/tea/ Crowded Edition

[Anonymous No.19844708]

This thread is for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusions.
info: types of tea, where to get tea, how to brew tea
https://pastebin.com/80GeeXJV
previous thread: >>19834030

[Anonymous No.19844715]

>>19844708
Step one: be a pretentious twat
Step two: brew leaf water
Step three: bitch about it

[Anonymous No.19844725]

Im brewing up some leftover dust from a bunch of young sheng cakes i finished off recently. It worked out decently when the tea was still crumb sized, but now that im at the bottom of the tin and it's mostly fine dust its brewing up real strong. Surprisingly dark too. This works better with aged puer dust, then i can just grampa brew it.

[Anonymous No.19844829]

man i would really love a full silver tea set

[Anonymous No.19844845]

>>19844829
what are you willing to do for it

[Anonymous No.19844848]

>steeped pic related with 100°C water for 5 minutes
>tastes like unfiltered tap water
I've been memed! Anyways, please recommend flavourful and aromatic teas for a newbie. I've only ever had variations of green tea, generic black tea, earl grey, and orange pekoe before this.

[Anonymous No.19844856]

>>19844848
Just dump like two heaping spoonfuls in a mug and fill it with boiling water.
Anyway try oolong, tieguyanyin or whatever else sounds good. If your asian grocer has the lapsang souchong in a can buy that, tastes like a campfire.
Chinese black tea is really good, dian hong or something like that.

[Anonymous No.19844904]

>>19844856
>Just dump like two heaping spoonfuls in a mug and fill it with boiling water.
That's pretty much what I did.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yeah, my asian grocer has a pretty decent selection of loose leaf and cake tea. I didn't want to buy more than one package this time around and decided to spring for the pu er because it seemed interesting from what I've heard and it was on the pricier end of the aisle. Next time I go I'll get something different.

[Anonymous No.19844930]

>>19844708
Sipping on some twinings earl grey

[Anonymous No.19844965]

I feel an incredible sadness drinking bagged teas. And especially Chinese restaurant teas. Fuck they just taste so bland...

[Anonymous No.19844967]

Been hooked on this stuff lately. Perfect for staying cozy on a cold fall evening. I like to add some sliced ginger to the pot with it for extra zing. Then a little honey for a final touch.

[Anonymous No.19845134]

>>19844848
>>19844904
yeah asian grocer pu-erh can be pretty cursed
those types of places tend to be best for cheap oolong, like Sea Dyke brand. could probably find some decent black tea too. greens need to be fresh, so only grab them if the packaging says they were harvested in 2023 (unlikely at an asian grocery)

[Anonymous No.19845136]

>>19844965
I kind of like the restauarant tea, but I think it's something like stockholm syndrome

[Anonymous No.19845421]

What are the best teas to brew in jianshui? Got a beautiful black pot I rarely use because gaiwans are so easy.

[Anonymous No.19845597]

>>19845421
What's jianshui and where did you get it?

[Anonymous No.19845616]

if you had to make a tea that you think would have the best chance to appeal to someone who has tried many different types of tea but hated them all, what would you give them?

[Anonymous No.19845654]

>>19845616

[Anonymous No.19845656]

>>19845597
It's a black Chinese clay used for nice unglazed teapots, similar to yixing. I got this one from Crimson Lotus around three years ago.

[Anonymous No.19845687]

>>19845616
depends on what types he tried or why he hated those types
does he say "tea is watery and tasteless"? brew some punchy young raw, gong fu style. force him to drink it while maintaing eye contact
does he say "tea is just bitter leaf water"? brew some fragrant, sweet green oolong
wildcard: brew ya bao, tell him it comes from pine trees or something

[Anonymous No.19845706]

>>19844715
You got us confused with coffee fags babygirl

[Anonymous No.19845724]

Gushu black and pu-erh loose leaf on farmer leaf. On the mail william explain thuis autumn got limited harvest so will see what will be added. I have to wait to order and do one big instead of two have to be patient...

[Anonymous No.19845740]

>>19845724
I see pu-erh wise it's just the Jingmai Gushu so far? you think we'll see much more than that?

[Anonymous No.19845743]

Drinking some of this right now, it's pretty smooth and good for the price. Medium oxidation, tastes a little bug bitten. Too bad it's out of stock.

[Anonymous No.19845752]

>>19845740
More loose leaf? i don't think so. Just kept some material for it and the rest will be cakes i'm pretty sure but can always ask him in mail.

[Anonymous No.19845757]

>>19845740
Maybe from another tea producer just like black teas, getting some Yingpan Shan Black from this autumn hopefully. Lao man e cake like last year? Naka?

[Anonymous No.19845760]

Waiting almost a month to order for black friday...i'm not sure i can resist but also have to wait for the new teas to be listed anyway...

[Anonymous No.19845777]

>>19845757
Anyone here tried his autumn Naka? Is it good? I've been looking to sample that terroir, though I guess a spring tea would be a better example.

[Anonymous No.19845779]

>>19845740
there will definitely be more if the maocha is just being processed and sold now, the cakes will probably be out in a month or so since most producers will let the cakes rest for a while after being pressed

[Anonymous No.19845785]

>>19845777
Haven't tried it just saw autumn release last year sorry. Autumn 2021 Naka big trees is still listed on the site.

[Anonymous No.19845855]

>>19845757
god i hope there's a $50 lao man e

[Anonymous No.19845880]

>>19845855
Last year was 55$ might be 60+$ this year for for the cheapest cake. Good luck anon

[Anonymous No.19845889]

I just want the new teas to be listed i don't really want to wait for black friday. How much of a discount it is? 15% on the order? something like the end of summer discount no?

[Anonymous No.19845930]

Gonna grab me some spring 2023 Dong Guo, the citrus and "juicy" descriptions sounds unusual and interesting

[Anonymous No.19845971]

>>19845930
I sampled it. it's definitely a bit unusual. heavy on the citrus and astringency, really beats you over the head with the lemon association
I thought it was interesting, but I think a whole cake would get tiresome for me. I got a cake of the Fa Zhan He instead, which has a similar citrusiness, just more subdued and without the strong astringency

[Anonymous No.19845993]

>>19845971
Thanks for the recommendation, I wonder if the overpowering citrus flavor would mute down with time in wet storage, I'm talking 2-3 years not 15 years. Have some of their samples from 2017 and 2018 and they've aged a little bit nicely, but lost the fresh and fragrant "top notes" they had when I got them in 2018.

Some other full cake options I'm looking at:
Spring 2023 Dong Guo
Spring 2023 (or previous versions) of Fang Tang Lian Zi
Yellow flakes because it sounds unusual and I've never tried that before.

[Anonymous No.19846001]

>>19845993
Fuck me, instead of Dong Guo again I meant Bangwai (big or small trees idk yet)

[Anonymous No.19846023]

This is 2022 Early Spring "Tai Ping Hou Kui - Shou Gong", a sample from KTM with my last order. I'm not very familiar with green tea. I wish I was, but I've never had a green that gave me reason to love it. My tasting notes don't match KTM's listing for it, so perhaps I still have much to learn. To me it tasted like most green teas, but with a slightly nutty vibe rather than grassy or floral.
I don't dislike it, but I wouldn't pay what it's going for. I don't know. Maybe I should I should try gyokuro again.

[Anonymous No.19846025]

I still don't have a gaiwan, just some teapot with those side handles.
Where can I buy some nice looking gaiwan, maybe those small cups as well?

[Anonymous No.19846035]

>>19845993
I thought the Bangwai small trees sample was pretty good. I found it a bit similar to the Jingmai Miyun but more interesting with some vegetal and creamy nuances on top of the classic apricot soft young sheng flavors
Fa Zhan He and Dong Guo were more unique, but the Bangwai would be a nice daily drinker if you want more of a classic profile
the Fang Tang Lian Zi sounds intriguing, though the description is a bit vague on the actual flavor
as for ageing the Dong Guo, William said he really enjoys drinking the 2021 and it's probably the cake he drinks most often from that year. I'm guessing his assessment that it will taste like "pure orange juice" in a few years is realistic

[Anonymous No.19846040]

>>19846025
cheapest place is aliexpress
craftedleaf also seem to have a nice teaware selection i've been ogling lately.

[Anonymous No.19846044]

>>19846025
These cheap sets work fine
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2255800009058970.html?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832832863848.html?
If you want something fancier check
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GraceTeawares
https://mudandleaves.com/collections/jingdezhen-porcelain
Most of the popular tea shops in the pastebin sell a few different gaiwan and cup sets as well

[Anonymous No.19846045]

>>19846023
I've accepted I don't really love chinese green teas that much. that being said, my favorite one is Bi Luo Chun, maybe because of the intense sweetness and strong floral fragrance. the good stuff is too expensive though, I'd much rather spend that money on a young sheng most of the time. but some grandpa style Bi Luo Chun does make for a nice pick me up when I'm tired and just want some sweet comfy tea I don't have to babysit

I definitely enjoy japanese greens much more than chinese ones, they just taste more intense and complex to me. higher astringency, in your face savory flavors and whatnot

[Anonymous No.19846047]

>>19846044
One more cheap set
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256804227176934.html?

