/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Mornin. Anyone know a place for unglazed teaware (i.e. something like a yixing teapot) shipping from the US? I may also just call around to local potters. Gaiwans are nice but I want something ~cute~

I'm still circling through the 30+ raw and ripe puer I got from YS sample sets. The most valuable thing I learned are:
- unflavored tea can pack some incredible flavors
- filtered water really matters (if tap is hard)
- I don't like 15+ year old ripes very much (taste more weak and blurred)
- contrarily to what I thought, I also like raws but I'm never in the mood for them at first

That order alone made my containment almost enjoyable. Next time I'll buy a couple of cost effective cakes I now know of and I'll try oolong sample sets from Taiwan sourcing. I don't like the roasted ooongs I had but I'm ready to change my mind.

>>14249695

Any particular standouts among what you tried?

>>14249637
I got this tea set to go with the rice bowls I bought. They all match and it's unglazed/not shiny ceramic. The teapot itself functions great, the steeping basket is deeper than you'd think.

https://www.amazon.com/Sebs-Kitchen-Japanese-Handcrafted-Blossom/dp/B01MU4YFMF/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=cherry+blossom+tea+set&qid=1592239392&sr=8-4

>>14249920
looks cute

>>14249920
Kawaii as fuck

>>14249902
Funnily enough, they all come from the "The Journey is the Destination Pu-erh Tea Sampler Set"
- 2016 Hai Lang Hao "Lao Man E" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick
- 2011 Menghai 7562 101 Classic Ripe Pu-erh Brick Tea
- 2005 CNNP "Big Yellow Mark" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake
But I still have not tasted all of them with filtered water. For instance, the 2016 did not significantly improve with filtered water whereas the 2011 went from meh to my favorite. The 2005 raw reminds me of some jasmine tea and gunpowder.

Another thing I learned is that my mood has a significant impact on how much I enjoy my sessions. Also, some cha tou are incredible for how cheap they are.

Love young raw pu but it wrecks my stomach
>feelsbadman

Coof

anyone try the japanese green tea from den's tea?

>>14249611
All forms of tea I drink seem to screw with my stomach, any other form of liquid is fine. Anyone know why this could be? I drink out of tea bags.

>>14253160
>tea bags
I'm assuming black tea. Tea bags use fanning's which allow for greater and quicker extraction. That means it brews with more tannins which while an antioxidant, can be harsh on the stomach. I would try whole leaf Chinese black tea or maybe Japanese black tea; avoid Indian teas.

>>14249611
Posting to help keep /tea/ bros afloat, we've been hit the most by coronavirus, may your deliveries arrive sooner rather than later
I started drinking grandpa style yesterday, and honestly I prefer it to Western. It's easy, clean, relaxing and doesn't compromise on flavour. Is Grandpa style the endgame of brewing?

I'm curious to try yellow tea. I'm located in Canada and recommendations?

>>14253512
I wonder what the long term impacts of covid will be on the tea industry.

>>14249920
The set looks nice but it's neither Japanese nor handmade. 花友禅 just means "flower pattern" - it isn't a kiln's stamp - and the listed manufacturer, "Le Comte & Hsu Ceramics", has no online presence.

>>14253512
what's a Grandpa style?

>>14253827

>put some amount of leaf into mug
>pour boiling or whatever water over it
>drink
>refill when halfway through
>repeat

It's basically the casual everyday way folks, especially in China, drink their tea. We like to get all uppity about gongfu but it's really not a common thing in most of the tea drinking world.

>>14253206
Why avoid Indian tea? I have a lot of ceylon tea from Sri Lanka which I think is pretty good.

>>14253950
Not him, but idk, does it upset your stomach or not? Also, some teas on an empty stomach can be pretty challenging.

>>14253957
No, I'm not the Anon with the stomach issues. Just wondering why Indian tea should be avoided.

>>14253160
What about coffee? Both fuck with my stomach because caffeine relaxes your sphincter muscle between esophagus and stomach and cause heartburn. It's not that bad with most of the teas, but young raw pu fucks me up and must be followed by reflux meds

>>14249611
I just made white clover flower tea. Not bad desu. I know its herbal infusion and not actually tea but I got it from my backyard.
I wanna try red clover, any experiences with that?

>>14254453
Judging how clove honey tastes I bet it was good.

>>14253943
oh, so that's what they call it in the west? I just see my uncle doing it from time to time. never thought it'd turn out any good, oversteeping that many leaves in a mug like that

Anyone knows of a tea similar to Russian Caravan, I'd like to try a new full-bodied heavy dark tea? (aside from the usual English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast)

>>14254495
it was pretty good, better mild than over steeped. I'm going to collect red clover today. I hope that fresh dried red clover tea looks like pic related, its sooooo pretty!!!

>>14254523
Internet calls it that, because of one tea blogger.
I have acid reflux every time I see it. Abolish that expression.
Other things I hate? When some dainty cocksucker says he "tonged" some tea.
>"I lowkey love this sheng, gonna tong it ngl desu"
I even seen someone after trying a sample said "I may have to cake it". It's not a verb you post-human.
>Grandpa'd the fuck outta this Paimudan.

People, let's have some dignity, for god's sake.
Rant over.

Drinking some golden flower hei cha from Baishaxi. It's not everyday drink for me, but sometimes I get a hankering for some fungus.
Tastes like hei cha, not green, not black, not pu. Hard to explain flavor. Need to try it. Warming and relaxing type of energy.

gonna boil some monkfruit tomorrow
will post when ready

I have been trying to drink more tisanes- do you guys have any favorites?

>>14254648
>I'm going to collect red clover today
For the sake of your health I hope you're a woman- red clover is full of pseduoestrogens.

>>14249611
Thanks anon!

>>14249637
Puerhshop.com
Yunnansourcing.us has some
Crimson lotus
All have at least dome unglazed teaware that ships from the US. No promises that the stuff from puerhshop is good it looks pretty generic.

>>14253943
Do you know how Chinese do gongfu? I've gotten into tea after some sessions with chink business partners and they would always use lower ratios than I see on western forums. Something like 3g, 4g at most, per 100 ml.

Even for dancong, and I see some ridiculous ratios being thrown around the internet like 8g per 100 ml. They also didn't measure leaf weight, water weight and temp, time with timers and other autistic shit, just made tea and enjoyed it.

>>14250917
Man getting that many samples is wild. I think I would find it pretty challenging because I would feel obligated to be attentive to every brew. Can you describe the flavor of the Lao Man E ripe more? I have had my eyes on that for a while but the price is intimidating. Is it strongly bitter? Does it still have some chocolate brown sugar type notes? Is it still an easy tea to drink or would you avoid having it on an empty stomach?

turkish here
some of you might know black tea is the number #1 hot beverage, if not THE beverage, in this country and a typical person drinks 2 cups of tea every single day, I drank it too, I like tea. The thing is though no one drinks anything but the classic blacksea black tea, so when I left the country for education, I got introduced to a whole new world of tea by brit and indian friends. having a blast for the last couple of years to be honest when it comes to tea.

I can't make any chinese friends, I just don't like their company lol but if I find a chinese I can click with I will learn more about their teas too

pic related, classic turkish tea with traditional glass. it tastes like a strong afternoon tea I'd say if you aren't already accustomed to it

>>14254075
>Just wondering why Indian tea should be avoided.
Indian tea is fine no need to avoid it unless it gives you stomach issues.

>>14254829
I am a woman, but now you've got me nervous =w= what herbal infusions would you reccomend? What about nettle flowers?

>>14254697
>I have acid reflux every time I see it. Abolish that expression
I drink "grampa style" almost exclusively. But i would never use it for anything but aged and semi aged sheng, hei cha, and high fired oolongs. Young sheng goes in the gaiwan and everything else gets brewed western style. I really hope people aren't brewing black tea "grampa style".
>Drinking some golden flower hei cha from Baishaxi
Im just starting to get into these teas. I got a really cheap brick from Baishaxi a while ago without golden flowers and found it pretty lame. Tastes like I'm brewing some leaves i picked up off the forest floor.
I can highly recommend the 2009 Gao Jia Shan brick that YS is selling, it's a really fantastic tea, super creamy, it almost reminds me of eating whipped cream with some hints of a nice sheng.

>>14255078
>What about nettle flowers?
Nettle is great, but it seems to raise testosterone, so idk if it's good for women. Rooibos is also good, both the red and green variants (red is more exciting but green blends better with other herbals). Lemongrass is pretty tasty in tisane form. Special shoutout to tulsi- it's super healthy and blends really well with floral-heavy stuff like lavender, mellows things out.

>>14255001
Yeah, it's more challenging than I thought. On average, it's 5 gongfu sessions per tea only. It's not enough to get the most of them, not to mention I upgraded my water game in between. But I can tell some are fast to infuse, some are slower; there are different level of "accurateness" in flavors; some can take 2L, some other no more than 700 mL. And the mood... It's really important.

