/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Complaining about the post editon
What do you have one the way?
Have you ordered spring greens yet?
How about spring black teas?

What’s the best chai? I love strong, aromatic, spicy flavours.

>>15922087
Freshly ground chai masala (spice mix) with a nice mid grade assam.

This but replace moscow with china

Ramen Noodle Soup is the best tea flavor out there.

coffee is just a type of tea

>>15922087
I like to keep a few spices around for masala chai.
If you like it spicy, try it with nutmeg, black cardamom, ginger, pepper and the rest of the crew.

Also, try using ripe Pu Er tea instead of Assam! It doesn't turn bitter and has a deeper flavor.

>>15922056
>Complaining about the post editon
my tea package has been stuck in Shanghai for almost 2 weeks now.

>>15922056
I'm poor right now so I'm rationing. I have to buy new tuo chas soon, because my mom made a little bag for my D&D dice, but it just has the perfect size for those 100g Xiaguan bowls.

>>15922056
>Complaining about the post editon
Malaysia is blocking deliveries still

>What do you have one the way?
Some old Liubao & Yancha from a friend in HK

>Have you ordered spring greens yet?
nope

>How about spring black teas?
nope

>>15922204
Both are just types of soup stock

>>15922234
Same, is your order from chawangshop? Mine has been stuck at (given to carrier for transport) for at least a week now.

>>15922256
>>15922270
>Some old Liubao & Yancha from a friend in HK
Nice anon, good choices

for cold tea do you usually brew tea normally and cool it or cold brew it

>>15922429
You can do either but i prefer cold brew. About one tablespoon per litre in the fridge overnight or around 6-8 hours. It usually comes out less bitter brewed like that.

>>15922224
stay away from puer. stick with the Assam. My gf gets super fucking tea drunk after a few tipples of a 5 year old cake. She slings our sack of DnD D20 dies at my calves when I'm trying to fix up my town in AC.

Just had gyokuro for the first time today, 3 steeps. From a random tea shop, so no idea where it came from in Japan or even what the cultivar was, so don't know if it was high quality. Very different than sencha. Super sweet first steep, hard to describe except it was like some kind of broth. The second steep was far more mild and less flavorful. The third/final steep was similar to the first, but slightly more bitter. All in all a very sweet and different tea compared to what I'm used to. I haven't really ate that much all day, so I'm super jittery on the verge of being tea drunk. I will order some actual identifiable gyokuro from either sazen or yunomi soon enough. Anyways, what other Japanese tea should I try, or if any of you have a favorite sencha or Japanese black, let me know.

>>15922716
If you like toasty flavors try genmatcha (without matcha powder) and hojicha

Late night puer session
I have some new stuff coming in eventually can do writeups for

>>15922204
>>15922352

liquid is just, like, a molecule

>>15922204
Potatoes are just a type of tomato because you can make soup out of both of them

>>15922056
>What do you have one the way?
Nothing actually, I stocked up on too much in Feb so I can't justify ordering more yet
>Have you ordered spring greens yet?
No but I used my friend as a guinea pig to try a couple since he was looking to make a big order. Had the "Cui Ming" from YS today and it was great. Nice umami taste. He got some dan cong and some duck shit too which i've been meaning to try, I've mostly ignored oolong up until now and I don't know why.
>How about spring black teas?
Didn't even know that was a spring thing, i'm not really a big fan of black tea in all honesty. Only had a few that I thoroughly enjoyed

>>15923286
I have a bunch of wuyi oolong on the way, dan cong is next.
I had a bag of some really heavily roasted dan cong i bought a few years ago, i wasn't impressed and first and forgot about it for a year or three, when i cam back to it it was a fantastic fruit bomb. That doesn't really seem like the norm for dan cong, it seems like it is usually lightly fermented and lightly roasted, and leans more towards the floral side instead of fruit.

for me it's cold cheap instant tea like this

>>15923559
Is it good? It sounds bad

>>15923643
it's good enough

>>15922469
Women ey.
But really Puer in Chai is the next trend!

puer lesbians are done here,
this is an oolong dyke thread now

Is this considered tea

>>15924324
>INGREDIENTS:
TEA (WATER, TEA POWDER), CANE SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS, PECTIN, SUCRALOSE

I mean sure, a tiny 1-2% of that contains actual tea

Mmmm tea powder

>>15924362
It's 99% tea, coping hipster.

>>15924362
that's not how ingredients work, friend.
legally, they have to be in order of quantity. the highest % composition first, and then the second, and so on.

you'll see on some brands that they'll say "our first ingredient is fruit!" but the second and third ingredients are sugar and HFCS, so while technically true, if it was all sugar or all HFCS, it would make up a greater percent than the fruit.

>>15924620
it's 99% water
you degen

>>15924670
so is tea

>>15924673
whoosh

>Tfw dry fasting for a few days, so not drinking my tea.
Post your brews, anons. Show me those saucy cups of tea.

>>15924951
I'm brewing ripe puer grampa style, imagine a big mug with brown water in it.

>>15924951
what are the advantages of a dry fast over wet? currently drinking the last bits of dust from a cheap £10/cake 8 year old raw

I have finally found out that the reason mate is so cheap here is because
>A) it's very cheap in general
>B) you're supposed to use more per cup for mate cocido than you'd do for tea
it's at minimum 3 grams and a more generous portion is roughly 5 grams per cup, so twice as much leaf as you'd use for tea at worst and a bit more than the average at the very least.

>>15925318
What appeal of mate? I try some I buy at store and it nasty

>>15925321
it's cheap as fuck
I can buy a kilo of loose leaf organic mate from the shop downstairs for 25 euros
even the shittiest bagged earl grey tea costs more and it's shitty asswater

also it has a lot more caffeine than tea, roughly half as much as coffee, but I shit my ass off whenever I drink coffee
I picked up the habit when I started university, and let me tell you, I had people commenting on my mid-morning shits in the bathroom stall stinking like hell and my bowels were a quivering, feverish mess afterwards
after I started drinking mate, I was still feeling energetic with none of the shits, plus mate doesn't turn my teeth a nice golden shade of yellow like coffee does

I mean, going by price, even the shittiest bagged earl grey goes at roughly 50 $ per kilo. You can buy cheap loose cruz de malta or rosamontee for a third of that price. A third. It's insane. And they can get even cheaper if you buy in bulk for more than 1 kilo.

Status report after trying out 5 gram cocido
It's actually really good! I get a much more heady feeling, which I guess is from the added caffeine, but if that's the case it's actually strangely relaxing. I'll try this one tomorrow too and scale it down to 4g if it's too much.

>>15925065
Improved autophagy and increased recycling as a result. So, it uses useless loose skin and other dead cells for energy. Your body combines oxygen from the air and hydrogen atoms from your fat to make metabolic water, which means increased fat burning. Quicker to enter into ketosis and a state of increased growth hormone, which means muscle sparing and improved growth after refeeding. Many people dry fast for recovering from chronic ailments too, and I'm hoping it has some effect on mine.
>Tfw no pics of anons' cakes or brews, though.

Ordering samples from Upton, what should I try? I am interested in their Oolong selection but they look weird and kinda confusingly labelled. Should I go for it anyways?

>>15922204
I'm actually kinda curious how cocaine leaf tea would be. Does that still count as /ck/?

>>15922429
Depends on the tea. Most I cold brew. But some like genmaicha I don't think taste as good unless their hot brewed (The rice doesn't feel like it extracts enough).

I generally use the hot brew only if it's something that has other shit blended with the tea like fruit or other herbs and shit.

>>15923559
I know it's a meme post but still, is that shit made of actual tea like instant coffee is from real coffee or is this just some cucked shit with sugar? Because it sure tastes just sweet and that's it.

>>15924749
go back, faggot

>>15924324
Says so on the packaging.

Cut the cord on Chinese teas. I'm not giving them any more money and have drank the last of my pu'er.
I'm going to be buying from Taiwan from now on.

>>15926440
why? cause you hate the government?

