/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Well the verdict on these 2007 xiaguan tus is that they suck, i could have told you that, not sure what possessed me to buy them. Eh at least the sleeve only cost $25.

>>17026055
At least now you know.

I've heard some people shilling "archive" teas, that "mature" over time, but I've also heard that for these processes to happen the teas need to be in stable environment (like humidity and temperature), which they rarely have.

>>17026116
Aged teas are great, most of the stuff i drink is at least 10 years old, it's just 2007 was a very bad year for puer, especially one of the factories cheapest productions made in December. Luckily i mostly bought sleeves of higher grade 2009 tuos, which i know are good.
Yeah the tea needs to be stored correctly, but as long as you are buying it from dealers that specialize in that kind of tea, and know what their storage conditions are like its fine.
Forgot the picture of the wrapper from my last post.

>>17026055
>Well the verdict on these 2007 xiaguan tus is that they suck
what makes them that bad? not as strong as you would like?

>>17026116
>I've heard some people shilling "archive" teas, that "mature" over time, but I've also heard that for these processes to happen the teas need to be in stable environment (like humidity and temperature), which they rarely have.
you make it sound a lot more finicky than it really is. most puerh storage until very recently would have be in non climate controlled warehouses.

>>17026165
>what makes them that bad? not as strong as you would like?
Ive been brewing them grampa style and i have to use about 8 grams for a 14oz mug.
They taste smokey, they have some tea flavor i guess but they completely lack the oomph that xiaguan is known for. For example i have a 2009 8654 cake from them that i could barely even drink untill i had it it my pumidor for a few years. It's got an incredibly thick and rich tea flavor that coats the pallette with that signature xiaguan sweet smokey mushroom broth flavor and of course a good dose of that old school factory roughness. It also rips up your insides unless you drink it on a full stomach but that's another story. I guess these tuos arent terrible but they just don't really do it for me. The biggest thing is xiaguan makes tuos every year and buying them from any year from 2000-2010 except 2007 and 2006 would get you a better quality product than the 2007 ones.

oh hey it's the black thingie

For me its /insert mandated ccp shell company/

>>17025951
Holy shit. The /tea/ shills were on suicide watch last thread. Why do you guys antagonize them so? They’re just humble tea vendors.

>>17025951
I very much enjoy tea
Is it more worth it to learn Mandarin or Japanese if I want to LARP like a tea expert to my friends and visit tea plantations?

>>17026534
Depends entirely of what kind of teas you like, it would be pretty silly to learn Mandarin if you like Japanese green tea.

I drink way too much tea to not try to up my game, howdy from /k/ all

>>17026585
Hey, pretty good introductory info in the pastebin, some good shops to try in your area etc, feel free to ask if you have questions or need recommendations

>>17026545
I'd say I have a pretty broad pallet. I mostly enjoy black and heavy roasted oolongs, and puerh, but I drink a lot of long jing, matcha, and jasmine as well. My fiance really likes oolong and boba, though drinks a lot of arab style black tea blends.

>>17026595
Lots of Chinese teas huh, good stuff btw i love me some roasted oolongs. I don't know if you would really recommended that someone learn mandarin unless they are a Chinaboo or are going to get paid for it somehow, at least with learning Japanese you can play all those great untranslated pc98 hentai games. But learning Mandarin is a huge undertaking, so unless you are doing the classic western tea vendor thing where you move to china and marry a Chinese women i don't really think it's worth it.

>>17026595
Please stay away the ‘erh. Especially since you have a fiancé

>>17026629
Isn't jap harder than mandarin?
Also got an egyptian woman, not really going to start a chinese christmas cake harem.
I enjoy chinese history a decent bit but I can't stand their post-communist culture.
My fiance is a massive weeb but she never makes time to learn japanese because she works 20 hours a day, so it's not like it matters. Japan is marginally less hostile to Christianity and I'm in the midst of training to get ordained, so that's a plus for them I guess, but either way it'd be short visits

>>17026784
I know Japan is fantastic for tourism. Im not sure about china and their tea industry, i don't know how how easy it is to go tour around Yunan, most of it looks super rural and you would probably have to hire a private guide to take you around.
I don't really know which language is easier to learn, i wouldn't want to put the effort in for wither personally.
I also think there are issues where if you learn simplified Chinese you cant really read older writings without also learning a massive number of classical characters that aren't really used in modern times. But i guess that maters more if you are into classical Chinese literature or history.

anyone use this
https://www.amazon.com/Fellow-Electric-Pour-over-Temperature-Stopwatch/dp/B077JBQZPX/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
a lot of reviews say it stops working

Bumping my question one final time. anyone here tried yeeonteaco's cheap Shui Xian? how is it? I was considering stocking up on it. I know someone here has had it.

>>17027022
One poster has one and insists it's good, i think it's stupid to spend that much on an electric kettle because they seem to all break after 3-4 years of heavy daily use. It's hard to believe Amazon reviews at all anymore. Some people seem to have tap water so corrosive it rusts 316 stainless steel in a matter of months, also too many reviews are just fake or from mouth breathers that break their shit and think leaving bad reviews will get them free stuff from amazon.

>>17027022
>a lot of reviews say it stops working
every electric kettle on amazon has similar negative reviews. the Fellow kettles are supposed to be good but i have no personal experience with one. I own the OXO adjustable temperature electric gooseneck kettle that i would recommend but it is out of stock everywhere due to COVID-19.

>>17027094
When it breaks I'm going to put this on a breville control freak.

https://kurasu.kyoto/products/takahiro-coffee-drip-pour-over-kettle-shizuku-0-9l

>>17027124
Nice

>>17027056
it's just ok, you get what you pay for. what do you expect? have you had few other shuixians? just try it for yourself. if you're too poor/parsimonious to shop around, consider another hobby or better paid job.

>>17027300
post yixing clay pot

Late night iron cake

>>17028393
shill

>>17027110
bought one from amadron for like 50 bucks and I've had it for 5 years now, no issues yet.

/tea/leaf here to report after trying four jasmine tea brands from T&T supermarket, that these are the my favourite in descending order:
1. Chado ($11, 227g)
2. Sunflower ($5, 120g)
3. Golden Dragon ($6, 180g)
4. no name ($6, 125g)
Chado was the best of the four, strong jasmine scent, mellow flavour, second brewing that held up and good value per gram, and one of the few teas of Taiwanese origin at T&T. Sunflower was my old favourite before being displaced by Chado, still has a good jasmine scent, but the flavour is a bit strong upon reflection, second brewing leaves you with little in taste or fragrance. Third was Golden Dragon, which had little jasmine scent and a weak taste, nothing to write home about would not buy again. Fourth, with an immense power gap is the no name brand. Absolutely no fragrance or taste after brewing, you can smell jasmine when you open the can, but it's false adventisement, after 3 minutes of steeping everything fades away like a memory, the most disappointing cup of tea I've ever had. Of course there are better loose leaf jasmine available at independent stores, even at chains like Ten Ren's, but if you're lazy like me and want an everyday tea then I highly recommend the Chado brand.
tl;dr get Chado tea if you're a supermarket tea guy

/tea/leaf here to report after trying four jasmine tea brands from T&T supermarket, that these are my favourite in descending order:
1. Chado ($11, 227g)
2. Sunflower ($5, 120g)
3. Golden Dragon ($6, 180g)
4. no name ($6, 125g)
Chado was the best of the four, strong jasmine scent, mellow flavour, second brewing that held up and good value per gram, and one of the few teas of Taiwanese origin at T&T. Sunflower was my old favourite before being displaced by Chado, still has a good jasmine scent, but the flavour is a bit strong upon reflection, second brewing leaves you with little in taste or fragrance. Third was Golden Dragon, which had little jasmine scent and a weak taste, nothing to write home about would not buy again. Fourth, with an immense power gap is the no name brand. Absolutely no fragrance or taste after brewing, you can smell jasmine when you open the can, but it's false adventisement, after 3 minutes of steeping everything fades away like a memory, the most disappointing cup of tea I've ever had. Of course there are better loose leaf jasmine available at independent stores, even at chains like Ten Ren's, but if you're lazy like me and want an everyday tea then I highly recommend the Chado brand.
tl;dr get Chado tea if you're a supermarket tea guy

>>17028834
>>17028839
mmmmhhh besticides

>>17028839
Haha thanks for the write up anon.
Looks like your asian market has a pretty good selection. Do you get any teas there?

>>17027022
i have one, i like it. its not like amazing but its good enough and i like how it looks on my desk. Its very slow to pour though. If you want something equally nice to have on your desk but pours faster then they have another one without the gooseneck,
If you still want a a gooseneck then the bonevita is p good from what i hear, or the oxo.

