/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>Zairai sencha. I didn't sleep all night and my eyes are bloodshot

The taste must've been very bitter right? That's not good for you.

You should sleep more, OP. I steeped a few teas two days ago for iced tea and I've been making my way through them. Made some Arnold Palmers with the black tea.

>>8800633
boost naps & sleep cycle.

how do green tea differ from low oxidation oolong (almost green) ?

Yi Xing clay teapot, I can get one for about $280, is it worth it, and what kind of tea is it best used with ?

I currently only ever drank Tie Guan Yin, as far as quality tea goes.

>>8800633

>/jp/ - Otaku Culture

What do you do with the leaves after you've used them? Do you have some kind of compost? Eat them? Throw them out?

Is it bad to drink cheap hy-top green tea with kroger clover honey in it? Because I am.

>>8800668
store them for further infusings, or throw them if I infused them enough times
>Eat them
wait, you're a troll right ?
and so is
>>8800676
define bad.
whatever, but it means drinking less high grade drinks.
Would you rather buy 4 hamburgers or eat a tasty steak ? the choice is up to you.

>>8800690
Dragon Well tea is occasionally eaten after being used.

>>8800661

Sleep is elusive, stress is pervasive.

>>8800662

Green tea isn't oxidized at all. Oolong is a tea oxidized somewhere between (theoretically) 1% and 99%, with 100% being considered fermented and thus black tea.

My experiences with Yixing (pronounced something like 'yee-sching') haven't been very good. It's made of clay, and it actually smells like the clay I remember from kindergarden. Some people swear by them, but the tea I've had from them always seems 'off', tasting and smelling strange. Pic related, it's the Yixing I own.

>>8800668

I toss them. Generally, the only kind of leaves people eat are gyokuro. Personally, I'd rather not eat them. 'Spent' leaves are either bitter or smell something like boiled spinach. Since the nutrients have already been extracted from them by repeated hot water infusion, I see no reason to eat them.

>>8800676

Yes. You're a bad person. The tea police are going to knock down your door any minute now and bust your shit up, son.

>Green tea isn't oxidized at all. Oolong is a tea oxidized
that's not what I meant, I meant taste wise.

What teas would you recomend, and what brewing appartus.

So far I've only used a zhong (or gaiwan), but with different brewing temperatures, some appartus would fit more; or so I think

I accidentally my old teapot today. And it was a really old and beautiful one too. ;_;
Now I'm looking to order a new one. Any recommendations? What are the important points of a teapot?

>>8800926
>What are the important points of a teapot?
Holding water and withstanding heat, pretty much.

>>8800930
It should also have a hole. Preferably two.

I prefer black tea over green. Don't have to worry so much about the temperature and getting a bitter taste. I have this 20 oz cast iron pot that keeps the tea warm for 30-60 minutes. Nice to just steep some lapsang and enjoy it by the computer.

The whole set was only about $80 and it will last me a lifetime. Good buy. The cups and the pot are enameled on the inside.

Of course, it's not Japanese though. Most cast iron pots are hand made in China, just like this one. I couldn't find out exactly where this one was made, but I guess that doesn't matter as long as it works.

>>8800668
I find that tea leaves aren't fully spent after a single steeping, so what I do is steep them a second time for a minute or two longer than the first steeping and save the tea for iced tea. I steeped some second-run Darjeeling for 6 minutes instead of 4 at boiling a few days ago, and the iced tea it made was fantastic. You get to stretch the leaves a bit so it's pretty economical, especially for expensive teas that you don't want to waste.

>>8800930
wrong.
Φ = K.S.Δθ
C = Q/ΔT
with C = T/N . δS/δT

not taking heat capacity into account could ruin your tea.

also pores, but X ray diffraction should help with that, if not, lixiviation tests are to be done.

>>8800926

Depends what you're looking to brew. In general, I'd recommend glazed teaware. Different types of clay and clay quality issues can affect the taste. Better to just skip that issue entirely and buy glazed.