I don't have breakfast so I think all the teas I have are fairly easy. I can't drink lapsang souchong or Ceylon in the morning but I've never had a ripe upset my stomach.

>Lao Man E ripe
It's very smooth. I'd agree with chocolate/brown sugar. No bitterness for me, but can be brewed quite thick. Takes hard water surprisingly well.

But for almost half the price, if you have good water quality, the 2011 7562 is better IMHO (additionnal caramel and 'jam' notes).

I'm in the process of re-tasting the cha tou sample set with filtered water and the 2014 Yunnan Sourcing Menghai Lao Cha Tou Ripe Pu-erh tea brick is on par with them.

The 2013 Yunnan Sourcing Blue Snake Cha Tou Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick is also great, but more "floral" and a bit "pungent" like ginger but more gently.

I think the lao man is more expensive because it can take hard water well.

Can you namedrop some YS ripes you like? Maybe have a sample and can point to similar samples I have.

>>14255087
Actually, some black tea goes great grandpa style. Try grandpaing dianhong, for example.

>>14254982
tea as a drink vs tea as a hobby, coffee drinkers can get just as autistic
>>14255087
>2009 Gao Jia Shan
i'll also recommend that tea, thick with almost sour twang thats hard to describe. i have a golden flower sample in the mail

>>14255152
Thanks that's very helpful. I don't think I've tried any of YS ripes but i will probably try a few now. Also enough info to know I shouldn't bother with the lao man e ripe. Did you get any samples of one of the YS Bulang ripes? That was another I had my eye on.

>>14255152
>>Lao Man E ripe
Forgot to mention it was the first sample to make me say to myself "fuck this one's really good."

>>14255172
Yeah that makes sense, I was thinking of assam and the like.

>>14255195
>Bulang ripes
As a matter of fact, I have a sample of 2013 Yunnan Sourcing "Hui Run" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake of Bu Lang Mountain. My subjective notes say with filtered water say: balanced and soft/thin, could still notice some sheng taste, reminded me of violet on the third steep, sweet, long aftertaste.

Interesting but rather odd for a ripe IMO.

So I made an order to puerhshop, they are a US based vender in Michigan.
Real buyer beware on these guys, they seem to have a history of selling fake dayi and zongchas of questionable provenance. Some of their older huse pressings also have hilarious descriptions like claiming 200-400 year old trees on sub $100 cakes.
That being said I just got some 2004 factory tuos and a 2006 ripe tuo and they seem authentic and the storage seems fine. I got a sample of a 2004 dayi cake that's just too cheap to be real but I haven't had a chance to try it.
The real interesting tea from my order is a 2004 liu an, i didn't have high hopes because the basket looks a bit musty in the product photos. It's got that pencil shavings taste i have experienced in other wetter stored hei cha but that gives way to some real pleasant dried fruit sweetness. No off wet storage flavors either. Absolutely worth a sample if you are into hei cha , the only other place I have seen selling liu an is chawangshop and they have 2015 baskets for the same price as puershops 2004.
In conclusion puershop seems to have some gems and some pretty darn good deals mixed in with some questionable teas. Don't bother buying anything dayi from them but if you know what you are doing it might be worth taking a poke around their inventory. Cheap shipping too.

>>14255226
Yeah that does sound pretty weird. Thanks anon, good info.

>>14255277
I'm trying the questionable sample now. It's supposed to be a 2004 red dayi (7542) they are selling whole cakes for $75 which seems like it's missing a zero for based on my limited knowledge of old dayi prices. The wrappers also look brand new in the product photos but the description says the tea had a few years of humid storage which I also find pretty questionable, i would expect to see some sweat stains on the wrapper. It certainly looks like a 2004 tea. I will report in once ive tried a few brews.

>>14255658
Whelp i have to say I'm pretty perplexed by this one. Fruit, bitternes, some mineral flavor and lasting bfruit sweetness in the mouth. I have to say I am in no way qualified to say if this is an authentic dayi tea or not but if I bought it as a white wrapper 2004 cake for $75 dollars I would be pretty satisfied with my purchase. I will make another post after I finish my session and show the brewed leaves.

I've never tried any nice fermented teas. I'm thinking of picking up a gaiwan and a tasting set

would this sample set be a good starting point? anybody know if they ship to canada?

https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/assorted-tea-samplers/products/introduction-to-pu-erh-sampler-set

is it better to get a sampler from white2tea or somewhere?

Too hot for tea

>>14255862
Ice it

anyone have suggestions for cheaper roasted/mineraly oolongs?

>>14255842
yunnansourcing has a US based store dont order from china till shipping settles down. check out hei chas too not just ripes

>>14256011
of course everybody in the west is from US

Grandpa style can be really nice for white tea, sometimes you drink two days from one glass.

I wonder if I can replace my morning coffee some day with tea, it's just not the same. Coffee is a good punch in the morning.

>>14256058
shipping to canada from the us during a global pandemic instead of from china is just logical. but feel free to enjoy your 3 month wait instead

>>14255012
just find a brit that's into chinese teas

>>14256011
The us store doesn't have the different sample sets on it.
>>14255842
Yeah that is a pretty good starting point. It covers and dayi classic recipes, that 2002 tea is good, though it doesn't taste as aged as you might expect since it has had very dry storage. Some anon up thread said they didn't love that yunnan sourcing ripe but i don't think it's bad. You should also get samples of these two teas if you really want to go down the fermented tea rabbit hole. The liu bao is a must try, i like it more than most ripe puer personally.
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/hunan-hei-cha-zhuan/products/2009-gao-jia-shan-wild-fu-zhuan-hunan-brick-tea
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/guangxi-liu-bao-tea/products/three-cranes-2409-old-bush-liu-bao-hei-cha-in-basket?variant=12207238086724
And these are some others to consider only if the description sounds good to you.
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/hunan-tian-jian-tea/products/2016-cha-yu-lin-wang-xi-village-wild-tian-jian-hei-cha-in-basket
Check the review from norm j. on this one. He tried all the fu bricks that ys has for sale and liked this one the most.
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/hunan-fu-brick-tea/products/2017-yun-tai-mountain-sentinel-mountain-fu-zhuan-brick-tea

>>14255758
Okay so I've had 5 or 6 brews of this tea at this point. I'm baffled, it seems like pretty fucking good tea. Some weird pencil shavings in the first brew but after that it has been all slightly bitter raspberry tart jam, lots of saliva production and lasting raspberry taste it the mouth that sticks around forever. I haven't tried a known authentic early 2000s 7542 to compare it to but this sure seems like good tea to me. I figured this would be a really lame watery tasting mess and now I'm trying to convince myself not to grab a few cakes of it. I still wouldn't recommend getting dayi cakes from puershop, the 2006 7542 especially looks very suspect. But i will say it's worth poking through their collection if you know what to look for.

>>14255876
If you can find it for $10 per 125g box or less sea dyke is the way to go. It's all roasted toasty flavor, nothing special but cheap and easy to drink. Watch out for the hong kong seller on ebay he is selling fake vintage looking boxes of it.

>>14256397
the pictures mate. because you stink of confirmation bias and/or shill.
if I had bought $75 noname 2004 cake I would too.

two things - some fakes are almost as good as fakes. so I heard.
and it seems like it's not your regular steeped out, dried and recompressed tea.
meaning, could be objectively good tea, report in two months after it settles down/air out of perfume.

>>14256786
>some fakes are almost as good as fakes
hahaha, fuck you bourbon
you know what I mean, I hope

>>14256786
It looks like pretty bog standard chopped plantation tea material. It's clearly not old tree or otherwise special in any way but neither is a real 7542.
So it's probably one of those fakes the tea bloggers talk about nostalgically from back when fakes were decent. It looks like they only have samples left on the shop so it doesn't seem like a very profitable shilling operation.
I wouldn't exactly say
>Hey these guys definitely sell fake dayi but some of their other tea is good
Is a glowing endorsement of a tea dealer. I was genuinely surprised that the sample was good because I expected trash. Everything else I got in my order was good and slightly below average western prices.

>>14256952
and it's not twice steeped dried out material which turns black quickly. good.
looks like you've got yourself some aged taidicha puerh. why not? but how much legit semi aged śiaguan or dayi could you get for the price? those fuckers add some magic between the leaves which make them AGE. you should know.

pic looks like ~2010 dayi to me. or bit older dry stored. but I'm no expert and neither are you, so we can wank away.

