/ck/ - Food & Cooking

I made some iced faggottea the other night. I used green tea, dried hibiscus and bits of dried peach. I steeped it in medium temperature water until cooled, then strained it, sweetened it and brightened it with lemon juice.
It's in my fridge right now. :3

I call it faggottea because to some people on /ck/, any tea that isn't from a bottle or soda fountain and sweetened with HFCS is for faggots.

>>6530682
That just sounded delicious. I think I'm gonna make me some of this fagottea one of these days. Thank you, anon.

>>6530712
Welcome.
I had the water well below boiling and gave it a much, much longer steep than is typically recommended by standard tea lore, about 52°C/128°F for several /hours/ until it cooled completely. Kinda like making sun tea.

Can you get dried peach where you are? It's difficult for me, so I have to make it myself.

>>6530675
I believe what you made is a "tisane" as opposed to "tea".

A blend of herbs or blossoms...

>>6530722
Yes, it won't be difficult to find dried peach here.

>>6530728
Technically, you are correct. Tisane and infusion are the correct terms for a herbal tea, but this latter is colloquial enough and usually shortened to "tea", which is academically reserved for Camellia sinensis.

>>6530675
I dunno why they call it tea when it's more close to ribena than tetley's.

Anyone had any of these? First time trying all of them, should arrive tomorrow.
Also the Melange Russe and Midsummer Dream are my two favorites from Upton so far.

>>6530675
Tastes like cranberry tea.

>>6530802
Pu-erh from Upton almost always tastes gross as fuck, it's like the one thing they can't get right, so don't judge it as a whole if your cup tastes awful.

>tfw I'm a pleb who uses crappy tea bags
I really have wanted to get into the real good stuff for a long time now but I'm so broke.

>>6532663
this is me right now. except i'm all out of tea.

>>6532663
Its cheaper in the long run bro, it's like saying you're poor and can only afford grated cheese

>>6532795
Well I don't really buy much bagged tea either, so yeah. I drank it more when I lived at home.

>>6532770
>>6532663
The good stuff's nice, but even dust and fannings can be good if brewed properly and many people can barely tell the difference between a $5 per half pound (around £2.85/200g or €4/200g) tea and a $16 per half pound one.
There's a joke amongst the tea-obsessed community about FTGFOP, a quite high grade of tea, standing for Far Too Good For Ordinary People*. The joke is based on a bit of pretense and implies that most people can't tell the difference between highest quality tea and median quality. For most people to buy tea of such high quality would be a waste of their money since they'd be unable to appreciate it.

To be honest? I can't tell much a difference myself and I don't believe most tea-obsessives actually can, either.
If you think coffee-obsessives are pretentious twats, prepare your anus for the tea crowd.

>* FTGFOP really stands for Finest, Tippy-Golden, Flowery Orange-Pekoe where 'finest' is the only word that actually refers to the quality of the harvest itself. The others refer to the composition of the tea or the size of its leaves.
>'Tippy Golden' implies a lot of tea tips in it, and tips are desirable. They're the top (as in height, not quality; the tips) few leaves from a given harvest; the "baby leaves" and buds.
>'Flowery' means it has a higher proportion of larger leaf pieces and/or whole leaves and 'Orange Pekoe' just means there are few, if any, fannings, choppings or dust.

Even tea from Poundland or The Dollar Store or a EuroShop/Hema/Euroland/Euro Store can be okay if you treat it right.

>>6532828
Jesus...this is why I generally tend to stay away from "communities". Half the time they're just cancerous in some way.

Thanks for the tips either way. I'll check out a tea shop in the next town when I go out next. I have a feeling ordering shit online would be even more expensive.

>>6532641
I've had pu erh before, if it's not good at least I only got a sample. No big deal.
>>6532663
Loose leaf is actually cheaper because the quality of the leaves is higher and you can resteep a lot more times. Just save up some money and order some basic tea for 5 bucks for 150g.

>>6530802 here
My tea (and glasses) arrived. I really love the double walled glasses, they're especially good for summer when you don't want to feel the heat on your hands.
Waiting to try the actual teas until next month, since it's technically next month's supply.

The color is natural by the way.

>>6533937
Clitoria ternatea, common names including butterfly pea, blue pea, Cordofan pea and Asian pigeonwings, is a plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family. The flowers of this vine have the shape of human female genitals, hence the Latin name of the genus "Clitoria"

Good choice.

