/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Puer edition
Ripe or raw?
Fresh or aged?
Favorite terroir?

>>16022694
For me its Lincang.

>>16022694
>ripe
disgusting, absolutely disgusting

you buy raw and age it until it's ripe

>>16022707
Yeah, this is the correct answer

>>16022694
>Ripe or raw?
raw
>Fresh or aged?
aged
Favorite terroir?
Yi Wu

Anybody ever have Nanaya green tea Gelato?
I've had shincha, houjicha, strawberry, and levels 3 and 4. But I was too intimidated to go all the way up the scale.

>>16022694
>>16022704
>>16022707
>>16022735
Lesbian alert

>>16022960
?

Tea makes me pee, haha.

>>16022694
Are you trying to throw hands with your gf? If not, stay away from puer. Otherwise there'll be some soul steeping, heartbreaking, bone shaking, earth quaking, violent lesbian beat making. So what's it gonna be 'cause she can't pretend? Honestly, stick to oolong.

Thoughts on using a french press for tea?

>>16022960
Oh I've spotted the tea seller selling nasty fake cooked tea!

>>16022743
Where can you buy this?

>>16023235
It's fine as long as you don't squeeze the tea and pour all of it out at once when the brew time is finished. Don't leave more water in there while you drink your first cup.

>>16023250
In Tokyo, Shizuoka-shi, or Fujieda. As far as I'm aware those are their three locations. I've been to the Shizuoka shop several times and the Fujieda main shop once.
They are famous for having a seven step intensity scale for their matcha Gelato.

Anyone know where to get the tea from Reza's in Chicago? There used to be a grocery store directly across the street that sold something at least similar if not identical, but that grocery store got bulldozed by more gentrification and development. :-(

It's similar to but not the same as an Earl Gray, much stronger/deeper flavor. It was amazing stuff. The bulk tea the grocery store sold was in a dark red polymer bag.

>>16022685
Personally I like a good cup of Yorkshire Tea Gold, It's a proper brew that makes me feel alive in the morning. Like any plant, tea has a life of its own. Flavour and quality depends on where it’s grown, how it’s handled and even the year of harvest – so every day, they taste up to a thousand teas sent to them by growers from around the world. And if that sounds like a dream job, it doesn’t mean it’s an easy one. It takes years of training, tasting and travelling the world before their trainee tea buyers get to drop the 'trainee' from their titles – and they never stop learning. Professional taste buds really are a serious business. So they know what they're saying when they say that Yorkshire Tea Gold is their finest blend. they choose teas from their three favourite origins – Assam, Kenya and Rwanda – and buy them from the top ten tea gardens in the world to make a rich, smooth and incredibly satisfying brew.

>>16023421
No. No one here knows. Stop asking. /tea/ is for discussing two things. Lesbians and puer

>tisanes

>>16023473
I like this brand and their tea and biscuit one too. Just tried Celestial Seasons Apple Cinnamon Spice tea and it was a game changer. Made me stop drinking my Yorkshire altogether.

>>16023073
Epic

>>16023680
You Stopped Drinking Yorkshire?
Anon
Prepare Yourself

>>16023660
Heh. Once I went to a tea shop and asked the girl at the counter what kinds of Tiss Anus she had in stock. She was very confused and I realized what I said and 360 sped walked out of the shop in a mild panic attack.

>>16022694
Unpopular opinion but I don't like ripe or heavily aged raws. I like a nice young raw that smacks you in the face with bitterness. Nothing beats white tea though

>>16023966
>beats
>smacks
Hey girl, just what are you implying here?

To the anons drinking sheng, shou, and hei cha: what are some unorthodox methods of preparation that you find working well for these? For individuals who also have pumidors, how have you seen them develop over short periods of time (such as 2-4 weeks, or 1-3 months)? These are just some thoughts I have been having recently, would be interesting to read what some of you have to say on the subject.

Tisane is pronounced tea-sa-hn.

I tried japanese green tea premium grade and it tastes like grass/seaweed, strangely it tastes better if you directly eat the powder instead of infusing. I only take it for the health benefits

>>16025904
>I only take it for the health benefits
Meh, you should drink tea because it tastes good, the health benefits are tenuous at best

>>16024320
I like simmering ripe puer
As far as pumidors go the biggest difference i notice is the week or two after a new tea arrives. It really seems to open up and become more flavorful. My pumidor is more set up to maintain the quality of tea than to encourage further transformation.

>>16025947
>Meh, you should drink tea because it tastes good, the health benefits are tenuous at best
Tea is slightly leaf-flavored water.

>>16026031
Why do people talk about things they know nothing about

>>16026064
Where is my puer lesbian

>>16026068
I've been busy getting involved in the local roller derby team

ok now where's my oolong straight then

oolong is the new king tea
puer is over

Finally tried some random 8582 today. It's pretty good

My fat essence of tea order came in, I'm really excited to work my way through this oolong sampler.
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/wuyi-yancha/products/wuyi-masters-tasting-set

>>16025953
Interesting, I only simmered pu'er once before I became more interested in tea, and it possessed quite the potent body. I imagine yours is great. Will have to work on that myself sometime. By the way, is there anything you do differently in the case of having a particularly dank shou in your collection? I think one I own is spreading its eternal, never-changing essence of dankness to another cake.

>>16027408
Looks like a great time, anon. Which ones are you looking forward to trying the most? Would be fun to read your thoughts on a handful.

>>16027585
Put it in its own bag within your pumidor or whatever your storage situation is

>>16027592
I have no idea, I'm not familiar with any of the specific producers. I'm excited to try what should be a decent benchmark for mid priced yancha quality and compare them against some of the other wuyi oolongs i have on hand.

>>16026103
You misunderstand. There’s no straight (or male) oolong drinkers here. Lines have been drawn, friend. It’s the Virgin Puer Lesbians vs. the Chad Oolong Dykes. Now I ask you, which side are you on? As the twilight of the Puer Lesbian age fast approaches and a new cultural /tea/ zeitgeist dawns, who will be victorious? Which faction has a greater propensity for violence; which for cunning?

What do you all use for tea trays when doing gongfu?

>>16028090
My 12 dollar gongfu tea tray from aliexpress.

>>16028090
I put my gaiwan in a bowl and use a mug for waste water

>>16028090
A small Pyrex bowl. I fill it up to about 2/3 capacity, then take it outside, gently swirl it to attract all the miscellaneous tea bits on the sides, and throw it into my plants. The concentrated tea essence has been good for my snake plant especially. It grew a child shoot recently.

>>16028090

Pic is at home set up. Out and about I have a small travel kit and any nod towards ceremony is thrown out the window. Just plop everything down wherever and throw the rinse water on the ground.

>>16028790
lil turtle swimming around in there

>>16028790
What's in the gaiwan today? Looks tasty.

>>16022685
my daily drivers:
Longjing or Sencha, sometimes with lemon

Earl Grey, sugar, milk sometimes
Keemun, sugar

rate my taste

>>16029238
>Longjing or sencha
good
>earl grey
meh
>kemum
good
>milk and or sugar
Bad

>>16029238
Generic, but not necessarily bad (aside from using straight sugar, in my opinion). If you want additional sweetness, I'd encourage you to consider artificial sweeteners such as stevia, or at least using something like honey so you get a neat flavor element and perhaps throat support. It sounds like you enjoy gentle teas, so I imagine you'd enjoy some whites and perhaps Tieguanyin oolongs. Both have been light "comfort sippers" in my opinion. I haven't used sweeteners with them, but I'm confident they would take well to that too.

>>16028090
Empty Perfect Grade Gundam box. Reinforced with the covers from hardcover books that I steal from those little bird house free libraries that people have in their front yards.

Honestly, is GABA oolong worth the hype it gets compared to similar alternatives?

>>16029107

W2T '18 Pussy. Still a difficult brew. Went very mild this time with 5.5g/100ml and 95C water. Came out pleasant, but I think it needs boiling water to bring out its best aspects, but then that can oversteep it like nobody's business. Next time I crack into it I'll do 5g and boiling.

>>16030781
>is GABA oolong worth the hype
It's nice if you like the flavor, it's silly to drink for the gaba, it probably doesn't do much and even if it does there isn't very much in gabba tea (around 100mg per oz)

>>16030952
I realize the amount of GABA is minuscule, though I've been interested in finding honey or fruit notes in (gentle) tea as of late. I hear that's common in many GABA oolongs. Fullchea has a pack of them on sale that I was considering: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2020-taiwan-gaba-tea-oolong-chinese-tea-taiwan-high-mountain-tea-pvc-packaging-252g-p0716.html
I tried a sample from them last month that appears to be the same as this: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2018-gaba-tea-taiwan-high-mountain-tea-gabaron-tea-p0345.html
Looks to be balls vs strips between the two, notably. It didn't match their flavor/aroma descriptions, but it was pleasant and had respectable complexity. Solid bready/buttery aroma, good texture, and held a more vegetal sweetness flavor with a gentle smoky-sour aftertaste. Alright for a freebie.

>>16031094
Ebay guy has a gaba oolong sampler
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303468876556
Tea masters has a pretty affordable gaba oolong, i have been really happy with the quality of teas ive gotten from them
https://www.tea-masters.com/en/red-tea/1349-1331-2020-spring-gaba-tea-from-mingjian.html#/3-weight-150_gr

>>16029270
>muh impure tea

good quality earl greay is just a blend of various good black teas like darjeeling and asam combined with bergamotte oil.
its delicious

Already received my taiwanteacrafts order >>16002769
how is that even possible?
took under one week

>>16031556
already tried the small 25g pack of "alishan quin xin" tea.
delicious. Just what I was looking for.
Has slight creamy taste to it. Very pleasant, sweet fruit aroma coming through as well, nothing like that cheap "tie guan yin" I bought before that from a chink store on aliexpress. -sour and unpleasant astringent aftertaste.

And it's really not that much more expensive than the chinese stuff,

>>16022960

>>16031589
Nice, I'm interested to hear what that gaba green tastes like

>>16031774
ya. I'll post about it when I tried it.

My setup is finally sort of coming together
i need to get a smaller bowl for my teapot
happy i went with 100ml pots, they are the perfect size for solo sessions
some old smokey puer this afternoon

>>16032119
xiaguan? im drinking some for the first time and i heard how quickly it falls off but i was surprised it just sorta stopped putting out. i guess its because of the young plants

t. manchildloser larping as ancient chink teamaster

>>16032752
Yeah it can be like that sometimes.
What xiaguan? Probably my favorite big factory.

>>16032767
im just now getting into factory teas, ive only had more boutique stuff before but i like the appeal of a workhorse daily drinker

rn im drinking the 2015 gold label tuo, its pretty nice. I wonder if they get the smoke taste from the processing. any recommendations where to go next?