I like to brew all of my tea in Japanese and Korean teaware. I am not a fan of Yixing and while I love the aesthetic of gaiwan, I usually wind up scalding myself trying to brew with them.The teaware I would recommend to beginners would be the Korean 'infuser mugs', which are basically lidded cups with an infuser layer you can remove between steeps.

tl;dr Buy a kyusu or Korean infuser mug.

>>8800950

>tetsubin stylistically Chinese
>Japan embracing China culturally
>Who am I quoting?

>>8800983
I can brew my tea about 7 times just fine, you just double the steeping time.
Though, it takes 5"40' for the 7th steeping.

>>8800990
>while I love the aesthetic of gaiwan, I usually wind up scalding myself
usually, it's either because it's too full or because of the vapor.

>>8800983
I can brew my tea about 7 times just fine, you just double the steeping time.
Though, it takes 5"40' for the 7th steeping.

>>8800990
>while I love the aesthetic of gaiwan, I usually wind up scalding myself
usually, it's either because it's too full or because of the vapor.

>>8800990
Thanks. I'll look for a kyusu then. Not sure if I should order that online though.
I guess I'll check some local stores first.

>>8800977
Ah, where did you buy this? Looks really nice.

Tea just before running is nice. Hydration, and a bit of stimulation for a good start.

Where are the most agreed-upon high quality places for buying pots/cups/sets?

I've never bought anything like this on my own and playing it blind isn't going very well, I can't tell what's good and what's not wherever I go.

I absolutely love clay teaware, so maybe I can offer a different point of view from OP.

Getting into clay has a massive learning curve to get started, mainly due to bad knockoffs being so prevalent and the general price being so restrictive. So unless you can afford to throw $300 at a gamble, it may just be best to steer clear until you've used other people's or have someone you can trust to help you out.

As for the Yixing issue.
Yixing is particularly bad for this, as Yixing clay refers to ANY clay found in a certain area, there's a whole lot of really bad "yixing" out there, and it's all marked up to the real stuff's price point. Complicating things farther is that without being able to see the products in person and handle them some, you don't really know what you'll be getting, making fakes that much easier to pass off.

Why use clay? If you can dedicate one pot to one type of tea, and you choose the right pot, you will hands down be unable to brew a better pot of tea. And while it takes a lot of studying, and a bit of heartache, I think at least, that the rewards of a good match are very satisfying.

Another thing, at least for me, is that I've had trouble with cheaper enameled pots in the past, poor fit, lousy shape, and the biggest problem of all, the enamel coming off and brewing into your tea. Who knows what the sweatshop puts into that stuff.

Of course, higher end China, or other ceramics won't be prone to these problems, they will still for the most part have a neutral effect on your tea. Some see that as a good thing, and for sharing it between several teas, it is a good thing.

>>8803908
If you don't want to break the bank, this is always a good place to check.

http://www.artisticnippon.com/

>>8804057
This looks good, thanks for the help.

What's everyone's favorite kind of Oolong? Mine's Phoenix.

I had some green tea for breakfast this morning at a local place and they threw in a splash of mint and orange. Sounds like it would be horrible in concept but it actually tasted really good.

Where can I buy quality teas online?
Why do tea elitists often seem to look down on infused teas with dried fruits and other things in them?
What tea should I drink if I want to experience the feeling of a classy little touhou?

>>8804606
real subtle.

>>8804555
I occasionally add Blood Orange juice to my black and Oolong teas, particularly the fruity and smoky ones.

where do you buy green tea? I don't mean like celestial seasonings, but actual green tea

>>8804627
please be patient i have asperger's syndrome

>>8804644
If you live in a large or even reasonably sized city, there should be at least one asian market within driving distance.

>>8804657
Oh come now; that's just blatant.

Do people here drink chrysanthemum tea? For some reason, whenever I drink it, I can't help but think of dirty thoughts. I think it must be autism.

In Chinese, we have all sorts of sexual euphemisms. Testicles are eggs (蛋), the penis is rooster (鸡巴), the anus is chrysanthemum (菊花).

I like the chrysanthemum euphemism, because the wrinkles and folds of the human anus resembles the tiny petals of the chrysanthemum flower, it's very realistic and poetic. no homo.

