/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>6633903
it's all shit, it's literally dirt and leaf water that has no flavor other than slight dirt taste, so people have to add honey and sip on it and pretend like it's the best fucking thing in the world so that everyone will think they are cool.

>>6633908
> says the person who probably drinks bitter coffee that a cat ate then shit out.

>>6633915
I drink coffee with lots of cream and sugar because it's bitter and caffeinated as fuck, but it at least has a distinct flavor. Tea is just weak ass leaf water.

>>6633915
uh, you do know people pay a premium for that right?

>>6633903
i havent shopped from teavana but if you go to a shop and try some of their teas and really like one then i say buy it ( if you have the money) but i wouldnt make it your main source of tea. loose leaf is always better bagged tea tends to always be garbage only way to make it drinkable is with cream and sugar.
tea is a personal taste thing so depending on what category of tea you prefer matters. wether you want something more nutty or rustic will differ from tea type to tea type. a good tea tends to be stronger in its own flavor so shitty tea will be weaker or just plain tasteless or will taste like the fucking bag.

>>6633920
youve clearly have only had shitty tea then.

>>6633924
And? People pay premiums for tea as well. Thus no different.

>>6633920
>I drink coffee with lots of cream and sugar because it's bitter and caffeinated as fuck, but it at least has a distinct flavor.
For your sake I hope you're trying to troll.

>>6633924
yea its fucking stupid. coffee tastes like shit. why would add more shit.

I don't really drink a lot of tea, I just never really had a thing for it.
However I have been drinking spearmint tea recently mostly because it helps with my body's genetic disorder that increases my androgens. But I've been enjoying the taste of the tea a lot.

>>6633956
at least a cat doesnt eat it then shit it out.

>>6633959
people say the same about beer.
it's untrue.

>>6633920
Go back to starbucks you pleb

>>6633903
That looks like a bunch of dried up earthworms, it wouldn't surprise me at all if you Englanistanis were making dead earthworm tea.

We booted from our nation twice because you're weirdos!

>How does babby into tea?
Black: you know how this tastes
Cheap green: you know how this tastes
Oolong: chinese tea that is very nuanced, this shit is the wine of tea (hurr durr I smell notes of lime and wood)
Cha: jap tea, I like it, has a specific taste, matcha is powdered weird shit, sencha is fish-tasting weird shit, genmaicha is sencha+fried rice, tastes like fried rice and shit
Puer: chinese weird tea that comes in pressed blocks, can taste like old socks or a ton of other shit, I like it
Darjeeling: used to love it, it's like Happiness from that Inside Out movie, people call it the champagne of tea. Good darjeeling can be godly but its mostly overpriced.

>How to tell good tea from bad tea?
Sniff it, there's no other way. It will taste how it smells because in reality tea doesn't have taste, only aroma. There's literally no way to tell how good the tea you're ordering online is. Even if it says "made it japan 100% organic" it might be a shit chinese tea grown near a pesticide factory that was exported to Japan and packaged there using organic shit, hence "made in japan 100% organic".

Price doesn't mean the tea is good.
Price doesn't mean the tea is bad.
You have to smell/taste the tea first, where I live teashops will tell you to smell the tea even if you didn't ask them for it.

>>6633903

>is teavana worth the bullshit price
I like teavana a lot, but my area doesn't have many tea shops. We have a lupicia which is complete garbage. Also lupicia sell loose leaf teas with big ass sugar crystal in it. Wtf. If I wanted sugar in my tea I would add it, don't just fucking put sugar in my tea leaves. Teavana keeps their tea fresh, lupicia will give you stale bullshit for more money. I have never felt that teavana's prices are unreasonable, but then again I try not to go above $15 per unit, which still gets me some really good teas.

>how to tell good tea from bad?
This just takes practice. Get used to smelling all of your teas before you make them, so you can start to learn what smells good. Just keep mental notes about whatever you notice about yourself. I gives you a good starting point.

Personally, I love almost any jasmine green tea and I dislike most rooibos and chai. I don't like cinnamon or liquorice flavors, but I love citrus, and teas with hibiscus and/or rose.

>How does babby into tea?
Go to upton and buy a bunch of samples (1 dollar for 15g usually) from different areas. Anything that sounds good. Start with genmaicha, assam, sencha, and a few others that catch your interest. Flavored if you like.

>Is Teavana worth the bullshit prices?
Absolutely not. At upton it's sometimes as low as 4.90 USD for 150g, usually around 7 USD for 150g. Compared to... what, 15 for 30g at teavana? Their tea quality is shit, anyway.
>How to tell good tea from bad tea?
A good distributor usually lists a lot of information like the area the tea came from, how to brew it (steep time and temperature, though these are only guides you should experiment with it when you're more comfortable), what flush it is, etc
When you actually have the tea on hand check the tea after it's brewed.
It should have as little stem as possible, and the leaves should be a fair size unless it's a specialty tea (CTC, for example which turns it into almost a powder while retaining the quality).
Artificial flavors should be avoided (unless from upton in which case the "artificial" flavors are chemically the same as natural ones. This actually qualifies as natural flavors in europe), natural flavors are fine.
It should only take about 3g per 8oz cup, but I recommend using a teapot with a built in, good sized strainer (the leaves need room to expand, especially oolong) because then you can stretch the 3g to 3 1/2 cups (a pot), and you can resteep the tea leaves until they lose their flavor.
If you're interested in matcha or pu erh get it from a specialty shop, not upton.

>>6633966
Sup pcosfag

Can't find the shit anywhere, only peppermint, kill me.

>>6634455

>Go to upton and buy a bunch of samples
>Go to one store in Massachusetts

Go fuck yourself

>>6634472
Their website you dingus. I'm in New York and I get 2 day shipping. If you live in Oregon or something it'll take all of 5 days.

>>6634477

>Go to Upton
>Go to
>Go

>>6634481
If I say "go to amazon" do I mean go to their warehouse? If I say "go to 4chan" to I mean go to some random fuck's house? Are you stupid? Kill yourself.

>>6634477
I forgot the name but there's a Russian cafe in Mass that sells tea on their website with free shipping

Wait, by tea do you mean tea made from the tea plant, herbal tea or "throw some random plant in water, boil it and drink the water" tea?

Regardless, I recommend just trying different brands and types until you find something you like. The weird generic brands, too. Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's shit, in the same way that a high price doesn't always guarantee quality. And don't shy away from the russian stuff. Those fuckers know their tea. Also, there's more than one way to drink tea. Try it with milk, try it with sugar, try it with honey, drown an oompa loompa in it if you feel like it. Find out what you like.

Also, the main difference between good tea and bad tea is the way it was stored. If it's just been sitting in an open bag on the floor for weeks, chances are the taste is going to be a lot weaker. There's no inherently bad tea. Except maybe green tea, which tastes like burned ass to me, but that could just be me.

