/ck/ - Food & Cooking

i prefer coffee

Drink more tea

>>18829802
Man I try because I love the flavors of all my teas but then they make me have anxiety attacks where I end up overthinking death for hours.
Caffeine is such a crappy drug its unreal

>>18829813
have some GABA, bancha or ripe pu-erh, bro

>>18829858
it still happrns with GABA and ripe puerh
I just did ripe 2 days ago and it messed me up

>>18829869
Take a break from caffeine for a while, ive done that before for similar reasons and have no problems drinking it again now.
Also do some fucking cardio, squats, pushups whatever, make it so your body is tired by the end of the day

>>18829917
My body did worse with caffeine when I walked 7 miles a day to work and back
Its just never treated me well.

>>18829813
Try supplementing L-theanine with your tea. The kids are also into lavender / ashwaganda, lavender supposedly affects α2 and α3 GABA-A subunits, it's unclear what ashwaganda does beyond maybe functioning as a dopaminergic. All of these are pretty cheap and easy to find, I'd recommend them in that order if you're interested in trying new things, look at them as an easy but low probability of success option. Alternatively, become at peace with the inevitable end of consciousness.

farmerleaf lao man e autumn cake arrived :D i got a sample of their jingmai miyun and gulan cakes too
will post notes over the weekend when i try this

Is tea good for you?

>>18831193
Mentally? Yes

>>18831193
You're supposed to post lust provoking images of Asian women when you ask this question.

>>18830794
Nice, excited to hear your thoughts on it

tfw managed to lower caffeine intake over 2 weeks
time to celebrate with 50g of yerba

is tea good for u

>>18829752
Too expensive, involved, gear-dependent, and time consuming for my tastes, especially if you're roasting DIY.
Tea is superior in most cases.

>>18832057
Is it good for you tho?

>>18832067
Böba and boba. Based.

>>18832057
tea is pretty expensive

>>18832375
You can redeem over a pound of Assam tea for only one Google Play Store gift card. Stop drinking trendy mold tea.

>>18832429
sirs where do i redeem the assam but unironically give me a link

I'm going to drink corporate shit and heat the water up in the microwave and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it

>>18832492
Based, I always take all the cheap teabags from the hotel too.

>>18832495
I will say that Yogis Egyptian Licorice is a mighty fine cup of tea. Haven't seen it on the shelf in years.

>>18832492
whats wrong with microwaving water, 60sec and i have boiling hot water

>>18832508
This is what I make shroom tea with and it's mega based for this exact purpose, can't taste them nasty little shits at all

>>18832538
Damn straight. Tea snobs will hate though.

>>18832553
I'm not able to do those drugs. I immediately get convinced that none of this is real and therefore none of it matters. Which isn't a hot/safe combo at all

>>18832538
>whats wrong with microwaving water
It gives you autism

>>18832560
nice

>>18832875
to late

whats the point in drinking anything but chamomille and green tea?

>>18831193
you forgot your sexually arousing image

>>18832962
fug

Might get really into gardening and tea at the same time. Make the case for me growing and enjoying tea leaves.

>>18832560
based based based

Nettles and ironwort. What else? I've grown to hate asians and their vile caffeinated slop.

Can I just brew Chinese or Japanese green tea in a western pot?

>>18832560
with exposure you learn to face the fears and eventually you figure out what it's about.

>>18833238
here

>>18832982
green tea is too powerful

>>18833259
Lemonbalm

>>18833432
This image gets worse and worse the more I look at it.

>>18833408
Sure no problem, if its a big teapot don't follow the ratios in the pastebin unless you are making tea for 20 people.

>>18832875
yea it makes the water radioactive

>>18832429
tea doesn't go bad, just loses potency

>>18833408
No, it creates mustard gas.

>>18832538
1000 watts confuses and enrages the european

Ant good teas in u.s grocery stores for sleep aid?

>>18833767

>having some decent grade semi-expensive long jing
>extremely mild, slightly sweet flavor with nothing interesting going on except a slight nuttiness
man, maybe long jing is just not for me. sencha is so much more interesting

>>18833809
I'm the opposite. I like the simplicity of mild, slightly sweet and nutty long jing. It's everything I look for in a green tea.

>>18833767

>>18833809
Its a very different experience, longjing is breddy good, but im not a big green tea drinker in general

>>18833411
No, I'm in my 40s. Tried it plenty, gave it multiple chances across many different environments. Just not for me. Everyone isn't you, kid

>>18832492
>>18832508
Yogi isn't even corporate it's just owned by a literal cult and its their financial arm so they can fund their compounds and sending their kids to boarding schools in India. The cult is called 3HO if you're interested.

>>18834436
If I had a nickel for every tea brand that was really a cult front, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

looking for a sweet, creamy, dessert-like ripe pu-erh or heicha
any reccs?

>>18834516
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/hunan-hei-cha-zhuan/products/2009-gao-jia-shan-wild-fu-zhuan-hunan-brick-tea
Has kind of a semi aged raw flavor but also has a really strong creamy almost fatty aspect, like the feeling in your mouth after you eat whipped cream. Also has that hei cha purple tea flavor if that makes any sense to you. Im not sure if that's quite what your asking for but ripes never tasted all that desert like to me.
This one is kinda pricey but the sample i had made me think of german black forest cake, cherries and all. Still had a tiny bit of pile taste but that was a year or two ago. I almost bought a kilo brick for myself. Still has some bitterness, wouldn't really call it sweet.
https://tea-expert.net/mengku/00135-mengku-bojun-2020?page=2

>>18833686
What ratio should I be following

If I get tea drunk and I go for a drive, can I get a TUI?

should I blind buy a Haiwan 9978 cake? I've seen someone reccomend it here and describe it as having a maple syrup or brown sugar like note which sounds lovely and the price is right.

>>18835603
It's illegal in California

>>18835596
You should follow the ratio in the pastebin, that anon is an imbecile.

