/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>19126942
>Meissen
powerful
Sorry i keep forgetting to make threads

what are starting this spring off with? also post your setups if you want, I need some inspiration.

for me its formosa jade oolong, my first taiwanese oolong and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the complexity of it even though its hardly oxidized at all.

>>19127046
I love taiwanese oolong. haven't had any of the really expensive stuff though. went on a date yesterday, we drunk some nice hong shui at a tea house. I'm glad there's a decent tea place in my city
but at home I mostly drink ripe right now and I eagerly await spring sencha. sencha, shu and taiwanese oolong are my three favorite tea categories right now, I feel like my tastes have narrowed down into more of a routine

>>19127062
>>19127046
same

>>19127062
What qualifies as really expensive?

>>19126942
I once wasted the better part of a week looking into the history of porcelain. There was lots about Europe, and the discovery and spread of the secret of its manufacture, but not enough about China. Don't get me wrong, there was loads about the mark of such and such an emperor, but rather little about the actual production. Once you get into the late Qing dynasty, English language records just dry up, since westerners just bought local stuff and knowledge of the products of earlier dynasties came from western collectors. Western demand must have been a small portion of the overall demand for porcelain or ceramics in general in China, and much tea must have been drunk from local porcelain cups. This is all the more certain because Jingdezhen, the Chinese center of porcelain production (both historically and today), falls right within the tea-rice agricultural region of China. Does anyone know tea from Jiangxi?

>>19127070
I mean mostly all the crazy high mountain teas like Da Yu Ling

>>19126942
New Kyusu from today testing/tasting tomorrow

>>19127152
Nice

Been doing the usual Assam like always, because it's really good for long sessions. I try to aim around 45 minutes to an hour for sessions and Assam does really good with that. Puerh can be good too.

>>19127226
I have still never gongfu brewed black tea.
I should probably try it at some point

>>19127152
Nice, please post about how that filter is to brew with im curious about it especially compared to a standard ceramic one
also thinking of getting a kyusu along with my new spring jap greens order, would it be a waste to not get express shipping or does the 2 extra weeks of shipping not really matter for freshness?

>>19127254
I bought this one to test the filter so i will post about it tomorrow. I was going to brew some smoked black tea in my gaiwan and into this one to see if i taste a difference..

>>19127254
I don't drink a lot of green but kyusu is my go to.

I mostly brew in one of those tea testing cups I've seen used professionally
does anyone else here also do this? they're cheap and pretty handy, easy to empty like a gaiwan, but the filter is more like what you'd see in a teapot. can't quite control the pour like a gaiwan, but easier to brew small leaf stuff. and you can do the thing where you just rest them on top of the cup and all the liquor dribbles down on its own

It's been about a year since I've gotten really into tea.
idk if it was here that one of you fuckers suggested Lapsang Souchang to me but it was the most abhorrent shit I've ever put in my mouth.
It tasted like someone lit a McDonalds barbecue sauce on fire and then used its ashes as loose leaf.

>>19127474
You will understand when you are older. Lapsang is old man tea

>>19127482
My grandfather lost all of the feeling in his hands and thus stuck his fingers into his coffee cup and guided the cup to his mouth that way.
I don't want to get older.

>>19127474
you got the real deal right, not some knockoff?

>>19127604
idk. IIRC someone actually linked it to me.

Sampler pack came in, first one I tried was this "Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Oolong".
My eyes have been opened, to say the least. I used to think those pretentious fags that talk about wine, coffee, tea, etc. notes were all mostly full of shit, but here I can actually taste what the description says it should taste like. Baked, with a sweet fruity aftertaste. Not sure if I would call it "peach" exactly, but certainly fruity.
Now I can't wait to test the other ones in the sampler.

>>19127619
Nice, yeah it's amazing the kind of tastes you can get out of some nice tea, from cherry chocolate cake to graham crakers to fruit

>>19127654
to old furniture, rocks and cardboard!
western style brewing and teabags was the worst thing to ever happen to tea, such a unique drink completely destroyed to the average eyes and now only truly enjoyed by the chinks and a handful of autists..

>>19127687
By that standard, you could say the same about coffee and liquors too.
95% of people aren't brewing James Hoffman-style in their V60s at home with exotic varietals, they're drinking the putrid dog water from McCafe drive-thrus. Same with bottom shelf liquors and whatnot

It's fine with me if everyone in the west keeps drinking teabags. Im not really interested in having the price of good tea skyrocket any faster then it already is

>>19127721
not everything has to be made accessible to the masses. some things are better enjoyed by a small set of people.

I had a w2t package stolen a week or two ago, so I'm a little high and dry on tea. I'm finishing off a cheapish YS huang pian puer. I brew in a fancy etched yixing and drink from my favorite gaiwan whose lid I broke. It's not as picturesque, but I like my setup.
>>19127046
I'm envious of the green outside. Getting a foot or two of snow here this week.
>>19127226
Cozy, lads.

>>19127721
this, i don't want to start paying reddit prices for my cakes

>>19127896
Have you considered getting a gooseneck electric tea kettle instead? The one you have looks like it would be rather difficult pouring it without it sloshing around too much.

I use Milk and Sugar in my Earl Grey.

>>19127474
>>19127482
The only way I drink lapsang souchong is blended with pu-erh, 1:3 or 1:4 ratio depending on the specific teas. Adds a nice touch.

>>19127940
It's definitely a trick to pour sometimes, but it's still workable and otherwise a nice kettle. I am considering a gooseneck, though.

Where do you guys get your tea from?

>>19127965
aliexpress

>>19127965
I went to a tea shop in Amsterdam which is apparently a tourist destination as the smallest house in amsterdam.
I didn't know that, I just like collecting teas from wherever I travel; typically black teas.
They were surprised I wasn't there to see the house.

>>19127970
How serious of an answer is this? Seems like that would be the perfect place to buy lousy counterfeit cakes.

>>19128085
some tea stores have aliexpress stores and aliexpress has the coupons

>>19127965
Pastebin is full of good shops. Aliexpress is really bad unless you buy from one or two known good shops.