>>6634512
Are you using boiling water for your green tea or something? I used to think the same then I started using lower temperature tea and it tasted sweet.

>>6634494
Found it. Sent an email asking if they ship to my area. Thanks m8, looks good. I'll probably go up in October, if I've got time.

>>6634519
Lower temperature water*

>>6634519
Every time I've had it, it was prepared by someone else and always with hot water. Last time was by my old literature teacher who had just come back from Russia and was making it "in the authentic russian way" using some strange russian steam engine.

>>6634540
Get a little bit of sencha and brew it under boiling. Around 190 F. See if you like it better.

DON'T USE TEAVANA
THEY ARE OWNED BY STARBUCKS
AND THEY LIE ABOUT BEING "ORGANIC"
AND "FAIR TRADE"

>>6633920
>I drink coffee with lots of cream and sugar

You're a manbaby. The reasons are irrelevant.

>>6634655
who gives a fuck if it tastes good

>>6633970
beer is rotten wheat water. it also tastes like shit.

>>6634269
Only 20% of what this faggot said was valuable.

>>6634494
Just bought 35 dollars worth of tea from there. Really loving the free shipping and they have a nice selection.
I'll go up to the actual shop later in the year when I've got time.
Thanks for the suggestion, anon.
Link: http://www.crepesteahouse.com/

just getting into tea and i have some questions

-when i pour the boiling water into the cup, the bag just floats to the top. is this normal? it seems like if it's just as the top all the flavor won't get in

-do you kind of stir it after you take the bag out or is that not necessary?

-do you even need to use the bag? why not just rip open the bag and pore the stuff straight in the cup?

>>6634906
its actually barley bro

>>6634970
also

-why does it seem like everyone puts honey/cream in their tea? is that considered like a necessity?

>>6634970

>when i pour the boiling water into the cup, the bag just floats to the top. is this normal? it seems like if it's just as the top all the flavor won't get in
Yes, it will eventually inflate with water and sink, like a sponge. Imagine dipping the tip of a piece of paper into a bit of water. The water will spread further up, this is what is happening with the tea.
>do you kind of stir it after you take the bag out or is that not necessary?
It usually infuses pretty evenly, so it's not really necessary.
>do you even need to use the bag? why not just rip open the bag and pore the stuff straight in the cup?
You can drink it without a bag if you'd like. In fact, using an infuser instead of a bag is recommended as it gives the tea leaves more room.
You can do it without an infuser or a bag. Doing this and refilling it with hot water after the cup is empty is called grandpa style, I believe. There's no harm.

>>6634977
>why does it seem like everyone puts honey/cream in their tea? is that considered like a necessity?
Preference. Most tea drinkers who are heavily into it do without cream or sugar/honey except for special cases (chai, for example I drink with a bit of honey and cream). Just like those heavily into coffee drink it black.
This isn't always the case, but it's by no means needed if you prefer it without.

>>6634980

thank you for your help. so "steep" just means "leave it", basically, right?

when i make the tea i just boil some water, put the tea bag in a mug, and pour the water into the mug and wait a few minutes. thats the normal way right? it seems like other people make the tea in a bigger pot and then pour it into mugs

>>6635001
Steep and brew means "leave it in", yes.
Usually people around here and elsewhere use loose leaf tea which is cheaper, higher quality, and can be resteeped multiple times.
To stretch it further you can use a pot (3 1/2~ cups instead of one per steep). I mostly just use a pot because I drink tea often enough that I don't want to keep getting up, especially if I'm working.
You can do it whichever way you like best. If you're interested in loose leaf, check here:
>>6634455
And the Russian shop mentioned is good but you can only buy in ounces or pounds (granted, very cheaply), but you may want smaller, half ounce sizes from upton until you find what you truly like.

I've a Palais de Thés around the corner from where I work so I've been going in and trying random shit.

So far I've bought;

Assam Maijian T.G.F.O.P
Lapsang Souchong
Pu Erh Imperial

I love the biscuity maltiness of the Assam. The Lapsang is pretty strong but surprisingly drinkable. I have the Pu Erh the least, the seaweed on the nose is bit offputting but apparently it has a lot of great health benefits.

Any suggestions for what I can pick up next?

>>6633903
i just drink this one. i like it

Is adagio tea any good?

>>6635595
It's okay, I suppose. I like their mango, coconut, and a few others. But for unflavored teas what they have isn't very good.
Plus I can get more for half the price elsewhere.

Is it normal for Lapsang tea to not have a lot of flavour?
I can taste some whiskey like smoky flavour but it's a little vague.

Or maybe it's because it's unflavoured tea that it only has aroma.

>>6635542
Enjoy your cancer!

>>6637728
I get mine 5/5 leaves

>>6637733
I'm using leaves.
Also the taste seemed to become stronger as the temperature lowered.

I guess it's also because I've never experienced unflavoured tea before. (atleast never experienced it with loose leaves)

>>6635595
Excellent.

>>6633920
you dont know what the fuck youre talking about boy

>>6637746
Could be a lot of reasons. The tea might have been too hot (it generally tastes more after it has cooled a little bit) you might not have added enough leaves (3g per mug, give or take depending on the tea and your preference), you may not have steeped it enough.
I had problems with unsweetened tea, but then I went 2 weeks with drinking only unsweetened tea, water, and black coffee. Now soda tastes too sweet, but tea tastes perfect.
Give it a try.

Teavana is a ripoff - if you couldn't tell it wasn't a corporate whore of a store, you're an idiot.

Get your tea from indian/asian markets, doofus.

>>6637900
Or credible importers if you have none of those. The asian markets in my area have next to no tea, and all of it is boxed. I'd rather have tea delivered from the russian cafe, or upton.

>>6637746
5/5 leaves means full strength flavor, read the box dude

>>6637942
The box says teabags

>>6637732
why? looked it up online, has good reviews. doesn't appear to be a shitty chinese export full of lead.

>>6633903
Just find a tea shop. You absolutely want to smell what you buy. Just try out some stuff and see what you like.
there are lots of different kinds of tea, I try something different every time I go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianhong
I just made Ice Tea this morning with Yunnan Gold. Just add some lemon and liquid cane sugar.
It's the first time I tried it and it's absolutely delicious.

>>6633903

For round eye to learn how too tee.

10 part podcast.

http://chinahistorypodcast.com/chp-140-the-history-of-tea-part-1

and

The art and alchemy of tea by Daniel Reide

>>6633920

>I drink coffee with lots of cream and sugar because

It's because you're a fucking faggot pussy nigger that's the main reason

>>6633920
>Doesn't routinely drink coffee straight black
>Criticizes tea drinkers

Look, I think tea is inferior to coffee too. For starters, it's way too expensive. But if you're pouring spoons full of sugar into your coffee and then topping it off with cream, you might as well be a damn kid with a slurpie in their hand.