Pic related, it's packaging for chrysanthemum tea - a "punctured" chrysanthemum is a common joke/euphemism for anal sex.

>>8804641

That actually sounds really good. I am actually looking at different flavor and spice combinations I can add to plain tea.

>>8801014
Hmm. I went about four steepings as a test and was afraid to go any further. I'd think that by the fifth or sixth steeping the leaves would be exhausted, but I suppose it varies by type and temperature. You'd probably get more steepings out of herbal teas, given the lower temperatures, than you would out of black teas, but it's not something I've tested to any extent; this is all supposition, you see.

>>8806447
Afraid? I don't get it... what were you afraid of? Worst case is you'd just dump it out and make a new pot if it didn't taste good enough.

>>8806566
this.

>>8806447
I've had pinches from the same tin that went for six or more brewings only to have the next hardly make two.

Just take what you have, and then use it until it stops having enough flavor for you.

>Why do tea elitists often seem to look down on infused teas with dried fruits and other things in them?

I'm not sure exactly. Good tea needs nothing added to it, and teas offer so many different, unique flavours that additional flavourings like fruits and flowers and herbs tend to mask. Westerners seem to love flavoured teas, and while I'm not sure if it's frowned upon in Asia or not, I know that the general preference is for pure tea brewing.

>What tea should I drink if I want to experience the feeling of a classy little touhou?

Depends which Touhou. Black tea if Remilia, cheap Japanese genmaicha if Reimu (genmaicha was once associated with hard times), expensive sencha/gyokuro if Yuyuko, Chinese tea if Meiling, etc.

>>8804644

There are a lot of websites online.There are any number of vendors. I'll put up a few I like in the pastebin. There are a lot of lousy online tea vendors, but every single one of them offers better product than what you'll find in the grocery store, even the upscale ones, at least that I've seen (i.e. Whole Foods).

>>8803908

There isn't really any consensus on where to buy the best teaware. I can recommend some of the places I've bought from. For more reasonable teaware, I'd try Yuuki-cha for Japanese teaware or Hankook Tea for their infuser mugs. Hibki-An has some more expensive stuff, but they also have less expensive stuff as well... there's a pot with Buddhist scriptures on it that's particularly nice.

>>8804545

I used to like Phoenix like you, but then I took some Dong Ding to the palette.

The problem with Phoenix oolong is that the Phoenix that is exported out of China is heavily over-roasted. It smells wonderful, especially the more upscale ones like Song Zhong, but they just don't taste as good as they smell. Hopefully one day the trend will change, probably when Phoenix oolong becomes more popular in the West and there's a demand for better quality product.

>>8804606

>Where can I buy quality teas online?

Depends what kind of tea you're looking to buy. Any specific country's tea in mind?

(continued next post)

>Why do tea elitists often seem to look down on infused teas with dried fruits and other things in them?

I've been thinking about this a little more, and I think I can give a better answer now than before.

In Asia, tea generally has things added to it to mask low-quality. This is why some teas are powder-coated with matcha or even just sencha. Even sakura sencha, something that people are drinking at this time of the year, is generally made with lower-quality sencha or even karigane, which are stems removed during the sorting process for sencha.

(continued)

So perhaps this way of thinking has filtered into Western tea drinking as well, and from what I have experienced of Western flavoured teas, typically from mall store tea chains, is that they are indeed lower quality Asian teas, and the things they add to them -- bits of fruit, flowers, chocolate, etc -- are at least somewhat effective in masking the low quality of the tea. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that if most Western tea stores did not sell flavoured tea, they would never be able to stay in business, because no one would want to drink their tea, which is generally old.

To make things even more complicated, Westerners (Occidentals?) have different consumer preferences than Orientals. I think Oriental customers tend to look for what is 'pure', whereas Westerners tend to look for what is exotic and seems sophisticated. In a very simple, unadorned way, white people like to be able to say they had a raspberry matcha latte, and they like to drink it in a very stylish glass sitting with their laptop in a similarly stylish coffee shop with baristas (not necessarily Starbucks, there are even more expensive imitators of that model these days). Here's an example some of you might recognize immediately: remember American Psycho? Remember how everything the characters ordered was something made exotic with the addition of some other ingredient? That's like this, only with tea, and a much broader cross-section of society.

