/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>19236313
I miss yogi's Egyptian licorice tea. Can't find it anywhere now. Sure I could order it online but I'm a store fag

I just finished drinking a cup of shincha. Shit was SO cash

>>19236319
if I can order my weird moldy basement tea from China then I'm sure you can order the elusive yogi flavor as well. gospeed, anon

>>19236323
the need gnaws at me. I hope the epacket gets here soon

>>19236313
Threadly question:
You're learning Chinese, right? You do want to go to the famous Fujian Anxi open tea market in 2024 for the freshest teas?

Looking to buy some Longjing, what's the best site and best deal? Need some recs please.

New kino for the buchaboys.
https://youtu.be/uGRCPfqooBk

black tea
ginger
star anise
unrefined cane sugar
cardamom
cinnamon

smooth and bright on the palate. dry finish. surprisingly floral rather than spicy.

>>19236003
>>19236279
I'm not sure, hence my asking.
>>19236011
I think I will.
>>19236066
>>19236155
>>19236279
That's rough. There's something kindof sleezy about the guys who try really hard to orchestrate keyboard community.

Do these blooming tea balls actually taste good or are they just meant to look pretty in glassware?

>>19236950
look pretty from what i've heard. you might get something good but not worth the price if you want tea that has a nice taste

Here is what Urban Dictionary has to say.
Lesbian tea:
any tea that isn't tea, especially fruit infusions eg raspberry nettle and sukebind tea, also known as differently-oriented tea

Would you like a cup of tea? I've got monkeys' or lesbian tea.
by randomlesbian January 14, 2012

Japanese green tea fans be like
>yo this spinach water is fire

rooibos is comfy too

i'm just getting into tea and looking to add to my collection. this is my tentative order from a local place that seems to be a reliable source for imported tea.

>>19236313
Thanks for making new threads, sorry im not ontop of it

>>19236470
King tea mall
https://kingteamall.com/collections/green-tea/products/2023-early-spring-long-jing-dragon-well-a-grade-green-tea-zhejiang-province-1?variant=43730189811942

>>19237162
Do they tell you what year that green tea was picked in? That's my only concern with random shops. You don't want last years or even older green tea, it gets stale.

How strong are the "flavor notes" of puer cakes? I see reviews say stuff like "tastes like graham crackers!" I'm skeptical.

>>19237314
It's hard to answer accurately given how subjective the experience is. Some notes such as astringency or vegetal are more pronounced. Others are more subtle. Some are really more like abstractions or metaphors in describing the experience of the tea.
When you drink a wide variety of puerh, you will eventually be able to filter out common denominators and be able to focus on the others notes in your cup. Then they can harmonize as you bring it all together. Just drink lots of tea and be attentive to what you're experiencing.

>>19237314
I have gotten a ripe puer before that had grahm craker vibes (it was also super fermentation funky and fishy)
Tasting notes are all over the place, some are accurate, some are reaching, and some are total BS.
But i have personally experienced everything from dried plums to mint to chocolate cherry cake to vanilla in puer over the years.

>>19236377
80%+ of tea market tea is shit/not worth you'll need a lot more than basic mandarin to be able to buy good things anon i'm sorry.

Anyone know which puer factory is #5 in the old state factory code system? I have some sample of 7035 shou but i don't remember what factory that is.

>>19237745
Lincang tea factory no?

>>19236950
they take ~10 mins to fully open and tastes like cheap green/jasmine tea except dry in the throat from what im guessing is the pollen form the flowers. would make a nice table decoration of a wedding or a prop for some girl's vlog but i wouldn't drink it again

>>19237082
chinese oolong tea fans be like
>dis broccoli soup be bussin af no cap

>>19237860
yerba mate fans be like
>yo dis bong water slaps

>>19237897
ripe puer fans be like
>dis dirt water sum good shit on god fr fr

having some Taiwanese Bi Luo Chun. supposed to be very different from the Chinese stuff
not bad, I guess. kind of vegetable broth - like, but more refreshing. slight spicy nuance to it
I'm still not convinced I really like any non-Japanese greens though

>>19237040
>by randomlesbian
no one actually says this. it's literally just a random lesbian's attempt at injecting themselves in a topic.
it's already gay enough that herbals have a french term.

Does an easy gaiwan brew any differently than a regular gaiwan?

>>19238108
Most "regular" gaiwans are porcelain and not clay so this would be your difference compare to the one in picture.

>>19238108
Just take a normal gaiwan, cool water first 2 tries and that's it you know how to use it nothing complicated.

>>19237313
They do actually which is part of the reason that it seems like a reliable local source. March 2022

https://shop.chayi.ca/collections/thes-verts/products/fuding-mao-jian

>>19238308
Nice, you might want to wait a few weeks for them to get this years greens in. But if they give you harvest dates they probably have decent tea. Maybe order some other teas now and come back for greens in a bit

>>19237559
Cries the man too lazy to have a fun time

>>19236313
i drink the costco green tea on a regular basis.

>>19237314
>How strong are the "flavor notes" of puer cakes?
Pretty strong, but most reviews aren't made by people who know how to do tasting, or are made by sellers who are financially motivated to make up as much stuff as possible (mei leaf). It's also important to remember that the names of flavors are not literally those flavors. Something like "raspberry" is a convenient shorthand, five teas that professional tasters agree have "raspberry notes" should all have an identifiable similar "note". It might taste similar to raspberries, but it's not going to taste like popping a raspberry in your mouth. There's no real better way to come up with names for flavors, so people just relate them to things people already know.

Your second problem is that it requires real actual training to produce tasting notes, you need to taste a ton of tea before you can actually identify the relevant flavors and put a name to them. To make tasting notes, you need to be able to taste the five teas above, notice they all have a similar flavor, and know that people agree that that flavor is "raspberry". As I taste teas I write down notes, but they're usually pretty short, and I mostly write very broad notes, like "sweet" "grassy" "malty" "floral". I would say pretty much every single tasting note you see for tea written in English in a shop or something is going to be something someone totally made up, imitating the style of what they know real tasting notes should look like.

This is the best place I've seen to start for tasting, you need to read the accompanying article though.
https://www.kyarazen.com/the-kz-tea-wheel/

>>19238596

>>19238723
>I would say pretty much every single tasting note you see for tea written in English in a shop or something is going to be something someone totally made up,
Besides perhaps a few vendors who make overly flowery descriptions I would say most tasting notes will get you a general idea of what the tea is like. They should not be taken literally word for word but are not "totally made up". I also highly doubt the Chinese don't also use flowery imprecise descriptions. The nature of taste is that it is always somewhat subjective. Even if you sat multiple people down and had them taste the exact same tea there would likely be at least some disagreement as to what they tasted and what it should be called. Training can only go so far to fix this and only works if everyone is trained the exact same way. Fortunately descriptions of taste are not something that needs to be 100% precise, close enough is good enough.

>>19238768
well it's what i startee with and i dont really drink it for the taste i just steep 2 bags every day and let it sit until it gets to room temp and drink it.

>>19239113
>They should not be taken literally word for word but are not "totally made up".
That's what "totally made up" means anon. If the tasting notes say "blueberries" and neither you nor the person who wrote it actually tasted blueberries, it was made up.
>Training can only go so far to fix this and only works if everyone is trained the exact same way.
Yes, that's the whole point.
>I also highly doubt the Chinese don't also use flowery imprecise descriptions.
They mostly don't, at least not comparable to western vendors. It's more referential, they'll refer to specific benchmark teas like 7542 or varietals like TGY. I linked this explanation in my previous post
>To this end, the identities and original flavours of tea is now increasingly lost, and there must be a new way to start describing tea flavours and fragrances in words, rather than using terms like “Tieguanyin taste, Long Jing taste etc”. Even Wuyi famous tea master, whom had passed on a few years ago, Zhang Tian Fu has said that in the later years.. he can almost no longer taste the 品种香 in tea.
>Fortunately descriptions of taste are not something that needs to be 100% precise, close enough is good enough.
If you think that, fine, but there is a better way. There's a reason being a Sommelier requires you to attend a school and receive a certification, the school is to teach you what specific flavors are called what, and the certification is to prove you can identify them. There's no need to throw up your hands and say "Well, it's subjective and imprecise, I only view things in black and white so I will ignore the possibilty of moving towards increasingly accurate tasting notes"

Tea tasting notes in the west are much worse than coffee and wine, they could be much better. They're usually either wrong, totally invented, or very vague, the last of which is actually the best option.