>>19128134
Seems like Yunnan Sourcing is the place to go.

>>19128207
It's not a bad place to start.

>>19127383
How cheap? Where are you picking these up?

>>19127687
I western brew tea that is over dollar per gram regularly

>>19128375
i gaiwan brew tea that is 1 cent per gram regularly

>>19128434
If i remember i will try that with my box of temple of heaven tomorrow

>>19128375
Based

Thinking about investing in a nice Royal Doulton set with hand painted periwinkles.

>>19127474
It tastes like pipe tobacco
You do through hikes and smoke by the fire, right? lapsang is meant to remind you of those relaxing times after a day of hiking at 4000m through the rugged snowy mountains.
You're not a filthy lowlander, right? I don't really want to associate with people who live below 2,000m,

>>19128458
>I don't really want to associate with people who live below 2,000m
Good. Stay away from my Mediterranean sea level.

The water supply here in bong has gotten noticeably worse. I was wondering if any of you had similar problems, and would be able to recommend a distiller or something.

>>19127046
I worked up the courage to try red bush tea, and although it looked really aesthetic, I found the taste overpowering if undeniably refreshing - I can see myself forcing someone else to drink it if they were sick, but I've got a boxful now that I won't be touching again.

>>19129005
I have an r/o filter in my sink, it does pretty great at keeping my water good

>>19129005
if you want to keep it traditional you could try something like pic related. in essence it does the same thing as a water filter, its some bamboo charcoal that you put your water over for 24 hours and it removes a lot of minerals and contaminants. if the chinese can get their water to tea brewing levels with this stuff so can you. havent tried it myself though because my water is fine so do report back if you try it.

>>19129005
water tank with a brita filter in the fridge just remember to check and clean the spout for mold

>>19128434
I'm waiting for the mint in my garden to be ready i'll drink gunpowder almost everyday soon.

>>19128085
Aliexpress orders takes about 20 days to be shipped to me "" Estimated delivery by: Apr 21 - Apr 24 "" it's not too bad for me, i don't order tea but tea related things like gaiwan, tray etc if you don't buy the expensive ones (almost all fake) it's a really good shop.

>>19128364
I only have one, I got it for around 10$ (for a set with the big cup), but you can probably get it cheaper.

New pot test with yunnan black

>>19128085
I've ordered at HealthTeaHouse (fullchea's aliexpress front) before and they're legit, but recently all their stock is gone, I think aliexpress has cracked down on tea sellers (selling food and drink is technically against site rules)

>>19129186
One rinse, second steeping, taste as good with the gaiwan but next time i'll add just a little more leaf, the kyusu is a tiny bit bigger than the other one i have but still really good, i took the time to be sure that all the tea was into the water it tends to stick a little at the top of the filter after pooring but it's great anyway. (bought it for 49€)

>>19129189
nice. did you season it at all or are you not supposed to do that with a kyusu?

>>19129194
Just boiling water before first use i did it yersterday, i've left it opened with the lid too and no smell today so first breewing with it.

>>19129189
is it glazed / unglazed / stoneware?

>>19129194
kyusu is seasoned through use but it takes a long freaking time because its less porous than zuni.
I wouldn't use mine for anything but really rich green teas I like, but it's (probably) fine to do blacks like >>19129189
Unless it's glazed, which most the bigger commercial ones are, which case seasoning is pointless

>>19129200
Unglazed, bottom is really porous but can't really show with pictures.

>>19129201
I already have one for my greens, and it's mostly a test i'm using gaiwan most of the time anyway.

>>19129188
Just message them.

>>19127965
Fullchea for brand-name stuff, Awazon for cheap stuff, local tea store for shit I can't find anywhere else.

>>19127965
mainly yunnansourcing and meileaf, white2tea if they have a good deal. vadham or just amazon for indian/western brewing

>>19127965
Upton for English tea
Vahdam for Indian tea
Ippodo for matcha (better than o-cha)
O-cha for Sencha (just better than Ippodo)
Yunnan Sourcing for Chinese loose leaf
Taiwan Sourcing for Taiwanese oolong

Haven't bought Puerh in years but people say avoid Yunnan Sourcing for it for storage reasons. But I got mine from there and its good enough for me.

will getting a gf improve my tea experience?

>>19129332
If she too enjoys drinking it the way you do, of course it will.

Imagine sharing a gongfu session with a woman... that's always been my dream.

>>19129332
drinking with someone who's also into tea is fun in general. doesn't have to be a gf

>>19129339
Become the gf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tGoF4ClFEg

>>19127965
God.

>>19127942
If you genuinely like it that way there's fucking nothing wrong with that.

>>19129454
based

When's the sencha happening? Late April? Should I wait until then for matcha as well?

>>19129591
Why is jap matcha so fucking expensive wtf?

>>19129675
its not a 3rd world using semi-slave labour unlike china, china's economic boom has been a disaster for the 1st world

>>19127965
Teavivre for daily drinkers because they give out free samples with orders sometimes

>>19129678
ahhh so that's why it's $3000 a kilo. because it's not 'semi-slave labour'. totally makes sense.

>>19129731
because there is limited supply and extremely high demand

>>19129740
>let me use economic 101 explanation that doesnt add any useful information to the conversation just so i have something to say

>>19129746
whats your problem dude why are you being such a prick

>>19129750
You keep saying stupid shit and i need to point it out because i hate stupid shit.

>>19129746
Ask stupid questions, get stupid answers.
Japan has like 3.5-4x the GDP per capita, and a fuck ton less agricultural land available for use.

>>19129756
dont worry i already did some research and got my answer and it's nothing you said.

>>19129760
goodbye. you will not be missed.

>>19129762
oh im staying right here.

>>19129678
>china's economic boom has been a disaster for the 1st world
It's always so fucking surreal to me when americans complains about chinese products when they themselves opted to move all of their production over to china and then buy the cheapest junk they can feasibly sell

>>19129750
>>19129755
Drink more tea, lads.