>>18835058
thanks anon, cherry notes sound great. and I fucking love black forest cake, it's my favorite type of cake by far

>>18833674
what do you mean? too much caffeeine?

taking the runescape and shou pill

>>18836024
beast

>>18835603
>If I get tea drunk

What tea does this and how and how much? For my imagination fren

>>18836274
Imagine a puer lesbian having a bit too long of a gongfu session at the teahouse after work. She comes home then starts hair-pulling, slapping and abusing her wife.

>>18836299
Yeah but what brand tea how much and where to buy

>>18836362
Tea drunk is sort of a meme, i couldn't think of a tea in particular that i could guarantee will work that way.
The mansa raw puer cakes from bitterleaf teas have that reputation but they only have a version made with the older yellow leaf right now, which probably lacks the potency.
https://www.bitterleafteas.com/shop/tea/puer/alter-ego-2022-mansa-raw-puer-huangpian

>>18833247
Not worth growing tea for your own consumption. Just enjoy growing veggies that will be ready to harvest in a Summer while you drink tea from somewhere.

>>18836299
Will this ever not be funny? The answer is no

>>18837102
if you live in the deep south of the US it could work
I can't imagine anywhere else that's "first world" that its worth it

>>18837393
Even if it could work, it's not worth it in practice. Like bonsai keeping. It's too slow and the reward is miniscule. There are a million better things to do with your time and money, WHILE you can drink better tea.

>>18836274
i seem to get it only for chinese teas, probably because they're more unbroken leaf compared to indian ect, its mostly from drinking a lot of leaf in a very short time. its not really 'drunk' drunk, just giddy and a slight tunnel vision, well for me at least

>>18836274
raw pu-erh brewed gong fu style is most well-known for this
alternatively, there is the russian gulag / prison method of making super-strong tea to have the strongest kick possible: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifir
traditionally-brewed yerba mate is also a good choice

>>18838096
>Chifir
that is completely different to tea drunk, tea drunk is a relaxing feeling not a heart attack in liquid form

>>18837399
if you got like 40 acres in some place like alabama and just fill the whole plot up with tea bushes it'd be kinda cool
Buying pickers would be a problem these days though.

>>18838625
>Buying pickers would be a problem these days though.
https://youtu.be/HvOCttTKZwk

>>18838646
lmao

>>18829752
i prefer coffee right after i wake up but just instant coffee trash. when it comes to actually getting into it tea feels a lot more rewarding due to the higher degree of variation.

>>18838646
amazing

A good book for tea?

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/okakura-kakuzo/the-book-of-tea

What else might I like if I enjoy a soft, grassy, slightly sweet green tea? I've found some Dragon Well and Tikuan Yin oolong at a local shop but I think it's overly expensive ($5+/oz) so I'm looking around at yunnansourcing for the first time.

>>18839294
ys' Dragon Well is pretty good, you dont need to buy the fancy grade(or get a sample to compare). avoid their Bi Luo Chun greens(but the black is a very good malty tea)

>>18839294
other green teas and light oolongs would be a good start
most chinese green teas tend to be mild and sweet. japanese teas are usually more grassy and savory, but can have some sweetness as well

sipping on some cheap Vietnamese Si Ji Chun oolong I got at a local tea store, a friend turned me onto it
it's maybe less floral than the Taiwanese Si Ji Chun I had before, but very creamy and buttery, with something that reminds me of cinnamon as well
great value daily drinker. makes me want to try more Vietnamese oolongs if I get the chance, they could be an interesting cheaper substitute to Taiwanese oolongs

>>18839279
The six golden tips for making the perfect cuppa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnvYymrCn4g

>>18839279
Its only kind of about tea, but its not a bad read

>>18839279
none, I thought it was already estabilished

>>18839279
Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic is the one of the better books about tea but its only about puer tea and mostly about its history.

>>18829869
>>18830621
People will eat concentrated molecules before picking another plant as tea

Maybe caffeine is a thing of the past, the old framework is falling apart you know

>>18839525
Good find. I love this kind of BFI material.
>>18839660
Not just good, arguably the best literature about puerh available in English.

How do you guys drink strong tea (or even coffee really) without getting horny as fuck?
I easily get horny, especially if I'm having proper chocolate with it

>>18839973
Puerh really only makes me want to beat my girlfriend, really puts me in the mood for domestic violence.

>>18839973
i also take 100mg zinc every day and at 34 i still get random boners like a teenager

>>18839973
>t. pu-erh lesbian

I'm at a tea plateau. I have enough tea to last me a few months, with around an ounce of each variety I actually like (except the expensive stuff), so I can't bring myself to buy more. At the same time, I am getting used to the teas I have. Also, my sencha is either stale or poor quality because it doesn't have nearly the kick of the previous one I had.
>>18836362
Gyokuro and sencha usually (my most recent bag of sencha excluded) give me a euphoric feeling. Gyokuro is expensive though.
>>18833722
Does the caffeine go down too or just the freshness?

Have you ever scented a tea by accident? One time I happened to leave an unsealed packet of earl grey next to a cigarr, and they picked up each other's scent, which turned out quite pleasant, actually.

>>18840089
Its a good time to just enjoy the teas you have and start thinking about planning spring orders. I guess if you really need some variety you could order a handful of smaller samples from somewhere to get you through to harvest time

>>18840311
I put some chempi (dried cirrus skins) in my teas stashed overnight once and panicked in the morning when the whole box smelt like citrus. I need to experiment with using some to scent some ripe puer or something.

>>18840327
*dried citrus skins
Anyway a cigar or cigar box flavor seems like it would be solid to flavor some black tea

>>18840034
I don't take zinc in supplement but I still get random boners and stuff a lot
I eat oysters from time to time though

>>18833767
chamomile

>>18841069
Is that celestial stuff any good? It's got me kinda buzzed right now desu
Bad for ya?

i thought yerba was a pain in the ass at first but it's second fastest/laziest to a caffeine pill and has its place alongside tea and coffee

>>18840034
Based and same

>>18842317
yeah I've been drinking the stuff for like 5 years now. easier to make than coffee and the repeated steepings mean you can dose your caffeine kick to perfection and just add more water if you feel it's wearing off. doesn't really oversteep either

>>18842317
yerba is herbal tea

>>18842343
it's a caffeinated tisane just like coffee and yaopon

>>18842317
Can yerba mate be prepared grandpa style? I make tea by simply putting leaves in my mug and adding hot water. Can't be assed to use filters or strainers. If the tea is delicate, I just use lower temp water for the first infusion.