[Anonymous No.19846066]

LP just dropped a few new teas today. Most notably some high roasted oolongs from the famous HK shop Fukien.
https://www.liquidproust.com/listing/1583615546/high-fired-chawang-high-roast-tieguanyin
https://www.liquidproust.com/listing/1597792831/high-roast-shuixian-oolong-fukien-tea
They are one of the few HK shops that still roast their own tea. Unfortunately they don't sell direct online. I have been wanting to try them for some time.
https://www.hkfukientea.com/index.htm
Some articles on them:
https://imbibemagazine.com/hong-kong-tieguanyin/
https://www.littleadventuresinhongkong.com/hong-kongs-best-tea-shop-the-fukien-tea-company/
https://eustaciatan.com/2019/09/snapshots-of-fukien-tea-house-zhen-cong-shui-xian-tasting-notes.html
https://teapotnews.blogspot.com/2019/06/fukien-tea-shop-high-roast-tie-guan-yin.html
The one thing that seems a bit strange about abut LP's listings is the price. While the price is appears reasonable Fukien's website makes it seem like they sell tea by the catty (unit equal to 604.78982 g in HK) and is therefore is much cheaper then LP. However every mention online suggests that the standard tea packs sizes are in fact 100-150g and LP usually has fair markup so it would be odd for him to multiply the price. I ended up going for it regardless though I still want to figure out what is going on. If you want some I would grab it soon as it seems to be selling fast (there were 60+ packs of TGY when I first looked, now ~42).

[Anonymous No.19846119]

>>19846066
Fuck me i wish i wasn't broke right now

[Anonymous No.19846145]

>>19845616
Starbucks matcha latte, because they probably have fried fucking taste buds
And if they don't, japanese gyuokuro, something not too cheap but not necessarily high end, because it's clean and green, as in pretty neutral flavored and not offensive to the palette

[Anonymous No.19846306]

>>19846025
Chawangshop has great gaiwans, cups, teapots, etc. You can also try Etsy; many artisans from all over making great wares. My gaiwan was from Chawangshop, and my cup was from Etsy. No regrets.

[Anonymous No.19846326]

>>19846306
Etsy is rough these days. Way less handmade stuff, way more generic aliexpress chinkshit. Sure you can still find good stuff, but its a hassle.

[Anonymous No.19846334]

I'm a tea newfag. I found this in my pantry
Pretty sure my mom gave it to me 4 or 5 years ago
Is it still safe to consume with it being vacuum sealed like that?

[Anonymous No.19846349]

>>19846334
Sure its fine, if its a roasted tgy it probably has aged pretty nicely. If its super green worst case is that it will be a little bland. People intentionally age some oolongs for decades, they don't go bad as long as you don't get them wet or store them in a moldy basement or something.

[Anonymous No.19846357]

>>19846334
Hell yeah. Brew some up and report back.

[Anonymous No.19846360]

>>19846334
>Is it still safe to consume with it being vacuum sealed like that?
Yes, it should be 100% safe to consume. Unless you get it humid/wet tea does not really spoil but some teas are better fresh and will go "flat" with age. A vacuum sealed Tieguanyin like that should be fine especially if it was a roasted one. If it was a super green processed TGY it may not taste quite as nice as fresh but even then it should still taste good. Tell us how it is once you try it. Also once you open it I would try put the tea in an airtight jar to preserve freshness.

[Anonymous No.19846366]

>>19846326
>Sure you can still find good stuff, but its a hassle.
I wish there was a way to filter out all "customizable" products. Those stupid custom mugs, shirts, and signs always seem to clutter up my search results.

[Anonymous No.19846398]

>>19846366
Etsy just decided they would rather be flooded with garbage. They used to have a good platform but they decided more listings of junk was more important. They have absolutely terrible search features, it's just a shit platform. Lots of the good artists that used to sell stuff on there have moved on.
Etsy does shit like buy google adsense adds for your listings and if someone buys through an adsense link etsy takes a 30% commission on your sale, you can't opt out.
I was trying to look at handmade knives last week and the results are absolutely flooded by some guys that bulk import knives from india and then sell them out of new york state as "hand made knives" from america.

[Anonymous No.19846554]

>>19846326
do have a look on ali for anything you find on etsy that you like, i can usually find it half the price

[Anonymous No.19846712]

>so many beautiful tea cups
>no pretty gaiwan
pain

[Anonymous No.19846737]

>>19846326
I guess it just helps to either know a few vendors from word-of-mouth, or explore with specific tags/terms. You can find a lot of individual craftsmen that way. My daily-use cup is from this craftswoman: https://www.etsy.com/shop/flyingplumtreestudio
Great piece that I've used and appreciated for a long time now. Another anon got some pretty tea set from her before too and seemed to like it too. Only shame is that she seems to have way less stock than she once did, and her offered works seem to vary a little less now.
>>19846712
Chawangshop has great woodfired, glazed ones at good prices. I'd probably get a teapot from them if I ever wanted one too. Moychay and Moychay NL also have some woodfired gaiwans as well, though shipping may be a bit annoying for those storefronts due to being RU/NL respectively. Feels bad, since Moychay is one of the only vendor sites I ever saw doing hand-painted comic art cups and gaiwans. If you just want something to match with all your cups, a pretty glass gaiwan is probably easiest.

[Anonymous No.19846774]

I just half remembered drinking old tea from some grandpa. I had minority neighbors, it was a nice neighborhood. I had to tell my friend/interpreter it tasted like smoked meat and the woods. No idea what that translated to but it was the right answer. That old asshole lit up. Why he was serving me tea out of yixing to fuck with me is another story I wouldn't be able to answer but I did the fairy tale right things because I was trained right.

[Anonymous No.19846806]

>>19846712
my issue is that they all look asian, there are none with the more western or british designs you find on teacups. now i know all tea comes from asia and this is like an insanely asian hobby but i dont want to be reminded of it constantly. maybe i just need to take the chinkpill and get over it.

[Anonymous No.19846820]

>>19846806
Take the aesthetic pill and stop looking for some kind of retarded perfection. Get something that looks like a child made it, that's what the pros go for. I bought some teacups and didn't look at how big they ain't. They're coming on Monday. This is the low end of a legitimately expensive teacup. 15 bucks. That's .15 a mill. Each.

[Anonymous No.19846821]

>>19845134
Okay. Thank you. I'll keep all this in mind. So you guys tend to buy the good stuff online? I haven't really seen many brick and mortar specialty tea stores.

[Anonymous No.19846844]

>>19846806
>why do gaiwans look asian

[Anonymous No.19846848]

>>19846844
im not asking why- i know why and im not happy about it

[Anonymous No.19846867]

>>19846848
I mean, it'll be expensive but you should be able to find a Western potter willing to custom make you some gaiwans in their own aesthetic. My local area is well known for pottery, and amusingly, they just rip off Japanese style. So I could get some Western made Eastern style gaiwans custom made and sell them back to the Chinese or something

[Anonymous No.19846875]

>>19846867
>I mean, it'll be expensive but you should be able to find a Western potter willing to custom make you some gaiwans in their own aesthetic.
the artisans in my area make some amazing teaware but no gaiwans, maybe i could get someone to do something that like
>So I could get some Western made Eastern style gaiwans custom made and sell them back to the Chinese or something
thats a great idea and you should probably do it

[Anonymous No.19846876]

i picked up this instant hojicha on a whim when i was at the asian supermarket. i know, instant tea is probably some kind of war crime, but anyway when i was looking it up i got the impression hojicha is favoured as a low caffeine tea but i tried drinking some before bedtime recently and ended up staying up into the wee hours. i made it as per instruction (one teaspoon) and the flavour doesn't taste dissimilar to bagged hojicha i've had before so i'm not sure if it's more caffeinated than obvious or i just psychologically memed myself into staying up.

seems like you can do some kind of cold brew with it so that'll be worth a try.

[Anonymous No.19846883]

>>19846876
i didnt even know instant tea existed, if its just freeze dried liquid tea i dont see how thats much dissimilar from making tea with a zarvaka; i dont think its that bad

[Anonymous No.19846903]

>>19846876
>and the flavour doesn't taste dissimilar to bagged hojicha i've had before so i'm not sure if it's more caffeinated than obvious or i just psychologically memed myself into staying up.
Probably a little of both.
I get the impression that the low caffeine hojicha is the stuff that's 100% roasted stems. The stuff that's like 50/50 stems and bancha or whatever bits of leaf they use is still gonna have a not insignificant amount of caffeine in it. Even just the stems will still have some, but a decent amount less.

[Anonymous No.19846906]

My friend liked a Chinese black i served him recently and asked me what is traditionally added to such tea, he liked it just fine on it's own, but was curious about trying it with something else. Primarily stuff to be infused with the tea like cinnamon, but stuff to be added in the cup like honey and lemon juice would be fine as well. I'd like to come up with something that'll bring out what's already in the tea rather than cover something up. The tea I'm probably using for this is Menghaitian from Farmerleaf, but I'm also interested in doing this with Yingpan Shan. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous No.19846930]

>>19846906
If you want to add sugar then get pure cane sugar. None of that white processed stuff or brown sugar. It makes all teas taste so much better, while the others just ruin the flavor.

[Anonymous No.19846938]

>>19846806
Here's your western gaiwan bro

>>19846906
Rock sugar and orange peel/juice is pretty popular.

[Anonymous No.19846943]

>>19846066
Last heads up for anybody interested LP is down to 18 packs of TGY and out of the shuixian. If you want to try legit Hong Kong high-roasted oolong now is you chance.

[Anonymous No.19846954]

I'm drunk, this is still the inside of a tea bowl. I'm ordering it. Fuck whatever question I was going to ask.

[Anonymous No.19846964]

>>19846943
>out of the shuixian

[Anonymous No.19846965]

>>19846943
What makes HK roasted oolong so special?