>>19237922
gunpowder drinkers be like
> I hate existence itself but I must consume tea

>>19239142
That sounds disgusting

You could probably buy a good tea in bulk for less and have an actually decent drink instead.

>>19239153
The costco brand green tea bags are actually pretty good as far as teabags go, they aren't cheap either though despite the store selling them. It's like 25 cents per teabag for 1.5g, at that point you might as well get a good quality loose leaf.

>>19239144
>nor the person who wrote it actually tasted blueberries
you're a mind reader?

>Yes, that's the whole point.
You are not going to get everyone or even a significant percent of the population to take some sort of standardized professional tasting cases. It does not matter how good your descriptions are if nobody else understands them or can even detect them. Your theoretical increase in precision will be lost the moment you actually go to communicate with other people. Making a standardized tasting rubrics for internal use in the food industry may make sense but aren't as applicable to communication at large.

>They mostly don't, at least not comparable to western vendors.
I wont claim to be any sort expert here but from what little I have seen I have no reason to believe they don't fall to woo-woo tasting notes like every other "high class" food subculture.

>It's more referential, they'll refer to specific benchmark teas like 7542 or varietals like TGY
Referral notes like that are not precise because they are both very broad and require the reader to have the same frame of reference as you. They are still a useful component of tasting notes though.

>I linked this explanation in my previous post
You linked someones personal tasting wheel. I like that page but it does illustrate some of the problems with trying to create a universal tasting language. For example the choice of tasting notes have cultural bias based on background of the author. Even the author does not consider it to be universal.

>Well, it's subjective and imprecise, I only view things in black and white
I do want reasonably accurate descriptions and I do dislike literally wrong misuse of tasting descriptors. I just don't think a universal tea tasting scale is possible nor that it would even be all that precise in practice.

>Tea tasting notes in the west are much worse than coffee and wine
The overly optimistic (fake) tasting notes came from the coffee and wine world in the first place.

>>19239153
I started my tea drinking journey by steeping two Lipton Yellow Label teabags in the same cup for 2 hours and then forcing it down.

>>19239144
This is a classic example of the jianghu of tea.

>>19236313
speaking of shincha, does anyone have experiences/recommendations for Yunomi?

I was browsing the first flush section and there are so many options which you can buy 10g bags from. I've had gyokuro, sencha, fukamushi etc. before but all those different options they offer like cultivars don't really mean anything to me. Should I just buy 5-6 10g samples at random or are there any specific things to look for?

>>19239654
never bought at Yunomi. personally I like all sencha to some degree, so I just bought three 100 grams at O-cha. one Yabukita, one Saemidori and one Yutaka Midori
I hear Saemidori is usually sweeter and less astringent than Yabukita, and I know that Yabukita tends to be cheaper because it can be grown all over Japan, as it's resistant to the cold

>>19239153
hmmmm, maybe. i just heard it helps with weight loss when paired with better lifestyle and it makes me feel healthy. maybe i'll just buy some loose leaf in bulk next time. am i supposed to buy this shit online or what

I have finally started my tea bookmarks cleanup and organization project. Previously I had just lazily dumped all my tea bookmarks in a folder. Now I am going to dig out all the useful one and organize them properly. Unfortunately I have accumulated several thousand (including many duplicates) tea related bookmarks over the last several years so it is going to take me a long time to go through them all.

Pic related is from ippodo. Isn't this not great for the freshness of green tea? What is /tea/'s preferred Japanese greens vendor for the US?

>>19240852
For blends that makes sense.

But if you're buying a specific tea that isn't blended, there should be no reason to hide the harvest date.

>>19239145
Gunpowder is what got me on tea in the first place. A coworker had some from Adagio plus their mugtop infuser. I thought it tasted like asphalt. But eight years later here we are: pounding 25 grams a day and preparing a third and fourth pumidor.

https://teakihutteas.com/collections/pu-erh-tea/products/instant-pu-erh-tea-powder
Has science gone too far?

>>19240981
> 113g
> 1g per 8oz of water
> $14
i mean...it's PROBABLY shit, but it IS cheap.

>>19240981
My stomach hurts just reading this. No year given or anything, it's just "puerh tea."

>>19240981
Dayi sell instant ripe too
I would buy it but it's $53 for 28 1g tubes
I mean chaogo or however its spelled, that instant tea paste stuff has been around for a long time
Anyway the stuff from your link is still probably nasty

FarmerLeaf promotion guys
15% off all teas Available until Tuesday May 9th 2023 12pm

>>19241196
New spring black tea added too.

>>19241196
any reccs? I was considering that autumn 2022 lao man e someone recommended on here, but I can't find it for some reason

>>19241562
Site have been updated with new teas so also removed the ones without stock or the ones he wants to keep. I see the lao man e but from autumn 2021 https://www.farmer-leaf.com/collections/yunnan-pu-erh-tea/products/autumn-2021-lao-man-e

Blind recommendations would be bad i think, i ordered black and oolong for the most part. For pu-erh i took nuo gu wan small trees, Ai ban and Tang Fang Liang Zi. But as you can imagine i can't rec them yet. I'll give my opinion in 2 weeks+ when i get them.

Bought the last 100g pouch of Spring 2021 Menghaitian Oolong Black btw

>>19241196
fucks sake i just brought form them 2 weeks ago

>>19241588
Yeah usually need to wait a bit for them to get the harvest from other people first because they have a "small" storage. 15% isn't too bad if your order was small.

>>19241562
>>19241584
i got
>Spring 2023 Yin Pan Shan Black
nice malty tea, nothing mind blowing but worth the price
>Autumn 2021 Yin Pan Shan Black
same as the spring but tastes milky, i wonder if this is the same as the Taiwanese milk oolong as thats also picked in autumn(i believe) something about the change in weather causes a change in the tea's flavour, most milk oolongs are steamed over milk to mimic this effect because they're cheap knockoffs
>Spring 2021 Menghaitian Oolong Black
tastes like a black tea, same as the Yin Pan Shan but slight charcoal roast taste you get with dark rock oolongs

>>19241594
I didn't order the yingpan shan from this year but bought the autumn 2021 again it has something about it i like. (Crazy for the price imo)
I bought the Jingmai sun-dried of this year will see how it goes.
First time trying the Spring 2021 Menghaitian Oolong Black hope i like it.
Bought the Ailao again really liked it.

Gonna buy some bi lo chun and mao feng today if I have time

Are shincha's not available yet? I've seen a couple preorders available but not anything you can actually order right now, am I just not looking hard enough?

>>19241624
o-cha has had shincha for three weeks or so.

>>19241196
I've been wanting to order from them for a while now, but I just don't know if I like young sheng enough to get a whole cake at this point
maybe I'll just grab some samples of sheng and a black tea?
boutique shu does not convince me as a concept

>>19241642
Samples is usually the good bet you can always buy the cake after if you really like it. Blacks are "cheap" so 100g is fine for a first order.

Rate my first shincha scramble please

>>19241673
I don't drink a lot of green tea i hope your teapot get home in one piece anon.