>bog standard
everytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW9EpOuzadM

>>14257076
Yeah I'm far from a dayi expert but i see 2004 red dayi ripe cakes up for $160 on king tea mall and just assume a $75 raw cake is fake. But i don't know shit. The guy could be doling out samples of the good stuff cheap out of the goodness of his heart for all I know.
I did some more research on him selling fakes and now I'm more confused. Just a bunch of amateur third rate bloggers arguing about what 15 years of Kunming dry storage should taste like. Really just a good example of why you should buy the tea and not the label. I know people have been looking for some other domestic vendors with the wuhan flu shipping situation so I wanted to let people know I had a decent experience but that the guy has been accused of fakery so I don't really want to give a full throated endorsement.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WWMjRMJ0dTI

So to get things back on track,
The other tea I tried today was a 2004 Xiaguan Te Ji tuo. This I know is the real deal.
I was pretty surprised by this, I expected smoke but didn't get much at all. It was tangy, fruity and bitter, with just a bit of mineral flavor. Didn't last super long on the tongue but I enjoyed it quite a bit. It also didn't go for the long haul, I got probably 5 strong brews out of it but being a cheap tuo I didn't expect it to infuse for a dozen brews. Overall a really good tea and something I think any puer drinker should try. It also is one of the only factory puers I have tried the passed the "rub test" where you rub a leaf between to fingers to see if it holds up and doesn't fall apart. I have no idea what the significance of this is but some tea blogger was very excited about their "rub test" so maybe it's important.

So the pastebin changed from 10g/150ml to 3.5g/100ml
And the steeping times changed drastically
Have I been drinking tea wrong?

>>14257796
What kind of tea? 5g sounds right te me but it really comes down to taste.

>>14257910
Mostly greens and blacks from YS

>>14258005
3g per 100ml sounds about right for western style brewing. 5g per 100ml is more for gongfu. But i mean do what tastes good to you. i redid the pastebin because it had issues but I just used the chart from that tea website because it seemed pretty reasonable.

>>14258074
I was following the old pastebin for 10g/150ml and 80C for Green, steeping 60 +15. But that's so different than the chart it makes me feel like I'm doing wrong.

>>14257796
Yes, apply yourself.

Do you people really first ask questions on internet and then try for yourselves?

It's fucking tea leaves, steep it in hot water and drink it. Experiment with time and amount. Maybe also with temperature, but off the boil kettle should do good tea a justice.

>>14258095
Don't worry about it friend, the guy the chart is from sells Chinese greens, so if you are dealing with japanese stuff it's a whole different story. Anyways i guess you could try it with the lower amount and see how it tastes but if you liked it the way you have been doing it than that is what matters, not some chart that I lazily linked to, I don't even drink green tea

>>14258118
>off the boil kettle should do good tea a justice.
Sorry but that's just wrong. I agree that tea isn't rigid with time and temp like coffee but Taiwan oolongs and japanese greens definitely don't get along well with boiling water.

>>14258185
you are completely right, bless you

Anyone buy from adagio? I like that I can order small amounts of each tea. It's easy to buy bulk anywhere if you like something but I don't need to try something 10 times before knowing if I want more.

>>14249637
180 and Up Tea
Kong Mountain Tea

Okay I take back anything nice I said about puershop.
I tried another one of my samples from them and it has the exact same raspberry flavor as the red dayi sample.
I have a decent familiarity with artificial flavors and this doesn't seem like the standard artificial raspberry but still the flavor is the same even though the material is completely different. I don't know what's going on with this but it's sending up all kinds of red flags. Goddamn now I'm fucking annoyed. I really don't like getting jerked around like this. The touos I got from them seem fine but these samples are all kinds of fucked up, goddamn. Sorry anons.

>>14249920
>>14254962
>>14259059

Thanks anons. I'll report if I fine anything interesting. I do need a small glazed kyusu, too. Had this hojicha forever with nothing to brew it in.

>>14258185
What are the temps for TW oolong?

Never been a fan of tea trays - don't like the wooden aesthetic, don't like the concept of pouring water in it and having to clean it later. Used regular ceramic serving trays all these years until I saw this shit and had to spend my eastern yuropoor money on it. The copper starts oxidizing fast and gets some nice unique color ocmbinations

>>14259659
I googled and it says 85 to 95 degrees but that's a pretty large range when it comes to tea temperature. Is there a difference between the less/more oxidized oolongs and brewing temperatures, maybe roasted oolongs?

>>14259659
>>14261040
Yeah it comes down to oxidation and the level of charcoal roasting.
There are lots of light roasted super green Taiwan oolongs that are popular right now and with those you would want to go with the lower end of that temperature range. With a more traditional more heavily oxidized tea you would brew towards the top of that temp range.

>>14257493
>>14256952
>>14256397
>>14255758
>>14255658
>>14255277
Sorry it's too late to delete posts but there is something weird about these guys. I hate to admit it but it seems like I was fooled by some flavoring sprayed on teas, very fucking weird. I don't understand why someone would do that but i have two completely different samples with obviously different material and different background flavors going on that both have the exact same raspberry tart flavor.
>>14259265

>>14260153

Yeah I like the copper stuff a lot. The tea tray I have is similarly except for a bamboo top instead of copper, but I have a friend who is a Smith who I want to ask to make me a copper top for it.

what's a good tea that's hard to fuck up for a noob that only has a whistling kettle

>>14261650

Ripe puerh is extremely forgiving when it comes to brewing parameters. If a kettle is literally the only equipment you have you could get some ripe and then grandpa style it in a mug.

>>14261709
Seconded and bumped

Bros I got neetbux so the first thing I did was splurge on tea.
I have a new flavor of Tiesta Tea along with a new pouch of a typical favorite of their's, and an assortment of Harney & Son's coming very soon. The majority is of green tea blends, I've been trying to get into greens more. God I'm so fucking excited.

>>14262310
I hope you enjoy it anon! Make sure to post about some of your favorites when they come in.

>>14261709
>>14262268
thanks, I'll check it out

>>14249611
Has anyone here tried sweet ya bao from YS. How does it compare to other white teas? Is it worth it or are purple wild trees just a meme?

>>14263241
Those are that bud looking tea right? Bunch of leaves that never fully sprouted?

>want new teas
>still have too much old teas

>>14264022
Same

>>14264022
I have a backlog of unopened oolongs, whites and greens I bought 5 years ago. I hope they're still okay.

>>14261650
Hojicha is also extremely forgiving for a supposedly green tea. I always use freshly boiled water and it's always good and never gets bitter.

Not a teafag extrordinare or anything but recently tried out this sencha:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E4C982U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I make it with a french press that's too shitty for making coffee. Damn, it's pretty good. And it's actually green. I don't know how much better green tea can get, but it's definitely magnitudes greater than teabags. I actually feel something from this.

I use 2 tsps for my 12oz french press and I can edge out one extra steeping before it becomes scented leaf water. Is that too much tea for 12 oz of water? The package does say that you use 2 tsp of tea per person.

>>14261280
If I had not checked my kettle, I'd thought I had spoiled all my teas by drying rosemary too close from them. Amazing what taste a single leave can give to water.

Should I deadass grip this fresh breakfast tea? I've been drinking the Bagged Jew but want to level up.

>>14265218
If you enjoyed them in tea bags, you're most likely to enjoy them more as loose leaf. You'll probably never go back to tea bags again except if you really need a fix and they're the only things available. Go for it.

>>14265086

Your numbers seem way off to me. Sencha is typically brewed at around 1g/50ml, which, depending on the tea, works out to around 1 tbsp for 100 ml. 12 oz is almost 350 ml, so you're looking at 3.5 tbsp, which is more than 5 times what you're using.

What water temperature are you using? What times are you using?

>>14263379
Yeah those.

>>14265395
It's pricey but it was actually the first tea I've tried. Got into tea from reddit, YS was the most recommended vendo. Wanted to find something light with an aromatic flavor I was sure to like, a gateway to other teas.

Went with white teas, found this shit and liked it. Can take a lot of steeps, forgiving if overbrewed and doesn't get bitter just astringent.

When it loses flavor steeping, boil for 10 minutes and extract more out of it. Sometimes I do grandpa, sometimes gongfu with lower ratio 3-3,5g/100ml.

It might be overpriced and some Chinese friends I asked never heard of ya bao/purple tree tea so it might be a gimmick.

I had the 2017 and 2018 versions, 2017 was more fruity and floral, 2018 more mineral and grassy, very astringent when overbrewed. The 2020 probably has slightly different flavors, some reviews say it's not astringent at all. Wanna get it but shipping sucks right now.

>>14265338
I boil water in a kettle and let it sit for around 3 or 4 mins before using it. I don't measure the temps. I brew the tea for 1-2 mins before drinking. It has worked well for me.

Using 3.5 tbsp of tea for my 12 oz french press seems like overkill. But maybe with that much tea, you could steep it a few times?

TEA CAME! only took an extra 2 weeks compared to normal shipping from china to uk, once again no updates apart from leaving YS

>>14266386
Yay!!!

I keep breaking teaware in the dumbest ways. Fuck.

>>14266386
I'm glad people are waking up to how good those Jinggu Silver Needle cakes are

>>14266800
What's the exact issue, anon? Did you chip your gaiwan lid or drop/shatter the teaware by accident? :-(

>>14266828
it was recommended here a few months back and looks interesting

>>14266386
Please post your thoughts on that 2014 gao jia shan when you get the chance.

