/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>19939473
Coffee sucks

Unironically are there any red or black or pu-erh teas sourced from actual 200+ year Gushu trees for sale right now? Not blends but the real stuff

>>19939494
it's always hard to ascertain tree age, but 200 year old trees aren't that rare, they do exist. best thing vendors can do is show you photos
1000 or 2000 year old trees is where you get into actual bullshit land usually

since there was some interest in the last thread, I brewed up some leftover shan cha from 2021
really strong, sweet aroma of floral honey and forest fruit
flavor of peaches, blackberries, cinnamon cookies. the tea feels light and refreshing, without a robust body or typical chinese black malt and chocolate notes
leaves a lingering candy sweetness that seems almost artificial, though not in a bad way. and the aroma stays in the throat and goes up the nose for much longer than most black tea

I usually prefer more robust black teas, but I have a soft spot for this tea. the intense sweetness really stands out and the balance between fruity and cookie spice type flavors is fun too. feels worth the pretty high price for a black tea

>>19939417
Do you think this https://globalteahut.org/products/shancha?variant=37664305152159 is the same shit? Can't find any reviews of this one

>>19939532
>more robust black teas
got any favourite wild teas in this bracket?

What is the mapping of spring and autumn teas?
Spring = April
Autumn = November?

>>19939572
Well it takes a while to pick and process so I would guess spring picking actually happens in March and Fall picking happens September-October

>>19939561
Same strain of tea clearly, probably same general area. Should be similar enough.

>>19939506
Fuck apparently I'm too broke for this rarity

>>19939506
Is the dollar per gram some extension?

Half kilo of decade old mystery fu showed up.

>>19939684
yes, an anon from this thread made it a month or two ago:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/glodfinch-tease/
very useful stuff

>>19939684
No the price is more correlated with how famous the mountain is. Some gushu or single trees can have same price as small trees from another atea.
>>19939623
Gushu isn't really rare there's just less than the rest but plenty for everyone across the mountains.

>>19939494
It's gone anon, but don't looking for tree age before buying. https://www.farmer-leaf.com/collections/yunnan-black-tea/products/autumn-2023-jingmai-gushu-black

interesting, this is new

>>19939695
Smells like mulch kek.

>>19939724
My package has been stuck in Shanghai for the past 5 days.
I even provided data for customs in advance.

Feeling comfy today lads. What are you all drinking?

>>19939473
Hundreds of thousands of children are being aborted every single year. Tens of thousands of children are being aborted completely legally in 2023 in deep red USA states.
Abortion is still legal in all 50 states and almost nobody is talking about it. The pro life movement is a controlled opposition and not your fren. Please watch this approximately 15 minute long YouTube video on abortion please whether you be pro choice or already pro life https://youtu.be/XGPv66ZqlEQ?feature=shared [Open] [Open] [Open] [Open]

Over 6 billion (yes) Chickens are tortured to death every single year in the United States alone in factory farms. And no your Canada Australia or EU country isn't much better. Billions of animals are being tortured to death in factory farms every single year and it's (partially) your fault! Please watch at least the first five minutes of this YouTube video . In it he explains that people who regularly purchase chicken for years straight will almost certainly cause the torturing and murder of hundreds of extra chickens. That blood is all on your hands and would NOT have been shed had you instead decided to boycott animal products / go vegan ! https://youtu.be/brKhhZlUoOc?feature=shared [Open] [Open] [Open] [Open]

What are the conditions like in factory farms where over 96% of all animal products in western nations come from? They are mutilated without anesthetic, crammed in dirty, uncomfortable, and crowded conditions, they are artificially inseminated / raped and jacked off, they are slaughtered. Here is a free approximately 2 hours long documentary about factory farming plvv se watch it thank you https://youtu.be/LQRAfJyEsko?feature=shared jgdfg

>>19939695
Holy shit, now that's some authentic ass kang brick. Make sure to make some butter tea with it after boiling the shit out of some.

>>19939938
Probably that brick of fu later. Some frank right now. Nice teapetrock.

>>19939946
I was looking into that.

>>19939191
alright I just blew 2/3rds of my monthly indulgence budget so think I'm done buying tea for now

Will report once it arrives

>>19939958
Half a day? I figured after 20 mins or so you've gotten everything there is. I'll have to try an hour or something.

>>19939958
I tried making butter tea like that before andnwent to heavy on the salt, it was awful.
My suggestion is to basically copy a bulletproof coffee recipie, since those are just based on butter tea anyways.
7.5g - 10g of tea in 1.25 litres of water, bring the water to a boil, then add tea, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, strain, pour into blender with a pad of butter, blend for 30 seconds or so. If the butter is salted don't add any additional salt, if it isint, add a miniscule pinch of salt before blending.

>>19939973
After 20 minutes you are just flouride and lead maxxing

>>19939986
shoo shoo globalist pawn, the vajra is for sentient beings.

>>19939958
Thanks. Report back in later, I'm very curious on how the brick tastes if it smells like mulch.
Bill and I are enjoying some nice Da Hong Pao today.

>>19940005
Bill is a cute pet rock

>>19939986
The fluoride is a nice bonus but the lead is where the qi is

>>19940005
I don't know if you've ever been shopping for expensive dirt, but it has that spicy, leathery smell that's nothing like the usual compost. No idea if there are any golden flowers in it.

>>19940016
Very interesting. Was it expensive?
>>19940012
Thanks. He's good company

>>19940042
12 cents a gram, so pretty cheap.

I know this varies by style of tea, but is there a price matrix for what counts as expensive? I find anything under .40/g to be midrange and everything up to a dollar to be kinda pricey but not extreme.

>>19940073
>12 cents a gram
Are you the anon that bought a cheap brick from ebay?

Saw on one of the previous threads a recommendation for a Mengku Bo Jun, anyone know if its worth it and if so where should I get it from?

>>19939724
>>19939748
I see yurope accelerating on its cuckoldry path without interruptions
glad I left that clownshow

>>19940169
Amazon.

>>19940169
There are some other cheap ya'an teas on ebay as well.
>>19940266
Im excited to here about this

>>19940187
The anons who tried it said it's very fucking good, Kingteamall and Tea-expert allow you to buy smaller quantities.
>>19940266
Mmm, juicy mystery brick. You'll either get a trip to the hospital or end unlocking your golden core.

>>19940187
If you want to see what high end ripe has to offer i think its a very nice example.
You can get a 100g portion for $40 + $5 flat rate shipping, so about 45¢ a gram
https://tea-expert.net/mengku/00135-mengku-bojun-2020?page=2
Dont let the Russian scare you its a shop ran by a Chinese guy living on an island off of sothern china, payment processing is Chinese and it ships from china he just focuses on the Russian market for whatever reason.

My parents in law are tea Farmers in Japan

>>19940371
Do they sell tea online?

>>19940387
Yeah but only in Japan

>>19939572
Depends on the tea

>>19939972
Nice, enjoy!

Craftedleaf has a 35% off sale.

>>19940352
What site would be best if I were to grab a full cake?

What's the densest, hardest, most compressed tea out there (that's still somewhat cheap and tasty)?

I'm thinking about commissioning my knifemaker friend to make me the mother of all tea picks/tea knives and wanted to send him a cake or brick so he knows what I'm working with.

>>19940541
There are probably worse monstrosities to be had, but the most compressed cake I've had is a Xiaguan T8653 iron cake.

>>19940541
I'd probably just send him a Fu brick, you don't really want "The densest, hardest, most compressed cake". There's cakes that you can't even use a pick on, like picrel that you just knock pieces off of. The general heaviest densest stuff will be things like >>19940545, anything labelled "Iron cake" is going to be heavily compressed. Fucha is a good bet though, it should be absolutely dirt cheap, is pretty tasty, and will generally be quite compressed.

long time lurker first time poster here, I really love gong-fu style teamaking, but I'd like some recommendations for some spice teas
my favorites are:
valerian
rooibos
greek mountain tea
various mint teas

anything worth trying?