>>19129860
Yes because your average American has any say or power when it comes to outsourcing of jobs.
You're big retarded.

>>19127965
Mostly kingteamall with a smattering of other shops like teas we like, farmer leaf etc

>>19129909
I just put in a KTM order yesterday. What do you typically look for? What do you like about it?

I got green dragon well tea for cold brew
how do I do it?

>>19127080
I went to the porcelain museum in Dresden (where European porcelain was reverse engineered). It was really fascinating.
The most impressive thing is the contrast between classic Chinese porcellain pottery (there's quite a collection there) and what European artisans came up with within less then a century of figuring things out.
European shops pretty much eclipsed Chinese pottery in detail and artistry almost immediately.
And I went to the Palace Museum in Taipei later-on.

pic related. a bunch of flowers made from porcelain from France before 1749.

>>19130295
you might want to blanch the leaves in hot (85c) water first, cold brewing dry leaves in cold water always give me stomach cramps because there will be bacteria on the leaves, i had some oolong tea once that when i left in my car during summer it was actively bubbling like a homebrew. try blanching with enough water to cover then adding cold, stick in fridge.

>>19130316
>a bunch of flowers made from porcelain
Jesus Christ even zoomed in i cant tell

>>19130357
aight, how many grams per liter should i be doing?

>>19130375
try 5?

>>19130316
I think new school tea drinkers tend to sleep on European porcelain a bit. there's some really nice stuff to be found second hand for very cheap if you live in Europe

>>19130398
Yeah, but like everything else it's buried under a literal pile of low quality 20th century garbage.

>>19130385
I just got a whiff of the tea
holy fuck I might regret this, it smells like a sterilized doctor's office

>>19130480
is it your first time trying dragon well? why not brew it hot? it should be grassy, nutty and like edamame beans

>>19130574
maybe it's just over exposure to the scent building up from opening it

>>19130004
>What do you typically look for? What do you like about it?
Bargans, interesting stuff. Protip, go through recently added teas and look for random old cakes from no name factories, can still get some interestig early to mid 2000 stuff pretty cheap that way. He used to have better prices but still good stuff here and there. Dayi is mostly to expensive. Recently added new teas fr that last year or two are also usually priced decently. I really need to get into his oolongs some, if its even halfway decent then he has some really good prices.
My last order was all 2020 teas from xiaguan and mengku.

>>19127965
in no particular order:
Yunnan sourcing, White2Tea, Chawangshop, Farmerleaf, Fullchea, Liquid Proust, YeeOnTea

>>19130714
Thanks I'll give that a shot. To add on to your protip, checking recently added is frequently the best way to browse once you're pretty familiar with a retailer's inventory. I do it regularly, especially around harvests. It's good to know what to keep an eye out for for any given shop.
My recent order is a few kilos of various Xiaguan, which I've never had before, a Menkgu Rongshi ripe, a cha he and gaiwan, plus the lao cha tou brick from last thread. I'm damn excited.
Pic unrelated but neat.

>>19130941
>plus the lao cha tou brick from last thread.
which one? the Haiwan one?

>>19130941
Nice, i love xiaguan, i also love mengku TF some of my favorite brands.

>>19130946
Yeah, not the DaYi

Speaking of KTM, looks like they've got 2023 greens up today

>>19131312
Nice, i haven't drank a ton of greens from them but i was happy with the ones i tried.

What's the benefits to brewing in a Yixing teapot instead of a Gaiwan?

I'm considering buying one from Amazon.

>>19131584
>im considering buying one from amazon
Dont, those suck. Just brew in porcelain or some other glazed teaware. Cheap "yixing" is just going to make your tea taste week and muted and like you brewed with some dirt.
Yixing is a meme in general, too expensive, don't get into clay teaware unless you want to collect it as a hobby.

>>19131606
Can /tea/ verify this to be true?

>>19131584
There is a bunch of shit about clay teaware in the pastebin. Ones worth buying start at like $100.

>>19131617
This is the cheapest actual half handmade clay teawear i can recommend without feeling guilty about it.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/yixing-teapot/products/yixing-dao-ba-xi-shi-teapot-160cc-zhu-ni-mud
https://kingteamall.com/collections/yixing-teapot/products/yixing-teapot-shui-ping-hu-horiaontal-pot-60cc-90cc-120cc-150cc-180cc-huanglongshan-zhuni-mud
The stuff on Amazon etc is a completely different product slipcast in molds with a thin liquidly mud. Arguably they are fakes because they are pretending to be something they arent.

Got some of the 2023 greens off Yunnan Sourcing. Didn't think I liked green tea that much until I tried these, but holy shit, these are fucking orgasmic. Cannot believe how much of a difference freshness makes on greens.

I drink earl grey

>>19132468
Is there anything wrong with that?

>>19132451
>Cannot believe how much of a difference freshness makes on greens.
It's pretty wild huh? I used to buy green teabags at the grocery store and then think, nope i don't like green tea. Changed my mind on that pretty quick when i had the fresh good quality stuff.

any ukfags want some free tea from yunnan sourcing? I brought a lot of puer thinking I like puer

I don't like puer

>>19133229
how much did you buy? I'm in the EU but could cover shipping costs probably, shouldn't be too bad

is this good advice or superstition?

>>19133576
Truth, a nice liubao or other hei cha after a greasy meal really helps with digestion

>>19133580
even if this wasn't true, they're a good palate cleanser after a greasy meal. same with ripe pu-erh

>>19133050
It means I DON'T drink sarachale Harabola, the ewnthusiast-only orange tea made from fermented limes kept in a dirty canvas bag.

>>19133871
Is there anything wrong with that?

>>19133576
>tea with meal is good
>meal should have grease (animal fat not sneed oils) to be good
>therefore tea with good meal is good

i drinked qui gon jin from yiwu mountain teas and it's flowermaxxed like the other 2 of their oolongs i tried so far

got some gyokuro recently to try green tea very flavorful and strong just not quite my cup of tea

theyre always talking about how sweet is is but i think umami is a far better word

I got my kombucha going but it immediately became apparent this jar is way too small. Picking up a nice wide 4 litre jar I guess this will be plenty.
I shouldn't be surprised since I know there's acetic acid bacteria here, but the vinegar smell was surprising.

