at least not at my first location... we didn't have a dishwasher so a person had to do it by hand. Do you know how tired we are at 9-9:30pm and how fast we want to get home? Yeah, most people don't really wash these things, especially the little coolers on the sample carts. At the teabar/retail store I worked at, we at least had a dishwasher, not sure it did anything besides spray really fucking scolding hot water that fogged the shit out of my glasses though.

We also burn our hands, a lot. Overall I suppose they tried to keep it as clean as possible, but most employees don't care. We're working on minimum wage, selling shit we don't care about to get by. We'll tell you anything to get our sales goal and not get yelled at by our managers.

[Anonymous No.8037997]

>>8037768
Here's how to be an expert in mint tea:

>acquire mint plant
>pick some leaves
>wash them
>throw into a cup
>pour in boiling water
>steep for a few minutes
>fish out the leaves

You've just made the greatest tasting mint tea in the world. Fresh mint makes amazing tea with a depth of flavour that doesn't exist with bagged teas (well, maybe that was my problem, but...)

Seriously, it's great. Just make sure not to plant it directly into your garden if you don't want it to be completely overrun. Or maybe you do, w/e, more mint tea yay!

[Anonymous No.8038002]

>>8037983

Not the same anon but the biggest lie I hate telling people is:
> The sugar that we sell opens up the tea leaves and makes them give out more flavor,. Despite the fact that we sell a variety of honeys, we truly want to shove this sugar down your throat.

My stories aren't so great but working for Teavana was basically working for a car dealership with flamboyantly gay people. My store didn't have a camera and my coworkers were so fed up with the place that they actually let people steal stuff. My manager also gave away a bunch of stuff on a bad day. I was sent to work at that "Teavana bar" in Manhattan and you basically pay $15 for a fistful of coleslaw.

Many customers complained that the washi tea tins attracted roaches and pantry moths so there's something for you guys to think about.

[Anonymous No.8038008]

>>8038002
This anon >>8037990 + >>8037953

Damn, we weren't told about the leave opening part about the sugar, but we were told a bout it "enhancing the flavor without that sugary taste" or whatever. I know my old manager and assistant manager stole a lot, lol. Same with co-workers, just tea though. I could never do it, I only took returns that we were going to throw out anyway.

But yeah, Teavana is shitty, Starbucks seems like they are trying to make it better (i've worked before and after the acquisition) but still 11111/10 won't go back.

I'm trying to think of any other lies, but can't really. They have gotten better from when I first worked and last quit. They are just trying to make tea mainstream and a ~lifestyle~. They don't train properly either. I came into a well established store and a store that hadn't opened yet, and both times received shitty training. They expect you to go home, read this fucking textbook and a half, and be good to go. I still don't know what the difference of the three honeys are or what they taste like, lol.

[Anonymous No.8038065]

I need a bunch of tea containers because I got one of these >>8034331 and I don't have proper storage. (Keeping them in ziploc sandwich baggies, in a closed box, is ugly and inconvenient.) Is there certain material I should avoid? I am hoping to find a set of small decorative canisters of some kind.

[Anonymous No.8038109]

>>8038065
I buy loose teas from a local shop and just re-use jars- I work for a catering company and whenever we make stuff with things that come out of jars like jelly, spreads, whatever, I makes sure to ask the other employees to save and wash the jars and pass them along to me instead of throwing them out.

Of course, this only works if you have a job like mine or eat food that comes in glass jars a lot! Otherwise, Ball sells mini canning jars that can hold a decent amount of loose tea.

I like having the jars of tea on my shelves, it creates a nice witch in the woods look.

[Anonymous No.8038123]

>>8038008
>>8038002
weird, i worked in a tea shop for a very short time, and if you mentionned putting any kind of sugar into anything that wasn't mint tea or massala chai, most people there looked at you like you just casually told about murdering a baby

[Anonymous No.8038128]

>>8037997
NAYRT, but thanks! I have tonnes of mint leaves in my back yard that I don't do enough with, so this is wonderful. I'll definitely have to remember this for when summer comes about again.