>>19241673
the first three is exactly what I got
didn't notice the Kirishima though. is it from this year's harvest?

>>19241690
I picked that one since it was in the on sale section, figured I might as well since its like 25% off

>>19241673
did you get express shipping? im not sure if the cost is worth it to get slightly fresher teas or if the 1-2 weeks longer for cheaper shipping really matter

Does anyone here use essential oils, incense, candles, and other scented products in their rooms despite consuming tea? I have an essential oil diffuser, and I often think it'd be nice to have running in my room. However, I also drink my tea in here, and leave small portions of it away from my main stash for easy access. So, I don't get to use it out of worry that if it'd ultimately interfere with my tea sessions, even if not ran simultaneously. Any thoughts?

>>19241701
I got normal shipping. I'm no authority figure for the difference in quality, it's my first shipment of shincha, though I don't think you'll get a massive difference in quality over just an extra week. Then again, the shipping conditions themselves might impact the flavor.
If you're new to Japanese teas then just go for regular shipping this time around and get a feel for things before going all in, from what I understand you'll have to drink quite a bit to truly appreciate the differences

>>19236319
My local grocery store should have it stocked. Based herbal tea.

>>19236517
>bacterial collagen
News to me; this seems pretty cool. I love my homebrew booch but was always skeptical of health claims; if there are new avenues being uncovered I'd be happy to accept potential superfood status.

Since the small refridgerator was a bust, a new pumidor storage project: a malfunctioning wine cooler I bought for cheap. It looks really nice, imo. It uses Peltier modules to cool, so in theory I could flip the polarity and turn this into a heated humidor, but I don't think that's necessary. One of the modules doesn't work anyway. It also has internal fans which is nice and the wiring in the back is very simple. It's put together like a low grade PC. Most importantly, it doesn't have a scratch or ding on it and would match my kitchen. I hope this ends up being a nice way to display and store my personal stash. My current pumidor is just a Coleman cooler in the corner. This is a little more elegant.
My plan is to let it sit out in the sun and air out for a bit in order to remove some of the plasticy smell that new bins have, clean it even though it's basically new, then start transplanting my teas and humidity solutions.
I'm thinking about going the treated silica humidity beads from Heartfelt route for humidity. My friend with multiple cigar humidors swears by them.

>>19242247
Hell yeah that looks really clean. Nice find, keep us posted on how it goes

>>19236313

to whoever recommended me these two:
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/-p0473.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/-p0700.html

got them both the puer was great that black tea wasnt quite my cup of tea idk if im brewing it wrong but it tastes awfully watery. think ill have to look for tian jian since that stuff was so good need some more stuff like that any reccs?

>>19242546

also bought some cruz de malta which was great but makes me awfully jittery, im not sure if im using too much mate or if yerba mate is just like that

>>19242546
How are you brewing the Dianhong brick?

>>19242568

i stuck a knife through it and picked it off in chunks, no dust or anything, then gongfu'd it like a black tea

>>19242575
"like a black tea" temp? how long? I didn't had this specific brik but had similar one before tasted fine.

>>19242578

212F for like ~10-20 seconds for the first infusion, i usually just do it based on color. it seems the taste doesnt change that much with color?

>>19242575
Played with the chunk a bit? big pieces aren't really great to brew. Enough tea? No rinse?

>>19242546
Try just brewing the dianhong western style, 3-4 grams in a mug for 3-4 minutes. Then rebrew again for twice as long if desired

>>19242590

i havent yet, didnt rinse it either. ive played around with the water to tea ratio too which has helped a little bit. it reminds me of a less tannic assam, which i also find a bit watery if it isnt mouth puckering? maybe i just dont like the tea?

>>19242602
I don't really see how a Dianhong brick can be watery, more tea and play with the piece + rinse and do 35-45 seconds for the first brew if it's watery it's you or the brick.

>>19242546
>>19242575
Sometimes you have to risk some dust to brew some really compressed chunks, it's better to break it apart more or it will take forever to open up and all your brews will be weak. Maybe that's what's happening.

>>19242621
it is awfully compressed i think this my be my issue definitely deserving of the title tea brick

>>19242646
had a bit of a palette cleanser and i think i very well may just not like the tea? it isnt quite watery i just dont think i like it very much, definitely reminds me of assam.

if im going get black tea again itll definitely be something more like the 'wild anhua tianjian' i got awhile ago.

congrats on the new dog puer drinkers

I'm a newb and wondering what you guys would recommend as your favorite for
>taste
>health
>focus or alertness

I've tried random teas before and always found them disgusting desu. Don't mind English breakfast

>>19241196
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/collections/yunnan-black-tea/products/spring-2023-yingpan-shan-black?variant=44531497599163
how is this black tea? or whats a good tea to get from there if ive only ever really had black tea?

>>19242797
I just drink tea that tastes good. I've been enjoying Chinese blacks and Taiwanese oolongs lately.

also, what is shipping usually in us from farmerleaf?

Bought 50g of Mao Feng and 50g of Bi Lo Chun today.
The Mao Feng tastes like a wet spring day, great tea.

>>19242803
DIdn't try it myself yet but will in the next few weeks. This anon >>19241594 had it apparently.
Any black i guess maybe try loose leaf puerh to try something new.

>>19241673
damn that's a lot of sencha

>>19242808
Are there any teas with health benefits that don't taste like ass or dirt

>>19242797
>taste
Too broad of a question, I like me some green teas though
>health
Just toss a slice of ginger in your cup
>focus or alertness
Are you on border patrol or something? I guess high caffeine ones, matcha in particular.
Speaking of which, when I described matcha to a friend, he gave me a heart attack when he said that it's basically a tea version of an espresso.

>>19241673
organic chiran tasted like pesticides to me, rest are good though

>>19242797
order from upton or harneys and get a keemun, assam, yunnan, ceylon, souchong, and darjeeling (if the description and reviews make it sound appetizing.

>>19242247
>I'm thinking about going the treated silica humidity beads from Heartfelt route for humidity. My friend with multiple cigar humidors swears by them.
I recced these last time as well, they're great. About to toss some in my small pumi when the bovs finally dry out. Good luck anon, post some pics when you get the bitch filled up.

>>19242556
You're using too much mate
The doses you usually see online are for hardcore mate addicts

>>19243058
>Are you on border patrol or something?
Actually yeah lol

>>19243080
OK cool thanks.

I drank the puerh...

>>19242546
yeah that Haiwan is great

>>19242797
>taste
>health
>focus or alertness
japanese green teas. they have a lot of good shit in them and they're high in caffeine too, some very high like gyokuro
get the good shit though, the supermarket stuff sucks

>>19242810
as in price? they have free shipping starting with 30$

not to be a complete weeb or anything but does anyone have some info on making a chasaku matcha spoon? or the general shape of one

>>19243539
Im pretty sure you just buy a length of dried bamboo, shave an appropriate piece off of the ouside of it and then you get the spoon shape by wetting it or steaming it and then putting it in a mold/form untill it drys.

>>19243539
I found a video of some guy doing it with heat. But its not clear if he is using green bamboo or dired bamboo
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tBSUVUBpofY&pp=ygUOTWFraW5nIGNoYXNha3U%3D

>>19243638
>>19243612
Thanks, was thinking of making it out of some sticks but maybe ill look for bamboo instead, also realized theyre like 5usd each and not 30 like i thought..

>>19243152
Thanks anon I will definitely report back hopefully soon.
Would you mind elaborating more on your experience with the humidity beads? Did you order from Heartfelt directly? If so, do you use their tubes or go more DIY?

