/ck/ - Food & Cooking

anyone here get any cool tea related Christmas presents? i got some Greek mountain tea.

>>17179866
>dolphin tea
Oh god, the dolphin porn and /tea/ are converging together

>>17179875
I didn't get any tea related presents but i will be buying myself some now that the holidays are though. I will try and order my supply of tea for the year over the next month or so. Liu bao, ripe and raw puer and roasted oolongs are the main focus.

what is steeping tea? is it good to stir while the bags soak, or are you supposed to pour the water over the bags? how do?

>>17179875
I got my matcha kit

>>17179910
steeping is when you soak the herbs in hot water to extract the goodness
steep time depends on type of tea

>>17179910
Put the bag in the mug, add water, remove bag when time is up, no need to stir or dunk or squeeze the bag.

What is kombucha?

>>17179965
Also no need to remove the bag

>teas, tisanes
Tinctures allowed?

>>17179996
Tea beer

>>17180020
Practically 0 alcohol

>>17180036
Tea kvass

>>17179875
This "Exotic Teas of the World" set. Bagged artificial flavor stuff, but it's the thought that counts. And it has a place as something to toss in a thermos when I'm rushing in the morning.

>>17180057
What's wrong with bagged? English Breakfast sticks out.

What are the best types of teas for anxiety? Chamomile upsets my stomach a lot.

>>17180036
Yeah I've def gotten fucked up off of homebrew buch.

>>17180193
whatever tea you like drinking. the health benefits of tea are wildly exaggerated. any benefit you may derive will likely be mental. if you're looking for medicine, go to a doctor.

>>17180074
>What's wrong with bagged?
Generally lack of depth, homogeneity, and a higher chance of just plain weak taste.

>>17180193
Try some ketamine

Sup /tea/
Merry Christmas bros. Except slightly late. But I guess it’s still legit if you’re on the west coast.

Tried pic related tonight; it was a freebie that PurpleCloud tossed in with a recent order, because it seems they’re pretty fucking based like that.

>>17180658
Used a sake-grading cup because they’re great for checking color/clarity of whatever.
Brewed 6g leaves in 400g boiling water, using my personal special technique of “brew in cast iron tetsubin for the precise length of time it takes me to decide ‘fuck it, I’m gonna pour some tea’”.

Very earthy and loamy, and I guess “wise beyond its years”, as it’s a 2012 liu bao, and the flavor is really damn close to a 2005 I ordered in the same shipment PurpleCloud threw this freebie in to.

>>17180677
why are you larping as chinese?

>>17180752
Can you elaborate?

>>17180740
based

>>17179866
Please, can you give me nice smelling tea? I like chamomile, I like mint, but want something stronger that will make my whole room filled with herbal smell.

>>17180740
This makes me uncomfortable.

>>17180756
I think he is mocking you for enjoying your tea bit too much and throwing around terms like testubin. (He's not very smart.)

>>17179866
dubs op
how do i get my tea to taste the same way it smells
i have few teas that smell great but they almost never taste the same way they smell

>>17180918
Okay gotcha. Next time I’ll call it “little ass metal chingchong pot from that place what makes anime and shit”.

It's over for me bros, I'm not enjoying tea as much anymore.
I used to drink entire gong fu sessions in one go and be excited to do so, now I struggle to even empty my kettle.

>>17179875
I got an engraved Spanish tea box, looks like picrel but different design on top

>>17180677
Thanks for the review, sounds good
The sake grading cup is really cool, might have to grab one of those.

>>17180997
Switch to drinking tea as lazily as possible, grampa style everything

>>17180929
You're either under or overbrewing. Try gong fu or grandpa style. The British method fucking massacres a tea's flavor. Be gentler with your tea, and it'll open up more. works for every kind in my experience
Except flavored bullshit, and I'm not talking about teas with flowers or orange peel mixed in, or even throwing in oils or cinnamon or other spices I'm talking about "Lets dump some chemicals in already shit quality tea and sell it to morons" kinda flavored tea

I used the last of my rooibos to serve over ice with mango juice. It was delicious. I want more but now I'm out of rooibos...

>>17180911
Valerian will fill an entire room with its smell but it STINKS
Get a lavender candle

>>17179866
whats this i want blue tea

>>17181196
He asked for a nice smelling tea

>>17180911
just grow a pine tree

>>17181185
If you are in the usa get a huge bag from mountain rose herbs, get some honey bush while you are at it.
https://mountainroseherbs.com/red-rooibos-tea
https://mountainroseherbs.com/honeybush-tea
The secret to honeybush is to use boiling water but only brew for 1 minute, no longer, it tastes incredibly sweet.

>>17181212
It's called butterfly pea flower, it doesn't taste like much on its own but it's sometimes added to tea blends to give it this cool color. It also turns pink when you add lemon juice or some other kind of acid to it.

>>17180911
Get a nice floral dancong oolong, or an osmanthus oolong, nothing else fills a room with sweet floral aroma quite like it.

I don't usually drink tea since I prefer cold drinks over hot- so does anyone have any good recipes or recommendations for good tea bases for iced tea? I find that black can get really boring, and wouldn't mind something that tasted a bit lighter & more refreshing

>>17181252
Drink Oi ocha

>>17181252
There is a link to a good article about cold brewing tea in the pastebin. I would stick with black tea but try sweeter Chinese varieties, yunnan sourcing has a decent selection, just look for one that says it's sweet and fruity.

>>17181224
i dont wanna drink butterfly pee

>>17181252
>good recipes or recommendations for good tea bases for iced tea?
Honestly, any tea I enjoy hot I typically enjoy cold as well. Of course I mostly drink green and black teas, and I don’t do anything to sweeten them.
I pretty much always have a pitcher of cold gyokuro in my fridge, as unsweetened green is my favorite sort of iced tea.
>>17181268
This is also a great suggestion. Ito en is my go-to for bottled tea. I’m often able to find 12packs on Amazon for significantly cheaper than my local Asian grocers.

>>17181319
You aren’t drinking the pee, anon. You’re simply using the pee to enhance your tea.

>>17181185
Something like ~80% of Rooibos is all made in literally the same place, only buy by grade. Everything else is just marketing wank for something that was at some point in the exact same pile as >>17181222
Just get whatever is cheapest and the length / size you want. Unless you find something that's appreciably different in a verifiable way, grown in a small batch, or not farmed at all, hand harvested, etc.

>>17181484
I just recommended mountain rose herbs because the sell a pound of rooibos for $16. I for someone that drinks enough to use that up in a year or two its the best price i have found for it.
I remember the thread talking about how it all comes from the same farming collective so it's pretty much all the same stuff.

>>17181513
Yeah, that's my point, mountain rose is the same shit as everything else, so if that's what is cheapest buy it there.

Drinking this right now. Pretty good.
https://boards.4channel.org/ck/thread/17156578#p1717p22yg8748

Drinking this right now. Pretty good.
>>17178748

>>17181179
maybe my tea is just really shit :/
oh well as long as it'll wake me up in the morning it's fine by me

>>17180929
Do you mean the brewed tea doesn’t taste the same way the leaves smell?
Or that the brewed tea doesn’t taste the same way the brewed tea itself smells?

If it’s the former, it can sometimes depend on the tea. Basic matter of chemistry; the mix of volatile/aromatic compounds that you smell might have components that aren’t water-soluble and don’t carry over to the cup. It’s also common for certain aroma compounds to be perceived differently with taste, as with any other food that doesn’t taste the same way it smells.

>>17181771
The brewed tea doesn't taste the same way the brewed tea and leaves smell, the tea i'm talking about is grand yunnan. I like how it tastes but I wish it tasted the same way it smelled.

>>17179875
I got some nice ripe and a 1L insulated flask. I'm no longer limited to the first half of my gongfu sessions when I'm far from hot water.