Coffee drinkers > tea drinkers > coffee ruiners > soda drinkers

>>6638574
Tea isn't really that expensive if you know what you're doing. I spend 20 bucks a month on tea, sometimes 30 if I want to splurge.

>>6634659
and you're a faggit frog poster

>>6634540
If it was authentic Russian they'd spike it with some Stoli.

>>6638574
Tea is a lot more diverse than coffee but maybe it's a little unfair since I'm also comparing teas that aren't 100% pure tea leaves counting as tea while I only count drinks from coffee beans as coffee.

>>6638596

I'd drink that.

I love earl grey, chamomile, green, and pu ehr. Earl grey is probably the most delicious thing in existence. I drink about 6 cups a day of various kinds of tea.

Never, ever put milk, tea, or honey in anything other than chai, or rarely a dessert tea, and honey is okay for chamomile. Nothing else.

And, on coffee, if your coffee needs milk/sugar you have crappy coffee.

>>6634655

Joke's on them: I can't afford their shit. I just take multiple free samples every time I pass a store.

>>6638691
>only count drinks from coffee beans as coffee.

There are all manner of flavored coffee as well as those starbux abominations. Burgerclaps just use the same word for tisane and tea, since no one knows what a tisane is.

>>6638954
>since no one knows what a tisane is
I wonder if Dandelion coffee is a coffee or actually a tisane/herbal tea

>>6638691
Coffee grown in different regions tastes different, just like tea varieties.

So I'm really trying to get into tea and make some good stuff but I just can't.

I've been using Bigelow's "English Teatime" flavor because of all the teas, I like black the most. And yet everytime I make it it hardly seems to have any taste. Is it a shitty tea or am I just doing it wrong?

Sometimes it seems to taste well, othertimes hardly any taste. So I boil the water and pour it over the bag, and the bag kind of suds up and floats to the top. Is this bad for flavor, or normal? I'm just not sure how to give it a good taste. Does stirring it help? Should I keep the teabag totally submerged?

>>6638691
Coffee has far more flavor compounds in it than tea, or wine, or anything. Tea is great too. But coffee has significantly more variety (talking strictly brewed coffee/espresso on its own, and strictly tea on its own -no tisanes or any additional flavorings)

Coffee and tea both have flavors coming from:
Cultivar
Terroir
Processing (roasting, picking, drying, hulling, toasting, oxidizing, etc.)

>>6639850
I haven't handled the tea you're referring to, but try keeping it fully submerged, try to keep a constant temperature every time you make it. When it tastes good, keep note of how hot the water was.
Also if it tastes weak, steep it longer.
You can stir if you think it will help.
You should also be keeping your tea in an airtight container, and out of direct sunlight/heat/humidity. If the tea is old it'll taste weaker (bagged tea tends to be older than loose leaf tea if the loose leaf is coming from a good source.)
If you really want to get into good tea, try out CTC Assam. It's a tea that's processed in such a way that the actual particles are small (so they infuse quickly and strongly) but the quality is good (and consistent).
It's also cheap as fuck.
If you want to keep using bagged tea, though, try to keep all factors consistent (steep length, steep temperature, keep the bags in an airtight container out of direct light) and if it's too weak chuck in another bag. Perhaps the brand is just inconsistent in general?

>>6639877

thank you so much

>>6633903
My parents buy Ahmed Tea London, the regular one without any specific taste of fruits or anything. I can highly recomend it....

For myself, due to lazyness, I buy tea in bags, I stick to Lipton with fruit and flower tastes, because it is not the best tea that comes in teabags. I sometimes wash the tea with hot water for a second or two, before I actually put the bag in my cup. I do that just to get rid of the color and crap they put in it.

If you want to try out different types of tea, I can recomend you to start out with Ahmed Tea London, to get a sense of what normal tea is like - then try out roiboos, and finelly green tea(drink this one fast, don't let it chill too long, the flavor and everything degenerates due to oxidation, much faster than black tea).

>>6639850
Stir it.

>>6640962
Stir some bourbon init.

>>6634269
>tea doesn't have taste, only aroma
Interesting. Will check.

>>6635515
>the seaweed on the nose
what temp/how long do you brew it? Assuming standard quality, try cooler/shorter (and use multiple times).

Yes, I long was like the many people around who overlook proper steeping temperature according to the type of tea.

>>6633903
>Is Teavana worth the bullshit prices?
NO
this shit costs $10 around here
it's everywhere and I'm in the middle of fucking flyover where if someone says "tea" people immediately think "iced tea"

>>6639860
So coffee is pepper while tea is tomato.

My order from the Russian cafe in Mass. came in. They were in ziploc bags with handwritten labels, which means I'll have to transfer them to something more airtight/opaque.
The bottom four on the list are my sister's (living with her while I work for her), but hers actually smell pretty good, too.

ive been drinking earl grey all my life

so i decided to go and get some pu erh
sure does taste like pu

>>6641397
Funny, I thought I didn't like tea, but when I gave ceylon, pu'er, green teas, etc... a try I realized didn't like bergamot. Why would one spoil some good tea with it?

>>6641458
Why would you default to earl grey? Nobody does this

>>6641458
because then it smells like something other than stinky asian fish cum

>>6641279
"berries and cream"
FAG DETECTED!

>>6641501
It's my sisters. Just tastes like blueberries, though.
She can't have caffeine.
The cinnamon and plum is shamelessly mine, though. It's great.

Buy the cheapest stuff at Teavana. It's all very decent loose leaf.

>>6640995
>tea doesn't have taste
It does.

>>6641070
what

>>6641279
>flavored teas
m8...

>>6639860
>>6639860
>But coffee has significantly more variety (talking strictly brewed coffee/espresso on its own, and strictly tea on its own
Sorry, but I don't think you are right. That seems absurd to me, honestly. I know about Cultivar, Terroir, processing, I have read books about tea, coffee, wine, all that stuff, and I really doubt your claim. I am not as into coffee as I am into tea, but the way I see it, in my experience, and based on what I have read, is that there is NO way there are more varieties and range of flavors in coffee as there are in tea.

>>6641896
Take a quick google. Tea and coffee are close, but coffee is higher (black tea having the most compounds at around 800, with coffee being between 800-1500)

I've been into tea and coffee for a while. I know a lot more about coffee than tea, but I know enough about both to know that coffee has more variety and range of flavor. From the thousands of heirloom cultivars in Ethiopia, to the regional processing methods, to the flavor spectrum, it has more (as well as straight up more flavorful compounds). Coffee has flavors from tobacco to green pepper, apricot to toasted walnut, currant jam to jasmine, etc.

Both are complex enough to last a lifetime of engagement and discovery though.