>>19243915
I used their little puck for a couple years until the expanding beads cracked the plastic and it would leak a bit, then switched to bovedas, then just switched back to an extra large 65% tube a few months ago. Tubes are a much better design, the caps have enough flex not to crack and you can refill if necessary. I've only ordered through them directly. I'm currently sitting at a average 64.3% rh over the last month in a cheap chinese wooden humidor with a shitty seal. Not certain if the beads are exactly "food safe" but I've got the tube sitting directly on my cigars right now. Tiny bit of initial dust/breakage I can see, but as long as you're not jamming them down into baskets of loose leaf you're probably fine. No smell whatsoever. In that big wineador I'd probably do an xl tube on the top and bottom shelves and see where that gets you with some airflow. Toss in a sensorpush or govee knockoff.

Are bamboo/hard wood tea trays really all that? They sure look good but it feels like a lot of effort to clean and dry them after each usage

should i try brewin some shit w mandarin peels tossed in

>>19244248
Cringe. You’re white. Stop the cap bro.

>>19236313
>go to order 2023 sencha from one of the pastebin shops
>add 3 affordable teas to cart
>go to check out
>shipping is like $22
Is it always like this?

>>19244388
What my race has to do with anything? Other races use cars, computers and other white people things so why couldn't I use tea trays if I wanted to?

>>19244406
Because you’re using my culture like some sort of weird dress up game. Do you think a tea tray is going to improve the taste of the tea?

>>19244248
they're good for holding all your setup and catching spills. i only clean it out if i spill a lot, it air dries pretty easily even though i drink daily
>>19244388
i despise chinkaboo larping, tea trays are just a useful accessory no different than a strainer or tea cloth

>>19244423
>Because you’re using my culture like some sort of weird dress up game.
I know you're trolling and you're white too but I don't give a fuck about your culture either way.

> Do you think a tea tray is going to improve the taste of the tea?
Has anyone ever thought that?

>>19244423
Why does anyone use a tea tray?

>>19244428
Most Asian people don’t go to these extremes to drink tea. It’s always strange white men who like anime, Asian women, and Thai lady men.

>>19244478
>extremes
its a hobby mate, most people dont make their own pizza either

>>19244478
Are you saying White men invented the way ancient Chinese ceremoniously prepared tea? Based Whites

>>19244423
have you ever had sex with a man before? fyi, the white truck outside my apartment is back.

>>19244495
White men invented the clothing style that Chinese people wear today, the least they can offer in return is a tea tray

>>19244478
Most of china is using a gaiwan anon, you have to get out of your room please.

>>19244248
A lot of people just wipe a bit and empty the water not really "cleaning" it.

>>19244528
Most Chinese do not use elaborate tea trays or operations. That is a white person obsession. Asian people brew tea very simply.

>>19244574
thank you for reminding us once again of the intelligence and beauty of the asian culture.
Rape of Nanking 南京事件 Unit 731部隊 Comfort women 日本の慰安婦 Attack on Pearl Harbor 真珠湾攻撃 Tuna Corn Mayonnaise Pizza ツナコーンマヨネーズピザ Anime in general アニメ_ Shirako (eating fish semen) 精巣 Final Fantasy VII remake ファイナルファンタジーVII_リメイクUsed panty vending machines パンティ自動販売機 Sonic the Hedgehog blue curry ソニックシリーズブルーカレー

>>19244574
That's not true. Tea obsessed guys who waste all their money on obscure teaware are a stereotype in China.

>>19244574
>elaborate
how is it elaborate? its a wooden box with slats in the top. most British people don't use a full tea set either but they exist and arent uncommon

>>19244335
Some teas have those mixed in so no reason not to

>>19243833
I got one on aliexpress for like $2, it works the same as the 5000 times folded ones made by some old Japanese guy.

>>19244248
I suggest getting a tea tray with a pastic drainage bin on the inside, easy to clean, no worries if you leave water in it overnight etc. The all wood ones work but you have to be careful to not leave water in them.
If you don't mind the look there are also cheap stainless steel ones.

>>19244403
Shipping from Japan costs about $5-$10 more than it did before bat flu, it used to be like $12-14, its just over that $20 dollar mark where it feels like it's too much for shipping.

>>19244705
For Japan to the US it's $28 for me across multiple websites, this is painful.

>>19244820
Some have free shipping i'm sure if you spend enough.

I just got my teeth cleaned
Idk if I should stop drinking black tea now because it stains my teeth not only yellow but brown
Does anyone know if oolong stains teeth as badly as standard strong black tea does?
I hate milk in tea man...

>>19244972
>he isn't cultivating a deep tooth patina

Is Chinese or Japanese green tea better?

>>19245156
Overall? japanese. The "best" green is arguable.

>>19245156
It depends on what you are into
I think they are both pretty good

>>19244403
O-cha shows you express shipping, but on checkout you can get a budget option too. for me it was the difference between paying 24$ and 8$, so pretty big

>>19244972
lighter colored teas shouldn't have as much of an effect I think. you can try oolong

>>19245156
I prefer Japanese, but it's 100% personal preference
Japanese tends to be more intense, grassy, seaweedy and broth-like. Chinese is usually more mellow / delicate and can have slight roasted notes

>just ordered some oolongs and greens from a local store
>ordered shincha from Japan
>now there's a discount at Farmerleaf
>and still feel the urge to order from Awazon...
man I know it's spring tea season, but I don't want to consoom

>>19245734
I ordered for 120 on yunnan sourcing, bought some oolong with a friend on a taiwanese shop and ordered on farmer leaf because of the new addition and discount i feel you anon. I have to resist buying more in summer and autumn i have so much tee to drink already...

>>19245734
spring/summer is consoom season for a few months, then you spend the next 9 months drinking all the tea you bought. As long as you actually commit to drinking a good portion of what you buy before getting more then it's not a big deal. Just don't continually buy more tea than you can drink and have an out of control stash.

speaking of Farmer Leaf
any reccs for something cheap with a nice strong huigan / sweet aftertaste? that seems to be my favorite feature of raw pu-erh

>>19244972
I recommend an electric toothbrush, the Philips sonicare 4500 is affordable and it works really well. It should help minimize the staining between cleanings as long as you use it regularly.

>>19240981
Fabled that

>>19245881
seconding this. the only thing besides water i drink is tea and i use a rotating-head electric toothbrush and my teeth are basically completely fine. use some sort of whitening mouth wash as well.

>>19242247
>>19242302
It's been rainy so I decided to go another route for removing the synthetic new plastic odor. I made a baking soda slurry and wiped down the inside of all the surfaces well and let a thin layer of baking soda cake onto it. I let that sit for 12 hours or so, then I wiped it down with a cloth saturated in white vinegar. Then again with water. Then I wiped it dry. That process along with letting it air out for a few days has done wonders. I no longer have doubts that I will be able to use this. The remaining odors are light and will likely still dissipate.
>>19244236
This is good intel. The double XL tube calculates about right. I'll do that. I also have some pantyhose for DIY, but the tubes seem a little more convenient in this case. I'll try both eventually. How have you been resaturating the beads? Can I simply briefly submerge them in distilled water?
As for hygrometer, I did actually just purchase a Govee 2 pack. I've been using a Boveda Butler, also a BTLE hygrometer. It's an IP that was sold to Cigars International a few years ago. I have honestly liked the product, but it's a little lackluster. Moreover, I'm really miffed that there's no data exporting. It must be stored locally, so I was thinking about decompiling the (android) app and seeing what I can find. I also purchased a Govee 2 pack. I was sold on the CSV exporting feature. I probably won't discontinue using the Butler.
We're really on the same wavelength except for RH%. I've been using Boveda packs at 69% and was planning on 70% humidity beads. How did you arrive at your 65% decision?

what tea should I consume?
>bi luo chun
>tie guan yin
>shan cha

>>19246178
>I've been using a Boveda Butler, also a BTLE hygrometer.
I switched off the boveda butler after it refused to update my rh for 6 weeks and sent no low humidity alert. Fucked up my whole fall 2019 smoking season. Thats why I shill the sensorpushes so hard. Great customer service, had a small issue a few years ago and they sent me 2 new ones. Boveda told me to eat shit, they didn't develop the app so its not their problem. Boveda also just discontinued their acrylic humidors so now Northwood makes them. No clue whats going on over there. Expanded too quickly and had to pull back maybe?
>How did you arrive at your 65% decision?
Cuts the risk of mold, good rh for long term aging. I've got some decade old cigars still kicking around waiting to get smoked.

