/jp/ - Otaku Culture

My Yuuki-Cha order came today along with my first kyusu.

So cute!

>>9002155
smoke weed every day brah

sick mech4nical ch3rry kb mate

>>9002155

I've wanted to buy that kyusu since last year, but I still haven't gotten one. I'm thinking I'm going to get it at the end of the summer for autumn. Let me know how it brews (leaks at top, drips from spout after pouring, etc).

does anyone here drink sweet tea?

Oh, well OP's already off to a good start this time too, I see.

Stop trying to show off your shit every time you take a photograph. Or if you absolutely must show us every single thing you've ever bought, at least do it one at a time and focus the picture properly.

>>9002196
yes, I do, I always put 5 teaspoons in my tea.

>>9002186
A little water seeped out of the top when I poured, not enough to make it over the top though. No dripping from the spout. You can kind of see it in this pic... Dunno how watertight the lid is supposed to be on these, or if I tipped it too much when pouring.

I did order some first-flush Kagoshima Sencha Shimofuri but I think I'm going save the best for last, so I brewed some Miyazaki Koubi Shiage Oolong instead.

Now to see about finding some matching teacups or something...

>>9002171
Momiji leaves, not cannabis. Learn your leaves!

And the brewed leaves.

I got my fukamushi shincha yesterday. It was O-cha's Chiran. It has some of that really vegetal taste that I like, but not a lot compared to others I've had in the past. This is the first steep though and I expect the second to be stronger. If not, I guess you get what you pay for. I saw in the last thread some places will still be putting out shincha in June, so maybe I'll save some more money and pick up one of those.

P.S. I brewed it with water from my Zoji. Don't have a heart attack OP!

>>9002271

That I'm even more curious about. I've tried their Kuchinashi but didn't like it. Roasting tends to mellow out oolongs though, so maybe that one would taste better. I would suggest you try shincha first though... the oolong keeps a very long time, but the spring flavours in shincha only last months, if not weeks, and it's best consumed as soon as possible after harvest...

>>9002289

I just got my mushiloong mix in the mail yesterday, was so excited. Finally brewed it today after coming home from work. It had a a very supple malty aftertaste and it was generally very vivid.
However, seeing as it was not hand-picked, the aroma slightly suffered from that. I think it might have been raining when the leaves were picked too, since it tasted of rain slightly. In general, I'm very happy with it, would recommend it, certainly much better than the green cherry one.

I think a Chichiuan china set would greatly improve its flavor, though.

>>9002285
Wow, that better be some genuine Zaozhuangzhen clay, or else you're really missing out.

>>9002289
About half way through the second right now. The taste hasn't gotten much stronger. Maybe I'll try a bit more leaf or a slightly warmer temperature tomorrow.

>>9002087
>>>/jp/

just mention raymoo and tea and they'll love you

>>9002600
wooow raihmoow is my fav tewhew too X_X

soulmates?

>>9002217
I don't think that's what I'm talking about

(っˇ◡◡ˇ)っ

>>9002929
Southern sweet tea?

>>9005062
north-east illegally smuggled across the border.

I have a question regarding where to put your tea once you open the package. I have these little glass bottles I can close pretty firmly. Is that a good idea or should it let in at least some air?

>>9006802
If you can split the tea into seperate jars that'd probably be best so you can minimize the amount of leaves exposed to air at a time. I put them in glass jars then I put all the glass jars in a zippered leatherette bag and put the bag in my closet to keep them out of the sun and the heat as well.

Whatever works best for you though.

>>9002155
Where can I buy this or one with a similar leaf pattern?

>>9007628
I think he's got it from Yuuki-cha but that involves importing.

>>9007306
Oh, I see. I was worried that letting no air through at all might be counter-productive.

DRINK TEA EVERY DAY
DRINK TEA EVERY DAY
DRINK TEA EVERY DAY
DRINK TEA EVERY DAY
DRINK TEA EVERY DAY

>>9011903
My little tummy is full of tea right now （*´▽｀*）

Is there a kyusu on Yuuki-Cha that's considered to be the "best"? I'm looking to buy one but I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for. Can someone recommend me one that they consider to be of optimal quality, without saying "it's your choice lol"

>>9012260
It really, really does depend on what you're going to be using it for and how much you drink. For instance, my cups are somewhere around 8oz, I drink alone, and I like fukamushi, so I got a 9oz (seems to be the normal size) kyusu with an obi-ame strainer.Some people don't like the metal and prefer all-clay, so they'll get a sasame. One isn't better than the other. They each have pros and cons.

Don't forget the looks though. You're going to see it every time you drink tea so it's better to get something that looks nice.