>Why do tea elitists often seem to look down on infused teas with dried fruits and other things in them?

Why do /jp/ frowns upon KS ?

>>8811200
now, don't go say that america = occidental culture.

we don't drink turbo flavoured soda with 90+ additive as if it were clean water.

I've loved tea for awhile, but I just recently (in the past year or so) began drinking loose tea. So far, I only have my local Asian market and grocery store for teas, but I'd like to begin ordering online from better vendors.

My favorite teas are as follows:
Tie Guan Yin
Oolong Tea
and Pu-erh is my favorite (any variety, really)

Jasmine Green is OK, as is sencha, but I'm pretty new to loose green tea, and I know there are tons of varieties out there. Which do you think (going off of the teas named above) that I'd like? I've wanted to try gunpowder, gyokuro, and hojicha. I also enjoy genmaicha, sakura sencha, and of course matcha, but it's so expensive!!

I'm glad to see the tea thread revived, and I'm looking forward very much to the pastebin!

>>8812141
oh shit and I forgot Lapsang Souchong. It's another of my favorites.
The only brand of it I can find locally is Twinings (which I'm sure is shit tier as far as you gentlemen are concerned)

>>8812141

You probably won't be able to go back to grocery store tea once you taste tea that was grown the same year as you're drinking it. To that end, if I were you, I'd either look for the first-flush tea a few places are offering already, or wait for everyone to offer it. This is the best time to the year to get into tea because it's harvest time and everything that isn't fermented or aged is the best it's ever going to be right now.

It sounds like you like Chinese tea in particular. You might consider trying Dong Ding, Long Jing and Bai Hao Yin Zhen ('Silver Needle'), as these are among the most popular Chinese teas, and for good reason. The latter two are fresh and not aged/fermented.

>>8812267
Excellent! Thank you for the recommendations! I will try them. Do you have a particular vendor you prefer to get those teas from?

I like Japanese tea alright, but I definitely prefer Chinese tea. Perhaps I just haven't found the right Japanese teas yet...

Thanks to whoever suggested those cheap yixing pots last thread.

Where's the best place to buy green tea in the UK?

I've been buying mine from Whittard Of Chelsea for probably two years now, mostly out of convenience since they have a store about 20 minutes from where I live, but there quality of their tea doesn't seem to be all that great.

I don't mind ordering online, so long as the shipping fees are reasonable.

>>8812267
Good evening dear.
What do you think about these two pots?
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/japanese-teapots/birikatto-banko-yaki-teapot?zenid=0584766618ee206d576f09a6
0d6a97c6
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/japanese-teapots/hiramaru-muji-banko-yaki-teapot?zenid=0584766618ee206d576f
09a60d6a97c6
>>8812835
Which ones?
>>8812149
Lapsang Souchong is delicious.
It's up there with Darjeeling as a great after dinner tea.

>>8803457
I'm not him but I think he got it from amazon.com
I got a very similar cast iron set from there for pretty cheap. Mine is green and leafy.

I have a rather unorthodox way of drinking tea, but I totally depend on it.

I don't drink tea because I enjoy making it or because I like the taste, I drink it solely for the EFFECTS. Drinking tea improves my concentration, makes me think better and puts me in a good mood. It's like a sweetener of the soul.

For that reason I tried many types of tea but in the end I always go back to common "gunpowder" green tea, preferably biologic. Other teas are too "light" for the effects I seek.

I guess my way of preparing it is also unorthodox. My cup is about 30 cl, so a big one, and I use a full spoon of tea (leveled). I also steep it for 5 to 8 minutes, so quite a long time.

I tried at times going through the standard, more elaborate procedures but in the end I don't notice a difference, so I fall back the way I use to make it.