>>17181847
Yeah having a big insulated flask makes gongfu brewing super convenient.

>>17181804
In that case, >>17181179 is probably pointing you in the right direction (assuming it’s being stored properly)
Maybe experiment with different brewing times or quantity of leaves.

>>17179900
Pu-ehr is nice. What kind did you get? Any year marking on it?

>>17181874
That's the one thing I wish I was told earlier but I'm happy enought I figured it out on my own.

>>17181892
I haven't ordered any yet, i might get some recent xiaguan ripes, i might just be crazy but i kind of like the hose funk of their ripes.

>>17180929
>how do i get my tea to taste the same way it smells
sometimes i get aromas that don't carry over into the cup. it think it just happens sometimes.

>>17179866
>Clitoria
I wish I were a lesbian so I could drink this lesbian vulva tea with a cute highschool lesbian girl and then kiss her

>>17179996
Some rotten shit that smells like a tranny's wound and probably contains the same rancid bacteria

>>17182169
You people are actually fucking obsessed. Almost as bad as the trannies at this point.

>>17181882
i suppose i could give gong-fu brewing a try, the only problem is that i dont have the teaware to do the gong-fu correctly, but i think i can use regular mugs and stuff to do it right?

>>17182169
>smells like a tranny's wound
I don't have the experience to back this up.

>>17179996
Good kombucha tastes great. It's mostly just a tea infusion that is left to ferment with some bacterial culture. In principle, it is similar to sauerkraut and polskie pickles.

>>17173541
>did you get a beginner pack this year?
I did not. It's just some shou I bought earlier in the year as I got into gong fu tea infusion and whole leaf in general. I still think I need to improve my ability to infuse pu'er in general, but it at least smells great. How did your long wang dong bang turn out?

Just bought this. What am I in for? Thoughts on Dilmah?

>>17182254
>but i think i can use regular mugs and stuff to do it right?
it may be a bit awkward but don't see why you cant

I would not worry too much though if you like your tea. some smells just don't carry over into taste well. but if you want to experiment i would say go for it.

>>17179996
its a sweet vinegar meant for drinking that's tea flavored.

>>17182581
my 2015 wang long young sheng was nice. it had a kind of lemony, sour raspberry thing going on on top of the traditional sheng bite. its old enough to not really be green anymore but not old enough to taste aged yet. not my top tea but certainly a nice sip.

>I did not. It's just some shou I bought earlier in the year as I got into gong fu tea infusion and whole leaf in general.
you should pick one up next year then. don't worry if you are not the expert yet samples are helpful to learn from and are not a waste even if you don't brew them perfectly. you are exactly the sort of person LP puts the kits together for. its only like $10 including shipping and if you are really broke i know he gives away some free ones to people who cant afford it. Unfortunately, he stopped selling them this year though if you really wanted one this year he would probably still sell you one (he is still shipping them) if you sent an email explaining that you are new, really interested in learning about puerh, and heard about his beginner packs but missed your chance to order one.

>>17179894
yes

>>17179996
A tasty, refreshing drink that doesn't taste anything like real tea, even if tea is a big part of it. I feel a bit bad for the suckers paying five dollars a bottle for it- without much trouble you can make it better at home.

>>17182658
Just checked the receipt. This is fucking expensive. $5 for 20 teabags.
According to wikipedia:
>English breakfast tea or simply breakfast tea is a traditional blend of black teas originating from Assam, Ceylon and Kenya
This Dilmah tea is called English breakfast but says it's only Ceylon tea...

>>17183027
>English breakfast
just means strong and intended to be drunk with milk and/or sugar

I wish my country didn't have state monopoly on alcohol. Can't find any strong kombucha. I wanted to get drunk on tea.

>>17182719
Interesting tea notes, thanks for sharing. Most berry notes I ever pick up are obscured in the infusion over heavier elements, ending up being more of a deeper jam or syrup if anything (especially so with shou/sheng). I usually get those kind of notes more clearly in my whites rather than pu'er or dark tea otherwise. I bought a really cheap 2015 FuDing Gong Mei cake on Fullchea in the middle of the year that I've been sipping intermittently lately. I pick up some bready jam notes in it, with modest sweetness, low astringency, and smooth, light texture that makes it a very easy sipper. Really cheap, but not bad white for the price. I believe this is the one: https://www.fullchea-tea.com/fuding-2013-high-mountain-white-tea-gong-mei-tribute-eyebrow-350g-p0588.html
Though I haven't had many opportunities to try new tea for a long time, I have written a fair few journal notes this year as I've learned. It has all been very enlightening for me to get feedback from fellow anons.
>don't worry if you are not the expert yet samples are helpful to learn from and are not a waste even if you don't brew them perfectly.
>its only like $10 including shipping and if you are really broke i know he gives away some free ones to people who cant afford it.
To be frank, most of his tea is outside my price/g range, and I wouldn't want to impose on anyone for free leaf. Though, it would be fun to try his sampler sometime. Think it's worth emailing, or should I just wait?

I will say that I find his experiments to be interesting, either way. In fact, I saw anons post about his bourbon storage offerings not too long ago. That's one of the reasons I decided to try my coffee aroma dong ding experiment. I'm looking forward to sharing my results when the first 30 days of storage has elipsed.
>>17183398
I have had a few of them, and overall, I'd say they're pleasant, but not outstanding. 'Kyla' was something like a White Claw in texture and flavor. Most others I've tried aren't strong.

>>17183419
>To be frank, most of his tea is outside my price/g range
no shame most of what he sells is above mine as well, though he does often have a few more budget (≈10¢/gram) options in stock. he sells the puerh beginner packs at a loss which is why they are such a good deal (i think some of the tea he uses for it is donated to him though). apparently back before did so many he gave them away for free. its a passion project for him.

>Think it's worth emailing, or should I just wait?
I would definitely give it a shot if you want one. again its a passion project for him, he seems to really like the idea of building up a tea community and sharing puerh so i think there is a good chance he would let you get one if you asked nice and briefly explained your interest. worst comes to worst he says no and you wasted a few minutes of your time. there is a "Contact us" forum at at bottom of his website you could probably use.

>>17183419
>>17184127
autistic fags larping as chinese

>>17184144
>t. doesn't own a loo yet

>>17184144
Might you be the same apprentice-level schizo who posted >>17180752 asking why a cup and a pot that couldn’t possibly be more uniquely Japanese is “larping as Chinese”?

>>17184218
Please don't argue with the wandering xenophobic village idiots. It only encourages them. Like this post will give him a chub but I'm not going to respond back to whatever bait he throws at this post. The best he can do is a poor imitation responding to himself.

>>17180677
Does that cast iron kettle have enamel in it? It's nearly impossible to find tetsubin that don't have an enamel coated interior here in the US. Apparently enamel coated stuff can't be used on a burner. Nice induction cooktop btw.

>>17184494
It does have an enameled interior, though I picked it up in Osaka. So really it’s a tetsu kyusu rather than a true tetsubin.
I don’t heat water in it, I fill it from an electric kettle; once to preheat, and then pour that out and refill for brewing. It has insane thermal retention so I can’t complain.

>Nice induction cooktop btw.
Actually it’s just a glasstop kitchen scale. I use it for measuring leaves/water, especially when trying a new tea so I can “dial in” adjustments more easily.

>>17183398
try "enhancing" homemade kombucha with some neutral spirits :)

I really should get a scale, I got a full leaf tea rolled into thin needles and it is pretty much entirely impossible to measure it out with a teaspoon.

>>17184603
Doesn't even need to be neutral. I was making finished bourbon kombucha cocktails for a while. Little lavender and dark berry simple syrup and a splash of brown for the second ferment.

>>17184603
Yeah retard, you can add alcohol to any fucking liquid. Doesn't mean you're getting drunk on tea, you're getting drunk on that liquor you added. Then I can just as well mix liquor and regular tea. Do you have Down syndrome?