>>19246178
>I've been using Boveda packs at 69% and was planning on 70% humidity beads. How did you arrive at your 65% decision?
Not same anon but I also target 65% humidity. There are some reports of mold on tea stored sealed longterm in the low to mid 70's % humidity range so you probably want be lower than that in a sealed pumidor. Additionally 65% RH gives you a lot of room for temperature swings without hitting the dew point or having excessively high transient humidities.

I consider 65% to be a good middle ground for heicha that will allow it to still slowly age but is relatively safe from mold. If you want faster aging or want to induce wet storage you will need explore more exotic measures like heated storage or ventilated storage.

I would think using 69% Boveda packs or 70% beads is also fine but you have a somewhat smaller safety margin. Using even higher humidity packs may also be OK if your pumidor is leaky and the actually humidity is lower is lower than the packs. Also using greater quantity of humidity packs or beads will allow them to more quickly correct changes for changes in temperature or humidity.

Does gaba tea actually make a difference for people with anxiety or the like or is it just marketing copy?

>>19246782
GABA doesn't cross the blood brain barrier when consumed orally, also when i looked into it the quantity in tea is something like 100mg per oz of tea which isn't much when you look at the doses of gaba powder that people typically take (100mg or more per day).
That said it tastes good and sitting down and enjoying a nice cup of tea is relaxing and not jittery like coffee, at least in my experience.
Unfortunately when it comes to anxiety anything you can take that will dramatically calm you down is some sort of drug with nasty long term side effects and high addiction potential. The best thing you can do is get strenuous physical exercise as often as possible along with other lifestyle changes like good sleeping habits.

>>19246782
I do feel like I get a calming effect whenever I have a gaba tea. not sure if it's placebo or not. there was some study done on the tea which concluded that it can reduce blood pressure, but whether or not GABA supplements can reach your brain is still a subject of debate AFAIK
it's definitely not medicine and not as proven as some herbal remedies. but it does taste good and the processing also helps extract other beneficial micronutrients from the tea IIRC, so at worst you'll have a tasty and vitamin-rich tea to sip

the one I'm drinking right now has a strong vanilla-like note to it and the typical GABA fruity acidity. I prefer unroasted GABAs, they often taste like apple pie to me. impossible to overbrew as well

>>19246810
>anxiety
>interrupts sleep
>anxiety worse from sleep deprivation
>sleep worse from anxiety
why bros
anyway i doubt any product has real efficacy beyond the psychology of it all
sitting down with a nice pot of tea and choosing to enjoy and relax really makes things better if you make the time

>>19236313
The best tea I have in my cupboard

>>19246961
Your green text is exactly why I wanted to know more about it because that's the life my girlfriend leads and it makes me sad.
>>19246810
>>19246830
Thank you, much appreciated.

is it time to buy shincha yet?
where from? drop the recs pls

>>19236313
The puerh stored inside mandarins is amazing

>>19247401
o-cha has shincha in stock

>>19247429
Great pic anon.

>>19247473
That is the inside of the orange

>>19247597
This thing

>>19247603
We know what it is, I think he's just saying you took a dogshit picture. Needs more light and should be taken further back and more in-focus.

Looks like you just brought it up close against your phone camera which couldn't focus that closely add that with the relatively low light levels and you get that dog shit.

Also pictures zoomed in that close on the subject are shit in general because you can't put any context to the subject.

Would you buy a sample of tea stored in a cigar humidor for a number of years?

>>19247614
I’m just showing an empty rind I didn’t realize it was suppose to be some
Masterpiece dang

>>19247628
Here is my new tea

I heard you lads like huang pian

Cracking into this tonight.

>>19247429
>>19247683
How do you brew it? Plop the whole thing in? Scoop it out? Tear up some of the rind?

>>19246178
>>19246374
>>19246634
Anyone else have any opinions on the ideal pumidor humidity?

>>19247745
I just smash them and grab half the rind. That one is 11g so two 5.5g seshes.

>>19247683
That looks way too much like my old lemonpig

>>19246178
>How have you been resaturating the beads? Can I simply briefly submerge them in distilled water?
Sorry just saw this part. I've got the bent nose syringe they sell from years ago, but I've just been using a little squeeze bottle of distilled. Dipping the tube in a cup would work fine. You don't want soaking wet.

>>19247843
puer aged in lemon pig when?

Did anyone try that cursed oolong that was said to taste like asphalt? I can't find it anymore

>>19246782
suntheanine and ashwagandha are better than gaba, much less gaba tea, but they do tend to taste nice

Okay so what's the catch here? Why is this so cheap?

Seems too good to be true.

>>19248570
It just looks like a generically cheap ripe cake. There isn't a catch, maybe it is a little fishy but it's probably just simple and "good enough."

>>19248570
Unknown tea entity. Could be anywhere on the gamut of quality. No year given. Amazon is questionable these days.
If you buy it, please report back.

>>19248570
LMAO that cake was my intro into the world of puer. I didnt know there was anything outside of bagged tea before trying this stuff. It was a little cheaper at $18.99 when I got it.
I would brew it in a ball strainer in a big mug, lol. strong wet pile taste, but not quite fishy from what I remember. It had a pretty strong smell too. Doing a good rinse helped mellow out the wet pile. I really didn't mind the wet pile taste, I guess the whole experience of drinking something so different from bagged tea was enough to keep me wanting more. I drank it every morning for a month or two, Then I think someone didn't know what it was and threw it away. I remember going to bed thinking about the smell adn taste, being excited to drink more of it in the morning.

It holds a special place in my heart, but I don't think its worth $26

>>19248570
seems like a normal price for ripe pu-erh. you can likely get better cakes for cheaper

>>19248597
Not knowing much about tea how do I get a quality pu-erh for a decent price? I've seen Steepster being mentioned every now and then but a lot of available puers don't have any reviews there. Or is that already a good enough red flag?

>>19248955
for ripe / shu pu-erh it's pretty easy. you just buy from big factories with good reputations for ripe.
for example, Dayi or Haiwan. you can compare prices between vendors. Dayi prices can vary a lot, but they're decent enough on Fullchea and Haiwan is cheap pretty much everywhere.

>Click /tea/ for the first time as I'm drinking some at the moment.
>Read about flavour profiles and tasting notes on /ck/ for the very first time.
Based tea drinkers.

>>19249070
/tea/ is genuinely the most pleasant and quality general I know on this site

>>19249485
/wipg/ on /tg/ is probably the only one better. They even do a secret santa.

>>19245861
>strong huigan / sweet aftertaste
most of the teas he sells will fit this, but consider getting one of the jingmai ones because he likes to produce them greener to focus on mouth feel and huigan, maybe the jingmai miyun but the other slightly more expensive jingmai cake sounds pretty interesting too

>>19249723
thanks anon, I'll try the miyun

Today a drank a sample of some young sheng from LP that was labelled as "the good good sheng puer (smiley face)".

Tasting notes:
>Some sweetness, strong huigan
>Lightly brothy, smooth mouthfeel
>Moderate bitterness and astringency
>Somewhat vegetal, fresh lightly sauteed greens
>Lightly spicy, a dash of sichuan pepper
>Lightly fruity, underripe tart apricots

Conclusion: A better than typical young sheng. Has more complexity than a lot of the cheap sheng I have tried. The spicy notes stand out as unique to me. Not overly harsh. You could say the tea was pretty good.

