Tea General

[Anonymous No.10996864]

So I've always been a coffee lover.
I really, genuinely want to like tea as well.
But literally every time I try tea, it's always just... gross.
I vaguely recall having chamomile tea with milk and honey and that it was good, but that was when I was around 10 years old.

The main reason I want to switch to tea is to kick my soda jerking. Anyone have any advice for me? Teas I should try? Other ingredients to add?

>also Tea General thread

[Anonymous No.10996882]

Sounds like the first thing should be to wean you off added sugar. Try drinking tea with your meals, instead of on its own - A good cuppa will go with more or less any food.
Teabags are okay provided you heat up your teapot (or mug) before starting your brew.

[Anonymous No.10996886]

>>10996882
Also, I like Earl Grey with milk (to cool it down in good time and add richness), but that's just my preference.

[Anonymous No.10996892]

>>10996882
I have one of those automatic kettles. Would that suffice?
weaning off the sugar isn't too much of a problem for me (I've kicked worse habbits).
I'm guessing that, like coffee, it's a sort of aquired taste?
Also, any types of teas I should try first?
>Earl Grey
I tried black tea a while ago and was rather shocked.

[Anonymous No.10996908]

>>10996892
Boiling water is boiling water. As long as it's poured onto the bag as soon as it boils it's fine.
Three minutes of steeping for one teabag.
But, yes it's an acquired taste. There's so many different varieties of tea, however, that you're sure to find something you'll enjoy if you regularly try different types.

[Anonymous No.10996968]

>>10996908
thanks a bunch anon!
>a wallpaper for your help

[Anonymous No.10997614]

It's a very wholesome tea general,
Let's have a wholesome sage.

[Anonymous No.10997720]

>>10996864
>>10996892
>I tried black tea a while ago and was rather shocked.
In a good way, or bad?
As far as recommendations go, it would help to know more about what you want from tea in terms of taste, and how it fails to satisfy based on your experiences so far.
(Loose) Oolongs are probably your best bet, try a decent Da Hong Pao and maybe a Taiwanese Jin Xuan or something lighter.

[Anonymous No.10998386]

>>10997720
am I the only teafag on /ck/ this afternoon?

[Anonymous No.10998411]

>>10998386
I'm lurkin

[Anonymous No.10998416]

>>10996864
Ditch that britsh shit and makes some good ole kenyan tea add a bit of ginger and tea masala and sweaten with cane sugar.

[Anonymous No.10998711]

>>10998386
yes

[Anonymous No.10998723]

With sweets: kenyan black, NO additions to tea itself.
Casual daily hydration fuel: black tea with big juicy well squeezed slice of lemon and sugar.
Summer survival: matcha powder with milk and ice.
Daily hydration/summer survival 2 in 1 combo: cooled green tea with mint.
Daily hydration/summer survival - VIOLENT EVAPORATION MODE: green + black + mint + optional small slice of lemon right in the teapot.

[Anonymous No.10998745]

>>10998416
>adding ginger to tea
fucking wogs

[Anonymous No.10998862]

>>10996864
Chamomile Tea is not the same thing as tea. It's a herbal tea. That's a whole different thing. Teas are made with tea leaves

[Anonymous No.10999878]

>>10996864
tea is one of those hobbies you can really get into, or simply ignore everything aside from your favorite kind. I really depends on how deep you want to go.

If you aren't interested in anything past teabags I recommend Tinings. It is an excellent grocery-tier tea and widely available. If you really want to explore the flavors of loose leaf you can visit your local distributor and try some great blends and discover entire types like oolong, green, white, etc.


whatever you decide keep in mind that you should always use the best quality water available, use a kettle (electric or otherwise) and avoid over-boiling your water as it makes the flavor a bit flat. just under boiling is best for black tea and tends to run cooler for other types.

[Anonymous No.10999880]

>>10999878
*twinings

Jesus Christ I had to retype that four fucking times

[Anonymous No.11001179]

>>10997720
shocked in a "this is too strong of a taste" kind of way.

>>10999878
im basically just looking for something i can drink as a common beverage. im literally getting sick of soda.

i should probably mention that im in the US, if that makes a difference. i know other countries can be rather particular about their teas.

[golden magikarp No.11001197]

lapsang souchong (twinning's or solstice tea traders) use it to replace whiskey in non alcoholic mocktails. ex: lapsang+sprite= nonalcoholic scotch highball, or look up old fashioned non alcoholic recipe.

[Anonymous No.11001227]

OP here
Ghis is what i already had in my pantry

[Anonymous No.11001389]

>>11001227
try Twining's lady grey. it's very floral and adds citrus to a less intense black tea than their eng/Irish breakfast blends.if it's available in your area, English afternoon is also less of a punch to the tongue

[Anonymous No.11001393]

had an Assam Ceylon blend while in some Indian place in London on vacation., where can i get tea like this again? added millk and sugar and was the bomb.

[Anonymous No.11001406]

I never ordered tea online, I only got it locally because I fear it wouldn't be as fresh. Is this fear baseless?