[Anonymous No.19846975]

>>19844708
Anyone know if this is just some tourist trap trash? Idk what it even is, besides a vessel for tea. I'm absolutely newfag when it comes to /tea/ and such

[Anonymous No.19846984]

>>19844708
There is a stamp underneath it. Inherited a whole set from my father and don't know anything about it except that it belonged to his new wife (which already died some years ago)

[Anonymous No.19846990]

>>19846975
There is a stamp underneath it. Inherited a whole set from my father and don't know anything about it except that it belonged to his new wife (which already died some years ago)

[Anonymous No.19846993]

>>19846965
>What makes HK roasted oolong so special?
Some old Chinese guy roasts it to a point that some would consider excessively dark in the back of a teashop in HK. Hong Kong roast is essentially the french roast of oolong

[Anonymous No.19846996]

>>19846990
It says NIPPON or good morning or Japan.

[Anonymous No.19847001]

>>19846990
Your dad's wife's boyfriend was in japan in the 70s and it's a nice enough teapot. not much more to say.

[Anonymous No.19847007]

I just drank my way into 300 some bucks worth of teaware because of /div/ and one looked inside out in the photo here. I take full responsibility for my actions.

[Anonymous No.19847016]

>>19846930
I have sugarcane molasses, but I won't use them for this as I feel they would overpower the tea. Besides, the point is to highlight certain flavours, not to sweeten. Also, all sugar is processed and just as unhealthy so if you like panela better, that's just because you like the taste of molasses.
>>19846938
I thought of this too, not sure if it would be too basic, but hey, if it works...

[Anonymous No.19847020]

>>19846996
Thank you
>>19847001
Thanks. Pretty much what I thought

[Anonymous No.19847036]

>>19846965
Historically in order to help prevent spoilage from the high humidity shops in HK would periodically roast their oolongs. This would change the taste of the tea and It ended up developing into a style of its own characterized by a long very aggressive roast. High roasted oolongs are one of the iconic old school HK style teas along with wet stored puerh. The sort of tea you would expect an elderly hong konger to like. These days shops that roast their own oolong in HK have gotten rare and Fukien is one of the most renowned producers. I have been wanting to try them but they don't sell direct online.

[Anonymous No.19847065]

>>19846975
The style looks like an export or tourist piece to me but if so long as the tea ware is well made there is nothing wrong with it. Not all Japanese export ware is bad.

>>19847007
>he bought the Reddit teapot
Besides the silly face how is it?

[Anonymous No.19847075]

>>19847065
I'll let you know when it gets here, I didn't notice I picked totoro over bmo.

[Anonymous No.19847101]

>>19847065
I had like 3 criteria and it met it at an price just looking at it.

>side carb on the lid
>won't burn your knuckles or hands when you pour it
>is actually a functional teapot
I listened to him talk long enough that he was too something or other you find around here to lie. It's not for me, but I'm going to use it a lot. I just wanted some nice tea bowls from a fellow who likes em big enough for the whole pot.

[Anonymous No.19847111]

>>19847007
I like that style of pot, never tird anything like that. It's sort of a middle ground between and easy gaiwan / hohin and a teapot

[Anonymous No.19847137]

>>19847111
>trips
It seemed ingenious to me. The first problem solver in centuries. and it's not like, fucking ugly. We'll see.

[Anonymous No.19847146]

Who was the fucking retarded that spread this rumor of tea being a cheaper alternative to coke. I've already spent 3k on teas/tea accessories, $402 today alone.

[Anonymous No.19847156]

>>19847146
They meant cola, not caine.

[Anonymous No.19847159]

>>19847146
Also, i'm up to...800ish and still don't have a proper dump tray so I don't have to worry about where the water goes.

[Anonymous No.19847168]

>>19847159
Get a big Tupperware and just fill it up. Dump it at your leisure.

Honestly tempted to just drill a hole in this one and use it solely for my teas.

[Anonymous No.19847203]

>>19847007
haha benis

[Anonymous No.19847258]

>>19847159
>still don't have a proper dump tray so I don't have to worry about where the water goes.
There is a few different ways you can go to achieve this. You can get a big draining wooden tea tray and put everything on it. I suggest one with a plastic tray underneath that holds the water. Another option is some small plates or bowls, one for the teapot, one for the teacup/s and then some kind of dump bucket. Or you can do it chazu style with a bowl for the teapot and then one of those big draining clay teaboats for the cups and waste water.
If you ant a wate bowl/slop bucket you can find a few on aliexpress or you can check out Japanese Kensui on ebay, sometimes you can find some cool ones pretty cheap.

[Anonymous No.19847290]

>>19847258
Or if you really wan to go hard, get a tea table with a drain outlet, then have it drain to one of these buckets on the floor that have a screen in the top you dump used leaves in.

[Anonymous No.19847306]

>>19847146
>, $402 today alone.
Whatcha get?

>>19847159
>still don't have a proper dump
I drink the wash, problem solved.

[Anonymous No.19847333]

>>19846334
Tea is almost always safe to consume unless it's like visivibly moldy, which is never gonna happen with a sealed oolong. It may be kind of stale and bad tasting at worst

[Anonymous No.19847411]

>>19846821
yeah, online tends to be the better option, they usually have fresher stuff and cater more to hobbyists. straight up buying from china is often the best value

[Anonymous No.19847422]

>>19847007
ugly as fuck, but what is the purpoose of this shape?

[Anonymous No.19847474]

>>19847422
Only the bottom holds tea, the top half serves as a handle. The face on the lid is that potters distinctive mark.

[Anonymous No.19847526]

>>19847306
All from Liquidproust.
3 of those dark roast fuckien TGY

[Anonymous No.19847549]

>>19847526
>3 of those dark roast fuckien TGY
Based. Looks like a fun order. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on them. If I had more cash I would have grabbed some of "Cookie's Grandparents Coffee Oolong Tea" myself. I am curious how such a deep black roasted tea would taste.

[Anonymous No.19847705]

>>19847526
You will have to tell us what you think of that hk roast

[Anonymous No.19847798]

I swear when i looked last year i only found one ore two porcelain teapots on ali that were less then 150ml, now im finding a bunch. If anyone wants a gongfu sized teapot for like $25.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805725056659.html?
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805113609079.html?
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805303982576.html?
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805113609079.html?
This one has bunnies on it.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804962041846.html?
And these are colorful
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805827299511.html?

[Anonymous No.19848125]

How fucked are we? Article in German https://m.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/gesundheit/pestizide-in-schwarztee-oekotest-findet-auch-spuren-von-glyphosat-19254059.html

[Anonymous No.19848153]

>>19848125
Depends on where you buy your teas from. I personally wouldn't worry about it.

The article from my skim through it is talking about Indian teas.

>The other nine varieties contained at least one other spray poison – often several. Norma's "Cornwall Ceylon-Assam Black Tea" is contaminated with most different spray poisons. The laboratory has detected a total of seven pesticides in its leaves.

>TND captcha
Um, based?

[Anonymous No.19848158]

>>19848125
>tea as an 'alternative' to coffee
>checked 24 'black tea brands'
>only tested 'organic/bio' teas
I'd say very much fucked, if you're german, but tea is not the reason. Go open the window facing busy street and breathe in deeply. Congrats, you ingested more carcinogens that you find in your african/indian schwarze tee that you drink as an alternative to goffee.

[Anonymous No.19848274]

Few years back I bought two moonlight white cakes.
The one on the left tasted great, the one on the right tastes like poison(like strong chemicals) and I won't be drinking any more of it.
So my question is, what/where do I buy more cakes that taste like the one on the left.
It was nice, sweet, fruity... perfect tea for casual drinking for upcoming cold and dark days.

[Anonymous No.19848276]

>>19848274
The cheapo white cake on KTM is nice if you want something sweet and fruity and a bit aged already. I forget the name, I think it's their own production?
There are also the extremely cheap white cakes on Awazon if you're more brave. And I guess if you want something more premium and all-natural, there is the white cake that FarmerLeaf releases.

[Anonymous No.19848372]

>>19844708
what does a historically accurate Ming or Qing dynasty teacup used for the gong fu tea cerimony look like?
how big is it?
is it made of clay or ceramic?
is it glazed or not?

[Anonymous No.19848376]

>>19845134
>sea dyke
Is the pu-erh lesbians meme spreading?

[Anonymous No.19848393]

>>19848372
you can literally buy a Qing dynasty cup for yourself right now, most of them are not that expensive
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/porcelain-teacups

[Anonymous No.19848418]

>>19848393
that's astronomically cool, thanks
bit of a shame there's no info other than "Qing dynasty" so they might be 101 years old as well as 350 years old, but still, real cool
then again, if porcelain cups between ~15ml and ~60ml were common in the late Qing dynasty, what's the origin of the unglazed clay cups that are so common today?

[Anonymous No.19848441]

drink more tea? drink more leaves.

[Anonymous No.19848446]

>>19848418
enjoy your lead and mercury poisoning

[Anonymous No.19848450]

>>19848418
Japan, Korea, some regions of China known for it, a newfound love for wabi sabi and slightly fucked up things that are still beautiful. With industrialization and gas kilns making perfect pottery a science, postwar tastes changed drastically towards the artisanship of wood firing and pottery as an aesthetic handcraft. It arguably started with the arts and crafts movement in the 30s so it's safe to say the tastes of the 20th century tended towards Ming porcelain because it's old and raku ware because of the massive cultural exchange with Japan after WWII. There are academic and artistic influences as well, potters make what they want to for the most part.

[Anonymous No.19848526]

anyone know of some good US based places to buy lower priced tea trays? The sites I've found either need to ship from china or are domestic but with way more expensive trays

[Anonymous No.19848540]

I don't like the western hipster craft beer style puer vendors, but I've never given them a fair chance and I'm out of puer. Bought some cheaper cakes from White2Tea, Crimson Lotus, and Kuura Corp so I can justify my hate if it turns out badly.