>>14249611
I AM OUT OF GREEN TEA FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

I HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE NOW

>>14266367

If it's working for you it's working for you, just be aware that your experience may be pretty far from the typical sencha brew, but it's also probably not worth it to be super anal about Amazon tea. If you figured out how to make it taste good, more power to you.

Typically, though, you can use about 1g(.5 tbsp)/50ml of water, anywhere from 160F to 175 F for 3-5 infusions with sencha.

>>14267524
I'll keep that in mind though. If I get an actual teapot or bigger tea making vessel.

>>14267685

>bigger tea making vessel

Damn, son. My kyusu is 180ml and I feel like after 3-4 infusions back to back I've had plenty of tea.

Here's a good article on sencha brewing overall.

http://theartofjapanesegreentea.com/how-to-make-sencha/

I put an order in with another US based puer seller. Hopefully this will go better than the last one but so far it's been almost a week and they haven't shipped yet.

tea more like pee
coffee #1 lmaooo

Stupid question, but if I'm putting the leaves right into the pot how do I prevent it from over-steeping while I drink? I generally use a pot with an infuser basket, then when it's brewed I take it out. Do you guys just use bigger cups? Or only add enough water at a time to fill one cup?

>>14260153
that a lot of fuckin tea miles

>>14266386
this world is full of suffering and conflict and i gain little pleasure from it.

But nothing fills me with more peace and happiness then receive a big tea haul :)

enjoy anon and tell how the yannan is.

>>14267983
steep the tea, dump the liquor into pitcher, from pitcher to cups. repeat until the leaves are done.

>>14267983

That sort of comes down to what vessels you're using and what tradition you're drawing from. Gaiwans, for instance, tend to be on the small to intermediate size, not often going above 200 ml, and you would tend to brew for the appropriate time and then empty it all into a "fairness pitcher" before pouring the tea into its final cups. In the Japanese tradition you tend to match your teacup size to your kyusu size so that you can empty the whole thing directly into the cup.

But yeah, if you're teacup isn't big enough to hold the total amount your'e brewing at a time, just get a larger intermediary vessel.

>>14267983
and if your teapot has detachable steeping basket - just remove it, dispense the tea, put the basket back in, steep again, etc.
use logic.

>>14268125
>>14268126
>>14268139
thank you anons. this is what I get for just buying teaware without understanding how it's used in its actual culture

>>14261280
just like I told you >>14256786

don't jump to deleting or canceling anything yet.
leave it out of you storage.
I sincerely don't think that your average chink vendor goes out of his way spraying cakes with flavoured water.
it may be stored with perfumed things or even fucking wunderbaum trees for what I know.
give it a chance after serious airing out. and I mean months of airing out, as per my original post.
leave it for now, report on some other teas.
have a good one.

>>14268196
next thing to try for you is old style glass brewing.
half of europe does it this way since time immemorial.

put small amount of leaves in the cup/mug, just to cover the bottom, cover with hot water, stir with a TEAspoon, drink.
if it's black tea, especialy indian ctc granules - add sugar and a thin slice of lemon with rind. stir and drink.

now you have I say pretty broad base for experiments.
please do report here. cheers.

>>14258629
It's my main source. People don't like them for using artificial flavoring/chemicals. But other than that the quality and prices are fine.

Reeee

>>14262310
Trying a new Tiesta flavor, "Lean Green Machine" which is just a citrus-dominate green tea blend. It's quite good, although still a bit too hot :c
It's the first time I've had green tea that not only was this fresh (as it being loose) but also it not tasting like ass. I invested in a thermometer before getting these teas so I could get a better brew. I'm glad I did, it was worth the effort.

As for taste, I love anything with citrus. Aside from green tea it heavily features lemongrass, orange and lemon peels, bergamot oil, and natural flavors. I know most don't care for flavored teas around here but I happen to adore them. So far I'm loving this cuppa.

>>14253821
I don't really give a fuck if it's authentic because all I cared about was how it matches some bowls I already bought. I'm happier that the set functions beautifully, too bad that it isn't authentic but I'm not gonna sperg lmao.

>>14250137
>>14250908
One of these days when I'm not lazy I'll get a nice enough space done in my home or something to make a kawaii tea and luncheon photo set. owO; I'll probably need to add more weeby kitchen shit to my collection though.

>>14265338
I'm trying 3 tbsp of sencha for 12 oz of water. This is an incredible amount of tea for only 12 oz of water holy shit. I'd have to resteep this quite a few times for it to not be a waste. Very strong.

>>14266386
That black gold bi luo chun is about as good as it gets. Hows the silver needle cake?

>>14260153
>Never been a fan of tea trays - don't like the wooden aesthetic
Same. I've been eyeballing a try like this that is hammered cast iron.

>>14270610
I'd be surprised if that was 15% tea. Gross.

>>14268016
almost 4 dollars worth

Chamomile is the tea of chads

>>14270691

I think most "single serving" kyusus are between 100 and 200 ml and then people brew several infusions. Keep in mind that for sencha you're looking, as a very loose guide, for 45 - 60 s first steep, 15 - 30 s second steep, and 60 - 90 s third steep. 12 oz of water would indeed require a fuckton of leaf but if you're pushing that up towards 4 infusions that's also a fuckton of tea you're getting.

>>14271016
When I used 2 tsp I was only aiming to get exactly one cup of tea. If I use the proper way, using the fuck ton of leaves, I'd have to plan to be drinking a shit ton of tea through out the day. Not that I'm against that or anything. But I do drink coffee too, so I need to be careful.

>>14271053

You can just use less water, yeah? You don't *have* to fill the French Press to full.

>>14271115
I want a 12 oz cup of tea though. As you mentioned, the proper amount would be 3.5 tsbp to produce a 12 oz cup of tea, but that's assuming you reuse the tea leaves 3-4 extra times. How much tea would you use for exactly 1 or 2 steeps?

>>14271123

I think I may not be communicating the idea behind this well. 3.5 tbsp would be an appropriate amount for a 12 oz brew, but you can re-brew those leaves with 12 oz of new water an additional 2 to 3 times after the first infusion, bringing your total up to 36 - 48 oz of prepared tea.

If you want a grand total of 12 oz of tea prepared, do 3 steeps, each using 4 oz of water, with the same ~heaping tbsp of leaves. You can just do them back to back in quick succession if you want your mug of tea to carry around with you.

So basically, as a very loose guide...

>preheat French Press with 170F water
>empty
>add heaping tbsp sencha
>brew 4 oz 170F water for 45 seconds
>pour into mug
>add another 4 oz 170F water, brew 15 seconds
>pour into mug
>add another 4 oz 170F water, brew 60 seconds
>pour into mug

...and you end up with a 12 oz cuppa and only used maybe 40% more tea than the 2 tsp you had been using.

>>14271146
What if I don't need 3.5 tbsp worth of green tea caffeine in my system tho. I want 1 serving of green tea at a 12oz allotment with a reasonable 1 serving amount of caffeine. My main complaint is that using 3 tbsp of leaves and only drinking 1 cup of green tea from it seems wasteful, so it'd force me to drink multiple 12 oz cups of green tea.

>>14271159

I'm recommending using 1 tbsp and brewing in three separate infusions at 4 oz of water each to total 12 oz of water. If you follow the greentext I put up you'll notice I'm not saying to use 3.5 tbsp.

>>14271177
Oh I got you now. I will try it tomorrow.

But what is the benefit of brewing 3 separate batches of 4oz of tea? How is brewing 12 oz of water with 1 tsbp of tea different?

>>14271195

That's actually a fairly good question, and I'm not sure on the exact mechanics behind the answer. My best explanation is that it has to do with the interplay between leaf/water ratio, temperature, and time in affecting the final flavor.

The three put on a pretty delicate dance and if one is off you can't necessarily make up for it with the other two. For instance, bitter flavors tend to come out with longer steep times, so reducing the amount of leaf you have but increasing time may just end up resulting in some weakly flavored water where the flavor is just "bitter".

>>14271195

This is actually a fairly good article that I think, albeit a little bit tangentially, would answer your question.

http://theartofjapanesegreentea.com/brewing-parameters/

>>14271227
Very nice. While I don't plan to invest in things to measure everything exactly, I will do some experimenting in the next two days. I'll try steeping 1 tbsp of tea in 12oz of water and also 1 tbsp tea in 4oz x 3 increments of water and comparing. Thanks.

>>14271258

I'll be looking forward to hearing back. Throw in some cold brewing in there, too. Whenever I get down to the dregs of some sencha or if I have one I don't really like I'll often just throw whatever is left in the bottom of a mason jar and shove it in the fridge for however long (like 12-24hr) That's a good demonstration of a very low water/leaf ratio and a very long steep time still working out because the third aspect of the triangle, temperature, was greatly reduced.

Also, if you find yourself really enjoying this stuff, I can't recommend highly enough to find some really good quality, fresh sencha. I know some other anons on here have had positive experiences with Ippodo and Yunomi as vendors. I haven't tried Ippodo and was lukewarm on Yunomi, but I've always had amazing stuff from o-cha, which is my prime recommendation. Their "Daily Sencha" is extremely reasonably priced (I think it's even cheaper than the Amazon stuff you posted) and is still a killer tea.