>>19940541
My pick would be
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/hunan-hei-cha-zhuan/products/2012-gao-jia-shan-hei-zhuan-hunan-hei-cha-brick
I actually stabbed myself trying to open the sample i got. I could get a saw or something, but too much work for some tea.
>>19940498
I would go with Tea expert, like the other anon linked. Never bought from KTM, so i can't say much about them.

Broke the tip off my pot like the fucking retard that I am. Protip if you ever buy a pot like this, just take the lid string ofd. It lulls you into a false sense of security when all it does is remove dexterity. It's still usable thankfully.

>>19940541
Even if the brick would be wood it's still wood.
Any metal, yes even chinknesium, will have no trouble with it.
You don't need knife that will ho though bones(read your fingers)

>>19940605
Please tell me you aren't the same guy who broke his mutton fat teapot and just got a replacement. >>19938180

>>19940567
I'll put in an order this weekend and make a post when I get the chance to try it, Appreciate the help

>>19940617
Yeah...

anyone with a good knowledge of yixing please tell me if i should buy this?
https://teahabitat.com/products/yixing-zhuni-red-clay-pumpkin-teapot-170-ml?_pos=7&_sid=5287ddbd6&_ss=r


thanks in advance

New pottery going up Sunday, I think I see my replacement pot over there. Might have to snag one of those cups.

>>19940630
Jesus man, 1 teapot is an accident, but to break a second teapot so fast, surely you must be cursed or something.
>>19940618
No problem anon. Always glad to help a fellow dirt water enjoyer.
>>19940631
Depends on what are your expectations. From the pics and price i don't think that teapot is neither real Da Hong Pao, nor handmade.
>>19940636
Congrats. Do share your thoughts when it arrives. That shape is really intriguing.

>>19940558
Lemon verbena

>>19940541
Send him a xiaguan iron cake
This isn't the densest one they have.ever made but its reasonably priced and tasty

>>19940558
what's a spice tea? delete this post, read, pastebin and try again.
>>19940541
any xiaguan tuo or tie bing of some sort https://kingteamall.com/products/2007-nanqiao-che-fo-nan-tie-bing-704-batch-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
>>19940636
those look very goofy and hand made in the wrong way, enjoy
with mud and leaves sale going on I would go there for well made pottery. if you really need that shape (kitschy) thhen go for it. it also looks rough and cheaply made.
>>19939742
how does it look even mulchier than tibetan kang bricks. good candidate for a butter and salt churned energy drink.

>>19940631
with mud and leaves sale going on I would go there for well made pottery. if you really need that shape (kitschy) then go for it. it also looks rough and cheaply made. https://mudandleaves.com/collections/new-arrivals

>>19940660
>Jesus man, 1 teapot is an accident, but to break a second teapot so fast, surely you must be cursed or something.

It's the string. I makes you think that it's inherently more safe so you hold on to it while the fat fucking pot just swings around and gets chipped when it's weight hits the sink.

>>19940691
It is tibetan export fu. There's a monastery and prayer wheel on the box. Clearly peasant instead of theocracy grade.

They're quite a bit more endearing and interesting in person. I grew out of fancy perfect teaware when I was 12 and artsy wabi sabi shit in my 20s, the only thing left is unbridled fun. It's like drinking out of a Ghibli movie and I just don't have any more fucks to give at this point.

>>19940605
If it makes you feel any better ive broken 2-3 gaiwans and a teapot, actually 2 teapots but one was from an antique store and i couldn't get the cigarette smoke out

>>19940710
I sentence you to watching 3 seasons of Time Team so you can see the full extent of how disposable pottery has always been.

>>19940725
>I grew out of fancy perfect teaware when I was 12 and artsy wabi sabi shit in my 20s, the only thing left is unbridled fun
wait till you grow out of the unbridled fun, that's where the real fun begins.
are you gonna make some high altitude yak butter tea with the mulch brick? if you haven't tried this preparation yet, you should. it's a tea soup that hits differently.

>>19940541
>>19940677
Whoops forgot the link
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/xiaguan-2011-sheng-puer-cake-bulang-old-tree-since-1902-puercha-357g
If your freind is going to make something i would basically ask for a small oyster knife shape, or a sort of dagger style, but don't have him put a keen edge on it, have him leave it a bit blunt so you don't run your hand through accidentally. Most important thing is that he gets a nice hard temper on it so the ege can handle getting pushed through dense tea.
These sort of spike designs work great with hard steel

>>19940746
The tip on this one isn't supposed to be bent but they used some soft ass stainless and didn't heat treat it at all.

Getting a new teapot from Mud & Leaves. My first yixing teapot.

>>19940750
feels bad man. it was probably expensive too.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/other-tea-accessories/products/wood-handle-stainless-steel-tea-needle-for-prying-tight-puerh-tea-cake-tuo-brick
no. 2 or 3 type works the best for me. sharp spike and thin and flat on the end. you stab with the spike and the flat end gives you enough purchase to pry the chunk of leaves out of any tuo.

>>19940743
Haven't corresponded with the potter, his sensibilities are in the right place but it's an iterative process and he's still pretty young. I'm just getting in on my own generation's pioneers before they command stupid prices.

>>19940746
This, the best design would be a kiridashi mixed with a drywall knife. And a spike on the back. Dull as shit, you can hurt yourself otherwise. Me? I'm just extremely careful.

>>19940773
*Having
This cheap Bordeaux has finally started doing what it should do.

>>19940758
timeless classic and look at that texture. it will be way smaller and cuter than you expect in person, it should shine after 10 sessions or so. godspeed.
>>19940773
>Haven't corresponded with the potter
I think you should. mold em when they're young.
>>19940777
switch to whisky like all the taste chasers have done already. high concentration of flavor is the key.

>>19940782
I'm backing off from that, I'm learning to appreciate subtlety again. This Bordeaux is disgustingly smooth and subtle. I usually go more bold and whiskey like with wines. And it was the same price as my usual and sitting next to it so there wasn't much thought put into it.

He seems like one of us in a few ways and I respect his craft as is. I'd do a commission if I thought of something that meets and iterates upon his personal aesthetic but I prefer giving artists carte blanche and some vague prompts if they even ask. I've been a patron of other arts for years now, ones that offend my sensibilities. Maybe I like that it rubs me the wrong way, who knows?

>>19940758
Nice. Classic shape is always a good thing at first. May your spout never clog every time you run samples of shou through it.

>>19940806
>This Bordeaux is disgustingly smooth and subtle
swings and roundabouts. I stay away from anything described as smooth in whisky. I drink my drams with water and I expect cloudiness and motor oil/ car workshop type of taste to be there. If you can't get/afford springbank, get benromach.
>>19940817
nice one bruvva
I'll add that you should run all types of tea that you have and have drunk already to see where it hits the spot. don't be discouraged if the first few sessions turn out muted and hollow. the clay will saturate and reward you afterwards. i.e. don't "dedicate" the teapot, it will show you what he likes the most.

>>19940835
I hate the word smooth because it's meaningless with booze, but there is nothing robust or exceptionally tannic going on. It's grapes that were in a barrel and are better for it. My usual carmenere is robust and has strong notes and a lingering sense of the wild mood swings to come new world wine is exceptional at. Smooth isn't a flavor. For once, it is a flavor and it's mineral water and grapes with some barrel. It tastes like wine. Like, the way some rare micro brewed ale you get at some shithole brewpub tastes like a beer and nothing else. En oina, aletheia.

I'm more into ryes, cask finishes, scotch and anything that isn't plain bourbon. All I don't want is overpowering oak, cherry, or turpentine. Dry fruitiness and spice with complex caramel sugars and strange things is good. I picked up a fernet branca habit from sudacas and a finn on discord, one of those art circles I'm a patron of.