>>15925916
To be fair though dehydrating yourself for that long seems like it would be pretty terrible for everyday living, spending two entire days without drinking water would most likely impair everyday life. Hell, even 1 day would be terrible. Don't you like, die after 3 days of not getting water

>>15926448
>you need to separate the state from the nation! Don't demonize its people!
1.4 billion people aren't oppressed, champ. If they weren't complicit, the CCP would have been gone after Tienanmen. These fuckers love their government.

>>15926480
Yes, you are right. I was just curious of the reasoning. Riceniggers suck.

>>15926440
I'd do the same but the tea is just so dang good. My other options are what? More places in Ching Chong Land? Every country there has commies, street shitters, or fat boring Koreans. I'd buy from Nip Nong Nation but they mainly do green tea which isn't my thing. And I ain't bout to drink tea from niggers either. At least my money goes partly to ching chongs who are just tea farmers and not commissars of the urban hellhole

>>15926553
kinda based

im getting a bunny tea pet c:

Does anybody know if it's possible to get a custom made tea pet?

Can you guys recommend an electric kettle? I prefer inexpensive and basic, just looking for something free of plastics. You can just use an electric thermometer for precise temperatures after all right? Pic is the tier of retarded I have been for the last 5 years

>>15926839
>you can just use an electric thermometer for precise temperatures
If you're willing to do that I'd say just use any old non-electric kettle. They tend to be cheap and plastic-free, and have the upside that you can use it over fire. You could make tea in a hurricane.

>>15926927
True, and not a bad idea, but induction stoves are slow as hell. It's a shame gas ranges are so rare in my state.

>>15926839
If you drink different types of teas you're definitely gonna want one with adjustable temp so you don't scorch the more delicate varieties. I recommend a bonavita, its about 55 dollars.

>>15926458
>Don't you like, die after 3 days of not getting water
Nope. As I mentioned, the body synthesizes its own metabolic water through autophagy under such circumstances. It won't be enough to 'comfortably' hydrate oneself, but it is sufficient for sustenance, at least for several days. I believe one of the longest-recorded hard dry fasts was a prisoner who was thrown and locked into a cell, key tossed, for 18 days or so. People do 3-7 day dry fasts without issue.
>spending two entire days without drinking water would most likely impair everyday life.
Yes, it is not particularly pleasant. However, it offers potent restorative potential for individuals with illnesses, excessive waste cells (such as, commonly, loose skin), or limb restoration (such as for chronic injuries from sprains or breaks). It isn't really that bad, though. I'm about 42 hours into this dry fast (10 hours liquid only beforehand), with another 42 to go. I am not on the verge of death, pain, or overbearing discomfort. I'd be lying if I said some white or dark tea didn't sound absolutely appetizing right now, though. I am still thinking about which tea I will consume once my digestive function is ready again in a few days. That said,
>Anon STILL hasn't posted his tea picture.

how is ahmad imperial blend?
never that in the store before
is it decent cheap everyday tea?

>down to my last two bags of green tea
shincha season can't come soon enough

can't believe fedex is still the only option from japan, one year into this shit

>>15925933
I have heard mixed reviews of their oolongs,
The things you should absolutely try from them are finest Russian caravan and some of their English blends, like the robert fortune blend.

If you are mostly interested in trying oolongs, you might want to order from yunnan sourcing .us instead.
If you want to try taiwan oolongs
tea-masters.com has a pretty well priced taiwan oolong sampler, i enjoyed the teas i got from them.
If you want to try wuyi oolongs and have money to burn essence of tea has a $100 140g sampler of premium wuyi oolongs.

>>15926283
You used to be able to buy coca teabags all over amazon untill just a few years ago, you still can if you look around some, technically illegal but nobody cares as long as you are just buying boxes of the teabags. I'm pretty sure they taste like leaf water and people used to buy them to stick in their cheek with a pinch of lime powder to try and get a buz.

>>15926839
Fuck adjustable temps
Anyway get this
https://www.amazon.com/Secura-SWK-1701DBO-Stainless-Electric-Protection/dp/B07MQLDM67/
I have had one for years and run it hard and i love it. 100% stainless steel on the inside with no seams, the water isint touching any plastic or silicone or any shit like that. It has a good quality heating unit, it's big (1.5 Litres) and it works.

>>15927273
The Japanese sellers are retarded, i have bought several random nicknacks on ebay form japan since the beginning of this year and they come in a few weeks via Japan post. The tea shops are just doing their obnoxiously conservative Japanese thing where they will now only offer fedex for another 3 years because that's what they do.

>>15926440
The whole reason I started drinking tea was to give the CCP money to accelerate the defeat of ZOG. Better than giving Africa money for coffee.

What is your favorite black tea?
For me its Chinese Dian Hong

>>15928355
Same here. I enjoy a nice malty dian hong in the mornings, though I need to know where I can get more of it. Any suggestions?

>>15928865
Yeah i got a good one
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-yunnan-old-tree-black-tea-dianhong-feng-qing-red-tea-cake-357g-p0593.html
This is a very popular dian hong style and this box is from basically the premier factory that makes this style. Good stuff. You do have to buy a big box but it should keep for at least 2 years with proper storage, probably longer.
Xiaguan also makes a dian hong that is supposed to be pretty good, i haven't tried it but a few other anons have praised it. I'm not sjre how malty it is, probably not as malty as the first one.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/black-tea/products/2020-xiaguan-hong-cha-black-tea-300g-yunnan-fengqing-dianhong

>>15926440
no worse than coke desu senpai

oolong tea is trash

>>15928355
assam or earl grey aha

>>15929279
Unfortunately it's astringent as fuck, otherwise it would taste good.

>>15926839
Just buy a coffee maker bro

>>15929279
There is a whole lot of different oolong types that taste nothing alike. Most of it is pretty good

Taking another shot at this 2019 "still love you" ripe puer. I bought this as a sample last year and it was incredibility disappointing, i had a fantastic grahm cracker / gingerbread flavor that was drowned out by some real skanky pile fermentation flavor. Now that it's had some time to air out hopefully it goes better. I'm going to break up these chunks pretty aggressively and give the tea a good 15-20 second rinse before dumping it in my mug.

>>15929492
Whoops wrong pic

>>15929279
get some high mountain taiwanese shit and see if you change your mind

>>15929492
Okay this is a weird one, i got enough of the funk out for it to be drinkable but it seems like it also lost some flavor. This tastes like a slightly burnt graham cracker, very unique flavor for a ripe. Still a bit skanky, light to moderate viscosity. I don't really know how to feel about it. This was ordered by a HK puer dealer but i got it from puerhshop which is in dry ass Michigan and i think he bought his stock shortly after these came on the market. My impression is that this cake was made to age in HK and if i was trying a sample that had been in HK dry storage from 2019 untill now it would be nicer, it would probably be free of funk entirely and the flavor notes would probably integrate more smoothly.

i literally only drink tea to launder money for china. the federal government is monitoring my purchases.

>>15929580
Yeah this kind of sucks, the promise of that graham cracker flavor i got mostly turned into a burnt bread flavor. I guess there is some vague campfire smores nostalgia thing going on but it's not really doing it for me.

>>15927411
>the water isint touching any plastic or silicone or any shit like that.
Don't worry, according to a recent survey even tap water has more than enough plastic to make up for that.

Change your water filter!

Has anybody had Japanese black tea? It looks like most all of what they drink and all they export is green tea

>>15931416
I'm going to order some tonight and when it comes in, in a few weeks maybe a month I'll let you know if you keep coming back to /tea/.

>>15931416
I've had some. It reminds me of Indian black tea: strong, dark, malty, and brisk. I think it was originally developed to imitate British black tea.

>>15932280
Interesting, i expected the opposite. I will have to try some if i ever put in an order with japan this year

>Put enamel mug on plate
>Plate fucking cracks
Shit. I liked that plate.

>>15932601
Damn, bad week for plates, my cat knocked the one i used for holding my teapots off the shelf the other day, in much the same way that anon lost his gaiwan.

>>15932748
>Tfw my serving cup slipped and chipped some days back too.
Is it a sign for us all to embrace the consumer lifestyle and buy more extravagant teaware, anon?

>>15932817
I guess so since i just went on a gearfag buying spree. Generally i don't trust myself with anything too nice since i have left a trail of teaware carnage in my wake.