>>6634958
Thanks for the link. Just picked up a few teas to try them out.

Looking to getting into loose leaf tea. What do you guys think of this infuser?

http://www.adagio.com/teaware/glass_teapot.html

>>6641745
The range of flavours for peppers is much higher than that of tomatoes.

>>6641944
I think at best you could say they both have a wide range of flavors.

Coffee has to be roasted and ground. Tea can be rolled, cut up, dried, pan fired, steamed, oxidized, fermented, aged, roasted until dark, ground, and maybe a few other things I can't think of. That's not even getting into which leaves you use, from which plant, from which flush, or doing things like including the stems.

>>6641495
threw out the rest of the poo er
just awful

>>6642360
1.2 liter?
I think that's too big, you should make small multiple infusions with loose leaf tea.
I have a 3dl teapot and it's enough for me, chinese use even smaller like 1.5dl ones.

>>6633903

Can you guys drink tea in this summer heat? I found my drinking habits were cut to 0 from 3-4 cups a day.

>>6644467
Yeah sure, I drink as much in summer as I do in winter, spring or fall.
Drinking hot tea tricks your body into thinking it's hotter than it actually is, so you sweat more and cool off better.
http://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/cool-down-hot-drink-its-not-crazy-you-think
Might just be pseudoscience, but either way, I'm not giving up my tea. I just mix in a glass of iced tea every now and then.

>>6644473
>Drinking hot tea tricks your body into thinking it's hotter than it actually is, so you sweat more and cool off better.

Yeah I've heard that argument but your body's temperature is not going to be affected by drinking a hot beverage. It's a misconception.

You do sweat, I do, but it doesn't make me feel less hot. Cold drinks (I don't like them too cold) are better. Room temperature + 1 ice cube (or 2 depending on how big they are).

>>6641733
I think he meant that if you had no sense of smell you would hardly taste tea whereas you would still taste sugar. Makes sense if you're not illiterate.

>>6644439
Yeah just realized that there is no way im drinking 5 cups in a short time span. Anyones youd recommend?

>>6645343
Well, I'm not an expert yet, I use the cheapest Kyuusu-like one I found here (for about $12) for everything, but I shouldn't brew all kinds of tea in one ceramic teapot as it can change the tea's taste.
Some smaller 3dl (or maybe 5) glass one with a metal infuser like the ones on the site you linked should be good for everything and easy to clean.
You can read about kyuusu/gaiwan/yixing teaware if you are really interested, I'm planning to buy a gaiwan next.

What's your opinion on Dilmah?

http://www.dilmahtea.com/

>>6635542
I am drinking this at the moment.
Good shit and cheap too, you recommend to anyone who just wants something simple.

>>6644473
Maybe tea has a vasodilator in it so you will feel hotter because the arteries close to the skin will have more blood flowing through it.
That also means more heat loss.

>>6645578
Its called caffeine

>>6645661
Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor idiot

Literally retarded

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19101751

And tea simulates NO production.
Probably helps for an erection too since you need NO for an erection.

>>6643726
Coffee can be:
Dry processed
Pulped natural
Red Honey
Black Honey
Fully washed with varying levels of fermentation
Kenya style
Burundi style

Roasting is much more important to coffee than to tea, as well, and there are too many factors that go into a roast to list here.

That's not including cultivar, ripeness and consistency of picking, shipping, storing, brew method, etc etc.

It really comes down to your ignorance of coffee, which is fine, but you probably shouldn't make blanket statements about it.

>>6645246
But it explicitly says that tea has no taste, only aroma. And the poster I replied to was apparently taking that as a literal, black and white sort of statement.

>>6645666
satan quit being dumb

this thing is pretty baller for making small batches of loose leaf tea

>>6633920
>not having fresh peppermint tea in the winter

I pity you my boy.

>>6641944
Apricot coffee? Jasmine coffee?? Those sound amazing. Reading through the comments up until yours I was thinking tea had way more basic distinctive flavors, but maybe coffee does have more overall range. Maybe basic types of tea are more discernible since basic types of coffee kind of stick to a light-medium roast? Or I'm just better at comparing basic types of tea like Earl Grey, jasmine, oolong, chrysanthemum rather than basic types of coffee like (i guess) Brazilian, French, Italian, etc.

>>6646587
Apricot is a very common flavor found in African coffees (and others, of course). Lots of wash processed Yrgacheffes will have flavors in that region (stonefruit). Jasmine and floral flavors are also common to that type of coffee, as well as geishas and some other central american coffees.

Coffee brewed properly (and roasted/sourced properly) can have very distinct flavors that you may not expect.

Just to clarify, these are not flavored coffee, these are flavors that the coffee has.

Some of those teas you listed have flavors added to them (bergamot, jasmine) or are an entirely different plant entirely. That will make them easier to tell apart.

From the coffees you listed, it sounds like you are buying from a place that roasts dark (will mask any flavor the bean has with roast flavors) and does not source properly. Look for a place that mentions the exact farm, and details about the region (Ethiopian coffees are often less traceable because of their multi-family, small farm group mills).

Hi, I'm a noob that know absolutely nothing about tea and I want to get into them, but I care most about their effects.

I like to drink a lot of coffee, and since it's not good to drink all the time and I feel like I should switch to a lighter infusion, might aswell experiment a little with it. I heard valerian root can be infused like tea in some way, and helps with muscle relaxation and sleep. How noticeable is this?

>>6633920
>Coffee is too bitter
Black coffee isn't really that hard to drink

>>6642360
Get a 2-3 cup one if you're the only tea nut in the house. You'll find them in most department stores, and also some hospitality stores as they're the perfect volume for one person to enjoy.
I did try use a full size pot once, but me alone drinking it made some pretty bitter cups by the end of it. If I really felt like slogging my kidneys with tea leaf overdose, I'd be better off just getting a fresh pot. Tastes better that way too.

Is it bad to drink that much tea?

>>6645448
I buy it to take with me to work, it's the nicest in the grocery store.

>>6644473
It's a shame it doesnt work the other way then, I tried a frozen coke today (they're $1 now here woop), it's winter here, and I was shivering like an angry chihuahua for a solid hour.

>>6645754
I was actually aware of most of those methods. Admittedly, I do know more about tea than I do coffee. What I was getting at is that making blanket statements about either, as a comparison, is somewhat absurd. They're both extremely old and complex single ingredient beverages.

I didn't mention it in the previous reply, but
>flavors from tobacco to green pepper, apricot to toasted walnut, currant jam to jasmine, etc.
Tea can have essentially all of those flavors as well, without adding anything else. There is a wide range of variables for either drink.

I love both, but coffee being a "roasted" beverage is its main limitation in my mind. Some may disagree.