>>8813022
>Drinking tea improves my concentration, makes me think better and puts me in a good mood. It's like a sweetener of the soul.
Placebo. Nothing wrong with that. Just know that it's placebo.

>>8813029
If a placebo works, does that mean it's no longer a placebo?

Philosophosaur.jpg

>>8813036
Yes, actually; the placebo had no effect. Your mind may have jumped in to fill the gap but the substance itself was not the source of the effect.

>8813029
Actually, it's not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine

also consider the tea has caffeine, and my brew, being very long and with lots of leaves, extracts all the caffeine there is.

I think the good feeling is because of this mix of high caffeine + theanine. Drinking coffee is not the same because it agitates me too much.

>>8813042
But the whole point of placebos in double blind (?) tests is to see if there's a statistically significant difference, right?

So what if we got two groups of people and gave one a glass of water, and the other a glass of water and a placebo. We tell the placebians that their pill is actually a drug that makes them happier or something. Surely they would report a higher mood than the people who just had water?

Basically, what I'm saying is, homeopathy was right all along.

>>8813054
I'm not arguing about that. I'm saying that, no matter what you feel after drinking your cup of tea, that the tea was not the cause of it - your mind was and the tea is still a placebo. That you fel more focused after a cup of tea I do not doubt, but I am arguing that is is your mind itself and not the tea which produces the effect.

>>8813065
Coffee, tea, guarana... all populations have their stimulants.

They are not placebo.

Hey tea aficionados, what's the best "multi-purpose" teapot for a beginner? I read earlier in the thread someone recommended kyusu for tea, but from what I've read, different teapots bring out different things in different teas. Which one is a good "starter"?

I'm prepared to drop as much as $50USD on one, but to start with, I fear I cannot go higher than that.

Your recommendation is very appreciated!

I found a little dedicated tea board, but it's pretty quiet. Look in e-mail field.

>>8813105
The person who runs that site is affiliated with spammers and several raids here last year.

Be careful going places like that, anon.

>>8813087
I would get this
http://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-16-Ounce-Ingenuitea-Teapot/dp/B000FPN8TK/
It is idiot proof and cheap as hell and easy to clean.
It's not really traditional or cute though.
If you want that search amazon for "japanese tea pot"
You will find a ton of cast iron sets for around the price point you mentioned.

>>8812276

Yuuki-cha is pretty good, and while I haven't tried either Zencha or Maeda-En yet, I'm going to as soon as they release their shincha. I like Mitoku, but I'm not sure I can recommend it, since I can never find it anywhere these days, or even somewhere to order online. I'm not sure where to suggest for Chinese tea, as I haven't found any vendor I've been satisfied with.

Japanese tea is very particular. If it's not good, and fresh, and brewed right, it's bitter green soup.

>>8812945

Probably the same as in North America... from online stores based in Asia. Some of them are operated by expats, some by English-speaking Asians. Shipping is almost always ridiculously high, I find. It's a pill to swallow, unfortunately.

>>8812966

>dear

See above-left.

They're both banko, which is good for green tea, but they're sasame filters. What are you planning to drink out of them? If you're wanting to drink sencha, you might consider different pots. Because sencha leaves are broken up from the steaming process, they'll pass right through that ceramic filter and you'll get a ton of tiny leaf particles in your brew. I generally recommend stainless steel mesh filters for sencha.

>>8813142

Site owner here, I seriously don't know what you're talking about.

>>8813087

I'd get a simple, ceramic (or glass) western style one with an infuser basket. In my experience the finer mesh style infusers are easier to clean than the metal ones with holes (idk tea seems to stick to it more than the gold mesh style).

Also, buy or make a tea cozy. You can get away with having a pot with lower heat retention and even if you have a quality pot, it'll keep it warm longer (especially important if you're drinking green teas that start at a lower temperature to begin with).

>>8813087

Just get something glazed inside. With glazed teaware, you can just wash it thoroughly with (a very tiny amount of) soap and water when you want to switch to another type of tea. There are any number of types of ware that are glazed... kyusu, gaiwan, Korean mug, pick whatever you like.