>>15932929
I've got some larger, prettier teacups intended for Euro brewing styles and/or teabags. Been thinking about whether I should use them for drinking over my tiny serving cups. Both are porcelain, but I imagine that a tinier porcelain cup will enable better capture of aroma, and better manage heat retention/loss too. Not sure what to think. What did you splurge on anyway?

>>15929492
>>15929516
>>15929911
you strike my as being rather choosy about your shou. out of curiosity what are some productions you consider to be good shou?

>>15933174
>what are some productions you consider to be good shou?
The best shu i have ever had is
https://tea-expert.net/mengku/00135-mengku-bojun-2020
A whole brick is pretty pricey but it's absolutely worth getting 100g or 200g to try, tastes like german dark forest cake, rich chocolate and a dark cherry flavor. If you hit that website with Google translate he will ship globally with a very small shipping fee.
Currently I'm working on this cake, which is pretty good, not amazing, a pretty strong slightly bitter chocolate, slightly malty, a hint of fermentation funk but nothing unpleasant.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/haiwan-2010-shu-puer-badashan-the-second-batch-ripe-puer-yunnan-pu-erh-tea-357g-p0360.html
Also the 100g red rhyme or red coin ripe cakes from dayi are strong and bitter but quite good.
I'm not really a huge ripe drinker, i prefer liubao generally but ive been going through a decent amount lately.

>>15932957
I got a small porcelain teapot, a 150ml wood fired cup and I somehow managed to fall for the clay teapot meme and ordered one of those. I really want to get a tea table but i don't have a good spot to put it right now.

>>15933627
thanks i will keep those suggestions in mind. i don't think i am nearly as particular about my shou. i had a sample of the 2019 "still love you" ripe puer as well and thought it was a perfectly fine shu. i don't remember finding any off flavor when i drank it.

>>15933821
Did you get it from puerhshop?

>>15933843
>Did you get it from puerhshop?
yes.
sadly i finished off my sample a few weeks back so i cant try it again to compare.

>>15933858
I mean maybe im just being cranky, important to note i was drinking it grampa style, so it could taste fairly different that way vs gongfu. It tasted a lot like how i heard someone discribe a certain years dayi v93 tuo, sort of burnt waffle type flavor going it. Maybe some smoke, but if it was it was different than the smoke i usually get in puer, more acrid, like maybe pine smoke. Did you get that kind of toasted grahm cracker flavor when you tried it?

>>15933888
here are my tasting notes notes make of them what you will.
12.5g/100ml 100c water gongfu style
very savory: fresh cooked rice, sweet buns
moderately earthy: woody, damp stones
some sweetness: honey
possibly some spice notes or incense, maybe a hint of menthol
minimal harshness
overall: a decent shu with some unique notes but not nearly as exciting is I would have hoped.

>>15933929
Thanks for sharing anon, its fun to compare peoples experiences

Coof

sneed

Late night puer, grampa style.

>>15935178
Looks good, how was it?

Coof

>>15935920
I used too much leaf, it came out kind of nasty.

I don't think ive seen many spring Japanese greens posted yet. Maybe it's still early but there were a lot last year.

When i got this cake i said it was better from the ebay guy than it was from yunnan sourcing. But i was wrong, the sample i got from ebay guy was pretty good, but the specific cake i ended up with was meh. I needs to be rinsed pretty aggressively.
It does have massive amounts of stimulating energy to it, almost uncomfortably so.

>>15937803
>I needs to be rinsed pretty aggressively.
wet stored?

>>15938121
Yeah, its wet stored, it's a weird note too, since i don't usually mind wet storage, sometimes i can take care of it with a good rinse and sometimes it seems to stick around.

>>15924951
How long have you been going? (Both this session and in general)
What have been the results?

>>15938343
I think he died of dehydration

>>15938343
I did four days. 3.5 days were absolute dry fasted (no water contact). I dropped over 3kg and may have had some other benefits such as healing a chronic leg injury. I broke the fast this morning. I'll enjoy some tea later to celebrate.

What sort of tea goes well with lemon?

Ok recs on where to buy a tiny ass silver teapot (90ml or less). 120ml is too much for a tfwnogf nimrod. Our guys from yunnan sourcing doesn’t have the size in stock anymore

>>15938609
Black teas. Try Indian or Sri Lankan teas, or Chinese dian hong if you prefer. :-)

>>15938616
Here is a 105ml
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/silver-kettles-silver-teapots/products/105ml-julunzhu-995-silver-teapot-black-handle
Im not sure who else stocks them

>>15927273
I ordered from Hibiki-an recently and they sent through DHL express. Got from Japan to Nevada in 3 days

>>15939827
Yeah the problem is that you have to spend $20 on shipping, hard to justify unless you are putting in a decent sized order.

>>15939887
I ordered a kyusu too so I got the free shipping fortunately. Gotta order more or pay shipping I guess

>>15939913
Yeah that makes sense, i just checked, its $18 for fedex, for whatever reason thats the only way they will ship to the US. I need to check the other vendors and see if anyone else will ship regular air

Any recommendations for legal psychoactive herbal tea/infusions in the USA? I have some kanna on the way but that's after custody research and I'm a total newb
>Pic related is me

>>15940484
Fuck off druggie

>>15940484
brew 30 bags of shitty tea in a saucepan and give yourself a caffeine high like a soviet gulag prisoner.

>>15940484
Poppy pods
>legal
Kanna but it sounds like you have to get some form an chew it for 20 min or get an extract and snort it for it to really do anything.
Kratom check out, https://krakenkratom.com/ don't make kratom tea, mix powder with a shots worth of hot tap water and chug it
Kava, check out https://nakamalathome.com/
Get the stone variety, make sure to get a mesh bag along with the kava and look at their brewing instructions
That's about it, and i don't even know if kanna actually does anything, the other two definitely do something

Late night CNNP puer cake from tea-masters.com
I have been reaching for this one a lot lately, it's smooth and easy to drink, nothing exciting, but hits the spot. Tonight im using up bits of broken leaves and dust.

>>15922042
>Used to spend 100's of dollars on tea from this thread a few years ago.
>Had multiple teapots, fancy kettle, whisk...
>Only drink cheap bagged rooiboos from the supermarket now.

Bros... how do I get my joy back.

I think quitting caffeine was good though.

>>15940765
Caffeine is good for you. And we miss you. Why don't you clean off one of those teapots and steep some loose leaf for old times' sake?

>>15924951
how do you maximize autophagy and minimize hgh?
drink spearmint tea?

loose leaf chamomile and growing your own chamomile, anyone done it, recommendations?

Anyone tried fennel tea? Does it cure your farts?

>>15940484
datura :)

>>15941174
Loose leaf chamomile
Easiest at least if you live in the US is buying from mountain rose herbs
If you feel brave you can look around on etsy and buy from small time farms, but i would just suggest using mountain rose.
I haven't tried growing it, it seems like a very easy plant to grow but you need to devote a fairly large space to grow a years worth for one person and you need to know or learn how to harvest, dry and properly store herbs without them getting moldy or whatever.

>>15922097
have you ever tried the whole spice method where you lightly heat them in an empty pan?
I've been doing that so far and it's been great, but it sort of feelsbad to have to make so much at once. i was wondering if there's any noticeable difference between ground and whole spice chai.

>>15941888
Whole spices are always going to be more potent than pre ground, they still need to be fresh. But grinding them fresh right before you use them is ideal, that way you are exposing all the spicey goodness so it it's easily extracted into your chai, and since it's done right before you cook it there isn't time for the aromatic compounds to evaporate away. If you are using whole spices you should and the very least lightly crush them before you use them, it will increase their potency and you can use less.

what u drink today anon?

I just noticed they have tea on AliExpress. I wonder how much ching chong poison is in those

>>15944034
It depends entirely on the vendor. Health Tea House (also known by their site name of 'Fullchea') sells on there, and most consider them legitimate. I have only purchased from their direct store, so no experience with their Ali page. Still, they did not disappoint me. So, I think they are a safe option. If in doubt, just ask around or don't buy it.

>>15940765
This thread is new as of last year. I am an avid tea collector and longtime /ck/ man of passion, yet still avoid this thread like the plague. Tea people are mostly insufferable.