For issues ive had it for a year now, without any of them with 1-2 sessions a day. My water is fairly clean though, so i havent had any noticeable buildup of minerals yet. Its also not the fastest at getting to a boil. I am also not sure how much electricity it takes to keep it warm but i dont really care personally.

I am interested in getting some of the teas from the link in previous thread https://miyazaki-sabou.shop-pro.jp/?mode=cate&cbid=2585441&csid=0
I want to try their kamairicha since I never had one before but I don't know which one to get. Any recommendations from the selections? From other selections as well as I might think of getting up to the free delivery limit (5400 yen).
Also I have some gyokuro but no hohin/shiboridashi. Can I use a gaiwan instead?

>>17027300
>you get what you pay for. what do you expect?
I was hoping for a decent (but probably not particularly exceptional) Shui Xian at a cost that is better than decent. most Wuyi oolongs are kind of expensive and the cheap ones look rubbish. the one from Yee On Tea looked like it might be decent while still being cheap.
>have you had few other shuixians?
i had a sample of good Shui Xian once. otherwise i have only had some really cheap low grade stuff so i am not really well versed in it.
>if you're too poor/parsimonious to shop around, consider another hobby or better paid job.
i am a student, i am working on it.

>>17027022
Get the Bonavita gooseneck whenever it comes back in stock, mine still works after 8 years

>>17029638
>I was hoping for a decent (but probably not particularly exceptional) Shui Xian at a cost that is better than decent.
I think that you will get. with the sale going on it's worth a try. beware that it's HK stored tea and yeeon has a bit of their house taste on all the teas I tried from them.
I might brew it today after I'm done with this 2016 gedeng from ZSL, which may be a long long session.
are you getting anything else from them?

>>17029704
This. Mine's been a daily driver for years and has shown basically no wear.

>>17029716
>are you getting anything else from them?
I was mostly thinking of picking up some of their other loose leaf teas such as their "Golden Osmantas Oolong", "Iron Buddha II Oolong", and "Best Taste Ripe". i already have some of their cheap puerh cakes. i would have picked up the Shui Xian last time but doing so would have pushed me into a higher shipping price bracket. if they sold samples of their "2005 Raw Liuan" i would get that to as its a tea i would really like to try.

The only issue I have with my electric kettle is that that it has this piece of plastic on the inside that holds the filter, that you cannot remove and will always and forever come in contact with scalding hot water.
I think I could removed the filter and I guess I could pry the plastic off entirely, but I don't know if that will actually fuck up the kettle somehow.

>>17029795
so you bought from them before I see.
I've had shui xian and iron buddha II, shui xian was ok, iron buddha was pretty meh for me, but I'm more inclined towards roasted oolong than rolled green ones, so ymmv.
best taste I was shilling here after my first order and still stand by it.
2005 raw liuan, yeah, they should offer samples. the tea is very good, but man, does liuan fuck me up everytime I'm drinking it. I have two different baskets and both give me noticeable kick in the first steeps. I may have to try lighter grammage next time. the description on the site seems on point.
have you tried Tea for Connoisseurs 1 Red Label Pu-erh Tea Cake 2007 ? it's right up my alley, but the price of course isn't.

teabox.com is having a big sale. I was going to buy like a kilo of their roasted darjeeling black since it seems to be a work wagie favorite.

Indian black teas are definitely the teas for coffee people. Underrated honestly.

>>17029853
thanks for the advice
>does liuan fuck me up everytime I'm drinking it. I have two different baskets and both give me noticeable kick in the first steeps.
though i don't normally like the word both of the basket liuans i have have drank had a prominent "Qi" and were quite stimulating. I honestly liked that about it though. maybe i will pick up a basket from YeeOnTea next year.
>have you tried Tea for Connoisseurs 1 Red Label Pu-erh Tea Cake 2007 ?
no, only got some their cheap stuff like "the taste of Hong Kong" and their "purple mark". I quite like their wet storage taste though i am not sure i would want to drink it every day.

>>17029853
>does liuan fuck me up everytime I'm drinking it.
Ill agree with this, a liuan i have is one of my more potent teas, its really too much a lot of the time. Nothing cuts through a heavy meal the way it does.

>no, people don't shill in /tea/
>proceed to shill in /tea/

>>17030208
who is shilling? hell, the title mentions "black friday deals."

>>17027022
it works. the button is finnicky shit though. buy something else honestly.

I am pretty inexperienced and a while ago I got tricked by Don into purchasing his expensive teas. Well, most of them are very good, and now I am missing their Amber GABA Oolong.

I don't really care about the GABA. The taste is just really good. How would I go about finding a similar tea but not at the price of £50 for 250 grams?

https://meileaf.com/tea/amber-gaba-oolong/

How do you brew at the office /tea/? Thinking of buying this mug and strainer set.

>>17030208
don't be a grinch, buy a nice Yixing teapot instead! It will make you very happy and not be so cranky. many vendors sell fine tea-ware. its the right time to buy as some are on sale right now:
https://yinchenstudio.com/
https://yannartgallery.com/
https://www.tealifehk.com/
and others may have sales quite soon so keep watching. always remember an open wallet is a happy heart!
your sincere friend,
Anonymous

just bought $250 worth of tea I don't need. kill me.

>>17030389
i bring my gaiwan or we all use some japanese tea set kettle and mugs some wagie bought and brought to the office.

>>17030396
Sirs please be doing the needful and buying my tea

>>17030475
welcome to the club. don't look into clay teapots.

>>17030606
Tell me about the clay pots. Do they enhance my tea drinking experience? I'm going to consooooom

>>17030620
shh, don't look. consume the tea.

>>17030328
Tea masters is good stuff, they also have an into to taiwan oolong sampler that is a pretty decent deal for what you get.
https://www.tea-masters.com/en/red-tea/1349-1331-2020-spring-gaba-tea-from-mingjian.html#/3-weight-150_gr
Pick one or more of these based on his descriptions, he has a few more if you poke around his store
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303468862427
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303503461639
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303468864367

I need something to store buttloads of tea. Any good container recommendations?

>>17030389
Those are a pretty good option.

>>17030620
There is a decent amount of info about them in the pastebin
I don't know how much of a difference they really make, mud an leaves has a blog that has posts explaining the different clays and what teas they are supposed to pair well with. I would suggest getting a pot from them, or if you are in the us purple cloud tea hous has pots from the same studio, just make sure if you buy from there you get one made by Lin Hanpeng and Chen Chunhong Studio.
Yes they are a meme, yes they are expensive, yes collecting teapots is a separate hobby from drinking tea.
Here are two pretty versatile pots the price difference is largely the clay that is used and somewhat the complexity of the different shapes.
https://purplecloudteahouse.com/collections/yixing-pottery/products/zhuni-shuiping-yixing-teapot-120ml
https://mudandleaves.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/pre-order-tianqingni-heng-yu-lianzi-teapot-天青泥亨裕莲子壶-120ml
If you want one as cheap as possible but still made well out of good clay you have these guys
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yixing-teapots/products/100ml-fang-xia-qingshuini-shui-ping-yixing-teapot
They only have a single hole for the spout so you will occasionally have to unlog the neck by sticking a wooden skewer in there.

>the average yearly consumption of yerba mate in argentina is 5 kg
>in uruguay it's 10 kg
That's roughly 13 to 26 grams of yerba each day.

So, you see, it /is/ normal to use 15 grams for 6 cups of mate daily.

>>17030722
Oh you don't really need to dedicate one pot to one type of tea, you can use just about anything in the sane pot, you just need a separate pot for ripe puer and other stinky funky teas, which is fine because you want a more muting clay for those teas than you do for everything else anyway.

>>17030724
Based mate consumption calculator

>>17030722
Ok. Pretend I never asked. This seems too autism even for me. What kind of tea do I even make in this shit?

>>17030770
Pretty much whatever, i mostly use mine for puer and roasted oolong but they are good for black and green tea as well, as long as they aren't flavored.

>>17030678
Thanks for the suggestions anon, will consider to try them. These are quite expensive as well, so you think it is worth it? I can afford it, but I just want to make sure I am not overpaying for what I get.

>>17029617
Any suggestions anons?

My Minami Sayaka Sunmer '21 oolong from Miyazaki Sabou tea estate is coming this week Anons. Surprisingly didn't get jewed for too much money by DHL. Price (inclusive of taxes and shipping) ended up being US$8.70 per 50 grams (2 oz) for a kilogram.

>>17031432
Price comp:
Miyazaki Sabou (the grower) sells this tea from their website for US$4.70 per 50 grams within Japan.
Higashiya Ginza (a tea house in Tokyo) was selling it for US$16.20 per 50 grams, with fancy packaging in an upscale locale.

I would imagine that the teas you other anons are ordering from local tea shops or importers are marked up 2-3x in a similar fashion.