>>17184651
try not drinking shitty chinese twig water

To pumidor users: Do you keep the individual tea in ziplock bags in the pumidor or no?

>>17179866
Cringe.

>>17179875
My dad got some Tom Petty tea called Wildflowers

>>17184773
It's good tea bro it just doesn't fit into traditional measuring devices.

>>17182658
Drinking this right now. Pretty good. A little similar to pic related I guess, but I think this has a little more flavor. Both are Ceylon tea so I guess they should be similar.

>>17185577
I don't think ive ever tried a pure ceylon tea, ive maybe had it in english teabag blends but that's it. Have you been taking your tea without milk and sugar?

>>17185611
With sugar, no milk

>>17184848
that hurts

There's this tea I once tried called 'Liquorice Legs'. It has the craziest flavour I've ever tasted.
When you drink it, you taste nothing for about 0.5 seconds, then your tastebuds are saturated with sweetness almost to the point where you feel a sense of pleasure/ecstasy in your mouth. I can't even describe it properly.

Anyone know other teas with insane flavours like this?

Ever made tea cocktails? I brew green tea extra strong as a decoction, sweeten it a bit and mix it with vodka, white rum or other generally neutral alcohol. It's nice. I would not rec using a good quality green for this necessarily. 2bh, I use that 100g/$1 stuff.

on impulse I threw in some green tea with my pasta and this is actually so good wtf

>>17186114
I know Koreans and Japanese have tea noodles, although I've never had it so idk if it's noodles made with tea, noodles boiled in tea or noodles served in tea.

Who else here in poverty mode

>>17186114
Now make ochazuke

>>17187036
Fukkin love me some ochazuke for real I straight eat th fuk out of some ochazuke.
Sake-chazuke and umi-chazuke are so good I’d stab a bitch over some.

I need to find a good travel gongfu set i like so i have something to use when i visit family. recently i have just been drinking some cheap Chinese black tea brewed western style due to a lack of equipment.

>>17186894
I have been drinking cheap tea bought by the kilo for the last moth or two after blasting through my nice stash earlier this year.
No corncob pipe tho. Used to roll my own but now i mix my own vape juice, costs about $45 a gallon to make.

>>17187254
Drink grampa style if the teas you like work with it. That's what i do when visiting family.
Otherwise spend like 15 on one of those kamjove push button brew pots. That's a very easy thing for travel. Or an ingenuitea if you want something in all plastic, you can just borrow a mug to brew into.

>>17187394
>Drink grampa style if the teas you like work with it.
i mainly drink a lot of sheng so grandpa style is not really ideal. i also want to share some gongfu sessions with my family.

>push button brew pots
i would be tempted to buy one if they made one without all the plastic. not sure how often i would use it though.

>>17187589
your family doesn't want to larp as chinese with you. chinese mock you behind your back

>>17184778
I do, mostly just to keep crumbs and loose tea leaves contained.

>>17184778
i use mylar bags so my tea is already sorted by categories. i know some people who use container style pumidors will use unzipped bags to help keep things organized and to contain any tea dust or broken off bits with the cake it came from.

any other larpers want to drink tea and pretend to speak chinese together?

>>17187792
こんばんは、anon-後輩 ! It’s too late for お茶. So I am enjoying a nice 純米大吟醸 from a historic brewery in 那珂市、a beautiful, quiet little town in 茨城県.

>>17187792
when you eat pasta do you pretend to be Italian?

>>17187792
I prefer to pretend to be british and that I've literally oppressed the entire planet in order to get this tea
want some opium?

>>17188259
… hold up anon, are you saying you *don’t* say things in a mockingly stereotypical Italian accent when making/eating pasta?
Not even a basic “Mama-Mia! Thats-a spicy meat-a-ball!”?

>>17181252
Chilled chamomile tastes much better than hot, it's sweet and refreshing

>>17185577
Why does someone post this image at least a dozen times every thread? Legit, is this an attempt to shill it or?

>>17188436
>shill it
According to my googling, which was half-assed and lazy because I’m tired and have been drinking sake (>>17187881), that stuff seems to be sold just in Sweden.
I do find it interesting that it doesn’t have that “lion” logo which companies can use when their Ceylon meets the standards of the Sri Lanka Tea Board.
Pic related; it’s toward the right side of my box of allahu-akbar jihad Ceylon.

Got a selection of different teas.
The taiwanese was good. Trying some chinese one, is not bad either.

Also got matcha, but need a better bowl for it.
I prefer my tea non-chinese, like Taiwan or Japan. Must make that clear to family for next christmas.

I liked oolong I bought from T2, is there any other oolong in Austr I should consider over that?

>>17187254
>travel gongfu set
just buy disposable tea bags.

>>17187254
I'd just buy a metal filter and use their cups.

>>17189142
not larpy enough and doesn't satisfy the autism the same way

>>17187792
Nah, I just get tea drunk and read cultivation novels

anyone has some experience with tamaryokucha? I can steep my sencha 3-4 times, but I feel like my tamaryokucha really has taste only on the 1st brewing.

>>17187792
what if I want to larp as a pajeet? I'm drinking pajeet tea right now.

>>17189427
it's easy: once you need to go to the toilet, stay where you are and do your thing.

>>17188515
I checked and the Dilmah tea has that sign on the back.

>>17187254
>>17189207
This is what I'll get one day
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/teawares/products/sama-portable-gong-fu-insulated-glass-flask

>>17189691
Damn that’s a rather clever and nice-looking design.
Shame it isn’t a bit larger, but of course I’d think that because I don’t brew kung pao style.

>>17189691
i would check this out if you are interested in that type of brewer. i think it is one of the better designed ones.
https://crimsonlotustea.com/products/gongfu2go
https://crimsonlotustea.com/collections/seattle-inventory/products/gongfu-anywhere-the-gongfu2go-portable-tea-brewer-seattle-inventory

>>17189755
Thanks for letting me know. Their solution for pressure build up is, despite less elegant, far more clever and useful. I'm changing goals right now.

>>17189854
>sold out
All hopes: lost.

>>17189854
i also liked that CLT used a lager brewing chamber than most other ones on the market. the only thing i don't like about it is that it still has a little bit of plastic touching the tea but nearly all of them on the market do. i saw one on taobao that didn't (besides a silicone gasket) but it was both more expensive and not nearly as cleverly designed as CLT's one. whenever i get around to putting in an order with crimson lotus tea i will probably get one myself.

>>17189880
>sold out
only the USA store is sold out they still ship it from China. i would bet they will resock the USA invintory eventuly.

>>17189890
Duly noted. I'm in EU anyway.

LP needs to fucking ship my samplers. Absolutely ridiculous that my white2tea china ems from 4 days before will get here before a usps box from fucking ohio.

>live in an area with incredibly shitty, ridiculously hard tapwater
>finally decide to brew tea with bottled spring water
>night and day difference, can taste all the notes that I thought were there but barely experienced, everything is vivid and exciting compared to the muted and dull flavors I was experiencing before
Welp, guess I have to start paying for spring water.

>>17190274
I had a similar realization. My tap water gives everything an almond taste, and purified water just saps away flavor.

*ruins your beverage*

>>17190253
You get that $5 pack? He hasn't shipped mine yet either, he did say in the listing he was only shipping around 4 per day so it might take a while.

>>17190274
Yeah im considering putting an undersink filtration system in. I really need one of those elaborate water softening systems here but i don't feel like hauling 50lb bags of salt into my basement all the time

>>17190274
>>17190297
Try to get your hands on a distiller if you can. I've got an old jap one from the 80s I still fire up when I need to but I haven't fucked with custom tea water specifically.

https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-redux/

>>17190474
I think I paid for 5x$5, but someone else I shilled it to who ordered after me already has his :/

>>17191030
If he starts distilling water he has to also remineralize it with custom mineral blends

>>17191414
...which is why I linked the barista hustle recipe page.
>custom tea water

>>17191420
Oh duh. I haven't had enough tea today.