[Anonymous No.8038145]

>>8037997
would I be able to grow them in a dirtbox on my balcony? were planning to move out into a house pretty soon but my dad wants a dog so growing precious plants is a no-no

[Anonymous No.8038161]

>>8037529
There's The Tea Emporium on the south side between Broadview and Chester, almost across the street from Carrot Commons, as well as Tsaa Tea Shop on the North side, just east of Chester. Basically, just go to Broadview and walk away from the bridge. If you pass a TD bank or a second Timmie's, you've gone too far.

Unfortunately, these are the only two places that I know of because I went to school in the area, so I can't tell you about Scarborough, but Tsaa would be a nice little hang-out spot with a friend or two if you were so inclined.

[Anonymous No.8038168]

>>8038128
Np. Fresh mint tea is so underrated.

>>8038145
You will. From my experience, mint does best ravaging my mother's neat yard, but I think a deep planter would do. Tried smaller pots and it grew kinda stunted. Mint is hardy though and spreads worse than dandelions. Before I moved out, I'd periodically purge everything from the infected flowerbed, make tons of tea, and repeat 2-3 weeks later when the mint grew back kek. The plants would grow three feet huge too. Mutant mint.

[Anonymous No.8038169]

>>8033044
Yumchaa have a few cafes and theirntea is delightful.
Sacred in Carnaby St is nice for a sit down and a cuppa.
Foxcroft and Ginger are great and do amazing food too.

[Anonymous No.8038174]

>>8038145
Yes, I more or less did the same thing because the spearmint we have are our neighbours and they keep running over them with the lawnmower, so I just pulled a shoot up and stuck it in a pot we had used for something else and they thrived pretty well. They're basically weeds, so you don't really have to do very much to maintain them.

[Anonymous No.8038186]

>>>>8036885
>>>For milk and cream, it ought to go before the water and tea leaves due to curdling.

Gtfo what is wrong with you, only if you're making it in the pot godammit


Also, Yorkshire Tea for everyday, Teapigs for treats

[Anonymous No.8038205]

>>8033324
Where do you all get your cute lil tea cups like the VM ones?

[Anonymous No.8038225]

>>8038161
Oooh thanks!

[Anonymous No.8038245]

>>8033279
Ohh, I've been to one of those! Amazing tea, I love it.

[Anonymous No.8038271]

>>8037983
Not a former Teavana employee but I do have a weird story involving them.

> Used to work in mall coffee shop
> Teavana is one floor above us
> My boss caused a huge shitfest with their head manager because one of their employees asked for a plastic fork
> Boss would cause a scene and scream "Tell your fucking employees not to take our merchandise" at him every time they cross paths
> Other mall employees would see that my boss is a total nutcase and start avoiding the coffee shop
> Start losing sales
> Boss blames this on Teavana "stealing the customers"
> He starts telling everyone to push sales on our brewed *Celestial Seasonings* tea and say that it's much better than Teavana
> Tries to copy their sales shtick with cheap loose leaf gift sets (not allowed to give samples, though)
> "If any of you bring anything here from Teavana, your hours will get cut."
> Sales still suck, loose leaf tea sets just gathered dust
> All of this over a goddamn plastic fork

[Anonymous No.8038282]

>>8037307
Actually, tea before milk used to be a sign that you had the best quality china, since it didn't crack with the heat of the tea and didn't stain as much as the inferior stuff

[Anonymous No.8038291]

>>8038169
Thank you!

>>8038065
Your container pretty much just needs to be airtight and stored away from the sun.

[Anonymous No.8038303]

>>8038123
Most of teavana's tea is fucking dried fruit and 'roiboos' it needs sugar or it tastes like zero things.

[Anonymous No.8038332]

>>8038303
roiboos has a pretty unique taste though.

just saying, i've never heard of teavana and from this thread i'm guessing i'm better off not knowing, but still...