>>14271267
I'm gonna see about that cold brewing. I've been cold brewing coffee since it's hot as shit here in California, and to think about it, cold brewed cold green tea would be pretty dank.

Would you use the same tea-water ratio for cold brewing? I would be brewing in a 32oz pitcher for your reference.

>>14271278

Very low leaf to water ratio. I never measure but I think I probably do between 1 to 2 tbsp in a quart mason jar.

>>14266936
not OP but my dog was walking around my feet and I broke a beautiful small gaiwan as well as the handmade cup that came with it

>>14268196
The steeping basket is fine if you remove it. Serves the same function as a gaiwan/pitcher but more convenient.

>>14271278
I use one spoon, filled to the edge not heaping (just regular soup spoon, we ain't got measuring cups) per 1L. 32oz looks like almost 1L so that ratio should be fine. Brew overnight or up to 48 hours. After some time, usually 8-12 hours, you can leave the tea inside and it won't get any stronger. After 2 days is starts tasting off so it's not that good anymore.

>>14270725
im actually the one who started the black gold bi luo chun meme, i'll try the silver needle cake tomorrow

>>14266386
had time to try that hunan brick yet?

>>14266828
all pressed whites are excellent, i was never fond of the loose variety but i guess its the same as puerhs. Has to be pressed to be worth it

>>14272475
drinking 1st steep now, i'll do a write up once ive finished my session

>tfw no one I know irl understands tea
>tfw they think matcha is a starbucks flavoring
>tfw no one to listen to my autism
teas for this feel?

>>14272742
Fu brick

>tfw people irl think that blended flavored garbage is "fancy tea"
>they just assume I'm talking about that
>they spend as much money per 100g like I do on gongfu tea
>when I take them to a teahouse they think actual tea tastes bland and flavorless

>>14273119

>having a teahouse

Check ur privilege, m8

>>14270744
Lmao okay? It's tea, it smells of tea, looks and tastes like it too. Once again, I don't give a single shit if you fuckheads can't appreciate teas that don't happen to be hand picked by a smelly chink or indian's asshole covered hands.

>>14273330
It's a tiny modern japanese place where most people order matcha latte and snacks, but they serve real sencha in cast iron pots. Every time I bring someone there they just end up saying that sugary matcha latte is better

>>14270610
Another Tiesta flavor to try this morning, definitely is more processed than any other tea I've bought or have in my cupboard already. "Fruity Pebbles" is a mix of green and black teas, with pineapple, mango, strawberry, and even raspberry fruit pieces. Rose petals are featured as well.

It's much more light and "airy" than the other green tea blend I tried from the other night. It's very sweet due to the fruit and added sugars most if not all dried/freeze dried fruit contains. I think I should've steeped it for more than a minute too, probably would've helped this tea's case. Overall, it's definitely not meant for hot drinking which is my preferred method, I'm sure it'll be tastier as an iced tea. Thankfully I have better fruity/herbal teas to try or go after. Speaking of which, my oddly expensive 2oz tin of "Indigo Punch" from Harney's arrived today, so I'll be giving that a try later.

>>14273330
once I retire I think I'll open a little tea house. not even as a business, just a place to drink tea and hopefully have others drink tea too.

>>14273119
>Imagine thinking tea can only be enjoyed if it tastes like dirt+twigs only.
>Imagine being this much of a tea fag
I hate Starbucks too but jesus christ go suck off your boyfriend and calm down already.

>>14273399
Dude I drink the flavored ones too it's just funny to see people fawn over them like it's the best, highest quality shit in the world. The tea material in them isn't even so good, everyone drinks it for the flavor. The cold brewed/iced tea is bomb tho

Name: 2014 Gao Jia Shan "Guan Gong" Fu Brick Tea from Hunan
Brewing: 100c 5g/100ml 10sec wash, 1st infusion 10sec then +5 seconds
did 11 infusions then a 12th for 5mins

dry and wet leaf doesn't smell funky or yeasty. wet leaf smells a little like Gao Jia Shan "Wild Fu Zhuan" Hunan
this has 'golden flowers' aka mold, Wild Fu Zhuan doesn't
photo is the 3rd
2nd thick creamy, slight sour twang. small salt aftertaste. its like the Wild Fu Zhuan just less intense
3rd very buttery, definitely salted butter. little dry mouthfeel but at the same time my mouth feels slick after swallowing
11th not bitter, quite mellow

started a yellowish brown and become more red. very nice, lighter in flavour compared to Wild Fu Zhuan, thick and smooth. not sure what the golden flowers add, the cake is 6 years old so maybe they all died? didn't get any yeast or funk unlike Tea DB(vid). really liking these Gao Jia Shan teas, i'll have to pick some more
only review i could find
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ7JGb8XQiA

>>14273383
The flavors come from natural or artificial flavorings, depends on what the producer uses. Fruit pieces are mostly for the aesthetic. Most green and white flavored blends make great iced teas, blacks little less so but still good.

>>14273432
wet leaves now look like a mix of black and brown-green leaves

>>14273416
Your overall sentiment I agree with, and you're right. I don't mean to be a hardass kek
Personally I'd take the plunge into better teas but with everyone complaining about asian shipping times these days I'm anxious to try a site and order. That or it's the fact that the majority of tea likes to be sourced out from China and I'd rather not support them whatsoever.

>>14273474
Well shit, I came off as a snob but I need to rant somewhere. I don't care about the shipping, always pick the cheapest shipping and forget about it. If you don't want to support China but want Chinese style tea get some TW oolongs or more affordable stuff from Vietnam. Hatvala has good reviews and interesting looking selection of tea.

>>14273432
Thanks for the writeup anon, i was wondering how much of a difference the golden flowers would make.

>>14249611
I have a but load of loose tea to drink, but I like to keep a box of bag tea for quickies; Bigelow is my go to. Braved Walmart and was able to find a fav of mine. The black tea isn't over pronounced, but its pleasant. The spearmint is center stage. I normally dont like spearmint, but this one has a nice smooth herbaceous mint flavor, and doesn't get overly bitter or taste like toothpaste.

>>14274057
after a bit of googling it seem to be added for 'health benefits' rather than taste.
>Clinical studies have shown the bacteria in the golden fungus of Hunan Province dark tea can effectively inhibit the proliferation of colon, gastric and liver cancer cells. It aids in weight loss, and is also proven an effective supplement against diabetes, sugar cravings, high-blood pressure, and high-cholesterol.
sounds like woo but who knows

>>14274249
I know there were health claims around them, but I thought it was also a flavor thing. I had been avoiding the golden flowers bricks after really liking the 2009 gao jia shan wild brick because I thought they would add a yeasty flavor.

>>14274249
Are those in vitro studies? If yes it's worthless, i can shoot a petri dish and say that lead kills cancer cells. If it's an animal study and has some health effects that could be a good starting point. But I don't see any human potential until a standardized extract is established (like for herbal shit) and double blind RCTs are done. That wouldn't stop every overpriced yuppie fucking health food store from marketing it as anti cancer tho.

Only another month and my tea shipment from China might come in. Apparently the shipping situation is starting to improve but there is 1-3 weeks of delays with processing and customs on the USA side.

>>14271286
>>14272013
Thanks for the tip.

>>14271258
>>14271267
Came to report back on the experiment. It seems to me that brewing 1 tbsp of sencha in 3 increments of 4oz water to produce a 12oz cup of tea produces a more balanced tea. And due to multiple steepings, I'll know that I've fully utilized my 1 tbsp of tea to produce a whole cup of tea. Whereas on the other hand, brewing 1 tbsp with 12 oz of water out right seems like too much tea for too little water. (To be fair, since I only estimated the 4oz increments, I might have more like 14 or 15 oz of tea in the end). And since I've extracted everything into the 12 oz of water at once, the resteepings aren't too great at that amount of tea for that amount of water. The second and third steepings were very light in flavor.

>>14249611
Does anyone else do matcha in a French press?

>>14276676

How does that work? Seems to me there's not enough width to whisk it.

>>14276789
Get a smaller whisk.

>>14276809

You generally whisk matcha in a very low, wide bowl. Seems there's an optimal height to diameter ratio for that, and doing it in a narrow French press would throw that off significantly.

>>14276870
Nah it wouldn't. Matcha isn't magic, and pounding away at a French press will get you that ideal matcha froth, and matcha water suspension faster, and easier than the traditional method of folding it in a bowl 1000 times.

>>14276890

Hey, sounds interesting. I've never gotten into matcha so can't comment on it too much.

>>14276906
You should try it. Matcha is nice. Overhyped, but still really nice.

>>14276890
Well fuck, that's a game changer. I should have known that before I bought the chasen and matcha bowl.
Every week I discover more how versatile the french press is.