>>15943140
Having some liu bao tonight, this one tastes and smells like a root cellar filled with beets.

>>15944719
Good tea is good. Bad tea is unforgivable

I guess i picked a really bad image for the OP, it's amazing how much difference the OP image makes for thread participation

I grew up in a mormon family and have never had tea before, what should I try first?

>>15945639
i would participate if my tea wasn't stuck in postal service hell

One of my 3 packages shpped last month finally made it to the states.
This is the one from chawangshop that was in limbo in Singapore for 3 weeks
Suddenly it was just in LA.
Finally some wuyi oolong is on the way, i was dying with no charcoal roasted tea to drink.

>>15941180
No, it makes them smell like a suasage pizza.

>>15945769
Read the pastebin and go browse some tea on any of websites listed, look for ones that offer samples or sell in small amounts like 25 grams. Pick any of them that sounds tasty, you can't miss. If you want more specific suggestions, I'd say black tea is a good start since it's real simple, like Yunnan black teas. Steer clear of tea with fruit pieces and shit in it.

>>15945769
Drink this, it's just as good

Tell me what the best tea is and where did you get it?

best tea to get tea drunk?

>>15946309
I haven't tried it myself but this has a reputation for having a strong effect
https://www.bitterleafteas.com/shop/tea/puer/wmd-2018-spring-mansa-raw-puer

>>15946273
That's a really hard question, i can post one of my favorites.
The 2009 silver xiaguan from kingteamall is of of my favorite raw puers
This is my favorite ripe puer.
https://tea-expert.net/mengku/00135-mengku-bojun-2020
I don't think there is really an objectively best tea, since it's so subjective.

Have any anons here found some of the teas and tisanes they liked before tasting like shit as they brewed and learned more about teas? I went back to a loose tisane blend that is still in good condition, smells fine when dry and wet, and had some tonight. It is so bland, somewhat bitter, just strange. Maybe because I infused it in my gaiwan instead of a typical pot? Maybe matching tea infusion practices to tisanes is ineffective.

>>15926553
Indian tea
The pajeets are the mortal enemy of the chinks

>>15946542
I think pg tips kind of sucks now

Hello anons, I ordered my tea from Yunomi which should last me for a long while. Shipping fucking racking my over the coals, so I chose Japan Post because $12 shipping beats $30, even if I have to wait a while. Here is what I got:
Some sencha setoya midori, which I had last year as well. https://yunomi.life/products/naturalitea-05-sencha-green-tea-setoya-midori?variant=32173027885161
Some Japanese black tea, Setoya Momiji.https://yunomi.life/products/naturalitea-12-japanese-black-tea-setoya-momiji-100g?variant=4078139461
The same hojicha I had last year, superior summer. This one is my father's favorite tea. https://yunomi.life/products/takeo-tea-farm-hojicha-roasted-green-tea-superior-summer?variant=32983782719593
And a small 20g sample of some random green tea, if I end up liking what I get I'll maybe buy some more. https://yunomi.life/products/start?variant=12233228976233
I am waiting to order some 2021 sincha when it comes out on their site.

god im drinking this gyokuro and idk how people get into japanese teas theyre so not tasty
i get that they make you feel good but chinese teas taste 1000x better

later infusions are getting tastier but its still so grassy and savory/umami

>>15944719
>I am an avid tea collector
>Tea people are mostly insufferable.
are sure you are not just projecting?

>yet still avoid this thread like the plague.
why are you here then?

>>15945639
I am not sure the picture is all that important besides attracting visitors. activity sometimes just comes and goes. some of the main posters here are likely just sometimes busy or lack things to say.

>>15946012
>One of my 3 packages shpped last month finally made it to the states.
i just had a package make it to the states as well. where are your other 2 packages from?

>>15946270
as a warning to anyone considering trying Ephedra (plants in the Ephedra genus) it contains Ephedrine (as in Bronkaid) and Pseudoephedrine (as in Sudafed). you should do your own research and be aware of the side effects of those agents. Ephedra has the potential to cause harm especially with overuse. it probably wont harm you when used in limited amounts but I would not necessarily recommend its consumption, especially not regularly. also be aware that as an unrefined product the amount of active ingredients in Ephedra can vary considerably.

>>15946398
>The 2009 silver xiaguan from kingteamall is of of my favorite raw puers
this?
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2009-xiaguan/products/2009-xiaguan-yin-song-he-silver-pine-crane-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha

>>15946542
>Maybe matching tea infusion practices to tisanes is ineffective.
yes, tisanes tend to need to be brewed differently

>>15948080
update: I am eating the leaves afterwards and theyre really good
theyre like steamed spinach except if it kept its crunch a bit instead of turning to mush
mild, very slightly bitter flavor but in a good umami way

>>15922042
burgerbros where do you buy your tea in bulk? most i can get from upton is 1000g bags

>>15947801
Nice anon, make sure to report on your teas when they come in

>>15948139
Yes the silver pine and crane, it is just a refined, smoother version of a xiaguan 8653 cake but it's smooth, smokey, easy to drink and just a really nice example if you enjoy the typical xiaguan taste

>>15948834
Upton is good for some teas, otherwise order from china, kingteamall has decent bulk pricing.

>>15948080
They are definitely not for everyone, especially Gyokuro. Sencah is a lot more popular for a reason. Gyokuro is quite a bit more expensive because you need to go for higher quality stuff compared to Sencha where you can get really good tea for lower prices.
You should try a Sencha before you write off Japanese tea, but yes, they are definitely not for everyone. Once I tried the really grassy teas I finally found my perfect type of tea.

Alright lads. Anyone here made pink tea? Need some useful tips.

>>15926839
I love this one. There's a small bit of plastic, not sure if that's a deal breaker.

https://smile.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ/

>>15926968
>>15927411
>>15949396
Thanks for the recommendations. I ended up using my reward points to get this fancy chinese (I think?) kettle. All of my hot beverages are noticeably better now, I really must have been drinking quite a lot of hot plastic these past few years. I've only had it for a few days so I can't recommend it yet, but so far it's great, hopefully an appliance that does something as simple as heating water can last a good 5-10 years. It's curious that this (at US$80) is still cheaper than an All-Clad stove top kettle, I still want one of those though.

https://www.amazon.com/Willsence-Gooseneck-Temperature-Stainless-Stopwatch/dp/B08LDL447B

>>15949317
What is pink tea? That peaflower stuff with lemon juice added?

>>15949473
Nice, its all made in china anyways, ass long as it lasts for a few years its a good deal

>>15949213
the three ive had before were matcha, sencha, and gyokuro
sencha was more generally inoffensive but idk. chinese teas are just so different

why use an electric kettle instead of a normal one

>>15950574
It's easier

What tea do you like to drink when you've had a bad day with enervating people, /tea/? Why?

>>15948080
Tastelet

You better be steeping it at a barely hot 50C/122F

>>15950996
Something comforting and fermented, ripe puer, liu bao, maybe i would throw together some herbal tea like chamomile with holy basil and a 0inch of liquorice root.

>>15951135
That sounds pleasant. I haven't any sufficient herbs for tisanes, but I may have an appropriate pu'er. Thank you.

the tea ia actually moving! It got through customs and left LA in 24 hours, an amazing accomplishment considering how shitty the USPS has been lately.
Hopefully it's actually going cross county on a plane this time and not in a truck.
Hey anon that had as package stuck in Singapore, is yours moving too?

Is gunpowder tea any good? It sounds cool

>Left my multi-gen kombucha idle for several months, possibly over a year.
>Stacked full of scoby layers, liquid so aged that it turned straight brown from the yeasts.
>Checked it now, just started to mold on top.
>Removed layer, cleaned surrounding zones delicately.
>flip scobies, and the thing starts violently burping from all of the CO2 underneath.
Anons, I...

>>15951584
I started reading online about mold growth in kombucha. It seemed slight, but is it really too late? It was only surface-level, and I removed several layers. Disappointing if so, as I was holding this for a long time and failed to prepare a backup hotel. I have no alternatives now. I never even tasted it.

>>15951558
Gunpowder green is very cheap green, at least the temple of heaven stuff in the asian market.
it actually does have a tiny hint of a gunpowder aspect to it.
It's typically used to make Moroccan mint tea.