>>6532641
I rinsed the pu erh a few times but the smell and taste make my eyes water. Do you have a reputable online pu erh seller?

my current favorite is a milky oolong, that shit is so fucking awesome

>>6536209
I've liked some of the stuff I've gotten from Yunnansourcing

Their shipping takes ages but it's 100% worth it. The prices are as cheap as decent pu-erh gets

>>6536513
Thanks, I'll try that next time. Any particular pu erh you'd recommend from there?

>>6532641
Of the few Pu-erhs I've had, my favorite actually came from Upton.

>>6536536
My favorite from them isn't a "normal" Pu-erh so I'd be hesitant to rec it, what kind of stuff do you like though? I might be able to still help

>>6537374
Upton is better than places like Ebay or Asian markets, but not as good as dedicated sources or places that specialize

>>6532818
Store it in a tin, you'll be fine.

>>6538053
The only pu erh I've had was golden dragon chinese stuff from a local asian shop. It was sold broken apart instead of a cake.
Even if it's not proper pu erh, I'd appreciate the recommendation.

>>6532641
>Pu-erh from Upton almost always tastes gross as fuck

i second this.

EXCEPT for the green pu-erh. It's a teeny weeny little cake. It's fucking incredible.


>>6536209

I like bana tea company DOT com. Shit isn't cheap though.

>>6538053
>but not as good as dedicated sources or places that specialize

would you care to offer some examples?

>>6540076

i haven't tried them, but people seem to rave about http://crimsonlotustea.com/

Anybody know of some good watermelon/melon in general tea? Preferably not herbal and no mint/hibiscus.

So about how long will it take me to like the taste of tea that's unsweetened? Cause it just tastes like bitter dirt to me right now.

>>6540721
What type of tea are you drinking and how are you preparing it? Perhaps you just don't like that type of tea?

>>6540724
I'm trying to kick my soda addiction and so probably has to do with that but right now I've been drinking FUZE brand from the machine at my work, even though it's supposed to be Nestea. I also have bagged tea I've never got to try.

I'm having a cuppa clear right now.

>>6540731
I'm not really sure I can attest to the qualities of those, but if you're looking for something sweet properly brewed green tea tastes naturally sweet. Not as much as sugared tea mind you but very good. The sweetness is especially noticeable when had hot, but it's good iced as well.
Just be sure to brew below boiling, or you'll scorch it.

>>6540736
The bagged ones are Twinings French Vanilla and Impra tea that's flavored cherry/lemon/pineapple/black currant/blue berry. But I'm avoiding sweet tea as well since they're just as bad as soda and aspartame is worse to put inside you than sugar or HFC.

>>6540731
Oh yes, I should mention the general rule of thumb is "two weeks to break a habit". I went overseas for two weeks and was too self conscious to drink any soda/sugar any coffee/tea I had and when I came back I had no desire to have soda or to sugar anything.

>>6540742
I would try the fruit flavored ones. Fruit flavors were generally ones I would drink when I still had soda. Just don't add sugar. Same for if you get any green tea.

Anyone else think cheap jasmine green tea is better than expensive?

>>6540759
If it's too expensive it may just be shit product sold to idiots, and may not even be real jasmine. If it tastes too "harsh" I suspect artificial flavoring.

Roasted tea.
Caffeine is destroyed hotly.

>buy some fresh peppermint for some peppermint tea
>realize I don't have a mug

How fucking dumb am I

>>6530675
>>6530682
>Hibiscus
Where do you purchase this? I've been looking everywhere for dried flowers like this and jasmine. There are no ethnic grocers near me. Am I SoL?

>>6538571
>>6540076
I second the crimson lotus rec, and the other place I've had good experiences has been white2tea. I got Repave semi-recently and it's pretty good, though I'm not sure I'd recommend it as a first pu-erh.

>>6541098
I'm from Michigan and I get mine from a little Mexican grocery/restaurant around the corner. Only place I've been able to find it near me. I use allspice berries, dried orange peels, cinnamon stick and lime for flavor and add sugar to taste. Comes out pretty good.

>>6530675

Russian earl grey, always

What price of Darjeeling First flush is adequate?

I got Balasun for 10$/50g, did I get ripped off?