>>14276870
>optimal height to diameter ratio
Japanese 'tism

>>14277208

Could be. I'm not a matcha drinker. I suspect that trying to whisk matcha in a French press would produce a discernably different result from in a more traditional vessel. Using the plunger as a frother sounds promising though.

>>14254705
In the jug os the cold monkfruit, boiled and stored a few dayd ago
In teapot is some new blend of red tea with lime, trying out for the first time
Also steamed some red bean buns

>>14277311

Looks cozy, desu.

>>14277347
I steamed so many buns bro
Family might just skip dinner after tea

Coof

>try some nice teas
>they still have nothing on coffee
I'm not sure this semen slurping drink is for me guys

>>14278532
Opposite for me. Coffee tastes all the same with exception of shitty coffee machine slop. Teas taste different, you got green black white oolong which is a huge category by itself, and then there's puer if you got the 'tism

>>14278645
>Coffee tastes all the same
Have to disagree here. I was a big coffee autists for years before I got into tea and coffee offers a massive range of flavors. You get bright and citrusy all the way to dark and chocolaty, even some that tastes like blueberries as the cup cools. Tea has a wider overall range of flavor possibilities but coffee can get pretty exciting.

>>14278794

I have a friend who runs a well known coffee place and his coffee autism has been cool for me to experience. I never personally got super into it but I still remember when he pulled me a shot of some Ethiopian something or other and it was absolutely wild.

>>14278807
Pulling shots of Ethiopian does sound wild. The acidity would probably kill me.

>>14278877

It tasted like straight up orange juice. Now I'm just thinking of all the wild tastes we're able to get out of things like coffee and tea that really have no business being in there. I was drinking some 7572 yesterday at 8.5g/150ml since I accidentally picked off to much and went "fuck it" and it tasted, straight up, like buttermilk pancakes.

>>14266386
Jinggu Sun-Dried Silver Needles White Pu-erh Tea Cake * Spring 2020
90c 4g/100ml 10sec wash, 45sec infusion then +10, did 10 then 5mins with boiling

full disclosure no idea how to brew this, meileaf seems to do their bud white teas this way. i think white leaf typically you'd want 10-15sec. i know a few of us have brought this so if you all are brewing it differently let me know
plain white wrapping, cake felt fuzzy and almost tacky, smells like hay and sweet
drank the wash was sweet and lingered for a while, wet leaf smells like honey and nectar

1st floral and a little green. sweet slick and a little cooling
3rd thick, sweet and a little bitter at the end, cool tingling mouth feel
6th mostly bitter now but not over powering, sweetness has dropped off but theres still that green undertone
10th just bitter but still not over powering
5min same as before but easily drinkable

i normally prefer heavy dark teas but this is nice it will be interesting to see how it changes as it ages as its intended to be aged. came with a silica pack so it keep it with that in the back of my tea cupboard until i've drank through my hoard and i'll see how its changed

>>14278899
>and it tasted, straight up, like buttermilk pancakes.
Wild, i have to get some more dayi recipe cakes. My latest ripe is some random no name production and it's pretty good but it's kind of one note, mostly just sweet, and a little thin compared to some of the ripes I have tried.

>>14279039
Interesting, I love the visual texture of those all bud cakes.

Having another tuo today, this is a 2004 Nanjian Phoenix Superior Grade. It's very floral, and some floral sweetness lasts on the tongue. It's also got a hint of cooling when I'm sipping it which I normally don't like but this is subtle enough to not bother me. It also has some hints of aged tea flavor creeping in along the edges. My wife insists that it's very bitter but I get little bitterness or astringency. Overall it's a pretty great tuo, i was hoping for smoke but what I got instead was very pleasant.

>>14263241
The nose is really weird and hard to discern, like beeswax, cinnamon, and artificial watermelon flavoring, and even though I brewed it using only 3g per 100ml, the tea was syrupy and cloyingly sweet. It's worth trying but I personally wouldn't order it again.

guys what the fuck do you call a tea cup that looks like a gaiwan but the lid extends past the cup (as opposed to a gaiwan which has a lid smaller than the cup) i don't have a pic right now fuck me

>>14279228
A cup with an overhanging lid? Like this?

>>14279375
isnt that just the saucer on top?

>>14279228
like this?
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/gaiwans/products/compeition-tasting-set-made-from-white-porcelain

>>14279454
>>14279375
>>14279228

That's what I thought to. Are you sure it's a cup with an overhanging lid or are you just putting the saucer over the top?

>>14279454
>>14279486
It is indeed the saucer. Overhanging lids aren't practical for pouring and steam condensation would drip from the rim, so I doubt such a cup actually exists.

>>14273383
FUCK YES. Legit my favorite herbal/fruity tea so far in my life, ever. Depending on how long I let it steep it can almost get syrupy in it's consistency. It's so tart and delicious, out of everything in Tiesta's lineup you should give this one a try.
The 1lb bag of this is massive. As big as my head, it's glorious. I got it in today, and it's the second to last of my tea orders so far. Harney's order will be in on Tuesday, hopefully Monday if I'm lucky.

>>14273383
>>14280728
It's so nice to see anons like you two getting so excited over your herbal teas. I have a rule about not drinking true teas past eight in the evening, so I usually drink ice water, chamomile, and some Sleepytime tea from Celestial Seasonings. I also got some lavender and chamomile blend from Tiesta. :-)

>>14279515
Oh they definitely exist or at least used to. I think it's just a teacup with a lid from when everyone used to drink tea "grandpa style"

>>14281355

>>14281358
These ones are japanese and don't have handles

>>14281180
Hah post those posts are mine, I'm the herbal loving anon :3
Tiesta's lavender chamomile blend is also pretty spectacular. I too like to have it to try and relax or wind down in the evening.

>tfw still no tea gf after months of hanging around the tea house

What's a good teapot for green tea? Am I a meme if I buy a kyusu?

>>14281562

Why would it be? Kyusus are great and literally purpose built to brew sencha in.

>>14281562
Definitely get a porcelain teapot if you're going to brew sencha, but if you're brewing Chinese green tea you can do so grandpa-style in a mug or even a tall glass. I usually brew longjing or some similar teas in a tall glass. It's fun to watch the leaves stir up and settle down each time you refill the vessel. :-)

>>14282067
Do you know any good porcelain teapots you'd recommend? For a good price that is

I've been stupid, /tea/. I was gifted by a friend with some Japanese tea that I thought was sencha but my brews always turned out bitter because I kept trying to brew it with the temperature and duration for sencha. Turns out it was konacha, and is great when brewed properly.

>>14282098
>>14282067

Keep in mind porcelain isn't a necessity for a kyusu, though it will increase its versatility.

>>14282129
What do you mean by increase its versatility? What material is kyusu usually made of? Unglazed ceramic inside? I don't drink Jap teas only Chinese but I wanted to get a kyusu for gongfu because they look cool and have a handle

>>14282998

It can be anything from varying types of clay to earthenware to porcelain. If it's glazed it won't ghost flavors so you can brew anything in it, but unglazed can be nice for building up a "seasoning" over time.

may have gone slightly overboard on the o-cha order lads

>>14283153

Holy fuck. You better start drinking all that as soon as it hits your doorstep!

>>14272417
>>14270725
I have it and was pretty disappointed

>>14281355
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32820990442.html

my understanding is that's northern China style teacup. the lid is for steeping/keeping the tea hot/keeping insects away. I think it's for green tea leaves.

>>14249611
Does anybody know of a good, cheap Jasmine tea I can drink in huge quantities? I'm not concerned with it being great, I'm no connoisseur. Just adequate and fairly floral so I can drink two pots a day.

>>14276676
Do you fap the surface with the press filter? Might actually work.

>>14283747
If there's an Asian grocery store in your vicinity, then you could search there. If not, try Amazon. Keep in mind that some jasmine green tea comes in "pearls", or tightly-rolled leaves. If you purchase these, and if you don't want to have an overbrewed tea, then use fewer leaves. :-)

>>14282098
I bought a porcelain kyusu off Ebay lately, but I have seen some on Amazon, and I also have this, which I use for all kinds of tea: https://www.amazon.com/Tealyra-Porcelain-18-2-ounce-Stainless-Extra-Fine/dp/B078ZL896X/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n1_0?cv_ct_cx=porcelain+teapot&dchild=1&keywords=porcelain+teapot&pd_rd_i=B078ZL896X&pd_rd_r=7a1cac7e-84ed-4eba-847e-878f8509f24a&pd_rd_w=NusU9&pd_rd_wg=M216N&pf_rd_p=1da5beeb-8f71-435c-b5c5-3279a6171294&pf_rd_r=XKJZWCW4AK342PZHTZD2&psc=1&qid=1592761388&sr=1-1-70f7c15d-07d8-466a-b325-4be35d7258cc

You can also find the type of teapot called a "dobin" on Amazon, too: https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Porcelain-Ceramic-Stainless-Strainer/dp/B07S6CRK98/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3LN7GMA7D6KIR&dchild=1&keywords=porcelain+teapot+japanese&qid=1592761441&sprefix=porcelain+teapot+%2Caps%2C380&sr=8-2

Enjoy. :-)

>>14284183
I've looked on Amazon, but I can't tell which brands are good.