>>19940889
you like barrique in wine, I'm testing the waters with "natural wine" which hipsters are pushing lately. farmyard notes like from remote forest tea trees shat on by the mules and goats. we're returning to monke with our tastes in '20s, seems like. still, my heart stays with scotch. single malt whisky is the ultimate flavor and aroma carrier. it's like eau de toilette v. eau de parfum. high concentration is the winner for me. I get to add water to taste with cask strength and basically play with my food. that's what all we doing here, right?
get on with that tibetan energy drink milk tea asap. here's the first result on google search https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uZNK-U9b-g
and it's succinct enough. notice she's using some shu. never tried with it like that.

>>19940928
Single malt is the worst about terroir and barrique. That's why a barren shithole island with a bog as source water makes all the stankest and cold weather destroying scotch with the most powerful uis qi. If I had to fuck mermaids while contending with deadly witch whorlpools in the bay or sheep and saes inland I'd make the best booze on the planet too. This is the kind of mind that has brewww'd scotch for generation pon generation. https://youtu.be/7msoqnz2bcY?si=aqOCZoC9douLi79m

Rinpoche uses goat milk because even real tibetans think fermented yak is vile after having something else. It's not bad, it complements the tea. Let me drink the tea first. I haven't even finished getting halfway shit fasted and having dumplings. Then I can decide the course of my life. Honestly asking for boiled concentrate straight no chaser is a power move where it comes from. It's kind of a meal replacement shake in a cold hall where you eat two meals a day.

>>19940605
>>19940617
>>19940630
lmao just get a silver pot

I got a letter. Let's enjoy it together.

>>19941179
I have all the tools needed to open and savor it. Let's hope the scandi is still awake. He was fun.

Should I get anything? All I have left is pajeet moonlight white.

>>19941203
Forgot pic.

>>19941193
I may have kinda hard, we'll see how this first steep tastes after the second rinse.

>>19941225
Shit. It tastes like fuck. Good fuck. This shit is delicious. Sweet and exuberant. Fuck.

None of my homies like Gyokuro bros. WTF?

>>19941244
I won the taobao lottery on a dark horse. No idea what it'll taste like in the morning but it's the spot hitting the spot tries to hit right now.

>>19941252
How much did you pay for it can I get it right now for cheap what kind of fucked up shit do you have to do to brew it?
https://youtu.be/7lNJamgjZ58?si=ZckUcOjIUIfDHo6L

>>19941283
https://www.uptontea.com/japanese-green-tea/japanese-organic-loose-leaf-green-tea/p/V00217/
It's literally just this. I brew it for 5 minutes at 85C and it tastes basically like a light miso soup. It has some other side notes, little grassy, sweetness, etc. if you hit it too hard it gets kind of harsh. I like it honestly. Japs know how to make green shit.
I just get why my friends don't like it since they like less common stuff like shou's and shengs.

>>19941329
You just described this shit. Water boils lower in tibet.

>>19941338
Um are those pot stickers? Based?

>>19941345
Man cannot live off of tea alone. This is my beacon.

>>19941244
No legs in a gongfu setting. I'm getting...mulch now. Would be good if you boiled the absolute fuck out of it at 80c for 5 hours and made a paste from it. It's like reverse shou, all the sweetness was upfront.

>>19941397
It is sweet, grassy mulch. I like it. Cuts though booze and greasy dumplings like it said on the box.

>>19941403
Yeah hei cha really does fucking annihilate greasy food, its pretty impressive. On the other hand with some of em if you drink them on an empty stocmach it cuts through that instead.
Im not super surprised it doesnt have long legs. Probably requites some really boiling long brews after the first couple to get more out of it.

>>19941252
I got samples from Sugimoto tea. They also gave me quite a few goodies, but I've realized that I don't like green tea. I don't like savory at all, I like a pleasant sweetness like in white teas or the kind of stuff you get from lapsang souchong. I'm eager to try boat captain from w2t, but I don't smoke.

>>19939473
I bet OP has a thing for carbs feet.

>>19941626
^Crabs feet

>there might be some fuzzy white mold. It's ok though
I legitimately can't fathom buying pu'er that has been stored poorly. I really can't.

>>19941708
Imagine the cha-qi

>>19941725
Has anyone actually tested these things for mycotoxins?

anyone here make their own blend of tea for milk tea? been mixing ceylon, ahmed special blend and jin jun mei for mine.

>>19941773
Of course not.

Everyone in these threads is always posting their bricks and meanwhile I'm over here sipping on licorice root until my heart gives out

Are plastic ziplocks in a cupboard the best long-term budget storage option?

Speaking of yixing teapots I impulse bought my first yixing from mudandleaves. It's duan clay, which honestly I picked because I love the look of the clay, I keep getting conflicting info on what tea it's ideal for. Some say it's for light roasted oolongs, some say it's for heavily roasted oolongs, and some say it's for shou puerh which feels very antithetical to the first two? What say you guys?

>break out some green tea now that the weather is colder
>tea has lost its flavor
>check the date
>best by two months ago
wat do?

>>19942104
>best by date
>tea

Just buy some real tea.

>>19942113
It wasn't the most expensive stuff, but it was a good sized bag and I had been working on it for almost two years now. Feels bad man.

>>19942104
>>19942118
roast it to give it new flavor

What can I do with 2016 white cake that tasted like shit at that time and still tastes bad today?

>>19942206
Samovar butter/milk tea. If it still tastes bad, then throw it away.

>>19942206
Cold brew

Anon how often do you drink? I usually go 3 days in a row then have to take a 1 day break. I wish my body were able to handle this shit nonstop. Being sober sucks I dont want to be sober I want to drink and feel good.

>>19942254
Why are you gay?

>>19942218
What's your usual cold brew procedure?

>>19942357
Just steep in the fridge overnight. Lately I mostly cold brew oolong, 8g or so per liter. With white I'd probably start with 6g and see how it turns out.

>>19942018
proper mylar bags are better

>>19942093
>I keep getting conflicting info on what tea it's ideal for
it's often hard to say until you try it in practice

>>19941616
sheng can be kind of green and savory too

>>19941252
drinking the rest of my shincha myself
savory, grassy, a bit astringent. classic stuff.

How are Yeeontea's oolongs? Iron Buddha I and II, Shui Xian, etc? Notable difference between Buddha I and II to validate the price difference? An anon also advised that I avoid the 2009 Menghai and Taste of HK cakes, so I guess I won't buy them, but what else is worth considering besides the bricks and Best Taste? Pic related, my current cart. Don't know if/how else I should change it, or if I should remove something, etc. I don't think I can get shipping to go below $17 anyway.

>>19942534
looks like minmaxed safe picks. all the opinions on the bricks and best taste ripe I've seen were really positive
desu Iron Buddha II is cheap enough that I wouldn't want to pay less for a slightly worse version. someone said their shui xian was good value, but I haven't had it myself

>>19941193
If by Scandi you mean me, I'm up again. Me and Bill are sharing a cup right now.
What did the expensive mulch taste like friend?

When ordering a gaiwan online, what do you look out for to make sure that it pours well?

>$23 shipping on YS
Lol fuck that.

These portable gong fu things suck ass. They keep spraying hot water all over me when I untwist the water chamber. Only thing good about them is they fit together as one whole assembly and I don't need something like a gay ass carrying case.
Also it should be REQUIRED to provide hot water dispensers in airports.

>>19942604
Is bill single?

>>19942534
i like the shui xian, but i'm not very familiar with yancha. it also gave me the feeling of wanting to get some of the good shit.

>>19942945
For now. I've been wanting to pair him with a "real" teapet, but I haven't decided on one yet.

>>19942975
Maybe bill would like a simple female rock and not a fake teapet who post on social media? You should ask him first I think

>>19942832
I've always wondered about those designs. Yunnan Sourcing and Crimson Lotus seemed to have shifted away from recommending those in favor of a vacuum insulated grandpa-style thermoses.

Anyone have experience making their own teabags with loose leaf tea? My mom likes tea but doesn't have the desire to deal with leaves. Thought some handmade teabags of good quality tea would make a nice Christmas gift. My main concern is making sure the leaves have enough room to expand.