>>16032797
Some suggestions
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/xiaguan-2011-sheng-puer-cake-bulang-old-tree-since-1902-puercha-357g-p0340.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/xiaguan-2011-green-pu-erh-jing-mai-early-spring-sheng-tea-357g-p0338.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/xiaguan-2011-sheng-tea-cang-er-fangzhuang-brick-aged-tea-250g-p0332.html

you heard of puer lesbian
you've seen the oolong straight
now get ready for the matcha bi

>>16032907
those do look pretty sexy
how is service and shipping from this site?

>>16032910
What tea do transexuals drink?

>>16032964
yorkshire gold

>>16032964
sea water

>>16032964
I don't know anon, what did you last drink?

>>16032964
tisanes

Is this general some kind of elaborate prank? You guys seriously drink leaf water out of those tiny 4oz cups, how gay lmao.

>>16022685
i just drink normal tea, why people do their own tea? show me the truth tea naturalanons...I kneel.

>>16032947
Service is good, shipping is cheap, site sells some crappy stuff though so buying random stuff that isn't from a major factory can be risky

>>16033362
Regular tea is like SS Vegeta
High quality loose leaf is like SSG2 Goku

>>16033417
how can i make my own? how to start? any video or tip?

>>16023749
I got gifted like 3 of the big boxes last year and I still got half of it sitting away. Just taking a break with the herbal tea and it saves me some cash on evaporated milk etc.

>>16033462
The pastebin in the op is pretty good.
I would start out with some black tea from yunnansourcing.us or the "intro to fine tea" sampler from upton tea along with a finum brew basket for brewing in mugs, that's the easiest cheapest way to get started brewing loose leaf.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions, the thread can be slow but you will usually get a helpful answer eventually.

is a tea strainer fine for TGY oolong?

>>16033546
I enjoy more the sweet tea than the bitter one, I assume that adding sugar to a drink mess the original/intended flavour. There is any tea that was intended to drink with sugar from the start, or that is sweet?

>>16033574
There is lots of tea that is very naturally sweet. To the point where some taste like sugar has been added.
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/black-tea-spring-2021/products/yi-mei-ren-wu-liang-mountain-yunnan-black-tea
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/black-tea-spring-2021/products/classic-bai-lin-gong-fu-golden-monkey-black-tea-of-fuding
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/black-tea-spring-2021/products/yi-wu-mountain-wild-arbor-assamica-black-tea
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/white-tea-spring-2021/products/jing-gu-white-pekoe-silver-needles-white-tea
Pick 2 or 3 that sound good to you.
You can find the finum infuser baskets on places like amazon and ebay.

>>16033634
thank you bro, i'm really interested on this tea thing now

>>16033651
Try yunnan sourcings Black gold Bi Luo Chun if its in stock. Its a great introduction tea for gong fu or grandpa style
Which is how you really get flavor out of tea.
tastes like chocolate, not artificial flavorings or anything. Stay away from either types of puerh to start with, as they are acquired tastes.
Roasted oolongs are also easy to get into, so maybe get some of those to

>>16033651
It's pretty nice, there is a really amazing range of flavors out there in pure natural teas.

made masala tea for a starbucks iced chai copycat recipe a month back and it gave me horrible migraines. turns out the cloves and nutmeg i used were nearly 10 years old

>>16033723
Iced chai sounds pretty cozy on a hot day.

where can i buy a chai spice blend without the tea mixed inm

>>16032907
>>16032797
I'll add onto this anon's recommendations with one I liked from Fullchea: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/taetea-2017-raw-pu-erh-tuocha-sheng-puerh-tea-100g-p0669.html
It's cheap, smells like jam, and has a crazy buzzing texture on the palate. Turned creamy for me, with a malt flavor and fresh herb-like aftertaste. It's more emphasized in texture/aroma over flavor, but it's all good.
>>16033404
>buying random stuff that isn't from a major factory can be risky
That's one thing I've been confused about when looking at some offerings on there. Sometimes, they don't seem to explicitly list the vendor despite there being makers marks. Is there a list of common good manus I can reference? All that comes to mind is Dayi/Menghai, Caicheng, and Taetea. I'm pretty sure two of those are synonymous too.

>>16034205
Dayi menghai and taetea are all the same factory
Scott from yunnan sourcing has a video where he lists and talks about a decent amount of the major puer factories. Outside of puer it's less clear the Chinese factories for other teas aren't as well documented

>>16034217
>Tfw just want to get into white tea, but nobody is known, so it's all for nought.

>>16034220
It's not a large factory but the Fuding area is known for the sho mei and gong mei white cakes, and its great stuff.
Not sure what problem you are having.

>>16034374
Just how some cakes are labeled or described with regards to manufacturer. I can get location/year/type info without issue. However, knowing who made the cake(s) can be a bit confusing sometimes, as they might have names that closely resemble that of their local area, or seem like a type of tea rather than a company. The fault may be my own.

I wonder if labeling is less explicit for many whites in general perhaps due to lower demand and hype, or if I just misread whites. That has confused me on sites other than Fullchea as well. I wish more info was available on these white tea manus. I tried to talk to Fullchea support last night, but they left me on read and then signed off. Curious how Yunnan whites may compare to Fuding/Fujian whites as well, taking things like elevation and sun exposure into account.

tea virgin here. redpill me on tea pls. thinking of trying it out for the first time, so give me tips, recommendations, any useful info about types of tea or just tea in general.

>>16034462
The pastebin is pretty useful.
Buy tea, looseleaf without flavoring and fruit and shit added to it. Brew it, drink it. Its good
See these posts for some recommendations.
You just need to try some different kinds of teas to find out what you like
>>16033546
>>16033634
>>16033695

>>16034453
Yeah there is just less info about white teas, the white tea cakes have been and around for a while but their popularity has just exploded in the last few years
It can definitely be hard to tell factory names from regions since many factories have region names in their titles

>>16034462
there is no redpill really
there are no ultimate truths to tea
just explore and find things out yourself, learn as you go

>>16034462
Refer to the sticky for some good vendors and typical brewing times, general info, etc. Get a basic porcelain gaiwan set with cups. Don't buy only one type of tea, grab different smaller amounts of what interests you so you can learn more about it and what you like. Though not necessary, a simple temperature-adjustable kettle and milligram scale are very helpful, so consider getting some if you don't already own them. Ask for feedback here before buying teas you are unsure about.

Personally, I think you can't go wrong with starting with some whites and oolongs, as I find they're more forgiving to brew in general compared to other types and quite varied. Pu'er is a bit harder to get into, so I think if you want to try it, just get one sheng and one shou pu'er first. Be open to trying all teas, though. You will be surprised what you end up fancying the most sometimes. I was.
>>16034518
Honestly, it is getting to the point where I'm just going to take one for the team and start ordering the cheap whites with full reports for everyone in the thread. I have been obsessed about these dumb cakes for weeks, but not bought any, and can't get them out of my head. I think I may not be able to rest until I buy and taste them. I will just have to do it. Might buy in tonight or tomorrow so everyone can mock my poor financial choices already.

>>16034557
Get one of the cnnp/zongcha ones
They should be a safe buy

>>16034462
Looseleaf and a tea infuser is a great investment

>>16034581
>cnnp/zongcha
I forget, are they the same group? I've seen multiple Zhongcha cakes that look solid, though they too don't have any reviews. I think another anon said he was thinking of getting some of them, but not sure if he went through with it. Haven't tried any of the cakes from them, but I might like to. At least I won't be mutilated by shipping costs like I would on KTM/YS.
>They should be a safe buy
I'm sure they're safe buys, though it's the allure of the unknown and lower costs that intrigue me about the cheapshit cakes. Might sound silly, but that's how I keep thinking of it. I am fairly confident I would prefer an older white too, seeing as I'm not a great fan of high vegetal notes. Not sure if this would end up being a half-decade hold or not.

Still, I would be open to getting a big boy cake for once. Do any of them stand out to you? One is $10-$12 cheaper than the others (perhaps because 1 year younger), but I'm not sure what type it is. Here are their links for reference:
>https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2020-zhongcha-white-tea-cake-5901-old-tree-baicha-tea-357g-p0684.html
>https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-zhong-cha-white-tea-5929-white-beauty-tea-357g-p0685.html
>https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-zhongcha-white-tea-cake-p0690.html
>https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-zhongcha-white-tea-cake-bai-mu-dan-silk-road-tea-357g-p0691.html
Whatever I end up getting, I will show the thread and, of course, review as I taste them.

>>16034462
yeah, maybe like a mug infuser if youre just starting out and maybe some loose black tea, something rolled (maybe a ball rolled oolong, i think that GABAs are pretty beginner friendly)
gaiwans are an essential teaware imo but idk if you should start out with one because youre gonna have to burn your fingers a few times before you get a hang of it

I think that the three main gongfu essentials are a gaiwan/teapot, cha hai (pitcher to decant into), and a teacup
now that im thinking about it, theres prob something like an easy gongfu infuser on YS, go get like an oolong or black and find some teaware you like and youll be good. an electric kettle is also very useful once you get more into it

>>16034671
This one
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-zhong-cha-white-tea-5929-white-beauty-tea-357g-p0685.html
Zongcha is CNNP, now known as COFCO which is or was state owned industry. However there are many independent sub brands under the COFCO banner. In this case the actual factory/brand is butterfly.

>>16034776
Interesting, I've heard of most of these things before, but as separate entities. To clarify, by independent, you mean that Butterfly works under the COFCO name and possibly receives subsidies in the process?
>White Beauty
Haven't heard of this particular type of white before. What interests you about it the most? I'm mostly looking for something honey/fruity, so if you think this will hit that interest, I'll go for it and provide feedback to the thread whenever it happens to arrive.

>>16034834
I just realized, this tea is very likely moonlight white, isn't it? I've just always heard it called "Moonlight White" or "Moonlight Beauty" specifically. I am quite interested in trying this type of tea, so I'll go for it. Thanks for the recommendation, hope it wasn't inconvenient spoonfeeding this purchase. Will post my buy list in a little while tonight for you all to roast me.

>>16034834
Butterfly works under the COFCO banner. I don't know if the COFCO brands are still state owned or if they have been privatized. I think they are still state owned but I'm not sure.

>>16034934
godspeed

I bought four white cakes from Fullchea, total was $70. One nice Zhongcha cake, and three cheaper cakes I can mess around with for fun, or do odd experiments with without worrying about the price. Yes, I could and possibly should have just purchased two Zhongcha cakes. However, my curiosity (obsession) about these cheaper cakes has been going on for far too long. I decided to sate it so I don't have to think about it anymore. I of course hope they'll all be good, but I'll accept whatever I get at this point. Thanks to the anon who steered me in the direction of the Zhongcha cakes. Looking forward to testing these, and discussing my findings with everyone whenever they happen to arrive.

Lifehack for the black tea lovers: Middle eastern tea is the shit. Tea from Azerbaijan and Iran can be as good as top tier Darjeeling.