My take is that if the tea needs special preparation/utensils, it's not worth my time.

What is the strongest chamomile during in u.s grocery stores?

>>18842388
https://www.amazon.com/NewKelly-Stainless-Drinking-Bombilla-Filter/dp/B079VSWRD1

>>18842493
So I'm going to assume that you're implying that this thing is required, and hence yerba mate is not for me.

>>18842388
Enindel 3020.04 Glass Tea Mug with Infuser and Lid, Tea Cup, Clear, 18 OZ, GM004 https://a.co/d/ei3jSO8

This is what I use, infusers are the best technique, for me anyways...

>>18842388
the traditional way to brew yerba mate is essentially granda style with a filtering straw you drink through so the finely chopped leaves don't get in your mouth
>>18842510
I mean, you can definitely make it however you want, but the straw is a one time purchase and perfect for lazy brewing

>>18842621
it's great if you don't mind sipping through a straw like an adolescence

>>18842667

>>18842667
It's not ok. I can never try mate because it's too much like gulping down soda pop or milk shakes.

>>18842717
you can always just brew it normally

How do you drink tea when it's so hot after brewing it burns mouth

>>18842850
you wait??
or use a cha hai

>>18829742

What are the best teas with rose in them that have the flavor upfront? Most of the mixes I've bought overpower the rose flavor or really only have a few rose petals in them. Even green teas or herbal stuff I've tried weren't really what I was looking for. I'm also open to teas that would have a rose floral enough quality where its actual inclusion wouldn't matter.

>>18842861
>use a cha hai
Wats that

>>18842877
"the blister exists" from Liquid Proust supposedly has a note of rose. great price too, no idea what's up with the weird name though

>>18842891
essentially a beaker you pour tea into to cool it down before drinking
or just drink sencha and use 70 degrees celsius water. I like to do this in the mornings to get a nice kick going quickly

Is herbal tea healthy or unhealthy?

Best sleep aid teas?

>>18842891
>>18842903
also called a fairness pitcher because the first few seconds of an infusion will be weaker and the last the stronger so to prevent people from getting disparity from an infusion its all mixed together and then poured out into cups. for me drinking alone i just wait a minute or so

how does age affect a liu bao? is the young stuff good or should I only buy 10+ years old liu bao?
I also wonder how age affects ripe pu-erh

>>18842903
>>18842922

I just figured out I can add a few oz. Of room temperature bottled water to my cup problem solved thx

>>18842974
i'd rather wait than drink weak tea

relationship with coffee:
relationship with tea:

>>18843312
nice countertop

I'm getting a septoplasty next week purely so I can appreciate the nuances of tea more. Do you think the tea vampire is smiling upon me?

>>18830794
damn i got a cold out of nowhere and i dont feel like drinking it now sorry :(
i tried the 2022 snoozefest again though and it was much better now after a rest, really sweet at lower temperatures. last time i drank it was at my parent's house during christmas so maybe the water was weird there instead of the resting doing something lol

>>18842705
shecameformate.jpg

>>18842877
Just buy some rose hips off of mountain rose herbs and mix with your tea of choice. Fair warning they taste kind of spicy

>>18842953
>How does age effect liubao.
In my humble opinion liubao requires at least 3 or more years of ageing in the general area that it produced (high humidity) before it really becomes liubao. That high humidity aging really gives the liubao its classic taste profile of wood and soil notes and that sort of root celler vibe and smooth drinking character. That said younger liubao or those that are aged somewhere drier like Kunming can be good too, they have a tendency to have more bitter and chocolate notes and maybe a sort of closer to ripe puer flavor profile. Anyway liubao is great, i think its generally better than ripe puer, at least in my experience.
Aged matters less with ripe puer, a couple years anywhere for the pile taste to air off some, preferably its aired loose leaf for a year or two before pressing. But after that aged makes a subtle difference unless we are talking hong kong traditional storage or some other very humid ageing environment. Older ripe (early 2000s and older) tended to be less heavily fermented and required a longer period of aging to reach a good taste profile and get out the pile notes. Modern ripes are rarely made that way and when they are they are typically fermented more carefully so they don't require the same aging period to be drinkable.

>>18843631
>That high humidity aging really gives the liubao its classic taste profile of wood and soil notes and that sort of root celler vibe and smooth drinking character.
I like this thread so I am resisting the urge to post a soyjak, you get away with it this time.

>>18843459
I hate it

drinking two GABA oolongs today, might as well make a brief comparison

unroasted Si Ji Chun GABA oolong:
>scent: spices (cinnamon?) and maybe some honey
>taste: pears, spices, creamy, autumn leaves, some sweetness but also sourness / acidity. mild with no bitterness
>brewing: really easy to brew grandpa style. never gets bitter at all, it gets sour instead. I find this to be typical of GABA teas

roasted Jin Xuan oolong:
>scent: freshly baked cookies with spices. perhaps slightly burnt cookies
>taste: strongly roasted, cookies present but oddly not very sweet, butter, smoky roasted finish. a little one-note
>brewing: I find this is a bit less suitable for grandpa style, just because it can get really roasty. maybe I just need to figure out the proportions better

Hot take:
Tea is perishable and only ever gets worse with age, never better. If it benefits from aging it's simply inferior material.

>>18843688
I don't know if that's a hot take. Everyone knows about preserving freshness, and puerh started out as "age it until it's drinkable" and then became a delicacy (in a nutshell).