>>15951662
Yeah that cooked, there are some news articles of people getting sick from contaminated batches.
Just get a new scoby and starter culture from this lady
https://kefirlady.com/
I forgot about a batch ones and it got filled with fruit flys

>>15951732
I see. Really, I never get these ferments right. I could have saved it if I just transported some even a few days or a week before, but I foolishly let it go while some scoby was not sufficiently covered in liquid. I made the original culture by cloning with care from a store bottle around two years ago. Disappointed in myself, but I appreciate your honesty.

What's better Sencha or Gyokuro?

>>15951760
The cultures from store bottles arent that great anyway honestly. The home brew stuff has a totally different bacteria and yeast profile. That's why i suggested getting it from that lady, it's like getting an heirloom varietal.

>>15951764
Depends on what you like.
For me its sencha

>>15951764
I'm voting sencha

just had the best tea of my feeble life. elder flower tea. I hope some of y'all try it. also want to thank the people on these daily threads for getting me into drinking tea. thanks bois!

>>15951764
Gyokuro for flavor appreciation and for the stimulant effects, sencha for a quick cuppa

>>15949593
No, pink tea aka Kashmiri tea. It’s Kashmiri tea leaves, Cardamom, Ice, Baking Soda etc mixed together with crushed pistachio and maybe cream and sugar

>>15922042
What should I know about tea for quick remedy?

>>15929279
Brainlet

>>15951486
>Hey anon that had as package stuck in Singapore, is yours moving too?
it was stuck in shanghai but yes it is, though it has not left LA yet. perhaps our packages were on the same plane. I wonder why exactly it took so long (besides just covid). the holiday packages should be done by now and surely it cant take that long to fill up a cargo plane with stuff to ship to the US from China. perhaps they have a multi week backlog that they are struggling to get caught up on.

>>15951764
Gyokuro has a higher ceiling and is more distinct, but it's more of a commitment and it's not something I could see drinking every day. While I slightly prefer the taste, if I had to drop one it would be gyok. Sencha is easy, inexpensive, relatively varied, and pleasant.

>>15952389
Nice, I'm excited to hear how your brick of hunan tea tastes

I gave in and purchased some cheap tea from Aliexpress.
Surprisingly, the tea looks just as good as it does in the pictures but the taste is nothing to be desired.
I'll stick to specialty shops from now on.

>>15953224

no offense anon, but what exactly were you expecting from such an endeavor?

>>15950574
Control water temp.

>>15946309
Puer. It causes my gf to black out and then she likes to beat my feet with towers of 2x6 lego bricks. She cackles maniacally when they shatter on my soles.

>>15922204
Objectively retarded

>>15924951
I don't trust this image. Does anyone have reliable sources for this?

>>15953446
I didn't intend to derail the thread with that post. We should stay on topic. Here is a general which may better suit your specific questions: >>>/fit/60966072

>>15953460
Thanks

>>15953460
Praise the Goddess Ana. So glad that my ED is now recognized as a virtuous way of life. Now when people ask me why I don’t eat I just say “intermittent fasting” and they ohh and ahh while lavishing praise upon my malnourished form.

>>15953211
>Nice, I'm excited to hear how your brick of hunan tea tastes
did you get some Hubei heicha with your order as well?

Have any of the smaller/niche vendors lurked or posted here with any notable frequency before? The thought is just on my mind.

>>15953537
Nah, i got mostly wuyi oolong with a little puer cake i have wanted to try for a while

>>15953562
No as far as i have seen no vendors have posted.
I was almost convinced that Russian tea shop was trying to shill itself on here but I think it was just an enthusiastic customer. 90% of the time when a poster is accused of shilling it's me posting about something I'm excited about and i am not a tea merchant. I don't know how many people lurk and never post but the regular posters in the thread maybe spend about $2,000 a year combined on tea, not exactly a massive market.

Time for some good old 7542.
Since new cakes are apparently going to retail for $300 now is a very good time to snap up 2010 to 2017 productions. In another decade even a humble 2010 1st batch is going to be selling for hundreds of dollars. Right now the 2010s going for $55 or so are a fair price. I wouldn't be willing to pay much more than that.

>>15922042
I have that pot, but mine is just a smidge more gay

>>15953682
I can see why some of them might appear like shills when they buy higher-end teas or review many teas from the same merchant. I've been enthusiastic enough about a few select teas before that an anon or two bought into a cake I liked. I'm sure I seemed like a Verdant Tea shill myself for a while since I posted so much about them before, even though I provided largely stern notes about their products. I think I had maybe 3 or 4 teas from the dozens I tried from them that were alright. Ironically, I recently found the last wuyi sample from them I forgot to taste and journal, so that's up in the list to try. I'm nowhere near a $2k/y poster, but I'd like to continue trying more types of teas (seems like a bad time except for greens, blacks, or oolongs, though). Maybe I should resume my masochistic, self-poisoning taste tests of all of the Fullchea gift bag mini tuos. The first and only I tested was the worst tea I've had to date.
>>15953747
Are these 7542 cakes anything like a Haiwan 9978? Those 2012/2013 Dayi cakes were better-priced on Fullchea some months ago when I got into tea, shame I passed on one.

>>15953240
I took a gamble and I lost
I had a bit of hope that it'd somehow end up half as enjoyable as the usual $7 per ounce Yunnan black I usually get

Does anyone know what kind of tea this might be? Obviously it’s some kind of Taiwanese high mountain oolong (and the bag has a generic pattern on it that says 台湾 高山茶) but curious if anyone knows exactly what kind. My Taiwanese friend gave it to me a couple years ago and I’m drinking it for the first time in a while. It’s one of the best teas I’ve ever had.

>>15954225
Pic of the bag

>>15951558
It's just cheap green tea. Better than teabags but not super high quality green. It's good if you're just starting out

>>15953747
>Since new cakes are apparently going to retail for $300
i am pretty sure that price is only for the first batch. the later batchs are more reasonable but still expensive.

>In another decade even a humble 2010 1st batch is going to be selling for hundreds of dollars.
there is no guarantee the value will go up that much. in any case i suspect reasonably priced tea will probably still be available then.

>>15953974
>I'm sure I seemed like a Verdant Tea shill myself
i don't think you seemed like a shill. actually you gave some rather negative reviews on teas from them that i had tasted and liked or at least thought were ok. which ones from them were the ones you liked? I have honestly been pretty happy with what i have gotten from them with the exception of some anxi oolongs i thought were mediocre.

>Are these 7542 cakes anything like a Haiwan 9978?
no a dayi 7542 is a raw puer and a Haiwan 9978 is a ripe.

>Dayi cakes were better-priced on Fullchea some months ago
don't worry you did not miss out that cake and year was around the same price back then. honestly, as a beginner you money is probably better spent trying smaller amounts of other things. though, if you really like semi aged sheng grabbing a decade old 7542 is not a bad buy right now. if you want one i would get it from teas we like or liquid proust.

>Maybe I should resume my masochistic, self-poisoning taste tests of all of the Fullchea gift bag mini tuos.
i would have told you not to get that but you ordered it without asking for advice. whats you opinion of the other stuff you got from fullchea? I hope i did not steer you wrong.

>>15954225
Jin Xuan, also called milk-oolong or golden daylily

>>15954519
>actually you gave some rather negative reviews on teas from them that i had tasted and liked or at least thought were ok.
It's worth noting that this was when I was just starting out. So, my competence with tea preparation was still growing at that time. The Gong Ting I tried probably needed time to relax after shipment as well, but I can't say anything definitely. I haven't tried it since, and simply left it in my tea zone. I also haven't set up a pumi after a few anons said it wasn't worth it for the low quantity of cakes I had.
>which ones from them were the ones you liked?
They had some unusual ones that were pretty nice. The first tea I brewed was a sampler of Verdant's 2020 Spring Qilan Wuyi oolong. According to my journal, it had a faint cannabis and roasted sunflower seeds flavor that was quite interesting and pleasant, with chocolate/maple syrup as leaf aroma notes. I remember liking that one; it was a great introduction to tea. I also certainly liked their 2016 Shou Mei (one of my favorites), which has these great savory, buttery cracker notes. That's a simple one, but it's so easy to sip on, so it's a good time. Their 2020 Spring Tieguanyin is alright too (especially if you like 'dewy' floral notes), but I wouldn't personally drink it often.
>though, if you really like semi aged sheng
I've been stumped on my experiences with sheng so far. I can see the potential, and I don't always like it, but it's not so bad when you find the right one. I don't really care for the younger pu'er as much so far, but some 4-6~ year aged shengs were nice. The 2017 Taetea sheng I tried comes to mind.
>i would have told you not to get that but you ordered it without asking for advice.
I fully accept responsibility for that. I wish I just got a white cake instead.
>whats you opinion of the other stuff you got from fullchea?
I reviewed most of my orders, some samples and trash grab bag tuos aside. I'll just do a quick run-down on them all with links in another post.