>>16035468
How much do they cost, and where do you like to buy them from? Anything light and sweet? I'd like to get into blacks, but worry about how they can affect my stomach sometimes.

>>16035528
They cost really cheap. The type i usually buy is 2 dollars for about 3 ounces. You can find some on the local markets. They are not as sweet as white or gftop, but there is some. It is not bitter or sour. It is light and woody. It's also hard on tannins, so while delicious, some people might experience discomfort, yes.

>>16022685
how much better is loose tea vs bags? tea is so underwhelming that i often forget about while waiting for it to cool down

>>16035930
In most cases, the jump from bagged tea to whole leaf is night and day. Some bags contain moderately thick leaf, but by far, it's most typically going to be fine grinds/shreds of leaf (frequently considered 'dust') that will infuse very rapidly, giving a bitter and/or bland result with weak to no meaningful aromatics or flavor notes. These bagged teas can't be resteeped much if at all either, so you're paying not just for lower quality, but less of that low quality experience. Most people I see using bags do it for the caffeine instead of because they like it. Otherwise, they do an herbal tisane. Not all whole leaf teas are 'good', mind you, but that is not exclusive to just whole leaf teas anyway. I encourage you to give whole leaf teas a go and decide for yourself if it is better and worth it.

Anybody knows how to make birch twig tea?
I tried one recipe the other day, which specifically told to let the water cool for 15 minutes before pouring it, as to not break down the flavor compound, and to steep it overnight. I followed it and ended up with just dirty tasting water. Now I find another recipe that tells you to do the polar opposite: roast the twigs in 170°C for 30 minutes, grind them and brew for 1-5 minutes.
I'm back in the city and can't try the other method (or other methods) but I'm curious.

is there such a thing as good gunpowder or is the term synonymous with cheap and crappy

>>16036165
>actual twig juice
teafags will be the first to the guillotine

i smoke it

>>16036225
I've had lapsang souchong before, the smokiness is way too strong it's undrinkable. Although twinings is just shit and there's decent stuff out there

>>16036237
*although maybe

>>16036221
Birch juice can be used for syrup just like your maple.

>>16036221
I bet you don't even know about pine needle tea.

>>16036237
Smoked lapsang is unsubtle trash, but unsmoked styles are typically fairly nice black tea.

>>16036260
and other fun things

>>16036237
it's harsh at first but after a cup or two you start to appreciate the smokiness
I'd suggest just giving it another try, maybe using a bit less tea leafs

>>16036237
no, i mean actually roll it up in cig paper and smoke it

>>16034205
>Is there a list of common good manus I can reference?
sadly there is not. you have to learn them by lurking and doing your own research.

i can however list some of the big puerh brands that have a good reputation and are widely available:
TAETEA/Dayi/Menghai tea factory (do not confuse with the many other factory's with Menghai in the name)
XiaGuan
CNNP/Zhong Cha/COFCO (COFCO is the parent company they have other tea brands as well)
Haiwan
MengKu Rongshi/Shuang Jiang Mengku (again note that Mengku is a location as well)
Nanjian Tulin Feng Huang (there is another factory with similar logo but has a different logo between the phoenixes)
Liming Tea Factory/Ba Jiao Ting" Liming (Liming is also a location see a trend)
this is by no means a comprehensive list but those ones are some of the most prominent and easy to acquire in the west. there are also number of good smaller boutique brands, less popular factories, and brands that fell from prominence/went out of business after the last puerh market crash. I may type up a more comprehensive list at a later point. if i get around to making one i will share it.

>>16036165
Buy some sasafras root bark and make tea with that.

>>16036210
I don't know, i haven't seen a more upmarket gunpowder.

>>16036441
Extasy?

>>16036542
No im not taking about drugs, im talking about making tea. Making sassafras bark tea does not have any drug effects. There are a decent amount of chemistry steps needed to turn the safrole into any kind of drug.
If you just make tea with the root bark you get a slightly bitter liquid that tastes like root beer. It's probably best to sweeten it some with sugar or honey.

>>16036026
Thanks anon, I will order some fancy leaves and report back. Gongfu looks cool, but not worth it for just the aesthetic lmao

>>16017897
>Not sure if it's valuable for many when I post weird 'who' brands and tosser teas few will be able to find
i think it can be interesting hearing about lesser brands especially if you find something particularly good (or bad so we know not to get it). its often hard to find any info on smaller brands.

>>16034453
>I wonder if labeling is less explicit for many whites in general perhaps due to lower demand and hype
i would not say the labeling is less explicit you can normally find the factory info there is just less known especially on the western internet. white tea cakes is actually a new trend and even white tea itself has only in more recent history gained mass popularity. I don't think the white tea cake brands are as established yet and so its harder to figure out where each of them stands. you can still probably find good information on the Chinese internet if you dig enough.
>they might have names that closely resemble that of their local are
a lot of the puerh companies have that too.

>>16034834
>To clarify, by independent, you mean that Butterfly works under the COFCO name and possibly receives subsidies in the process?
COFCO is a Chinese food conglomerate (i think they are at least partially state owned) that sells more than just tea. they own multiple tea factory and plantations that sell a variety of types of tea under different brands. "butterfly" is their Fuding style white tea brand.

>>16034934
>I just realized, this tea is very likely moonlight white, isn't it?
probably not, Moonlight White is from yunnan and butterfly brand is from Fujian. White Beauty is likely just a marketing name. they have has used similar cultivars or processing techniques however. there really are not that many named varieties of white tea. you have to pay attention to the look of the tea and what the manufacturer says about it.

>>16035325
>I bought four white cakes from Fullchea, total was $70
i look forward to hearing about it.

>>16036616
>Gongfu looks cool, but not worth it for just the aesthetic lmao
Not sure why so many people seem to think gongfu is a lot of work, or has a high barrier to entry. A gaiwan is like five dollaridoos, and it's not like it takes a lot of time out of your day.

>>16036616
>Gongfu looks cool, but not worth it
what makes Gongfu worth it is you rebrew the same leaves over and over. typically 5g/100ml and i get ~12 brews or 1.2L. also the tea is stronger, thicker in the mouth and you get a spectrum of flavour as you rebrew. i for one dont care for the aesthetics at all

drinking some 2012 7542 raw from my jianshui clay cup
feeling very comfy

>>16036776
Gongfu reminds me a lot of the faggotry you see around other consumerist hobbies like mechanical keyboards.

I mean, just logically think about the physical properties of different things you can brew tea in. As long as leaf to water ratio + temperature are controlled for, there's not much of a difference between brewing in a mug or normal teapot with a large mesh strainer vs some autistic tea tray, pouring cup, sniffing cup, gaiwan setup. That's just creating more shit to clean up, plus it takes up more space. Imagine pulling that shit out in front of a female, yikes.

I love chinese oolongs and do the before mentioned mug setup 100% of the time. It works fine, there's no difference between that and the gongfu setup I had back in college when I was last into tea. Looking back it was a huge waste of time an money.

>>16036734
>A gaiwan is like five dollaridoos, and it's not like it takes a lot of time out of your day.

Sure similar arguments to something like mech keyboards. The people here who do gongfu might gateway into it with $5, but then they need to spend more on a fancy clay pot, tea tray with drainage, peepee boy tea pets, etc. It's the same as some fat virgin buying custom caps and tranny socks to go with his mech KB

In short, it's not worth it bros. Spend the extra time and money enjoying good tea.

>>16037089
yeah i dont have a 'full set up' just a gaiwan, strainer, English tea cup and tray which holds all my stuff together on my desk. gaiwans are good because they have max volume for leaf expansion & brewing and you can clean them by flicking the leaf out and rinsing

>>16034462
tea should be so strong without milk and sugar that it induces nausea, otherwise it's too weak

>>16036968
Nice, 7542 is good, i love the plummy aspect it has

>>16037089
There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying tea as a ritual.

>>16037089

The difference between brewing in a mug an brewing gongfu *does* include wide variation in time, temperature, and leaf/water ratio, though. I love me throwing some leaves in the bottom of a mug and filling it up with boiling water but it will produce a fundamentally different brew than in a small teapot.

Now, I'll agree that having a gaiwan and a tea pet and a tea tray and a handblown gong dao bey and what have you aren't necessary, and pouring from a simple tea strainer kettle into a big mug can work fine, but at that point you're largely just making an argument against getting pleasure out of enjoying things, which I get to a degree, but is so extremely subjective as to have no normative bearing. And to be fair, varying shapes, sizes, and materials in teapots can end up making a difference in the final brew.

>>16037485
I think the argument FOR a gaiwan on someone's first order is 95% of retailers are going to have a simple gaiwan on the site and you can just snag it. With the water temp estimation in the pastebin, that's all you need to start fucking around with your leaves.

For the recent messages
It's perfectly fine and encouraged to Bowl brew or Grandpa brew

Chill out, do whatever you want
Gongfu is good, but it's not the end and final and only way you should or can brew tea

Englishman here.
Drank black tea with milk most of my life, started to wean myself off dairy last year though and have been drinking basic shop bought "Clipper" bagged green tea, with a drop of honey.
I've a local Turkish shop which has a huge isle full of tea's - varying from Syrian tumbleweed with artificial flavouring to legit looking Chinese stuff.
My idea is to go towards loose leaf, whilst also picking up some sort of tea pot and infusion device.
Any recommendations?

>>16038074
the tea pot IS the infusion device
a 200ml teapot or gaiwan (lidded bowl) would be my recommendation as far as brewing goes
I've never seen a store carry good tea so i'd just order online

>>16038126
Will try to get photos next time I'm in their shop.
A pot just seems to much faff, I'd also like to have the convenience of being able to have just one cup at a time too, instead of brewing a pot's worth each time.

I'm a fucking retard and everytime i try to make tea (tea bags) it tastes like shit and when i add sugar i just taste sugar + sewage. I don't have a kettle so I'm using a saucepan. Does anybody have a retard proof guide?

>>16038318
boil water (filtered)
put tea bag in porcelain mug (important)
pour boiling water in mug
wait 3-5 minutes
remove bag
drink
maybe you have poor quality water

>>16038347
Never thought about the quality of my water. Water in Rome has a lot of limestone so maybe it's that. Thanks!

>>16038233
In england look at what-cha.com they are uk based, have good fresh tea and good prices, very good place to start drinking loose leaf

>>16038598
How long would 25g of tea last generally?
Seems quite pricey

>>16038906
2.5 days

>>16038906
Depends on the tea m8
It's about 5g per pot
But you dont need to buy super expensive teas, what are you looking at specifically?