>>19133935
also what are some more earthy or mellow shou puerhs, oolongs, and black teas, ive found that stuff to be up my alley

>>19133946
black tea like dark/red tea not that other stuff

>>19133916
i tried duck shit tea, dan cong almond, tie guan yin, da hong pao dark and light roasts
drinking the last 2 rn to refresh memory

>>19133946
Any roasted oolongs, roasted tgy, roasted wuyi oolongs, roasted dancongs. You want the stuff that is more oxidized, less green looking more dark brown and toasted.
Puer
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/haiwan-2019-yr-pu-er-cha-9978-batch-191-shu-puer-te-357g-p0473.html
Red tea
Try this
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/yunnan-black-tea-with-honey-sweet-notes-fengqing-dianhong-tea-red-brick-250g-p0700.html

>>19129188
You made me check, and they finally ship to my country! Thank you, anon.

>>19133936
Godspeed anon. I did several years with 1gal pickle jars then just moved over to a big 2gal stoneware crock this year.

>>19133916
Try Obi-Wan next.

>>19129005
Try cold brewing the tea, makes any leaf much softer and palatable

>>19133946
dayi lao cha tou is nice and mellow

>>19134113
nice. obviously not for you because you upgraded, but is the 1 gallon generally enough for one person? if i ferment continuously i mean. i'm assuming i'll drink something like 3-500ml a day.
well i guess really it depends how long i want to ferment it for

>>19134228
It depends how long your second(bottle) ferments go. If you're bottling after a week and letting them develop for a couple days, 1 gal isn't going to sustain that. You're going to be continually producing fresh culture now so its not a big deal to just find another jar when you hit any output issues. Also make sure you save a clean culture in a separate sealed jar. Keeps you from buying a new culture if you hit any mold issues.

>>19134249
Ok that makes sense thanks. My scoby can only handle 1 litre for now anyway, so i'll just let it scale up naturally and not overthink it so much.

Can you make tea from marijuana?

>>19135033
I think so.
idk why you would unless you were an unironic DUDE WEED

>>19135033
Sure, you can pour boiling water over it, it will taste like shit and it won't get you high.
If you wanted to make weed tea i would decarboxylize the bud in the oven then simmer it in milk with some spices and make chai basically. Im pretty sure the indians do something like that its called bhang or something

>>19135041
stick in the mud. i'll bet you get mad at watching others gongfu

>>19135033
make weed butter and butter your scone/toast that you're having with your tea.

>>19135033
no, it's way too leafy and fat soluble
aroma is kinda there but it tastes like grass, it's like the flavor is there but you can't taste it

>>19135033
you can make milk tea and it works but its only worth it imo if you use the leftover leaves after growing it yourself. buds are wasted on this and it will be way to potent to be enjoyable as well.

Girlfriend ask me to buy a gift for the people we are visiting soon. She buy the gift for their newborn son and i have to buy something for them. I ask why, she answer my friend told me her husband likes tea. Good i think. She doesn't know what he likes drinking so i'll choose 2 just to be sure. 100g of Wenshan Baozhong oolong, 100g of Kunko Wakoucha black smoked and i also buy a set of 2 little tea cups for a tota of around 55€. We arrive to the house talking etc i give the bag to the guy his wife look at me and my girlfriend in a weird way. Husband say "What kind of tea is that? i don't like chinese tea" i don't say anything my girlfriend say one of them is japanese (my girlfriend is half asian btw) husband: "Yes same i don't like it" puts down the bag and go to the kitchen his wife looking at us almost crying and leave for the kitchen. I lean in the couch with a large smile that i was trying to hide girlfriend tell me to stop but i can't. They come back and the husband almost forced say thank you and take the bag to the kitchen. What a great evening.

>>19136343
idgi. what kind of beef did you have with these people?

>>19136343
i read some of this before giving up

>>19136348
Never seen them before, the wife works with my girlfriend that's all. Someone who's into tea and have terrible taste and don't want to try new things? He's drinking overpriced teabags from mariage frères and don't want anything else (we are french)

>>19136360
Reading is hard i know but you'll get better at it with time.

>>19136364
everyone should read but far from everyone should write

>>19136364
unironically your mistake. without knowing anything about these people I knew instantly when you wrote "he likes tea" that the husband liked tea in teabags. you were just being autistic for absolutely no reason.

>>19136365
I'm just telling a story i'm not writing and i'm not a native english speaker either.

>>19136368
Buying random teabags would look even worse to me. The guy is spending 100s for tea i thought he would be drinking something decent.

For me it's sweet tea

>>19136343
Crying over tea seems a bit dramatic, why wo-
>>19136364
>(we are french)
ah.

Well, it is what it is. They'll just have to either drink it or lock it away somewhere, who cares

>>19136370
youre supposed to be thinking of the person youre giving to when youre buying a gift, even if you dont personally like it. sorry you never learned basic social etiquette in your life. should have just spent 50 bucks on some admittedly shitty teabags and called it a day like anyone else. you are 100% in the wrong here.

>>19136374

>>19136376
What would you buy for a random guy who likes tea? I was just trying to make a nice gift and not just a bag with price tag on it. And my social skills are fine thank you

>>19136382
could have asked your wife who knows them if he "likes" tea or actually likes tea if you were unsure. and then once you were sure he only "likes" tea you could have gone to your local white women tea shop and put a fifty on the table.

>>19136388
My girlfriend only knew the wife not the guy. She just asked at work what kind of things he like and the wife said tea, nothing else. It was funny to me more than anything the wife seems a lot more upset than anyone else. Talked about it to my girlfriend on the phone the next day.

>>19136397
what I wrote is how you buy tea for normies. like I said it was clear from the get go he probably wasnt /tea/-tier into tea. any non-autistic person would have guessed as much.