[Anonymous No.19848543]

I don't like the western hipster craft beer style puer vendors out of principle, but I've never given them a fair chance and I'm out of puer. Bought some cheaper cakes from White2Tea, Crimson Lotus, and Kuura Corp so I can justify my hate if it turns out badly.

[Anonymous No.19848548]

>>19848543
It's pretty on brand because they use quality leaf from mountains no one has heard about.

[Anonymous No.19848549]

anyone got any recs for kombucha starter kits?
I got some crappy glass jar I don't use for anything. I assume I just buy the yeast/bacteria thing, put a cheese cloth over the jar and it just works, no?
are spigot glass containers worth considering as well?

[Anonymous No.19848559]

>>19845654
what the literal fuck? does it blend the different flavors or how the fuck does this work?

[Anonymous No.19848565]

I'm about to place a YS order, and I wanna throw in some aged white tea, because I've never tried any. Any particular recommendations? I'll probably get a sample each of silver needle and shoumei, but I'm open for other suggestions.

[Anonymous No.19848568]

>>19848559
There's a carb on the bottom of the handle so you can discretely poison the emperor.

[Anonymous No.19848569]

>>19848158
That's not how it works in reality due to variables that are accounted and unaccounted for. Buy certified organic if available.

[Anonymous No.19848572]

>>19848125
I honestly don't fucking care. unless I'm starting to die, I'm convinced it's a nonissue.

[Anonymous No.19848573]

>>19848559
you cover a hole with your thumb and it prevents the water from pouring out of one of the chambers, similar to how you can hold water in a straw by covering one end with your thumb

[Anonymous No.19848586]

>>19848125
Avoid GMOs and chemicals when possible. Make a habit of only purchasing non-contaminated food and beverages. Buy organic.

[Anonymous No.19848590]

>>19848572
>I'm convinced it's a nonissue
Check back in at a later date.

[Anonymous No.19848595]

>>19848590
I will. I think you homos overthink everything. If it's a threat, then make the government tighten importation and require testing for it, otherwise I don't care.
been drinking tea for years so I either die or I don't.

[Anonymous No.19848612]

>>19848543
Never ordered from them because of the annoying reddit aesthetic and because I assumed they're overpriced, just like reddit tier craft beers are overpriced


>>19848549
That's exactly what you need. Random glass jar, cloth, tea, SCOBY, sugar and water. You can buy SCOBY, make your own from store bought kombucha if it has living yeasts or get one for free.
SCOBY grows as you feed it so people give it away for free, check your local facebook boomer cooking/canning/fermenting group, that's where I got mine. If you're in parts of Europe where they have Kaufland, their cheapest store brand Ceylon tea unironically makes the best kombucha out of all the store bought teabag and loose black teas.

If you want to make your own from store bought kombucha it needs to be unpasteurized, but sometimes that's not enough. Look for stuff like picrel: bubbles on top, brown strands or chunks of yeast inside, sediment on the bottom. That means the bacteria and yeast inside are alive. Mix 1:1 with fresh black tea, add a spoonful of sugar so it has food, cover and leave for 3-6 weeks.

[Anonymous No.19848617]

>>19848612
Brand new colony after a few weeks

[Anonymous No.19848619]

>>19848612
>cheapest store brand Ceylon tea
so basically, kombucha should be using really strong black tea?
I have some relatively strong raisin-y tasting Indian Assam, so I'm assuming that will work.

[Anonymous No.19848638]

>>19848526
>anyone know of some good US based places to buy lower priced tea trays?
Tough question.
Unfortunately for best prices you pretty much need to order from china. Shipping will only take a few weeks and you wont pay shipping.
You might be able to find something on Amazon for a somewhat reasonable price.
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-household-drawer-drainage-storage/dp/B0896QDS73/
https://www.amazon.com/RORA-Chinese-Serving-Storage-Drainage/dp/B09BM6KG3K/
https://www.amazon.com/Ufine-Tea-Tray-Chinese-Restaurant/dp/B07GZLHPW2/
https://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Chinese-Gongfu-Storage-Kungfu/dp/B09V7L93FM/
Etc

[Anonymous No.19848644]

>>19848543
I was pretry impressed with the crimson lotus tea i sampled. W2t sampe was also good. Haven't tried kuura. Good luck! I also would be happy to not like w2t

[Anonymous No.19848647]

>>19848619
You can experiment with different teas and brands but generally stick to the cheap tea because using good tea is overkill. Subtle flavors and aromas of good tea disappear during fermentation. You can also use green, yellow, white tea or puer just make sure it's camellia sinensis and unflavored so it doesn't mess with your SCOBY. Not a fan of green/white kombucha so I stick to black tea, althought I have an experimental shu puer batch brewing at the moment. There are lots of recipes online, different ratios, some people use brown sugar or honey, some do two fermentations. Second fermentation is when you strain the liquid into a bottle and separate it from the scoby, at this point you add more sugar for the fermentation, whatever else you want for flavor (herbal tea, ginger, juice) and ferment it for a few more days on room temperature to develop carbonation. The speed of fermentation depends on your room temperature.

This is how I make it, after I got a feeling for it I ditched the special equipment, ratios and other shit because imo simpler = better

>brew a liter of triple strength cheapest black tea
>add 4-5 large spoonfuls of cheapest white sugar
>put SCOBY and around 100ml of old kombucha in it
>leave for 5-10 days, depending on how fermented I want it
>strain into bottle
>add one more spoon of sugar, orange juice or red fruit juice for flavor
>ferment for 7-10 days
>check your bottle every day or so, don't want a massive explosion

[Anonymous No.19848648]

>>19848125
>glycophosphate
>pesticide
Is this a translation issue or is this article written by a moron?

[Anonymous No.19848679]

>>19848543
I might give them a chance, but the lack of information on the material just makes me feel like I'd get scammed. I know most people are happy with what they try from white2tea, but the whole site is just icky to me with all the marketing gimmicks, limited releases, absolute lack of transparency, ugly wrappers, confusing lolsorandom names, lack of budget sheng and general annoying smugness. Also the fanbase...

Maybe I will get a snoozefest and lumber slut if there's the whole shipping promo. I don't believe for a second that the snoozefest is actual "40$ cake material but sold at 15$", but it seems like the cheapest way to have a proper-sized sample of the lowest end of their price range.

Honestly I like the idea of a western boutique vendor focused more on blends than single origin cakes, too bad the biggest one annoys me so much. I think Kuura at least has consistent aesthetics, no idea if their teas are any good though.

[Anonymous No.19848750]

>>19848595
>trusting governments
>ever
I know this is the tea thread but you should be well convinced that you are responsible for yourself and governments, especially EU ones, can eat a dick.

[Anonymous No.19848768]

>>19848750
>Responsible for yourself
Ya ok retard. I don't have the power to oversee food products or to lab test them on a whim. You're objectively a retard if you think pre-regulated food was better.

[Anonymous No.19848813]

>>19848543
Tell me how firebat is when you get it. I have been tempted to buy that one.
>>19848679
>I know most people are happy with what they try from white2tea,
I think the wrappers are tacky but the (limited) amount of tea I have gotten from them all seemed good.
>absolute lack of transparency
I think I bothered less about that than I used to be. Many of their teas appear to be blends and its not like the big factories spell out what goes into their blends either.

[Anonymous No.19848826]

Some comparisons of green puer vs after its pile fermented

[Anonymous No.19848999]

>>19844708
been a coffee drinker for the last several years and a couple weeks ago bought some Harney’s earl grey and Paris teas from the grocery and have loved both of them. What are some good recommendations on what I should try next? I know they’re flavored teas but I have no issues with unflavored teas either

[Anonymous No.19849132]

>>19848999
>What are some good recommendations on what I should try next?
Some high quality Dian hong or other Chinese black tea
Some oolong, could be something like four seasons or quality tie Guan yin
Both of those should show you how impressively flavorful unflavoured tea can be

[Anonymous No.19849165]

>>19848826
what's the title/author

[Anonymous No.19849312]

>>19848826
>>19849165

[Anonymous No.19849371]

>>19846806
Here's your western gaiwan (ramekin with lid). Works alright if you use one of the handles as a spout.

[Anonymous No.19849423]

>While Yubai will go back to Jingmai to make more tea, I will stay in Pu'er City and prepare our Black Friday release. We hope you will enjoy our new selections, it will be a good time to finally have a decent ripe pu-erh offering.
looks like Farmerleaf will release a new ripe in a month, in addition to the usual jingmai stuff. I wonder if they'll get anything from other mountains

[Anonymous No.19849481]

>>19849423
>Black Friday release
A budget offering, or something more premium? I was thinking of getting the Fa Zhan He anons have been raving about during the sale, but I wonder what the value of the new one will be. Could get both, I suppose. Though, I'm thinking about getting W2T's Halloween shou bag (even if shipping is a flat $10), and they have some Black Friday offerings dropping with free shipping soon as well, don't they? So many options to choose from that have to be acted on soon, tough decisions. If Chawangshop or Awazon had such sales, I'd lose it.

[Anonymous No.19849485]

>>19849481
Nvm, just saw W2T sold out on the Halloween bags. Whoever gets them, post some pics in the general! Looks like fun.

[Anonymous No.19849486]

>>19849481
You should wait for black Friday because farmer leaf will do at least 10% off iirc.
Anyways last year he had this great fall lao man e raw that was like $50 or so, solid if you are into bitter teas, assuming he does one again. But yeah fa zan he is damn good, would recommend.