>>19249962
I still have no idea what to look for when buying young sheng. almost seems like a lottery unless you really trust a seller

>>19250027
Besides being able to spot obviously cheap low grade or poorly made tea in photographs you have to either trust the vendor, read online reviews, or buy samples. There is not a lot of special skills or knowledge to it. Despite that I don't consider young sheng all that hard to shop for. If you are buying from a reputable vendor the quality floor is pretty consistent and you are less likely to end up with something funky or unpleasant like you can with shou. Some vendors are likely better priced then others however.

At the higher end of the price spectrum you are just going to have to sample around to see what you like and decide whether the more expensive teas are worth the extra cash to you. The one thing I would probably avoid buying young is the cheap big factory productions that are intended for aging like most XG touchas as they can be kind of unpleasant when young. Buying young sheng for long term aging is a whole other topic and one where there is some controversy over what is ideal. I honestly just don't worry about it.

The lazy beginner recommendation is to grab some samples https://www.farmer-leaf.com/ , they have a great reputation for young sheng, fair enough prices, and a low free shipping threshold.

>>19250128
considering if I should order a bunch of samples from farmer leaf, or just go all in on a cake

>>19236313
I had shincha gelato (along with level 4 matcha) at the Nanaya honten years ago and I still think about it.

>>19250128
This brings up something I've been meaning to ask for a while -- where should I go to try truly bad tea? The quality floor is understandably consistent between trusted vendors, so where should I go for some lower floor tea? I want to more deeply understand the undesirable qualities in puer in order to understand quality when I taste it.

>>19250175
>bunch of samples, or just go all in on a cake
It is up to you. The samples will give you more a more educational experience and may help you find a tea you really like whereas a cake is generally a better value and it is fun to own cakes.

farmerleaf has a 15% off all teas sale right now that ends soon so you may want to decide quick.

>>19250268
fullchea mini puers, you will get them as samples anyways so dont waste your money on them

>>19250268
check the tea section in your local supermarket. they sometimes have truly vile quality ripe pu-erh marketed as a weight loss tool for middle aged women
for sheng, you could try one of those hilariously cheap Awazon brand cakes. if they have some current year ripes, grab one of those too

>>19250268
>This brings up something I've been meaning to ask for a while -- where should I go to try truly bad tea?
That is a really good question I don't have a perfect answer too. I don't normally go looking for bad tea. If you want to try very cheap puerh probably grabbing some of cheapo $10-15 mystery brand cakes from fullchea would likely be a good choice. https://www.fullchea-tea.com/

For very cheap sheng I think it is less likely to be undrinkably bad just bland and boring. The possible exception being chopped up young plantation tea that can be very harsh without age. In theory paying more for sheng gets you more complex, dynamic, better balanced teas. The cheap stuff can still be perfectly drinkable. Shou can be a bit iffier as badly fermented stuff may taste off however the price floor for decent name brand shou also tends to cheaper than sheng.

Puerh tea that I was gifted 5-7 years ago is moldy... I see spots of fuzzy white spots all over the cake...
Is this pretty much toast, or is this still safe to drink?

>>19250468
white mold is usually fine, it's the black stuff that's bad for you. you could try cleaning it off. but if it's a cheap cake you can just toss it just to be safe

>>19250468
Got any pictures of the cake? If it is truly moldy you probably don't want to drink it though some people do. Do you live somewhere really humid?

>>19250509
This is the tea, not sure what I have
>>19250519
No the opposite actually, it's very dry where I live. It spent most of its time in my pantry, I'll upload the cake pic

And the moldy cake

>>19250565
Looks fine to me. I've drank worse.

>>19250560
>This is the tea, not sure what I have
Looks like sheng puerh to me, but not from a major brand.

>No the opposite actually, it's very dry where I live. It spent most of its time in my pantry,
Strange Is it above the stove where it will get steam or in the basement where moisture can seep through the walls? Normally puerh won't mold unless you get >70% humidity or gets condensation on it. I keep all my puerh at 65% intentionally.

>>19250565
>And the moldy cake
yeah that looks like mold to me. I personally would probably call it a loss if it is covered in mold like that.

>>19248570
That's not even cheap anon, you have a great wide world to explore.
https://yeeonteaco.com/products/2009-purple-tea-ripe-tea-cake-7342h
This is close enough to the same price, and it's one of the shou I've had in the past while. You will have to pay for shipping which will be on some range from expensive to reasonable depending on how much tea you buy.
Suspiciously cheap is the $5-7 dollar per cake range.
>>19250268
I would say these are the darkhorse(s) of the shitty tea world.
http://www.pu-erhtea.com/
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/
Besides just looking for terrible tea on fullchea, amazon, ebay, whatever stuff that is pretty obviously scuffed.

Awazon is probably farther into "Cheap but good" territory, puerhsop has some truly terrible tea. I have a whole cake left that's been airing out for over a year or so now that is still just agressively stinky and awful. Especially look for tea in the '07-'10 era when the bubble started to burst and people offloaded whatever they had for whatever they could get for it. Puershop is your go-to store for improperly stored medicore tea.
Mega bonus points if you buy this sketchy (fake) 7542 that looks like lawn clippings.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=429
None of the cheap (shitty) tea connoisseurs have been brave enough to try it yet. Mostly because it's three times what it should cost.
I'd personally grab 2-3 of the cheap random cakes, if you're lucky one will be good, one will be mediocre, and one will be terrible and you can get the full cheap tea experience.
He sells some "sun dried" puerh, which I assume has not undergone shaqing. Probably extremely weird.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_7&product_id=607
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_7&product_id=580
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_5&product_id=518

>>19250609
>Big Montenegro likes
lmao

>>19250609
lol that name tho
No our pantry closet is in the main floor but right next to our water heater and house water filtration unit
And yup, the entire cake is covered in this fuzzy white stuff.
>>19250608
I might brew up some of this stuff tomorrow. It's too late for caffeine for me right now. Hopefully I don't get sick from a sip

>>19236950
They just look good they’re stale as shit people leave them in their cupboards for years and forget about them.
>>19237082
For real, I’ve never had a Japanese tea that had any kind of complex flavor that wasn’t immediately overpowered by the taste of vegetation and ocean.
>>19237860
Maybe if it’s a Taiwanese style rolled oolong, but dan cong can literally taste like peaches, oranges, weed, or flowers. I got a mi lan dan cong todays from Mei leaf and it’s straight up cannabis peaches.

>>19250619
I actually kind of got stuck looking through his stock because it's so bizzare, worth checking out in general.
More sun dried tea
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_5&product_id=518
Strange CNNP cake
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_5&product_id=541
This one has the highest chance of being actually good in my opinion, the pesticide tested tea has the highest chance of being arbor tea, and autumn tea has the best chance of being real.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_5&product_id=438
This one looks pretty rough.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_17&product_id=114
Presented without comment.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_17&product_id=820
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_17&product_id=968

Just an extremely strange place in general, I've gotten some solid tea from here though. This is where I would recommend looking if you want to buy some tea no one else would even consider selling. The pricing is basically made up, most of the tea is fake, none of it has been stored properly, it's always a sort of surreal experience. I'd genuinely recommend putting in an order here, if you go in with the right mindset it's worthwhile. You might get a pile of terrible tea but that's an interesting experience in and of itself.

>>19250641
>I got a mi lan dan cong todays from Mei leaf and it’s straight up cannabis peaches.
I get more hops than cannabis from mi lan xiang, but they're similar notes

as for Japanese tea, it's generally more complex than Chinese greens to my taste. you do have to like tea that tastes like seaweed, grass and broth though, but the contrast between that and the sweeter, fruitier flavors is great

>>19250656
It seems to be a more acquired taste. I like matcha but that’s probably from all the tannins that get released from the grinding process. Overall Japanese tea seems more savory or umami.