>>19136403
I'm autistic sure but people outside of /tea/ are drinking nice teas too we are not the center of the world.

>>19136403
You're throwing an autistic fit yourself here. Dude heard that they like tea, so he figured he'll splurge for a slightly nicer type of tea for them to try

>>19136382
>>19136397
the French anon's story was slightly incoherent, but the husband sounds like the asshole here. when you get a gift you're not supposed to say "what the fuck is this? I don't like it." that's not acceptable behaviour
and it's not a huge stretch or faux pas at all to buy someone who likes tea in teabags some loose leaf

>>19136472
"incoherent" why?

>>19136522
>i don't say anything my girlfriend say one of them is japanese (my girlfriend is half asian btw) husband: "Yes same i don't like it"
I guess the lack of punctuation made it hard to follow, coupled with some minor mistakes like using "go" and "look" in the third person.
Doesn't change the fact that the husband was an asshole though.

>>19136377
low energy+pleasant need to be comfy

i tried out this "golden snail" black tea today, i am not usually a black tea kinda guy but this shit is great and smooth. i will try out some more black teas in future

>>19137038
there's a reason why we keep shilling it

just wanted to thank whoever posted about this cake here. I like it a lot, it has a great brown sugar, doughy and red fruit flavor profile and the price is good. I think I prefer it to Dayi V93

>>19137200
Yup, serious value ripe

>>19137200
love this ripe but ive found concrete chunks in my cake a lot kek, gotta to buy more haiwan shit eventually, for me it tasted somewhat beany at first but that taste went away after a few weeks, surprisingly smooth also

>>19137038
one of the best teas for someone who isn't rich or obsessed with tea period, at least in terms of overall value and taste to quantity and price

>>19127062
are you in asia right now?

>>19137363
No, I'm in Europe. Big city so maybe that's why there is some demand for good tea. Still, this is the only teahouse I've found so far that actually has a decent selection of good tea.

>>19137200
>red fruit flavor profile

>>19137212
>found concrete chunks in my cake
Nice, normally you have to pay extra to get a tea with the "rock rhyme" flavor.

>>19137506
you know what I mean, that sour fruitiness you get in ripe sometimes. it sometimes reminds me of cherries or raspberries

sipping on some grandpa brewed 2022 camphornought ripe puer from wt2, this tea is really really sweet and the nasty wax taste i complained about when it first arrived in summer has mostly gone away now, pretty good especially for the price
dont think im gonna buy another ripe puerh from the same year that it was made in again though

>>19137815
Is it actually a camphor bomb?

>>19137815
>dont think im gonna buy another ripe puerh from the same year that it was made in again though
that's always discouraged me from these western boutique ripes a bit, seems like everything with a few years on it gets bought up or marked up to high heaven. meanwhile you can grab factory ripes 5-10 years old on the cheap on many sites

>>19137878
nope not at all

>>19137882
Yeah i agree, lots of the factories sit on their ripes for several years before pressing and selling them. Meanwhile these boutique brands take it right from thr fermenting floor to packaging and then you get to air it out yourself at home. Doesn't really appeal to me

>broke another gaiwan bumping Into my table
3rd one this year wtf? Do they make plastic ones? I'm SICK OF THIS I TELL YA WHAT BROTHER

>>19138148
How the fuck...? I've had mine in daily use for 15 years.

Stop being a clumsy cunt

>>19137878
>Is it actually a camphor bomb?
no, I own an earlier years production and that one was not overly camphory either.

>>19137882
>meanwhile you can grab factory ripes 5-10 years old on the cheap on many sites
Most of that seems to be cheap generic mass market stuff or mystery no name productions. The "fancy" big factory productions tend to not be as cheap (though often still cheaper than western vendors).

I think the appeal of western boutique ripes is that they offer more unique blends and the western vendors tend to tell you more about the tea and how it supposedly tastes. I think it is harder to judge shou from pictures than sheng because so much of it looks similar. I would bet some of the Chinese producers do the same thing with their fancy productions but either those productions don't get brought over or the promotional materials don't get translated.

>>19137890
>lots of the factories sit on their ripes for several years before pressing and selling them.
Perhaps, but how often do any of us here buy brand new big factory ripes to test that theory? By the time big factory productions trickle into the western market it has often already been a couple years. I personally kind of doubt most factory shou is pre-aged, if it were they would advertise it on the label.

>>19138148
>Do they make plastic ones?
Yeah they do, not sure where to find them though, last store i saw that had them closed
Any way just get half a dozen $6 gaiwans off of aliexpress and stick the extras on a shelf.
Ive broken 3-4 myself over the years

>>19129212
How are these guys selling tea for so cheap? It just seems so unreal even if legit.

>>19138148
Titanium Gaiwan, good luck destroying it. i've broken 2 this year
aliexpress.us/item/1005002913992483.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

>>19138148
thats why i use stoneware now, its indestructible

Bros.... Do I do it? This site still seems sussy

>>19138315
it's legit. that being said, I didn't know their aliexpress store was up
it's honestly probably a better place to buy factory pu-erh than loose leaf though, because their prices on Dayi and Haiwan cakes are good and these are safe bets if you like ripes
I've tried their dancong and it was okay, have yet to open the bag of jin xuan I got from them

>all these fancy tea tools
is it autism?
I just use an electric kettle, mug, and tea infusing ball or a french press for cold brew

>>19138337
other people just use a gaiwan or teapot instead of an infusing ball. I think you may be the autist here

>>19138335
Oh. I hate poo err

>>19138337
>Tea ball
Idk bro. I use to use that because it was the first brewing thing I could find at my local grocery store and they're somehow the least convenient and pain in the ass ways to brew tea.

>>19138340
>>19138351
how do gaiwans work?
is there a filter in there? or is the opening too small for tea leafs to get through?

KTM shipping always hurts

this should last awhile at least

Ok I pulled out my teaball just for the nostalgia.
>>19138363
It's a cup with a lid to keep the leaves out. Simple as.