[Anonymous No.8038335]

>>8038109
I thought jars would be bad because it exposes the tea to light?

[Anonymous No.8038337]

>>8038332
they mix almost everything with rooibos, it's horrible. plus, the rooibos that's in the mixed teas is pretty much coffee ground sized dust, even the plain rooibos they sell is bad.

it's barely even a tea shop, it's the cupcake shop of tea.
>like tea? well you'll love tea with a bunch of random sweet shit too! we're so cool!

[Anonymous No.8038354]

>>8038337
i see...

[Anonymous No.8038361]

>>8038354
sorry, i just. i grew up with tea and it pisses me off to no end.
>here everything is full of fruit
>like gingerbread cookies, apple pie? we've got a tea for that!
>like, mojitos? we've got a tea for that!
>like oprah? we've got a tea for that!
>monkey picked oolong starts at $25
>silver needle has no caffeine!
>infact, no white tea does, only dark teas have caffeine!

no...burn everything and start over.

[Anonymous No.8038391]

>>8038361
>google mojito tea just to check
>it actually exists
>and there supposedly is blackberry with it too
>because mojito tea wasn't enough
what the fuck man, i seriously thought you were joking!

[Anonymous No.8038474]

>>8038335
I've never heard the thing about light. Then again, I keep my tea away from the windows/direct sunlight and it still tastes good.

[Anonymous No.8038477]

>>8038391
i wish, anon, i wish. seriously, if you're ever feeling masochistic look at their website.

[Anonymous No.8038488]

Any other Charm Villa fans here?

[Anonymous No.8038496]

>>8038303
That reminds me, thoughts on David's Tea? I'm completely new to tea and one opened up a few blocks from my job.

[Anonymous No.8038507]

>>8038488
Wow, that looks gorgeous, I checked out their site, I don't think they have an online shop. Unfortunate, I'd love to try that tea.

[Anonymous No.8038539]

>>8038496
Looks like someone didn't read the thread

[Anonymous No.8038543]

I really like genmaicha and mugicha tea... I seem to be the only one out of my "tea elite" friends that like it though, which makes me kind of sad

[Anonymous No.8038551]

postan Russian teaset porn

[Anonymous No.8038552]

>>8038496
Fuck me, just saw >>8033254

[Anonymous No.8038555]

[Anonymous No.8038562]

Previous one was called "Tulip", this one's the "White Swan"

[Anonymous No.8038564]

>>8038507
They are only avaiable online for Taiwan right now, they are pretty much sold out until 2016 because people ordered way more than they can make by hand.

[Anonymous No.8038567]

[Anonymous No.8038570]

Opinions on T2? One recently opened in my city.

[Anonymous No.8038572]

[Anonymous No.8038580]

Some things other than mint I like use to make tea with are lemon verbena, chamomile and some other herb mixes I have no idea how to translate into English. Gud stuff.

>>8037997
>>8037768
>throw
>fish out the leaves

There's actually a special cup for making tea out of leaves (so you don't have to fish them out), but I have no idea what it's called.

[Anonymous No.8038591]

All these charity shop tea sets lol, looks like Frinton on Sea's Oxfam after a spate of flu in the local nursing homes

>>> ITT British people laughing at you

[Anonymous No.8038599]

>>8038580
You mean just regular infusers and tea balls that you'd use for loose leaf tea anyway?

[Slutcliff !!oApGYJz0ghp No.8038601]

My favourite teapot. It's a matte sky blue, the tiny cloud on top is so precious. It came with two matching cups.

[Anonymous No.8038605]

>>8038580
You can get filters which are fairly deep that sit in your cup. Leaves can move around really easily.
I use something like this http://www.whittard.co.uk/equipment/tea-equipment/tea-infusers-strainers/chatsford-mug-white-filter.htm

[Anonymous No.8038612]

>>8038570
I personally quite like them. Their in store tea sample are both very strong and over sugared so that's not really what you're going to be getting.
Grab one of their loose leaf or tea bag sample boxes and try their various types.