>>14284205
Try looking at Teavivre, which has an Amazon store. I've had their jasmine tea, and it's a good choice for a more inexpensive variety. :-)

>>14283153
Haha that will keep you busy for a while.

>>14283747
>>14284205
Sunflower brand if you want super cheap and can go to an Asian grocer. I'm drinking some iced right now. It's not high end in any way and it can get bitter if you brew it wrong, but it's otherwise floral and nice. A Vietnamese restaurant near me uses giant tins of the stuff.

>>14284795
Yeah it doesn't get much cheaper than that. Definitely the way to go if you want to drink it by the gallon.

I have an order in with a US puer shop that I made a week ago Friday and still hasn't shipped yet. I was hoping I would like this store but I'm slightly discouraged. I guess I will email them on Monday and make sure they are still in business.

>>14284795
A staple of Vietnamese households. I wonder if richer Vietnamese people drink the same or do they branch out into fancier shit. I'm poorfag one so I don't know.

Cold brewed sencha is fucking sweet bros

I've found the answer to these hot days. Even better than cold brewed coffee.

>>14284795
I love that same brand (I think) I buy the lychee tea often in the red tin. It's like $5 for a year's supply. In summer, I brew up a literal pitcher at bedtime and drink cold iced lychee tea for a couple of days. I like jasmine equally well.

I fucking love tea flavor so much lads. I had to cut back on my caffeine consumption a bit so I have been limiting myself to 4 grams of tea a day and it's killing me.
I really need to get some hojicha. Any other good low caffeine tea options?

Alright lads, my Harney's order is coming in Tuesday so I finally decided to give the "Indigo Punch" I bought a try. What made me buy it was the fact that it's bright fucking blue/purple. It's just the pea blossoms doing it but still it looks fuckin' neat.

Sadly though it tastes like fucking NOTHING. Then again, I'm drinking it hot, but still. I expected more floral or fruity notes to shine through, especially since I allowed it to steep long enough, but for the most part it's like I'm drinking cool looking hot water lmao. It could be much worse though, I'm not hating it.

>>14286101
The flavor is in your heart. This sort of tea is tea for the soul.

>>14286159
It truly is, there's definitely flavor, but you gotta "find it" lmao

>>14286101
>pea blossoms
Is that the stuff that changes color when you add lemon juice or am I thinking of something else?

>>14286215
My herbal tea did have citrus elements in it so you're probably right. I didn't know pea blossoms changed colors due to a chemical reaction, I figured it just happened because they were steeped in water.

>>14286285
Yeah I just looked it up, if you add lemon juice it should turn a maroon color.

Is harney&son's formosa oolong any good.

Hey guys I found some assorted tea bags laying around the house and decided to try them.
So far, earl grey and green tea were the best ones, but I've also tried english breakfast tea (okay-ish) and strawberry (big no-no)
Today's contestant is this lemon and ginger thing. I've been staring at it for a while and I think it's starting to stare back
Anyway please share your tea suggestions

>>14286609
Shipping is kind of fucked right now but check out orient star brand oolong for mainland oolongs, lots of vendors selling it on eBay. I'm not really sure who to suggest for Taiwan (Formosa) oolongs. There hasn't been much discussion about Taiwan oolongs in this thread.

>>14286663
Are you in the US? Uptown tea imports has an "intro to fine tea" sampler that's pretty affordable. If you want to grab a few teas insted get a cheap second flush Darjeeling, get one of their earl grey blends id recommend this one
https://www.uptontea.com/earl-grey-tea/earl-grey-loose-leaf-black-tea/p/V00417/#V00417
A chinese green tea and some finest russian caravan. Also get a mesh strainer basket for brewing in a mug.
You can also check out yunnansourcing.us they only sell Chinese teas but they have a pretty good range of tea.
One of these black tea cakes
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/yunnan-black-tea/products/2018-drunk-on-red-sun-dried-black-tea-cake
One of these white tea cakes
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/compressed-white-tea/products/2018-fuding-shou-mei-white-tea-cake
And one of these puer cakes would be a good start
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/xiaguan-tea-factory/products/2016-xiaguan-pin-ge-raw-pu-erh-tea-mini-brick-in-box
You don't even really need a brewing basket for these teas from yunnan sourcing, they can all be brewed "gradpa style" as described in the pastebin in the OP.

>>14286740
*Wuyi star brand oolong

>>14279375
kind of. but the lid extends a bit past the rim of the cup. and the lid has a knob at the top so it can't be a saucer. fuck i'm not at home so i can't take a picture of it yet. might try the new tea general when i do come home

>>14279478
not like that anon. it's unglazed outside but the cup is glazed inside

>>14281369
oh fuck this is what i was describing. but the one i found is unglazed ceramic from the looks of it

>>14286866
I don't think they would be great as a gaiwan, it's more of a teacup with a lid, but I don't know anything about the history of asian tea ware so maybe modern gaiwans evolved from these lidded cups.

>>14279192
>>14257765
I have been drinking more of these two tuos over the last few days. I have a few observations.
Im really impressed at the leaf quality in both of them, the xiaguan tuo especially has much nicer looking leaf that's much less roughly handled compared to the tuos I have had from 2009 - 2013 and those were mostly ft productions or other special higher end productions. The tea only lasts for 5 or so brews but they are tasty. The tea in the Nanjian phoenix tuo is also pretty decent looking, lots of buds throughout instead of just being sprinkled on the outside like you see with some productions. Tea bloggers then to claim that 2003 was the last year before the big factories started cutting their teas with lower quality material to keep up with increased demand. For example 2003 xiaguan tuos go for about $30-$40 today while I got this 2004 for $12. I figured there was some truth to this but also an element of nostalgia. But comparing the 2004 tuo to the 2009 tuo they are completely different teas. I still try to avoid teas from 2005-6 because that was the height of the bubble and many factories were pressing any leaf they could get their hands on.

>>14286807
I'm actually in Brazil (and in a pretty shitty countryside town at that).
Shipping would be an option if our economy wasn't fucked right now (these ones you sent would cost me something around 40~60 bucks in my currency without shipping)
Still, thanks for the feedback. I'll take my two brain cells and try to find something like that locally

>>14287121
Oh damn yeah i have no idea about Brazil. You might be able to find tea sellers from one of the cities that sells tea online. You might be able to find asian markets but probably only in the cities.

>>14287121
Yeah none of that is worth importing to the US. Once things start to recover from the virus you best bet is probably importing from china depending on if customs would care about import tax on tea like they do with electronics. Honestly you should get into Mate especially if it has some tradition and popularity where you live.

>>14287137
Yeah. I'm gonna have a look around some of the organic food stores in town this week. If all else fails, I'll just have to wait until I go back to uni since that's in an actual city lol
But I'm having some luck finding stuff on the internet, so there might be a way. Thanks anon

>>14287157
Customs definitely scare me, so you have a point there.
Mate was actually a fad back when I was a tween but I never liked it. Also, this tradition is mainly centered around the southern part of Brazil, which is not where I live lol. Thanks for your input too

Been drinking a lot of Duck Shit lately. Someone recommend me something similar please

FUCK GUYS IT'S ALMOST HERE.

>>14288302
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Fuck I don't even know which one to try first they're all GREENS. I'm so fucking excited and happy for this.

>>14288447
Holy crap it happened again.
So I never mentioned this about my Tiesta greens that I recently got, but the citrus green I have from Tiesta was filled to the BRIM with tea, while the fruity green had about a good space in the tin left unfilled.

It happened AGAIN but with my Harneys.Oh, and notice how my flavored green in the middle is the least filled up. The "Indigo Punch" I tried the other night is also filled the same, not nearly enough (And for the Indigo I paid $15 for it...) Still though, I'm excited lmao.

I want to gift someone a teapot. Pic related is my teapot, Hario 450ml Fukami kyusu, has a filter that fills almost the whole pot and will comfortably fit 12g of bold as fuck oolong (and 15g is just snug). Problem is it's discontinued. Any other teapots with big filters?

I've decided to try infusions as a substitute to the coffee habit and I'm enjoying them, and soon I will try some teas. I'm starting to buy stuff and thought about getting one of these electric kettles for warming up water, since they're easy to carry. Are they worth it or should I do it in the old way? It seems that having a temperature control is good, but I'd like to hear from more experient people. Also, what more should I buy besides infusers and a tea set?

>>14286101

lmao @ you all. this is what all your teas are. meme water

the only proper tea is black. english breakfast, earl gray. proppa tea that, mate.

>>14288679
>only drinks black teas
>acting superior over preferences
I drink all types of tea but please feel free to be retarded.

>>14288665
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Cha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0
It's still on Amazon.

>>14288822
That's not the same one, that one has a smaller basket.