>>19237922
kek
I tried some ripe puerh tea that literally tastes and brews like mud

>>19250677
I love my exotic Chinese mine water

>>19250619
>puerhsop has some truly terrible tea.
You know what, I am willing to defend puerhsop. I have had pretty consistently good experiences with them. I think they are a good shop if you temper your expectations. They mostly sell cheap dry stored tea that was inexpensive even when it was new. They are good value for inexpensive dry stored semiaged tea but don't go in expecting the $20 mystery cakes to replace your teaswelike teas. None of the sheng I bought from them was truly bad and some of the cakes have been quite good. That said I don't really recommend them as a beginner shop.

>>19250619
>Mega bonus points if you buy this sketchy (fake) 7542 that looks like lawn clippings.
Not sure I believe that cake is legit but it does not look that bad in the pictures. Remember those photos were taken with a bad camera probably over a decade ago. Maybe I will grab a sample someday out of curiosity. I am just not that interested in the cake even if it were legit. I have other things I would rather buy.

>I have a whole cake left that's been airing out for over a year or so now that is still just agressively stinky and awful.
what cake was it?

>He sells some "sun dried" puerh, which I assume has not undergone shaqing. Probably extremely weird.
None of those pages say the tea did not get a killgreen. Sun drying or oven drying refers to the final drying of the tea after the kill green. You did not think they cook the tea crispy in a wok right? Even farmer leaf makes sun dried tea https://youtu.be/QE-aXKxPagY?t=949 its the traditional way to make puerh.

The third cake you posted is Shuangjiang Mengku a major brand not some weird stuff. Though that specific year and production is considered kind of mediocre and is generally sold for pretty cheap.

>>19237922
puerh is the good kind of dirt though

https://www.farmer-leaf.com/collections/jinggu-area/products/spring-2022-tang-fang-liang-zi-1

Is this worth buying?

>>19250740
>Sun drying or oven drying refers to the final drying of the tea after the kill green.
What is the alternative then, forced air? The teas in that list were all there because they mentioned being "sun dried". I am obviously familiar with how puerh is made, but there isn't a consistent english term to describe withering, shaqing, and what I guess is "drying".
>I think they are a good shop if you temper your expectations.
>I'd genuinely recommend putting in an order here, if you go in with the right mindset it's worthwhile.

>what cake was it?
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_7&product_id=496
I don't think it's necessarily a problem with the tea, it's just picked up and held on to an awful smell.

When you guys brew a cup, do you feel obligated to do a 2nd, 3rd brew before tossing the tea?

I make 250ml brews normally and sometimes I don't wanna drink 3 cups, but I feel guilty tossing after just one.

Thoughts?

>>19251008
Yeah I feel that way too, especially for puerh teas, it's such a waste not to go for multiple brews. Sometimes you had enough tea from the first brew that you want to save the tea for the next day.
I wonfer if its ok to leave the teapot in the fridge overnight

Against advice I bought a pricy ippodo tea for matcha lattes (actually due to yen being devalued and a shipping discount from the shipping proxy buying from their jp website was much cheaper) and it wasn't great. It was too much umami, with the same mouth-coating feeling of sipping a rich kombu broth, which was very weird when mixed with milk, and not very bitter, which I actually wanted more of for the bittersweet taste. I think it will be delicious as a normal tea sipped along with a grilled meat dinner, but not in a latte. If anyone knows a bitter not-too-umami matcha good with milk and a teaspoon of sugar ping me

>>19250646
>Just an extremely strange place in general, I've gotten some solid tea from here though.
His house brand stuff is also pretty consistently flavorless and mediocre

Is there a way to revive dry puerh tea?

>>19250268
>This brings up something I've been meaning to ask for a while -- where should I go to try truly bad tea?
There used to be some puer vendor in hongkong on ebay that only sold obvious counterfeits. I will have to see if i can find them

>>19251042
I've been putting the covered gaiwan in the fridge to use the cold/cover to minimize oxidization over night and adding warm water to the gaiwan first in the morning before adding the hot water so that it doesn't crack or anything

Seems to work OK, hoping someone else chimes in

>>19251087
Speaking of "truly bad tea", I've been considering emailing William and seeing if he'll sell / send me some of his experimental stuff that doesn't come out well for research purposes. I think it would be interesting and he would probably do it, if anyone wants to beat me to the punch.

>>19251042
>>19251088
I'll be honest, I drink around four liters of tea a day so I rarely have this problem, but if I do have tea I want to have the next day I just leave it out overnight. I usually do a flash brew since the water on the leaves is overbrewed, then brew it normally. It's not a good way to get good tea, but I do it and it's drinkable.

>>19250646
Im surprised you didn't post any of the shit bricks, but i guess it's almost cheating, i really enjoy that this is in the premium ripe category.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=3_13&product_id=807
This one too, i think some poster bought one of these once. I don't think they reported on how it went.
https://www.puerhshop.com/new/index.php?route=product/product&path=3_13&product_id=1009

>>19251079
Just storing it somewhere at the right humidity for a while is your best bet, results will be mixed though. Tea irrevocably loses some aroma and more "delicate" notes as it ages. If it's stored at moderate to high humidity, it will also develop some complex aged notes, which compensate for this loss of freshness. This is probably why some teas go through an "awkward phase", where they have not developed any aged notes, but have lost the delicate fresh notes they had when they were young.
I won't say anything confidently about storage, beyond that nobody knows how it works.

>>19251042
I like to make cold brew. Transfer to a larger vessel and add cold water and you can leave it in the fridge for days. Cold brewing also can bring out some interesting flavors you wouldn't otherwise notice, since it doesn't extract tannins.

>>19241196
I just bought
Spring 2009 Nannuo
Spring 2021 Jingmai Gulan
Spring 2022 Wen Shan Ding
Yiwu Ripe Pu-erh
and some loose leaf

>>19250677
how many times did u brew it? sometimes, the first brew isnt that good

>>19250984
>What is the alternative then, forced air?
I think some of the factories blow warm air over the tea so that they can quickly dry lots of tea. I have also heard the topic come up in regards to black tea and white tea cakes. The popular opinion is that sun dried tea will age better. Not sure if it has been formally tested though.

>it's just picked up and held on to an awful smell.
bummer, hopefully it will air out eventually.

>>19251099
>Im surprised you didn't post any of the shit bricks, but i guess it's almost cheating,
With shou I could see even some really ugly cakes tasting good, especially with some age on it. Not saying those teas are any good or that that they don't look funky just that it is plausible they are decent.

I respect puerhshop for letting us try al sorts of interesting (and often kind of sketchy) teas that are hard to come by on the western market. I will sorely miss puerhshop if it closes. They don't really have a direct competitor over here.

>>19251008
Teabags rarely deserve a second steep.

Why are all you white people so obsessed with puer? It’s an old person and Auntie drink in China.

>>19251830
Chinese old people and aunties sound like they know what's up.

>>19251830
This general in particular has several people who are very into puer's, but that doesn't mean that's what "white" people are interested in.

I for example don't particularly like the puer that I've tasted, but I do enjoy Chinese black teas and Taiwanese oolongs quite a bit.

>>19251830
>Why are all you white people so obsessed with puer?
If you were a Roman Catholic priest, you would understand. No homo.

>>19251689
>I respect puerhshop for letting us try al sorts of interesting (and often kind of sketchy) teas that are hard to come by on the western market.
Yeah, it's a hell of a shopping experience, but i also enjoy it being around, and ive gotten a few surprisingly good teas from him.

>>19251830
grandpas are generally correct thoughever

>>19251830
I like the esoteric

How long do you usally have to wait to be able to track ems packet? it's been 4 days and no update.