>>17031348
I cant vouch for any particular vendors version of GABA or whose is the best but if you get it from a reputable vendor it should be at least ok. meileaf's $67 USD per 250g that tea was really not unreasonable if the quality was good though you can probably still do better. if you wait a bit perhaps someone else here who knows more will chime in.
some more options (note that some are having or will be having black friday sales):
https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/shop/product-tag/gaba-oolong-2/?v=7516fd43adaa
https://beautifultaiwantea.com/products/gaba-taiwanese-oolong?_pos=1&_sid=b0e9c60ae&_ss=r
https://taiwanoolongs.com/search?q=gaba
https://floatingleaves.com/search?q=gaba
https://floatingleaves.us/search?q=gaba
https://mountainstreamteas.com/search?q=gaba
https://www.mountaintea.com/search?q=gaba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G95b3ji-tek
Today it was DHP, for tomorrow I'm cold brewing some fukamushi sencha over night

>>17031452
Local shops are marked up similar amounts, online sellers vary quite a bit, with some being a somewhat modest markup over wholesale and some being closer to 300% or more of markup. Different teas from the same shop can also have quite different margins.

>>17031465
what the literal fuck is this video?

>>17031465
>when the cha qi hits

guys. vacuum tea storage? worth it? Was thinking of getting a few fellow atmos vacuum canisters for all the fucking tea I just bought and probably won't be drinking anytime soon.

>>17031887
Jars or other airtight container out of the light is sufficient. Most of the tea i get comes in mylar bags i can reseal. I don't think vacuum jars would hurt but i don't know how much difference it will make.

>>17031887
>vacuum tea storage?
its a bit overkill in most cases but it should work fine. don't feel you have to do it though. if you do decide to go down that route i would put in an oxygen absorber in with the tea for maximum effect. removing the oxygen for tea storage is definitely a thing. i have seen both vacuuming and nitrogen purging done. you could look into refrigerating it as well if you want to go all in but watch out for humidity levels. i remember reading about a matcha and shincha enthusiast having a mini-fridge dedicated to it and i suspect they use refrigeration at the industrial scale. what kind of tea and how much are we talking?

>>17031990
about 1kilo of Jin Jun Mei, 1kilo of that cheap dianhong on yunnansourcing and like 3kilos of various 1st/2nd flush darjeeling blacks.

I'm probably not going to drink this much tea in about a year.

>>17031465
>Bao Zheng
>During his years in office, he gained the honorific title Justice Bao (包青天) due to his ability to help peasants overcome corruption.
>During the Cultural Revolution, the Baogong Temple in Baohe Park of Hefei City was looted, and the Bao Zheng statue was ruined. The Bao Zheng portraits preserved by the generations of his descendants and the Baoshi Genealogy (包氏宗譜) were burned.
LOL

i want to send a teabag to a friend in the mail, will it be ok or should i just send a whole box (yorkshire)?

>>17032005
considering its all black tea i would not worry as much as its already mostly oxidized. going to the extreme lengths with fancy storage is more relevant for green teas and green oolongs that you don't want to be oxidized. i have heard some black teas may even improve a bit with slow natural oxidation (others may get worse however). If it were me would probably just put the tea into regular jars in this case but vacuum sealing it would be fine too if you already have the equipment.

some more advice from from the last thread
>i would separate out a limited portion into a smaller container for day to day drinking and leave the rest in a larger sealed container that you only open to refill the smaller one.
>in general tea (except special teas intended for aging) likes it cool, dry, dark, away from smells, airflow, and for peak freshness of not fully oxidized tea oxygen.

>>17032009
Depends on country but you should be able to send a few teabags via lettermail and pay tiny postage costs.

>>17032109
thank you, but what i meant was, will the tea still be fine to drink? im talking about a teabag by itself inside an envelope and it could take anywhere from a week to 4 months to get to its destination

>>17032129
put it in a small zip lock bag.

>>17026234
>smokey mushroom broth flavor and of course a good dose of that old school factory roughness. It also rips up your insides
what the fuck is this thread

>>17032184
This is the /tea/ and same sex couples domestic violence resource thread. Remember to do you your part to help stop lesbian partner violence, spread education about the dangers of puer in your community and ask local stores to stop selling puer products. Together we can break the cycle of abuse.

>>17025951
I can't get into this stupid gook shit. For me, it's plain sweet tea.

>>17032226
I went to my local tea store and noticed he was selling a small selection of loose leaf Puerh.
I asked him about it and he said it was very popular among women and he knew a lovely lesbian couple that regularly buys it from him.

>>17032255
My local tea shop, which is owned by a lesbian, has a relatively hige selection of puer for a local tea shop, several cakes and bricks, raw and ripe. The shop almost exclusively employs lesbians. The fucking fights behind the scenes must be epic.

>>17032139
nice she will laugh at that

Drank my tea a little too hot now I can feel the dead tissue sloughing off in my throat
very unpleasant

>>17032226
Where did this meme come from? It’s too redpilled for /tea/

>>17032610
It started from the green tea weebs became mad that puer lesbians were filling the thread with talk about old tea, and a general reaction to shops being evaluated based on their puer selection above all else.

Mostly a coffeefag so bear with me please. I've started drinking more tea recently, just basic storebought Tazo and Celestial black tea. However, I've noticed some white flecks on the surface. They're solid and have a somewhat papery texture if I drink them, but they don't taste like anything as far as I can tell. I poured my water through one of my V60's paper filters for making my latest glass and there was still a little bit in there, though not a huge amount. Any idea what this is and where they come from? Have had them in multiple mugs and from different brands of teabags.

Also, tannin makes my tummy hurt.

>>17032671
Little paper flakes from the teabag making machines or bits of teabag fibre. My other guess would be lime scale from your kettle but if it didn't show up in the filter is gotta be coming from the teabag. Lots of good low tannin teas out there if you want to get into it, also lots of good high tannin teas.

>>17032610
ignore the unfunny trolls, drink the tea that you like, maybe learn something about the best and most diverse tea in the world, which is of course puerh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHe6GulEZeQ

>>17032671
Go loose leaf, it's the same price (or cheaper) than using teabags for infinitely higher quality tea without having to prescribe to meme brands. If you don't want to buy a strainer/gaiwan (not that a Gaiwan costs much) you could probably unironically brew a black tea with gong fu quantity of leaf (6g~) with your V60 and boiling water, you might have to rinse the leaves in boiling water to warm them up/activate them before starting your pour proper but if a V60 filter takes between 10-30 seconds to drain you can get a proper steep of black tea.
Also like the other guy said if you go loose leaf you can specifically buy blends/cultivars with low tannin content.

>>17032668
>puer lesbians
QRD is this a real thing? Why?

What do you think about my black tea from pakistan?

Newfag here, I'm about to order a 5g tuocha sampler. How big of a gaiwan do I need? I'll be drinking on my own. Would 150ml be too big?

Do pu-erh lesbians really?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001430761654.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.33a44748bL9U5v&algo_pvid=405dbf53-8e29-42c7-bb69-8aff36d908de&algo_exp_id=405dbf53-8e29-42c7-bb69-8aff36d908de-28&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000016085420238%22%7D

>>17025951
bought some nice chamomile today. heard it can help with sleep. ive been stressed as hell lately, so hoping it can help take edge off. would also help if i wasnt on 4chan before bed...

>>17034283
Try CBD + Melatonin combo.

>>17031465
fukamushi sencha is better brewed hot, I haven't had many teas that are better cold.
>>17031777
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qGk4E9ss95s

>>17034283
This did wonders. I just take an absurd amount of melatonin(12g) and 500-1000mg of niacinamide. I went from getting 15-20 minutes of rem sleep a night to a somewhat normal sleep schedule.

>>17036691
https://www.grc.com/health/sleep/healthy_sleep_formula.htm

fuk

>>17033995
Don't buy mini toucha they arent good. Gaiwan would be 100-125ml for 5g

>>17034283
Sleep hygiene (no screens before bed) and exercising enough to make you tired at night usually do it. Chamomile is pretty nice

>>17034283
Have you ever tried St Johns Wort? I brew a full teapot of that before bed when stressed and it knocks me on my ass, way stronger than chamomile as well. It's prescribed as an anti-depressant in some places, and can be bought as extract/pills in US as well. Really great stuff, no other herbal tea makes me feel so carefree and relaxed before bed. One warning though is that it can cause weird interactions with prescription meds, so if you take antidepressants or anything its not advised to drink.

>>17036897
St johns wart and valerian are both pretty good but you can run into medication contradictions and other issue from frequent long term use, so you need to read into them a bit more, chamomile is pretty benign so it's fine for most people to drink daily.

>>17036876
tfw screens, exercise, and melatonin all have 0 effect on your sleep
I run often, did a strict no screen regiment for months with no effect. Tried melatonin and it gave me the worst nightmares of my life but didn't improve my sleep

>>17036984
You're the only person at fault for your weak genes.