>>16036650
>i think it can be interesting hearing about lesser brands especially if you find something particularly good (or bad so we know not to get it).
I've done a few more tastings since that post. Enough to get me to my goal of 40 different teas sampled. The Asian Market teas I've sampled since include:
>ABC Tea Goddess Oolong (Tieguanyin)
>Good Young Jasmine Green Tea
>ABC Tea Pu'er (shou)
The former two were surprisingly decent (particularly the Goddess oolong), but I haven't posted my typical review notes for any of them as I doubted interest. I've also been concerned that my posts were becoming increasingly blog-like due to their sheer frequency. I can post one or more if you'd like to read them. Beyond that, I have about three mini tuos left to taste, and possibly an old box of Taylor's of Harrogate loose white tea somewhere, though I've no idea where exactly. I've also been working on some tea-related experiments, such as coldbrewing my 2018 Haiwan shou pu'er, and infusing my current favorite shou mei at a much higher temperature and longer duration than usual. I can comment on either if there is interest.
>>16038906
4-6 sessions in most cases. It depends on which tea, as you typically use more in some instances (such as with shou pu'er), and less in others (like with many greens). Samplers are provided in such quantities as to give you enough tastings to get a firm feeling about the tea. Then, you can confidently invest in a full-size portion (such as 357g and 100g cakes). If I could start over, that is what I would have done instead of getting loads of pu'er tuos.

>>16038074
Why did you get off the dairy?

>>16039164
i got bad milk shits

>>16039164
Not me.
I was just drinking and eating too much dairy. Porridge for breakfast, milky tea all day, cheeses. No allergies, just probably isn't the healthiest way to go so toned it down.
Milky tea just tastes washed out to me now.

how do I salvage this?

>>16039265
Don't you have a scouring(Brillo) pad?
If it won't go and it concerns you then buy a set of stainless steel spoons

>>16039293
they are stainless steel. Also no I don't, I've always found a sponge and letting things soak worked for everything, but apparently my tea spoon is immune to such things. I'll buy one and see if it's sufficient

>>16039265
Magic eraser cleaning sponge thingys, will take tea stains off instantly

>>16039328
>>16039319

Seconded. Get generic from Amazon or whoever. Cost literally cents per eraser and work better than anything else.

Have any of you anons fermented fruit inside unadulterated tea liquid before? I wonder if it would be pleasant or effective otherwise to ferment berries in tea. I doubt it would be like kombucha since it wouldn't have the culture, but it would contain tea, local bacteria, and plenty of sugar from the fruit, so I think it could work. Curious what the result would be, and I may be willing to give it a go at some point.

>>16039562
You mean an alcohol ferment or a pickle?
Kombucha is an alcohol ferment that in contaminated with bacteria that turns the alcohol into acid.
Generally when you ferment things bacteria is bad because it ruins the ferment or makes it go sour.
If you are talking about picking things i don't really think you can pickle fruit.

>>16039601
>You mean an alcohol ferment or a pickle?
I'm not referring to pickling, but the idea of something like a typical 2% salt/volume anaerobic fermentation. This works perfectly fine for fermenting all kinds of fruits and vegetables, such as, in my case, blueberries. However, the key difference in my idea is if the water in the equation was replaced by either freshly hot water-infused tea (brought to room temperature) or coldbrew. I'm curious if the fermentation would be hindered or improved in any way as a result of this process. Of course, I would wash the berries, vessels, and utensils before preparation for sanitation, so I wouldn't be concerned about most foreign bacteria impacting the project. However, I would lack the SCOBY and associated starter liquid of kombucha, which is also fermented in an aerobic environment, meaning the ferment is completely different. That is why the concept is of interest.

>>16039727
Oh i see
Yeah that should work fine, i don't think the tea would inhibit anything. You might need to make a pretty concentrated brew for it to impart any flavor into whatever you are fermenting

why is the tea brown or black? some teas dont have a color or anything. I looked it up and tea leafs are all green.

>>16039844
It's oxidized by enzymes in the leaf after harvesting and before drying. Green tea is heated shortly after harvest to halt the enzyme activity ans then the leaves stay green.

>>16029325
>I'd encourage you to consider artificial sweeteners
ew

>>16040107
Both are trash, but at least he won't get fat off of it.

How long does it usually take for Fullchea to respond to support emails? Their chat is almost never online.

>>16041049
>How long does it usually take for Fullchea to respond to support emails?
sadly i don't know i have not put in an order with yet. i was just about to get something from them. is there a problem with your order or something?

>Their chat is almost never online.
they are on the other side of the planet (if you live in north America) so their waking hours are different. perhaps that's the problem.

if you are this >>16034205 anon did you get this >>16036424 post? just want to make sure it did not get missed.

>>16039093
>coldbrewing my 2018 Haiwan shou pu'er
how is that? i have never tried cold brewing shu before.

>wish i had gotten samples instead of tuos
the problem with samples is the are usually a lot more expensive for what you get. furthermore (especially when beginning) you want to get enough of a tea to be able to try it multiple times to work out your brew parameters and to really get to know the tea. i also dont really know where i would recommended getting a bunch of puerh samples from for a beginner. puerh expert sends random samples, W2T only sells their own stuff, LP only does cheap samples once a year, YS and KTM's have more variety but samples are more expensive (they are probably the best bets though). also shipping costs make small orders from a lot vendors uneconomical right now. samples certainly have a place though and are helpful in making informed purchases or trying something expensive.

in hindsight what would you have wanted recommended to you? and how would you recommenced someone trying puerh go about it?

>>16039727
>the idea of something like a typical 2% salt/volume anaerobic fermentation
so you are doing a lactic acid fermentation? i don't think tea is going to harm the fermentation.

>>16040107
i thought that sounded a bit weird as well. at least they recommended stevia which is debatably natural or at least semi natural. i use it sometimes for tisanes that taste better with added sweetness but i don't use it for tea.

>>16041290
>is there a problem with your order or something?
Yes, but I need to wait to see if it resolves itself. I couldn't get a successful payment through by credit card for some reason, so I had to pay through Paypal. I think card issues happened in the past too, but I was able to buy with Paypal. Payment went through, but the site incorrectly lists it as "Payment Wrong". I think they changed their system from the first time I bought, because they requested that I send the payment details in their automated email. It says 'PayEase', but that's before I changed to Paypal as my payment method. Pic related.
>they are on the other side of the planet
I've checked at different times of the day. I think it depends not on the individual hour(s) so much as day of the week.
>i was just about to get something from them.
What are your selections, if I may know? Also, while I won't say you definitely won't experience this issue, I still think you'll probably be okay to make the order. Just use Paypal from the get-go if you do. Then you can always charge back, too.
>Did you get this post?
Yes, I received the post. Thank you for your notes on pu'er manufacturers. Most of it made sense, though the note regarding Tulin brought a question with it. Is that the same TuLin as shown with this tuo?: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/tulin-phoenix-2005-chinese-puer-tea-phoenix-premium-raw-tuo-cha-aged-tea-100g-p0492.html
>so you are doing a lactic acid fermentation?
That is the project I'd like to attempt, yes. However, I need to consider which teas would function best for this use case, as to promote the best synergy of flavor and fragrance. I was wondering if some cheap Jasmine green would work well.

>>16041290
>(especially when beginning) you want to get enough of a tea to be able to try it multiple times to work out your brew parameters and to really get to know the tea.
I completely understand this viewpoint, and that is exactly how I saw it when getting into tea. However, I've come to realize just how varied much tea can be, and how some particularly environment-sensitive types such as pu'er may need more care to condition properly into something that is fragrant and/or enjoyable in texture. These days, I find myself really wishing that I could just have some simple fruity or chocolate note after having so much bland and bitter stuff. This has contributed to me losing interest and confidence in pu'er (and my skills to an extent) outside of masochistic tasting marathons, and I think that is a shame. I think getting several cakes of pu'er that may not be in the most consumption-friendly condition could be discouraging to many newer tea enthusiasts who just want to experience something beyond their grocery store bulk tea bags. It nags at me every day to know I have teas with latent greatness, but them not "being there".

They're certainly not all terrible, but most of my pu'er doesn't amaze me as much as I'm sure it could with better care. It all probably needs an adustment of storage beyond what I have going now to improve itself. I've been considering getting more containers to keep my (already segregated) cakes of tea in, as to concentrate their aromas and flavors more intensely within enclosed environments. It has worked well for my whites, and I've only done it for barely two days.

>>16041290
>in hindsight what would you have wanted recommended to you?
If specifically pu'er, teas that wouldn't need to be babied to appreciate. Assuming it's from a vendor like Fullchea, 2-3 varied 100g-range tuos from a reputable brands (like Taetea), or 2 Taetea 100g tuos and a modestly-priced 357g cake that is easy to brew, care for, and drink regularly (shou or sheng, no matter). Similar to what recommendations I received, but with greater emphasis on storage advice outside of pumidors would be helpful and important.
>and how would you recommenced someone trying puerh go about it?
Slow and steady, with notable advice for taking care of them without going too deep into pumidors. Less than $50 total spent on all the pu'er. Having any kind of oolong, white, or black to bounce back on if trouble is experienced.
>how is that [2018 Haiwan shou]? i have never tried cold brewing shu before.
When I did it before, it wasn't outstanding. I did something similar for a sheng of mine recently (in the last thread), and it was okay, but not great. I need to examine it more, so I'll taste it and let you know how it turned out later today with a picture or two. I need to sleep now, but I'll respond whenever I wake up if you have anything you'd like to comment on.

>>16041815
I hope they sort out your order quickly.

>What are your selections, if I may know?
i was looking at geting one of the "butterfly brand" white tea cakes. not 100% sure which one yet though. perhaps the "Bai Mu Dan Silk Road Tea".

>Just use Paypal from the get-go if you do.
that was always my intention.

>Is that the same TuLin as shown with this tuo?
i think it should be. pic related is the "Good Phoenix" logo that looks similar to Tulin's logo but is a less widespread brand. i am pretty sure they are both from the same area. Tulin's logo is of a landmark geologic formation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulin_(geology)

>I need to consider which teas would function best for this use case, as to promote the best synergy of flavor and fragrance. I was wondering if some cheap Jasmine green would work well.
jasmine tea and fermented blueberry is not the first combination that comes to my mind but if it sounds good to you don't let me stop you. as a warning i am suspect a good amount of the super cheap jasmine tea is beatifically scented. i would use something relatively strong sp that you can taste it in the finished product. a fruity black tea or a tangy sheng are teas that i think would be better suited for the job.

>>16041824
y wud pepe do this... like just make it in a tumbler and wait until it cools or get a hot water bottle

I have so many samples i cant fucking decide what to brew
I'm going to start just flipping coins
i keep getti overwhelmed trying to pick something and just going for easy ripe puer or wuyi oolong instead

>>16041820
>I think getting several cakes of pu'er that may not be in the most consumption-friendly condition could be discouraging to many newer tea enthusiasts who just want to experience something beyond their grocery store bulk tea bags.
i agree with you i would never recommend someone just wanting to try tea only get puerh unless that is what they specifically ask for. my original post about sampling was specifically about the difficulty of sampling puerh cheaply and how important brewing parameters are. for most other types of loose leaf tea buying 25-50g sized portions does not cost you that much more than buying in quantity. its much easier to buy reasonably priced samples of nonheicha.