>>19943073
Someone posted some finum brand teabags last thread, those looked quite spaceous

>>19942104
>green tea
>tea has lost its flavor
Toast it in a pan before brewing

>>19942534
>How are Yeeontea's oolongs?
Good for the price. The cheap ones are more of a daily drinker grade then a snobby oolong but I have no complaints about them.
>An anon also advised that I avoid the 2009 Menghai and Taste of HK cakes,
I actually like the taste of HK cake and think it is good but the sheng brick in your cart is good too. I am more indifferent about the purple mark, the shou you got may be better. The purple mark itself is fine but it tastes like cellar stored cheap shou and if you don't like cellar storage or cheap shou then there is not much more going on.
In any case it is probably good not to over buy HK wet stored tea if you don't know if you like it. The wet stored stuff from Yeeon is very wet and musty and probably not for everyone. I appreciate it but I is the sort of thing I only drink occasionally.

Any recommendations from Farmer Leaf, going to get the Oriental Beauty and want to know if anything else is good enough to pick up a sample.

>>19943225
>In any case it is probably good not to over buy HK wet stored tea if you don't know if you like it.
It's not like I'm brand new to pu'er, and I like various heicha like liu bao, tian jian, and fu brick stuff, but this is the main reason I wanted to try Yeeon's stock. I specifically want the HK 'dank' experience...whatever that amounts to, as long as it isn't boring and apathy-inducing.
>I actually like the taste of HK cake
Would you mind giving a few comments about your impression of it? Only one I heard talk about it at length is the guy from TeaDB in a YT vid:
https://youtu.be/efmnM52jNZU

>>19943287
There are 2 oriental beauty on the site, which one are you getting? Sample for sheng is what you are looking for?

>>19943313
I think they are the same thing just in different sections, but the oolong one. And recs for sheng and maybe blacks if they arent too malty.

>>19943331
No two different oriental beauty listed, one from feng shui ling the other from ailao, and oriental beauty is always oolong. Yingpan shan easy rec as usual. Sheng has a large selection maybe telling a little more about your taste could help or your budget.

>>19943344
Yeah, wasnt reading the full name, but the ailao one. I don't really drink puerh, mostly white and oolongs so I don't have anything to base my taste on. As for budget, maybe ~50$ for a few samples.

I went crazy with the black friday sales. Hit up YS, CLT, KTM, M&L, ORT, OWT (no sale there), and W2T.

>>19943364
Ailao is the one I got and it's great. For 50 I would honestly buy a cake instead of samples. A Fa zhan he or bagwai small trees. I would have suggested the single trees pouches for your budget but I don't think it would be good for "newcomers"

>>19943404
>single trees pouches
did anyone get those yet? haven't heard anything about them.

>>19943420
No, first people would get them in maybe a week and half or two weeks+. I would suggest it because it's good materials, giving you a real taste of sheng.

>>19942994
Now that you said it, he usually hangs out with this girl when we aren't drinking together. I haven't asked Bill if she enjoys tea yet. He's more of a quiet, stoic type. Doesn't talk a whole lot. Mabye she'll join us in the future?

>>19943444
Could invite both for a tea session, see how it goes. I have a friend like that too, just drinking tea not talking, enjoying the moment, I hope i'll reach this level ofenjoyement one day.

>>19943444
Be a wingman you always wanted to have.
Invite both for a session, who knows maybe Bill will open up a little and she might see him in a different light.

Newbie here, how do you guys go about doing gong fu brewing? Do you need to have a constantly heated source of water nearby so that it’s always 98c when you pour to brew or is it fine to just pour water into a pot and take it with you somewhere and then start the gong fu process despite the water getting slightly cooler and cooler each brew?

>>19943477
i have an insulated kettle, it keeps pretty hot for a few brews then i reboil it, a few degrees lower isn't a big deal but i would've thought in a pot it might cool off too quick. a thermos works fine though.

>>19943477
When at home, I have an electric kettle with temperature control. On the go, I use a thermos. Approximating water temperatures is fine.

Anyone here stocked with quality fermented tea which will last for years or are we all broke?

>>19943312
>as long as it isn't boring and apathy-inducing.
Well that should not be a problem, the dank cellar storage experience is quite unique. The only thing potentially "boring" about Yeeon's wet stored stock is the "storage aroma" on many of the teas is similar because they all came from the same place. The underling tea itself is different but the prominent cellar storage flavor component is shared. I think most shops even in HK (including Yeeon I think) avoid long hard cellar storage on their top shelf cakes because they want to preserve more of the expensive teas unique flavors. Sometimes they will cellar store the tea for a limited time and then put it in dryer storage to get some of the transformative effects but also preserve the original tea and give time for the storage aroma to mellow.
>taste of HK cake
>Would you mind giving a few comments about your impression of it?
It has been a while since I last had it so I don't remember details and I am not a professional taster in the first place. Maybe I will have some again soon and can write you some better notes. The overly reductive description is that it is a well priced decent grade semi-aged sheng on par with other teas on the market that stands out due to it's conspicuously strong wet storage taste. Your options on Yeeon's cellar storage will make or break the tea, it is hard to understate the effects of the storage. Its the sort of tea that if you love then I think it would be a great long term aging candidate. Put a tong up for a decade to let the storage aroma to calm down a bit and I think you would be left with an excellent tea. Its a good tea right now but is a bit danker than I personally prefer but I know others that love it.

I spilled some strong dark tea all over myself and just washed the shirt I was wearing: it's ruined. I like it, I'm so angry.

>>19943388
>M&L
??? I don't know that one.

>>19943404
Its better to get one then try a few, or is because they jack up the price/gram when you get samples? Anyway this is the current cart will maybe add something else, aiming for around 100$ total.

The voices are back.
They want me to buy fa zhan he.
No! I will not succumb to them!
Let this -20% temptation end already!

>>19943456
>maybe Bill will open up a little and she might see him in a different light.
Rocks have a hard time with that sort of thing. He may need some assistance.

Where else can I buy this? I don't want to pay that shipping.
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/pure-gold-jin-jun-mei-black-tea-of-tong-mu-guan-village

>>19943515
>>19943497
Alright thanks, I’ll just use a thermos then.
If I don’t feel like doing gong fu, can I still use oolong and Chinese types of tea for a Western style brewing (No resteeping)?

>>19943607
yes western style works fine too, there's some brewing instructions in the pastebin.

>>19943592
Price difference between samples and full cakes is a criteria but it's also to learn how much a cake can change over multiple sessions. The way you brew it can influence the taste a lot so with a full cake you can for the first few sessions try different way to brew it to find the way you enjoy it the most and then try to replicate it. With 20 maybe the oolong black from Menghaitian or with a little more Fen Shui Ling Oolong Black that's even better. If you want sheng, I would suggest a sample of an "expensive" cake to compare after trying the bangwai a few times. A side to side tasting would be best. Ba ka noy/ Pasha / Lao man e/ Jingmai.

>>19943449
Same brother, same.
>>19943456
He usually blushed when we drink. There might be something to it.
We are drinking Wu Lu next weekend. I'll ask her to join in on our cozy session. See you lads then. Enjoy the week!

>>19942357
>>19942380
In my experience, cold brewed white tea can be bitter if left too long to infuse. You can get at least two good infusions out of it.

>>19943638
>>19943597
This is the final cart, also I changed from Bangwai small trees to fa zhan he for you anon.

Really good cart imo I have tried all of them and bought 3 out 4 again for black friday. Hope you'll enjoy.

>>19943693
nice selection, enjoy

>>19943022
I only have it because of bogo deal and I didn't give a shit about the other teas Scott tries to off-load.
Anyhow. It isn't the worst thing. Worst thing was bringing a gaiwan once and it broke. Those stupid metal and paper filters in hot water aren't the same for some reason.

>>19943693
Good call. I was about to recommend that exactly.