>>6646653
I never got bitter from black coffee, roasty toasty is how i'd describe it

>>6646658
There was one guy (just one) who died from drinking something like 12-15 glasses of iced black tea a day which apparently messed up his liver or something.
But, no, I doubt it. I drink on average 3 pots of tea a day, which is around 9 cups. I'm sure I'm fine.
Unless you have a sensitivity to caffeine in which case you should be careful.

>>6646696

nah, I drink a shitload of coffee. thanks mate.

>>6646696
Kidneys. http://www.treehugger.com/health/how-iced-tea-can-lead-kidney-failure.html

It tends to be people who drink a shitload of iced tea or especially if they're using a mix. Tea might promote kidney stones as well, though nobody agrees on how much of a risk it really is. Basically, enjoy it in moderation and drink some water too.

>>6646042
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasoconstriction
Don't know shit, don't talk shit.

>>6646715
The article is only about black tea though.

Green tea has a lot less oxalate.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12495262

Another site states that in a 1998/2006 study (and a 2005 one with mice) that people who consumed green tea daily were less likely to develop kidney stones.
Though there were no links.

So it's only black tea you shouldn't drink a gallon a day of.

Finally got to try some lapsang souchang


the blackest of black teas
absolutely THE niggest

>>6647521
Expect Whiskey that tastes like smoke but without alcohol taste.

What's the problem with adding sugar to coffee?

Some people don't like bitter things

>>6648080
Then why are you drinking coffee to begin with?

>>6648080
Coffee shouldn't be bitter if brewed properly (well, not bitter enough that it is unpleasant to anyone)

sugar makes it very unbalanced, and often just worse

>>6648111

There are other things to coffee than just bitterness. You get a different taste from coffe with milk and sugar than you do from, say, cocoa and personally I enjoy it sometimes

>>6648056
already been drinking it for a couple days
two thumbs up, reminds me of latakia a lot
but I have to find something to brew it and only it in as washing out the smell from any kettle is a nightmare

I just order loose leaf Irish breakfast online that people have good things to say about.

Shit's delicious. Also a lot of Japanese and Chinese places have free green tea and it goes terribly well with that food.

I'm a pleb but I fucking love the basics.

>>6634465
Grow your own. Mint plants are easy as shit to grow in a pot (it's like a weed) and fresh mint tea is god tier

>>6635515
Palais makes good flavors, try blue of london or the du hammam (I like the rooibos version the best but the black and green ones are nice too)

>>6646658

The only "bad" thing I can think of is the sugar but even that is not a problem. 100 gr of sugar has 380 calories (let's say 400). Assuming 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup, which is 2 gr.

If you drink 10 cups that's 20 gr of sugar, which is about 80 calories (it's a bit less).

>>6646715

Eh, only 1 man in the entire world was reported with kidney disease? I don't think he's the only one drinking 10 or more cups of tea a day, if there was a strong correlation we'd be seeing a lot more people in the hospitals because of black tea.

>>6634455
This is the only person itt who knows what they're talking about.

Teavana isn't absolute shit quality but it's the Starbucks of tea, overpriced and if you know anything about tea it's terrible. Upton Tea and What-Cha are great. Adagio is better than Teavana but still only OK.

Is there any legitimate reason why tea shouldn't be brewed in a coffeemaker?

>>6650020
try it and see

>>6633903
Why did you post a bag of bugs as the picture for a thread about tea?

>>6633903
>How does babby into tea?
huh?
>Is Teavana worth the bullshit prices?
I feel like people who goto Starbucks are pretty much people with money or just love it cause it's awesome sugar
However I feel like hipster's with money goto Teavana
Even tho Starbucks own Teavana. But still. I would say yes only cause there's hardly any other tea places unless you want to get your tea from Walmart, kroger, publix, or other stores, do you? In my situation, I would LOVE to be able to use my EBT card in Teavana

>How to tell good tea from bad tea?
Does it smell like you left it out too long and doesn't taste like it did a week ago?


What does /tea/ think of "Jasmine Dragon Pearl"?
I've had this for almost a year and it's...ok... I feel like I wasted money on it cause it was good at one point but it taste like what I think perfume would taste like

>>6633920
I LIKE MY SUGAR WITH COFFEE AND CREAM

>>6634655
Dude, everything is FUCKING ORGANIC if it was fucking grown you dumbass. There's almost no difference in taste. You want "organic" go find where the tea is being grown, find that farmer and get some from him. He's going to be this really old Japanese man who can barely speak english and you will follow him out to his shed and he will give a giant can of tea.

>>6650020
The only real reason is because the coffee grounds and other coffee stuff get all on the sides of the...holder? Whatever, but it gets all around it so you will want to clean the fuck out of it. I did this too, it's not a bad idea. If you REALLY want a clean filter, clean it in the dishwasher then go over it with cotton swabs. It's going to take like 50...

>>6650020
Water temperature. Extraction time. And if you also use it for coffee it will fuck up your tea with the oils.

I do sometimes use a clean single cup machine for making tisanes though. It might work for cheap black tea if you're going to add milk anyway.

>>6646079
Me mum has one of those. Don't really see the advantage over a small infuser pot. Having something sitting on top of a mug just seems way too precarious for my clumsy ass.

>>6633920
Get a trip so I can filter you.
>>6633924
I wouldn't rec going out and looking for a bag for yourself, but it's alright. Got a bag gifted to me as a joke once, but I said "What the hell," and drank it all anyway.

Wasn't a remarkable taste. Less acidic than your usual brew. Worth trying just to say you have, but you're not missing out on much if you never do.

>>6650037
>there's hardly any other tea places

Just order online. Upton is what I use, but there's also Harney & Sons if you prefer faggy flavored teas (Upton has some, but not as many and not as good, IMO).

>>6650179
theres this flower tea I want to get when I can. It's fucking awesome.

But as of right now, I'm drinking store bought tea.
It's alright.

What do you think of sugar in the raw?

>>6650182
>What do you think of sugar in the raw?
Never heard of it.

>>6650187
google sugar in the raw. The sys thinks I'm spam
I wanna say it gives the tea a different taste vs what normal sugar does.

>>6650207
It looks like regular cane sugar.

>>6650255
IDK what they did, but it tastes better

How tea say?
Tea into pot, hot water into pot. 85 degree for this tea.
Lid on 90 seconds cook meditate then pour.
Sip and enjoy then again cook more.

>>6650711
Nice little set. What kind of tea?

How safe is tea drinking? I heard about gallstones being a problem, can any of you attest to this? I've increased to about 3 cups a day.

>>6653053
this isn't beer. Tea is one of the best things to drink. what are they using sewage water?