>>8813338

Infuser baskets have their up and downsides. Tea cozies would not be a concern for anyone except infuser-basket pot users anyway, since the tea would only be in the pot for the duration of brewing.

One of the biggest problems with infuser basket pots is that they're generally too big for 'Asian' tea. The drinking volume for each pot you brew of it is generally between 150-300ml, which is much smaller than the average Western 2L teapot. The idea with Asian tea is that you're brewing a small amount many times, rather than once or twice. With infuser baskets, they often do not reach all the way down to the bottom, and because you wouldn't be filling the pot all the way, most of the leaf wouldn't even be in contact with the water. Unless you're brewing tea for 10+ people, it probably wouldn't work out very well.

Is there any reason I shouldn't just buy this?

http://www.yuuki-cha.com/japanese-teapots/classic-tokoname-teapot

What does an $80 teapot do that justifies it being so much more expensive?

>>8813642 again.

Also, has anyone ever bought a teapot from this site? If so, how much did shipping work out at for you?

>>8813419
Not gonna derail your thread, but its nice to see someone use my pictures.

>>8813419

I guess that's true. I'm pretty lazy so I usually brew a full ~1.5L pot regardless of the type of tea to keep on my desk and drink over a few hours. My pot usually stays pretty warm for like 3hrs with a cozy on it.

Maybe I'm just not experienced enough with green teas yet, but I honestly can't taste much of a difference with making large quantities vs. small. I mean, the flavor does change a bit by the time you get to the end of the pot if you're drinking it by yourself, but the same thing happens with black tea and it's not unpleasant.

what about some royal english tea?

>>8813852
You don't know jack until you had Hedley's

>>8813852
>>8813889

Yorkshire tea was here.

>>8813642

Depending on the type of clay, it might potentially make the tea taste better. Usually it's just aesthetics you're paying for... or the 'designer brand', as price tends to be associated with prestige. There are Japanese potters who have been granted the status 'National Living Treasures' by the Japanese government, and their cheapest kyusu cost hundreds of dollars. But I think there's a lot of charm in a simple red clay kyusu. That one was probably made with artificial pigment though, so I doubt it will make your tea taste better.

>>8813688

It's about $25 to North America with EMS, I think. I wouldn't recommend regular air mail, as it's not trackable or insured.

English tea is really just blends of Chinese tea. Mostly Keemun.

check this thread out, bro

What's the best way to brew Green tea?

since I'm a fan of Chinese tea primarily (although I am excited for the new harvest so I can sample some fresh Japanese green tea!), I'm planning on getting a few clay teapots as I go. I know that a clay kyusu is best for Japanese tea, but I've been reading about YiXing teapots for Chinese tea.

One website suggests that you only use a clay teapot for one "family" of tea, and they name white, black, green, oolong, and herbal as the families.

So, assuming I'm down to learn to be a connoisseur and committed to the purchase of multiple teapots over time, what should I begin with, since my favorite teas belong to oolong and black? Is there a specific type of clay that's better for oolong or black teas?

Eventually, I plan to get a tokoname kyusu (entry-level) for green tea and another clay teapot for white tea (assuming I like it; I've never had white tea before).

Another thing I'd like to know is if I should get separate pots for Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea.

>>8817444
First off, take it slow.
Don't be afraid to use your first few pots on everything you get your hands on, to better see how you like the effect the clay imparts. You won't be "seasoning" these pots so just chalk them up as a loss.

Secondly
>One website suggests that you only use a clay teapot for one "family" of tea

I heavily disagree with this. If you've got that kind of money, it's best to devote one pot to one tea. Period. Starting out, it's fine to commit them to teas similar in nature, but not as broadly as a "black tea pot" as there is quite a difference between say Keemun, and a high mountain Formosa. But again, it's down to preference, so play around with your first tea ware and find out what you like.

>Another thing I'd like to know is if I should get separate pots for Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea.
Yes. If you can afford it.

>Is there a specific type of clay that's better for oolong or black teas?
There are, but it's also a matter of how the clay was fired, and how the pot is constructed. Shape and thickness play a part in that. Notably, most clays that are suited to green teas cut down on astringency, which can leave blacks and darker oolongs rather tasteless.