[Anonymous No.11001518]

The biggest problem you're having is drinking flower tea. Nobody likes the taste of flowers, Start with Lemon or like Peppermint. Also Lipton is the worst brand IMO of pre made tea, they use corn syrups for sweeteners, can't say much for their bags.

▲
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[Anonymous No.11001544]

>>10996864
I used to like coffee a lot more as well but the tea that really changed my mind was T2 which my gf got for me as a gift. You should try the gorgeous geisha green tea. Seems like a safe bet for someone who doesn't really like tea. Really liked it since it wasn't as tea-y if that makes sense

[Anonymous No.11002145]

>>10998745
What is chai tea?

[Anonymous No.11002441]

Someone please give quick rundown on Pu Erh or or some other red tea. Any recomendations?

[Anonymous No.11002461]

Hey anons, made a thread a few months ago about not being able to stand tea. Went to a tea shop a few weeks later to try sone iced white tea, was pretty good. Made it taste a little odd when I drank too much at one time, so little sips made it the most enjoyable.
Also tried earl grey and black tea samples I took from my vet. Earl grey with a cube of sugar and some milk is great.
Still perfer coffee but tea is nice when its cold and cloudy out, I feel like i gotta be in a certain mood for it, like hot coco.

[Anonymous No.11002479]

>>11002441
>or some other red tea
Careful with that term; in China it just refers to what Westerners call black tea, a category that has no overlap with pu'er. Perhaps you mean "dark tea"? Still a somewhat confusing label, but it's accepted to refer to pu and other post-fermented teas.
As for pu'er, the main divides are
1. Sheng vs. shou, and
2. Young vs. aged.
Age doesn't matter as much for shou, and shou is likely a more accessible drink for most palates. Just go with a well-regarded supplier and you're not likely to have a bad time with shou; it's also really sturdy and hard to abuse by using inappropriate water temperatures or amounts of leaf material.
Sheng is more expensive, more variable, and more interesting. I for one prefer it to have at least a decade of age (by then it's dramatically different from young sheng), but some prefer the young stuff.
>Any recomendations?
Which of these flavor profiles are you more interested in?
>Roast, chocolate, cherry (shou)
>Fruit, astringency, hay (young sheng)
>Books, tobacco, spices (aged sheng)
(there's lots more out there but these just convey the basics of each category)
In any case, Yunnan Sourcing is where I would direct you to place an order if you're new to pu.

[Anonymous No.11002950]

My first what-cha order arrived
Got the classic handwritten note and a free sample
Tea is good too
Recommend to any britbongs

[Anonymous No.11003255]

>Black tea with a splash of brandy
Tasty and super comfy. Highly recommend it.

[Anonymous No.11003281]

>>11003255
That sounds like a nice treat before bed. I'll have to try it next time I make a pot of tea.

[Anonymous No.11003340]

>>11003281
>before bed
but black tea has caffeine, anon

[Anonymous No.11003357]

>>11001227
>OP again
made one of the Twinings just now
>2 lumps & a squirt of honey
>mfw i love it

[Anonymous No.11003374]

>>11003340
Caffeine doesn't affect me very much anymore. I can go to sleep after a cup of coffee.

[Anonymous No.11003394]

>>10996892
>Earl gray
Nah, go to one of you local tea shops and have them guide you towards a tea you find interesting. They'll let you sniff their bins of tea and bring you more bins according to your opinions until you find something you enjoy the smell of.

[Anonymous No.11003517]

>>11003357
Nice to hear that those good good leaves are growing on ya, mate. The world of tea gets so much bigger, especially once you graduate to loose leaf. Teas like real pu'er and oolong simply aren't possible in bagged form.

[Anonymous No.11003550]

i just use celestial seasoning tea bags

how do you guys brew your tea?

[Anonymous No.11003553]

My favorite Twinings tea is their Christmas tea

[Anonymous No.11003572]

>>11003517
>Teas like real pu'er and oolong simply aren't possible in bagged form
>aren't possible
Why is that? I was wondering why I can't find dragon well tea bags.

[Anonymous No.11003585]

>>10998723
Fukkin rare robot pic and excellent taste. I like your stye, anon

[Anonymous No.11003633]

>>11003517
i think the problem was that the last time i tried real tea, i was very young so my sense of taste wasnt fully... matured?
i like things now that young me would've hated, and apparently tea falls in that catagory!

[Anonymous No.11003733]

>>11003633
For me, it's the unique leaf taste.

[Anonymous No.11003798]

>>11003733
>>11003633
we both got the same dubs

i suppose it might also have been that i would always have my teas prepared for me, instead of doing it myself.
>makes another cuppa
finally, i can kick this carbonated crap

[Anonymous No.11003822]

>thread full of tea bags
enjoy drinking the waste powder left over from actual tea making

[Anonymous No.11003858]

>>11003822
care to elaborate?
in case you haven't noticed, im new to tea.
i figured that teabag teas arent as nice as loose leaf.
so can you share some information?