>>17190253
>>17190474
>>17191030
My sampler got here today, I'll post what I got and notes as I go through it.

I kinda want to order the cheap meme cakes from KTM, what else is good from there?
Im specifically looking for a ripe cake but im open for anything

>>17182212
Bit ironic to call someone obsessed while wasting your life on a website you hate trying impotently to clamp down on people saying mean things about your sacred troons.

>>17192120
These dayi red ripes are very strong and fast infusing, bud heavy
https://kingteamall.com/collections/home-page/products/2021-dayi-hong-yun-yuan-cha-red-flavor-round-tea-cake-100g-puerh-shou-cha-ripe-tea
This dayi ripe is supposed to be fantastic for the the price
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2017-xiaguan/products/2017-xiaguan-shangpin-jinsi-daxueshan-golden-ribbon-big-snow-mountain-brick-100g-puerh-ripe-tea-shou-cha?variant=30877376774247
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2019-xiaguan/products/2019-xiaguan-ling-long-wan-gu-shu-exquisite-old-tree-357g-puerh-ripe-tea-shou-cha?variant=37826454651060
I haven't had ripe from this series but other ripes ive had from this brand have been fantastic
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2016-mengku-rongshi/products/2016-mengku-rongshi-gong-ting-palace-cake-400g-puerh-ripe-tea-shou-cha-1?variant=31484138651751
A few decently priced single village young raws
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2016-xiaguan/products/2016-xiaguan-da-hu-sai-dahusai-village-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2019-xiaguan/products/2019-xiaguan-meng-ku-xi-ban-shan-west-half-mountain-of-mengku-200g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2020-xiaguan/products/2020-xiaguan-bao-long-gong-she-lao-shu-yuan-cha-baolong-village-old-tree-round-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha?variant=32772437934183
Contd

>>17192394
Other assorted teas ive tried and liked
This is a really juicy tea
https://kingteamall.com/collections/others-puerh-tea/products/2006-lancang-jing-mai-gu-cha-jingmai-old-tree-tuo-250g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
This tea is great, pretty dry storage has left it with some bite, very clean taste
https://kingteamall.com/collections/others-puerh-tea/products/2002-tailian-international-puerh-tea-seminar-commemorative-cake-400g-puerh-sheng-cha-raw-tea?variant=31575383474279
Supposedly the 2018 v93 is the best batch they have made since 2013 or earlier
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2018-dayi/products/2018-dayi-v93-tuo-100g-puerh-shou-cha-ripe-tea
This is the best classical xiaguan taste cake i have had, much more smooth than their typical recipe cakes
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2009-xiaguan/products/2009-xiaguan-yin-song-he-silver-pine-crane-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
Anyway if you are looking for deals some of the cakes he has recently added look good, poke around for the cheaper ones.
Shipping is about $30 for a kilo so it's good to buy up close to a kilo for cheaper shipping but once you get over that weight you won't save any on shipping by buying even more tea. I will say his prices in some areas are much higher than they used to be. But still some deals if you are willing to dig around

>>17192394
>>17192400
Great recs, thank you.
Im gonna get some of the more affordable cakes you linked when i order

not reading the thread to check if anyone asked but any anon have a good seller for loose tea? i like cold brew black teas but don't want to buy from communist local shops

>>17193521
embarrassing post

thinking of getting this cast iron japanese tea pot.

anyone have any experience with iwachu products?
i am basically looking for something to last me a life time.

Also not sure wether to get the medium sized one or the large one. The medium one has a volume of 900ml, weighs 1.6kg and costs 155 Euros.

The large one has a volume of 1,3 litres, weighs 1,3kg and costs 213 Euros.

Anyone know why the large one would weigh less than the medium one? Also the large one is recommended for 0,65 l - 0,85 l while the medium one seems to be made for 075 l.

Just ordered some liu bao from “the 80’s” and 1998.
When I first sample them, I will do so while watching Inspector Gadget and Dexter’s Laboratory, respectively.

yesterday i drank 38g worth of tea, 4.5 L.
20g of Darjeeling (4g/200ml x3 steeps) to finish it off as the bag split
18g jasmine tea (6g/100ml x5 steeps) as i was comparing meileaf's to yunnansourcing's (ML's is more perfumed but tastes the same and lasts as long)
stomach felt a little tender but had no trouble sleeping. what's the most you've all drank in a day?

>>17193727
>>17193765
>>17193774
autism. get a real hobby

>>17193793
my hobby is fucking your mom, thats why i need all the caffeine

>>17193793
to be fair, tea is not a hobby for me at all.
i had a glass teapot that broke and now i am thinking that i might spend some money on one that looks really nice, is handcrafted by experts and will last me forever.

i drink tea every day and spending more money on quality products that you use daily generally seems to be a good idea.

>>17193727
Iwachu’s nambu ironware is practically legendary, at least among people who appreciate quality and craftsmanship.
Their craftsmanship quality is second to none in the world of cast iron products.
Additionally, the material is top notch.
The ore found in what used to be called “nambu” region yields incredibly high-grade iron, and “nambu ware” has been considered the best ironware in Japan for about 400yrs now.

However I’d personally go with a less “flat” design. Japanese people seem to go with a general rule of the flatter kettles like your pic being better for bagged tea, while “chubbier” kettles are superior for loose leaf.

>>17193793
Anon, your periodic one-way schizoposting has gone from mildly amusing to genuinely concerning.

Do you actively do anything to assess/treat your mental health? Like visiting a therapist or psychiatrist perhaps?
You should really get some help while you’re still young enough to be able to do something worthwhile after taking a healthier path.

I’d ask you to list some examples of “real hobbies” purely out of curiosity, but I know you won’t; same as you’ve not given any response thus far to anyone asking you to clarify your schizo ramblings.
That’s a good thing though; it shows you still have enough self-awareness to understand on some level that the things you say cannot be rationally qualified because they aren’t based on reality.
All the more reason you need to pursue a formal treatment option before it’s too late.

>>17193815
>>17193832
autism

>>17193858
Stop protecting, anon.
You need help. Please try to get it.

>>17193832
alright, thank you very much!
i mainly use bagged tea anyway and i really like the form of the flat one, because it looks kinda weird and unusual and beautiful at the same time.
the brown version also looks really nice.

so the only thing that's left for me to figure out is wether to get the big one or the medium one.

>>17191030
Nah I just buy several cases of spring water. Works out nicely if you know the right brands to get. I just go to Sprouts farmer market and pick up theirs

>>17193915
Do you think you’ll ever use the full capacity of the big one?
Perhaps serving guests or something?

You said yourself that you want it to last for life. So go with the largest you think you will ever conceivably use.
It’s not as if you’d suffer for under-utilizing it.
You aren’t going to ruin your tea or your teapot if you get a larger one and only partially fill it when using it for just yourself.

>>17194039
I dunno, oversized teaware is annoying, i generally recommend the opposite. Buying smaller teaware instead of getting something larger for rare occasions it might come in handy

>>17194651
If it’s a significant difference, I agree.
But he said the difference between the two pots is 400ml and 300g.
Those specific pots are on the pricier end of things as well. So if you’re gonna invest in one, the slightly larger one might make more sense in this case.

>>17193915
Also anon if you are still around, they are getting more rare but teavana ordered a massive run of pots from iwachu and they ended up on ebay super cheap.
There are still a bunch out there if you feel like digging around, look for the ones with the iwachu stamp on the base of the neck like pic related.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265386490852
I will second saying that iwachu is great, i got a cast iron frying pan fron them a decade ago. They were the best ones on the market before all these hipster revival cast iron brands with polished interiors showed up.