Something else to keep in mind, most sellers and craftsmen are getting their clay from different places, which means they are using different clay. Even if they share the same name they can be very different in composition. YiXing is notorious for this.

On a side note,I hear a lot of compliments about the clay Hojo cooked up being exceptional for blacks. But haven't gotten the chance to try it out for myself yet, and the pricetag on his stuff means that it will be a long time yet until I do.

Hojo politics aside, has anyone had the chance to try his Nosaka stuff?

>>8817444

For oolong and black, Zisha clay is supposed to be good. The trouble is, unless you have many hundreds of dollars to spend, you'll never get a real Zisha. If I recall correctly, true Zisha clay has been tapped out at the source, making Zisha produced now knockoffs. You would have to buy a pot from the 90's, 80's and even further back to get the real thing. Again, buying glazed teaware will let you skip this part of the tea puzzle. You will also be able to skip the 'one pot for each tea' issue too.

I separate my green tea by Chinese and Japanese, principally because pots that are used for Japanese green tea tend to take on a distinctly sencha-like smell that would ruin Chinese green brewed in it.

Sigh...

>>8819167
That shit's unhealthy; get cups of applesauce next time. Also don't be a fatass; you may eat ONE.

>>8819210

I only did eat one. It was so awful I couldn't eat the rest of them. They're sugar-free.

>>8819218
Yeah, sugar-free pudding cups sound pretty damn nasty to me. Get some applesauce cups next time. The cheapest you can find are fine, but the expensive organic ones you can get at health-food stores are godly.

Qilan Oolong

There is now a tea imageboard. It's nice.

tea.cerealexperiments.com

>>8824649
meet this guy:
>>8813105

Check out my ghetto matcha. Might need to invest in one of these whisks because my plastic whisk with 6 or so fat whiskers doesn't seem to cut it.

>>8826127
Yeah. It might seem fairly insignificant, but the matcha whisk actually DOES make a difference.

White tea master race checking in.

Currently considering brewing some bai hao yinzhen

Mugi.

>>8826860
Careful, she might not get enough air!

There's something weird about matcha. When you take a sip you expect immediate bitterness but it doesn't come. Really weird stuff.

Is matcha supposed to taste a bit like fennel seeds smell?

I made some iced tea today. Two quarts of mugicha and one each of oolong, black, and hojicha. I woke up sweating today and I had nothing to drink. It was horrible.

>>8831381

Not... really. That sounds really gross.

>>8831370

It's wonderful stuff. I wonder if I should go to the trouble of getting some this year.

This oolong doesn't taste much different than black tea. Am I doing something wrong?

>>8835990

You might just have bad quality oolong.

Drinking Gopaldhara 'Red Thunder' Darjeeling this morning. Very mellow.

>>8836090
If you have time please take a photo of your teacup in front of the computer screen so I can pretend we are drinking tea together.

Today I'm only having chamomile out of a mug though, because I'm not so fancy. ;_;

>>8836129

Ok.

I am also drinking tea out of mugs, if you didn't notice. I figured that since this was a 'Western' tea (India is farther west than China and Japan, anyway), it would be better to drink it out of mugs.

>>8836146
Oh how lovely of you! Thank you. I suppose I don't feel so bad for my mug-drinking anymore.

>>8836201
Don't worry, I drink out of a mug too.
Or do I?
Would you call this a mug?

It's great either-ways, it's thermo.

>>8836291
Sorry for the low quality of the photos, I don't have any camera.

The tea is strawberry/vanilla, and it's delicious.

Right now I'm just filling my cup with green tea leaves and filling in hot water. The leaves are always at the bottom so I'm not having problems drinking it but I should probably still invest in kyusu pot some time soon.

I used drink from a mug too, the same one I drink coffee with at that.
When I thought I wanted a different cup for tea I got these because they looked pretty.
Now that they arrived today, they feel really small compared to my usual mug, but I guess I will get used to it. Still pretty.