[Anonymous No.8038620]

>>8038601
That is really cute!

[Anonymous No.8038621]

>>8038591
>charity shop
They're Dulevo porcelain, mate. Russian tea sets are generally decorated that way, you should see some of the samovars. The design is interesting.
>thinking I give a fuck about what limeys think
lel
my own pots and kettles are all black, Russian tea culture's just great craic
>not brewing your tea using an old boot
>not brewing your tea on coal
step it up ya mary

[Anonymous No.8038626]

>>8038601
1/10 i raged a little.

[Anonymous No.8038631]

Persian samovar, antique

[Anonymous No.8038633]

Edwardian-era samovar, Moscow

[Anonymous No.8038638]

[Anonymous No.8038639]

>>8038570
Their fruit infusions are better than their teas...

[Anonymous No.8038651]

>>8038639
True. Having some of their Turkish Apple or Cherry on hand to add to iced fruit teas is a good idea.

[Anonymous No.8038791]

>>8038543
Mugicha is a god tier summer drink. I guzzled more of it than water, especially when I was working out and it was hot out. I'd brew a giant pitcher of it at once (I put the barley in a cheesecloth for easy extraction).

Genmaicha also has that delicious roasted flavour to it, so I'm not surprised someone else likes both a lot. I bought some when I went to a local tea shop, and I've found it really helpful for nausea and indigestion when I drank it with my meal. It's a very comforting tea.

>>8038580
Well, I was being a bit cheeky to show you just need the bare minimum of equipment. But yeah, you can use an infuser or pour the tea through a strainer or whatever.

[Anonymous No.8038844]

>>8038065
>>8034331
Is this still for sale?

[Anonymous No.8038853]

>>8038621
oh christ it's so tacky it hurts
i love it

[Anonymous No.8038863]

I wish it wasn't quite so expensive because I adore these super OTT teapots from T2. http://www.t2tea.com/shop/teaware-2/tea-pots/6-cup-tea-pots/moroccan-tealeidoscope-teapot-2/

[Anonymous No.8038866]

>>8038863
Also these "Art Deco" ones.

[Anonymous No.8038874]

>>8038168
>>8038174
That's def good news, thank you!

[Anonymous No.8038885]

>>8038844
No idea. Last weekend I asked at the store and they said to be selling them as long as they have stock.

[Anonymous No.8039142]

>>8038844
They still have them on their site. There's a $30 and a $100.

[Anonymous No.8039225]

>>8038552
See, I dont really believe >>8033254 completely on them all being filler. I have Spearmint from David's Tea, and it is not only a shit load more tea than I expected for the money compared to other teas they have, but it is just mint leaves. No filler or stems or wahtever. So obviously they do carry real tea. But yes a lot of their popular stuff, anythign that is flavoured has non tea components which they do tell you if it isnt obvious when you have the tea. I dont think that is a bad thing either, its an interesting and valid comment that the idea of doing that to tea leaves can be done with other things like fruits. It just isnt 'pure' tea at that point.

Since a lot of teavana and David's Teas are more fruity and more juicey in taste, it probably would be easier for people to get into tea through.

>>8038605
A strainer for the sink (obviously new ones) work the same and are far cheaper since you can get them from the dollar store.

[Anonymous No.8039440]

>>8033328
Wat. What is this place you speak of?

[Anonymous No.8039444]

>>8033350
that's the original purpose of tea, ingesting plants with natural health benefits in a way that doesn't suck or destroy the compounds. Nothing wrong with that at all.

[Anonymous No.8039459]

>>8035899
One day anon. I'll have my tea and drink it too.

[Anonymous No.8039461]

>>8037312
Make a dog run and have your garden outside of that. If the owner cries, tell them to cry more.

[Anonymous No.8039466]

>>8034331
Their strawberry vanilla is my favorite of their regular ones. Then their loki lani (hawaiian one) is my second.