If i recall you came asking for what puerh to try and said you had already tried some shou and liked it.

>>16041824
>If specifically pu'er, teas that wouldn't need to be babied to appreciate.
there's the rub, a lot of sheng needs to brewed carefully over will oversteep and shu tends to be a funky. asking for a youngish sheng that is not harsh or a shu that is not earthy is going against some of the common traits of those teas. such teas exist but are not really representative of whats expected of the style or most of whats available. heicha in general tends to be an acquired taste. some of the sheng i had found to be unpalatable at first i ended up liking just a half a year later. mind you i do keep a variety of tea including some less intense stuff for when i want it.

>Similar to what recommendations I received
glad you weren't steered too wrong

>greater emphasis on storage advice outside of pumidors would be helpful and important
for people that don't want to dive deep simply putting the tea in a ziplock bag or tupperware container in a room temp dark place is what i would recommend. i think you worry about storage a bit too much it is not going to magically make your tea twice as good overnight. then again i set up a pumidor for myself so perhaps i am one to talk.

>>16022685
I had oolong with a bit of lemon this morning, an oolong + black kombucha 10 minutes ago. tea is great

>>16042966
Do you make your own kombucha? Have you messed around with adding fruits or other flavorings after the initial ferment?

>ordered some nettle leaf tea
>bag was way bigger than I realized

Looks like it's nettle for a while. I heard it makes you drowsy but I'm not noticing it. I also heard it gives you energy so I don't know what to think. I feel a bit more energized but it could be a placebo effect.

>>16043184
How does it taste?

>>16043234
A bit like green tea but plainer. I usually don't add anything to my teas except honey, so this is nettle tea plain. Not bad at all but nothing distinct. It does the trick and I'm mostly drinking it for health benefits (slight detox and improved blood pressure.)

>>16040194
insanity, sugar is a necessary component in any brew of sufficient tea

>>16043686
I really never feel the need to add sugar to tea.
A lot of tea i drink is sweet enough already

>>16043714
you must be brewing it in milk

>>16043848
i never add milk or sugar, stop buying shit grade leaf

>>16043865

>>16043904
not everything has to be candy and even middling quality loose leaf shouldn't go bitter

>>16043934
how many leaves are we talking, 5-10?

If i drank assam or African Ceylon english breakfast blend type teas i would probably add sugar or creme, they tend to be pretty bracing and malty. But for example Chinese black teas have lots of super sweet varieties that have little to no malt or tannin flavor.

>>16043988
a little of it is necessary for flavor but which ones?

>>16044011
Here are a a few that were recommended earlier in the thread.
>>16033634

>Drinking tea 1-2 times almost every day
>Thought my heart rate would be high with all the caffeine, feel my heart pound more starkly in general.
>Check my rate with my phone heartrate sensor:
>45 bpm
>53 bpm (when I turned around)
>47 bpm
What did my body mean by this?

>>16044215
You're either a professional athlete or an 80 year old woman. Which is it?

>>16044234
I used to be a powerlifter, but I don't do that anymore. Had a very low BPM then as well (around 45 - 50 average). I'm just surprised it is like that considering how much tea I am drinking. My heartbeats seem more pronounced, but my heart rate is comfortably low like before. I like it, so it doesn't bother me, but it is unusual.

>>16022694
>>16022704
how are these block teas flavor wise? i've had gunpowder green tea and mamsi assam so far, curious how these would be in strong milk tea

>>16042190
>i am suspect a good amount of the super cheap jasmine tea is beatifically scented.
Do you have any recommendations for how to best detect this? Are there usually any health concerns with artificial scenting?
>a fruity black tea or a tangy sheng
Unfortunately, none of my pu'er really expresses fruity or tangy notes at this time, and I haven't a single black to my name. Most of my pu'er seems to follow the "bread and syrup" character lineup. All I can think of is a tieguanyin that is somewhat milky and latte-like in flavor and aroma, but I don't know how that would pair with blueberries, especially after fermentation. Well, I'm sure I'll figure a good combination out soon.
>>16042241
Did you notice where he is holding the cup too?

>>16044761
>curious how these would be in strong milk tea
I don't know how well they would hold up to milk. I think the descriptions from the vendor and in the reviews are pretty accurate

What tea will help me find a gf?

>>16042426
>there's the rub, a lot of sheng needs to brewed carefully over will oversteep and shu tends to be a funky.
That's fair, and I do think that pu'er requires more time to really 'get' and accustom oneself to. I underestimated what it can take to manage my pu'er for optimal flavor, aroma, and texture. It's difficult with there being so many contradicting theories on that subject, too.
>for people that don't want to dive deep simply putting the tea in a ziplock bag or tupperware container in a room temp dark place is what i would recommend.
I've been experimenting with my non-pumidor storage, and had mixed results. I've started keeping my whites in an enclosed metal tin, and I think that has improved aroma concentration in a very short amount of time (few days). I usually keep everything in half-open bags, turned on their sides spread apart alongside a cabinet area. I alternate between leaving the opening cracked and closed (to manage airflow). I'm finding that aromatics and some deeper flavors still aren't really being pronounced as well as they definitely could be, even without a pumidor setup. Do you seal your ziplocks/mylars, or leave them open? Do you put those bagged teas in another (pumi) container to hold your bovedas? I've held off from getting a pumidor setup since I thought and was told I didn't have enough teas to make it worthwhile, but maybe it's time...
>i do keep a variety of tea including some less intense stuff for when i want it.
I think that's an interesting point: for me, I've found that, while I prefer bitter and funky/fermented foods and drinks in general, I've been yearning for lighter, cooling, and more gentle teas these days. Maybe it's just because I've not been satisfied with my pu'er yet, especially seeing so much potential in some of the products I own.

>>16045074
Probably not, unless you are after a puer lesbian

>>16045074
generally having interests and hobbies will help you get a gf so maybe

>>16042190
>i was looking at geting one of the "butterfly brand" white tea cakes. not 100% sure which one yet though. perhaps the "Bai Mu Dan Silk Road Tea".
I forgot to comment on this in my last post, but I did buy the 2019 Zhong Cha White Beauty cake (though waiting on payment confirmation). Their Silk Road looked good to me as well, and seems to have more buds than the 2020 pink-wrapper Bai Mu Dan, which could be nice. Whatever you get, do feel free to let us all know about it. It will be nice for both of us to learn about each of these Zhongcha cakes, or if you get the same one, compare our notes. Somewhat silly to think this, considering it's not even expensive compared to sites like W2T or TWL (being just under $0.10/g), but I'm looking forward to trying my first 'proper' cake in the coming future.

>>16045037
>Do you have any recommendations for how to best detect this? Are there usually any health concerns with artificial scenting?
sadly i don't have more info. i am not a big jasmine tea drinker i have just heard a lot of the cheap stuff is artificially scented which sounds believable considering how labor intensive the traditional process is.

>>16045076
here is my storage setup. i use mylar bags with bovedas in them. the bags are only opened to get tea out however my collection is small enough that the bags all get opened at least every month or two. (I would not worry too much about airflow unless you are using them up for long term storage and even then there is debate about how much is really needed). the bags are stored in a cooler to keep the temperature stable (avoiding the dew point) and to help keep things organized. I went with mylar bags instead of a traditional pumidor because it is easier to start small and i had a number of things a wanted to keep separate from one another but did not want to set up multiple pumidors. also i wanted a solution that seals up really well to keep the dry air and pests out and most coolers don't seal that well. the downside of my method is that you have to buy more bovedas (one for each bag you open regularly), it can be less space efficient (cant stack as neatly), and if airflow is important to you it is more of a hassle to get. I make no claim that my method is the best or only way only that it works for me right now what works for you may be different.

if you want to order a small number of decent ziplock mylars i ones from here:
https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency-supplies/food-storage-equipment/mylar-bags-for-food-storage
they sell them cheaply individually plus $5 flat rate shipping. i open up my new mylars and let them air out for a bit to let the new plastic smell fade some before using them.

>>16045270
To clarify, you use individual bovedas for each mylar bag of a lone cake or set of cakes? Are you using typical size 60 bovedas, or the smaller mini size 8 ones? I'm surprised that keeping bovedas in such close contact with few cakes doesn't lead to minor condensation on points of contact. Thoughts on 65% vs 69%? I will look into buying some bovedas tonight and get some tubs at a local store so I can finally join you in this process.

>>16045174
>Their Silk Road looked good to me as well, and seems to have more buds than the 2020 pink-wrapper Bai Mu Dan, which could be nice.
i know some people prefer tippy white tea whereas others prefer coarser leaves. I don't have enough experience with white tea to fully know the difference in taste or have a strong preference.

>Whatever you get, do feel free to let us all know about it.
i will try too post some note if i get it. how long did your last fullchea order take to arrive? i have actually not ordered from them before.

>>16045422
>how long did your last fullchea order take to arrive?
I don't recall exactly how long. Around a month, I think. I've heard some anons say they got their Fullchea orders in a few weeks. Fullchea does seem take longer than some vendors, but at least their costs are more bearable across the board.
>i know some people prefer tippy white tea whereas others prefer coarser leaves.
I haven't had many whites yet either, but I really enjoy my shou mei. Very loose cake with seemingly all, or mostly leaves. Delightful buttery cracker flavor and aroma. Some of the cheap cakes I'm getting seem even looser, so that will be interesting to test. From what I've read and heard, I think both kinds of whites are definitely worth trying.

>>16045416
>To clarify, you use individual bovedas for each mylar bag of a lone cake or set of cakes?
most of my bags contain multiple teas if they don't its because i have not filled them yet. i separate young sheng, old sheng, shu, and other types of heicha into their own bag/s. some people would not split stuff up as much as i do though.

>Are you using typical size 60 bovedas
yes i use the 60 gram medium sized ones

>I'm surprised that keeping bovedas in such close contact with few cakes doesn't lead to minor condensation on points of contact.
i have not noticed any wet spots. i don't think i will get any dew unless i let the temperature rapidly drop a bunch.

>Thoughts on 65% vs 69%?
i use 65% for sealed storage to be on the safe side of things.

>>16045416
I've got a 320gram pack sitting on 1k+ of cigars. No issues with contact spots whatsoever.

>>16023473
Yorkshire is my go to tea in the morning. I usually drink Yorkshire red. I didn't like Gold the last time I tried it. I'm not sure why.

>>16022685
I've been drinking this lately. It has a mild mellow flavor without much bitterness. Sometimes I drink stronger green tea and it makes we want to puke because of the tannins in it I guess (which are present to ward of insects anyway). Drinking a lot of green tea can interfere with iron absorption to a dangerous anemic level if you drink enough of it. That might explain it too.