>>6650261
>>6650207
Sugar in the raw is just unprocessed cane sugar, so more of the natural flavors are in it rather than just sweetness
There's plenty other places you can get it aside from under the sugar in the raw brand name, but that's the main one sold in grocery stores

>>6653088
There's a sugar I really want that Teavana uses cause it's fucking delicous. I've asked what they used and its this 20$ thing that they get that's maybe a pound :/

I neeeeeeddddd iiiittttttttttttt

>>6653091
>>6650261
Maybe sugar is like coffee beans, and that the type & location its grown from affects the taste.

>>6653091
I've seen that sugar that teavana uses as well, pea-sized chunks of raw cane sugar, sugar in the raw seems like it's the same thing only ground down more, but i can't be sure.

>>6653097
I wanna say it's close but no dice.

>>6648759
Just buy a cheapo kettle from the thrift shop. would look badass drinking that smokey stuff from a dinged up patina'd pot

Are you even meant to resteep green tea? I got loose leaf of pic related and it tasted terrible the second time. I also tried it from the tea shop as well, still grossly flavourless.

I've been getting to try a lot of different kinds of tea lately, because I share my workspace with a local loose leaf tea webshop. That means free tea every day. Honestly I like just about every kind, except the very sweet or flowery stuff, but Rooibos is always a good bet. That or the excellent Darjeeling tea I brought back from Darjeeling itself. Simple but very rich, if you brew it right, which I am still practicing.

I drink nothing but tea and water anymore.

i got lots of currants, is it possible to make tea out of them or are they only good for juice?

I need to stop drinking black milk tea. It's ruining my teeth and tongue and probably coating my insides in the same brown calcified film that's covering my tea mug and spoon.

I've never had green tea that I ever liked. What's a better alternative?

>>6650020
not enough steep time.

you could probably make a tea machine though

>>6653498
Dry them, and add them to some black tea. Never mixed my own tea before except with spices so you'll have to experiment.
Or you can just use dry and use as a tisane but you might want to mix with other things like dried raspberries, hibiscus, etc

>>6635515
I don't like their flavored teas. They've got reasonably good sencha, not like I know any better. Also try some of their Darjeeling. No need to go for the expensive shit, they are not that much better.

>>6653375
Just use cooler water, shorter steep and more tea. Anyway I've never been able to get more than two brews out of my tea, whether green/black/etc.

https://www.fortnumandmason.com/

Get your tea where the Queen gets hers

I'd like to start brewing with a samovar but I'm not sure if it needs a special teapot or if any teapot that fits will do?

Any fuggin gommies who can answer?

>>6633920
Espresso straight or gtfo

>>6653708
Seep time isn't everything. Sometimes a more fluid flavour is desirable.

>Best coffee
50 cent restaurant coffee with four sugar packs and half a creamer

>Best tea
Black/Orange pekoe with 4 sugar cubes and enough lemon juice to turn it neon orange

>Weirdest tea experience
I used the above tea recipe with White Tea once because I was out of black tea and stole some of the wife's white tea. It tasted exactly like NeoCitron, so that was pretty cool, because NeoCitron is the bomb.

How do you guys heat/cool your water to a proper steeping temperature? With only a watercooker and greatly varying room temperature it's guesswork for me.

>>6656061
I boil mine in a kettle then pour it into another container and use a cheap dial thermometer.

I bought a nice little pitcher just for this, but for a while I was using a ceramic creamer.

>>6653833
>cooler water
Huh, ok, I'll do that with my cup now. Cheers mate

>>6653595
Apparently using cows milk hinders it from staining your teeth as much as having it black does. I guess to do with the fat or protein content.

Furthermore:
>drink tea with a large glass of water to rinse mouth with. Remember to swish around before you swallow it!
I drink the water while drinking the tea, but I guess there isn't much difference than to drink it after you're done.

>Have your tea/milk tea cold more often. The heat stains it like your mug.
I remember when I wash the dishes at the coffee shop,I need to rinse off residual tea or coffee from the mugs or else once I put it in the super-heated dishwasher, the porcelain will stain harder.

>>6656191
Try 70-80C and steep for 2 minutes or less. See how that works.

>>6654263
Lol what about the Royal Warrant Twining's has?

Means they supply for the family.

>>6656218
Don't have a thermometer on me yet so I guess I'll just leave it cooler than normal til I buy one. I usually wait til my electric kettle finishes for my water.

>>6656236
One of the tricks for that is to just pour it between cups/pots. The very rough estimate is that you lose 10C for every pour.

Made the same (white) tea in gaiwan, then cup+infuser, was way better in the gaiwan. I don't like using gaiwan that much though because it burns fingers after a few infusions when I have to raise the temperature and it spills easily.

>>6643681
You haven't heard about tomato varieties, then? I've grown some that don't even look, let alone taste like a tomato.

>>6649006
>fresh mint tea is god tier
you know what makes it even better?
drying it and grinding it up

>>6653091
so like panela?

So ok, I normally drink Chinese tea but I've been craving some Darjeeling. Does anyone know some good sites? Not upton please I already know them.

>>6657714
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/best-tea-where-to-buy.html

>>6657764
That's not Darjeeling though, and I already knew about it. I'm really into tea, if you link anything related to Chinese/Taiwanese/Japanese tea I'll likely know it already, but I know jack shit about Indian tea.

i only drink tea, not coffee. i prefer iced tea variants, preferably with little to no sugar added. if i want to add sugar then it will be in the form of adding lemonade.

in my opinion, arnold palmer's (half iced tea, half lemonade) are literally the roll's royce of sub $5 beverages when made with quality components and proportions.

i've never gotten into coffee because i dislike hot drinks as they always just seem like a hassle to drink because i have to wait for them to cool down or else burn the roof of my mouth.

if im drinking straight up hot tea id recommend starting out with green tea, its good and has a nice flavor that won't overpower you or turn you off to it

>>6657778
Do you coldbrew at all? If not you should, it's fucking great with green tea, leave it in the fridge overnight and have a delicious drink in the morning.

Okay so my recommendations:

Jasmine Silver Needle White Tea
infused seven times so the jasmine flavour is really strong and still the tea is smooth and that's why this is my favourite jasmine tea. ( perfect for everyday )

Roasted Jin Xuan ( Roasted Golden Daylily )
Oolong tea, low caffeine, perfectly not sweet and not earthy, smooth with a bit of popcorn taste and coconut.

Longjing tea ( Dragon Well tea )
Green tea, very popular and known in china, Chinese Emperors tea, have great history, hand flattened and toasted, grassy taste with more powerful sweet nutty taste. I don't drink it everyday because It is simply to sweet but it is still one of my favourites.

Ri Yue Tan Black Tea
Grown in Taiwan. Most of this tea is sold in place because of high competition with other tea countries.
taste of eucalyptus, menthol and cinnamon with lilac flower. Sweet yet really good. Perfect for something smooth and sweet. I really like the taste of it, It is sweet yet smooth and makes me relax.