>>17037088
bro i just want to sleep

>>17036984
You have to exercise or do enough physical labor that you are actually tired, just exercising isn't enough.

>>17034045
Holy based. Im going to buy 5 for Christmas gifts.

>>17031432

>>17037681
Looks like fun baozong. I'm guessing it's not roasted? Not super light oxidization which is nice

>>17037133
Have you tried DUDE WEED!?

>>17034045
That much for a little tea storer? You people are insane.

>>17037728
>tea storer
It's a tea pet. You pour tea on it. If you don't know what that is then refrain from commenting.

>>17037858
Bro chill

>>17026234
>It's got an incredibly thick and rich tea flavor that coats the pallette with that signature xiaguan sweet smokey mushroom broth flavor
Nice, that sounds delicious. I want to try something like that.

>>17028839
>Sunflower ($5, 120g)
That's the on;ly one I've tried. It's like generic Chinese(American) restaurant tea. Thanks for the reviews. Maybe I'll give Chado a shot.

>>17037953
If you have some money this is one of the best xiaguan cakes ive tried, not lighter in flavor but smoother.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2009-xiaguan/products/2009-xiaguan-yin-song-he-silver-pine-crane-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
This is the cake I'm talking about in that post, with the warnig again that it's fucking strong stuff
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2009-xiaguan/products/2009-xiaguan-ftt8653-9-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
This guy is a similar very strong, slightly more smokey option
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2009-xiaguan/products/2009-xiaguan-yun-nan-fang-cha-yunnan-square-brick-125g-puerh-sheng-cha-raw-tea
Some small tuos that are a bit more mild
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2009-xiaguan/products/2010-xiaguan-te-ji-special-grade-tuo-100g-puerh-sheng-cha-raw-tea-1

>>17037953
Oh and some other xiaguan from another shop with cheaper shipping, this is a more modern xiaguan, more focused of the flavor of tea from a particular region and less rough and smokey
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/xia-guan-2011-tuocha-tea-nannuo-gong-tuo-tribute-tuo-raw-pu-er-tee-100g-p0342.html

>>17030679
Glass jars are a good option. Just clean out food jars you buy from the grocery store. 36 oz. peanut butter jars are a versatile size. I use them a lot. Huge pickle jars are nice too. Also gallon plastic food grade tube like pic related have a tight-sealing lid.

>>17037919

>>17036691
>I just take an absurd amount of melatonin(12g)
That's way too much. You've probably totally screwed your body's endogenous production. You could have to supplement it forever.

>>17038143
My body is fucked regardless. I've been getting sub20 minutes of rem sleep my entire life. Talked to my doctor a few years ago and he gave me some xanax. I'll take the melatonin. Just checked, this new bag is actually 15mg*. I took 2 last night while sipping on some 2006 xg boxed ripe. Slept like a baby.

I want tea tins but I don't know where to get them on the cheap

>>17036984
>>17037133
https://happyhealthyhippieco.com/blogs/news/sleep-supplements
There are many sleep aids other than melatonin. How many others have you tried? I take pic related currently because it was cheap at Grocery Outlet. I bought a kg of glycine powder and take that regularly too.

>>17038256
Good question, im afraid to get them on aliexpress and have them not be air tight, but i guess that is where i would look, go for the double lidded types

>>17038788
There are some on Ali, but they want to charge me shipping for each individual tin. At that point it's hardly worth it.

>>17037953
see >>17038102

I want a tea pet that's a FUCKING COCK but it's like one of the peeing boys, you pour hot tea over it and it fucking CUMS and makes a mess

>>17039632
what you really need is to get your shota addiction checked

>>17039632
Didn't expect to find coomers even in a thread about tea.

>>17025951
When you want 80°C water do you boil it first and let it cool down or not?

>>17040439
I turn a little disc until the display reads 80.

>>17040439
3 parts boiling water to 1 part room temp ends up roughly 80 C

>>17038143
>That's way too much. You've probably totally screwed your body's endogenous production. You could have to supplement it forever.
they will be fine. melatonin has not been shown to cause long term dependence or any sort of lasting changes in the brain. short term studies exploring melatonin's antioxidant effects have used significant higher doses (50+mg) to that will no significant ill effects. there is question as to whether higher doses are actually more effective (as well as some debate as to how effective melatonin is in the first place) but its unlikely to cause harm. at very worst its always plausible you may have sub-par sleep for a short while after quitting it but again the studies have not shown it to be dependence forming so this is just speculation.

Yeah, fuck tea dykes, supplement druggies are my friends now!
Your fault.

w2t is having a sale if someone wants a boring sheng for $15 or a teacup for $190

>>17040712
This anon knows his kung fu

>>17041190
I would rather share the thread with crack/black tar heroin addicts than puerh lesbians.

>>17041190
>a boring sheng for $15
i am probably going to get one. i liked it last year.

>>17041613
what for? why not try something different this time?
farmer leaf started the sale too, 20% off

What are you guys drinking to try and digest all that turkey today

>>17041679
>what for? why not try something different this time?
because it is economical. i was thinking of grabbing one either their black tea or white tea cakes with it.

what are you eyeing to get this black friday?

>>17041770
I'm looking at the farmer leaf right now. They're selling autumn Naka this year as well. I have last years version and I really like it. I shilled it here before.
I've already bought some teas from tea encounter that should be here tomorrow. Good fresh Yiwu on the cheap.
I know that yeeontea offers nice discount but I've already stocked up on tea vampire's dank leaves. Drank 2008 Jiang Cheng yesterday and this tea has no business being this good for the price. Very sweet with good long aftertaste.
I was looking at w2t smoked puerh but his fucking prices are ridiculous.

>>17041841
>his fucking prices are ridiculous.
Well I guess I shouldn't have read the thread today. Free shipping always gets me rustled.Technically I did owe him for 9 months of free teaclub so fuk it.

Wish Yellow tea was more available.

>>17042078
haha, don't worry pal, they've got me too.

do you still get the free teaclub?

>>17042127
Nah he caught on after september :/ I figured paying him half of what I owe him is fair.

>notice some black stuff on brita jug
>take a closer look
>mold
>open and inspect
>I've been drinking mold water for who knows how long
fug...... goodbye bros.......

>>17042317
RIP

>>17042127
this talk with the ethnic tea boss from ay lmao mountain is excellent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSBj92BDSg4

Supposedly liquidproust is doing his sample pack shit on the 27th. Somewhat of an annoying timing to be quite honest

Any good under $10 black friday deals, or samplers?

>>17042766
yes, on the shelf of your grocery store

Having some aged dried orange peel (chempi) form fullchea tonight. This stuff would go soo good with black tea.
Excuse the potato photo

what do people here think of w2T's black tea cakes?
https://white2tea.com/collections/black-tea
I was looking at getting their "Fox Down" shai hong or their white and black tea mix "Hot Brandy".

>>17043626
I mean they are expensive, if you want to try one go for it. Obviously if you are thinking about spending $45 on 200g of black tea you can afford it, the anons that have been in the tea club are generally happy with their black teas other than that month the sent out 7 different kinds of lapsang.
If you are interested in old tree black tea cakes i can also recommend these ones from xiaguan me and a few other posters have had them and enjoyed them.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/black-tea/products/2017-xiaguan-gao-shan-yun-wu-lao-shu-hong-high-mountain-cloud-old-tree-black-tea-cake-200g-hong-cha-dian-hong
Also the purple voodoo cakes from yunnan sourcing review well but i haven't tried them.

>>17043670
>$45 on 200g of black tea
the one i mentioned was actually only $36 not that that is a huge difference.
>other than that month the sent out 7 different kinds of lapsang.
what was wrong with it?
>XiaGuan Dian Hong cake from KTM
been on my to get list for a long time. last time i almost put in a KTM order i decided not to because shipping costs were crazy at the time. perhaps they have improved?

>>17043793
>perhaps they have improved?
God i hope so but probably not
>what was wrong with it?
It was just kind of boring a seemed like a lazy way to fill that months tea club orders.

>>17043823
i just checked the shipping on getting just the XiaGuan Dian Hong cake from KTM would be $14 and if i added another 200g the shipping bumped up to $19. with shipping prices like that it makes W2T seem more reasonable right now.

>>17043842
Yeah i feel you. Im still in denial over his prices doubling to tripling in the last year.

>>17043873
>Yeah i feel you. Im still in denial over his prices doubling to tripling in the last year.
Its real disappointing because his selection is great and he has a lot of stuff nobody else does. shame about the price and shipping increases. at this rate i will never end up ordering from him.

Some of my loose leaf is up to four years old and still tastes "fine" I guess? Is it really possible it hasn't degraded much if sealed (previously opened though) and in dark? Don't want to throw all of it out but also don't want to force myself through it in the event it is all significantly worse

>>17043910
Does it taste bad? Don't drink it. Does it taste fine? Drink it. Most tea ages fine.