>>16045523
I appreciate the advice. I have delayed preparing pumidors for long enough! Just sent in an order for my 65% size 60s to arrive in a few days. Will pick up some tubs tomorrow in preparation as well. Looking forward to seeing how my inventory takes to this. I hope to report notable developments in perhaps a month.
>>16045794
I've found genmaicha to be reasonably easy to drink as well, and that was back when I made it in a western-style infuser pot. It pairs well with meals and snacks due to the 'malty' quality from the rice, in my opinion. I wouldn't really feel like drinking it alone, but it's not bad either way.
>>16045671
Perhaps it helps that you have so many cigars to absorb it with. I was seeing the potential issue as one standard boveda for one or two cakes in a small, sealed environment. I heard one person mention this online before, but it may have been for a different setup or a niche case. It must not be an issue after all, if anon can do it as he does currently.

An answer to this would be greatly appreciated. I have a few cold brew coffee mason jar setups. I've grown tired of coffee and want to make cold brew teas to add ice to and drink throughout the day. Any tips for doing this in a cold brew coffee maker. Also where is the best place to buy the loose leaf teas . Thank you

I want to see somebody do an ASMR mukbang where they eat a tea cake or brick

Just got a response back from Fullchea's support crew a bit ago. Order status changed to Awaiting Shipping, feels nice anons. I will post about my shou coldbrew experiment shortly. 1.65kg package chock-full of whites coming my way soon, feels nice.
>>16045856
>I've grown tired of coffee and want to make cold brew teas to add ice to and drink throughout the day.
>Any tips for doing this in a cold brew coffee maker.
I cannot comment on specialty machines, but simply leaving the leaf inside a glass jar, filling with water, swirling gently for a moment, and leaving it in your refrigerator overnight can be fine. It is very similar to coffee coldbrews, except you don't need much, if any additional processing of the beans (which are ideally done to a coarse or medium grind). I've heard that some people like to infuse their leaf hot once or twice first, and then leave it in their jars for coldbrewing as to open up the leaves more quickly. Try both methods to see what works best for you and your teas. You can even experiment with bagged teas if you don't have loose teas yet.
>where is the best place to buy the loose leaf teas
Depends on what you want. Refer to the pastebin in the OP. Yunnan Sourcing, KingTeaMall, or Fullchea may suit these needs well. I'm partial to Fullchea since the shipping is practically free, but most people here prefer YS or KTM.

>>16045886
Based

>>16045842
Its only like 50 cigars. I'd imagine theres more plant matter in a few cakes.

> Looking forward to seeing how my inventory takes to this. I hope to report notable developments in perhaps a month.

Thats what I did. 4 60g @ 65% in an 18qt cambro food storage tub. Trash bag gasket on top to help with the seal, then left it unopened for 30 days. That first whiff when you open it will let you know it worked.

>>16046058
>4 60g @ 65% in an 18qt cambro food storage tub.
Do you think I'd need more bovedas for single categories of cakes? I was planning on using one boveda for each of my four categories (sheng, shou, 'dark', and white). Not sure if I should separate new and aged whites, or keep my heicha with something else.
>Trash bag gasket on top to help with the seal, then left it unopened for 30 days.
This seems like an excellent idea. I'll do the same, but check briefly every week or two. I will report back with my results for everyone like with my teas either way.

>>16046114
Boveda packs are two way humidity control. They'll pull moisture from the air if the rh is too high and release it later as the rh drops . Essentially impossible to overload a humidor/pumidor. Spend what you can, you're protecting an investment. The "throw money at it and its solved" part of me says get 2 4packs of 60g bovedas and move them around as you see fit. You can also recharge the packs by putting them in a separate smaller tupperware with a shot glass or dish of distilled water for a few days.

>>16046023
Great, thank you for you response anon

Meant to post earlier, had to handle some business. Just some quick notes and pictures of my 2018 Haiwan 9978 shou coldbrew attempt. Flavor is unique. There is some slight funkiness from the jar that isn't 'dank' or fishy, but more of an unusual, fleeting brothy syrup. Otherwise, the aroma is not highly pronounced. Pic related, its totally black appearance. I will post a picture of the jar through light shortly.

It's not as thick as I'd have expected, but it feels especially 'slick', almost sticking to the mouth and tongue, which I think is great. It isn't really that bitter or astringent in any meaningful way, which I expected, but rather herbal with a slightly creamy finish. There is some sourness in it all throughout, which seems to have replaced the bitterness that would be present otherwise. Certainly smooth, as coldbrews are apt to be in my experience. There isn't as much of a syrup note in flavor as I was hoping for, but I can tell there is some, notably on the finish. I think if I care for it a bit more and allow its natural aromas to rejuvenate and grow in my new pumidors, it might be easier to achieve this result. Interesting attempt either way, may try the rest tomorrow with some almond milk and stevia for a breakfast tea latte. I'll post my results on that topic whenever I make it tomorrow.

>>16046398
Here's a close-up shot of the tea in the jar. I put it in my freezer briefly before tasting for peak freshness, so it is a touch frosted. Beautiful, isn't it?

is tieguanyin a meme or is it worth the hype? where do I find it?

Journaled about some old metal tin Mighty Leaf brand "Organic Ancient Trees Pu'er Rare Tea". Comes in mini tuo form. I made this a few times in the past, and didn't care for it then. My notes:
_________
5.1g/205F/12s

Dry leaf smells of sweet syrup with a very subtle sense of spice. Brewed leaf also smells of syrup, but with an almost 'tortilla' undertone.

Medium thickness and astringency, low bitterness. It possesses some light maple syrup background sweetness. The liquor seems to almost prickle on the tongue in the initial infusion, but loses that in all following ones. Still, it is reasonably smooth, and coats quite excellently, lubricating the palate well. Unfortunately, the already low flavor, thickness, and aroma seem to dip after very few infusions, even accounting for longer steeping times from thirty seconds to five minutes. All qualities dip into blandness rapidly. It also seems to leave behind much dust-like residue in each infusion as well. Aside from the pleasant lubrication effect, this tea does not offer much of note.
>>16046654
I've found tieguanyin to vary widely, but Many people like it for what are typically floral notes, though I've also found one tieguanyin that isn't floral at all (possibly due to storage conditions, though). I don't think it's exceedingly expensive in most places, so just buy from a vendor you like in the pastebin from the OP and go to town. A good oolong is a good oolong, and a bad one is bad. I don't think it is a 'meme', but that different people have different preferences. If you like floral notes and light oolongs, you will probably like tieguanyin.

probably retarded question -

I just got loose leaf tea shipped from YS for the first time. When I open the package, the leaves are kind of dusty (which i assume is merely pulverized residue of the leaves themselves). Should I rinse the tea before I use it? I've seen this recommended for a gaiwan, but what about if I'm about to use a teapot?

>>16047022
how big's the teapot? you can do if you want but i drink the wash anyway

>>16047022
if it's green or white tea, or even some kinds of black, the dust is actually tiny hairs that come off the buds, see pic related

it coats the inside of the metal bags but yeah it doesn't matter, you can rinse if you want but most people do it because the rinse has a very weak flavour, not to clean it

if you're talking about ripe puer then it's a different story

>>16047111
it also helps rolled teas/lumps to open up

>>16045794
>Drinking a lot of green tea can interfere with iron absorption to a dangerous anemic level if you drink enough of it.
while its true that the tannins in tea bind to iron and reduce its absorption I think it is highly unlikely to get iron deficiency anemia solely from without other risk factors even if you drank some at every meal.

> Sometimes I drink stronger green tea and it makes we want to puke
have you tried brewing green teas at lower temperatures (170-180f)? green teas often taste better at a lower temp (also be careful not to oversteep).

>>16046023
>I've heard that some people like to infuse their leaf hot once or twice first, and then leave it in their jars for coldbrewing
i have done that a few times to avoid wasting partially spent teas. though if i do that i more often add hot water (so not a true cold brew) before putting it in the fridge to ensure good extraction of the partially spent tea.

>>16046180
I would check out http://www.uptontea.com for western style teas (breakfast tea blends, strong malty black teas, ect) though they sell a variety of other teas as well.

>>16022685
My stepsister mentioned the other day that she wanted to teabag me, I just smiled but got not clue what she meant. Does anon know?

>>16046114
>Do you think I'd need more bovedas for single categories of cakes?
it depends on how big the container, how often it is disturbed (either being opened or putting dry tea in), and how well it is sealed. the best way to tell is to use a hygrometer if the humidly is to low or stays low for a long time after opening then you either need more boveda packs or to improve the seal of the pumidor.

>Not sure if I should separate new and aged whites, or keep my heicha with something else.
the key here is that like smells go with like. if you worried that the tea will mess up another than separate them.

i don't think mixing old and new white teas matters i dont think they will mess with one another all that much unless you somehow mange to find something weird HK wet stored white tea.

separating young sheng from old can mater if you have a clean young sheng you intend to drink fresh and therefore don't want it to pick up off notes. if you are planning to store it long term before drinking it it does not matter. really expensive 20+ sheng are also sometimes separated out form anything that smells different to help ensure they keep their original character (when a tea is "done" you may not necessarily want to drastically change it anymore). some people also separate "wet" and "dry" stored teas as the really wet stuff can have a distinct musty character to it.

for other heicha you can separate them out on their own or put them with what they are most like. for example most liu bao on the market is pile fermented similar to shu and therefore can possibly be stored together. fu zhuan can go either way it is more like a sheng in aroma but can be rather smokey so some people will put it in with the shu anyways to avoid the smoke from getting to the sheng.

>>16047352
part two bonus info

black teas and oolongs for aging are often dry stored (true low humidly not puerh "dry") and probably should be aged separately. not an expert about this but I believe heard it said that those teas can get an undesirable sour not if stored with two much humidity. I am also not sure the best way to age dianhong black tea cakes.

people sometimes intentionally cold store Japanese green teas (Kuradashi). in which case they are sealed, low humidly, low oxygen, in a cool or cold place similar to how you would store it to keep it fresh. i remember seeing a couple of rare types of Chinese green teas that got aged but i don't have any more info besides that it has been done. i think they sealed it in clay pots or something.