>got a few different small samples of a few teas from adagio
>cannot stop drinking gunpowder
>sort of uninterested in all the rest I ordered

Well at least I know what I like now I guess

>>6541098
If you can't find whole flowers but you live in America, just buy Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger. It's hibiscus plus a few extra thingies.

>>6530675
Pear and caramel infusion is one of my favorites as well as milky oolong tea. I can't live without it. I have a whole cupboard just filled with tea.

One of my favorite tea companies is London based Yumchaa tea company. Check it out. If you'r into black tea, I suggest you try caramel sweetheart. It has bits of caramel and white chocolate in it.

I'm getting an order from Lupicia next week. Ordered green tea with peach and white tea with melon. I hope they'r as good as they sound.

>>6541478
>White tea with melon
Dodged a bullet. The Oolong with melon tastes like artificial ass, but I think the white with melon is supposed to be leagues better.

>>6536245
This over 9000. That shit is fucking gold.

>>6540721
You have to brew it exactly 3 minutes for it not to be bitter.

>>6540846
holy fuck man
holy fuck
Go borrow a cuppa from your hot neighbour

>>6541098
>buy Hibiscus flower seeds
>grow your own Hibiscus flowers
>harvest them, dry them
>???
>instant profit

They grow in warm climates. And they grow pretty fast.

Also hibiscus flowers in syrup are to die for

>>6541484
>The Oolong with melon tastes like artificial ass
I've had same problem with Oolong with raspberry. Threw the whole can into trash. It was hideous. I hope that white tea will be worth something

>>6541509
The white from what I can tell has actual melon pieces in it. The oolong has some type of candy that coats all of the tea with this awful taste. I think it stems from that.
Post in a tea thread when it arrives, I want to know if I should try it out. I had my eye on it.

>>6535121
can you not spout wikipedia lines? i mean sure it's vaguely interesting but it doesn't at much to the thread it's just random information tacked onto your opinion.

>>6541501
Hibiscus jerky/candied hibiscus is delicious. Make a heavy syrup.
Add fresh hibiscus.
Cook until wilted.
Remove and drip of excess syrup.
Set on baker's parchment or silpat to cool.
Eat delicious, chewy hibiscus noms.

>>6541523
>Post in a tea thread when it arrives
I shall do that

>>6541526
omnomnom

>>6541356
That sounds right to me, Darjeeling is expensive right now. If you're paying too little it likely isn't what it says.

>>6541242
Found a health food store over an hour away. Stocked up on hibiscus, Jasmine, and chamomile.

>>6541408
Thanks for the tip, anon. I needed it to play around with though. First tasted hibiscus in a chia drink and have been chasing that dragon periodically over the last few months

>>6541501
I would grow it but for a number of reasons
>no room on patio garden or indoors for winter
>new to area and unsure of grower's reputations
>no time to research and don't trust myself/growers to distinguish assumed different strains

>>6533937
Next on my list

>Family knows I enjoy tea as it is one of the few interests I am open about
>For birthdays/Christmas dad has paid attention enough to get me something from my main online tea store, one I hadn't tried before
>Turns out to be great
>Sister is poor
>Gets me one of those starbucks sets that comes with a mug and a bag of shitty tea
>Mug is so thin it doesn't retain heat at all and burns the shit out of your hands even holding the handle
>tea is obviously shit
th-thanks sis
/my blog

>>6541525
why u mad bro. eat some clitoria, bro.

>>6540368
>tea pets

so fucking cute~~~

>>6533937
They use that same plant to make nasi kerabu.

pic related

I made a new order of pu-erh from Crimson Lotus, it made me wish nice tea was cheaper.

>>6546785
Pu Erh is about the cheapest tea in existence. Tap water is literally the only common drink that is cheaper. I think you are asking for a bit too much.

>>6547247
I guess I should rephrase what I said, I wish there was a size in-between a sample and a cake. I hate having to drop 50 dollars on a single cake because there isn't a size smaller.

>>6547352
Some pu erh comes in small cakes called tuos like this:
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=297&controller=product
look for those guys.

>>6540846
>There are people who don't even own a single mug

Almost unbelievable.

>>6547486
I'm aware, tea is kinda my thing, but I want other kinds too sometimes. Once you own a couple dozen kinds of tea you want to branch out, ya know?