1/2
Hi guys, this tea was recently gifted to me. It's totally dried out from being stored on a shelf in someone's living room since 2013.

Do you guys know anything about this specific cake or brand? I couldn't get the wrapped flat enough to have the text translated

>>19943942
2/2
Here's the front of the wrapper

>>19943942
Beijing zhang yiuan tea co

>>19943693
Looking good. I like the Fa Zhan He better, though the Bangwai has a more typical flavor so also a good cake to start with.

>>19939473
recent chawang shop order any good word for these three? also might try some white tea (never had) and sheng (ive mainly had xiaguan tuos)

would farmerleaf be the best place for that?

>>19943388
I only bought from W2H and cspuerh. Might still put in a Farmerleaf order, we'll see...

>>19942018
from what ive heard, the best option is to use a ziploc or mylon bag but put it in the freezer, appearently; if any anon can attest to this please share.

>>19942254
i drink a few liters everyday. probably close to a gallon a day. fortunately caffeine has no affect on me at all, it is not different to my body than drinking water for some reason, ive been like this my entire life.

>>19943587
Mud & Leaves, picked up a teapot

>bogo deal was worse than just adding the 15% discount
Fucking Scott.

>>19942018
zip-lock mylar bags or tightly sealing glass jars are a bit better because they are more airtight. The walls of plastic bags are slightly air permeable. What kind of tea are you trying to store? There is a big difference between trying to keep green tea fresh and aging heicha.
>>19944058
>put it in the freezer
That will keep tea fresher longer but you do need to be careful about freezer odors and condensation. I consider it as a more advanced technique. You can also nitrogen purge/vacuum pack the containers and add an oxygen absorber if you really want maximize freshness. You don't generally need to refrigerate teas however. I see it as being more relevant to green tea and matcha fanatics who want to have fresh tea all year round or bulk buy batches they like.

Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a pu-erh (ripe and/or raw) that was vanilla dominant in flavor. Heard V93 was somewhat close.

>>19944651
If you can afford it, this is my favorite cake.

https://www.puerhjunky.com/product/03-yiwu-princess-puerh-cake/

>>19944651
V93 has kind of a vibe like the burnt bits on the edges of a Belgian waffle that has a little vanilla extract in the batter.
If you want one you can grab single tuos pretty cheap on fullchea, get the 2018 version.

Drinking tea after eating a steak tastes a lot better than on an empty stomach.

>>19944746
Truth

>>19944058
>>19944620
Don't keep tea in the freezer, its not really viable unless you vacuum pack it in mylar bags with some moisture absorbing packets tossed in.
Some Japanese green teas can be stored in the fridge but only when they are still sealed in their factory packaging, and you should wait for the tea to reach room temperature before opening it.
If you keep tea in the fridge or freezer it will pick up tons of food odors and if you remove it from the fridge and open the package while its cold you will have issues with condensation which will affect the quality of the tea. Arguably it might be possible to do but its really not something that's worth working on unless you buy huge quantities of sincha and need to keep it fresh longer.

>>19944814
It's best to separate your large batch of tea into individual session bags and freeze those if you want to get turboautistic about it. Can get 100 bags around 12 dollars. An easy 500-700g of tea all ready for individual sessions and no risk of ruining the others.just make sure to put all those bags inside another bag to further isolate them from fridge smells.

>>19944651
V93 is a great place to start, especially when it's readily available at 8 cents a gram.
>>19944739
I think this is a pretty good assessment for the younger tuos. I have 2015s and I'd say it's lost a degree of that vanilla note and instead has more aged character.
>>19944654
Damn.

i have a lot of green tea that I didn't like too much and I lack space
what can I add to make it taste better?
I feel like I need to add 3 sugar cubes for it to be fine, whereas black tea I just need like one or two

>>19941179
>>19941193
based douk douk enjoyer

>>19944998
Cold brew it, recipie in pastebin, make it strong and serve it over ice, maybe add some honey or agave syrup or something.
You can also try toasting some in a pan before brewing it. You should be able to find directions online. Basically just put it in a pan on low heat and shake the pan frequently untill it smells like roasted tea and mayne browns a bit, you will have to experiment some but it will totally change the flavor profile of the tea.

anybody know who sells very smoky tasting lapsang suochong? was disappointed with the old bush lapsang i got from ys
or brewing parameters because i might just be retarded and making it wrong, still rather new

>>19944042
Bada red was so good before, with nice fruity-breadsy notes, so I think you'll enjoy it. Though, the one there may be a little older now, so it may have shifted a bit, but I think it'll still be nice. They have a white that was pressed into cakes...had it loose before, and it's lovely with a lot of subtle complexities, but haven't had the newer pressed release. Haven't had their in-house pu'ers, but I imagine they're decent. Consider some of their liu baos if you like that stuff.

>>19944620
Red tea (just to make it last as long as possible) and also pu-erh. Not sure whether it's wise to just leave pu-erh in paper in a cupboard.

Generally speaking, with higher-end raw puerhs, how much % price difference there is between fresh (less than two years) and aged (10+ years) ones? Is it worth it stocking up on fresh ones and letting them age at your place for years?

>>19945550
age puer is like the stock market, in 10 year you might hit gold or you will bust. for personal consumption if you have 10 years to age tea i say go for it, but if you want to cash out 10 years from now just know that there is a big bubble in the age tea market, alot of teas are super over priced and if the bubble burst alot of tea sellers will end up hanging themself. farmer leaf have a good video explaining this.

>>19945429
I said I haven't had their in-house pu'ers, but I just realized that I have had this shou: https://www.chawangshop.com/pu-erh-tea/chawang-exclusive-products/2021-chawangpu-jinggu-lao-shu-zhuan-400g.html
Good profile overall; solid as a daily drinker. Sweet and a bit cooling, and the material isn't over-compressed, so it's easy to break apart. I imagine the cake you picked will probably be good too, since it has their in-house label.

Any good starter gushu heichas?

>>19944746
tea is always best on an empty stomach for me

>7 days since my last FL package update
>it's still stuck in Shanghai
Anyone had something similar?
I hope the tracking got fucked instead of it getting lost.

>>19946437
What was the last update? maybe just travelling?

>>19946488
>上海市, 邮件离开【上海市国际互换局】,正在发往【上海市国际交换站
>Shanghai, the mail has left [Shanghai International Exchange Bureau] and is being sent to [Shanghai International Exchange Station]

>>19946495
Sounds stuck to me, maybe just not updated if you are lucky but unlikely.

>>19946507
Yeah but it's not like I can contact them what's going on.
No tea for me I guess.

>>19946536
I had 10 days with no update before (for eu) I think 2 weeks with no update at all you can send a message to william explaining the situation.

>order first bamboo tong
>excitedly open package to see the glory
>grab tong
>tfw bamboo reed splinters
still happy to have it

>We made a labeling mistake on the website, the Cang Yuan tea is from the Autumn 2023 harvest, and not the Spring one. It explains partly why it has a light profile, sorry for that, we had to add many teas in a short time. It makes me even more curious about what the Spring harvest of this tea will taste like. I have now adjusted the label on the website accordingly.
interesting

>>19946592
what is the tong of?

>>19945545
>Red tea (just to make it last as long as possible) and also pu-erh. Not sure whether it's wise to just leave pu-erh in paper in a cupboard.
I would just use ziplock mylar bags or glass jars in a cupboard then. Most black teas will still taste reasonably "fresh" for a couple years and are still good far longer. For the puerh if you intend to keep it a long time consider putting in some 65% boveda humidity packs with it.

>>19946608
Lumber Slut. Mini tong. I got it on sale with the shulloween balls. Everything arrived over the weekend and I picked it up this morning. I'll post photos tonight.