>>17194876
Yeah if you don't mind the designs they picked or the coloration on the outer steel these pots teavana ordered from iwachu is a great bargain
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275080073276

>>17194883
One more
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185192624139

>>17193832
>>17193915
You guys don't brew tea in a tetsubin, right? Right?
I have this piece of shit I got from teavana something like a decade ago, it looks this mold was basically dead when this was made. I kind of just assumed it was chinese, but here are the markings.

>>17194987
Embarassing fit and finish, but it was cheap.

>>17194987
>You guys don't brew tea in a tetsubin, right? Right?

it's a kyusu, you put in your tea and then you pour already hot water to fill up the teapot. it's not made for actually cooking water with it like a tetsubin

>>17195003
Waste of money and good materials. The enamel coatings always suck, and you need to make sure to get one without a basket like >>17194890 because the lid is supposed to fit with the basket in. You obviously can't use the basket for anything, so you're then stuck with a lid that doesn't fit or making unbelievably shitty tea. Tea pots should be made of clay, porcelain, or glass. Cast iron should be untreated and used for heating water.

>>17194987
See >>17184586
If the interior is bare iron, it’s a tetsubin. If it’s enameled, it’s a tetsu kyusu.

The former is fine for directly heating water in, same as any other kettle, as well as brewing. The latter is a teapot rather than a kettle; you can’t eat it directly. You fill it with water boiled in something else and brew your tea in it.

Also, literally no shame in it being from Teavana. It’s not as if they made it.
Pretty much all the tetsubin/kyusu they stocked were legit Japanese hand-cast ironware (albiet from relatively low-tier makers), which is why Teavana gave them a price range from $fuckyou up to $lolfuckyou.
A top quality testubin from a legit heritage workshop will still sometimes cost less today than what Teavana charged 10+ years ago for stuff made by literally who.

>>17195032
Cool opinion, other than the fact that nearly all of it is demonstrably false.
Either that, or your opinion is based on a shitty discount Chinese knockoff product.

>>17195095
Yeah, I know it's for brewing, it just brews like shit.

>>17184586
I use it for this, I preheat it, boil water on the stove, then transfer it to the kettle. I brew in a gaiwan or a glass teapot nowdays.

>Also, literally no shame in it being from Teavana. It’s not as if they made it.
Sure, but it's shit. Look at it, the details are totally gone and it doesn't even look like anyone bothered to clean it up after pulling it from the mold. Someone took a grinder to it, but that's it. It I bought that from an ancient Japanese seller folded ten billion times it would still be equally as shit. It's local college blacksmithing club tier.

Well lads i just spent $211 shipped on the last way to buy an affordable kilo of 2004 xiaguan
Might be my last King tea mall order in a while, their prices are out of control.
Wish me luck

>>17195105
You can't brew tea in a basket, there's not enough contact with the brew water, it doesn't work. If you remove the basket, the lid won't fit, and it's annoying to try and keep it in place when you pour. I've never seen one with a proper enamel coating, but even if it existed, you've now removed all of the benefits of the cast iron in the first place. It's just a worse brewing experience. There's a reason these didn't exist until a few years ago, because they're a dumb product.

>>17195126
>You can't brew tea in a basket
w-wut. so how do I brew tea in a teapot then?

>>17195176
Add tea, then add water.
Kyusu, which are made for brewing tea, have a strainer built in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq1wum_YEVY

The tea fills the pot, is in contact with all of the brew water, and the leaves have space to expand and unfurl fully. Chinese teapots are the same way.

>>17195126
>there's not enough contact with the brew water
but there is. you just to put in enough water.

> If you remove the basket, the lid won't fit
why would that be such a problem for something that is literally standing upright all of the time and while you are pouring you will have to hold the lid anyway.

>it's annoying to try and keep it in place when you pour
this sounds like something out of a shitty tv commercial. like if holding down the lid was ever such a big problem

>>17195126
>You can't brew tea in a basket
Enough people use them to warrant manufacturers including one. Using it is purely optional.
>If you remove the basket, the lid won't fit
I’ve never experienced this, and I never use a basket. The basket is not integral to the design/function of a proper Japanese iron pot.
>it's annoying to try and keep it in place when you pour.
Never experienced this either. Again, the basket is not necessary; the lid should fit correctly and stay put with or without it. The traditional shapes of the pot don’t require steep pouring angles anyway. But what you’re describing is a telltale sign of a cheaper “lookalike” pot made by some factory slave trying to copy a look without understanding the functionality behind the design.
>I've never seen one with a proper enamel coating
Another sign of the cheap Chinese “copies” I see for $20-$50 in Asian stores. The enamel coating in those is shit because it isn’t actual enamel. It seems like some sort of shitty contact sealant.
>you've now removed all of the benefits of the cast iron in the first place
The primary benefit with these pots is heat-retention. Enamel doesn’t affect that, and it’s simple enough to buy one with a bare interior if that’s what you prefer. The enameled kyusu are mostly exported to the west for people who can’t be bothered to care for bare iron; Japanese prefer the traditional interior.

>>17195258
>The primary benefit with these pots is heat-retention

not to mention, that unlike clay, porcelain, or glass, cast iron is basically unbreakable.

>>17195247
>but there is. you just to put in enough water.
Lol

>like if holding down the lid was ever such a big problem
It's annoying when I can feel it move, it's certainly not something I would accept on something I'd be paying hundreds of dollars for

>>17195258
>the lid should fit correctly and stay put with or without it.
The lid touches the basket, you can have a perfect fit with or without, but not both. It should be easy to place the lid on, and the lid should be entirely motionless when its seated. If it moves at all its absolute shit.

>>17195258
>The enamel coating in those is shit because it isn’t actual enamel.
I've seen and used extraordinarily expensive coated enameled cast iron, it's shit because Japanese won't touch them and don't care about the quality. It's not like I've seen all of them, it's possible there are beautiful, high quality enameled products out there, but I've never seen one.

Enamel prevents you from using it to boil water, which is it's actual main purpose and prevents the water from coming in contact with the iron. I would assume you'd buy one because you want the iron to affect your brew water. If it's just for aesthetics, then who cares. It's annoying because the enamel degrades over time and the partially enameled pots are basically impossible to take care of. Little bits of water get trapped everywhere, and you can't just boil water again to dry it, because that will degrade the enamel even more.

>>17195288
They're actually quite delicate, they break pretty easily from thermal shock, and they can be somewhat brittle in spots. Satetsu is extraordinarily brittle.

>>17195247
>this sounds like something out of a shitty tv commercial
Fuck, it’s already playing in my head.
>Narrator says “Do you love tea, but hate the mess?”
>woman with dirty-blonde hair goes to pour a cup of tea from a tetsubin, over-dramatically tilts it >90 degrees, lid careens off and cracks her teacup, all of the tea gushes from the top, covering the table and running onto the floor
>She looks at the camera with exaggerated frustration; “Why is pouring tea always sooooooo hard?!?”

>>17195320
kek perfect

>>17179866
Chinese friend of mine used to invite me over for tea every now and then, he had this great oolong that his family got him from HK
Then corona hit and he went back to HK and I can't find any tea that's as good as his

>>17195373
Do you remember what kind of oolong it was?
The ball kind or the kind that's long leafs? Was it charcoal roasted or green and creamy tasting?