[Anonymous No.19849513]

>>19849486
>You should wait for black Friday because farmer leaf will do at least 10% off iirc.
Yeah, that was the plan after hearing an anon (you?) mention it. Vendors like FL and W2T are usually a bit outside my preferred price range, but I figure it can all be a fun experience to mess with.
>Anyways last year he had this great fall lao man e raw that was like $50 or so, solid if you are into bitter teas, assuming he does one again.
What kind of notes did you get out of that one? I think I heard someone post about it before, perhaps even recently. I welcome bitterness so long as it is accompanier by complexity.

[Anonymous No.19849529]

>>19849513
>What kind of notes did you get out of that one?
It was a nice example of a bulang. Bitterness that turns into sweetness on the finish. Maybe some light notes of leather or some savory aspects. Can't remember more details then that. I refuse to take notes.

[Anonymous No.19849554]

>>19849513
when you factor in the free shipping (and lowered package value), I find farmerleaf always has some fairly cheap options for a new school boutique vendor. the budget white2tea raws are like twice the price per gram as the cheapest FL cakes, aside from the limited Snoozefest

[Anonymous No.19849556]

>>19849529
did it have lots of sweetness?

[Anonymous No.19849576]

>>19849556
I just remember that it finished sweet, it probably wasn't as sweet as the fa zhan he or especially the bangwei small tress

[Anonymous No.19849604]

>>19849554
Yeah, W2T's pricing is harder to swallow than many besides perhaps a group like TWL. Though, I might buy in on W2T's Black Friday offering since I'd expect it to be inexpensive alongside the alleged free shipping. It could be interesting to compare impressions with other anons that buy either vendor's cakes too. Do you have an idea when exactly either will drop? I don't want to miss out again like I did with the Halloween bag drop.

[Anonymous No.19849618]

>>19849485
my body sensed a disturbance of qi at 2am, i awoke, checked the thread and bought that goofy bag. should be fun.

[Anonymous No.19849705]

>>19849576
Fa Zhan He has a weird upfront candy floral sort of sweetness sometimes to my taste. Not really getting much returning sweetness from it though, but I feel like I'm not very attuned to that.

[Anonymous No.19849953]

>>19849554
>the budget white2tea raws are like twice the price per gram
Yeah, W2T typically is not the best value at the bottom of the price bracket. I think they are more compelling as you move up the price bracket a bit to get their interesting blends. The fixed rate shipping does at least soften the blow a bit. I have been hit with $40+ shipping charges too many times from other vendors on modest sized orders.
>>19849554
>I find farmerleaf always has some fairly cheap options
I agree farmerleaf really seems to be the best when it comes for good value high quality affordable sheng. I kinda wonder if their margins are just really thin on the cheap stuff.
>>19849604
>Do you have an idea when exactly either will drop? I don't want to miss out again like I did with the Halloween bag drop.
I don't know the exact date but probably not earlier than thanksgiving. I will try to post when the sales drop as well as when LP's beginner packs drop.

[Anonymous No.19850501]

I have enough loose tea to last me a year but I fucking hate cleaning infusers.

[Anonymous No.19850562]

I can't wait a month to order tea just to save 15$, i'll just wait the new teas and order IF they at listed before the discount.

[Anonymous No.19850599]

>>19850501
It's more satisfying to rinse out a nice rotating collection of gongfu teaware that you love than a boring infuser and cheap mug.

[Anonymous No.19850632]

>>19850501
>I have enough loose tea to last me a year
I have loose leaf tea to last me 5 years but it is never enough...

[Anonymous No.19850662]

>>19850562
If you can't wait, just buy from a vendor that won't have discounts/special offers now, and then buy from those that do. At least that way you don't lose out at all.
>>19850501
Take the gaiwan/teapot-pill. Infusers are a pain to clean each time with all the little holes/slits.

[Anonymous No.19850678]

>>19850662
I just want to order from farmer leaf but have to wait for the cakes and other teas might be at the same time with the black friday discount i don't know.

[Anonymous No.19850682]

>>19850678
If you have enough tea to wait it out (so a month's worth), I'd just wait. It's not really that far away. Decent chunk of change to save with multiple cakes.

[Anonymous No.19850686]

>>19850682
I have more than enough for the month, i just want to get the tea i want, with the low yield of autumn if everyone jump on the tea with black friday might miss one i like. 70g pouch for black teas i don't think they have multiple kilos of it.

[Anonymous No.19851094]

What should I look for if I want a grassy acidic green tea?

[Anonymous No.19851108]

>>19850501
buy a gaiwan or a testing cup. easier to clean, more fun to use and they let you put a lot of leaf in there for that gong fu style brewing

[Anonymous No.19851111]

>>19851094
sencha or other japanese greens
or some raw pu-erhs, they have extra high astringency and can be grassy sometimes

[Anonymous No.19851127]

>>19851111
The sencha I've had didn't fit that description. Is it a quality thing or are there indicators to look for?

[Anonymous No.19851164]

>>19851127
they vary quite a bit in astringency and some are more seaweedy than grassy. I think it's more trial and error, though I'm pretty sure I got this profile more from Yabukita cultivar and short-steamed sencha than others. also, you'll need to brew the sencha quite strong if you want that astringent tang

it might be easier to get into young raw puerh for that profile. the Bada terroir is famously supposed to be grassy, you could try one of those

[Anonymous No.19851174]

>>19851164
Alright that's some good information to go on. Thanks for the help.

[Anonymous No.19851229]

anyone here ever ordered from puerh.pl?
I sampled one of their young raws some time ago and I remember it being pretty tasty, though I'm not sure about the value proposition of some of their teas on paper (Yiwu shengtai at this price?). was thinking I could revisit it and sample some of the others

[Anonymous No.19851250]

>>19848276
>there is the white cake that FarmerLeaf releases
Anyone here had it?

[Anonymous No.19851261]

>>19851250
I got two of them as free samples with my orders this year
I'm not a fan of white teas, but they were tasty enough. bit of a floral honey character behind some herbal and autumnal apple sort of flavor
can't say much about how they compare to cheaper shou mei, but a comparison with the ridiculously cheap one on Awazon could be fun

[Anonymous No.19851313]

>>19848595
Your personal experience thus far doesn't negate long term effects in you or near term effects in someone else, nor does condescension help your argument.
>>19848768
That's what the certification is for. Laboratories can verify a zero or reduced exposure. You appear to be riled so I won't go any further.

[Anonymous No.19851420]

>>19846820
Hey, can you by chance tell me more about these cups? I grabbed pic related when my grandma passed away without knowing anything about it.

[Anonymous No.19851469]

>>19851420
Seaweed pattern, possibly Qing dynasty. It's really hard to tell at a glance unless you're a pottery autist. It's a common pattern on a cheap cup, probably $30-60 if it's Qing.

[Anonymous No.19851496]

>>19851420
yeah it does look a lot like those Qing dynasty cups. nothing too pricey, even though they could be quite old

[Anonymous No.19851516]

>>19851469
>seaweed pattern
Definitely, thanks!
>could be quite old
I guess so. My grandma had a lot old little things like paleolithic arrow tips, fossils, etc.

[Anonymous No.19851563]

gotta say, this Xiaguan Hong Cha I got from KTM is very enjoyable for the price
definitely on the robust, chocolaty side of dianhong, which I expected considering that the leaves look similar to a Classic 58. some burnt sugar and cookie spice type flavors, some malt, can get bitter and astringent if pushed, but in a pleasant way
seems like a great value dianhong at 9$ for 100 grams or 16$ for the big 300 gram box

[Anonymous No.19851894]

>>19851563
Yeah its interesting that xiaguan makes some very decent black tea offerings. I think i have even seen a green tea or two from them.

[Anonymous No.19851970]

>>19851894
I might try some of the others at some point. I hear some of them have more of a smoky flavor. This one is very much in that Classic 58 category.

[Anonymous No.19851990]

>>19851516
I love the pattern, it's very simple and rustic in a pleasing way. Both extremely common and somewhat hard to find when you're looking for them.

[Anonymous No.19852025]

drinking the 2002 6FTM ripe tuo from Awazon
I bet this was stored in pretty humid conditions for a few years. definitely has those beets and old furniture notes, not what I would expect from kunming storage
quite a cheap way to try some aged ripe from a reputable factory

[Anonymous No.19852032]

Today I drink old liuan and reminisce about the past, about things that are gone, about things that can no longer be changed. Just kind of ruminating about life right now, I am at a crossroads of sorts and such junctures tend to dredge up these emotions. I don't know, its just one of those days. Perhaps, I should buy some aged tea that's older than me to drink on these occasions. Not that it would help, but It would be thematically appropriate for these feelings at least. May as well pretend to be cultured while indulging in pointless angst.

So what are all my tea friends enjoying today?

[Anonymous No.19852042]

>>19852032
the 1980s liu bao from KTM probably has the best age to price ratio if that's what you're looking for

[Anonymous No.19852068]

>>19852042
Thanks, I will grab a sample next time I put in a KTM order

[Anonymous No.19852123]

Any good non-puer teas on fullchea?

I remember seeing and drinking some of the TGY green bags at some Chinese dude's place (he brought it from China) and they were all decent, some even very good. But the bags all look similar so I can't remember which ones I've had.
Already got high end stuff from other vendors, now I'm looking for affordable daily drinkers for work but don't want them to be bad. Few years ago I got burned ordering from Dragon tea house on ebay, took one of their TGYs that wasn't even that cheap and it was undrinkable trash.

[Anonymous No.19852141]

>>19846820
>15ml
that's a bad idea, a big portion of our perception of taste comes from our sense of smell and you can barely smell anything from such a small amount of tea liquor
you don't have to use a snifter/goblet/glencairn, but a bigger cup is advisable if you want to get the best from your tea

[Anonymous No.19852153]

>>19848450
good to know, thanks

[Anonymous No.19852165]

>>19848450
>raku ware
lol reddit teaware

[Anonymous No.19852172]

>>19852165
trve Japanese raku is based. the shit westerners call "raku" even though it has little in common with OG raku is kinda cringe

[Anonymous No.19852196]

I want some young gu shu. Any of these worth getting?