>>18843631
big thanks, anon
yeah the one liu bao I've had so far was supposedly from the 90s and it did have that pronounced root vegetable vibe, sort of like beets freshly dug out from the earth
I'm asking because I'm wondering if I should buy some 2015 or 2019 Three Cranes liu bao with my next order from Fullchea and how it would taste compared to the older liu bao I've tried

>>18843706
Those fullchea liubaos got kind of pricey a few years ago. I got the gold or broze or whatever three cranes tin from them a few years ago and it was okay but not amazing. I think i paid $18 for it, not worth current prices. If you want to try a yunger liubao the shiguang suidao liubao from purple cloud is good and much more reasonably priced. Or if you don't mind bitter puerhshop still has some three cranes bricks for like $14, i quite enjoyed them

>>18843765
nice, I'll check these out. the 2019 gold tin liu bao costs 19$ on fullchea right now from what I see, so not too bad I guess
any reccs from King Tea Mall too?

>>18829742
As a connoisseur of the most rarefied leaves, I deign to bestow upon you the acme of tea refinement: Tie Guan Yin. Cultivated in the misty mountains of Anxi, China, this transcendent oolong tea is the apotheosis of elegance and discernment. The subtlety and complexity of its flavor profile is a symphony for the senses, with notes of orchid, melon and a hint of minerality.

But make no mistake, Tie Guan Yin is not for the plebeian palate. It demands a certain level of discernment and connoisseurship that is only attained by the most discerning of palates. The leaves must be tended to with the utmost care, and the brewing process is a sacred art form that requires the most exacting precision in water temperature and steep time.

To partake in a cup of Tie Guan Yin is to indulge in a ritual of opulence, a moment of transcendent contemplation. It is the choice of the most fastidious of tea aficionados, and anything less would be an affront to the senses.

In conclusion, Tie Guan Yin is the acme of tea cultivation, and any true connoisseur of the leaf must experience its unparalleled refinement at least once in their lifetime. Anything less would be a travesty to the palate

>>18843792
Yeah $19 is fine, i thought they had gotten up to $30 but i guess that was a different tea on there.
>king tea mall
Get a hundred grams of this for the hell of it
https://kingteamall.com/collections/home-page/products/2009-anhua-qian-liang-cha-cake-700g-dark-tea-hunan-province?variant=43574358540518
Maybe some of this as well
https://kingteamall.com/collections/home-page/products/80s-wuzhou-liu-baoliubao-a-grade-850g-loose-leaf-dark-tea-guangxi-province?variant=43572485226726
Haven't tried either but they look interesting and the prices are reasonable. I really like that he is selling 100g sample portions now of most teas.
This is still a great deal if you are okay with Kunming storage, i got a sample a few years ago and it was still lively and exciting, he hasn't raised the price at all and i think its reasonable, again worth sampling
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2000-2006/products/2002-tailian-international-puerh-tea-seminar-commemorative-cake-400g-puerh-sheng-cha-raw-tea?variant=31575383474279

>>18842905
Chamomile. You won't die if you drink a cup so I'd say it's pretty healthy.

>>18843688
your shitty take is nothing short of sacrilegious. tea can benefit greatly from aging if it is of the highest quality leaves. the aging process allows for the leaf to develop and evolve, revealing new and nuanced flavors. to suggest that aged tea is inferior is a reflection of your limited palate and a lack of understanding of tea. only the most exceptional leaves can withstand the test of time and improve with age, and to suggest otherwise is plain ignorant. i suggest you educate yourself further on the subject before making such idiotic statements.

the puer lesbians are on a rampage today

>>18843312
Non-coffee guy here. What in the world are those parts for, and what are you doing to them?

>>18843831
Splendid prose. You have a way with words, friend. I am convinced and shall procure this Tie Guano Yin promptly!

>>18843688
>>18843899

I need some help with this tea, if any of you are familiar. It smells wonderful, but I can't get it to taste good at all. It just tastes like bitter water. How do you prepare this?

https://www.harney.com/products/lunar-new-year-2023-year-of-the-rabbit?variant=39878743294023&msclkid=0fc6c0f5defb153c8788a3386bc4fdaa

>>18844210
>It smells wonderful, but I can't get it to taste good at all. It just tastes like bitter water.
I find that's often the case with flavored teas. Some of them also feel like a scam to me. You can try brewing it stronger or weaker and see if it helps. You can also try adding sugar or honey.
But damn, 14$ for 75 grams? Could have gotten some absolutely delicious unflavored tea at that price. Some creamy, sweet Jin Xuan maybe or really nice quality black tea that would be so much more flavorful.

>>18844043
annual descaling of an espresso machine boiler

>>18844292
Man...The reviews made it sound so delectable...

>>18844210
Brew the teabag with boiling water for no more than 3 minutes, then remove the teabag. If that is still bitter try 90 seconds

>>18844210
>>18844401
Oh you said bitter water, ignore my other post
Use a smaller mug, maybe around 8oz, no more than 10. Follow the brewing directions on the tin.
If you have bottled water handy brew the tea with that, tea brewed with really had water tends to taste bland

What happened to Den's Tea? Wasn't it in the pastebin before?

>>18844413
>brewed with really had water
*really hard water
Fuck

>>18844416
Have you used them? I removed them because it seemed like nobody had ordered from them and i didn't like that they didn't have harvest dates posted online. There were no complaints or issues with their tea that im aware of.

>>18844371
yeah flavored tea enjoyers are just built different I think. or more likely they just haven't tried truly great tea.
having some taiwanese wild shan cha black tea right now. tastes delicious, like peaches, cookies and honey. all without additives or flavorings.

>>18844431
A year or two ago yeah, I bought their haru sencha (might be remembering the name wrong) - it's basically sencha with cherry blossoms in them. Was pretty good. I broke my kyusu recently and they're the only shop I know of that sell good ones for less than $50.

>>18844621
Okay thanks, i will check out their site again, maybe toss them back in.