>>17195313
>you can have a perfect fit with or without, but not both.
Again, I guess we’ve had vastly different experiences.
The ones I’ve used which are properly designed/made in Japan are perfectly fine with or without the basket. Basically the same as one of those stockpots that come with a pasta strainer.
The lid fits perfectly on the pasta strainer when it’s nested and being supported by the rim of the pot. The lid also fits perfectly on the pot itself when you aren’t using the strainer.
>It should be easy to place the lid on, and the lid should be entirely motionless when its seated. If it moves at all its absolute shit.
I absolutely agree, and would be extremely irritated if I had to deal with the poor fit you’re describing.
>I've seen and used extraordinarily expensive coated enameled cast iron
Can you quantify “extraordinarily expensive”? Part of why tetsu kyusu are so popular outside Japan is that they tend to be significantly cheaper than the traditionally-made bare iron pots, because “sealing” the iron from the water/tea means the pot can be made without the autistic perfectionism involved in the effectively-flawless casting required by bare pots.
Japanese autism is expensive as fuck.
>it's shit because Japanese won't touch them and don't care about the quality
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. In my experience it’s had the same high level of quality I’d expect from any other item from a shop making traditional Japanese crafts. No chipping, bubbling, delamination, etc. from normal use and proper care.

>>17179996
fermented tea that turns into actual shit if you don't ferment it correctly

>>17195320
10/10 infomercial. would buy.

ok /tea/, I have 50 dollar christmas money to buy useless shit with. I have too much black and oolong (roasted) tea for now, what are the greens I want?

>>17193858
tea. drinks bottled lipton.
>>17194011
If it works it works, but you've got no clue what the minerality of that spring water is or if you can improve it for a few cents a gallon. Keep it in mind. Bookmark that link. Never know when you'll come across a used distiller.

>>17195620
Maybe something smokey?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303137883976
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303499954125
Maybe something more creamy
https://www.ebay.com/itm/303137891960
Anyway it is getting late in the year for green tea. If you wait till the middle of January he should have some super early 2022 green teas from southern china.

>>17195782
ok. I ended up just buying a single cup small ass teapot instead.

can i use a bombilla to drink my grandpa style brewed tea so i dont choke on the leaves

>>17196428
Sure

whats kombucha taste like

I've loved drinking tea for years but never really dove into learning it at all. Just reading the pastebin for this general has taught me a bunch. Now I have a bunch of things to look into purchasing to try and improve my tea making before going back to trying different types of tea... this time hopefully higher quality stuff. I have a backlog of older tea I bought 2-4 years ago but pretty sure 90% of it is "meh" quality at best, mainly from tealyra and David's Teas. So far favourite types of tea would be pu'er, oolong, and honeybush, but I'm sure I don't brew them well.

>>17196788
Tea is fun.
I found honeybush to be a bit finicky, i have best results with it when i brew it with freshly boiled water but only for about 60 seconds. It seems much more sweet this way, when i tried brewing it for 3-4 minutes it seemed like it would get butter.

>>17196803
>when i tried brewing it for 3-4 minutes it seemed like it would get butter.
Mmm, buttery honeybush. But I'll take that into consideration. I notice the pastbin doesn't have times/temps for honeybush or rooibos, so I'll have to look elsewhere for more information. On top of just trying different things. Just gotta figure out how I'm gonna drink all this tea while also trying out as many different types of alcohol I can... I'm gonna be in the bathroom a lot with all this liquid.

>>17196825
Yeah i really need to rework the brew times section of the pastebin. Most people don't brew their tea multiple times when doing regular western style brewing so the chart could be more helpful by having instructions to make a single cup of tea instead of several.

>>17196833
If you're going to go through that much work, why not include both notes for western infusion? Think it might confuse some people?

This is easily the best tea

>>17196605
It’s easy to make a perfect-tasting kombucha “replica”.

>1. Brew some tea. Add fruit juice or herbs until you can barely taste the tea
>2, If you live in North America, but some Bud Light. If you don’t, buy the most inexpensive light lager you can find
>3. Combine the tea/juice/herb concoction with the light lager at a ratio of roughly 9:1 respectively
You now have a near-perfect approximation of most kombucha you’d find in a store.

>>17196605
where i live you can buy kombucha in regular stores. the brand is called "carpe diem" and the logo features an archer. just give it a try.

>>17195126
>>17195258

from the looks of it the basket sits on a lower level than the lid. so you should be able to easily close the lid without needing the basket for a perfect fit

How do people take english breakfast without sugar
it's just tastes weird

>>17186894
Nice pipe bro

>>17195189
ok. I just threw my leaves into the teapot and strained the output and it definitely tastes different so maybe you're right.

>>17186894
Bro are you living in an old lawn shed? The insulation in those sucks

>>17198485
same way I drink all my tea plain. I like it. the stronger the better.

>>17196803
I'm currently sipping a rooibos/honeybush blend that's been brewing for half an hour and it's as sweet as it ever was. You cannot overbrew these things.

My orange trees gave me a plentiful harvest and I've decided to add bits of peel into my brews. It's actually really good, I don't know how I didn't think about this before, it tastes like winter.

>>17179875
How curious, my mother gifted all my aunts with greek mountain tea this week.

every time i do grandpa style it gets bitter before its cooled enough to drink. is oolong just not cut out for it or am i using too much leaves or should i brew it at a lower temp than usual or

>>17199224
You can also dry the peels and store them long term. They go great in tea.

>>17199231
What kind of oolong? Realistically most oolongs don't work for grampa style. I usually only use it for really heavily roasted oolongs. Green oolongs ive had mixed results with.
You can try letting your water cool to 90°c before brewing, i found that was enough to get some of my temperamental oolongs to brew grampa style. Others especially some more delicate taiwan oolongs refused to cooperate with grampa style no mater what i did.

>>17199401
I usually quick-dry them on the house's radiators in the winter because they make the room smell nice and just throw them away after that. Never thought about re-using those.

>>17199416
The chinese dry and age the skins of some certain citrus fruit, it's called chempi. They are mostly used for traditional Chinese medicine and they believe the older they are the better medicinal benefits. I don't really care about that, i buy bags of chempi to mix with my teas, the aged ones taste great, they add a more mellow, slightly medicinal citrus flavor.
Try drying some on your radiator and when they are dry enough to crack when you bend them stuff a bunch in a mason jar and sick it on some cool shelf in your pantry.

>>17199415
interesting! i tried with four seasons and milk oolongs. don't have any roasted ones and i'm trying to get through my hoard of tea before ordering more... maybe i'll just try it with some whites instead?

>>17199492
>maybe i'll just try it with some whites instead?
Yeah, whites should cooperate better.

Does anyone use one of these tea machines?

You can dail in a desired water temperature and infusion time, the machine does the rest.

for storing loose leaf tea, i have two places where i could store it in my house, either in a kitchen cabinet above where i cut food and shit or in this storage room which is cold but its next to where i dry my clothes, which place would be better?

>>17199800
I've been looking at two other ones online, but both seem to have issues with breaking and being impossible to fix (so you have to buy a whole new one). I figure I'll just get an electric kettle and do the rest manually. If I knew of one that was reliable, and easy to clean, I'd jump right on it because they seem amazingly convenient. Here are the ones I was looking at:

https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/tea/btm800.html

https://www.adagio.com/teaware/velociTEA.html

>>17199801
Just keep the tea in sealed packages or in mason jars with the lids screwed on tight, you want to avoid strong odors because the tea can start to smell like them, i would probably keep it in the kitchen instead of the utility room because laundry detergent and dryer sheets smell quite strongly. But as long as the tea is sealed up well it should be fine.

>>17199800
I think they’re a cool concept, but not personally for me. I enjoy the act of making my tea, and my kettle has selectable temperature so I’m good on the water.

I could see one maybe being useful at my office though.

>>17199800
>You can dail in a desired water temperature and infusion time, the machine does the rest.
I've got a thing that does that too
I think it's called a pair of hands and a fucking thermometer

>>17200261
>needing a thermometer
real men have been looking at the water bubbles and eyeball the perfect temperature of their tea for millennia.

>>17200261
>>17200268
temp control kettle ~£35. you guys using a camp fire to heat the water too?