[Anonymous No.19852213]

>>19852123
the more expensive dancong they offer is pretty good and still cheap for a dancong. their more expensive tie guan yins have also been recommended on here, though I haven't tried them. they should at least be decent daily teas. the jin xuan might be flavored (I'm not sure), but it's still pretty tasty, definitely better than any other flavored jin xuan I've had and it is quite cheap
the Classic 58 Dianhong in the big-ass size is supposedly some very trusted dianhong producer, though I haven't tried it myself
some of their heicha might also be solid, they've got some reputable factories, much like with pu-erh

[Anonymous No.19852221]

>>19852123
>now I'm looking for affordable daily drinkers for work but don't want them to be bad
Assuming you want oolongs i would strongly consider getting some cheap roasted dong ding or four seasons or other cheaper offerings from taiwan tea crafts.
The four seasons is $20 for 250g
https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/baguashan-baked-four-seasons-oolong-tea/?v=7516fd43adaa
Here is a reasonably cheap dong ding
https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/organic-dong-ding-oolong-tea/?v=7516fd43adaa
As far as fullchea goes this is a factory retail package of a popular brand of classic 58 dianhong black tea. On the more malty side of Chinese blacks, a safe buy because it's from a known brand
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2019-yunnan-old-tree-black-tea-dianhong-feng-qing-red-tea-cake-357g

[Anonymous No.19852281]

I really want to try a Sheng from Naka but I don't want to spend too much. Is Chen Sheng Hao my best bet?

[Anonymous No.19852342]

>>19852221
>>19852213

You sold me on the Dian Hong. As for the Dan Congs, I have some really good expensive ones so I was afraid the "cheaper" one were fake or artificially flavored.

[Anonymous No.19852438]

>>19852141
But they're so cute. I'm probably going to save these for sampling really strong puer and making the teapot look normal sized.

[Anonymous No.19852500]

>>19852438
Nice cup

[Anonymous No.19852510]

>>19852438
nice cup. but yeah, 15ml is overdoing it for me

[Anonymous No.19852523]

>>19852510
His friend is 10ml.

[Anonymous No.19852525]

>>19852523
But hows the teapot?

[Anonymous No.19852530]

>>19852525
Teapot sized, might need to file out the carb a little. Brewed up the EoT beyond the clouds hongcha. Pretty good red tea for 13¢ a gram.

[Anonymous No.19852532]

>>19852523
>>19852525
this calls for a massive 40ml teapot

[Anonymous No.19852539]

What are some good green oolongs?
Currently looking at this one https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/250g-top-chinese-anxi-tieguanyin-green-tea-oolong-tie-guan-yin-1725-gold-gui-weight-loss-china-green-food-slimming-teas-gift-best-oolong-tea

[Anonymous No.19852540]

>>19852530
Cute

[Anonymous No.19852551]

>>19852540
So help me, I'm going to snag this ghibli looking shit if the dude ever makes more like it.

[Anonymous No.19852560]

>>19852551
Do these look silver in person or is it just his lighting + my colorblindness?

[Anonymous No.19852564]

>>19852539
Tgy is a great choice for green oolongs
I have no idea if the stuff from fullchea is any good. I would probably try to get some from yunnan sourcing or something if your budget permits.
Taiwanese dong ding is another good option, also baozong

[Anonymous No.19852573]

>>19852560
He has some awful basement lighting. It's hard to tell.

[Anonymous No.19852589]

>>19852573
That still looks silver to me

[Anonymous No.19852607]

Also ended up with some free samples.

>>19852589
It's like a burgundy color with an unusual sheen. It's showing up very different on my monitor and my phone. Looks like shiny chocolate.

[Anonymous No.19852611]

>>19852573
>>19852551
Its cool that there are some western potters making stuff out of local clays.
I found this guy on etsy a while ago that does the same. I would probably buy one if the lid skirts were a little longer
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1285881163/unglazed-teapot-handbuilt?

[Anonymous No.19852614]

>>19852539
I'd probably go for the more premium one. fullchea loose leaf can be hit or miss

[Anonymous No.19852617]

>>19852607
try the wuliang please

[Anonymous No.19852622]

>>19852611
I'm really liking the prices because it isn't real authentic zini clay, pounded 10,000 times and left to ferment in the mountains of yixing next to the outhouse.

>>19852617
I'll put it on my docket, I've already cleaned half the house after a session with that hongcha.

[Anonymous No.19852658]

>>19848526
Purple Cloud has some affordable trays, but that's about it for US based places.

>>19846906
Try dried jujubes and roasted glutinous rice.

[Anonymous No.19852960]

>>19852032
I know the feeling. Nostalgic for a time and place that no longer exists. Hope you're alright though, mate.
Tonight I'm about to drink one of three remaining sessions I have with my Spring 2022 Lao Man E Sweet Gu Shu from Farmer Leaf. I've only had one session with it so far, but it stunned me with how good it is. To date, my favorite tea I've had. It's been on my mind again recently so I decided to revisit it. Kettle's reaching a boil. If this session blows me away again, perhaps six months after it first did, I'm going to pick up a cake along with some other Lao Man E samples. Cheers.

[Anonymous No.19853235]

>>19852960
pricey cake. how was it?

[Anonymous No.19853253]

>>19853235
Oh, my man, it's so good. It takes little while to get where it needs to be, but then it kicks like a mule. I was honestly second guessing myself for a while. It took until the fourth or fifth steep for the good stuff to come out. It has a grumpy bitterness but a lasting huigan to apologize to it. I hear this tea talking to me. Endurance is very, very good. I'm about 1.5 liters into 5.7 grams and it still wants to fight.
But it is pricey...

[Anonymous No.19853266]

>>19853253
And there's an energy to it as well. It's obvious. This is probably the abstraction of cha qi. I don't know how to describe it well. It's energetic and comes from the gut. It feels like the tea equivalent of laughing at a good joke.

[Anonymous No.19853363]

>>19853253
Sounds good, love me some bulang

[Anonymous No.19853972]

>>19852564
>>19852614
I don't like places like Yunnan sourcing since they make me pay 20 bucks shipping on 10 bucks tea.
>just order more tea
That's how they get you.
Anyway does the "grade" matter?
I had few AAA teas then some AAAA or don't remember how many As it had, but it was supposed to be really good and I don't remember it being better which always makes me wonder if I got chinked or my plebian tongue can't recognize the difference or if it's just a placebo (see audio hobby and their 1k cables or "warm" sources)

[Anonymous No.19853994]

>>19853972
>my plebian tongue can't recognize the difference or if it's just a placebo (see audio hobby and their 1k cables or "warm" sources)

You don't have to call out both of my hobbies lil nigga we brothas in here n shiet.
>pic related pure audio autism.

Anyways, try out the imperial grades. Competition grades are just not worth it and can be hit or miss.
Definitely choose the ones with the most A's as well.

[Anonymous No.19854084]

>>19853994
Bro why did you buy that pos?
Think of all that tea you could have bought instead

[Anonymous No.19854131]

>>19854084
I actually only use that DAC when I have my LG V30 charging. Otherwise I just listen to all my music in that phone.

I find a tea tastes better when you're in a good mindset. So making a space where everything sounds good is top 1 priority to me.

[Anonymous No.19854228]

>>19853972
it's hard to say, there isn't really a consistent rating system for chinese teas
competition grade is the one that actually means something, but can still not be worth paying for. it just means this is the best version of this tea from that producer and the one they will send to any competitions. but this is mostly used in places where there are actual tea competitions, like in Taiwan or Wuyi
in the end, you'll just have to do trial and error

[Anonymous No.19854324]

>>19853972
part of why I like ordering at farmerleaf is the low price requirement for free shipping. makes it a good place for putting in small orders of just samples or a single cheaper cake, without having to stress out over the shipping cost at all

[Anonymous No.19854407]

Mmm. White tea.

[Anonymous No.19854619]

>>19853994
>>19854084
>All of 4chan are 3 users in a trenchcoat
It all makes sense now
>varipos
Kek

>>19854407
Which one? Looking for something nice.

[Anonymous No.19854646]

damn I really want to buy more young raws, but I feel like I should wait until black friday... wat do?
is cspuerh going to do a black friday sale? if not, I kind of wanted to buy from them anyway...

[Anonymous No.19854664]

>>19854619
EoT Secret Forest White. Can't say I'd recommend it, it's a very light white tea. Good if you want an all day hot beverage but not much going on other than some vague floral sweetness and a hint of puer. There's something intriguing in there but I'm on the 5th refill and it hasn't done much other than get a little sweeter. You could chew on these giant leaves it's so smooth.

[Anonymous No.19854736]

is liubao the spookiest tea?

[Anonymous No.19854737]

>>19854664
I will say this, it hasn't crapped out yet. Now I'm getting some minty cooling and fruit blossoms. It's very enigmatic but also very far from the in your face flavors of even a middle of the road black or green tea.

[Anonymous No.19854832]

>>19854646
personally i would wait
cspuerh have done black friday sales in past years but i don't know about this year

[Anonymous No.19854935]

Where to buy boob teapot? Asking for a friend.

webm related

[Anonymous No.19855013]

>>19854935
Does this kind of shape have any actual purpose or is it just rule of cool?