I fell out of love with ripe puer. Only black teas comforts me now.
t. puer lesbian to coal burner

>>19251830
western facing vendors can up the price on unsold stock every year. cant do that with green or black tea
>>19252570
>to coal burner
i dont know, i think that fits charcoal roasted oolongs better

Any cheapo white tea? I'm still going through the cakes I got from fullchea, just curious if anyone's got anything else.

>>19252711
Fuding "Shou Mei" White Tea Cake off ys

>>19251042
Yeah you can just brew it the next day or do cold brew

I've been drinking Lipton tea bags for 10 years.
Yesterday I smiled for the first time in a decade and my mom instantly remarked that my teeth are extremely yellow, instantly zapping any momentary joy I felt.
I lost at least 1 point of SMV just for the worst tea on the market.

>>19252743
just get them whitened, anon. it's not a big deal
and if you've been depressed for 10 years that's what's really hurting your """SMV""", not the fact that your teeth are a British Royal Yellow

having some stomach problems and the runs
have been drinking mint and shu pu-erh. Dayi Lao Cha Tou to be exact, because it's extra mellow with no astringency. the taste isn't dynamic or complex even for shu, but the rich creaminess and extremely thick body are satisfying and comforting. all in all it reminds me of a mug of hot chocolate made with thick, rich cream
what do you anons drink when your stomach is acting up?

>>19247843
RIP. It was so cute, time is cruel.

>>19252825
>drinks melamine rat poison tea from china
>why do I have diarrhea?

yes indeed, a beautiful start to any day

>>19252940
wrong photo

>>19252949
no, that is the correct photo. I even screenshotted it and cropped it because my phone camera makes the photos too nice and big

>>19251830
It’s true, all of us white folks here in Canada are just crazy for pu’er! Just a few months ago I was ordering a Canadian bagel (a donut for you foreigners) at Tim Horton’s. The cashier asked me,
>Would you like anything else today, bud?
>Could I …. 那个… get a medium tea as well?
The cashier smirked at me quite smugly and replied,
>Shu or sheŋ, pal?
“Sheng” I stammered out, accidentally dropping a hard g. All of the customers in the whole building laughed quite derisively at me. The man behind me said to a lady,
>What a retard, eh?
The tears were streaming down my lily-white face. I turned 360 degrees and broke into a run. I haven’t yet been brave enough to return.

>>19252995
lmao

>>19252995
kek

>>19252995
I re-read that story like 5 times already, and the first times I actually thought it was real.

Holy crap that is funny.

>>19236313
Whats the best tea anons I drink Ito En matcha right now

I'm drinking a green tea and it smells exactly like KFC. I'm not kidding. It smells like fried chicken

>>19252995
Canada is a Chinese colony. lol

What are the best vegan teas

Any non GMO teas out there?

>>19252825
Mint can cause stomach issues

>>19253394
I don't think there are any major crops of gm tea, im sure some university is experimenting with it somewhere but it's not used in production as far as im aware

>>19253398
over here it's a traditional herbal remedy for stomach pain. no idea if there's any weight to this

>>19253362
>>19253394
all of them
(even milk oolong isn't actually steamed over milk and I'm not aware of any popular GMO tea cultivars)

>>19253260
what tea is it? I've gotten some "fried" notes from lu'an gua pian before. it reminded me of fried, breaded Christmas carp for some reason, though not in an unpleasant way
a highly underrated green tea I think

>>19253444
Fusing Mao Jian

>>19253499
Fuding*

Ladies, I must admit I am not sure I much like shou or liu bao. I was drinking some liu bao today (picrel) and I don't really care for it. The tea tastes like dirt mixed with soup broth and while not very bitter it does not entirely agree with my stomach. It also has a numbing effect in mouth that I am not altogether convinced is healthy. However, it is my understating that all the cool girls adore such teas.

What should I do tea sisters?

>>19253663
have you tried boiling the liu bao? I highly recommend it, it's done wonders for the aged liu bao I've had so far

>>19253665
>have you tried boiling the liu bao?
I have not tried that yet. What tea/water ratio do you use? and how long should I boil the liu bao? Do you think it will still work well for "gong ting" style liubo like my 0222 brick that does not contain many stems or big leaves?

Thanks sister

>>19253663
That's a shame, we always have a shou tasting session after the Melissa Etheridge concert.

>>19253663
I have had bricks of either that particular batch from your photo or the following years batch, mine weren't aged as wet as i prefer so they were still a bit bitter compared to the typical liubao i drink but i still enjoyed it.
Generally i don't get a cooling sensation from liubao but that is pretty normal for quite a few teas and i wouldn't worry about it.
I also find liubao to be very easy on my stomach and one of the easiest teas to drink in general.
I will agree that it usually tastes like twigs and soil (and chocolate) and that's a good thing™

>>19253682
7 ish grams in 1.25 litres of water, bring watter to low simmer, add tea, simmer covered for 20 minutes or so. Really changes thae flavor profile and mellows things out. I think it works fine even for bud heavy liubao like yours

>>19253682
yeah, what the other anon said. it should bring out some sweetness and lower the in your face cellar / beetroot notes if you get any of those. results in a more mellow, balanced brew

>>19253423
arent most taiwanese oolong cultivars? or are they just selctively bred? TRES developed most of the cultivars used including jin xuan but i cant find info if its through gm or just selective breeding

>>19253866
pretty sure it was selective breeding. it's not like Taiwan is the only country to develop new tea cultivars either way, most Japanese cultivars are also fairly recent

teabros... the coffeechuds are laughing at us again

>>19254551
teabaggers keep losing out. saying it contains more than water is a bit ~ though.

>>19247634
rate my cock

>>19254551
Fortunately I only drink tea that is not commercially available in the United States.

>>19254551
>professionals should consider this information when advising caries prevention regimens for patients and determining the potential for dental or skeletal fluorosis in at-risk patients.
AKA This study does not provide evidence of harm from typical tea consumption. It only provides a data point for consideration.

Skeletal fluorosis and non-cosmetic dental fluorosis are very rare in the US. I have not seen evidence to suggest that reasonable consumption of Tea carries a high risk of fluorosis. Unless you are drinking tea all day like a Tibetan you will most likely be fine.

>>19253741
>I also find liubao to be very easy on my stomach and one of the easiest teas to drink in general.
Unfortunately, wet piled tea often does not sit quite right in my gut. Not sure why.

>>19253741
>>19253749
>>19253778
Thanks girls, I appreciate the advice. I will try simmering my liubao sometime.

agony

>>19254954
The two well documented cases of skeletal florosis in the US were both over 60 and drinking 50-200 cheap teabags a day for over a decade. One was just dumping the entire box in a flower vase and adding boiled water.

>ordered o-cha on Friday
>it shipped from Japan to me in the US today Tuesday
damn that was fast. can't complain about shipping being $40 anymore.

Where do you guys buy your Pu-erh tea from?

>>19254954
>Unless you are drinking tea all day like a Tibetan you will most likely be fine.
Fuck.
>>19255768
>The two well documented cases of skeletal florosis in the US were both over 60 and drinking 50-200 cheap teabags a day for over a decade.
H-Haha who would do that... 7-16 bags a day...

>>19255768
>One was just dumping the entire box in a flower vase and adding boiled water
how high was grandma's cha qi?

>>19236313
Glad I found a place that sells unsweetened green tea so I don't need to buy an entire box of packets anymore. Might find some local honey for it and heat it

>>19255838
Fullchea, Kingteamall, Awazon

>>19255910
>Fuck.
note that the tibetans are boiling very cheap chopped up leaves for hours to drink them with yak butter by the litres
they're the only people actually at risk of drinking too much fluor from tea

bump limit reached. new thread imminent:
>>19256366
>>19256366
>>19256366