>>14288839
It is the same one wtf are you on about. In fact I own the same kyusu we're discussing here.

>>14288670
I don't quite understand what the device you've posted is (portable kettle?), but I'd say a variable-temperature electric kettle is well worth it unless you're very into the whole experience of methodically heating the water to prepare the tea. As for what else to buy, I would recommend just buying a bunch of tea samples to see what kinds of tea you might like.

>>14288670
Electric kettles are nice, i use one. Temp control kettles are also nice, but are more necessary for drinking green teas and some oolongs. Most black tea needs boiling water.
>Also, what more should I buy besides infusers and a tea set?
Make sure you get a good infuser, you want to give tea leaves as much room as possible to expand. Finum brew baskets are pretty good.
>Tea set
Depends on what you drink, you can just stick with an infuser basket for a while until you figure out what kinds of tea you like and then you can get more specialized equipment. I guess you can also pick up a cheap 100-120ml gaiwan, and a cheap strainer you can pour through, but teapots tend to be more specialized for certain types of tea.

>>14288850
After more digging I did find the Fukami model on Amazon, it'll just have to be a belated gift coming from Amazon UK.
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-CHN-45T-Kyusu-Fukami-450ml/dp/B00BD1O00G?th=1

Note the difference in basket size, ie in how much tea you can put in and have it fully expand.

>>14288920
This one I've posted apparently can boil water, so maybe it will work for almost everything.
>Make sure you get a good infuser
Alright, I almost bought a small one. My plan is to take my stuff with me to uni, since I spend most of my day there and there are some good places to enjoy tea in peace. I was focusing on easy to carry things, but will do an exception for the infuser. I will get a gaiwan but to use at home, probably.

>>14288919
Right, I will get some samples from a local shop as soon as they reopen.

>>14289036
Also do not brew tea in insulated bottles, dont fall for the insulated bottle with infuser basket meme. The insulated bottle keeps the tea too hot and it fucks everything up. Once the tea is brewed it's fine to put in insulated bottles and carry around. Check out the IngenuiTEA 2. It would be perfect for brewing in your dorm into a bottle you can carry around. Lots of companies make things like it but you gotta get the IngenuiTEA 2 specifically because it's easy to completely disassemble and clean.

>>14289036
If you've got an electric kettle or something else to boil water in, great. If you've got a kitchen thermometer, or an electric kettle that temps your water for you, even better.

I would look into a tea mug, lid, infuser set, it's the first "beginner-tea" item I was given and it was my mom of all people who sent it. I adore the mug I got, the infuser is great, and the lid helps steam your tea or keep it warm if you're wanting something like that. I only advise into getting something to check water temp because it's pretty nice being able to not get over-scorched tea these days.

Whoever recommended Kong Mountain Tea, thank you. They had a good selection of what I was looking for, weren't completely unreasonably priced, and ship from the US. Everything came today (less than a week turn around) and it was meticulously packed in some really nice paper. Got a free tea sample too, it seems

>>14289977

The gaiwan is quite pretty, and the shell means I don't have to use that green plastic ramekin when measuring tea anymore, but what's in the box?

Are there any tea focused discord servers? /tea/ is nice, but a bit impersonal.

>>14289989

>>14290032

Using the 2014 YS Cha Tou Sheng Yun for the inaugural brew.

>>14290002
https://disboard.org/servers/tag/tea

>/tea/ is nice, but a bit impersonal

that's the main appeal to me.

>>14290041

>>14290056

Hm, didn't want to upload that picture for some reason.

>>14290041
I really need to get one of those things, I'm still using a paper plate on my kitchen scale.

>>14290041

Damn, if I would have looked at this picture closer I would have been able to pick that hair out before I brewed it. You win this time, nameless Chinese tea worker.

>>14290069

Even a small porcelain ramekin from the grocery store would do the job well and only cost a few bucks while looking nice.

>>14290078
Why didn't I think of that, I have a few ramekins kicking around. Thanks anon.

>>14290091
why not directly in brewing vessel?

>>14290096

Y-you are preheating your brewing vessel, right anon?

>>14290096
My brewing vessel is a mug, makes it kind of difficult to weigh out tea. Plus i like to prewarm the mug.

>>14290106
do I sound like I got memed by the internet on how to brew my tea?
let me ask you, why do you preheat the vessel?

>>14290115

Hot water into a room temperature vessel will lose a significant amount of heat upon contact. The boiling water you just poured into your unwarmed kettle may be instantly as low as 90 - 95 C.

>>14290115
If you use a heavy clay pot or heavy gaiwan (or in my case a mug) it's nice to prewarm because the brewing vessel will soak up some of the heat from your water and decrease your brewing temp. I guess you could argue that the rinse accomplishes this and i think it's unnecessary if you are using a thin China brewing vessel. But it helped when I had a very thick walled gaiwan.

>>14290115
>>14290128

Just did a quick experiment in fact. Water was poured into the mug directly off a rolling boil. This is the temp it settled at after about 15 seconds.

>>14290128
indeed, I'd say even lower, but I never measured it.
so I rinse my tea with 90 C water.
the gaiwan (not pot) is warm now.

why are you doing it?

>>14290152

I guess that's a fair point that the rinse will accomplish some amount of preheating. Preheating and then rinsing will probably keep the first brew temp closer to intended temp but I would bet that's actually a minimal difference in terms of outcome. Consider me to stand corrected.

I will continue to do the preheat, though. For one, I enjoy the ritual of measuring the tea out into a separate vessel, and on top of that, I like letting the dry tea leaves sit in the emptied prewarmed vessel with the lid on for 10 - 15 seconds and then taking in the aroma. It's like a nice little preview of the session to come.

>>14290184
see, finally you answered my question.

you like to sniff warm dry leaves. with some oolong I'd argue it's 60% of the appeal.

I was afraid you were just aping what someone else told you without consideration.
I love to present tea drinking to newbs as a very easy process.
amount of voodoo written about the topic on the internet leaves newcomers with thousand questions about the vessels, gooseneck kettles, hourglasses, when they should be looking first of all for good quality leaves.

>>14290226

I agree with the sentiment. I sent my mom 5g samples of a bunch of my puerh for mother's day with directions on how to grandpa style it. I must have written it out in a way that seemed more involved than it should be because she was worried she was going to mess it up. Took me a while of just saying "pour boiling water over the leaves in a mug and refill it when it gets low" to actually convince her it wasn't hard.

I will say, though, that for Japanese greens the same caveat we've been talking about doesn't apply since they don't get rinsed, and I tend to drink sencha just as frequently as puerh.

>>14290253
well, one day I'll probably finally cave in and try some sencha.
doesn't help that the end product looks like what my chink green tea eats as a compost.
other japanese tea growing and producing methods seem outright disrespectful to the leaf (kabusecha, etc) if you catch my drift.
I like the myth of god forgotten tea grove in the tropical forest, tea leaves hand plucked, sun dried, hand rolled. and of course old.
japanese tea sounds more like a product to me, nature v. culture thing.

>>14290304

I think it's pretty. I also respect the Japanese approach to tea - moulding and shaping it until it's exactly what you want it to be and squeezing every last bit of potential out of that. The fact that gyokuro tastes the way it does is pretty astounding to me.

>>14290533
Not that anon. The color is incredible but it looks like BOP grade tea. Eventually i will order some nice japanese tea, some Japanese guy sent a teabag with some random stuff I bought on eBay and i was pretty impressed with the umami flavor of just that compared to sencha I have bought at random tea shops in the US. But every time I have money to spend on tea I just end up buying more puer or hei cha. Are you pipe smoking anon? We should do a tea trade at some point.

>>14290588

That's a deep steamed sencha, which breaks it down into smaller pieces. Light steamed green teas tend to be more in tact, though sencha comes from small life varietals and is then rolled so everything is pretty small until it opens up in brewing.

>Are you pipe smoking anon?

Yeah - had I posted about that in here before?

>We should do a tea trade at some point.

I'm at once curious and not sure how the logistics of that would work.

>Have hated Green tea in the past
>Spend some $ and get Jasmin Green Tea
>100g tin was as much as 500g of black tea
>its actually fucking delicious
damn bros..

>>14290614
email me
teageneral at cock.li
you can get a free account easily on cock.li if you don't want to use one of your regular email addresses.

>>14290723

The bigger issue is giving out my address to someone on 4chan.

>>14290816
Hey it's up to you, i run a business from my house so my address is already public. There is this really ancient thing where I can a address a letter to your name and mail it to your local post office and you can pick it up there. I think homeless people use it. I would have to check if it can be done with packages.

>>14273345
>it smells of tea
doubt
>looks and tastes like it too
nooooooop

Thoughts on Japanese sencha grandpa style?

>>14291314
Sounds crazy. Have you tried it?

>>14291000
Why do you have to gatekeep and be petty over tea? Fuck you loser.

>>14291314
It'll probably get bitter even if you reduce the leaf a lot. Bancha should hold up better.