Anyhow the problem I have with these damn things is they aren't as convenient as those basket things, leaves are cramped in there and sometimes I accidentally drop the chain into the cup. Gaiwan is pretty clean and simple in comparison. Only real positive with these is portability.

>>19138363
the lid is used as a filter, people also use a strainer sitting in the cup for the very small bits. they give lots of room for leaf to expand and are very easy to clean out compared to teapots or tea balls

>>19138387
My grandmother has a sterling one I've debated asking for (Since she doesn't drink looseleaf tea anymore)

>>19138387
are tea leafs not supposed to be clumped up in the balls?
what's the difference?

Lol the chain unclipped. Also my tea doesn't taste as good, probably because it didn't infuse well. I'm gonna grandpa this shit.

>>19138385
I got one mini pack of that same tie luo han
first yancha I'll be trying actually. any tips on brewing?

>>19138400
anon....your hairline

>>19138404
Ya I'm 32 you fuck.
>>19138398
When fully expanded, probably not. My tea tastes weak compared to how I usually make it. Pic related. 2.2g of jinxuan ool packed like sardines.

>>19138402
It'll be my first time trying the Tie Luo Han, I've ordered the lighter roasted one (Shui Xian) once before and was pleased with it, it's dirt cheap 100 grams is a couple bucks. But it was also my first Yancha.

The Shui Xian is very drinkable and good for a few infusions. The Tie Luo Han will be my first heavily roasted Yancha. So I got no tips.

>>19138398
it works okay for some teas, but others need more space for the leaves to unfold and extract better
I think the basket-style infusers made up of mesh are always better than these little balls for this reason
and with something like a small teapot or gaiwan you can really go ham with the leaves and do the funny gong fu proportions if you want. works better with some teas than western-style brewing

>>19138385
Powerful, i really want to know how that tie luo han is, ive been eyeing that for a while. If it's even haf decent im making a fat order of it like you just dod.

>>19138402
>any tips on brewing?
Its 8g so use a 100ml vessel. Maybe check how much your gaiwan holds and only fill to 100ml, short quick steeps start out with like 5 or 10 seconds and add a few seconds each time until the taste starts to get weak then roughly double the brew time each time. That's it really its easy. If you don't use a gaiwan just take 4g dump it in a mug and drink grampa style.

>>19137038
Is this your photo? Nice saucer
>>19138315
Fullchea is trustworthy.

How do you brew stuff with Gaiwans if you want more than 100ml?
do you just measure it to the ml you want and then water it down with warm water in your mug?

>>19138573
you usually infuse the tea lives in the gaiwan 10+ times, giving you over a liter of tea

>>19138573
When you use a gaiwan you brew the same leaves over and over. So each brew is 100ml but you end up making half a litre to a litre of tea total

>>19138573

Brew in the gaiwan, pour into a tea pot or cups/mugs 100ml at a time.

If you have a larger gaiwan you can brew more at once, but GENERALLY you're gonna max out around 120-150ml capacity for most normal sized gaiwans.

>>19138572
Cool. I think I see the scam now. Shipping is like 20 bucks lol.

Based fullchea...
Seems like most their customers are Slavs.

>>19138595
It would be $15 to ship domestically. $20 ain't bad for ~3lbs internationally.

>>19138595
>charging for shipping is a scam
Amazon.com and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race

>>19138595
anon..alll overseas shipping is expensive if it's not by a big company

>>19138696
Probably. Most these meme companies usually give me "free shipping." For over $100

>>19138284
How the fuck do you break a titanium gaiwan

>>19138743
I think he's saying he broke two porcelain gaiwans this year.

>>19138284
How heat conducting are these? Sound like it'd be hard to use. Even glass ones conduct a lot of heat into my hands.

>>19138585
>>19138589
>>19138590
so how do I adjust the ratios?
or is that the "chinese styled" brewing section in the pastebin?
for example i usually just do 8g/liter for earl grey for 3 minutes
would it be like
4g/~100ml for a minute?

>>19138827
You might want to do a 10 second wash with the first 100ml, and then do ~20-30 seconds for the first 1 or 2 infusions and increase by ~10 seconds for each additional infusion or two.

>>19138841
wash?
like seeping the thing with hot water just to warm it up or seeping it with the leaves for some reason?

>>19138855
a wash is just a ~10 second steeping where you toss out the tea you make, generally done with harsher teas that can start more bitter, or with aged teas that might have some pollutants that you'd probably rather not drink.

So you wash your tea leaves with a quick steep, then do your first infusion with a proper longer steep.

>>19138866
neat, thanks for the tips bro

I always thought sugar cubes were for niggas who wanted to feel fancy schmancy but they're really good, don't have to spill sugar measuring it out and I can simply pluck it with my fingers

>>19138981
...no shit?

If you're feeling really fancy get some sterling tongs for picking up sugar cubes.

>>19138743
>>19138762
im as strong as i am stupid
>>19138797
no idea but google seems to think glas sis a poor heat conductor so i imagine the metal ones would burn like hell

>>19129332
only if you're a woman also and you're drinking pu erh together

>>19138595
its not a scam, theyre selling it to russians for chinese prices not westerner prices and it just happens that they sell it to westerners too, shipping used to be 3.5usd to europe im not sure what happened

will my chaqi levels decrease if i use a katakuchi as a yuzamashi?

https://www.fullchea-tea.com/laocang-2015-yr-mini-puer-tuocha-glutinous-aroma-rice-ripe-puer-tuo-cha-p0706.html
My most recent order came with one of these as a freebie, and while the first brew was decent, the rest of the session was pretty miserable, probably due to the tea being mostly fannings.

>>19139984
yeah I haven't found the courage to try the one they gave me yet, it looks pretty cursed

>>19140018
i tried one and it tasted like pee

Any point in getting both a gaiwan and a japanese kyusu?
I'm heavily considering a Kyusu since I really enjoy japanese tea. I tried making puer like twice from a sample pack i got off of yunnan but I can't help but feel like I fucked up the brewing, the few types I've tried either tasted like weird black tea or weird green tea and couldn't tell any difference between neither the types of raw puer I tried nor the ripe ones.
For the matter, I already have a standard tea pot but it fits for about a liter of liquid, which I assume is mostly designed for black teas which brew well even with 2 teaspoons. It has a metal filter. I tried making various puers in that one, ages ago.