>>17043910
Unless there's straight up mold growing on it (unlikely if it wasn't stored in a moist place) you can drink it. The worst that can happen is it's stale and tastes like lukewarm water. If you can tolerate the taste of it, or even enjoy it, it's fine.

>>17043793
to some of the people here 9 dollars is apparently the end of the world.

I have the 2020 fox down cake, and its an alright drinker but i dont feel like its anything special. I really enjoyed the mini i got in an earlier sample since it was so different to what i had tasted before. Since then it has just become a low-prio tea, that i only drink when i just need some tea and dont really care what kind.

If you are ordering from w2t i would recommend picking up some of the "daily jinjunmei", and maybe a sample of their "arbor red". i think those are much better options if you want black tea and are ordering from there.

Personally i didnt care much for "hot brandy" either, interesting blend but overall not worth a cake imo, maybe a sampler if you are interested.

>>17044889
If the tea costs more than 8c/g I'll DIE

>>17044889
thanks for the advice. i will check out the "daily jinjunmei" it seems like what i am looking for. though my inner puerh lesbian truly craves to have all my tea pressed into cakes or bricks.

>Brew Earl Grey in fancy English tea set for a change
>It tastes better

wtf

>>17045562
Why do you think people buy tea sets, just for the aesthetics?

>>17045562
>brew (english) tea in (english) set
>wonder why you get a taste bonus
have RPGs taught you nothing?

There is something of an interesting topic I have been pondering over for a few days. Have any of you anons ever intentionally stored tea in environments with other materials or food goods to produce a shift in flavor or aroma? Most people seem to want to keep their teas isolated from foreign aromas for fear of shifting it, but I recall a case where I unintentionally stored a bag of tieguanyin alongside some old bags of coffee grounds, and both the flavor and aroma were noticeably affected in a positive manner. The tieguanyin in question was just cheap supermarket stuff I purchased but never drank, so it wasn't a big deal, but what was surprising was just how good the flavor and aroma turned out.

According to my infusion journal, it was like a slightly sweet, light coffee latte with a milky consistency and 'oat' bottom layer. It was quite nice, though I think it gradually lost some of those qualities as it spent weeks and months away from the coffee. I still have those bags of old coffee, but I have cleared the entire bag of cheap tieguanyin. I am considering intentionally storing some cheap dong ding I own alongside the same bags to see what might occur. Though, I am unsure how long it may take for a significant transfer of aroma and flavor to pass in (as the tieguanyin case was for the greater part of a year). What do you anons think? If anyone has any feedback for my idea, or would like to participate in preparing a small batch like mine, feel free to let me know.

>>17045782
Buy some tea, do something like one big batch stored without coffee, one batch with for a month, one more for two months, one more for four months, one more for eight months, and report back. If you want to do it the smart way, start storing one for eight months, then four months later start the four month storage, four months later start the four month batch, etc. Then taste all of them side by side.

>>17045782
I know LP has been experimenting with storing tea in barrels previously used in alcohol making if you are interested (his sales should start tomorrow as well):
https://www.liquidproust.com/shop/35884797/barrel-stored

>I am unsure how long it may take for a significant transfer of aroma and flavor to pass in
the would be the part i would worry about as well. you probably need a lot of transfer for it to really come out in the taste of the tea. additionally, there are also the additional questions to consider of whether a nice smell will translate into a nice taste and if the fumigated tea will have longevity or will the added sent wash out in the first steep or two.

>>17045811
>Then taste all of them side by side.
I would consider this method, but from my experience, the aroma or flavor may be gradually reduced by leaving them outside of the coffee environment if I give them that long of a gap. So, I don't think it would be a fair comparison. A progressive test as you've suggested may be of interest, and it would be more reliable. I am unsure if my current-selected coffee grounds are ideal or not (as they are listed as possessing flavors), but I'd rather not waste materials of otherwise good beans/grounds. Well, this is all just a thought I have been pondering on. It could be a fun way to shake up unused bulk tea at a low cost if it is successful.
>>17045831
It is very intriguing to see experiments done like those by LP. Are you planning on buying any of these sample batches? It is outside of my price bracket, unfortunately, but if you intend to test them in the near future, I would be very interested in reading your infusion notes or seeing a picture.
>the would be the part i would worry about as well. you probably need a lot of transfer for it to really come out in the taste of the tea.
For reference, this tea was stored in a brown paper bag (as sold in store), sealed at the top with a small sticker. I think it was maybe 250g of total loose leaf, seated next to maybe two bags of (also paper bag-wrapped) ground coffee. I had some other much larger bags of beans nearby, but they were aroma-sealed, so I don't think they made an impact. Currently, I keep them stored in a plastic PB Fit container I re-utilized. I think something I could do is to prepare a separate paper bag, pour the dong ding in it, and leave that bag in close, isolated contact with the coffee. The permeability of all the bags should allow excellent aroma transfer if my theory is correct. What do you think? I'll see about setting up something today for a progressive taste test experiment.

>>17045766
>gameifying real life
Kill yourself right now

>>17045902
>"No."

>>17045888
>So, I don't think it would be a fair comparison.
1. Start storing tea
2. Four months later, start storing tea
3. Two months later, start storing tea
4. One month later, start storing tea
After one month has passed, you will have tea that has been stored for eight months, tea that has been stored for four months, tea that has been stored for two months, and tea that has been stored for one month, none of which has spent any time outside of storage with coffee. Then have some that hasn't been stored with coffee. You can taste all of these side by side and none of them will have been "aired out". I generally don't really trust tasting notes people write down as a way to compare things they had potentially months apart. Your brain is excellent at inventing flavors that you expect.

>>17045888
Thank you for clarifying your idea for me. This seems much more like a plausible idea now that I more fully understand your proposal. I'll have to look into some suitable containers to do it this way, but I'll look into it for fun as a small side project. Do you think it would be disingenuous to the results if I was to taste it periodically outside of the storage period? I can note my findings here if any anons are interested.

>>17046484
>Do you think it would be disingenuous to the results if I was to taste it periodically outside of the storage period?
Normally I'd say not to, but it's ultimately just tea, and I can understand not wanting to commit to a long project with no short term payoff. You don't need the most rigourous methods, the results are ultimately quite subjective anyway.

>>17027022
I have one, They work great but you need it for a V60 or other pour-over coffees.if you are only using it for tea you only need a simple temp. control kettle and those are like 30 bucks.

BEGIN SCHEDULED SHILLING:
LP has dropped the puerh beginner packages today (a day early). he ships them first in first out so if you want one and would like to get it before Christmas i would order now.
https://www.liquidproust.com/listing/719815976/2021-puerh-beginner-package

>>17046644
Hope you're getting paid. I'm in for $25.

>>17046644
>Hope you're getting paid.
alas no, maybe he should give me an extra nice sample or something.

>>17046644
>>17046682
Picked one up as well, we'll see how this goes. I wish well curated sample packs were more popular, there's so much tea it's impossible buy enough to try things on your own. You could drink fifty different oolongs and have a radically different experience each time.

>>17046726
>I wish well curated sample packs were more popular
a lot of vendors do sell some. the problem is vendors can only include what they stock in the sampler so they often are not always as representative as would be ideal. additionally you would need to include a lot of different teas in the sampler to cover every variation so a "complete" sampler is not likely to be practical. once you learn a bit more you can compile your own "tasting kits" to learn about teas that interest you..

>You could drink fifty different oolongs and have a radically different experience each time.
the sheer variability is part of the fun of tea. it makes things far more interesting then debating the taste of say Coke vs. Pepsi. besides expectations of different styles of tea exist as a spectrum and are prone to shift over time. not everything is a "Tie-guan-yin" but no one tea can perfectly encompass everything a "Tie-guan-yin" is.

>>17046726
>well curated
well, about that...
you'll get some scraps, maybe a good tea or two in there, don't expect new favorites in there.
or maybe do, if you're easily swooned.

>>17046899
It's essentially free and I doubt I've had any of them before. I want different tea, if I only wanted to drink good tea I could drink good tea every session from now until I die.

>>17045782
I bought i cheap ripe puer cake from an asian market once and it tasted like a dirty asian grocer smells.

>>17046904
fair enough, if you want to support this dyslectic ADD wacko and deprive real beginners from dipping their toes in puerh lesbianism, go ahead my friend.
what $5 for 100 grams get you, don't forget to post.

>>17046936
Would you recommend something else?

>>17046948
100 g for a 5 bucks? I can't think of anything. good luck.

>>17046644
>>17046682
What anon forgot to mention it that you won't get mich more tea for ordering more packs, so your reward for getting greedy is the honor of subsidizing his costs for people that only order 1.
Sorry to the anon that already ordered that i couldn't warn you in time.