>>19945550
>how much % price difference there is between fresh (less than two years) and aged (10+ years) ones?
Its all over the place. Aged tea typically costs more but due to the rapid market growth sometimes you can get semi-aged tea for only slightly higher then current prices. For higher end teas gauging the fair price of aged tea can be more difficult because there tends to be a lot less available for sale on the secondary market by the time the tea is aged.
>Is it worth it stocking up on fresh ones and letting them age at your place for years?
It can be but I would not do it as an investment with an intent to sell (at least not in the west). Doing it for personal enjoyment is worthwhile however imo. Also unless you put in a lot of effort (or live in the right place) home storage is mostly limited to drier storage. Sometimes it may be a better idea to grab a good value semiaged tea for further aging so that you can get tea that you know ages well and to save your self a lot of waiting. Optimal home tea aging in the west is kind of a complicated subject with a lot different opinions and not a lot of objective answers.
>>19945592
>alot of teas are super over priced and if the bubble burst alot of tea sellers will end up hanging themself. farmer leaf have a good video explaining this.
You got the link?

>>19946645
nice. I got a lumber slut (2021) and a snoozefest, supposedly it's on a plane already, so I hope it will arrive next week or something
my first order from white2tea ever. I figured black friday is the best time to finally give them a chance and these two cakes sound like the best "value" buys. helped me make a decision cause their catalogue is a bit confusing with all the funky names and not much info on the teas

>>19946668
Sounds like you have the right approach. In the Spring, W2T releases an excellent shou called Peak Vulture. Those are like Snoozefest in that they're very limited runs and priced low. If you dig the vibe from your current order, consider that in the Spring.

Anyone here ordered some of the new ripe cakes/samples from FL?

>>19946792
What do you want to know?

>>19946792
i got a sample of the kunlu shan
i wonder if the naka will sell out fairly quick, last time he had a ripe at that price it went fast

>>19946798
I was looking at Da Long Shan.
Never had ripe that I would like, everything always was just awful.
The description is interesting, chocolate could be nice but I'm afraid minerality is just another word for dirt.
Do not put dirt in my drink.

>>19946810
Jinggu would be "easier" to enjoy for a new ripe drinker I would say. You can watch the stream someone asked about ripes and he talked about few of the cakes.

William talking about going to lao man e and naka for christmas release.

>>19946832
>for christmas release
There will be more releases?

>>19946832
my wallet...

>>19946839
He said maybe because of the people asking about it, explained he needs about a week to fullfil the orders he got then will maybe have time to go there to buy teas for a christmas release.
>>19946844
Might need to mostly skip spring 2024 too I already bought too much

>>19946792
I bought samples of all the new ripes, remind me and I'll post tasting notes after they show up.

>>19946898
nice, i'm interested to know how much variety there is between them.

>>19946832
>>19946856
I hope the cheapo lao man e cake does make a return. none of the cakes he added now sound that interesting to me, except maybe for the cong yuan or whatever it's called. and the ba ka noy that sold out instantly

Speaking of naka I am considering putting in a cheapish cspuerh order. Anyone got any suggestions.

>>19947241
Will just have to wait if it's not for christmas, new ones will be added at spring. The black friday was just an "excuse" for me to order because of the discount I didn't really order anything new.

>>19945420
If you want smokey lapsang buy the tins at an asian grocer (if you can find em)

>>19945420
I read somewhere that it is becoming difficult to make authentic smoky lapsang because the Chinese government is cracking down on pine deforestation.

Some people suggest to add a piece of apple or potato peel to a tin of pipe tobacco to keep it at the right moisture.
Would this also work with a puer cake in a sealed container or would it ruin it somehow?

what's the best cheap tea/tisane to keep in my work locker?

>>19947364
it would work for sure, but some considerations:

fruits are going to flavor your tea a bit, and are kinda susceptible to molding if you plan on leaving them there awhile. Try a piece of white bread or tortilla instead, it's a lot more neutral. Test your tea's moisture level once or twice a day until it gets where you want, then take the moistener out.

>>19947402
when I say a piece, I mean thumbnail sized. Bread has a lot of moisture in it

>>19947402
Thanks anon. For checking the moisture, does a regular digital humidity/temperature meter you put in a room work? And what humidity is optimal? I think I read 60% somewhere.

>>19947273
I also got the Naka for my cheapish order lmao. The 2022 brick. Seems like one of the more cost-effective ways to get a decent Naka
I added some 2023 100 gram cake that's supposed to be a classic menghai blend to my order
The sampler looks like decent value. Samples of some of their bestsellers could be interesting too, or of an older Naka to compare

I can post a referral link for a 20$ coupon later if no one redeemed mine yet

>>19947434
yeah, lots of people use those cheap digital moisture meters for their....special herbs.....and 60% is a commonly cited number in that realm as well. If anything go by feel, practice a little, fuck up a few times, eventually you'll know exactly what level you like it at and how to get it there.

Just finished up a double session of an aged sheng and young sheng and my head is absolutely spinning (in a good way).

>>19947273
could throw in the yin ban zhang cake. it's not too pricey and should be a good representation of the region considering the region is Chen Sheng Hao's specialty

>>19947482
Yeah I'm gonna do that, thanks anon.
I have some large ziplock bags and 1/3 of an old dry cake that I will experiment with while waiting for my orders to arrive.

I'm in the den of the pu'er lesbians...

Is cha qi similar to the effects of nicotine?
I can't really imagine it. Does it increase your blood pressure?

>>19947389
Bigelow Sti Lanka is good enough for daily drinking imo. Just buy any bulk fannings, dust or CTC Assam.

what's the opinion of aliexpress teas?

>>19947531
Imagine the smell.
>>19947534
Things start feeling a little more groovy.

>>19947563
I thought they were banned. Just get something from fullchea or whatever is in the sticky for chink tea.
I usually cycle through:
Farmer Leaf
Yunnan Sourcing
fullchea-tea.com

>>19947563
sussy
why bother when you could get teh 12$ fuhai cake from Awazon? or an 18$ Haiwan 9978 from fullchea or whatever
good ripe is cheap enough that it isn't really worth bargain hunting IMO unless you find mystery dirt hunting fun for its own sake

>>19947563
It doesn’t fill me with confidence when the cup is shopped into the photo

>>19947569
It smells faintly like chai shit. Probably because most customers here are plebs. Some hardcore laptop bro was drinking some shou that brewed to motor oil.
I'm just drinking some "blue mountain large tree" sheng.

>>19947563
I'm willing to put a lot of sketchy shit in my body, but this seems like an excellent way to end up in the ER with symptoms the doctors have never seen before.

>>19947591
Kek. I'm sure Doctors everywhere have seen mycotoxic symptoms before.

I drink a lot of Oolong (I like to get like 5g sample packs from a tao tea leaf in toronto) but I have never tried puer, how should I get into it?
Also is there a reliable way to source cakes or puer in Canada? I was thinking of White2Tea but their wrapper design gives me very little faith in their quality.

>>19947761
You should probably just order from w2t today if you're interested. Free shipping on $30 until midnight pst. If you feel like trusting some random anon's word, they sell quality. Smaller cakes made in smaller batches with very nice leaf.

>>19947761
if you want the opposite of white2tea's marketing and free shipping, you could try farmerleaf
any other chinese store like yunnansourcing, kingteamall or fullchea will work too

>>19947761
quality is fine, info about the product is negligible, so you won't really learn anything about what to try next. but if you just want to know if you even like the category it's not a bad way to do it.

>>19947811
>info about the product is negligible
Has anyone here actually tried emailing them asking for more details about a specific tea? I just noticed on the brewing card they send out
>If you have any questions or comments about your tea, drop us a line any time

>>19947791
>>19947795
>>19947811
Is there a "beginner" puer that might be easy to get into? like, raw or ripe or which is the most popular one, etc

>>19947859
it's pretty dependent on your tastes really but i can try my best suggesting stuff thats representative. you can try reading about the differences between young and aged raws and ripes and see what gets your interest.
for semi-aged raw, this cake is often suggested to get an idea of what it's like, and i concur
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2012-puer-tea-dayi-taetea-7542-150g-gift-package-china-yunnan-menghai-puerh-puer-pu-erh-raw-organic-health-care-food-chai-aged-puerh-best-organic-tea-
though maybe a cheap xiaguan tuo would fit the bill actually.

ripes, you can pick any dayi cake i guess (that's what i did). FL also has some cheap ripe in at the moment which is probably good. w2t, the ones i tried from them have all been a bit unusual so maybe not a best first pick.
maybe someone with better experience with w2t could suggest a good beginner young raw or ripe from them. FL you could grab any of his ~$40 cakes but fa zhan he is probably the minmaxxed pick.