>>19140141
>Any point in getting both a gaiwan and a japanese kyusu?
yes, gaiwans are mostly for teas with large or whole leaves while kyusus have filters so you can use them with tea that is more fine like sencha and other jap teas which you cant really brew with gaiwans, gaiwans are like 8 dollars anyways

there are girls here right, what do I get my gf for a gift that isn't tea related

>why are you asking that here
because I'm extremely lazy

>>19140230
because you want to brag to 4chan autists about having a gf

>>19140230
a dildo, maybe the latest most expensive iphone or a new car

>>19140230
you could always surprise her with a nice thoughtful suicide

>>19140230
4.5" deba

>>19138572
yep it's from my little gaiwan i got recently

>>19140230
https://www.amazon.com/Friction-Vehicle-Steering-Construction-Bulldozer/dp/B089337GFF/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2FIFTS6H2V3U3&keywords=giga%2Bpower%2Btoy%2Bfor%2Bkids&qid=1680962465&sprefix=giga%2Bpower%2Btoy%2Bfor%2Bkid%2Caps%2C220&sr=8-4&th=1

I had a dream the handle on my yixing broke off at the top connection to the body leaving only the bottom one swiveling. I was really upset. I'm pretty sure that's my first tea nightmare.

>>19140294
I didnt know tea nightmares were a thing, I thought it was just me. I think it must have been like two weeks ago when I dreamt I ruined my clay gaiwan by brewing flavored tea in it and everything afterwards tasted like the flavoring lol

>>19140294
Huh. Weird coincidence, I had a dream today as well.
I was in some sort of abandoned mansion, I think. The house wasn't particularly big but it didn't matter much since I barely went too far in. Me and some other people were at the entrance, talking about something while looking in doors.
I recall that I opened something that looked like a closet, and since there was a sense of haunted mansion in the dream, some sort of plastic bucket was tossed somewhat lightly at me from within said closet. For some reason, I laughed about it, closed the door, and then opened it again.
From there some bizarre man came out. His head was oddly oval and so was his figure, not humanly impossible but definitely something that would stand out. He was wearing priest clothes and was approaching me with a funny looking smile. He didn't feel threatening in the least but I had a strong urge to slap him away from me, but my hand wouldn't make contact, it felt like there was a forcefield holding my palm back.
This dream pertains absolutely no relevance to tea, by the way. I woke up immediately afterwards.

>>19139984
I wish they would stop giving those to people, they are horrifying. I give them to my cats to swat around

>>19140400
>I wish they would stop giving those to people
I'm sure they wish they didn't have any more to give out.

for matcha do i only need a chasen or are there other matcha tools that i should get to improve the experience?

>>19140775
The right shaped bowl will help greatly with a chasen and a mesh filter for breaking up clumps isn't a bad idea if you don't have something already. I bought a nice chasen and a shitty amazon bowl. Wish I had just sourced the origami matcha bowl instead.

>>19133946
same fella and i gotta ask since i havent had too much tea but of the teas ive had the '2011 CNNP "Wild Anhua Tian Jian" Tea of Hunan' was definitely a favorite is there anything else like it? i loved its flavor

>>19140925
Yunnan sourcing has a bunch of tian jian, probably they best prices for it too. You should also try fu cha bricks if you like tian jian, they both have that soet of molases sweetness thing going on. Also liu an but there isint much of that around. If you want something more on the chocolaty side of mellow liu bao is a great choice. It's kind of like ripe puer except it's better in every way smoother, better taste, less weird fermentation funk off tastes. Really yunnan sourcing is your friend. Their selection of all those kinds of teas are pretry good and he doesn't regularly raise prices on his inventory like he does with puer

>>19140947
tried jin jun mei that was described as chocolately and thats made me wary of that chocolatey stuff, i wasnt too big a fan

there was a brick tea in the pack i got from YS, the '2021 Bai Sha Xi "9101" Qing Zhuan Hunan Brick Tea' which wasnt quite as good but definitely wasnt bad

>>19133960
da hong pao dark/light roasts are also flowery/perfumey but not as much, the actual flavor profile of these oolongs are in the background

Hey teafags. I'm thinking about getting my gf to drink Yerba mate to help replace her awful mio/diet coke addiction.
I know fuck all about tea so I figured you are the best source without giving any more views to third-worlders and soys. Should I do the straw and other paraphernalia or can I just steep a bunch of it and heat it up every morning for her?
Yes, I am retarded.
<3 ctgfaggot

>>19141024
https://www.amazon.com/Cruz-de-Malta-3-Kilos/dp/B004OPAI5E/

>>19141024
https://www.amazon.com/Cruz-de-Malta-3-Kilos/dp/B004OPAI5E/
https://www.amazon.com/Sevenfly-Stainless-Drinking-Strainer-Stirring/dp/B07P5WDL5X/

>>19141024
the straw is fun and useful. you don't need the other shit though, you can just brew it in a teacup or anything else
just remember to not use boiling water, it makes it too bitter. use 70 degrees celsius or ice cold (good for the summer!)
you can get her a straw, a pack of some mild mate like cruz de malta or kraus and maybe some flavored mate - I recall the passion fruit flavored Taragui being pretty good

>>19141033
>>19141059
Thanks bros. I knew the answer was simple, but it was going to be too long researching to find out. I appreciate it.

is tea a good thing to get into if i'm trying to get over a marijuana addiction? i love the little ritual of preparing to vaporize weed, but it's really negatively affecting me and i need something to replace it. I've always had earl grey w milk and sugar, or pg tips, but aside from that idk anything about tea or how to make a ritual of making tea other than just plopping a teabag into a cup for four minutes

>>19141084
"marijuana addiction"
i don't think tea can fix w/e this is

>>19141095
>overuse weed to the point of puking my guts out and having multiple day long panic attacks
>still feel compelled to vape even when i don't want to
>want to stop
>need something to fill the void where weed was
>tea seems similar enough to work
simple desu

>>19141103
go to gym and lift weights
take supplememes

>>19141103
go into it with the mindset of actually wanting to enjoy tea or done even bother

>>19141113
i do want to enjoy tea, and i want to use it as an alternative to a harmful behaviour. the two are not mutually exclusive.