>>17200304
>not simply staring at the water until your burning hate for non-tea beverages makes it boil
NGMI

>>17179866
ITS BLOOOOOOOOO

>>17200309
Yeah but you gotta like... vary your level of hatred in order to get the correct temperature per type of tea.

>>17200639
15 years on 4chan have taught me to focus my hatred with zen-like precision
let me at 'em sensei, I'm ready

anyone know where to get good fair priced TGY with tart or sour notes after 2-3 brews? most places just have decent roasted oolongs and greens that are usually way too floral only occasionally with more complex vegetal/creamy or fruit flavors, very rarely citrus and not much in terms of mouth feel

>>17192400
>>17192394
I really wish you would use a soft trip so I can search for your recs or if you had them in a pastebin of some kind. I bought a couple of things you recommended in the past and I'm a fan.

>>17200965
Try this one, it really impressed me:
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/imperial-aaa-tie-guan-yin-of-anxi-oolong-tea-of-fujian?_pos=2&_sid=ff6a1a9bd&_ss=r

>>17200261
>claims “I’ve got A thing”
>proceeds to list two things; technically three
You’re clearly a lying piece of shit, and you don’t have any of those things.

cheap christmas presents (12/lb, 25/half lb, 8/quarter lb). got some madarin puerh as well but i'm probably going to end up giving it away. also got high quality ginseng oolong and sticky rice flavored ripe puerh which are definitely some of my favorites esp on a budget

>>17200999
Thanks, i don't want use a trip or name because i don't like calling attention to myself. I generally try to respond to puerh and hei cha related recommendation requests but i don't get all of them. I can try and post with a name just when i put up recommendations but i can't promise i will remember.

>>17201291
Is that bag on the left the instant thai tea stuff? How do you usually prepare it? I would drink that stuff all the time if i could but i don't really want to drink that much sweetened condensed milk.
Do you know if ginseng is usually mase with asian red ginseng or the north American stuff? I can drink American ginseng because it's too cooling in the TCM sense.

>>17201420
yeah it's real nice especially for the pricing. it's not very rich in flavor but it can be brewed strong and tastes good hot on it's own or with cream and with sweetener/milk iced, although without dairy it has a strong liquorice taste. i just make a pot with a couple tbsp tea leaves and put most of it in a water bottle with half and half to drink hot in the morning to after noon and save the rest in the fridge for iced tea (needs sugar imo)

https://vitaltealeaf.net/collections/oolong-teas/products/blue-people-ginseng-oolong

>Taiwanese high mountain oolong tea blended with premium ginseng powder and licorice root.
>The combination creates a tropical fruit like aroma that ends with a complex honey like sweet flavor that promotes natural energy, focus, and concentration.

https://vitaltealeaf.net/collections/oolong-teas/products/ginseng-oolong

the blue people is great especially if you like non roasted oolongs with actual taste and mouth feel over 50c a cup for flower smelling water. very tart and sublime after taste and good slightly creamy and vegetal base. by far best 'tea high / drunk feel' without

>>17201491
>by far best 'tea high / drunk feel'
Yeah i believe it, ginseng on it's own is pretty potent.

>and mouth feel over 50c a cup for flower smelling water
over implying more than sorry for grammar, also meant to say without just tasting like raw caffeine like lower quality puerhs, has same kind of atmospheric quality that is hard to find even in expensive tea products (like old puerh tea tasting distinctively like you're sharing tea with some old chinaman in meditation or telvanni wizards in morrowind)

>>17195732
These things depend on your electricity costs.
Reviews say it takes 5h to destill 4l @ 750W so thats 4kWh of electricity. (in Europe we arrived at 0.30 / kWh)
Here I pay 1.19 for 5l of spring water so that would be cheaper compared to destilling.

>>17201395
Yeah a soft trip is just a name without the trip code acting as a password. It's a pretty outdated way of referring to it, mb. A pastebin with your recs would also be amazing, thanks.

>>17201517
>without just tasting like raw caffeine like lower quality puerhs
I dunno, man.
I’ve tasted some pretty shit puerhs before.
And I’ve also tasted raw purified caffeine which I had to isolate (from tea leaves, coincidentally) as an organic chemistry assignment back in college.
I’d rather drink 10 liters of the worst puerh than take another single taste of caffeine.

>>17201867
sorry meant more like relative feel to other caffeine drinks not the stimulant drug itself, like how shit instant /lots of rural coffee stop coffee tastes and the feeling of that compared to high quality tea or pretty much any coffee i've had (lived in seattle since birth), wouldn't want to drink a cup of something that feels like sudafed and gives you the shits when you're expecting a nice social tea time

>>17201895
Nah my bad, I knew what you meant and was being facetious.
Facetious but honest, though; that caffeine was disgusting.

>>17199442
>chinese dried orange peels
Why not make a DDT infusion and skip the extra steps at that point

If I order loose tea from a tea shop, how much better is it going to be than teabags/loose tea from a grocery store?

>>17203656
46%

These tea filters are kind of shit. Your fingers get wet and you almost burn your hand. I have to tie dental floss to the end every time.

>>17203890
You should get chopsticks or tongs.

>>17203656
Depends on the tea shop, somewhere between not much better to a completely different product that doesn't even seem in the same league as teabags.

is it worth buying samples of several puer cakes before buying a full one?

I want to get into spiced tea, but tea with milk is sort of disgusting to me. Is there a point to spiced tea without milk?

Also, who drinks it here? Do you buy a chai mix like the one from vadham, or do you buy your own spices and regular black tea and diy it?

>>17203890
take one of these and clamp the bag to your cup you mong

Opinions on Bigelow, anons?

>>17204211
>I want to get into spiced tea, but tea with milk is sort of disgusting to me. Is there a point to spiced tea without milk?
You can for sure make spiced tea without milk. If you are into that kind of thing you could even use something like oat milk, there are some brands that are specially made for making lattes and other hot drinks that would work great for chai.
Personally ive always bought the premixed tea and spices. The ideal way to do it would be to use fresh whole spices and grind them right before making tea but i haven't found anyone that sells a whole chai spice mix that is reliably actually fresh and buying all the different spices from a good spice vendor would be a big investment unless you drink chai all day every day.
I can pretty much guarantee that almost everyone that drinks chai in India just uses a pre mix of ground spices and tea dust.

>>17204293
Based for buying Charleston tea plantation and keeping it in operation.
Constant comment is pretty nice for a mellow flavored tea, nice in the winter. No idea how their plain black tea bags stack up, probably pretty meh like all black teabags.

>>17203656
'bout three fiddy

What are some oddball things you anons like to do with tea? When brewing a thermos of tea, I like to drop a few dried fruits in the thermos. The tea and the fruits have delicious sex with eachother, and once the tea is done, I get juicy tea filled fruit to eat

>>17204794
I do the same thing except with various kind of jerky.

>have pic related
>have also a steel bento box
>make some tea
>place the tea pot on the empty box
>mfw it stays warm longer
How?

>>17205110
Probably because air has lower thermal conductivity than the countertop

>>17179914
Is that tablecloth to shoe you how to arrange everything for a proper tea service?

>>17205154
I guess. It seems a useful way to warm up my meal. I will try it with a full bento box some day.

>>17205110
>the empty box
You answered your own question.
The box is empty. So the pot is basically sitting on static airspace within a thin metal wall. And static air doesn’t conduct any meaningful amount of heat away from the source.

>I will try it with a full bento box some day.
When you try this, you can expect to observe the opposite.
The pot will no longer sitting on enclosed airspace; it will be sitting on enclosed food, and the food *will* conduct/absorb heat away from the pot much more than the empty box.

>>17205196
Interesting. So I can warm up my food with a pot of tea. Good to know.