[Anonymous No.19855094]

>>19844708
been drinking a lot of 2009 anhua qian liang cha from ktm (40 usd for 650g)

drinking it granpa style is very enjoyable, the leaves require a long time to steep as the flavor is not that strong . the tea is tightly packed in the cake and it seems to break apart with ease, the taste is somewhat woody (in a pleasant way, that suits the season)

also, i'm transgender, in case that matters

[Anonymous No.19855263]

So fullchea even has a ebay store for those of us that aren't in that list of countries they ship to.
But what's up with changing shipping for every item and being able to merge it?
Do you pay multiple shipping fees when using the site as well?

[Anonymous No.19855443]

>>19854935
>Watching the long tilt of the teatty-pot and imagining both lids falling off, cracking below, and spilling hot tea and leaves everywhere.
AAAAAAAAA, HOLD THE LIIIIID!

[Anonymous No.19855542]

>>19855013
maybe you could have two different teas for the novelty of it in each compartment so you could have more control over leaf expansion and maybe temperature as compared to blending teas in a single container, or maybe it could allow for improved leaf expansion as now there is more room for you to distribute the leafs for adequate expansion. either way this seems kinda retarded and there isnt really any reason not to just use two gaiwans or teapots

[Anonymous No.19855552]

>>19855013
The single boobed version Xi Shi is a pretty popular for fast pour times and letting you control the flow easily with the vent hole in the lid. The double boobed version is probably a novelty.

[Anonymous No.19855596]

>>19855263
>Do you pay multiple shipping fees when using the site as well?
Yeah, its been a while since i ordered but im pretty sure they do

[Anonymous No.19855924]

I'm planning on getting this in the coming months, hopefully quickly enough that I can get it before Christmas. Is there anything else from Path of Cha that you recommend. Big fan of oolongs but willing to try pretty much anything.
https://pathofcha.com/collections/tea-trays-chaban/products/handmade-tea-table-chaban

[Anonymous No.19855997]

>>19855924
That's pretty cool. Outside of china ive only seen a few tables like that from some eastern euro guys on etsy.
Actually found them, it looks like that's where path of cha is getting them from.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1002499503/tea-tray-with-stand-table-for-tea-gongfu?

[Anonymous No.19856107]

>>19855997
Makes me wonder if I should buy it off Etsy instead. Etsy takes 6% but Path of Cha probably takes more. Rather give more of my money to the people making it then the middle man

[Anonymous No.19856151]

>>19852960
>Hope you're alright though, mate.
I will hold in there. I can't go back and change the past so I just gotta dust myself off and finish the path I set out on. My life truly ain't that bad, I'm just feeling tired out right now.
>Spring 2022 Lao Man E Sweet Gu Shu from Farmer Leaf.
Thanks for the rec anon. I will try to get some sometime. Haven't had proper gushu yet. Shame it is so expensive though.

[Anonymous No.19856161]

>>19856107
Good question, i might be a little worried about ordering from Ukraine or the shipping cost may be much higher depending on where you live.

[Anonymous No.19856167]

>>19856151
Even the 25 gram sample will give you something to remember.

[Anonymous No.19856186]

Does anyone know if Awazon does sales? Just thinking it may be a good idea to buy into some cakes now if not.

[Anonymous No.19856236]

>>19856186
Not that I know of but I could be wrong. Also if you want to beat holiday shipping delays you may want to order sooner rather than later.

[Anonymous No.19856459]

>>19856236
I don't really mind delays. I'm thinking of buying from FL and W2T during their respective BF drops, but my inventory of tea is pretty lacking right now, so I'm trying to stock up. Kind of wish liu bao was sold on some of these sites too.

[Anonymous No.19856651]

Liu bao days, liu bao nights.

[Anonymous No.19856954]

Is there something like ali 11.11 equivalent for teas?

[Anonymous No.19857036]

>>19856186
AFAIK they don't. maybe they don't really need to with some of those prices

[Anonymous No.19857161]

Finally finished my milk oolong. Time for a new tea sample to drink.

[Anonymous No.19857260]

any recommendations for vendors for darjeeling? vahdam is the only one ive seen talked about here but also how long is the shipping from india right now? want to buy some for gifts

[Anonymous No.19857292]

>>19857161
I see a few people ITT have taken the jianzhan / tenmoku pill. I might be the only one with small gong fu sized versions though.
I'm bored of most lightly oxidized oolong right now, but I think I will drink the rest of my jin xuan too. The milky flavor makes it more soothing than most.

[Anonymous No.19857401]

>>19854664
Day 2
These leaves are huge. I think this would benefit from a gongfu, there's a good liquor when you get to the bottom around the leaves. It tastes like you ate a donut hours ago.

[Anonymous No.19857599]

Medium oxidation for a medium cold day. Waiting for the rain+cold combo to bust out the high roast THY or some astringent Wuyi Yancha

[Anonymous No.19857767]

got a sore throat today. gonna try out the xiaguan hong cha with honey

[Anonymous No.19857803]

>>19852607
I cracked the back on that "Earth" shu and it smells like fish flakes.

[Anonymous No.19857806]

>>19857803
could have gotten a numbered Dayi of the same year and it'd smell like pastries bro
the fishy ones usually taste better than they smell admittedly

[Anonymous No.19857809]

>>19852617
Today might be the day. Soon as I'm done with my other love, 8 Immortals Zui Quan and affordable new world reds. And maybe some snacks, facetanking carmenere and raw puer on an empty stomach probably isn't a good idea. I've been looking for something to alleviate bacchic madness and melancholia and that wuliang had an intriguing scent.

Expect some zui gongfu shitposting later.

[Anonymous No.19857811]

>>19857803
you could leave it open for a week or so and see if that dissipates

[Anonymous No.19857816]

>>19857809
Yeah I've been wondering about dat wuliang, the description seems nice

[Anonymous No.19857820]

>>19857806
Free sample. Could be magical if no one buys it for a few years and it rests in storage over there. But damn it smells like good dashi flakes right now. For 38 bucks a bing, I'd probably go dayi until I taste it. Saving it for a friend who likes those kinds of things. Figure I'll put this on and we can go places while we argue about how shitty it is or isn't.
https://youtu.be/wEiRKpflgQA?si=lvzYJPb5z_jHcHhZ

[Anonymous No.19857830]

>>19857816
Old heads don't like young sheng or wild sheng, so I'm wary, but I also dgaf and will drink anything hot and vaguely flavored with little complaint. I have a fresh teapot so it should suck out the worst of it, if there is anything.

[Anonymous No.19857835]

>>19857816
That one review that mentions creamsicle intrigues me. I'm getting a little of that off this 2021 Castillo del Diablo Carmenere right now.

[Anonymous No.19857868]

Its snowing so i guess early 2000 shu is in in order. Its got some of the mangled stringy leaves/plant fibres i sometimes see in old shu. Im guessing its some combination of using yellow leaves and more aggressive processing or handling.
Anyway its real nice on a day like this.

[Anonymous No.19857888]

>>19857868
Brewing up nice and dark
I overleafed it a bit

[Anonymous No.19857918]

>>19857888
Damn, that brew looks so dark. I'm getting cravings for dirt water myself. Too bad i'm out and i have to wait for my order to arrive.

>>19857830
Is that the teapot from EOT? How is it? I had my eyes on it for a while as my first yixing teapot, considering using it for shu puerh.

[Anonymous No.19857926]

>>19857888
>I overleafed it a bit
No such thing with shu.

[Anonymous No.19857927]

>>19857918
The spout is tiny and it pours like shit, gasps for air and dribbles like a boychild. I don't know if I need to file out the carb larger or it's just that tiny little spout. Fat spout looks weird in pictures but IRL make sense, probably why I drunk ordered for no reason at all before it came in >>19847137 and feel zero regrets.

[Anonymous No.19857937]

>>19857926
>No such thing with shu.
Fair.
>>19857918
>I'm getting cravings for dirt water myself. Too bad i'm out and i have to wait for my order to arrive.
Yeah ive been keeping a thin stash this year. Have some shu coming in but im almost completely out of sheng and don't have any on the way. Luckily its winter

[Anonymous No.19857941]

>>19857927
Y'know, that's one of the few times I've looked at something, thought "that's fucking retarded" and then thought about it for 5 seconds and realized it was the cleverest thing I've ever done seent. Last time, I bought a very expensive lute.

Here's hopin.

[Anonymous No.19857954]

>>19857927
Thanks. i guess it sucks for us in the West, since we can't try stuff before buying. At least with teas we can buy samples, but with teaware no such luck.

That fat teapot/hohin looked weird to me at first, but the more i look at it, the more i start craving it.

[Anonymous No.19857976]

>>19857868
Nice, looks like good stuff. How's the aroma? I'm having some of this liu bao (that I had last night/this morning) now: https://www.chawangshop.com/hei-cha/2010-wuzhou-tf-large-leaves-05307-liubao-tea-100g.html
Sweet, bit earthy and woodsy. Still good to drink after infusing plenty of times beforehand, so nice longevity. Tough to beat during this time of year when you're sitting down with a good book (taking time in between to appreciate its notes). Getting great results by using less material and flash-infusing.

[Anonymous No.19858007]

>>19857954
I did have a leaf in the spout the first time, I'm new to teapots. It was still a bit chokey and dribbly the whole way through. I'll try again after snacks and a bourbon and coke or two. Gotta make sure my palate is completely obliterated so I can taste tea like a newb. Gotta say, rare and coke isn't as good as straight does. All the wood notes come out when it's cold. Even the dark cherry that borders on plum backed off. No wonder so many plebs hate it, they drink it wrong.

[Anonymous No.19858008]

>>19857830
real oldhead setup, nice

[Anonymous No.19858013]

>>19857830
>Wild sheng
I get why they'd oppose young sheng, but why not wild sheng? Because they can't get all the autism notes they want about the material or something?