>>19141106
>weights
im more of a cyclist

>>19141124
tea will not replace a weed habit, sorry but its a good hobby to pick up nonetheless if youre curious

>>19141124
buy >>19141033 and slonk it

>>19141128
cool! i love learning about shit like this

>>19141131
>metal straw
wouldn't that fuck with the taste? my tea always tastes funny when i put it in a thermos

>>19140400
What's worse, they sent me a shou one as well, which I won't be able to keep myself from trying soon.

>>19141141
gourd vs ceramic has a bigger difference for taste
i gotta buy a gourd to see...

>>19141084
There's nothing better than a little vape and stony gongfu sesh.

>>19141084
if you want to consoom something that's tasty, has some physical effect and is decently good for you then yeah, it's a fun thing to pick up
if you like the ritual thing you could get into gong fu brewing, like this guy does: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_7sfEf9-8&list=PLgnB2QJGjqNqTfmcP4X57GUuWyB4NSDLO

of course you can also be much more lazy about brewing tea. it's a fun hobby with a lot to explore

500ml gaiwan is convenient and works for everything, i highly recommend it
https://www.amazon.com/Gaiwan-Porcelain-Teacup-Beautiful-Mountain/dp/B08HJY863S/

>>19141207
I agree, very useful for eating soup or noodles

>>19141211

Okay bros, I'm building my Anki deck for Mandarin. Already got 55 vocabulary words with native audio, just need another 445 for the HSK1.
Gonna one day drink tea in China like the pros

>>19141168
My man

>>19141310
Surely there has to be several out there already. Additionally, what is HSK1?

>>19141360
Not him, of course you can find premade decks of common words but when learning its nice to make you own based on the terms you want to use or have seen and want to remember

>>19141360
HSK is the Chinese Language Proficiency Test.
They (very recently) reworked the whole thing and its a crapshoot which version you get because its still phasing in, so a lot of older decks are irrelevant. It's actually a good thing because the previous test was stupidly easy.
HSK1 is the lowest level. In the old HSK it required 150 vocabulary words and chinese characters were optional. They used to not test for character knowledge at all until HSK3. Now HSK1 requires 500 vocabulary words, 300 chinese characters, 48 grammar points, listen to dialogue at 100 characters per minute, speak with some level of accuracy to the tones, and handwrite write at 10 characters per minute.
They're trying to bring the proficiency up to CEFR standards, since before the highest level (HSK6) barely got you to B1 proficiency
Also what >>19141386 said

i highly recommend the oolong at https://www.yiwumountaintea.com/product-page/lucky-dip-sample-pack-20g-5-20g

>go to local asian shop
>pick up some green tea leaves in a tin
>get home
>brew it
>taste it
>it's literally just warm grass water
am i missing something?

>>19141868
what tea is it
take picture
is it japanese or chinese

>>19141888
i think it’s chinese maybe

>>19141868
Use more tea, use a spoonful for a mug.
do you have really hard tap water? That can make the tea taste bland.
Cheap Chinese market tea isint amazing but its usually serviceable, it should taste like something

>>19141868
Get fresh greens
2023 spring greens are shipping now from KTM.

>>19141888
>is it japanese or chinese

>>19141868
>Put grass in water
>It tastes like grass in water

>>19141970
how could this happen to me

In the most simple terms possible;
>Puer Lesbians

>>19133871
Oh, but you aren't curious about what tea blend your earl grey uses? The people who blend that tea combine various teas to help stabilize the flavor and make "earl grey". And your tea has added oil to make it earl grey by the way. It's not a pure black tea.

>>19142238
nobody knows im a lesbian

>>19136368
To be fair, he thought the dude was spending $100s on tea, even I get nice loose leaf and its $20/lb. I could see how someone would think fancy shit hearing that. Paying hundreds for teabags seems like a scam (but I admittedly don't know what the french market is like). The japanese part would have helped OP choose a green tea though to be "nicer", but OP's girl didn't tell him. The real problem is the OP's gift "victim" isn't a tea snob but a tea retard who thinks he's a tea snob, and a racist one at that.

Even if I didn't like OP's tea brick, I'd at least properly thank him for it and try it so I could form an opinion on it.

>>19138337
The tea set stuff is for ritual purposes and being able to dump first infusions and shit. So yes, it is for tea autism.

The rest of us have mugs or teapots with strainers.

>>19138387
Just get mugs with the inlaid strainers or a teapot with an insert strainer. No way to fuck it up and the strainers work with wide mouth mason jars usually. Gaiwan doesn't have a strainer, it works by making a thin crack that is too big for leaves to pass through.

>>19141095
If OP is looking for a ritual to fill the old one, the tea autism will work. But drug wise, not much /tea/ can do there.

>>19141106
Why is Borax on this? I use that to clean shit and kill ants, the fuck would you use that as a supplement for?

And I hope the epsom salt is for external use and not for internal use.

>>19142346
epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, it can be taken orally
borax is sodium borate, 100mg is around 10mg of boron

Accidentally got wired on some matcha that "expired" in 2018. Probably very heavily leaded. Sipping on some 2019 ys ripe to relax.

what in the fuck is this tracking info

NEW THREAD:
>>19143189

>>19143193
it hasnt even hit hte bump limit isnt that a little early?

>>19143205
bump limit is reached. besides, better too early than too late

>>19142650
can you not read or something? are the foreign words scaring you?

>>19143541
You're disingenuous. You can't even tell what order it's in.

eating burrito with lapsang souchong