>>17046958
Around a hundred grams for less than fifty dollars. Are you seriously complaining without having something else in mind? Is your suggestion just that I not buy tea at all?

>>17046960
What are you poor? Its $30.

>>17046967
He is assuming it will be garbage, normally for the price he would be right but this guy gets stuff wholesale and takes tea donations from people to keep it cheap. And the quality last year was surprisingly good for the money.

>>17046967
you seem to have some learning disadvantages yourself.
If you have a decent collection as you mentioned before, you won't need this grab bag.
Buy the tea that you were looking at and coveting. Not some random beengholes. That was my suggestion initially.
Again, good luck.

>>17046979
You should have seen the bitching last year from anons that ordered 4+ units and didn't really get anything extra.

>>17046989
>If you have a decent collection as you mentioned before, you won't need this grab bag.
I have a decent collection, I want more tea. This cost me ten dollars, there's no fucking way I would ever pass this up.
>Again, good luck.
He could literally just ship me a picture of a smug anime girl in an evelope and I'd laugh it off, it was ten fucking dollars anon. I don't think you get it.

>>17047019
no, now I get it though.

>>17046989
I don't know what a decent collection is. I've got a small 18L pumi full of cakes and other shit and 850g from w2t I don't have room for on the way. I'm getting lit and buying dumb shit I want. Pic related.

>>17047059
wait, you'll want the one Coffee Memester Man has
https://umeshiso.com/listing/1076150728/the-james-hoffmann-x-umeshiso-mini
so you were also smoking some yesterday? what a coincidence.

>>17047059
Buy some Japanese incense to burn during your tea drinking while you are at it.
https://www.japanincense.com/j0017.html

>>17046899
i got good tea in my pack last year. it was absolutely worth more than what i payed for it. some dayi, some xg, a sample of YQH, and a couple of white label productions.

>>17046960
>What anon forgot to mention it that you won't get mich more tea for ordering more packs
yeah, i should have mentioned not to order more than one or two unless you just want to support the project or hope to get lucky. last year i think he was a little less generous on quantity because he ran short on tea and had to buy extra at the last minute to cover all the orders.

>>17047071
Then it wouldn't match my others dipshit.
>>17047089
I've got a bunch of the cheaper stuff from shoyeido.
>>17047103
>a little less generous on quantity because he ran short on tea
Sounds like getting my order in quick was the right call then.

>>17047177
>Sounds like getting my order in quick was the right call then.
that's part of why i shilled it here. note that last year i am pretty sure everyone got the guaranteed amount of tea but the earlier orders were more likely to have bonus samples or extra special stuff thrown in (it did delay shipping by though). I don't think anyone got ripped off unless they tried to buy a bunch of sample packs (which is kind of their fault for being greedy). he does the puerh beginner packs at least partially as a personal thing. i don't think he makes money off them (unless he gains a lot new customers) he actually used to give them out for free but that was apparently unsustainable.

>>17047177
>dipshit
thats rich coming from someone with that forearms. also I thought you were white. disregard what I said before.

>>17047215
>Tfw he doesn't understand how distorting mirrors work
dipshit indeed.

>>17047177
whats the tea in the pic?

>>17047285
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/2013-huang-ying-menghai-raw-pu-erh-tea-mini-brick?variant=33122507206

Just as astringent as I remember from a year ago.

>>17047377
thanks, look like a nice little brick. what do you think of it? how does it compare in quality to a similarly priced and aged toucha from a big factory?

>>17047405
2017 Bian Xiao Zhuan ripe is much better.

>>17047414
raw* No clue why I consistently mistype that. Literally the only tea I do it with.

Is there a good writeup on Japanese clays? I understand they are more focused on green tea pairings, unlike Chinese clays, which are rarely paired with green tea.

Yes I'm black but I hardly see what that has to do with my taste in tea

>>17047964
mmm be silent nigger

jk also what teas do you like? do you prefer Kenyan Blacks through the paper bag from Liptons?

>>17047859
Take all his posts with a grain of salt as he gets a bit into woo territory but check out this guys posts about it, it's the most extensive info i can think off offhand. I think one of the biggest differences is that generally Japanese clay posts use less reactive clay and are fired higher, so they usually change the flavors of tea less than some of the very strongly muting Chinese clays.
This guy orders more experimental clay teapots and uses less common but the information should generally be helpful
https://hojotea.com/categ_e/teapote.htm

Today I got my xiaguan puerh tea among other things and I tasted the 2012 Jia Ji tuo. I'm feeling glad because I am into this stuff. It tastes weirdly agreeable for being something that's dry and bitter.

>>17048145
Love the crane, respect the crane
Where did you get it from? Yunnan sourcing?

>>17044196
>>17044284
I don't know if it's "stale" or not and am being a paranoid little bitch. Just is it known that storing it for years might not exactly degrade quality noticeably as opposed to people who go "oh if you opened it 6 hours ago it's fucked m8"

Regarding the pastebin, I'd say western should be edited for one brew given this is what the large majority of people do or at least times/temperatures for single infusion

I want a good peach tea, help me out fellas

>>17048420
https://www.amazon.com/American-Classic-Pyramid-Teabags-Plantation/dp/B00H5WBA8M/
Also celestial seasonings country peach passion if you want a caffeine free / herbal tea

>have shitty earl grey (probably twinnings)
>have better earl grey
>don't want 80 containers lying around nor to let the letter not be used for a decade/discard it
>mix them together
>now have a fuckton of earl grey that's meh
why did I do this

>>17048412
Yeah i see your point, and looking at the current times they are too short for a single brew, they actually just suck.
I just need to find a better guide to use as a reference since i don't really do enough western brewing to come up with numbers myself.

>>17048273
Its fine, ive had 5-7 year old black teas before and they are fine. I have a sealed bag of black tea from 2018 ive been ageing just for the hell of it. When tea goes bad you know, it will be covered with visible mold and smell and taste sour and awful.
Like i said if the tea tastes good drink it, if it tastes bland and flavorless toss it out, it's not going to make you sick.
L

My arthritis kicked in and I claw handed a ceramic cup and dropped it on laminate floor. I inspected it carefully and no cracks, but is there a possibility it's compromised and will shatter from hot water or pressure?

>>17048447
Was more worried about stale and I still can't figure out if flavor significantly changed but I'll probably stick with it. Just I have no reference point for "good"

want to get into tea but don't know what to get, should I just get any electric kettle, teapot, and infuser?

>>17048725
Pretty much, it's only as complicated as you'd like to make it. You can buy a nice temp controlled kettle if you have money, or you can get the cheapest kettle/boil water in a pot on the stove and just let it cool if necessary.
Teapot hardly matters at all, again there are expensive Yixing meme pots but you can brew tea in the same cup you're drinking it out of if you so desire. Same thing with an infuser - you can buy a cheap infuser to brew said tea in your cup, you can buy a cheap Gaiwan (basically just a cup with a fancy lid for the sole purpose of brewing tea) or if you're really on a shoestring budget you can just drink grandpa style by putting the tea directly into the cup and trying not to swallow too many tea leaves.
if you want something entry-level and no hassle I bought a Chatsford teapot to get me into it because it has a built-in strainer basket and that'll serve you pretty well for like $20.
It's not like coffee, if that's your concern. You don't need expensive equipment to make good tea, although a quality electrical kettle with a proper temperature control setting probably helps a lot if you can spare the expense (although it's entirely unnecessary if you plan to drink primarily black/herbal tea)

>>17048565
It might be damaged, it won't shatter, it's not really heat sensitive like glass. I would keep using it and not worry about it.

>>17048565
What arthritis do you have bro I have psoriatic?

>>17048725
>electric kettle
temp control is nice and theres cheap ones out there
>teapot, and infuser
or a gaiwan, which you can use to brew western style or gongfu(lots of leaf, short multiple infusions). small glass teapots also come with infuser baskets inside them.
fine mesh strainer is also very handy, thats all you really need... besides tea
>>17048412
i western brew 3 times, 1g/100ml 3mins then +60sec.

>>17042317
Are you sure it’s mold? If it’s just little black specks, maybe it’s some charcoal from the filter?

>Don't drink tea or anything with caffeine or tannins for two days, nearing three.
>horrific withdrawl headache, know that It'll go away in one more day but also really want tea
>Brew up some Lapsang Souchong
>Instant relief

Praise be the smoked leaf!

>just now realize that my electric kettle's water level viewer is just a bit of plastic near the bottom

oh boy I've been using this thing to boil water for years now and only now I realized I've been drinking boiled plastic with every cup

What's the point of the giant gaiwans? They look unwieldy. Why not just use a normal teapot if you're making tea for 2 or more people?

>>17049476
>Praise be the smoked leaf!
How do you drink that shit? The last thing I imagine a tea needing is pine smoke.