>>16047352
>>16047380
Thank you for your notes. Would you mind answering a few remaining questions?
>if you worried that the tea will mess up another than separate them.
At what point is a tea likely to be permanently affected by storage near impaired cakes? I have some concerns my fishy 2014 Gong Ting may have traded some funk with my 2018 Haiwan's syrup when kept near each other for a short while. They are completely segregated now, so the hope is that things will go back to normal if I just air it out for a while.
>how well it is sealed.
What do you think of the other anon's "garbage bag" idea for sealing a container? I could just get large, wide, sealed glass jars, too.
>black teas and oolongs for aging are often dry stored (true low humidly not puerh "dry") and probably should be aged separately.
Ironically, I've been tasting one specific bag of cheap Asian market tieguanyin oolong which was stored near coffee in a usually-closed space by accident for over a year. I think it could have absorbed the aroma and became a delicious coffee latte oolong in the process, but I cannot be sure. I have no idea how much of this quality was original because I never opened it until recently. It would have had to be absorbed through the bag. My others with the same packaging, condition, and general location did not seem to pick up any of that aroma though, so it could just be a neat coincidence.
>Pumidor distribution
I will have four Bovedas to spare. As it stands, I am considering one white tea pumidor holding the majority portion of my tea, and one shou pumidor (both young and old combined). I'm unsure if I should have separate sheng pumidors considering all of my sheng is from 2005-2009, aside from a single 2017 Taetea 100g tuo. I have more sheng than shou, though. I do have some non-pu'er heicha, but I doubt it totals over 500g, and the main portion is just fu cha anyway. With these points in mind, do you have a distribution recommendation?

>>16047352
By the way, I posted about my 2018 Haiwan coldbrew experiment last night as promised:
>>16046398
>>16046405
It shouldn't have been affected by the Gong Ting during the time of preparation. I must rest soon, but I'll comment on the tea latte I end up making later using this same liquid.

>>16032964
boba

>>16047638
>At what point is a tea likely to be permanently affected by storage near impaired cakes?
depends on the teas involved but for most thing i think i would take a while. you shu cakes should almost certainly be fine.

>What do you think of the other anon's "garbage bag" idea for sealing a container? I could just get large, wide, sealed glass jars, too.
i would just get a container that seals well in the first place. a lot of Tupperware style food containers should seal well enough on their own.

>I am considering one white tea pumidor holding the majority portion of my tea, and one shou pumidor (both young and old combined).
sounds good to me

>I'm unsure if I should have separate sheng pumidors considering all of my sheng is from 2005-2009, aside from a single 2017 Taetea 100g tuo
i would just combine the sheng then. its mainly a problem if you have a nice light fruity or floral sheng intended for drinking fresh you want to avoid picking up aged or earthy notes (the opposite is true as well but i doubt as many people would put a mellow aged sheng in with a bunch of bright young sheng).

>I do have some non-pu'er heicha, but I doubt it totals over 500g, and the main portion is just fu cha anyway
this one is a bit more up to you. you could put the fu with the sheng and liu bao with the shu to keep things simple. on the other hand if you are concerned about cross contamination of the aromas then perhaps set up a forth container for anything that does not fit in elsewhere or put them all in seprate containers. it partially comes down to personal preference some people don't even bother with separating stuff at all. you have to decide how much hassle is worth it for you.

out of curiosity what non-pu'er heicha do you have?

>>16047646
>By the way, I posted about my 2018 Haiwan coldbrew experiment last night as promised:
thanks i saw it. maybe i will try making some sometime. in my mind i feel like the flavor profile of shu works better hot but i have never actually tried it cold.

>>16047796
>its mainly a problem if you have a nice light fruity or floral sheng intended for drinking fresh
I think my 2017 Taetea sheng is fairly fruity and light. Buzzing on the tongue, even. Though, I have kept it with my other shengs for a while. I suppose I'd keep it separate if I had more young shengs, but it doesn't seem worth it for one sole 100g piece. I hope this choice isn't a mistake, because the texture on it was wild and refreshing from the beginning.
>out of curiosity what non-pu'er heicha do you have?
It's almost all one mostly-full portion of a 400g 2010 Anhua Baishaxi Hei Zhuan Cha. I'd really like to try developing it to see what could result. It has mature, dominant tobacco/smoky notes, as well as some modest mineral sweetness that I'd like to see achieve greater complexity and significance in the mix. The others are just two or three portions of misc others, no full cakes or bricks otherwise. So, it doesn't make much sense to have a dedicated dark tea pumidor when it's basically just one brick at the moment. I could perhaps keep this with the 100g 2017 Taetea sheng, but that seems like such a stark difference in character.

>>16047796
>its mainly a problem if you have a nice light fruity or floral sheng intended for drinking fresh
I think my 2017 Taetea sheng is fairly fruity and light. Buzzing on the tongue, even. Though, I have kept it with my other shengs for a while. I suppose I'd keep it separate if I had more young shengs, but it doesn't seem worth it for one sole 100g piece. I hope this choice isn't a mistake, because the texture on it was wild and refreshing from the beginning.
>out of curiosity what non-pu'er heicha do you have?
It's almost all one mostly-full portion of a 400g 2010 Anhua Baishaxi Hei Zhuan Cha. I realize I said "fu cha" in the other post, but I was thinking of that "golden flower" mold baishaxi. I'd really like to try developing it to see what could result. It has mature, dominant tobacco/smoky notes, as well as some modest mineral sweetness that I'd like to see achieve greater complexity and significance in the mix. The others are just two or three portions of misc others, no full cakes or bricks otherwise. So, it doesn't make much sense to have a dedicated dark tea pumidor when it's basically just one brick at the moment. I could perhaps keep this with the 100g 2017 Taetea sheng, but that seems like such a stark difference in character, so it could be unusual.

i really should have ordered some more liu bao when i made all my tea orders for the year. So much stuff at purple cloud tea house that i want to try.

has anyone have had any charcoal roasted oolong?

>>16048997
Yeah, i have a bucketload of charcoal roasted oolongs. My current favorite tea.
I really recommended chawangshop for have a good balance of price and quality for wuyi oolongs. Kingteamall has added a bunch recently but i haven't tried them yet.
Your pic looks like some pretty moldy tea, not sure if a damp oolong would taste very good.

>>16049041
>Your pic looks like some pretty moldy tea
that is a picture of some fresh roasted oolong. those are crystals of chemicals that sublimate out of the tea during a high temperature roast not mold.

>>16049071
Weird, i had no idea.

>>16045074
With homemade soy milk
>>16045886
heart attack

>>16047743
Boba is expensive

>>16049110
Caffeine is a bit weird in that it can begin to slowly sublimate (turn directly from solid to gas) before it even reaches its melting point.

>>16047251
>Drinking a lot of green tea can interfere with iron absorption to a dangerous anemic level if you drink enough of it.
while its true that the tannins in tea bind to iron and reduce its absorption I think it is highly unlikely to get iron deficiency anemia solely from without other risk factors even if you drank some at every meal.
No they've done studies of it. Where an businessman was drinking 30 cups of green a day and he had anemia. It went away when he quit drinking it though. I'm not entirely sure it makes me feel like puking when I drink it on an empty stomach or if it's just really pungent bitter and strong.

is it true that you can use teabags on your butt to help deal with hemorids

>>16049542
Tea can contain astringent properties, so it is certainly possible, but I cannot comment on the best parameters for use in this case. You will have to experiment and let us know.

>>16049209
he probably started to cut himself for magical powers after all the visions of Vairocana

has anyone tried roasting one of their teas to see how it changes the flavor?

>>16049593
you have to be very careful with strong tea like that

>>16049605
I was thinking about trying to pan roast a green tea i have that's starting to get stale.

>>16049542
Yeah, but really shove them up there. String side out ofc.

>>16049593
I remember someone talking about trying it in the thread last year.
Don't remember how it went though.

>>1602274 I tried the greenest one and it was good

>>16049858
Cool i might give it a shot tomorrow

>>16049593
yes

Looking for some containers for my pumidors locally in stores right now. Any general recommendations? Anything I should avoid?

Has anybody ever tried brewing tea in a french press? Seems like it would work just as well as a regular tea pot + strainer

I'm looking for non caffeinated teas for daily drinking, any recommendations?

>>16050992
If you get plastic tote bins make sure to air them out untill they don't smell like plastic. If the inside of the container has a strong odor it will transfer to the tea.

>>16022685
whats a good tea that promotes sleep I know nothing about teas

>>16051075
Yeah it fine
>>16051094
Rooibos, honeybush, rasberry leaf, chamomile, at the store the celestial seasonings brand has some decent stuff.
Mountain Rose Herbs has lots of caffeine free herbal blends with decent prices in their website.

>>16051149
Chamomile is the easiest and most popular.
You can usually fond a sleepy time blend herbal blend at the grocery store.

>>16051131
It doesn't really need a tight seal or similar, right?

>>16051161
are the store bought teas ok quality wise ? thanks fren

>>16050992
Cambro NSF food storage containers. Check your local restaurant supply. You're regulating humidity, so you want a decent seal. You can beef it up a bit with a plastic bag "gasket".

>>16051464
Thanks, I'll look into these. Is it fine if I keep my teas with Bovedas inside sealable plastic bags in the meantime? I couldn't find anything good at the stores I visited, but realized I had some plastic tubs at home without odors. No real great seal, but I can stack them and store just what I need without issue. Pic related, my shou (possibly shou+dark) setup I'm thinking of giving a shot. I could slip a boveda in each bag and pack them fully, seal off, and chuck in each tub for organization and better management overall. Might try just rigging my tubs to seal in another way too, as I really like this form factor and size.

I've found that steeping bags for one minute gives the best brews

whats the caffeine content per successive steep?does it diminish by a certain percentage

>>16051639
I think that it would become much weaker after the 2nd steep but I'm just pulling that out of my ass

>>16051075
The downside being you have to pour all the tea out when it's brewed.

>>16051501
Vol. and temp?

>>16051639
squeeze it out but don't brew it twice, weak

>>16051766
mug and 100°C
I've tried brewing for 3-5 minutes but it's too bitter for my tongue

Not sure if it's a pricing error, but the 250g*2 offering of this 2015 Taetea ripe on Fullchea appears to be priced the same as the single 250g one, and it's on 10% sale right now too: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/taetea-2015-ripe-pu-erh-tuocha-batch-1501-menghai-shu-puerh-tea-250g-p0324.html
Thought some anons might be interested in this, considering it would be ~$21 for 500g of pu'er from a reputable factory. Not sure if there are any other pricing errors going on, but I'm not trying to hunt for them right now.

>>16051094
>I'm looking for non caffeinated teas for daily drinking, any recommendations?
hibiscus, roasted corn or barley tea, mint, rooibos

>>16051163
>It doesn't really need a tight seal or similar, right?
there are multiple schools of thought on this. if you want some airflow get one with a lose seal. if you want it to make it easy to really keep the humidity in there get one that seals well. if you are planing long term storage and don't live somewhere naturally humid i would go for a good seal.

>>16051490
>Thanks, I'll look into these. Is it fine if I keep my teas with Bovedas inside sealable plastic bags in the meantime?
that should be fine. its not like its going to make things worse.

>I could slip a boveda in each bag and pack them fully, seal off, and chuck in each tub for organization and better management overall.
if you decide to do that in the long run it may be worth getting ziplock Mylar bags as plastic ziplock bags are not 100% airtight.