>>19947859
no but that's a good idea.

>>19947866
Ripe, raw, oolong, oolong adjacent. I like them all. The gingerbread man session I had yesterday was amazing and it was the cheapest in the halloween 4 pack I ordered. Sunskate might be right up your alley if you're looking for interesting. Three spot is the best oolong I've had but I've mostly drank cheap taiwanese.
https://white2tea.com/products/2022-gingerbread-man
https://white2tea.com/products/2022-941
https://white2tea.com/products/three-spot-guanyin
https://white2tea.com/products/2022-sunskate

>>19947761
>Also is there a reliable way to source cakes or puer in Canada?
There are some tea shops in Toronto that charge way too much money for questionable teas.
Your best bet is importing from us shops or just buying from china.
Pastebin has a lot of options.
There used to be an okay puer guy in canada called puerh junky but he moved his shop to the US.

>>19947866
I think raw is more accessible than ripe, especially young raw.

>>19947972
You can’t legally ask for that anon

>>19947866
I second >>19947928, those are the most classic reccs for representative examples of ripe and semi-aged big factory raws
for young raw there aren't really any established "reference teas" afaik. probably best to try a clean boutique production to see what new wave pu-erh is all about. that fa zhan he or bangwai from farmerleaf would do it nicely

>>19947992
Yeah i agree, those are both pretty acessable teas that would make a good intro to what the young stuff has to offer.

I'm not much of a tea expert so please bear with me.
I'm looking to wean myself off of melatonin supplementation for sleep, and it frankly sucks ass so I'm looking for a good tea that can help me sleep. Chamomile comes highly recommended, and I've also heard "blue lotus" thrown around but finding anything clear on that is a challenge. Would you guys be able to point me in the direction of where to find quality chamomile and/or tell me more about blue lotus?

Shulloween haul here at last! I gave a few balls to my coworkers, so this is short perhaps three of the most common pearls. Happy to get the tong on sale. They threw in a couple 941 samples and a nice branded pick.

>>19948491
Neat haul; how's the material looking? Tried any of them yet? I didn't get in on this one, but I did buy 2x Snoozefests. Wonder if I'd get a pick or any fun samples too.

>>19948482
You can get pretty decent loose leaf herbals on amazon these days, take a look around, for chamomile just look for the whole flower it'll probably be alright. Don't know anything about the blue lotus flower but it's for sale.

>>19948491
I haven't opened anything yet. I'm not sure exactly where they were between delivery and them being handed to me. I think it would be best to let them sit in the pumi for while. I tend to take photos and do write ups as I drink new stuff, of which all of this is new to me except Lumber Slut.

>>19948482
If yiu are in the US mountain rose herbs has quality chamomile, they also have some herbal blends they sell, im sure they have some sleep blends.
No idea baout blue loutus sorry. I think that was one of those herbs the smartshops used to sell that they claimed you could get high off of.

>>19948573
>>19948606
Mountain Rose sounds like what I'm looking for, cheers lads

>>19939473
can i get some recs for white2tea? i want a wide variety and some samplers

>>19948949
alright, how's this looking? i wanted to get a variety of oolongs

Drinking that 2023 smoke and mirrors lapsang slouching. Very sweet tea that lasts 6-7steeps. Pleasant plum astringency and the smoke isn't overpowering at all. Tried to go buy more and it's all gone.

>>19947972
>>19947991

Looking at some white teas from fullchea. Shame this isn't shipping from China anymore. https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2020-ancient-tree-golden-white-sheng-pu-erh-tea-cloud-like-white-beauty-raw-pu-erh-tea-357g I'm mostly just looking for cheap white teas to drink a lot of during this Winter

>>19948979
Looks like you could use some raw puerhs for some variety. If you're new to puerh, huang pian strikes a niche with affordability and being hard to overbrew. Demon Slayer is pretty good. I'm not sure if they roll those into minis.

>>19948949
I posted a couple here earlier. Def get some three spot guanyin,
>>19947933

I haven't had all of those, but I have had these:
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-zhong-cha-white-tea-5929-white-beauty-tea-357g-p0685.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/fuding-2015-high-mountain-white-tea-gong-mei-tribute-eyebrow-350g-p0588.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2018-moonlight-white-beauty-whiet-chinese-tea-ancient-arbors-of-jingmai-mountain-white-raw-pu-erh-tea-357g-p0751.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/chinese-tea-2015-ancient-tree-shou-mei-white-tea-bai-cha-tea-leaf-cake-340g-p0587.html
The 2019 COFCO/Butterfly White Beauty is good. Pleasant notes in general; I find less is more with this one. 2015 Gong Mei is okay...it's not great material, but it's drinkable I guess. Kind of breadsy. The 2018 moonlight is solid for the money, worth a buy. Pleasant aromas and flavor. I recommend NOT buying the 2015 Shou Mei. The wrapper on it is different now, but I believe it's the same material as before. Not a great flavor, kind of odd (in a less-than-pleasing way), and even had factory 'treasures' here and there...that is, something that resembled floor laminate shards. If I had to pick a bang for buck buy, I'd get the Moonlight one for sure.

>>19949324
I haven't had all of those, but I have had these:
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2019-zhong-cha-white-tea-5929-white-beauty-tea-357g-p0685.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/fuding-2015-high-mountain-white-tea-gong-mei-tribute-eyebrow-350g-p0588.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/2018-moonlight-white-beauty-whiet-chinese-tea-ancient-arbors-of-jingmai-mountain-white-raw-pu-erh-tea-357g-p0751.html
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/chinese-tea-2015-ancient-tree-shou-mei-white-tea-bai-cha-tea-leaf-cake-340g-p0587.html
The 2019 COFCO/Butterfly White Beauty is good. Pleasant notes in general; I find less is more with this one. 2015 Gong Mei is okay...it's not great material, but it's drinkable I guess. Kind of breadsy. The 2018 moonlight is solid for the money, worth a buy. Pleasant aromas and flavor. I recommend NOT buying the 2015 Shou Mei. The wrapper on it is different now, but I believe it's the same material as before. Not a great flavor, kind of odd (in a less-than-pleasing way), and even had factory 'treasures' here and there...that is, something that resembled floor laminate shards. If I had to pick a bang for buck buy, I'd get the Moonlight one for sure.

ball anon back from the grave
im drinking some 2022 dangerfield
definitely lives up to the description, ive had a couple mid aged puers today but the qi is hitting on this one. nice huigan its quite sweet it gets a little bitter when pushed.
mid steeps the sweetness does wear off a little. it hits the tongue sweet and then fades into bitterness. its definitely a honey style sweetness.
im going to take a short break.

>>19949367
I had the moonlight white, but liked the silver needles pictured more. How about raw puers? https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2020-ancient-tree-golden-white-sheng-pu-erh-tea-cloud-like-white-beauty-raw-pu-erh-tea-357g This seems rather interesting, but also other puerhs on the milder and sweeter side in general. I put in an order for W2T already, maybe I should wait for that for puerhs.
Also, what the hell is fried tea? https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2021-china-jieyang-heavy-roasted-fragrant-taste-handmade-chao-cha-fried-tea-oolong-chinese-tea-100g

I'm pleased to report that the AliEx seller accommodated my request for 1 each of 4 different style of cups even though I purchased 4 of 1 style because it was cheaper per cup through SuperDeals (or Choice) using the Buy Now button but using the Buy Now route doesn't let you choose different styles/variants

>>19949400
I can't comment too much on raw pu'ers, as I only bought a few cheap 100-something-gram tuos from them (Taetea, Phoenix, etc). As for fried tea, I think that's the stuff they toss up in a wok. It's described in the product description:
>Jieyang fried tea is a famous traditional tea. After the green tea leaves are evaporated at high temperature to soften the water, and then repeatedly fried, the leaves change from turquoise green to reddish brown. The green tea made with heavy fire is the characteristic of fried tea, and the soup is yellow and red. Jieyang Stir-Fried Tea is famous for its strong taste and a little sweetness, and it does not hurt the stomach after long-term drinking.