[Anonymous No.8039481]

Tea related images for your viewing pleasure.

[Anonymous No.8039483]

>>8039481

[Anonymous No.8039486]

>>8039483

[Anonymous No.8039491]

>>8039486
Good luck falling in love with this set. You'll never find it sold for a reasonable price ever.

[Anonymous No.8039494]

>>8039491

[Anonymous No.8039498]

>>8039494
All the comfy

[Anonymous No.8039502]

>>8039498

[Anonymous No.8039504]

>>8039502
Have some recipes for tea cakes from the last thread.

[Anonymous No.8039508]

>>8039504
tea baked goods* rather

[Anonymous No.8039512]

>>8039508

[Anonymous No.8039515]

>>8039512

[Anonymous No.8039518]

>>8039515
image name brings up the recipe

[Anonymous No.8039522]

>>8039518

[Anonymous No.8039528]

>>8039522
That's it for tonight.

[Anonymous No.8039540]

>>8033333
Hey yo, If you've already decided that you don't give a shit about what people think, then shut the fuck up and stop fishing for justification. No one gives two shits about how special snowflake + stick-it-to-the-man your tea drinking habits are.

you go anon, you've decided that your gonna be yourself.. Assphats to you...

[Anonymous No.8039545]

>>8039225
sorry to burst your bubble, but i doubt the mojito tea anon was talking about earlier is only made with tea and dried fruits, there must be a shitload of artificial flavors.
with a lot of tea, stuff like dried fruits and flower petals are mostly here to look pretty, it's not actually what produces the taste... it's not always a problem, some great tea brands add flavors to their perfumed tea too, except they use good quality flavoring, most of the time of natural origin (and yes i'm aware artificial flavoring isn't bad in itself, but for tea it usually means it tastes like shit). but if the anons in this thread are right, i doubt teavana and david's tea do that.

so yes, just because you only see leaves doesn't mean there only are leaves in what you bought.

[Anonymous No.8039889]

>>8039545
Thats actually highly unlikely, since David's Tea admits their flavoured stuff does have that (comapred to their unflavoured ones like the mint I have that does not), and says themselves if there is artificial flavouring vs natural. I cant say about Teavana, I would have to check on their ingredient lists.

The anons who work at the retail side only would know that, how they are made to sell you products like any store in the world. They would not be experts in the making of the tea since that isnt retail. Im not sure how that is a shocker, its standard practice for any store to push sales like that, and naturally its the drawback of the system that is sales based for the employees.

The mojito tea actually is a starbucks/teavana thing, so its going to be more out there compared to other teas, as it isnt meant to be a pure tea but to cash in on the companies working together. It tastes more like a juice like all of the starbucks stuff teavana does.

[Anonymous No.8039901]

>>8039540
>getting this assblasted
>over tea
a u t i s m

[Anonymous No.8039913]

Do you guys have any opinions of Adagio Teas? Stopped in one in Chicago but didn't have a lot of time so I didn't up getting anything.

[Anonymous No.8039966]

>>8033375
>measuring the temperature is kind of an overkill

Maybe my family are too tea nerdy for our own good, but our kettle has different buttons for different temperatures, and it even says under each button what tea it should be used for. I'm in Aus, they're not uncommon here, and I don't think it was any more expensive than an ordinary kettle?

[Anonymous No.8039986]

>>8033620
>>8033612
>water boiler

jfc call it a kettle
that's what it is


kind regards, salty british ausfag

[Anonymous No.8039996]

for anyone who can't deal with waiting the few minutes to let their boiling water cool, I've had great success with this kettle. It's really fast on the minimum boiling too.

>Adagio Teas 3 UtiliTEA Variable-Temperature 30-Ounce Electric Kettle

[Anonymous No.8040000]

>>8039966
Where in Aus did you get a kettle with different options? I need to get a new one and might as well replace it with something useful

[Anonymous No.8040013]

>>8040000
I don't remember, but probably Harvey Norman or David Jones or something. It's a Breville, pic related.