>>15954519
>>15954673
According to my notes:
>2017 Taetea (sheng)
"...Fuity and light, almost jam-like in aroma". Wild buzzing texture on the tongue, bubbly, creamy. However, flavor was more woody/malt. It was one of the the most satisfying teas I've had with regards to the supreme texture and pleasant aroma, but I wrote about wishing to get more of those aroma notes down the palate somehow. Either way, a solid cake.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/taetea-2017-raw-pu-erh-tuocha-sheng-puerh-tea-100g-p0669.html
>2017 Taetea V93 (shou)
Aromas were caramel and sugar, toasted biscuit/wood. I wrote that the leaf and liquor aromas were 'delectable', but couldn't get any of it on my palate or retronasally. Smooth texture and some sweetness when infused for a longer time. I called it a 'mature' flavor.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/taetea-yunnan-puer-tuo-tea-2017-v93-shu-puer-tuocha-100g-p0458.html
>2005 TuLin Phoenix (sheng)
Smoky maple and mossy. Some pleasant variety of aromas, but everything was so subtle that I couldn't really enjoy this one.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/tulin-phoenix-2005-chinese-puer-tea-phoenix-premium-raw-tuo-cha-aged-tea-100g-p0492.html
>2018 Haiwan Lao Tong Zhi 9978 Batch 181 (shou)
Had some sense of brown syrup, not bitter, hard to find central flavor. I tried this again recently, and the consistency and flavor were a bit easier to work with (especially since I brewed hotter and longer), so it was more enjoyable. I'm not blasted away in amazement, but it's not bad.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2018-yr-shu-puer-cakes-lao-tong-zhi-9978-batch-181-ripe-pu-er-chinese-tea-pu-erh-tea-yunnan-357g-te-pc01-aged-puerh-best-organic-tea-p0244.html
>Gift bag trash (mixed)
Don't buy it.

>>15954744
I have read someone on the russian tea thread saying that the 2015 to 2019 v93 tuos aren't the best, so if you decide to get another one try and find an earlier one or a 2020 one. He didn't say they were bad necessarily just not as good as they could be.

>>15954829
>try and find an earlier one or a 2020 one.
Did they change the processing or storage? I imagine 2014 and earlier V93s are quite nice, but surely expensive too.

>>15954840
It's just yearly variations in the blend. With a factory like dayi they are making each recipe by blending a several to dozens of different fermentation batches from 2 or 3 different years to try and produce a consistent flavor from batch to batch. Sometimes one batch comes out better than others, maybe the tea was a bit bland that year, or they used more lower grade filler teas because they needed the more premium tasting ripes for other blends.

>>15954840
I have also heard that factory tea productions vary in taste a bit depending on the batch (which makes sense). while i don't have an option on whether or what what specific years are better or worse you can get semi aged v93's for reasonable prices. it tends to be an affordable production. as a note age often has a more subtle effect on shu than sheng and is generally not considered as important.
here is one from 2010 for $14 shipped from a reputable ebay vendor:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Yunnan-Meng-hai-black-puer-tea-2010-shu-pu-er-V93-TUO-CHA-ripe-pueth-100g/303207038071

>>15922042
Got some Stuff from Art of Tea.

Please gib recs on good chamomile. I need some.

has anyone tried any of CNNP's butterfly brand white tea cakes? fullchea sells some of the line and i am kind of tempted to try some. also does anyone have any other recommendations for good white tea cakes?

I just boil water really hot then dump it over some tea so it ignites and tastes completely burnt

>>15954643
Thanks!

>>15955123
>>15955123
Thank you for the information and link. I've bookmarked it for when I may wish to get a new shou cake. I certainly need to try more of my current inventory though, and maybe get a bit creative with it. I continue to wonder how much potential is still lingering in my owned teas through alternative brewing methods and pumidor storage. My interest in improving my craft and properly understanding and appreciating what I have has been keeping me from buying anything new. Though, perhaps that is a good thing too. I can see myself easily buying two huge FuDing white cakes and something like this, and never drinking anything else again: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/anhua-baishaxi-1953-hei-cha-2017-yr-royal-fu-cha-dark-tea-golden-flower-brick-tea-318g-p0396.html
My last Anhua dark tea was a 2013 Tian Jian that tasted like straight honey. So simple but so cozy, wish I could get more stuff like that. I never expected to like dark tea, associating it with excessively acidic black tea due to the name. Completely different.

>>15955138
mountain rose herbs, check out their herbal tea blends too while you are at it, don't buy their regular tea it's pretty lame.

>>15955389
>My interest in improving my craft and properly understanding and appreciating what I have.
i wish you good luck on your journey. i have certainly learned a lot since i have started.

>pumidor storage
a pumidor is probably not going to make a huge difference in the short run. it is more useful if you are storing teas long term. pumidors don't have to be super complicated though you just need a airtight container or mylar bag, a boveda pack (i recommend 65%) or other source of humidity, and a location with a suitable temperature to put it (room temp is fine).

>baishaxi 1953 black box
i have had an older version of that production and quite liked it. mine had a nice smoke, rhubarb, and tart fruit character to it. it was also less harsh than a lot of similarly aged sheng. i will note it was quite different than the one Tian Jian i have tried though. if you want a good baseline Fu brick in the future baishaxi 1953 black box seems like a good option.

>>15953747
yes/no

the 901 was hyped as the next 501, so it got bought out by speculators
a lot of these speculators believe the 001 is inferior (yes the 901 & 902 / 801's are good, I believe 001 is better than those, but none are as good as 501, though 501 is not worth current prices nevertheless)
new cakes? you mean 2020? that's just so dayi gets a cut off of speculators buying out their famous recipes, they think, why should these speculators be taking so much money, we want in on that!
and I've tried a lot of these batches/recipes of 7542 / 8582 from 2005-2019, most aren't worth bothering about

Sure, 001 / 002 will go up gradually, but not as quickly as the past 2 years

>>15954519
>i am pretty sure that price is only for the first batch. the later batchs are more reasonable but still expensive.
read above

>there is no guarantee the value will go up that much. in any case i suspect reasonably priced tea will probably still be available then.
there is a guarantee, it's just a matter of how much / how fast and when, but the previous years are no indication to go off, since they were unjustly hyped

oh and btw
001 is shit to drink now, it's not ready
wait a couple years and it'll be better, so buy a cake, then buy 2 more or a tong or two depending on your budgets

>>15956059
Yes you are right anon, i was trying to say that people who wanted a 7542 should buy one sooner rather than later, they keep getting more expensive, and many years from 2010 on are just barely worth their current prices and if they continue to get more expensive they will be a poor value.
Generally there are lots of better teas out there for the money. But it's good for people who like puer to try a few of the dayi raw recipes just to learn about them.

>>15956321
these thing's will decrease in price of time
2020 dayi won't sell for $300 in 10 years
dayi just does it to fuck over speculators and milk collectors

you should think in terms of batches / years and the blending material that went into them
the rest doesnt really matter as much

001 / 101 / 201 are currently the best bang for buck 7542's, you'll find commonly in puerh aged tea is often cheaper than the new stuff
if you legit wanted to spend $300 on 7542, you can get 502 for that instead of this 2020, and the blending is way better on the 502

I prefer 8582 anyway :P

White2tea is doing a "Free shipping" sale for orders above $60. Anyone have any recommendations/favorites?
Already have Waffles down as it was mentioned here about two years ago.