[Anonymous No.11004040]

>>11003858
not him, but the stuff they put in bags is usually of a lower quality than its loose leaf alternative.

get an infuser and a small tin of the same twinnings blend you're currently drinking and you'll understand why teabags' only reason to exist is because of the convenience factor.

[Anonymous No.11004045]

>>11003858
It's just another "haha fuck ur instant coffee", I-am-superior-than-you meme. Just work with what you have.

[Anonymous No.11004109]

>>11003858
Well, tea bags are mostly made from the lowest grades of harvested tea, which are 'fannings' and 'dust' in the industry. Fannings are fragments left behind when all the higher grades are separated and sorted. Dust is literally the tiny bits that are swept up during packing. Much of the tea in teabags is made from relatively low quality leaves that are not pre-sorted, but simply fed into crush-tear-curl machines to break it all down into fannings.

[Anonymous No.11004133]

>>11003255
Yang Wenli knows his shit.

[Anonymous No.11004153]

>>10996864

Op, mind if I suggest you a personal favorite of mine?

Just a simple Clipper brand teabag, taste nice and can be a very tasty "builder's tea".

Also, gunpowder green tea variety is quite tasty.

[Anonymous No.11004206]

[Anonymous No.11004223]

>>11003858
Not that anon, but I'll try to infodump without sounding like a snooty asshole:
It's a similar premise as full peppercorns vs preground pepper, but arguably more pronounced since we're dealing with a larger quantity being consumed.
Something powdered exposes significantly more of its surface area to the air, and will go stale much faster compared to the full form version. With tea this extra surface area is even less desirable, since this means that when brewed it will release its tannins more easily compared to loose leaf, resulting in bitter tea. Not to say they don't have merits of their own, but milk and sugar are often used to bandaid fix a problem that really shouldn't exist in the first place.
Teabags also tend to not give information on when the tea was processed, and best-by dates are rather generous and completely arbitrary. Since bagged tea is already a cheap massproduced product, it's pretty likely that it has sat in a warehouse or on shelves for a few months/years. By the time it actually reaches you, it's long gone stale.
While looseleaf obviously isn't completely immune to this type of thing either, you'll find sellers of it are typically much more forthcoming with harvest information.
There is also of course is the sheer variety of teas available to you, while most bagged teas just offer one product per type (and some types of tea are just plain harder to find bagged). One variety of black tea can taste entirely different from another, but with bagged tea you really aren't offered that option. The manufacturers of bagged teas are chasing mass market appeal and a consistent product, not really a variety of experiences.
The only other tidbits I can offer is that loose leaf leaves can be brewed multiple times before they lose their flavor, and to be cautious of flavored teas, since flavorings are often used to mask a poor quality product.

[Anonymous No.11004891]

R8 my order:
White Nepal Sakhira
Da Wu Ye Dan Cong 2017
Si Ji Chun Oolong 2018
Darjeeling Seeyok Organic 2018
Nepal Ilam Himalayan SFTGFOP1 Special 2018
Meng Ding Mao Jian
Sencha Yabukita Organic 2018

[Anonymous No.11004917]

>>11004891
sounds nice. hard to tell if that stuff is the real deal just by the names sadly

[Anonymous No.11005145]

>>11004223
This is a very good post.

>>11003858
The anon you replied to posted a pic of a pu'er cake. Pu'er is usually compressed into a cake, brick, or similar shape; it has something to do with aging, or it's just traditional perhaps.
I picked this cake up in London last week, brewing it now. P good pu.

[Anonymous No.11005288]

I used to enjoy /sips/ or a cup of coffee when having a lazy saturday, but now I'm converted to tea. I don't put much stock in the "tea drunk" or "tea high" posts you'll find around the internet, but there is certainly something there. Just feeling awake and aware while also being soothed at the same time. No anxiety or jitters either. I love it.

Anyone else find you can drink, drink, drink and you can still get to sleep at night too?

[Anonymous No.11005303]

>>11005288
I'm like that too; the hot bird I posted above is supposedly high-caffeine, but I can sleep immediately after a few rounds of the stuff.
Kinda sucks to get no real boost out of caffeine, but being able to sip those leaves 24/7 is pretty cool.

[Anonymous No.11005309]

>>11004917
It is, all ordered straight from china/taiwan/nepal/india/japan. It's one of the bigger tea stores over here.

[Anonymous No.11005348]

>>11004223
Very nice post anon. I want to get better at explaining why teabags are shit without sounding like a pretentious hipster and I think you pull it off very well.

[Anonymous No.11005364]

>>11005309
Because I'm a dumbass and cant elaborate on multiple things at once in one post.
The white tea from nepal is probably one of the best white teas I've ever tasted, first brew has a very nice sweet aftertaste, and is not overwhelmingly citrusy like Bai Mu Dan for example, very aromatic and all 3 brewings taste very good

[OP No.11005426]

>>11005288
i just did that earlier
2 cups & was able to go right to sleep!

and thanks for the info /ck/!
i knew tea had a whole world to explore, so im excited that my tastes are letting me get into it.