+ have you guys tried bubble tea? It is tea with tapioca pearls. Really fucking good. I use coconut milk with the tea and It is just perfect cold tea for hot day.

>>6633955
Go ahead and post non-shitty tea then so the rest of ck can rip you apart.

>>6646460
peppermint tea is just like earl gray. all smell and no taste. might as well just burn incense and drink water.

>>6633920
flavored creamer. the work is done for you.

yea that's right. I use flavored creamers. come at me.

>>6658037
>Longjing tea
Where do you get yours? I've been looking for a cheap and good source, though I think that might be impossible

>>6659419
http://chinalifeweb.com/shop/product/tea-impc/85/

>>6659419
>>6660086
Best tea shop I have ever been in.
>photo of the shop

>>6633903
>how to tell good tea from bad tea
taste it fucko, jesus

>Been trying to buy tea made from the spearmint leaves (Not green mint flavoured with them)
>Been to several stores, all of them asked me if I wanted peppermint instead or green tea flavoured with it
>One person even told me it doesn't exist

Why is this shit so rare to find? I'm going to have to order it online at this point.

>>6661673
Hahaha holy shit I was just on the same mission today. Spearmint has a minty taste without the headache factor of peppermint for me. The tea shops here only sold it with Green tea and/or olive leaf as well.
You could be more lucky than me and try health food stores, spearmint is popularly sought by people with hirsutism as an accessible treatment alternative. I could only find spearmint plain when in teabags so I wish you luck.

>>6661673
Grow it. Spearmint grows very easily.

>drinking tea from China
These days I'm scared to drink tea even from India or Japan. I simply cannot trust the label origin.
Safe bets are Ceylan teas and maybe some higher quality Sencha teas from Japan.

>pu-erh
literally rotten fish taste.

>>6662775
This. Have it in my yard. Although never made tea with it.

>spending this much money on dried leaves
>not even narcotics

lol no

>>6663885
>25 cents a serving breaks the bank

Stay poor

>>6633903
Teavana is a great place to start.
>How to tell if its shit tea
Does it taste like shit?

>>6663952
Teavana is comparatively expensive for bad quality.
Why would you do that?

Im a lupicia shopper. In my neighborhood the teavana scoops your tea you buy from the same barrel thing you use to smell sample.

At my Lupicia the smelling samples are separate from the loose leaf you buy which is in preweighed and air tight packaging to keep your tea fresh and will also sample any tea they have in stock. Which i assume that teavana does as well

OP just go into teavana and dont be afraid to ask about smelling what they have. Definitely start with some black teas and just buy some loose leaf and something you can brew it in.

TEAVANA IS HORRIBLE. STAY THE FUCK AWAY.

David's Tea is also horrible but makes good wares. Try and find local places or ask Asians in your area. Fuck, you're better off just getting tea from Whole Foods and shit. But for fuck's sake...stay away from Teavana.

>>6664123
If OP is a total tea babby maybe teavana wouldnt hurt to be a jumping off point. once he knows a little about tea he can find a real place and ween himself off of teavana but if its accessible to him i would rather he start there than get discouraged from starting at all.

>>6664148
I don't know, man. I've tried a few of their samples and they're just ghastly and if I had tried their tea as my first tea ever...let's just say I probably wouldn't be drinking it today. People at WF are super friendly. Random local Asians? Hit or miss. But for the most part, they get excited when you hit them up for questions.

>>6664168
Fair enough. I didnt even know Whole Foods has loose leaf but i havent even ever been to Teavana so i dont know how bad it is.
Teavana, not even once is the way to go OP

>>6664168
I bought some tea from them once when they had a half off sale and it wasn't too bad. The main problem with Teavana is everything is overpriced. They also sell a lot of herbal/fruit blends with barely any tea in them. I hear the actual stores are awful but I've never been to one.

>>6664217
Yeah, they should. And mine even has some locally cultivated teas as well. Lots of good, affordable bagged varieties for the novice that are safe to try.

>>6664246
I eat the fruit blends.

>>6664123
Might I ask what is terrible about David's Tea?

I just ordered from them, I didn't have many options but I hope this wasn't a mistake.

>>6633966
does this work? have you noticed any results?

>>6664148
Teavana is overpriced and pushy as fuck and 4channers tend to be betas. Let's not get somebody ripped off

>>6665539
From what I hear the customer service isn't as bad as Teavana but it's still overpriced

Ive been drinking coffee since I was 13, but now I wanna try and mix tea into my day rather than a second or third afternoon cup of joe. Problem is I dont know ANYTHING about tea other than I liked the taste the few times someone has made it for me/I try a sample at teavanna.

Should I buy one of those teapots with infusers, or just an infuser, or one of those Teavanna PerfecTea makers (or something similar from another brand)?

What tea should I try first? Where is the best place to buy tea (online or retail chain)? Should I get a sampler of a bunch of teas, do they even sell something like that?

Ill take any information you can give me. If you dont feel like explaining it yourself at least give me some links to some resources you'd recommend I read

Thanks /ck/

>>6667090
UptonTea and Adagio are both good places for beginners, there's way more out there but since these places are cheap you won't break bank discovering your taste. Both sites have samplers too!

I'd suggest this infuser http://www.amazon.com/FORLIFE-Brew---Mug-Extra-Fine-Infuser/dp/B001JPA3Y8 for single cup brewing, it's big enough to let the leaf breath and easy to clean

>>6667098
Thanks anon, Ill definitely look around those stores for some teas that peak my interest

What do you think about a pot/infuser combo from the same company like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H2UDDZK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UDICPNNDW4BS&coliid=I3K2X6I97EM7VH&psc=1
Id like to be able to serve tea to multiple people

>>6667090
Crepes tea house has 2 dollar samplers (one ounce) and free shipping.
Also I suggest upton (half ounce one dollar samples) and adagio (though I don't like their tea as much).
Try some earl gray, darjeeling, genmaicha, Assam, jasmine (not herbal), gunpowder green, and sencha, plus anything else that looks interesting.
The general rule is
Black tea: boiling
Green: 195ish
White: 175-180ish
For brewing temperature. 2-3g (2 teaspoons, but I would suggest weighing because it's more accurate, considering tea comes in different densities) for an 8oz glass.
Have fun.

>>6667107
Seems like it should be fine, basically as long as the infuser is big enough the leaves can expand you're good.

>>6667110
Thank you anon, just ordered all of those plus a couple others in sample sizes. Cant wait to try this tea shit out!

>>6633903

If you looking something above the bag shit with lots of leftover tea leaves at the bottom of the cup for something that doesn't leave such a pos. Teavana is a good starting choice. Mind you, they rarely promote the starting tea and instead hit you with hipster tea flavors.

Going to act like a bit of a barker but TWG definitely have my recommendation, a notch higher than Teavana but a bit pricier at about 15-20 bucks for low amounts of tealeafs vs the other parts of the tea. But damn does it taste good and filters well.