> Breville BKE825SH The Smart Kettle

When I searched online for it I found that it's in both myer and DJs department store post xmas sales, so get on that. Good luck anon!

[Anonymous No.8040428]

>>8039966
i have one too, and to my experience it does change the taste of some teas to not boil the water.

[Anonymous No.8042272]

Just curious, how many others were given tea in a bottle as a toddler?
Not your silly fancy stuff, just a proper brew.

[Anonymous No.8042274]

>>8042272
>giving caffeine to toddlers
That said I was given chamomile a few times when I had bellyaches.

[Anonymous No.8042305]

>>8042274
Chamomile is for baths. A good cuppa would have sorted your tummyache.
Boyfriend dumped you? Cuppa.
Bad test scores? Cuppa.
Lost a leg in a landmine whilst doing aid work in Bosnia? Cuppa.

[Anonymous No.8042378]

>>8040013
This thread is seriously tempting me to save up for the Breville BREBTM800XL Tea Maker, which not only adjusts temperature but also makes sure your tea steeps for precisely the right amount of time. Kinda pricey but a tea-snob friend got one as a wedding gift and swears by it now.

Anyone else have experience with this type of automated all-in-one tea maker / kettle?

[thigh-gap !PicKleqHjM No.8042565]

>>8033596
>>8037529
I stopped by Tsaa and the Tea Emporium on the Danforth yesterday. I really love Tsaa, nice friendly workers, good tea selection, cafe-like environment and a good menu of desserts and meals as well. It's a great place to sit down and catch up with friends, but be sure to try any tea before you buy, because there's been some reviews of people getting old tea despite spending a premium price on it.

Tea Emporium is almost right across the street, so if you don't find anything at Tsaa, be sure to check it out. They're set at a reasonable price point, the employees are well instructed, and they also carry some cute tea accessories and gifts as well.

>>8039913
Adagio Teas is really reputable, and they always have promo codes going around so it's easy to find a deal. Be sure to google one of their promo codes before making an order.

They have flat shipping to the US, but anywhere else and the charges may turn you off from them. Their Fandom Tea Blends are great gift ideas though, check them out.

[Anonymous No.8042729]

Any NYC tea store (or restaurant) recommendations?

[Anonymous No.8042759]

>>8042305
where in the blazes do you live that 'cuppa' is a thing?

[Anonymous No.8042766]

>>8042759
The UK I am guessing

[Anonymous No.8042788]

So I currently have a peach infused black tea steeping atm. Smells like delicious peach rings and I'm ok with this.

[Anonymous No.8042793]

>>8042766
Urban dictionary says it's Irish. Fancy that.

[Anonymous No.8042796]

>>8042793
Anyone else have one of these? I really love mine.

[Anonymous No.8043040]

>>8042729
Harney and Sons in SoHo.

[Anonymous No.8043043]

>>8042793
I've never heard anyone refer to it in that way in Ireland

[Anonymous No.8043067]

source on these or where i can find something similar?

[Anonymous No.8043083]

>>8042796
Wow, I never knew I needed this. Do you remove the strainer to clean it?

[Anonymous No.8043331]

>>8042796
Found one at a thrift store but never use it because it's so much easier/tidier to just use my PerfecTea. I wish Teavana would make a larger version of that thing to brew whole pots in.

[Anonymous No.8043334]

>>8043043
I've also heard it in Australia, New Zealand and some older British TV shows.

[Anonymous No.8043348]

>>8043083
The strainer comes out pretty easily. I have one with plastic with holes like the one on the left, though, and tea stains can be difficult to clean out of those. And with my experience with steel, it retains flavours more easily, so I would recommend checking and soaking it if it does smell of tea.

>>8043043
I've heard it used here in South London.