>>18844677
I ordered some of their seasonal yuzu kukicha along with my teapot. Will report back unless I forget

>>18843898
>won't die if you drink a cup so I'd say it's pretty healthyi literally plan on drinking FOUR cups tonight

They already premade and in the fridge

>>18844423

You're fivkinf reterted

>>18843831
This reminds me of the Rick and Morty copypasta.

>>18841945
Sounds like it's the first time in your system and I've never tried Celestial Chamomile before only straight Chamomile but I'll be testing some out soon hopefully

>>18845599
>straight Chamomile

Yeah where do I get this? I want the strongest chamomile

Got another box of Twinings English Breakfast teabags, been drinking it every day recently. I mean, I still drink my fancy loose leaf stuff, but there's just something about these english breakfast teabags that appeals to me. I might be turning into a pleb...

>>18846111
Just order loose chamomile from mountain tlrose herbs and get some fill your own teabags if you don't have some kind of tea brewer.
I guess if you wanted to go crazy over chamomile you would look for some grown on a small organic farm in france or maybe somewhere in the US, but i didn't find any easy sources for that sort of thing last time i looked into it.

>>18846177
There is something to be said for easy tea. I guess you could try some more premium English breakfast blends if you are so inclined, maybe vahdam's version, they sell it loose and in bags

>>18846177
I can understand the appeal of convenience, however, I must remind you that Twinings English Breakfast teabags are but a pale imitation of the true essence of tea. The leaves used in these teabags are of a lower quality, and the convenience of the teabag itself detracts from the ritual and art of brewing loose leaf tea.

One should never settle for mediocrity, especially when it comes to tea. The true connoisseur understands the importance of sourcing the finest leaves and the art of brewing. Twinings English Breakfast teabags may provide a temporary pleasure, but it is a fleeting one. I suggest you turn to loose leaf teas of a higher quality for a more elevated and refined tea experience. Remember, true refinement is not about convenience, it's about quality.

I've mostly transferred from coffee to tea at this point and will stop buying coffee after I'm out. I also want to quit the expensive tea bags and buy kilo (2lbs) bags of some inexpensive green and black teas that hopefully haven't been infused with pesticide. What should I look for? I'm in europe but have a bunch of credits on amazon if delivery isn't too insane.

>>18847057
Fullchea is a decent place to buy cheap tea if you're in Europe cause they have cheap shipping. organic is going to be a little harder to find though probably at a low price

>>18846177
twinings's Assam is not bad, I would take it over anything else in UK shops

finished bag 1 of 24 of taragui

>>18842922
This is understandable yet jewish

>>18843831
the joke is u just need to like the taste of honey and caramel

>>18847283
>the joke is u just need to like the taste of honey and caramel

I must respectfully disagree with your statement. The nuanced and complex flavor profile is a result of the meticulous cultivation and processing methods used. The basic notes of Tie Guan Yin are but a small part of the overall experience that this tea offers.

To suggest that one's enjoyment of a tea is based solely on personal taste, is a gross oversimplification of the complexities of tea appreciation. It is not just about liking certain flavors, but about understanding and appreciating the nuances and subtleties of the leaf.

>>18847651
I hope your lesbian life partner has been able to relocate to a safe place during your tea binge

How would you anons go about making a tea room if you were given the chance?
Would you go
>full western and appeal to women
or
>go full eastern and appeal to weebs and yoga weirdos,
or
>somehow manage some kind of fusion?
>How would you go about having the water at temperature at an industrial scale, would you use a bunch of smaller kettles or large holding tanks?
>Would you serve food? What kind of food

>>18847977
I would go full eastern. there is a total lack of eastern-style teahouses where I'm at and I think it could get big in a gimmicky way. gong fu ceremony or grandpa style as brewing options, very eastern decor etc.
while people who actually care about tea are a tiny niche, I think going really hard on the "eastern tea ceremony exeperience" would help you stand out from all the generic "overpriced flavored tea and herbal mixes, possibly from teabags" places out there

>>18848019
>go to western "teahouse"
>its actually just a brunch restaurant where they brew teabag tea also

>>18848039
yeah... I live in a capital city and genuinely have yet to find a decent teahouse.

>>18848039
>go to a western "teahouse"
>it's just freaking boba tea

>>18847283
Long way to go for it.
>>18848039
>tfw city gets a teahouse but its pink, frilly, and br*tish
It's weird for how many asians we have

Yes! My tea made it out of china right before the new years break started!
Did the other poster that got the farmer leaf lao man E get a chance to try it?

>>18848095
based

Y'all've convinced me. Ordering some earl gray and oolong. It better be better than the twinnings shit I've been using.

>>18848815
Godspeed, i hope you enjoy it

I've tried tea a couple times and it all had the same taste I didn't like.
>earl grey
>orange pecoe
>some mystery chinese restaurant tea
Even if I doused it in milk I still tasted this weird taste in my mouth. But seeing this thread and other people online, it seems tea is very varied. Coffee grew on me, so I don't know why tea wouldn't. Any recs for tea that doesn't have that weird spice taste?

>>18849424
It grew on me, hated tea until I was around 35. I don't even add sweetener or anything now.

>>18833247
You need good rainfall for tea, nearing jungle status

mengku or bust

>>18849424
Yeah try some Chinese black tea
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/black-tea-spring-2022/products/high-mountain-red-ai-lao-mountain-black-tea
Grab some fill your own tea bags or a finum brand brew basket or something, follow the brew instructions in the pastebin
If thats too hard get some Darjeeling teabags from vahdam on amazon or their website

>>18849424
try something that isn't black tea. some nice oolong or green tea maybe

Is chamomile considered a tea or something else shit fucks you up

>>18850181
Its a tisaine
Good stuff

Decided to finally crack open this black box Douteli liu bao i picked up a while ago. Looks and smells awesome, aged but reasonably clean.