[Anonymous No.11005437]

>>10996864
Chamomile tea (and all "herbal" teas) are not tea anymore than coffee is a tea or any plant material and hot water is. Tea is made from the leaves of the tea plant (C. sinensis). Depending on the oxidation of the leaves it can make black, white, green, etc teas.

[Anonymous No.11005538]

>>11005426
I'd had about 6 cups in the last 2 hours and have no jitters / anxiety at all. Just feel alert, soothed, and could fall asleep right now if I wanted to. Tea is easily the comfiest beverage

[Anonymous No.11005607]

>>11003572
Because the bagging process is automated and the machines break tea up into tiny little bits to fit them into tea bags easily. Tea that is broken up into tiny little bits is shit tea. Dragon well is good tea and is never broken up into tiny little bits so you can see why it would never be bagged.

TL:DR Dragonwell is literally too high of quality to fit in teabags.

[Anonymous No.11005709]

>>10999878
twinning's Irish breakfast blend is probably my favourite tea.

[Anonymous No.11005716]

>>11001393
Try the 'Assam bold' blend from twinning's, probably similar

[Anonymous No.11007100]

bump

[Anonymous No.11007206]

>>11005437
I still really like herbal teas though.

[Anonymous No.11007548]

>>10996864
Split over two posts as I wanted this to be complete, post 1/2.

Right OP, tea is easier to brew than coffee, but much more dependent on the quality of the leaves. Tea is also dependent on water (much like coffee), if you have UK quality tap water or very hard water don't use it, you want slightly mineral water, but not highly mineral (Volvic, for example, is good, but waters with 250+mg/l minerality will overextract the tannins in the tea and result in brews that are overwhelmingly and predominantly bitter).

In terms of additives: sugar/sweeteners never at all; milk - typically not, but a minimum amount is acceptable with Assam (especially summer flush); hot water is an acceptable additive in all cases, for example earl grey is always served with a pot of hot water; lemon - arguably acceptable with some scented teas (ear grey, Russian tea).

So now we move on to quality, first look at tea grades - see wikipedia and for some more description here: https://www.curioustea.com/tea-leaf-grading/..

Generally speaking, avoid teas worse than Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, and unless you must have a bag, avoid all broken teas as they contain a lot of tea dust, which usually include slight metal shavings are are overwhelmingly bitter.

On to tea types, I suggest you start with single-origin unscented/flavoured teas. You want to know what a 'flush' (harvest) is: https://tea101.teabox.com/difference-between-first-flush-and-second-flush/ - this terminology is also used for Assam teas, and Oolongs, there are also monsoon flushes which are usually very poor.

Now what types: Darjeeling, first and second flushes, Assam, first and second flushes, a Ceylon tea and a Kenyan tea (neither of these matter much in terms of quality, they are base flavours used in blends). Do not get an Oolong at this stage, as they are hard to brew and highly variate, read up on those it's a topic in its own right.

For Assam try without milk first, and then with a small amount of milk.

[Anonymous No.11007571]

>>10996864
>>11007548
And 2/2

Now brewing: Tea is brewed TWICE. Both brews have different tastes, this is true for all good leaves, an exception is very strong Assams. Typically you should use 10-12g of whole leaves for 1l of water, brewed at 92C for 3-4 minutes first brew, 5-8 minutes second brew. You either brew in an immersed basket, or a plunged basket. First post's pic is an immersed basket, second is teapress. The point is the tea does not sit in there after it's brewed, it is either removed from the pot or enclosed so there's not water flow. An immersed basket is better. The third method is to have a brewing pot and a serving pot, and whilst most good antique china tea sets have these (very much the norm in the 19th century) it adds no benefit.

The action of brewing is simple immersion, you pour the water evenly on top of the leaves, and ensure they are fully immersed, you wait 30-40s, and then you stir the leaves once to make sure they're uniformed wetted, then you leave, and remove the basket/plunge. You can then drink your tea. Lastly, oxidation is very important for tea, it's somewhat like wine in that sense. Some hipsters decant their tea through an aerator, which I don't do. What I do suggest is having a proper tea cup like in OP picture; this provides a good surface area for oxidation, and a thin lip such that you get a lot of air when you sip. You can taste the difference between a thin lipped cup and a mug easily.

Once you've tried these different base teas, and adjusted quantity of tea/extraction time to your preference, buy some scented tea e.g. Earl Grey, and blends, e.g. Breakfast Tea, and you'll both recognise the combination of tastes, and have an appreciation of what aspects of the flavour you prefer. Within a single tea region there's enormous variation, in Darjeeling particularly. There are easily wine levels of variety of flavour, and I ecourage you to explore them. Lastly, tea is often expensive, and cheap broken tea is invariably bad.

[Anonymous No.11007926]

What is the best way to get the temperate right for the tea? Do you get a knack for stopping the kettle at the right moment? do you wait a certain amount of time after boil? use a thermometer?