>>17050319
Not that anon but smokey tea is the best. Yeah pine smoke can get a bit harsh at times but it usually mellows a bit after a year or two.

>>17050319
Its a gently smoked lapsang. The smoke accents the flavors, rather than smothering them. This one tastes like carrots

Specifically, burnt carrots.

>>17049506
Might as well start using the microwave to warm up your water

>>17050568
nearly every single kettle has that plastic thingie anyway

>>17049964


>Why not just use a normal teapot if you're making tea for 2 or more people?
I definitely recommend teapot for two or more people, but i use them for when i am drinking alone.

>What's the point of the giant gaiwans?
I guess it is smaller pot, that is simpler to make.

>They look unwieldy.
You'll get used to it.

>>17050617
>You'll get used to it.
>>17038102

>>17048798
>>17049284
Thanks, I come from the coffee world so I was prepared to have to spend a decent amount. I took advantage of sales and ordered an electric kettle with temp controls off amazon, and from Teabox, a glass teapot with infuser lid and a sample of Darjeeling black teas to start with.

>>17051078
>prepared to have to spend a decent amount
Also coffeenon here. I felt like buying a weber key was a smarter decision than to buy a few cakes I want.

https://dragonteahouse.biz/mengku-brand-bo-jun-pu-erh-tea-cake-2019-500g-ripe/

>>17051343
>Dollar per gram for three year old ripe
What?

>>17051358
Its v e r y good. I had a little sample of it last year on my birthday.

>>17051358
dragonteahouse is also really overpriced. its still an expensive tea though.

>>17051078
£0.10/g is my comfort zone for buying tea. please dont start drinking tea by buying insanely expensive teas

>>17051738
What can you even get for 30 a cake? What are your favorites in that range?

>>17051762
Black Gold Bi Luo Chun
High Mountain Red Ai Lao Mountain Black Tea
Classic Jasmine Pearls
Jinggu Sun-Dried Silver Needles White Cake
Drunk on Red Sun-Dried Black Tea Cake
are all close to or under £0.10/g (drunk on red is almost £0.05/g), all off yunnansourcing.com

>>17051829
also they're currently doing a 10% off everything sale will 1 December

>My order arrived in the states twenty one days ago
Ship me my fucking tea you goddamn fools

Do you use a tea pet(s)? What kind(s)?

>>17025951
Tea sucks

>>17051829
I bought a tong of Drunk on Red last month, mostly for kombucha. The two floral variants are also worth trying.

Are Yixing teacups and caddies meant to be matched to the clay you make tea in? Does it make a difference?

Tried sencha for the first time, is alright. Tastes like grass and corn. Accidentally bought 8oz instead of 4oz along with another tea and given the latter is unopened wondering about returning (Amazon) but probably not worth bothering with if I leave the other half sealed

Just have so much shit even from years ago I'm trying to get through

I have 10 varieties of tea, some of it in big quantities and drink maybe a cup or two a day then can easily go months without touching any. Anyone else retarded

I only drink tea made by skitzos

>>17048725
Electric kettle with settings, I just use a french press as far as brewing goes.

Tried to make a second brew out of cocido but it was just hot water

>>17051990
I have a funny frog and two peanuts

do you even enjoy tea made western style (as is stated in the pastebin)? everytime i closely follow recipes, the tea is just really weak, it just tastes like water.

How do I remove lime from my water boiler?
pic is from the internet not mine

>>17052811
>Anyone else retarded
Haha, yes.

>>17054440
I would double the amount of tea compared to pic related.
I am not sure about timing, i usually just try tasting it over time. (But i would probably end up brewing it bit longer than what is presented.)

>>17054451
an acid like vinegar or lemon juice

you can also use CLR, which is specifically designed for this

>>17054610
huh?? put this into my tea

>>17054623
yes, be sure to post results afterwards

>>17054627
well alright, ordered it

>>17054440
>>17054605
yeah i do 1g/100ml, 1st 3mins, then +60seconds. remember these are just guidelines

sipping some some hongcha right now, what about you anon?

nooooooooooooooo you can't order from LP and w2t you have to order from fullcheaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

>>17050553
No it doesn't, faker. It tastes like carrots by a bonfire, and smells like bbq sauce.

>>17054610
>an acid like vinegar or lemon juice
or citric acid

>>17056347
What?

ended up missing my chance to get a snoozefest this year because i waited too long. i was hoping LP would drop more of the $20 LaoManE DianHong cakes from last year before putting in a W2T order. he did not but i still got a couple small things from LP though. at this point i am not sure if i am going to get anything from W2T this time around. wish i had more cash right now to better take advantage of the present sales. oh well.

as a side note LP now sells the "Yamabuki Nadeshiko" we were talking about a while back.
https://www.liquidproust.com/listing/1114825602/yamabuki-nadeshiko-kurokoji-fermentation

>>17056329
I'm out of tea and it will be a while until any of my orders arrive.

>>17056436
Just meming on the dipshit who lurks here. I got some snoozefest and other cakes and a LP blackfriday sampler and he sperged out.

>>17056467
I feel this, although I think I have enough tea to last until my order arrives.
Still, I want to drink something new. Once spring rolls around and harvest season begins I might go all in and try to get some of the good stuff.

>>17056469
pretty sure the anon you are talking about would have wanted you to buy from tea encounter, yeeontea, farmer leaf, or teas we like more than fullchea. they are a high class puerh lesbian and require only the best.

>>17056560
I pulled a random chinese vendor. The fact that I picked a vendor he doesn't like is even better.

>>17043910
This retard here, any other input? I recently got some new green and I feel like the flavor is pretty pronounced but I don't have a standard green to compare it to but it's making me wonder if my older other teas really did lose a lot of quality

I'd probably just toss a large tin of Earl Grey and some relatively old jasmine if anything but it just seems so wasteful and the alternative is buying fresh versions to compare to and either yes, it's bad and I throw it out or now I have far more tea to get through while either the new gets old or old gets older

This is mostly me being obsessive but what would you guys do in my position. I'm a dumb bitch and I know

>>17056968
Its winter. Drink the tea until you're sick of it and pass it on to someone else who doesn't know better.

can someone recommend me oolong with a nutty, thick taste? i've been drinking this: https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Peace-Organic-Oolong-Tea-100/dp/B01MTXDUMW/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=loose+leaf+OOLONG&qid=1636868375&sr=8-5#customerReviews and it's great, so i can only imagine how good loose leaf stuff must taste.

>>17057601
The unroasted oolong from farmer leaf is supposed to be good, but I'm not a huge oolong fan so someone else might be able to give you better advice. Do you want certified organic oolong? It's pretty hard to find.

>>17057613
it doesn't need to be organic; whatever's good to people is fine with me.

>>17057620
Then I'd probably recommend against it, despite knowing very little. Taiwanese oolong is very good, but you'll be paying a premium unless you're invested in how it's made. Someone else here, I'm sure, will know more about oolong than I do.

>>17057601
>recommend me oolong with a nutty, thick taste?
You want to go for more heavily fermented and probably roasted oolongs.
You the us?
This is a pretty reasonably priced tea, should have a nutty flavor from the roast but also will probably have some floral aspect to it.
https://purplecloudteahouse.com/products/bai-ye-dancong-oolong
They also have this one which will much more of the floral and somewhat fruity end of the spectrum if you want to try something like that, you can smell the cup from a distance while it's brewing.
https://purplecloudteahouse.com/collections/oolong/products/bai-ya-qi-lan-oolong-tea?variant=20607951077419

>>17057640
>>17057782
thanks!

>>17057640
>>17057782
I would really like to recommended some wuyi oolongs, I'm trying to find a few that aren't too pricey. I love oolong but it does tend to be one of the more expensive teas when you get into the fancy stuff.
One thing i can recommend is on the way cheaper end of the spectrum, this brand is called sea dyke and their teas aren't fancy but they are not bad for regular drinking, i do have to warn you that this tea will be very strongly charcoal roasted, it might be a bit shocking at first but i love the rich roasted flavor.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133887210155
On the more pricey end of the spectrum you could try a tea or two from this guy to see if you like it, this one sounds good.
https://oldwaystea.com/products/qi-dan-2020?taxon_id=4
Each 8g bag will be enough to brew two cups of tea if you are brewing western style.

>>17057601
>can someone recommend me oolong with a nutty, thick taste?
*unzips dick*

>didn't take the 70 day shipping estimate seriously
>Omicron variant is probably going to delay that even more
>I'm literally never going to get my order, by the time it shows up it'll be mid 2022 and half of it will be stale (the other half will hopefully "age" decently)
nice...
not even sure I'll be able to afford to drink a luxury good like tea if COVID restrictions don't ease up, getting really depressing

>>17058077
I feel you brother. My tea order has been stuck in customs for a month because the postal service in my country has become a shitshow. Barely anyone can get their packages here nowadays.
For 2 months all i had to drink was japanese greens.