My top favorite is Matcha Green Tea Powder, followed by:

Green tea bags

Loose Leaf Green Tea

Black Persian Tea with milk

Chrysanthemum Tea, sweetened

Boba Milk Tea

Black Tea

CoffeeTea (One part black coffee, one part green or black tea)

Apricot Tea

Rose Tea, Sweetened

Fruit Tea (Mixed Fruit)

>>6541098

http://persianbasket.com/hibiscus-sadaf

Get yourself a good kettle and a cute teapot, you'll be happy.

>>6547663
And what, you can make that the same way you'd make tea?

Ready? No? Too bad.

Cut apple slice into chunks, boil it in tea kettle. Add cinnamon.

Tablespoon of apple juice.

Sugar.

Boil.

Strain when pouring.

Add another teaspoon of apple juice after its poured into the cup.


Add sugar as needed.

Done.

>>6547683

It's specifically a loose leaf tea. Fill your kettle with water, let it boil then take the lid off.

Get your kettle, fill it with some hibiscus and pour the boiling water on it.

Put your tea pot on top of your kettle.

You kettle should have the lid off

your teapot should have the lid on.

Put the stove on low and let the tea steep, until the transparent red color runs into the teapot, then it's ready.

We make Persian tea the same way.

>>6547696

When you open the package, put the unused portion in a jar, to retain freshness.

>>6547696
I don't have a kettle, although I do have a loose leaf tea infuser. I'll just brew it the same way.

>>6547714

Let me know how it goes, I've never used a tea infuser.

>>6547724
Perhaps infuser is the wrong word. I use this.

How many of you have an orange and a cheese grater at home?

Good, now take the orange, preferably the one with thick skin and shred the skin off, while it's over a paper towel.

Leave it on the counter a couple of days until it's dehydrated, then put it in a jar.

The next time you're brewing black tea, throw some peels in and let them sit for about 20 minutes. They're perfectly sweet and edible.

You're welcome.

>>6547730
I'm not sure what that is, but let me know how it goes.

by the way, you're better off buying teas and sweeteners at ethnic store than Teavana. They'll taste better and save you 6.00 per tea.

http://www.sadaf.com/sadaf-rock-candy-string-16-2200/

>>6547754
Oh, I don't buy a single tea from Teavanna. The markup is crazy, and the quality isn't good.

I tend to use Adagio/Upton/etc. online instead.

>>6547759
Nice! I check out the Adagio and if you buy them, I imagine they taste as good as they look. This thread makes me want to go tea shopping! X3

>>6547779
>X3
Please kill yourself.

>>6547879
I will do no such thing. I'll see you at the café I open when I'm 40.

>>6547900
Okay, but the least you could do is respect the board culture and not use emoticons. If you're a literate adult you can convey your emotions without them. They make you look 12.
That said, good luck with the cafe.

>>6547910
You are mean. That makes me :-(

>>6547910

Oh okay.

>board culture
>respect
>4chan.org
>cuck

better? :) :) :) :) :)

>>6547931
It's okay, anon. *hugs anon and cries* ;____;

>>6547950
Don't bring that shit to /ck/.

>>6547969

Oh okay, back to using emoticons then. :)

>>6547734
I hope you mean to take out the tea leaves before putting the orange in, leaving black tea to brew for 20 minutes will make it bitter as fuck

>offer my spanish students a cuppa
>they don't drink tea
>they say no one in spain really drinks tea
>they don't get why a white person would like to drink tea
>"it's like dirty water"

Am I being rused?

Brit here btw.

>>6549417
They don't lead high stress lives, or don't enjoy the calming yet mentally sharpening subjective effect of consumption.

It also tastes nothing like dirty water.

>>6547663
>Get yourself a good kettle and a cute teapot, you'll be happy.
Thanks. Is this one cute enough? I've had it 15 years and it's served me well. Need to get a new screen for it though. Also as you can see I have the infuser >>6547730 was talking about. Not a fan of teavana teas but this infuser has been invaluable. Great for brewing the hibiscus I picked up the other day. Probably oughtta to get another one soon though. Everything used in combination with the keurig and its so easy to into tea daily.

Respect, teabros

>>6549645
Well, if the infuser hasn't been useful, why do you keep using it, Anon? :^)

>>6549651
3/8 for making me doubt my vocabulary and reply. Here's this

>>6549645
That tea set is cute as fuck.