[Anonymous No.11007946]

How much tea is too much tea? Today I drank 0,9 liter black tea, 1,4 liter green tea and 1,4 liter white tea. Normally, I drink a bit less but not much less.

[Anonymous No.11007976]

>>11007926
I've measured that shit once, and it gave me those results:
1min - 99-100
2min - 98-99
3min - 95
4min - 90
5min - 90
6min - 89-88
7min - 86 - 86,5
8min - 84-85
9min - 83-82
10min - 80
11min - 80
12min - 78
13min - 76
14min - 75 - 75,5
15min - 75
16min - 74 - 75
17min - 74
18min - 72
19min - 71-72
20min - 70
All temps in celsius, with the kettle's lid up, 1 liter of water

[Anonymous No.11007986]

>>11007926
there's electric kettles with tea by type settings, but you can generally wing it by trial and error

[Anonymous No.11008087]

>>11007976
Hmm so loses 10c per 5 min until it gets to 80c at which point it is 5c per 5 min

I might try to repeat this experiment and report back

[Anonymous No.11008316]

if you're just using it to kick soda and dont care about caffeine try rooibos tea

[Anonymous No.11008445]

>>11007926
Just like for coffee, brewista temperature controlled kettle.

[Anonymous No.11008526]

lurking here, was wondering what brands of matcha are the best, currently sipping on Uji Hikari Matcha from meileaf but the shipping costs are a burden (amerifag)

[Anonymous No.11008767]

Is cold mugicha considered tea? I remember a friend giving me 3 teabags a few years ago and I actually enjoyed them.

[Anonymous No.11008831]

>>11007946
seconding this question, i heard somewhere that excessive tea consumption can lead to kidney stones, which i am very afraid of

[Anonymous No.11008839]

>>11008767
Isn't that barley? No that isn't tea because it doesn't have tea leaves

[Anonymous No.11010439]

>>11008831
more than 1.5l a day could be considered excessive

[Anonymous No.11011282]

>>11008831
mainly commercial iced tea has been attributed to this, I wouldn't worry about it. with normal tea.

[Anonymous No.11011342]

just get a good loose leaf black tea, like the teas at Peets. assam, yunnan, darjeeling. or try a nice semifermented tea like oolong, or white tea. they all have a more robust flavor than green tea, which is very grassy. brew very carefully, dont buy powders, dont let them brrew too long as it draws out more tannins. milk helps cut the acidity, but it doesnt need it if done right. i loved assam golden tip at peets, the brew was a beautiful red/gold color like a gemstone, when the sun hit it. avoid lapsang, jasmine, earl gray, and herbal teas. learn to like the plain tea leaf, unadorned.

[Anonymous No.11011862]

Is it just me or does brewed green tea leaves smell like roast chicken?

[Anonymous No.11011883]

>>10996864
Tea with a little milk is the most accessible in my opinion, since the milk cuts any bitterness/smooths out the brew (which is helpful with cheap tea, not as important with higher quality stuff). I saw later in the thread that you're liking Earl Gray with two sugars which is good, try and cut down sugar over time though as the tea becomes more refreshing with less sugar. Once you cut the sugar out completely you'll wonder why you had it in the first place since it's so overbearing on the tea. That said, some teas go better with sugar and EG is one of them.

People will shit talk you sometimes (only online) about taking milk but don't feel bad about it.

Also, don't be afraid of trying some herbal brews as well, different herbs are good for different things. For example, A cup of peppermint tea without milk or sugar is seriously good for easing a stomach if you've eaten too much/a heavy meal. You wont believe how refreshing it is.

Welcome to tea!

[Anonymous No.11011889]

>>10996864
how do I into real tea?
all ive ever done is microwave water and buy peppermint tea packs at wallmart

[Anonymous No.11011934]

>>10996864
>black tea
add milk and sugar like you would for coffee

>green tea
throw it away it's shit

>white tea
can drink it either with just water or with a dash of milk and sugar

>fruit tea
just water

Here's your guide to drinking basic teas. If they're too bitter, add sugar.

Drinking tea isn't healthier than soda in general if you add sugar and milk so if it's to truely kick soda, try water flavor things like mio, it'll make it way easier because it's a lot easier to make

[Anonymous No.11011957]

>>11011934
>Drinking tea isn't healthier than soda in general if you add sugar and milk

do you add 9 teaspoons of sugar to your tea?

[Anonymous No.11012309]

The only place in town that sold loose leaf tea shut down years ago.

I wanna get into loose leaf, what do?

[Anonymous No.11012333]

>>11012309
Have it delivered, try mariage freres for a good tea house, they have locations internationally too, so I expect it will only be national shipping costs.

[Anonymous No.11013181]

>>11011934
>sweetening black tea
>not liking green tea
>not even listing oolong

[Anonymous No.11013197]

be informed everyone, where to buy tea, different tea types, how to steep it, teaware and so on
new guys especially read this

https://pastebin.com/4ZEuMwBJ
https://pastebin.com/4ZEuMwBJ
https://pastebin.com/4ZEuMwBJ

on another note, I've bought 100g of 4y/o raw pu-erh from my trusty ebay chinks, I have only had fairly old raw pu-erh, so wish me luck, may I not find that I dislike mid-young raw pu-erh as well

[Anonymous No.11013225]

>>11011883
Seconding the peppermint tea. I have a peppermint/mint mix and it is so refreshing and I try to have a cup a day of it.