>>15956413
cant go wrong with basically any of the shou
nameless one is quite high quality, trying to imitate old school proccesing, and done quite succesfully

wouldn't recommend the shengs

>>15956413
I thought the 2018 flapjacks ripe was pretty good. It really did have a baked goods pancakes type flavor.

>>15956370
Does the speculator community say that dayi has dramatically increased quality for the first bach from 2019 2020 and 2021? Or has dayi just raised prices without the quality changing much?

>>15926839
>>15949473
Unless you're primarily drinking pour over coffee (or matcha) I wouldn't recommend a narrow gooseneck kettle. The pour is PAINFULLY slow. If you're drinking loose leaf tea its absolutely going to get on your nerves.

I bought an electric kettle because I started doing pour over coffee in addition to the tea I drink. The gooseneck kettle works for me because 90%+ of the tea I drink is matcha but spending half a minute filling a tea pot for loose leaf tea is infuriating.

I still love this "buttery cracker" 2016 Shou Mei from Verdant Tea. I think it has done well in my storage the past few months, too. Few of my other teas are as easy to sip and brew as this one. I don't like everything from them, but this one is still a solid pick. I'm tempted to grab two FuDing whites from Fullchea or elsewhere when I sip stuff like this, especially when my shous are hitting me like a truck late at night. I wonder if there are many fruity or dessert-like whites out there as well.
>Tfw no anon to sip comfy shou mei with, though.

>>15956538
quality isn't anything special, nothing stand-out in terms of blending/material used
but we will see in several years how it develops

Dayi won't raise prices in reflection to quality, it doesn't work like that for recipes
the price has no reflection on the quality of these cakes, they use the same moacha as before from the same places as the past couple years with the same ratio's

in terms of quality for these recipes, we talk about the season from that year of picking and where abouts they sourced certain moacha for the blending proccess, it changes every now and then due to availability / quantity / maintance and a couple other factors

What does actual, pure sakura taste like?

I have some sakura tea but I'm pretty sure the taste is really just the salt and plum vinegar.

I want to make my own sakura latte but all the mixes from Japan include artificial strawberry or some other flavor.

>>15956615
Looking it up tells me it tastes mild and floral. Personally I wouldn't go out of my way to try some, I can see the appeal of looking at the trees, but not putting one in my mouth.
>sakura latte
Sounds gay

>>15951764
Echoing what has already been said; Sencha most of the time, and Gyokuro occasionally when I really want it.

Bought discounted £5 milk oolong from T2tea and it''s SHIT
I don't know what I expected really
I don't wanna wait one to five weeks for delivery from yunnansourcing god damn it

It's time to change your water filter anon

>>15958316
Fuck that shit I'm only down here for one week more
Soon I'll be back up north where they have water you can actually drink from the tap without gagging on the sheer limescale

>>15958259
You in AUS?
I thought i added some aus shops to the pastebin but i guess not.
Anyway they all suck just order from overseas. I just looked again and i cant find any worth adding to the pastebin, no harvest dates, insane prices, weird selections. It's no good mate

>>15958349
UK senpai, we've got t2tea too.
Yeah they're your standard physical tea shop with no harvest dates and generic "oolong tea" products because most people are there for the flavoured blends. But I don't wanna wait 2-12 weeks for shipping while paying £5 for the privilege and I don't wanna wait for what-cha to have more products :(

>>15958351
Try what-cha

>>15958351
Well i don't usually recommended them, i think they are generally overpriced but look at https://meileaf.com/
Also avoid milk oolong, most milk oolong has flavoring added to it which isint helping any.
There is also https://theteaguru.co.uk/product-category/tea/raw-pu-erh/ but he mostly is focused on puerh and his other tea types are on the pricey side

>>15958351
>>15958386
>Also avoid milk oolong, most milk oolong has flavoring added to it which isint helping any.
this, also chiswick tea co is uk based, cant say anything about their quality i've only had a dan cong from them(pretty already and quite cheap) they do give origins but not year picked

>>15958316
dont forget to clean your jug/tank too, just found mold/algae growing in its spout

>>15958414
>pretty already and quite cheap
*pretty alright

>>15958351
>>15958386
Actually looking at
https://theteaguru.co.uk/
Again i would recommended checking him out, his prices aren't as high as i remembered and he seems to have some good stuff.

>>15958386
I suppose I should give meileaf a proper look. I was turned off by their horrendous videos. Can't get over how he acts.
I actually got milk oolong specifically because I know I'll never order it online because it feels like such a waste/risk. I guess I'll probably never get it now, although I know a few genuinely aren't flavoured and I might try them maybe.

>>15958420
I left tea in my teapot for about three months and had to wear rubber gloves when I cleaned it. I think I destroyed an actual civilisation when I rinsed that bastard out.
>>15958447
I've never tried pu'er before, this might be the time to give it a proper shout.

>>15958451
Just pick and choose based on what sounds good
50g of this
https://theteaguru.co.uk/product/2011-menghai-tea-factory-dayi-8582-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake/
A couple 10g portions of this
https://theteaguru.co.uk/product/2005-xiaguan-te-ji-raw-puerh-tuo-guangdong-storage/
50g of this
https://theteaguru.co.uk/product/2007-feng-qing-f7813-raw-pu-erh-cake/
20g of this
https://theteaguru.co.uk/product/2018-yiwu-early-spring-da-shu-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake/
50g of this
https://theteaguru.co.uk/product/2011-menghai-tea-factory-dayi-7572-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake/

>>15958485
please don't order from this guy...holy fuck

I honestly believe, these 4chan threads are way worse than reddit for tea, and reddit is fucking horrible

all I see are the worst sources & opinions

lets review these links shall we
2011 8582 GD storage
so, undrinkable for the next 5 years? nice nice

2006 XG te ji GD storage
you can get very fucking easily 2004 3+1 tuo's for half the price with TW dry storage

Feng Qing is a abhorrently bad factory
don't waste this money

his own 2018 yiwu
his production's are quite fucking trash
his connection's are people who want to rip this dumbass off
so I promise you that is low low low quality moacha blended in

2011 7572 GD storage
for that price? fucking smoking crack
ACTUAL crack cocaine


if you want good tea, that's based in the UK
go here
https://www.tea-encounter.com/
yes it's their own production's, but they're all good quality and relatively fairly priced (for the western market)

>>15958605
>tl;dr
fuck you

>actual post

also go fuck yourself mr. I drink puer for two years now and I'm in discord, so I'm expert.

didn't check teaguru site, but I imagine reselling ys or ymt to pound sterling cucks can't be that bad.

2011 8582 gd should be good for about $50
2011 7572 should be good for $30
2006 teji should be good for $20 for a sleeve


>tea-encounter
>yes it's their own production's

>tea's
>vendor's
oh it's you, right? you were told to fuck off the last time you were here, why are you still hangin' here? shoo.

tea encounter sells mostly zheng si long productions, aka this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZi1UdPnZsY and some bejing teahouse productions. that and thre - four cakes of their (Tiago, wife and co.) personal sourced stuff at the time. these sell out pretty quickly.

imagine coming into this thread, throwing a fit over guandong storage (which is pretty ok after several years, better than your "pumis") and comparing to reddit and then spewing more disinformation.
apply yourself.

also regarding ollie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPD-r3zfcwA

I'm going to western style some puerh today because I have no time for gong fu
raw or ripe?

>>15958723
yet you still have the time to post here and wait for an answer.
what particular productions are we talking? factory, western hipsters?

>>15958723
Ripe unless you have some mellow raw. If you want to rinse it, use a tea strainer and stick it in another mug or a small bowl for a 10-20 second rise. If you rinse in the mug and then immediately refill it with new hit water the mug will be too hot and the tea will over brew.
Or just do what i do, don't rinse and after a minute or 3 skim and bubbles or haze off the surface of the mug with a spoon

time to start stalking the mailman, i forget if need a signature for chawangshop orders so i have to get ready to sprint out there
finally i will have some more roasted yancha

>>15958685
what are you even on about

>>15958729
factory I think?
most my ripes are young, most my raws are 7+ years old
I'm doing schoolwork so I want something I can mindlessly sip. Gongfu takes too much attention
>>15958731
thanks

>>15958802
Grampa style is your friend, perfect for casual sipping and it sounds like you should have some teas that work well for it.