[Anonymous No.8043382]

>>8038567
>I have a tea pot/tea cup collection
>tfw I will never own this beautiful motherfucker

[Anonymous No.8043393]

>>8039481
>>8039486
>>8039491
>>8039494
>>8039498
>>8039528

fapping

[Anonymous No.8043399]

>>8043348
Just realised that my reply about South London looks a bit out of context just replying to that post. I was following the conversation and what I mean is that I've heard it used in the UK, in London.

[Anonymous No.8043401]

>itt: favorite herbal tea?
my favorite is tra la han tran chau it is a vietnamese with a strong anise flavor and other spices

[Anonymous No.8043418]

>>8043083
The strainer just pops in and has a lip that rests over the top of the pot, it even snaps into place so it won't fall out as easily.
>>8043348
That's the one I have too.
>>8043067
I'm searching for you anon. I fuckin hate pintrest if for no other reason than the vomit I get from every Pam Dick and Sally that likes the same junk as me.

[Anonymous No.8043424]

>>8043393

[Anonymous No.8043427]

>>8043424

[Anonymous No.8043435]

>>8043067
Like this?
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/111556545/arcopal-tea-set-opalescent-tea-set
They seem to be vintage but googling 'pastel glass tea' cup seem to find them

[[e-mail] No.8043459]

>>8042378

If you want one, anon, email me? I'm selling one at 150-ish. Only used it once, good quality.

[Anonymous No.8043461]

>>8043067
FOUND THE SONS OF BITCHES.
They aren't as pale as your op though.
The original poster found them at a vintage store in France. It's transparent colored milk glass from the 60's.
I tried looking deeper for you, but no such luck.

[Anonymous No.8043464]

Former teavana employee as well, and I personally never had issues with their pure teas. The flavored crap is crap, but their jasmine teas and pure teas aren't too bad- but that's with a 30% off coupon for working there.

I am wanting to get into online teas and whatnot. Does anyone have good recommendations for pure flavors/sites?

[Anonymous No.8043468]

>>8043435
Damn anon, you got me on that one, you found a seller. It's the same ones too. I'm impressed.

[Anonymous No.8043472]

>>8043468
Just lucky honestly! It looked like etsy bait so that's where I tried!

[Anonymous No.8043478]

>>8043468
You know, now that I'm searching it as 'opalescent tea cups' it came up almost instantly with listings. Hurf durf.

[Anonymous No.8043481]

>>8043478
Found some cute things while searching for that shit though.

[Anonymous No.8043483]

>>8043478
It's rather annoying how many plain glass cups came up when searching "translucent." That word means a thing! That thing is not transparent!!!

[Anonymous No.8043485]

>>8043481

[Anonymous No.8043490]

>>8043481
Wow! That's super stylish. You could even put them on floral saucers for a weird neo-victorian-vaporwave-ish look.

[Anonymous No.8043495]

>>8043483
Lol, you know what's up.
Have titty tea cups

[Anonymous No.8043497]

>>8043478
I actually love double walled glass tea cups/mugs like this. I have one that works like a travel mug with a silicone lid and basket for loose leaves. Pic related.

[Anonymous No.8043503]

>>8043495
Those boobs need some lanolin cream or something...

>>8043497
Are they super fragile? I'm always scared I'll break them.

[Anonymous No.8043508]

>>8043490
>neo-victorian-vaporwave-ish

[Slutcliff !!oApGYJz0ghp No.8043516]

>>8038626
Sorry, is this a thread for fancy/antique teapots only? I didn't know.

[Anonymous No.8043517]

>>8043503
I never use them for travel because the existence of glass thermoses is super counter intuitive tbh. But they're great for sitting by your computer or TV and if you're a hamhands you won't have to worry about ruining a keyboard or leaving a huge mess.

[Anonymous No.8043519]

>>8043516

nice teavana shit. That's literally one of their worst, unsellable teapots.

[Anonymous No.8043550]

>>8043519
I'm not the person who posted it and I don't live in the U.S but it looks like a cute teapot to me.
It sucks when ubiquitousness ruins things.

[Anonymous No.8043614]

>>8034039
I collect china and antiques. Pic related is part of my collection. (Sorry about the bad lighting.)