[Anonymous No.11014236]

hi

[Anonymous No.11014288]

>>11014236
i find this image very unsettling.
that cup is dangerously full, and right next to your mouse.
why would you keep a bottle of ketchup by your computer desk?

[Anonymous No.11015124]

>>11007548
>if you have LONDON quality tap water don't use it
Fix'd.
Everyone else has perfectly drinkable water.

[Anonymous No.11015329]

>>11011934

This guy gets it.
Green tea is disgusting horse shit.

[Anonymous No.11015333]

>>11013197
based

[Anonymous No.11015431]

if you are going to make a sweet iced tea, you add the sugar to the hot water and THEN chill, otherwise you get shitty tea like the yankees make. http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/southern-sweet-iced-tea-63785?adbid=1312004202152070&adbpl=fb&adbpr=118337671518735

That said I gave up cafeene a long, long time ago, so its only herbal teas for me, not black teas. I like a honey camamile

[Anonymous No.11015656]

>>11015124
no man, lived all around europe and the tap water is extremely hard everywhere which is fucking me up because I lived in brussels in 2011 and the tap water was almost perfect but returning this year, in my same apartment and the water is fucking shit, nothing but tasteless scum when I make tea with it.

[Anonymous No.11015808]

How do I learn to like pu'er? It tastes like dirt

[Anonymous No.11016568]

black tea with a light helping of brown sugar is the shit. I can drink like 6 cups of that a day.

[Anonymous No.11016810]

>>11015808
have you tried watching The L Word ?

[Anonymous No.11017132]

>>11001179
>shocked in a "this is too strong of a taste" kind of way.
Well, remove the teabag/leaves from water sooner, then.

>>11002461
>I feel like i gotta be in a certain mood for it
Yeah, i get this one as well.

[Anonymous No.11017150]

>>11015808
Why would like want to learn to like something to begin with?

I guess you can just drink it until you find certain delight in it, or maybe try different kinds of puer. Raw and aged puers offer relatively different experience to me.

[Anonymous No.11017160]

That's it. I'm sick of all this "Mao Feng Superior Tea" bullshit that's going on right now. Japanese teas deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that.
I should know what I'm talking about. I myself commissioned a genuine metric ton of gyokuro in Japan for 6,000,000 Yen (that's about $55,000) and have been drinking it for almost 2 years now.
Japanese tea makers spend years working on a single tea leaf and fold it up to a million times to produce the finest teas known to mankind.
Japanese teas are thrice as delicious as Chinese teas and thrice as umami for that matter too. Anything a pu-erh can taste, sencha can taste better.
Ever wonder why medieval Europe never bothered conquering Japan? That's right, they were too scared to fight the disciplined Samurai and their potions of destruction. Even in World War II, American soldiers targeted the men with the tea flasks first because their killing power was feared and respected.

[Anonymous No.11017273]

>>10996864
I drink Nestea.

[Anonymous No.11017276]

>>11017160
Why does my tea never have that dark green colour? What sort is that?

[Anonymous No.11017303]

Literally any fruit tea. Mix in a floral like rose and that’s a wrap. Peach, passion fruit, cherry, tangerine, lemon, berry, orange peel, mixed with rose or something. I’ll drink it like water and dehydrate myself like a dumbass though

[Anonymous No.11017310]

>>11017303
God, fruit tisanes are shit. All of them. Most florals are OK, though.

[Anonymous No.11018103]

>>11017303
Are you a homosexual?

[Anonymous No.11018454]

>>11015431
how about steeping the tea in cold water, that's how I do it and it works nicely
>>11015808
old raw pu-erh and ripe pu-erh are more similar than old and young raw pu-erh, you might try some of the latter, but you may dislike pu-erh altogether
also try steeping it at very high temperature for 5-10sec unless that's what you were doing already
>>11017160
mao feng is chink tea though, so you might want to be clearer than that
>nip tea is better than chink tea
that's a matter of taste but you're wrong
>weeb ramblings
is this bait?
even most people on /jp/ recognize than chink tea is better, and the nips were scared shitless of Perry that they opened up their nation for him jast because he looked stronk
>>11017276
nip green tea, probably gyokuro
a number of chink green teas produce a fairly green liquor, like bi luo chun

[Anonymous No.11018836]

>>11007926
I used a thermometer once to check my kettle. When I can first see steam it's 175, perfect for green tea. When it whistles it's at 205 for black tea.

[Anonymous No.11019129]

>>11014288
More tea, more better, I carry it like that from kitchen
I always on my desk so keep ketchup there not to carry every time

[Anonymous No.11019296]

green tea gives me some really strong headaches, why is that? anyone else experienced something similar?