>>15958349
>I thought i added some aus shops to the pastebin but i guess not.
i have no experience with them but this shop looks like it may be ok.
https://www.teaangle.com/

>>15959123
Thanks i will check them out

Finally, my order from chawangshop came in and I'm rolling in wuyi oolong.
This box was absolutely destroyed, there wqs actually tape on if from the USPS saing the box was damaged when it arrived in the US, which i don't think i have seen before.
Luckily the cup i bought was in one piece and the tea way all fine, other than the looseleaf being a bit more broken up than it was when it shipped.
I'm starting off with this 2017 wuyi BeiDou oolong. I'm excited for some roasted goodness.

>>15959214
Wood, chocolate, some roast flavor but it's had a few years to mellow so it doesn't just scream charcoal. Some nice mineral notes in the finish. Hints of vanilla, wood, it almost has a kind of charred oak barrel kind of profile. Smooth and easy on the guts.
I really think chawangshop is a good store if you want deep roasted oolongs that are on the more affordable end of the spectrum.

>>15959214
>Finally, my order from chawangshop came in and I'm rolling in wuyi oolong.
>This box was absolutely destroyed, there wqs actually tape on if from the USPS saing the box was damaged when it arrived in the US, which i don't think i have seen before.
that has me scared, hopefully my package is intact. unfortunately USPS has not given any updates since it arrived in the US the other day.

>>15958802
>factory I think?
congratulations on your wise and informed buying, bud.
next time just throw two teabags into big glass pot and be done with it. if it's all the same.

>>15959214
I hope you've got this one with your order: 2019-fujian-hong-mu-dan-oolong-50g because it's my price/performance wet dream. beats most middle priced yancha if I'm concerned.
>This box was absolutely destroyed, there wqs actually tape on if from the USPS saing the box was damaged when it arrived in the US, which i don't think i have seen before.
gee wizz, that's rough. I only heard this happens to american customers (and quite often, praise the lord it was the first time), so maybe consider sacking all the underpaid negroes and nincompoops that chimp out on your possesion. all the packages that got here to EU from china were in pristine condition. boat or plane. maybe a bent corner of a cardboard packet one time out of ten. that's it. chinks didn't mangle it. actual third worlders did.
food for thought.

>>15958795
just admit to be full of shit and don't post here anymore with your expertise.

>>15959450
Everything was packed fine and like i said the everything made it in one piece, you should be fine.
>>15959459
>I hope you've got this one with your order: 2019-fujian-hong-mu-dan-oolong-50g because it's my price/performance wet dream.
Yep i had to go for that one. I will try it next.

>>15959576

>>15958605
>edgy try-hard jackass
>probably from Discord

>>15958685
>takes obvious bait and throws a fit
>cant even English

where is the Anon who calls everyone puerh lesbians when you need them? Perhaps they were the real unsung hero of /tea/ and now that they are gone there is no one to keep this place clean.

>Tfw anons buying all these nice teas are increasing my temptation to buy more types of teas despite having sufficient amounts at home to work with.
I shall resist, but these cakes aren't leaving my cart any time soon either.

>>15959689
I like the black box Baishaxi, but you might want to get one of the older versions they have for sale. Also fair warning the example i have starts out pretty smokey, it's good though, it's not an acrid or nasty smoke flavor and it does mellow after the first couple infusions into more of a background note.

>>15959689
i really dislike big flat leaves pressed into cakes, they never come apart even when brewed, white tea is great but in future i think i'll just try and buy loose

>>15929516
Your weed is expired

>>15959724
Is there much of a difference between black box and non-black box baishaxi? I was interested because I liked the last Anhua dark tea I tried and this is discounted for a few days. Fullchea has some slightly older, notably cheaper 1953s too:
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/anhua-baishaxi-2018-yr-dark-tea-with-golden-flower-dark-tea-fu-brick-300g-p0389.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/anhua-baishaxi-2018-yr-golden-flower-fu-cha-1953-dark-tea-brick-box-packing-338g-p0390.html
Seems quite interesting to me, having that "Eurotium Cristatus" mold growing on it. I wonder what flavor it may produce after a few years of growth, though I'm sure it's more of a novelty otherwise. I realize it's supposed to be a smoky tea, but my main interest is in the potential fruity notes it could possess. Darks and whites have been interesting to me as of late.
>>15959753
Is it that uncomfortable? I suppose it can be troublesome with a standard 90-110ml gaiwan if too big. I saw those huge leaves in the shou mei, and I don't know if I've seen any cake like it before. Though, the shou mei cake I have now is a dream to work with. I'm mostly interested in that cake because of how much I like the one I have now. It would be nice to try that high mountain gong mei as well so I could learn more about whites.

>>15922042
>be me, sitting in garden with gf
>ask "how many things in this garden can be made into tea"
>"about 12 to 15"
>supreme pleasure

>>15959846
kinda weird you didn't already know that about (I assume) your own garden

>>15959849
me gf keeps wild herbs for medicinal purposes and many such things we grow are now solely for tea

Ahmad Tea Gunpowder Supreme

>>15959811
>Is there much of a difference between black box and non-black box baishaxi?
look closely at the pics. the material in the black box version looks to be higher grade than the brown box ones. how that translates into taste i do not know as i have only had the black box ones.

>white tea cakes
as a word of caution i have no idea how good those cheap white tea cakes you want are. i suspect they are a bit of a gamble. cheap white tea probably has better odds of being drinkable than cheap shu though.

I have heard that it is often are hard break up cleanly into leaves. however, i doubt a bit of leaf breakage will make make much of a difference especially in something as forgiving as white tea. from window shopping it seems that even many of the more premium white tea cakes look kind of rough so i don't think pretty appearance correlates well to taste in this case. unfortunately, i don't have much experience with white tea cakes yet so i cant give you better first hand advice.

>>15959811
The black box is a more premium version, i haven't tried the brown box or paper wrapped versions but i would recommended getting the black box version i have the 2014 black box and it's quite nice, very smooth and not as many stems as some other fu bricks ive tried. The cheaper ones might be a bit too rustic. If you want to get into the fungus fu bricks yunnan sourcing has a pretty good selection of the more premium offerings, even on the .us website, might be worth looking those over as well.

>>15959459
>congrats on your wise and informed buying
This kind of attitude is why I stopped frequenting these threads like I used to.

>>15960043
well done. it's learning. few more years till sentience. godspeed my dirt under fingernail. godspeed.

Is this stuff any good?

>>15960770
Buying Japanese green tea from anywhere but japan is a mistake, its stale less than a year after harvest.

Recommend me some good Indian teas please. I was tempted to buy the Taj Mahal but it was in teabags and as we all know teabags = shit.

>>15960789
why any sane person would like to drink fancy indian teas? honest question.

I have no idea what this random gift pu'er is, but I'm going to brew it. I believe it is some 2003 piece from Yunnan, though not sure if sheng or shou. This should be fun either way. I'll post about it shortly.

This general has been consistently awful for like 6 editions

>>15961010
considered changing your tampon or fucking away for good? both options seem positive to us all. close the door on your way out.

Here's a picture of the dry 2003 mystery pu'er. It was surprisingly easy to split open. I'll post my quick thoughts in a bit.

>>15961045
you nailed the phone picture game, let me handle that to you. next step - actually drinking the tea.
hope you get there. :*

>>15961038
Ok puer lesbian

>>15960789
Check out upton tea imports if you are in the US, the pastebin has a bunch of tea vendors located in India. The first flush darjeeeling is freshly harvested for the year and ready to go, but i personally prefer the second flush that will come a bit later.

>>15960998
I have the same freebie square, i used it as a toy for my cat.

tea

>>15922042
New Thread
>>15961184
>>15961184
>>15961184

Went through so much fucking retarded rigmarole to land on throwing some chopped up lemongrass in hot water.
Fresh leaves don't go fucking bitter, don't lose their goddamned shine, and just taste good for the rest of the night while I boil more water.

Fuck your entire retard crew of bagged bullshit. It's so fucking tiresome.

>>15959858
>wild herbs
>Medicinal purposes
White people truly are parasites.

penis