>>18847278
>yet jewish
how? everyone gets equally strong tea vs pouring out the weaker brew for someone and keeping the last few seconds of strong for yourself

>>18850460
he is deconstructing negative stereotypes about jews

>>18850481
no im saying that coming up with the teahouse meta of fighting over the last pour is rather hebraic

>>18850448
Good shit,
Smooth clean rich, somewhere between woody and chocolatey with some savoryness, well aged taste, maybe some hints of ginseng. Top tier liubao

>>18850530
>>18850448
sounds nice. how old is it?

>>18850537
2008, aged the factorys storage till 2015 when it was boxed up, got it from purple cloud tea house.

having some mystery lao cha tou supposedly from 2005
taste is heavy on walnuts, nutty and woody with a long lasting, slightly bitter walnut aftertaste. there's also a bit of creamy vanilla
is this taste typical of lao cha tou or did I buy some weird shit?

>>18851495
Sounds good, does it have that astringent mouth feeling like walnuts/pecans?

>>18852331
yeah, exactly that in the aftertaste

>>18852413
Interesting. I don't think lao cha tu has a specific characteristic flavor profile. Some drying/ astringency can be a nice touch in some teas but i can see it being a bit much if you find it too dominating. Try simmering like 5g in 1 1/4 litres of water for about 20 minutes, should give you a different take on the flavor, might be more appealing to you.

>>18847977
Definitely fusion. I'd go for a Victorian Hong Kong vibe. I'd make a bunch of brass steampunk-ey pipes for hot water and there would be porcelain everywhere. Food would be incidental. I'd serve whatever or nothing depending on situation and mood.

>>18850219
>Its a tisaine
>Good stuff
What's the strongest one?
Kind a like it

>>18853194
Mint, lemon balm, liquorice root makes pretty tasty tea, valerain, nettle, raspberry leaf.
Really chamomile is one of the favorites for a reason, it tastes decent and its somewhat relaxing.

>>18853384
>somewhat relaxing.
Shit fucks you up
I just pissed 40 oz of the stuff

>>18832982
bump

>>18852610
yeah thanks, I might try that. boiling has worked wonders with some liu bao I've had before, gave it a really full, rich nutty taste when before it just tasted like beet water with nothing else going on. maybe I should try it with pu-erh as well

I do kind of enjoy the walnuty flavor, but I'm just surpised because I kept hearing that lao cha tou is supposed to be really sweet, creamy and fruity than nutty and astringent. maybe that's more true of classic factory lao cha tou like the stuff Dayi or Haiwan makes?

>>18854180
>kept hearing that lao cha tou is supposed to be really sweet, creamy and fruity than nutty and astringent
NTA
I have some from crimson lotus that can taste from kerosene to crème brulée depending on brewing method and nugget size (the bigger the better). Never had such disparity in any other styles, so I now take generalizations about it with a grain of salt.

>>18832982
Different aromas/teas transport you to different dimensions

I had some Tumeric tea today, thought it was gonna be really strong or intense but it turned out to be mild and somewhat sweet.

>>18854405
Did you like it? I keep meaning to try some, one of my local markets has fresh tumeric root sometimes. I would probably brew it with ginger.

>>18854538
Yeah its good, I would drink it again. Ginger and honey with it are probably a good combo.

My tea haul from my trip to Japan (so far).

Left 2 are a random gyukoro/sencha set from a gift shop in Kyoto. Right is genmacha from a 400 year old tea shop in Uji.

>>18854565
Nice, what are you going to open up first?

Anyone got any experience with Sonnentor brand teas?

>>18854725
I haven't, but from a glance it seems like a better brand for herbal teas than black, green etc. teas

what does Dayi 7572 taste like? and how would it compare to something like Haiwan 9978?

>>18854729
That's exactly what I thought as well. I do wonder if their regular teas are any good though...

>>18854734
Its the benchmark for factory ripe puer. That means it's a bit more expensive then it maybe should be because of it's reputation but the quality is pretty consistent.
Copared to the haiwan its a somewhat leas stemmy recipie with a smaller average leaf grade.
I haven't drank either of theose specific cakes but ive been really happy with the dayi ripes ive tried, they have been consistently clean free from pile funk and good quality. My experience with haiwan has been more hit and miss.
Also a general warning when buying dayi cakes there are fakes out there, stick with trusted shops and stay away from random ebay stores unless you know what to look out for.
For 7572 in particular don't overpay. There are lots of market forces that effect it's price that don't have to do with quality. If you see a cake from one year is a first batch and is going for say $46, that doesn't mean you should buy that over a cake from say the year prior thats a second or third or later batch that's selling for $30.

>>18829742
Fuck off with your gook leaves, Im drinking fermented fireweed leaf tea like a true aryan

>>18852727
Would that attract customers?

Got the fall lao man e i ordered from farmer leaf
So far so good, presentation of everything was nice, cake has a proper amount of compression on it, tea looks good, packaging is well done, got some samples even though i ordered a single cake. All good stuff.
This cake is real fresh, and it smells like it, i usually don't drink puer that's quite this young, i tend to give it a year or two. Anyway just put the kettle on, im excited to try this out.

>>18855030
Yeah this is young, has some beany longjing type aromas, brew is still a bit hazy.
I kept brews pretty short but it's good, good bitterness, some power, some sweetness, lasts on the pallette for a long time, good endurance. Very solid tea for the price, it will benefit quite a bit from a few months rest but its totally drinkable now. Has some noticeable Qi or whatever the hell you want to call it.
I'm happy, big points for farmer leaf, this guy needs to get shilled more.

is lipton just superior?

>>18855154
To what? Lawn clippings?

>>18855161
you can't deny those ratings
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CREXSHY

>>18855186
Jeeze i bought a box of looseleaf lipton a few years ago and it has recognizable pieces of leaf in it. Looks like now its just the same powder they put in the teabags. These days i guess if i wanted looseleaf commodity black tea l would get ahmad.