[Anonymous No.11020487]

>>11019296
Only green tea? Seems weird, tea is tea.

[Anonymous No.11022323]

>>11019296
Do you get the same headache with other caffeine shit? Coffee, sips?

[Anonymous No.11022729]

>>11019296
>green tea gives me some really strong headaches
Only when I steeped the tea for too long.
There will be a strong, distinctive smell, and I know I drink that cup I will get headaches (at the top and on the sides of my head, I think).
And it only happens with green tea, over-done black tea doesn't bother me much, besides some stomach reaction.

[Anonymous No.11022773]

>>11022729
*at the top or on the sides of my head

[Anonymous No.11024374]

>>11019296
I get mild headaches and dizziness from drinking green tea too. You're not alone.

[Anonymous No.11024454]

pg tips
with a tiny splash of milk to turn it opaque

[Anonymous No.11024710]

>>10996864
Genmachia is the tea I've let people have that surprises non tea drinkers at how good it is. It has a LOT of flavor

[Anonymous No.11025020]

>>11011889
1) buy a kettle
2) buy a teapot
3) buy real tea
4) make the tea and drink it

[Anonymous No.11025214]

post your teaware, brahs

[Anonymous No.11025349]

Recommendations on gong fu tables and/or online retailers? I plan to buy a really beautiful set I found but realized its gonna need the table for proper use.

[Anonymous No.11027119]

>>11017273
nestea and lipton are god tier

[Anonymous No.11027459]

>>11001518
The tea bags are fine

[Anonymous No.11027469]

I've been pretty much solely coffee drinking until just a month or two ago

I really like black tea but when I'm left to do the steeping myself I feel like a retard and never know if I'm doing it "right"

I also don't know if I'm too used to black ass coffee and steeping to long to get it tasting strong enough that I'm basically defeating the purpose

[Anonymous No.11027979]

>>11024710
>It has a LOT of flavor
Most of it is not tea flavor, though.

>>11027469
>never know if I'm doing it "right".
I usually give 8-10grams for 0,5 liters and steep for 2-5 minutes.

I also heartily recommend preheating the steeping pot with boiling water beforehand. It makes quite noticeable difference.

[Anonymous No.11028519]

>>11027459
no it's shit

[Anonymous No.11029549]

>>11025214
Fresh after brewing sencha

[Anonymous No.11031255]

>>11028519
Maybe I'm just that pleb but I find it serviceable

[Anonymous No.11031282]

>>11031255
A food critic will still enjoy a big mac - its just not on the level of a fine steak.

[Anonymous No.11031666]

drink some booch you nigger.
It'll satisfy your porchmonkey soda craving while being healfy.

[Anonymous No.11031862]

Try this and you will fall in love.
White peach blossoms chinese tea with whole fat milk. Dont need to add sugar as it will remove the sweet aroma of the leaves

[Anonymous No.11031885]

I started seriously drinking tea about a year ago, I started with earl, and now I'm drinking a type of oolong called oriental beauty, it's a sweet, uncomplicated tea that's fabulous for casual drinking, and i suggest trying it out. Off topic, but what are some good shou teas? I want to try Puerh and I don't know what's a good one.

[Anonymous No.11031898]

>>11031666
Bucha satisfies my beer and soda cravings

[Anonymous No.11031901]

>>11031862
Sounds delightful, where do i buy this?

[Anonymous No.11033004]

>>11031862
>White peach blossoms chinese tea with whole fat milk
yeah...No.

[Anonymous No.11033363]

What's the point of Kukicha? I bought Gyokuro Kukicha and it taste kind of bland.

[Anonymous No.11033441]

Best place to buy tea ware online? Specifically looking for gaiwans.

[Anonymous No.11033579]

>>11001406
Almost all tea is sourced from Asia, unless you live there it won't be fresh. You also shouldn't worry about "freshness" as aging improves most teas flavors once dried. You should be sourcing your tea from the country that specializes in it. For example Pu'er from China, green from Japan, or Darjeeling from India.

This is unless you're talking about herbal infusions which aren't tea and then just grow them yourself

[Anonymous No.11033630]

>>11018454
>is this bait?
it's a modified version of a pasta abot katanas in D&D, if the "leaf folded a million times" bit didn't make you think

[Anonymous No.11033828]

>>11031255
Yep, you are a pleb.

[Anonymous No.11034161]

>>11004206
P A T R I C I A N

[Anonymous No.11034192]

>>11001406
>>11033579
Vahdam teas tells you the year the tea was picked, you can buy 2018 second flush tea right now off their website so thats going to be less than 3 months old

[Anonymous No.11034344]

>>11015656
Welsh tea drinking master race, all them lovely mountains and valleys boyo

[Anonymous No.11035857]

>>11033579
lots of normie tea is from kenya actually

[Anonymous No.11036364]

>>11004206
when Im feeling lazy and want some tea, this is the bagged tea of choice.

[Anonymous No.11036412]

>>11004206
>ingredients: Black tea, natural flavors
>natural flavors
WTF I love MSG-derivatives in my tea.