>>19949400
>what the hell is fried tea?
it's a bit of a guess from the chinglish but i think it means it's been pan fried for longer than just what you need for just killgreen. so it's taken on that dark colour from being cooked. i think some japanese teas are like that, i haven't tried any.

>>19949400
someone said this was good, and the brand is not no-name:
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/shudaizi-2020-bingdao-raw-puer-ba-wai-ancient-tea-tree-sheng-puerh-200g

there's also of course the classics of semi-aged sheng, like the 7542, 8582 and various tuos. but these may be a bit more rough

>>19949375
to summarize dangerfield starts off very good, lots of sweetness, qi and huigan, and then it nosedives aggressively in mid to late steeps with bitterness.
i wouldnt bother with the mid steeps honestly.

>>19949375
>>19949675
I hope the snoozefest will be good

>>19949684
never tried it since i already have a lot of bulk i would expect it to be on par with hype.
i wouldnt expect it to be special just a decent daily drinker.

>>19949694
I'm a little suspicious of the "40$ cake for 15$" claim, but admittedly it is cheap enough that it should be worth a try
we'll see if it can outperform the Fa Zhan He in the value young raw category

>>19949701
vendor markup is huge

>>19949701
Consider that it’s basically a promotion and it’s only 200g

>>19949775
yeah I know, but still comes up to under 30$ per full-size cake which is bretty gud nowadays
I presume it's autumn material, I wonder what exactly is in the blend

>>19949367
Just FYI I have this one and it's meh at best
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/caicheng-2020-white-peony-white-tea-moon-light-white-pu-erh-tea-200g

I might be biased against white teas tho

>>19948482
I'm late but valerian root gets me very drowsy quickly if I need help sleeping, more so then chamomile does. As always though try not to over to it with anything that helps you sleep, otherwise it could be habit forming just like melatonin.

>Tfw seeing costs go up as I contemplate making another Black Friday order I don't necessarily need, but still want.
Lads...
>>19946603
Oh shit, I bought that one. Already shipped, too. I wonder how that might affect my experience with it. I don't like that I was sold something with an incorrect description, but as long as the material is good, I guess it's fine.
>>19947531
How is the tea? Have the carnivorous pu'er lesbians been close to detecting your presence yet?
>>19950027
I've seen that before, but haven't had it. The other anon may enjoy it.
>I might be biased against white teas tho
I guess whites are just a bit difficult to shop for sometimes. Plenty of shit productions, like with a lot of cheap shou. One of my favorites was the first cake I ever got, being a 2016 100g shou mei white from Verdant Tea of all places. Just like drinking buttery crackers...think I got it for a little under $10. There was some 2020 25g portion for under $5 that was also good. I liked both, but in terms of $/g, it just wasn't there. The best white I've had, both in terms of quality and in $/g, was the loose Bada white from Chawangshop. Terribly complex. Shame they ended up pressing it into cakes and charging way more.

>>19949375
A short break from your busy life to post about balls for a while, I hope.

Man, it's depressing how little stuff we have access to here in the West. Lately i've been interested in Hunan teas, but i can barely find anything. There's some stuff on YS, KTM and W2T, but that's mostly it. I guess my best bet would be taobao shopping, but it seems a little bit hard (and scary)

>>19950069
>I don't like that I was sold something with an incorrect description
to be fair, at least you didn't pay more than you normally would or anything like that. supposedly William applies a similar percentage of markup on all the tea he gets, regardless of what harvest it is

>>19949051
How smokey is it? On a 1-10 scale?

>>19950080
>I guess my best bet would be taobao shopping, but it seems a little bit hard (and scary)
Taobao is a lot easier then it used to be.
You can just make an account and order and taobao offers their on international shipping service, you order the tea, select shipping to your country, the seller ships it to a taobao shipping partner and they bill you for international postage and send it out. You can also use the various well established proxy services. The taobao thread on /cgl/ has a very up to date google doc with tons of information.
You can also try digging around on ebay, a surprising amout of random obscure tea ends up on the store pages of some of the big Chinese drop shipping ebay sellers.

>>19950108
Yeah i took a quick look on ebay just searching hunan tea, then i tried anhua tea.
All kinds of solid results, plenty from known brands.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/395017263517
Plus even more stuff from brands i don't recognize.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/256086265576?
Go to town, lots of it is just dropshipped like the second listing so you are basically proxy buying from taobao.

>>19950108
Yeah, I'm not honestly that bothered, and I got it during a sale, so whatever. $48 for something of apparent quality sits alright with me. I don't think many anons bought the Cang Yuan, so I'll definitely make sure to post about it whenever I get to trying it.

>>19950470
Do post about it, I'm curious. A bit of a wildcard from an unknown location, but that might mean it's good value.

>>19950470
the "warm floral incense" fragrance sounds intriguing. it's rare for Farmerleaf to give detailed fragrance notes like this.

>>19950609
I greatly prefer complex aromas. I generally don't favor texture/body so much as aroma, so when an anon mentioned William's impressions of this, I was quite intrigued. "Incense" in particular intrigues me.
>>19950520
Will do. I've also got everything in pic related, and 2x Snoozefests from W2T coming, so expect gradual notes on and pics of them all. I haven't made my Yeeontea order yet, but that will probably come soon once I convince myself it's okay to order more expensive Asian leaves from the internet.

>>19950653
>I generally don't favor texture/body so much as aroma
are you more of an oolong guy then? or do you pursue sheng for the more conflicting and untamed aromas it can sometimes provide?
I also got the Snoozefest, and I await my Naka brick from Chen Sheng Hao. I hear Naka tea is also characterised by a strong fragrance (supposedly on the fruity and floral side), but is supposed to be more agressive and sharp than the average Jingmai, which I do prefer

>>19950692
>are you more of an oolong guy then? or do you pursue sheng for the more conflicting and untamed aromas it can sometimes provide?
I'd still say whites are my #1. Actually, I don't have oolongs very often at all, and I'm almost out of sheng right now. That said, yes, I like the cascade of notes I can experience with good sheng/pu'er, and being able to taste it at my leisure without worrying about flavors dropping off reduces the stress around it. Being a fermented product just makes things easier for me.

I'm getting several shengs soon, and if I complete my Yeeon order (pic related), some oolongs as well. I only wish some of these vendors sold cheap liubao, liu an, etc.

Tea

Is this decent alternative to the black teas on YS?
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2021-yunnan-golden-spiral-black-chinese-tea-dianhong-red-single-bud-black-chinese-tea-250g-1
I'm not paying $25 just to ship few leaves when FL can do it for free

>>19950961
i was pretty sure i ordered those some time last year but i can't find the receipt. those bud black teas are pretty good, nice and smooth.

>>19950961
haven't tried this one. supposedly their Dianhong Classic 58 is good, should be on the robust side of things

>>19951020
>>19951037
There is also this one. Both are almost pure gold, not sure what is the difference https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/hand-picked-jin-jun-mei-black-tea-golden-eyebrow-wuyi-black-teas

>>19950906
Imagine

New thread one second

>order from white2tea is already on a plane
>order from cspuerh has still yet to be sent
not what I would have expected tbqh

>>19939473
NEW
>>19951092
>>19951092
>>19951092

>>19951051
I have this tea, I’d say it’s worth the cost.