[Anonymous No.19858024]

>>19857976
>Wuzhou Tea Factory
>stored in Wuzhou city in Guangxi for 5 years
Yup that's the good stuff. I have stong opinions about guangxi weitish storage being a vital part of making liubao.

[Anonymous No.19858032]

>>19858007
>eagle rare
Good taste my man
The only indicator that buffalo trace or eagle rare are a single barrel production are small round stickers on the standard label bottle. Keep your eyes peeled, you find them in the strangest places sometimes.

[Anonymous No.19858034]

I'm yet to taste a puer that doesn't taste like dirt.
You guys are weird.

[Anonymous No.19858036]

>>19858034
Try raw puer
Just get enough samples from farmer leaf to hit free shipping ($30). None of it will taste like dirt

[Anonymous No.19858043]

>>19858008
>>19858013
https://www.youtube.com/live/Drp3CBUxttk?si=JfcjYPItGOew45rw
This is the guy I followed for a few years(decades) now when I dabbled in tea before going all in recently. I finally got a face to the posts and it was asian. Lel, kek, lmao.

He's a young oldfuck teahead with all the cred and clout and has very little to say about wild sheng or huangpian. Things I like. I also see why. Lemme taste wild sheng before I find out, I've been chipping on 2 bings of oldhead shit for 10 years until the past 2. I was a coffeefag until my gut gave out.

>>19858032
As much as I love single barrel, and I've had it, blended eagle is too notch factory shit. I usually go local for bourbon and need to pick up another Belmont 10, that uis qi makes you do some dumb shit. Also, never put eagle rare on ice, it's no wonder so many hate it.

[Anonymous No.19858045]

>>19858024
>Yup that's the good stuff.
Yeah, and the price is still good too. I think it may have gone up from $8 to $9/100g after a year or two, but it's solid material. I wish more vendors sold good liu bao and tian jian, so on. All the ones I was thinking of ordering from lately don't seem to (FL, W2T, Awazon). Shame, because it's hard to justify the shipping for only some hundreds of grams of liu bao.

[Anonymous No.19858048]

>>19858034
What kind of dirt? What trees are growing in it? What side of the mountain is it on? Where are you on the mountain? You need to work on your mouth hole. Yr speech is unlettered and it betrays the worth of thine tongue.

[Anonymous No.19858050]

>>19858034
>>19858036
Could wait until the Black Friday sales on FL or W2T. I'm gonna do that since plenty of people itt rep his stuff.

[Anonymous No.19858064]

>>19857976
yeah, I've gotta try some more higher quality liu bao if I get the chance. quite enjoying this young Duoteli First Grade, frankly I prefer it to the musty stuff with a lot of age but lower leaf quality. it leaves a nice sweet aftertaste, though it doesn't last very long

[Anonymous No.19858069]

>>19858013
I would guess they are sceptical of if the quality is consistent and if it can age well
I've got to try some yesheng raws at some point though, they're usually not super expensive. had some yesheng hong cha and ya bao, wasn't really a big fan of either one. they did share a pleasant pine-like note

[Anonymous No.19858072]

>>19858048
I apologize. It was a autumn dirt next to garbage disposal, I could taste the hint of oil and chemicals from that time the annoying kid was parking his badly maintained motorbike while having a cig.

[Anonymous No.19858076]

>>19858032
I thought I'd try something, mostly as to not ruin that eagle I have fond memories of flipping the blue angels off because they were flying too low over my house. I do like fernet and coke.

Mixed, it smells like an old cigar ashtray. Tastes like an ashtray. Whatever sweetness lagavulin or coke usually pushes forward is completely gone and you're left with this lingering smoky whisp of ashtray. It fades gently like a lapsang suchong. I'm glad I poured this instead of my preference of Laphroaig because the smoke goes away quickly. It's like a diet coke at grandmother's house, something that brings back the few good memories I have.

Now like 6 people know so they don't have to. It's a really pleasant smokiness. It's an iced lapsang that'll get ye drunk.

[Anonymous No.19858077]

>>19858072
If you're not more than half joking, that's the thing. That's the experience.

[Anonymous No.19858083]

>>19858072
ah, so the good stuff. what shu was it? what vintage?
try some young sheng sometime. it usually tastes a bit like fruity green tea, but more intense and interesting, tangy and a bit bitter. nothing really in common with ripe pu-erh taste-wise

[Anonymous No.19858104]

>>19858077
I do not like this experience
>>19858083
>usually tastes a bit like fruity green tea, but more intense and interesting, tangy and a bit bitter
Doesn't sound appealing.

For winter drinking I want some hot chocolate, fuck it put some vanilla/fruit/booze notes into it, treat yourself.

[Anonymous No.19858109]

Old cat also feels the radio waves when the water meter reader truck goes by. Now if only they wouldn't chlorinate it so much among other things and just fed me straight creek water.

[Anonymous No.19858114]

>>19858104
Your opinion on the experience is ultimately irrelevant, especially to you. It's like dipping a chawan into a puddle and evaluating the region, that's what people who like it go for.

[Anonymous No.19858145]

Wuliang wild.

[Anonymous No.19858151]

>>19858145
Wet and wild

[Anonymous No.19858169]

>>19858145
First steep after the rinse is lightly tannic, yellowish liquor with not much going on. Some gentle wood notes at most. Walking though a forest well lit through the trees. Smells like a steamed bun off the lid.

Second steep, frogs eye boil, 20some seconds. Big burp of Lagavulin, also light, edge of the woods scents and flavors.

Roaring boil, 30s, lightly vegetal, chamomile notes. Some light artichoke and stewed Chinese vegetables. I blasted my chi but it feels like it's actually building into something. I'm going to pour 4 and 5 together.

[Anonymous No.19858182]

>>19858169
sounds not great. were the oldheads right?

[Anonymous No.19858188]

>>19858169
Burped up more red wine and Lagavulin.

Sip of 4 and 5 washed it away. Smoking another cigarette to cleanse the palate. Getting more retronasal chamomile notes and a base of really good yellow green water.

>>19858182
Between the Lagavulin, wine and menthol American spirits, I probably have the same sensibilities. It's a light tea that would offend no one as far as my burnt mouth is concerned. We'll see how batch 6 goes.

[Anonymous No.19858195]

>>19858182
There's an intriguing and slow growing chi that's unlike slamming a redbull or cheap shit, I'll give it that. I wasn't drunk after a bottle of wine and 2 &cokes, but now I'm feeling something different that's extremely pleasant. I may break out the 08 liu bao if it doesn't make to 10 refills.

[Anonymous No.19858219]

>>19858195
>I may break out the 08 liu bao if it doesn't make to 10 refills.
Ive got a box of that liubao. Im kinda torn on it, I have had some nice sessions with the liubao savory cured meats kinda flavors and other sessions that were a bit boring.

[Anonymous No.19858234]

Blasting some sheng in my lil Japanese wood fired pot. Its a really good cimbo with this mengku tea spirit cake, really enhances the sweetness.
I love this cup but i wish the crazing on the inside was more uniform. On the outside its all perfect and even and on the inside half of it has crazing that really soaks up the tea and the other half has none at all.

[Anonymous No.19858238]

>>19858234
how would you describe that tea spirit? what year?
been thinking about trying that cake

[Anonymous No.19858245]

Great photos today, lads. Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous No.19858248]

>>19858188
7

It's delivering the goods. There's a gentle returning sweetness that my frogs eye/roaring boil and 30s+ steeps have finally delivered. Tastes like what Bigelow chamomile with all the extras wishes it was. I also have that kind of chi.

8 and 9 at around a minute each are full of subtle things that make me want more and to try it again with a less burnt palate. I'm half round to sober, so it answered the first question and passed my original test.

>>19858219
I just drank 16 year old islay and coke over ice, it's not about the flavor so much. More what it does for you. I prefer this tea. I'd drink more but I have to be at work in the morning.

[Anonymous No.19858257]

>>19858238
This is the 2021 from tea expert i posted about before.
It tastes old school, it brews up dark for sunch a young tea, it has some smoke, not a ton but its there. Its not super punchy in terms of bitterness or astringency. I noticed it was pressed in September so now im thinking its probably a fall tea.
So a clean take on an old school smokey sweet factory tea, endurance is mediocre. I did notice some of the pieces i brewed that were mostly the face of the cake seemed a little light on flavor compared to the back and middle of the cake. Overall its a nice cake for cold weather and ive mostly finished it off in a few weeks but my next mengku will probably be more good flavor great accomplishment or whatever its called. Mostly because that cake is more punchy and has better endurance.

[Anonymous No.19858291]

>>19858257
nice, thanks. as far as smoky sheng goes, I'm really enjoying that 2008 Xiaguan Xi Zi tuo right now. really classy wood + cigar flavor, smoke is well-integrated, flavor is mellow and well-aged

[Anonymous No.19858295]

>>19858248
I'm calling it a day at 13 steeps, there may be more but not for me right now.

There was nothing unpleasant about it and everything to do with the body and chi is nice. It could just be a new teapot stealing flavors, who cares. It fought off a bottle of wine and two horrible mistakes in full.

[Anonymous No.19858300]

>>19858295
Sounds a bit too subtle for combining with wine and smoky whiskey tbqh. Something tells me you might enjoy it more on its own

[Anonymous No.19858323]

>>19858300
Probably. Let's be honest here, tea is pretty subtle and boring compared to other things. I'm enjoying the double drunk thing i've got going right now.

[Anonymous No.19858326]

>>19858323
>tea is pretty subtle and boring compared to other things
idk, some bulang raws can be really in your face

[Anonymous No.19858408]

NEW:
>>19858407
>>19858407
>>19858407