>>18855206
yeah ahmad looseleaf is alright, dilmah as well. lipton is pretty bad

Anyone have recommendations for matcha from amazon? Will be used for lattes

i dont think can wait for next spring for new greens i miss them so much :(

>>18855555
just don't overpay if you're only using it for lattes. but the cheapest made in japan organic stuff you can get

So I've been working my way through my pu erh samples, and I have to say, my first semi-aged sheng really blew me away in a way that none of my aged shou have.

https://yunnansourcing.us/products/2007-yi-pin-tang-yi-wu-zhi-chun-raw-pu-erh-tea-cake
This is amazingly easy to drink. It still has a faint standard fermented pu erh kind of flavor but outside of that it's very fruity, everything that I hoped it would be based on its description. I wasn't sure what to expect as in the past some of my aged tea has noticeably lost flavor compared to similar fresher variants, but this is still packed with infusable flavor.

This is the first pu erh I've really wanted to buy a cake of so far. Highly recommended for other pu erh newbies.

>>18855662
yiwu mountain tea sampler
oolong, daily drinking

>>18855569
Thanks

>>18855611
I bought that cake a few years ago. I wasn't my favorite but that was more of a flavor profile preference thing than any issues with it. It's got some decent aging on it and has a nice mellow flavor, clean tasting too. Another poster here also bought it around the same time i did and he said he really loved it.
It's got some solid humid aging so it gives you some idea of how puer will mellow and round >out when stored on the wetter side of the spectrum.
Price is still decent too would hurt to buy a cake if you liked it.
Glad you had a good experience anon. Nothing quite like a well stored puer.

>>18855662
Sounds tasty, oolong rules
I like that they threw in some puer too

>>18855555
Maybe ito en brand would be good

>>18854886

>>18854809
What does it taste like? How do you ferment it? Nice cup, btw.

>>18854776
yeah I wouldn't even consider it normally, but I found one for 19$ at a seemingly trustworthy site. has a bit of age on it too

https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Keyboard-Tenkeyless-Compact-Computer/dp/B09Z8N92TK/
idk what this is but 10bux

>>18856180
Interested to hear what you think if you try it out. One guy posted here a while ago and said it had a caramel kind of flavor

Sipping some random hk storage ripe from the LP sample boxes. The tea itself is nothing special, but the storage on it is just right, mostly woody, maybe some pecans. Smooth soft mellow, just a nice cuppa.
Ive been doing little 2g grampa brews in my small mugs when i want to drink some tea at night and its going well for most teas. It's nice to experience tea on the thinner side of the spectrum instead of the super concentrated brews i usually drink all day.

How to brew heicha? Is it the same as ripe puer?

>>18856635
Yeah, close enough

>>18854809
Looks crumbly and cumbersome. Tell me more, anon.

>>18856681
Not him, it gets called ivan cha frequently, posters were ordering it from moychay before the war, you can still buy from their eu store. Or i looked and found a bunch of people selling it on etsy, at least some of them farmed/foraged it themselves.
Sounds nice but i haven't had the chance to try it

The sample squares of tea from my farmer leaf order are something like 8.7g a piece. That's gonna make some damn strong tea. I usually brew 7-7.5g
Im excited, got his 2022 white tea and his 2022 jingmai Gulan

Do I actually need a kyusu for Japanese tea?

>>18857146
I don't use one. Teaware is for aesthetics only. Double-walled containers are scientifically proven to be superior, and wine glasses are the perfect cup for any and all liquids.

The important thing is you need ultra fine mesh strainers for the deep-steamed senchas.

>>18857199
>you need ultra fine mesh strainers
any recs?

>>18854809
Just tried this today, it tastes of honeyed nothing.

/pol/ is discussing pine needle and drinking turpentine. based?

>>18857526
Finum, a german brand makes brew baskets that you can use in any mug

>>18857146
not really. try to brew in the traditional water to leaf ratio and proper brew times though. remember that the second brew should be much shorter than the first because the rolled leaves have opened up

Had to switch it up from all this young puer.
2004 xiaguan four fortunes fangcha raw

>>18857727
Nice color
Good tea, lots of mellow aged vanilla type tones

i had some puer once and it tasted like wood, dirt and moss
it was interesting

>>18857849
what puer was it?

>>18857853
im not sure, i just remember it was from tao of tea

>>18857849
>tasted like wood, dirt and moss
Yup sounds like ripe puer

My teapot broke, I bought it last August from artistic nippon and the glaze on one of the holes was too thin and it exploded.
I emailed the seller about it and he agreed that it was a manufacturer defect and has agreed to send me a replacement free of charge.
I will definitely be buying more stuff in the future from him and I hope you guys do too because he really deserves it.
Pic rel, the toothpick points to the hole.

>>18856995
got a jingmai miyun and gulan, really surprised hes giving away samples of the gulan, gonna try them in my 120ml gaiwan eventually so should be close to a normal brew, also havent tried the free w2t samples i got yet :D

>>18858522
too bad aboout the teapot. it's really nice of the seller to replace it though. artistic nippon has some really beautiful stuff on offer.

>>18858648
be sure to share your thoughts on the Miyun. I've been thinking of getting some of the cheaper Jingmai stuff from farmerleaf

i'm not a lesbian

didnt someone here get a kamjove electric kettle? how good is it?
thinking of replacing my full plastic one and ive heard the fellow staggs have problems long term and slow pour, and bonavita is really expensive to get shipped to europe

does this look like a sensible order from KingTeaMall? anything you guys would add or remove?

>>18859446
Yeah that looks good
I would like to see some semi aged raw, but otherwise looks okay. Hows the shipping on that order? I would make sure that gaiwan isn't adding $5 shipping cost just by being part of the order.
But if something like one of these teas sound good where you can get 100g off a older cake for $10 i would grab some. It's not going to knock your socks off but it's nice to have some tea like this on hand.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/home-page/products/2007-xinghai-mei-li-xing-hai-charming-xinghai-cake-357g-puerh-ripe-tea-shou-cha
https://kingteamall.com/collections/home-page/products/2007-nanqiao-yi-wu-zheng-shan-chun-jian-yiwu-mountain-spring-bud-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha?variant=43406023950566
https://kingteamall.com/collections/home-page/products/2009-jinglong-gua-feng-zhai-qiao-mu-guafengzhai-viallge-arbor-cake-400g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha?variant=43052118704358

>>18858772
>he lesbisized lesbodicly.