[Anonymous No.11036814]

>>11035857
I think this is only true in parts of britain

[Anonymous No.11037056]

Has anyone tried the leaves and flowers of "Franklinia alatamaha"? I posted last time and forgot to check

[Anonymous No.11037566]

>>10998862
>herbal tea isn't tea
>tea isn't tea
Wtf are you on?

[Anonymous No.11037575]

>>10996908
Your instructions only apply to black teas....different teas have different brew temps and brew times

[Anonymous No.11037582]

>>11037566
That anon was one hundred percent correct. Herbal "tea" is similar to real tea merely in that you brew them similarly; the base material, processing, history, and just about everything else is completely different.

[Anonymous No.11037583]

>>11037566
tea is the name of a plant, "herbal teas" are just infusions from different plants

[Anonymous No.11037606]

>>11037582
>>11037583
Just googled it and you're right. My mistake, learned something new

[Anonymous No.11037648]

>>11037606
Technically, only the camellia sinensis plant is "tea." All else is tisane.

[Anonymous No.11037668]

Blooming tea is the best tea.

[Anonymous No.11037699]

>>11037668
Blooming teas only redeeming quality is aesthetics.

[Anonymous No.11037713]

>>11037699
How so?

[Anonymous No.11037718]

>>11037699
>aesthetics
>a fucking jellyfish

[Anonymous No.11037784]

>>11034344
>tfw very hard

[Anonymous No.11038023]

>>11037713
it's an overpriced gimmick

[Anonymous No.11038254]

>>11037713
because by the time you can enjoy the bloom, its been oversteeped

[Anonymous No.11038261]

>>11005145
Ive been watching a lot of MeiLeaf videos lately. Seems like the tea would be pretty high quality even though the two of them annoy me. Is it worth ordering from them to US?

I have two local tea houses so its not really necessary for me to order online, but maybe if I can get some really good stuff at a better price, Id do it.

[Anonymous No.11038531]

>>11038261
The tea is definitely good, but shipping to the US is a bitch; you could get a better deal on a similar experience ordering from Yunnan Sourcing's American site (if you're a pu'er fan).
>I have two local tea houses so its not really necessary for me to order online, but maybe if I can get some really good stuff at a better price, Id do it.
I think it's kinda rare for a teahouse to offer stuff as good as you can get online, since they have to appeal to a more general audience to stay afloat and they often leave the tea out in less-than-ideal aging conditions (direct sunlight, constant air exposure from customers sniffing at them, etc.). I'm making a generalization based on the West, of course, and can't speak for the quality in your area's tea joints, but I almost always order online for the stuff FWIW.

[Anonymous No.11038626]

>>11038531
all the teahouses near me seem to focus on gimmicky perfumed teas for middle aged women with bad taste
their actual tea is usually stale, because no one buys it

[Anonymous No.11038685]

How do those teas stuffed into Mandarin oranges work? Should I make one cup at a time with it? Use my usual Teapot that holds two cups? Make it in a big cooking pot and pour it in a pitcher?

[Anonymous No.11038925]

>>11038685
one per cup if it's a kumkwat. pot for an orange

[Anonymous No.11039199]

>>11038626
yeah that's what I suspected. Sad really.

[Anonymous No.11039524]

>>11038531
Most tea shops where I live have around 8 good teas and 50 or so flavored teas which are only good for iced tea. Gotta get friendly with the owners and find out when they get new shipments of the good stuff.

[Anonymous No.11041243]

Is nowhere in Murica good for large scale tea growing?

[Anonymous No.11041284]

If a tea is called e.g. "Japan Sencha Extra Fine", how sure can I be that it actually is from Japanese tea? I'm from Germany if that makes a difference.

[Anonymous No.11041555]

>>11041284
Do your packets not have countries of origin labelled? Like 'grown and packaged in japan' in this case?

>>11041243
You've got a couple of volcanoes. They usually have ideal soil.

[Anonymous No.11041557]

>>11041284
look at the package

[Anonymous No.11041694]

Was in Tesco today and decided to be a bit adventerous and try some 'fancy' tea. I've had herbal shit in the past but it just tastes like dirty water.

Decided on some lapsang souchong randomly and just opened it up and it smells fucking great, not a regular on /ck/ (just came here for this general). First thing I did when I opened the foil packaging was give it a whiff and it smells just like a smoked salmon, which is great but I was worried it would be overpowering as a tea but after brewing one it's pretty subtle at the end.

Might give a few more of these johnny foreigner teas a go if they're as nice as this, they're way better than the muddy-water herbal tea I was expecting them to be like.

[Anonymous No.11042435]

>tfw every morning before enjoying a refreshing cup of milk tea, the concentration of making milk tea already waken me up

[Anonymous No.11043645]

bump

[Anonymous No.11043708]

try jasmine green tea, I converted several people to tea with that

at 80 °C (~mix 20% cold water with 80% boiling water) for 2-3 min, no added sugar or anything else