>>17057601
The "Black Dawn" oolong from white2tea is extremely nutty and quite affordable

>>17058077
>>17058417
still waiting on my order from august, fuck surface, let the planet burn. from now on i'm always buying the most express shipping even if its twice the price of the tea

>>17058417
>>17058528
Shipping blows now, i can't believe how expensive and slow it's gotten in the last few years.
Now when i make orders from china i try and order 1-2 kilos at a time and either plan on shipping taking ages or pay up for faster shipping

Turns out the melatonin/niacinamide sleep cocktail gets even more based when you sip on a lil ma huang before bed. Best sleep in years.

>>17056436
since i missed the snoozefest should i get this? or something else cheap from farmer-leaf.
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/products/autumn-2021-jingmai-shengtai
its only $33.6 right now including shipping.

>>17059032
Man i love that dude.
Well the description is pretty honest about ehat the tea is like, if you want something smooth and soft to drink right away it's a good choice. Personally i might opt for the cheap naka cake he has to get something with a bit more bite to it, but that's personal preference.
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/products/autumn-2021-naka-small-trees

Anyone know of Hario-like cold brew bottles but in plastic? I know I'll end up breaking the glass.

>>17059174
https://www.amazon.com/WEMUG-Plastic-Weight-Portable-Chocolate/dp/B08K95MHF3

>Can't drink tea with food because the EGCG binds to nutrients and makes them unavailable
>Can't drink tea with no food because it upsets your stomach

>>17059634
I thought it only inhibits iron?
>>17025951
I want to buy a few cakes from Verdant(yes I know they aren't the best). A few shu and sheng, a flower mix brick and a yabo based cake. I'm staying around $100. Anyone have any recommendations?

what's the good shit this year?

bout to pull the trigger on pic rel

>>17059730
fuck it. bought anyhow. Now I have 500 dollars of tea to sit on lmao.

>>17059686
>Anyone have any recommendations?
Yeah don't buy from verdant.
Yunnan sourcing .us has a 10% off sale today
Also farmer leaf has a decent sale today and some affordable cakes.
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/
I'm not being elitist. Ive actually tried a ripe from verdant and it was the worst ripe ive ever had, pure fish.

>>17059804
Drink the jin jun mei first, the dancong will keep great for years and years and the purple black tea should age nicely for around 4 years or so before it might start getting bland.

>>17059825
>Yunnan sourcing .us has a 10% off sale today

I keep forgetting the .us site is a thing lmao.

>>17059825
>don't buy from verdant
Most of the ones I'm getting are sheng, and I like that most cakes are small.

>>17059686
>I thought it only inhibits iron?
Never heard of EGCG, so I hope so. My iron levels are nearly to the point where I need bloodletting and I also eat a shitton of grape-nuts which are full of iron.

>>17059863
Alright, i tried to warn you, that's all i can do really.

>>17059825
Maybe I'll just hold off. I should do more research on puer and tea varieties.

>>17059900
I get that ordering huge tea cakes blindly is a hassle, especially getting into puer, yunnan sourcing usually makeas at least a few smaller cakes. You can also get 100g tuos which are a much more manageable size and price, i will grab a few recommendations real quick for some affordable puers and post them for you.

>>17057026
Passing on was my plan if I had anyone to. Again am just being an obsessive bitch also looking for an excuse to replace one variety I have a lot of

>>17059900
>>17059931
Dont buy all of these, pick a few that sound good and fit your budget. Fullcha only charges a dollar or two per item for shipping
This first one is slightly on the more pricey side ($18 for 150g) but it's considered the benchmark raw puer, the factory and blend that sets the standard for raw, has a bit of a plum aspect to the flavor.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2012-puer-tea-dayi-taetea-7542-150g-gift-package-china-yunnan-menghai-puerh-puer-pu-erh-raw-organic-health-care-food-chai-aged-puerh-best-organic-tea--p0139.html
And here is the benchmark ripe, from the same factory. They are considered better at factory ripe teas than any other large scale operation.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2012-yr-menghai-dayi-classic-7572-ripe-puerh-100-quality-guarantee-taetea-chinese-puer-tea-for-gift-packing-150g-pc37-aged-puerh-best-organic-tea-p0140.html
Here is nice affordable ripe. 100g
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/mengku-rongshi-2014-mu-ye-chun-3-years-aged-ripe-pu-erh-tea-brick-100g-p0375.html
Here is a nice semi aged raw for a decent price 200g
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/haiwan-tea-2011-pu-erh-lao-shu-qiao-mu-raw-pu-erh-tee-brick-250g-p0352.html
Here is another ripe tuo, if you want to try a more oldschool style of ripe
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/tulin-phoenix-2008-shou-puerh-tuocha-981-ripe-pu-erh-100g-p0540.html
And a nice factory style raw tuo, should be a bit strong and somewhat smokey
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/tulin-2009-aged-pu-erh-tea-yunnan-phoenix-tuocha-sheng-puer-100g-p0497.html

>>17059977
Alright, you shilled me. I'll let you know what I got.

>>17059977
>more oldschool style of ripe
What do you mean by this? Also am I wrong to be put off when they dint describe flavors and just talk about "health benefits"?

>>17059977
I lean more shu, so I got these. At least I'll have a base to work off of.

>>17059686
>I want to buy a few cakes from Verdant
i would not blind buy lots of puerh from Verdant without first trying samples as it has a reputation of being pretty hit or miss (especially the shou) and there are generally better vendors for it. that said i have been happy with the limited amount of stuff i have got from them (but i know others have not) and the Crassicolumna Yabao i had from them a year or two ago was decent. their tea from laoshan is good and i also quite liked their herbal tea: https://verdanttea.com/tea/by-tea-type/herbal

>>17060059
>>17060286
Sorry i disappeared there, good choices
Yeah that site is annoying for only giving flavor descriptions for some teas, you kind of have to be familiar with these brands and what they make to understand what their teas are like generally to shop on that site. I just ignore the health claims stuff, it's just some old shilling tactic that that site still uses in a sort of antiquated way.
When i say more old school for raw it's usually smokey and more bitter tea, it generally isn't very good fresh and needs a decade or so of age to mellow out and get good. But when you age a mild soft tea for a decade it might not taste like much at all. For ripe old school usually means a somewhat lighter fermentation which leads to a tea that changes more with age, and again it can have some smokey aspects too it.
Post about your teas when then come in, im exited to hear what you think of them.

>>17059118
>https://www.farmer-leaf.com/products/autumn-2021-naka-small-trees
thanks for the advice. I was looking at that one to but i kind of wanted to try something from farmerleaf's own gardens. on the other hand i already own some cheap naka sheng so perhaps it would be fun to compare. still not sure exactly how bitter i like my daily drinker young sheng to be. i find some of the sterner material can be difficult to drink when fresh.

>>17060372
All good. I appreciate the time you to took to show me some teas.
>old shilling tactic that that site still uses in a sort of antiquated way
Your not wrong. I figured that's what they were doing.

I do know that for sheng they start out harsh and need some aging before they mellow. I didn't know that about old school ripe though. I'm trying to get back into puer. I had a few smaller cakes my mom threw out a few years ago by mistake. Nothing major luckily. Just some aliexpress flower tea cakes and few small ones from verdant. They have such a mixed reputation. Only thing shifty I've noticed from them is sometimes the first time they show a new tea its awesome, but later offerings aren't as good sometimes.

I will definitely post when I get them. Hopefully it won't get stuck due to the coof.

>>17060455
Yeah like i said its down to personal preference, i already have some smooth young shengs, they are nice. Also i apparently can't taste bitter flavors as well as other people so maybe my tea choices are a bit eccentric.

>>17060466
I haven't ordered from full cha since spring but i usually get things from them relatively quickly for coof shipping standards.

>>17060471
>Also i apparently can't taste bitter flavors as well as other people so maybe my tea choices are a bit eccentric.
i am not super sensitive but i tend to brew my tea perhaps a bit over aggressively (lots of leaf, sometimes steep a bit too long) and drink lots of it at once. what may taste good in a few cups may disagree with my gut if i slam a liter of it. i tend to need a snack after my tea.

>>17060499
Yeah I do the same, i either drink old man stomach safe fermented stuff like ripe puer or liu bao, or only after i eat some food because the way i brew stuff usually gives me nausea if i don't have some food in me.
I typically do 8g raw in a 100ml gaiwan, up to 10g with ripes and roasted oolongs.

>>17059825
None of the 5 for 5 verdant sampler I got was horrible or anything. Maybe slightly worse than the $25 ebay sampler from dragonteahouse.

>>17060361
Fair. I was looking at that yaboa cake too. I mostly like them for their co-OP farmer stuff like Lao teas you mentioned.