I would love to see pictures of other people's collections! Do you guys stick to collecting certain sets or themes, or do you just pick up things in general that you like?

[Anonymous No.8043642]

>>8042759
>>8043334
>>8043348
Heard it being used all over England and Wales, both north and south. Usually by an older generation or if its a sad or stressful day to make the tea sound even more soothing.

[Anonymous No.8043665]

>>8038570
Fell free to go in and ask to try something if you would like. A lot of the 'exotic'(high end) range is very good as is the white and green teas. As other anons have pointed out their fruit tissanes are more popular.

[Anonymous No.8043667]

>>8043614
I buy whatever I can find cheap at thrift stores, garage sales, and antique malls.

[Anonymous No.8043679]

>>8043614
That's absolutely gorgeous. Is the set(?) on the left a Wedgwood design?

I personally pick up anything I like and these days try not to buy a whole set, just individual items. I used to buy sets but it ended up being a bother because I don't have the room.

[Anonymous No.8043711]

>>8043679
Yes! I inherited the Wedgwood from my grandma.
Thank you so much!

I totally get what you mean about just picking up anything you like. Full sets do take up a lot of space, and I find that it's almost more fun to discover new things that look nice with what you already have.

[Anonymous No.8044146]

>>8043435
>>8043461
>>8043468
Thanks gulls you are all superstars!! I don't know if they'll survive a trip from australia to the states so i dont think i'll buy them just yet, but thanks for the effort and now I know how to search for themand what they are etc etc.

>>8043485
These are /really/ doin it for me right now but i just caNT BUY $40 TEACUPS I HAVE BILLS TO PAY

>>8043519
It's cute tho man maybe lighten up a lil

>>8043614
That wedgwood jasperware is a pretty dark color, is that what happens when you use it a lot or did it use to come in that color? Also ur collection is beautiful and i am jelly.

[Anonymous No.8044150]

>>8044146
Wedgwood comes in lots of colors.

[Anonymous No.8044165]

>>8044150
Ahh okay now that i searched jasperware colors i get more than just the light blue, ligt green, and black. I thought that maybe the using and cleaning would eventually change the color since it's stoneware and not porcelain or bone china. It doesnt look like they make that dusty rose color on the right in front outside of that set though. :/ but the pink is nice too.

[Anonymous No.8045394]

Has anyone tried this? I get mixed answers from friends ranging from it tastes good to "it's hella salty."

[Anonymous No.8045623]

>>8045394
Seconded on reviews for this. I've been tempted to try.

[Anonymous No.8045640]

I've got a few really cute sets, but I usually just use my davidstea perfect mug because i prefer that infuser over the ball infusers

[Anonymous No.8045644]

>>8045640
and I have the matching teapots for a few of them, but I usually just use this guy

[Anonymous No.8045679]

>>8043614
I have a collection that's inherited from my mother, and from her mother to her. It's all stuff that was hand painted by my grandmother, and there's a number of cups with mustache guards that I absolutely love. The rest of it is antique crystal ware and awesome painted plates. I have no pictures, but one day I'll post them for you ladies.

[Anonymous No.8045683]

>>8045644
OOOOH, you're the anon from the last thread. I'd recognize that pot anywhere.

[Anonymous No.8045800]

>>8045640
i'm in love with these; would you mind posting the matching teapots or just the names of the designs? they're just so pretty and i love florals hwee anon u got good taste

[Anonymous No.8045903]

>>8045679
That sounds absolutely gorgeous. I don't know much about hand painted teaware but does the paint add texture? I did once purchase a set that was damaged but I loved the paintwork on it and all the little raised details.

[Anonymous No.8048349]

Germanfag here. Would you say the teas of TeeGschwender are good? I always liked them and I like them a lot better than some supermarket teas, but are they really a good tea shop or is there any place better?

[Anonymous No.8048928]

>>8045394
They're probably salted, dried sakura if it's salty, it looks super cute though!