>>16033723
>star anise, cinnamon and cardamom
Reminds me of the Pho I made yesterday. Was pretty good, thanks for asking!

>>16051075
it works fine but french presses are a pain to clean

Just got my package of spring harvest blacks and greens, white cakes and hei cha sampler.
Customs took so long they didnt bother adding tax to it, so thats nice.
Unfortunately my new gaiwan arrived with a broken lid.

So what is the foam from tea caused by? I thought it had something to do with the presence of proteins but I don't really remember why

>>16052837
Damn, the place you ordered from should replace it, but having to wait longer sucks

>>16042978
>Do you make your own kombucha?
yes
>Have you messed around with adding fruits or other flavorings after the initial ferment?
on the second ferment? yes, ginger, pineapple, honey, and molasses are great to use. pear is not for some reason (I had a few batches go bad from that.)

Brand new to tea outside of bag stuff from the store. Got a sampler from what-cha like the pasta bin recommended. How do you guys infuse your tea? Also what do you use to measure it? I was looking at something like pic related for infusing and thinking of using a jewelers scale to weigh out tea. I have an electric kettle but do I need a special one to get the water to the correct temp for certain teas?

>>16053617
>How do you guys infuse your tea?
gaiwan, cheap, easy to clean and maximum room for leaf expansion. those cage/ball infusers are pretty bad. you can also get cheap glass teapots with a spiral coil in the neck
>jewelers scale
yeah the cheap ones of amazon are perfect
>electric kettle
only really if you want to try jasmine, greens and bud whites like pic. everything else can take full boiling including leaf whites

>>16053650
if you get a gaiwan or whatever its also a good idea to get a very fine mesh strainer especially as a lot of ripes and hei cha are very broken down

>>16053650
ty anon, I like the gaiwan, looks great. And so far I've been partial to black teas so I'm glad to hear the kettle should do what I need
>>16053677
I assume the easiest way is to put it over your cup and pour tea through yes?

Also is there any down side to adding ice cubes to my cup after? Usually I'll add like two so I can start drinking it without waiting for it to cool off. I assume the worst is that I'll be watering it down so maybe I use less water when I steppe the tea?

>>16053617
Get a brew basket from finum like pic related, gives the tea leaves lots of room to expand. Made in Germany so the plastic wont give you aids.
To weigh out your tea te best thing to do ia get a small digital scale and weigh it out since the density can vary by so much. If don't want to keep a frug scale for your tea get a Mitch n scale that is accurate to .1 grams and use that

>>16053712
with a gaiwan you use the lid to filter the liquid out and a strainer to catch any small leaf that also comes out
> ice cubes
a cup form a 100ml gaiwan will cool off pretty quick, dont forget with chinese tea you can re-infuse multiple times

>>16053741
Yeah I meant putting the strainer over the cup I'd be drinking from then pouring the tea from the gaiwan through that. Looking at the sizes of these I'm realizing that it won't be an issue
>>16053717
Think I'm gonna go with the gaiwan as the other anon recommend but I'll keep this in mind

Anybody know where to order white puerh?

>>16054081
White puerh isn't really a thing, you can buy white tea made with the stuff they normally make puerh with.
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/collections/yunnan-white-tea
https://kingteamall.com/collections/white-tea/products/2017-xiaguan-yue-guang-moon-light-cake-360g-bai-cha-white-tea

>>16022685
I am trying to up my tea game and commit to giving up the liquid beetus that is dr pepper. I just got a bag of pic related along with a sack of imperial green, earl grey and gun powder green. Only tried the cinnamon and the gun powder so far and they are pretty tasty.

What kind of method would be best for brewing up 64 oz of tea at a time?

>>16023918
Should have owned it and said you want it raw too.

>>16054161
Nice, giving up soda can be hard but ita worth it. If you can cut nost added sugars out of your diet then your tongue will become more sensitive to sweet flavors and the foods you eat in general will taste more sweet. There is a decent amount of tea out there that is naturally quite sweet.
I normally don't recommended flavored teas but it's much better than sugar. When you are looking to buy some new tea check out yunnan surcing .us, lots of affordable options for decent quality teas.

>>16054193
Cold brewing overnight in the fridge or for around 8 hours, start with about 1 teaspoon per litre and of tea and then adjust up and down to taste.
Alternatively get something like a dark roasted oolong or a ripe puer or a white tea that you can simmer on the stove and cook some in a big pot of water for a while.

>>16054277
tanks. im this guy >>16054161 so im sitting on 5 lbs of loose leaf right now and got a 64oz hydra cell insulated bottle coming tomorrow and need to figure out a way to have tea at the ready as to avoid temptation.

>>16054295
Yeah cold brew, that way you always have some cold drink ready to go, good luck anon. If you are addicted to the carbonation you can try drinking seltzer water to help wean you off of it.

>>16054295
Work in some kombucha for the sugar and carbonation craving.

BUILDERS TEA. STRONG. MILK WITH SUGAR. SUGAR IN FIRST, THEN MILK.

>>16053712
>And so far I've been partial to black teas so I'm glad to hear the kettle should do what I need
if you only occasionally make green teas you can always just let the water cool a bit and use a thermometer.

>>16053741
>a cup form a 100ml gaiwan will cool off pretty quick, dont forget with chinese tea you can re-infuse multiple times
you can also pour the tea with some height above the cup so it cools as it falls.

>>16053824
>Yeah I meant putting the strainer over the cup I'd be drinking from then pouring the tea from the gaiwan through that.
you don't even strictly need to use a strainer when brewing with a gaiwan (i dont) but if you don't you will get some particulate in your cup.

>>16054119
Yunnan sourcing also has white tea from Yunnan.

Anyone here drink guayusa? The only brand I've tried is Numi from Whole Foods (they subsequently stopped selling it so I have to buy it from Amazon). But this is a blend with lemon verbena and some other floral additions.

Any recommendations for straight guayusa, or other blends?

>>16054715
I had some with chocolate flavoring in it once, it was nasty would not recommended.

Pic related is the gaiwan I am gonna get, sort of an all in one for what anons were recommending. Just a few questions do I need to go through the rigmarole of using boiling water to prep the gaiwan and cup or can I just jump right into making tea? Is the gongfu guide in the pastabin accurate? Seems strange to only steppe for a few seconds at a time but then again I've never brewed tea in this way. Also the gaiwan set has a larger pot than cup so could I fill the cup up with the amount of water I want and then pour that into the cup? Or would that cool the water off to much?

>>16054715
why not just mate, mate? I'm personally partial to Paraguayan factory productions like Pajarito or Kurupi. they're pretty cheap, millions of south american injuns drink it and the plant is pretty well researched and controlled.

>>16054795
that's not a gaiwan, that looks like a teapot without a handle. gaiwan is just plain bowl with lid. most of the people brewing with one use a glass pitcher to strain the brewed liquid into and then pour into small cups. you can skip this "steppe" if you'll use a cup that's bigger than the gaiwan.

in other news, to my fellow autists I'd like to confirm that tuochatea sells DRY Kunming stored tea. still, you can't beat their prices. few gems still available so you may look into that.
also I was going to recommend newest teadb video about sheng categories and why do people get filtered by raw puer after trying one type of it but I've just noticed that he mentioned yeeontea so I'm compiling my next order from them before inevitable price jump. denim vampire of hong kong got me good and I need $240 for a cake of red mark replica stat, please donate.

>>16054795
>Just a few questions do I need to go through the rigmarole of using boiling water to prep the gaiwan and cup or can I just jump right into making tea?
i don't but i use a thin porcelain one if its made of thicker ceramic preheating may be nice.

>Is the gongfu guide in the pastabin accurate? Seems strange to only steppe for a few seconds at a time but then again I've never brewed tea in this way.
it looks like ok starter times. you should try and experiment a bit to find what you like. i use slightly more time and significantly more tea than pastebin.

>Also the gaiwan set has a larger pot than cup so could I fill the cup up with the amount of water I want and then pour that into the cup? Or would that cool the water off to much?
you could do that but may cool the water a bit and depending on the size of that easy gaiwan it may make less tea than you would like. alternatively you can get a glass pitcher to use as an intermediary or simply get a bigger teacup.

>>16054817
>that's not a gaiwan, that looks like a teapot without a handle.
eh, easy gaiwans are what they are normally referred to in english but yeah i agree with you that it is not a regular gaiwan.

>>16054795
You don't have to do anything. You should just try it and adjust the process as you desire.
personally I never heat up the vessel, and I only rinse cakes and whites.

>>16054957
>tuochatea
I was looking at them a while ago thanks for the info.
http://www.sunsingtea.com/en/ is another HK dealer, might be worth checking out

>Tfw your four-Bodeva tea maintenance setup is finally ready, but this means you'll be drinking exclusively one oolong and miscellaneous cheap tosser teas for at least a week.
JUST

Y’all having a sip of niggers?

>>16023235
>>16023270
Yeah, I also would have a French press exclusively for tea if you're going to use one for tea and not use the same one you use for coffee. Mine smells like coffee from being used a lot (yes, even with regular washing) and I imagine that might transfer to the tea, especially if you're going with something more delicate.

>>16055242
Yeah...

Loose leaf hojicha or powder?

fell for the clay teapot meme. Finally getting this thing ready to brew.
I cant decide if i should boil it for one hour or two :^)

>>16055534
evil spirits will have had most of it by then, try more tea

>>16055348
Loose leaf
>>16055242
You should be able to open your pumidor while you are getting it up to your desired humidity, what % rh are you shooting for?
One trick i leared is if your humidity is getting too high you can put one or more of your boveda packs in a plastic bag inside the pumidor to make them hydrate more slowly

>>16055541
I might boil it with some 2020 raw bulang to help break it in. You can't take any shit from these pots, have to assert dominance early on.

>>16054795
do not get this its really awkward and its literally just a poorly designed teapot in the shape of a gaiwan
i actually got this a long time ago and it was very awkward, impossible to clean, and the rim got really hot. a nice gaiwan is not hard to use and if you want to avoid learning how to use a gaiwan, buy a teapot instead of this. trust me.

Also, definitely only steep for a few seconds, its a leaf to water ratio thing. if you have a lot of leaf, just a few seconds is perfect or else it will become super over extracted and nasty tasting. I am also curious about the tea you plan on using for this

>>16055534
god i love this shape, where did you buy? the quality looks pretty nice. also whats the volume?

>>16055583
I agree, i bought this because i love the shape
100ml from Essence of Tea, he has the same style of pot made in a few different sizes and 2 different clays so you should be able to find one you like.
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yixing-teapots
Purple cloud tea house has a few good ones of that style too along with mud and leaves

>>16055055
>eh, easy gaiwans are what they are normally referred to in english but yeah i agree with you that it is not a regular gaiwan.
i just looked closer and take my statement back that is not a typical easy gaiwan.

new thread
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>>16055704