>>17205110
Nice pot, all that's missing is a whistle

>>17205319
I got for cheap in Finland. They don't sell it as cheap anymore:
https://opamuurikka.fi/tuote/mari-kahvipannu-1-5-l-ii-laatu/

Why do I need a whistle? The whole premise of the pot is that it is steel, and I can use it for example over an open fire (which I already did, works well, but the pot gets black).

>>17205334
How else do you expect to stop basketball games?

>>17205350
Why would I want to do that?

>>17205334
>Why do I need a whistle? The whole premise of the pot is that it is steel, and I can use it for example over an open fire
I don't see the connection. What do you think a whistle is for?

>>17205537
I mean it makes sense from a point of view that the water is now ready for tea, as a signal, but I have good timing and tell the water temperature from the form of the bubbles.

>>17205563
The vast majority of people aren’t going to feel like actively paying attention and I water when waiting for it to boil.
But they also want to use the boiling water as soon as possible for something.
So the whistle is a perfect solution for people who want to ignore it but also know the moment it’s ready to stop being ignored.

>>17205596
Yes but can I set it to whistle at a specific heat? I do not pay much attention, I just happen to know when it will be ready.

>>17205614
Well it whistles when the water is boiling.
That is a specific temperature, give or take insignificant amounts due to altitude or something.
But as I said, it’s just for people who want to ignore it but know when it’s done.
Like when people turn on the “finished” alarm of clothes washers/dryers. Same thing.

I have a stovetop kettle with a whistle, but I never use the whistle part. I can tell when it’s boiling by the steam coming out, and the whistle scares the shit out of my cat.

>>17205110
Nice kette anon

>>17205720
Thank you, I love it. The kettle follows me on my travels. Where my kettle is, I am happy.

>>17205679
Sounds like a useless feature.

question for kettle anons, do you actually brew in the kettle or do you only heat water?

>>17205929
In my I heat the water, then I add the tea. Before putting the tea in, I wet it. Then I let it sit, and before I take it out, I have it stir the tea.

>>17205929
Kettle heats the water, tea is brewed in a separate container.

>>17205110
Makes me wanna buy a pot. Is there a difference between a pot and a kettle? I like old school ones like pic related too.

>>17206371
Kettle boils water, teapot for making tea

>>17206406
Which are >>17206371 and >>17205110
then?

>>17206371
I really do not know. I was a student who needed a healthy drink. So I bought that kettle. I make my tea in it.
I think normally you'd just heat the water in a Kettle, but this one came with a tea egg, so I do not know.

>>17206431
Maybe a teapot. Maybe a kettle. It depends on your use of it, I guess.

>>17206431
Kettles

>>17206434
>>17206447
What if you boil and brew in the same vessel? Stumped you.
>>17206447
Wrong. The beige one is actually a coffee pot.

>>17206465
Sorry friend, im not questioning you life choices or how you choose to use your kitchenware but those are both kettles. At least in the the USA use of the words kettle and teapot/coffeepot

>>17206465
But anon. I do boil and brew in the same vessel! How else should I do on my travels, carry two vessels?

>not boiling your water in a glass mug and pouring it into a bowl filled with tea leaves to steep

>>17206493
I don't know how the fuck americans made coffee in the past but in my country the normal nethod before drip was what you call cowboy coffee. Water and grounds in the pot, boil up, take off, boil up again, take off, repeat a few times.

>>17206577
We used to use these godawful abominations called percolators
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zi_cXGkTA78

can you drink too much chamomile tea? what's the dosing, min, max, or otherwise?

>>17206613
Yeah we probably had them too. I'm talking way back, 60s or earlier.

>>17179866
So this is the power of order puer directly from China.

>>17206648
Camomile is like drinking water buddy

>>17206697
Lmao where did you order it?

>>17206577
>Water and grounds in the pot, boil up, take off, boil up again, take off, repeat a few times.
Its funny how cowboys managed to steal a turkish method. They were also brewing in dallahs, but without the repeated boiling. Bring water up to temp, add coffee, simmer for a few minutes under boiling and strain.

>>17206697
I'm still waiting on my latest order to ship, if it doesn't make it before Chinese new year I'm going to lose my shit

>>17206818
>strain
Doesn't have much in common with cowboy coffee then

What's the criteria for tea/etc websites being listed in the pastebin? Are they effectively 'vetted' by the general as high quality, or is it just "these websites are known and not absolute crap" websites? Mostly just curious, especially as I want to stock up on mate in the new year and I live in the middle of nowhere, Canada, so local stores aren't a thing.

>>17206890
Generally they are stores that people either like or just that look right and don't have insane prices or obviously bunk quality stuff. That mate store in the USA in the pastebin seems pretty solid. You can always find it being sold on Amazon or whatever but i haven't seen any other shops in the US with such a huge selection. They seem to sell a lot of it too so that makes it more likely to be fresh and i trust them to store it properly. I always hate buying food on Amazon especially from third party sellers because you don't really know where it came from or how they got it.

>>17206721
From fullchea-tea.com ordered some puer tea during cyber Monday sale an anon here recommended.

>>17206912
I was more just curious than anything. I'll try from that store, I had been using tealyra previously but always good to try out other options. I'd like to avoid Amazon if at all possible, for a variety of reasons.

>>17206938
>I'd like to avoid Amazon if at all possible, for a variety of reasons.
Yeah i agree. Im not really sure where i would look in Canada. I'm guessing you don't have a lot of south American stores. Sometimes i find it at the grocery store.

>>17206992
>I'm guessing you don't have a lot of south American stores. Sometimes i find it at the grocery store.
I'm in rural atlantic canada. We ain't got shit. Online is basically my only option.

>>17206868
Because cowboys were posting their recipes on imageboards back in the 19th century. Muslin has been exported worldwide since at least the 17th century. Going to guess a few vaqueros were straining their brews.

>>17207005
Just buy from yunnansourcing.com
It hasn't fucked me in the ass yet and I'm American.

>>17207056
Yunnan sourcing doesn't sell mate

>>17207065
>mate
Oh. I didn't read so well.

Did anyone ever make tea in a tea percolator or coffee percolator? Or a french press?

>>17205934
>>17205982
i was thinking to brew the tea in a separate vessel then to add it again back to the kettle for convenient reheating and pouring, currently i just do this in a great big gallon pot.

Had tea with a slice of lemon today. Mama mia

>>17207114
I don't think so. It's pretty much always been teapots until teabags were popularized

Cool cup

I bought a 300ml gaiwan because I'm tired of dealing with strainers. Did I fuck up?

How do you brew in a pot?

>>17207254
Gaiwan is for haiwan, just kidding, don't know

>>17207246
Love that crackle glaze. It's a super cool effect

>>17207266
Idk. I just put leaves in it and pour through a strainer.

Happy new year.

>>17204192
I usually get full cakes unless i want to try a really expensive one every once in a while.
As long as the reviews/recommendations are decent you wont get something undrinkable

>>17207254
>I bought a 300ml gaiwan because I'm tired of dealing with strainers.
They're also doing teapots with built-in strainers.
But whatever works for you.

>>17208199
Steel-Kettle anon here. I'm thinking I may place a sieve in the thing where the water comes out, and stop using strainers as well. It seems like a good idea.

>>17208388
Ya, I just bought some of these wire coil things you put in the neck. If it doesn't work so well, I'll just use my oversized gaiwan.

drinking some yabao tea rn, its interesting how the water is completely clear with no colours almost like water though im not sure if its supposed to look like this lol, the taste of the tea is still going strong after 5+ infusions also.

>make coffee because I got beans I need to get rid of.
>pull all my coffee shit out of storage
>grinder hopper full of static clinging crap that gets all over the place
>filter is not permeable, mud water sitting there for minutes
>pull out French press
>sludgey cold coffee after 4 minutes
>burnt, oily, not good

It's good to be reminded why I became a tea chad. Coffee is literally 10x more annoying and finicky than tea.

happy new /tea/
which I am not going to make