>>18859590
thanks, I'll check these out. I actually haven't checked shipping yet cause you have to like go into payments and all that shit for that, right?
I've considered getting something semi-aged. thought about getting a Xiaguan Jia Ji tuo but decided it might be a bit harsh for my newbie palate

>>18859681
I drink a lot of xiguan tuos, i wouldn't bother, i guess if you want one get one of the more premium ones from somewhere in the 2010-2013 range, not the regular jia ji / te je tuos. But with the prices for 100g samples off of some of theose factory cakes i would go for those instead. Xiaguan stuff on KTM keeps going up in price, not the great deals it used to be. I was buying 500g sleeves of the 2009 te je tuos for $16 a each a few years ago.

>>18859788
I was thinking the 2006 one for 10$. but yeah, maybe a piece of some cake would be better value

>>18859842
Decent price but i would grab that 2006 xiaguan da li tuo instead, a little more mellow and higher quality then the standard ones. Or one of the gold ribbon tuos.

>>18857565
who

Had some more of the farmer leaf fall lao man e today. Great tea, definitely bitter, definitely has some kind of animalic/leather/gasoline kinda of edge to it. Definitely fantastic tea for the money if you are into bulang. Really impressed with this. Will definitely be sending more orders his way, this guy seems to really deserve all the love he gets in /tea/

So I see a lot of Lipton tea hate here and I just had a couple Black tea bags of the stuff and I think it's pretty good, so what's is the problem really and it's very affordable

>>18860282
If you like it there's no problem. For a little more money you can get some really high quality loose leave tea, which some people prefer

>>18860282
The threads is gonna be filled with tea snobs that will look down on you for drinking twinnings and Lipton, what'd you expect ?

>>18860303
It's a valid question, and probably the first question anon might ask before exploring a direction of tea as a hobby.

ive never made tea before, i make espresso, is there any tea drinks where creamy hot frothed milk could be useful? my roomate has good tea packets from trader joes i could use. idk how to make tea though

>>18860425
you could try it with chai masala or matcha latte. most tea is just made with hot water, tends to be much easier than coffee

>>18860425
Matcha lattes are good. And Earl grey or oolong is good but you want to add a bit of actual milk to it sometimes.

>>18860425
The kids are drinking London Fogs all over the place. I like them less sweet unless I'm adding rum (I usually do).

>>18860282
There's less bitter and astringent black teas but none are as affordable as Lipton.

>>18860282
>so what's is the problem really and it's very affordable
The important part is drinking tea and enjoying it, people object to Lipton and other supermarket teabags because you can get better tea for less money elsewhere.
You can get a pound of loose leaf ahmad tea for $10 that has actual pieces of tea leaf instead of dust and is made with indian or ceylon tea instead of African commodity tea.
https://www.amazon.com/Ahmad-Tea-Barooti-Assam-Loose/dp/B004XTDE1G/
Vahdam also sells affordable indian tea that will be a noticeable step up in quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Original-English-Breakfast-AROMATIC-Kombucha/dp/B00Q8NRAJC/
For a little more you can get a big box of Chinese black tea that will be a great experience.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-yunnan-old-tree-black-tea-dianhong-feng-qing-red-tea-cake-357g-p0593.html

I’m trying to upgrade from tea bags to the real deal but have no idea where to start.
I love oolong tea like you couldn’t believe. Please guide me on curating and procuring good tea.

>>18861101
Oolong is a great tea to get into.
I would probably start with tie guan yin
Probably try some that's roasted and some that's processed more on the green side.
Check out the vendors listed in the pastebin for your area and pick one to order a few teas from.
Grab some kind of stainless steel/ mesh basket like the ones from finum on amazon ebay wherever to brew in mugs, don't use a little tea ball.
I'm trying to think of a specific us shop to recommend but struggling off the top of my head.

>>18861101
Here this should be a safe bet for a USA shop
https://www.mountaintea.com/collections/green-oolong/products/tieguanyin
And maybe grab 2oz of whichever of these sounds better to you
https://www.mountaintea.com/collections/new-releases-mountain-tea/products/amber-oolong
https://www.mountaintea.com/collections/dark-oolong/products/imperial-pearl
On the cheap emd of the spectrum if you have a local asian market go but a tin of oolong there, otr if you don't have a local asian market you could order a bag of this.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/125g-anxi-tieguanyin-premium-green-tea-spring-chinese-tie-guan-yin-1725-tikuanyin-best-oolong-tea-p0046.html
Another poster found a cheap tin on Amazon he was enjoying recently maybe he will stop in at some point, i couldn't find it with a quick search.

>>18861101
>>18861164
Found it, this is the cheap stuff if you are on a budget.
https://www.amazon.com/TIAN-HU-SHAN-Premium-Slimming/dp/B087G345SM/

luxury cups

eat more tea

>>18829742
new
>>18861227
>>18861227
>>18861227

Hey guys, how long and at what temperature do you steep your white tea? I've tried Yin Zhen today for the first time and I've fallen in love with with white tea, I followed the brewing guide but I feel white tea probably has some variation in brewing specifications. Also, check out my new gaiwan!

>>18860467
Thanks sounds delicious

>>18861498
170--190F for 1--3 minutes, using 2.5--3 grams of tea to 6 oz water (though the latter bits are obviously more flexible and to taste). Source: I did one google search.
https://www.athirstfortea.com/pages/silver-needle-preparation
https://artfultea.com/blogs/101/tea-brewing-temperature-guide

>>18861498
Swag. Do Yin Zhen at hot temperatures (195F or even boiling, trust me it's good, also do it for 30 seconds on the first brew then follow it up with shorter ones. It's recommended to treat it as delicate but it can handle this and will come out full and flavorful.