>>6662019

I've been in at least 10 stores and asked for it. None of them had it. It's been a real struggle.

>>6662775

I have a pot of it, but it takes forever to dry it. I use it in drinks or in cooking instead.

>>6667110
>>6634958

Coming back to thread to acknowledge based bros.

Bought tea from Russian place and it is great quality at a crazy cheap price. Stoked.

>>6665539
the pu er is simulated, the rest is medium quality for premium price

>>6669570
Be sure to post what you think about the flavors. I'm especially interested in the dragon pearls. I've never had them before.
Crepes Tea House is amazing, though. Great tea, great price, free shipping, amazing variety.
Only thing I don't like is the ziploc bags, but I'll just get a thing of 24 sample tins from upton.

>>6658826
whats your favorite kind anon

>>6669840
Sample tins to store them in, if that wasn't clear.

>>6669840

I still haven't made any yet, but my first impression was really good. I could smell the tea from like 10 feet away from the box. The lemongrass oolong and imperial gold smell the best.

I'm definitely okay with ziplock bags because thats probably part of how they keep the prices so low. At Lupicia if you buy 2 ounces for 9.99, it costs 12.99 with a tin.

So if the tea is 2 dollars an ounce, and would be 5 dollars an ounce with a tin, I am totally okay getting it cheaper in a bag. :) Also I paid 4.99 on the website for shipping, and the box said shipping was 10.99, so they covered some of the shipping cost which is nice.

>>6669868

Some people say the shipping is free. I'm in California, so I wonder if the shipping is just free if you are in the eastern part of the country?

Though, again, they paid for half the shipping so 4.99 is definitely not a big deal.

>>6669873
I'm staying in New York, so it may be area specific, or only covers up to a certain amount. My shipping was 5 something on the package, but they didn't charge me for it.

check out verdant tea and get the 5-for-5 deal

>>6635542
I'm drinking pic related right now and I can't tell if it's any better than the Sunflower brand or just the same thing for more money. It seems like it doesn't get bitter as easily, but I'm not sure.

>>6669840

the dragon pearl is really good, made a great iced tea. Its pretty mild even though I made it pretty dark. May not be liked by people who enjoy a really strong, bitter black tea. I haven't tried the russian caravan yet. I would buy this again, but it is a little more expensive than the other teas, so I will probably try all their black teas to see if I like any of the cheaper ones better.

Has anyone tried any of their black teas? Suggestions?

>>6634455
>Start with genmaicha, assam, sencha, a

Start with gemaicha and sencha? Are you retarded?
Start with fucking black teas and taste and enjoy the differences. I'd go for full leaf only. Assam, Ceylon and Darjeeling are really nice black teas to start with. Develop your tastepallet and switch to green tea to avoid getting bored. Start with a gunpowder and Jasmin here which is really powerfull (for a green tea) but easy to get used to. Develop from there.

>>6633903
I drink tea regularly, but it's become more of a habit rather than a beverage I actually enjoy drinking. It's not like coffee where I actually crave the flavor of coffee, but rather just something hot and smells nice that I can sip on while working to relax.

From my personal experience, tea isn't about the flavor. There is no distinct "tea flavor" like there is a coffee flavor. Tea is essentially scented water. A lot of big tea brands like putting gimmicky shit in tea like citrus flavors to make it sour or overpowering concentrated herbs. Avoid those like the plague. Most "herbal teas" are basically crushed potpourri; an overpowering mess that is more distracting by how strong it smells.

Which is why I prefer green tea. It is very subtle, smells nice, and has no real taste to it. Sencha smells faintly of grass and doesn't leave much of a taste on your mouth.
Genmaicha tastes and smells like Sencha but you can taste the starch in your mouth and it is quite annoying after you finish drinking a cup.
Generic "green tea" store brand bags like Kirkland, Trader Joes, etc, all taste like stronger Sencha and often have a weird sharp taste to them as if they squeezed a bit of lemon onto the tea.
Oolong smells nice and smokey, but it has a smokey taste too. To me it isn't very pleasant to drink. It leaves a weird bitter taste on your tongue and is slightly metallic.
Jasmine tea I adore. It is very aromatic yet not overpowering, and leaves no aftertaste. It is the perfect tea in my opinion. My favorite brand is Capital Teas Jasmine Gold Dragon, pic related.

Honorable mention: Earl Grey/Black Breakfast Teas
I would never drink Earl Grey or any english/irish breakfast tea plain jane, but it is absolutely delicious with milk and honey/sugar. I consider Milk Tea an actual beverage and I drink it every morning with my breakfast.

Get a mug, a box of teabags (I go with Yorkshire, but Typhoo or PG Tips will do in a pinch). Combine a teabag, some hot water, a splash of milk in your beautiful new mug and allow to brew to your desired strength. Now remove the teabag, grab some custard creams (or gingernuts is you want something a bit different) from your bikkie tin, dip and enjoy.

This is the only bottled tea worth anything.

Other than that, I exclusively drink Navajo tea, grown in my backyard. I sometimes drink green tea, because it's SOOO GOOOOD with honey.... and I got a fuckhuge box that's not going anywhere anytime soon.

>>6671486
>tea isn't about the flavor.
>has no real taste to it.

I know it's just an opinion but I still can't understand this one.

>>6671509
Forgot pic.

>>6671509
>>6671512
Ito En makes some decent bottled teas.

>Navajo tea
I've been wanting to try that stuff but haven't gotten around to buying any. Is it comparable to anything else?

>>6671486
>There is no distinct "tea flavor" like there is a coffee flavor. Tea is essentially scented water
lol

>>6671521
A spicier green tea. The aroma is definitely stronger. It tastes good, comes cheap, and none of my people were given flu blankets in exchange, so it's AIGHT.

>>6671511
Can't understand what?

Why tea has no flavor?
Why people think tea has no flavor?
Why people drink tea because you think people think tea has no flavor?

>>6671512

Have you had this? Pretty similar. Id agree Tejava is better, but I like this one too.

>>6671558
>Why people think tea has no flavor?
That. I phrased it poorly.

>>6671561
I've foolishly only had Lemon, and it was attack on the tongue. I've never gave it a second look, but unsweetened is promising. I'll give it a sip my next venture into the city.

>>6671590

Yeah, I've never had the lemon, but the unsweetened contains a small amount of lemon juice, so if you like unsweetened tea with a lemon wedge in it, you may enjoy it. Its milder than tejava, too much tejava gives me a headache, I have to water it down a little.

>>6671627
Oh my god. I thought to myself: "This would be perfect if it was only a hint of lemon" Gotta try it.

We have some nice tea-stores in Germany

Usually get some 2nd flush Darjeeling and a mixed green/herb tea with Guarana, which I really like