>>9012260

Maybe the Kinu Shudei. Unless you can afford one of the $300+ kyusu made with Sado clay, it's probably going to be the best taste-improving clay you can get online.

Frankly, I don't think the 'best' is even available to the English language online market, unless you considering buying a vintage mid-20th century silver kyusu for $1000+ from Houde. What tea brewed in silver tastes like, I have no idea. The point is it really still comes down to a personal decision, at least as long as you buy glazed teaware. If it's glazed inside, then the type of clay it's made with doesn't matter, and you can buy whatever suits your aesthetic taste. Zencha's teaware is glazed, although a lot of it could be considered a price range above Yuuki-cha's pots, which are good for starters who aren't sure about making a big investment yet.

tl;dr Unglazed go with Kinu Shudei, glazed buy whatever makes you happy

>>9002481
It seemed a bit different today, the the third time. Had a bit more of the vegetal taste I was looking for. The tea at the top isn't as broken down as the rest so that might have something to do with it. Who knows. I guess time will tell.

That reminds me, that nosaka pot I bought from Hojo a while ago should be arriving soon. I'm actually rather eager to try it, even though I don't expect much.

No clue what I'll dedicate it to yet though. If it lives up to the hype, maybe Taiwanese oolong of some sort.

>>9014274
?_?

>>9014351
Sick emoticon DOODE!

>>9016218
What?

What do you guys use for measuring the water temperature? I have a kitchen thermometer, but it only reads boiling water as 80 C, and there's no way that's right. Is there a special tea thermometer, or somewhere I should be looking other than grocery stores (I have never seen a thermometer in the hipster specialty tea shops where I live)?

All I have is genmaicha. Is there a transitional tea that I should try to work my way up to wanting to buy the $200 per cup teas?

I recently bought a green tea made from the stems of the leaves rather than the leaves themselves, and was pleasantly surprised. It had a rather mild taste and a pleasant aroma, and, while not the best green tea I've ever drunk, was perfectly good tea. Not great, but still good, and I can even drink it late at night because the caffeine is concentrated in the leaves. Moreover, it's dirt-cheap because the demand is so low. I've never seen tea offered in the quantity as this tea. I'll have to get the bag out later to look up the actual name, though. I remember that it's a Chinese green, but no more than that. It's basically become my default tea unless I want something special.

>>9017266
The kettle.

>>9017266
I got a really cheap analogue thermometer I used.
After a while you just know what you have to do to get the water temperature you want to, though, so now it's just lying around uselessly.

Today I made such a good sencha. Must have gotten the temperature perfect because I don't have a thermometer unfortunately.

>>9017266

http://www.taylorusa.com/kitchen/thermometers/5-commercial-anti-microbial-instant-read-thermometer.h
tml

This is what I use. I got it for something like $10 at the local kitchenwares store.

>>9017299

Karigane is a Japanese tea made from stems, but you say it's Chinese? I'm not aware of any Chinese stem teas, but I'm not that knowledgeable about Chinese green tea.

>>9020549

I used a very simple, low-tech method for determining water temperature for sencha in the past before I started using thermometers. Hovering your hand over the water, if it feels scalding hovering your hand above it, I deemed that too hot. On the other hand (no pun intended), if it felt pleasantly warm, I immediately poured it in and brewed with it.

Can't say I recommend this approach though. Just get yourself a cheap thermometer and save yourself the guess work. If you buy good quality tea, you owe it to yourself not to waste that money by brewing with a water temperature that turns your toasty green brew into bitter drain-fodder.

>>9002155
Kawaii ne

(っˇ◡◡ˇ)っ

>>9014351

I'm gonna post this on /x/ unless I get some fucking answers right now.

>>9025108
Stupid dumb offboard scum.

>>9002087
H-how does a neet even afford this kind of thing?

Let's be real here, Smith; I don't doubt that your fancy tea leaves and brewing pot and boiled water and all that yields superior tea, but I'm drinking some tea that I made by just dumping a teabag in some water and microwaving, and it tastes pretty good. Why should I go through all the trouble to make a beverage like that?

It's mint tea, if anyone cared

I had my first cup of tea that I didn't hate about a week ago. Now it's a common occurrence for me when the day isn't too hot. Unfortunately, I don't have teaware, so I've been using a pyrex measuring cup to brew and straining it right into a 220ml cup. Works pretty well, though the lack of heat-resistant cups is starting to bother me. I'm afraid I'll crack what I have...

I drink Gunpowder like a pleb.

>>9027641

I bought it slowly, over a period of nearly three years now.

>>9027662

Why should you, indeed? You don't have to. If you like drinking bagged tea and you're satisfied with it, then keep doing it. I started brewing loose leaf tea when I kept trying to find better and better brands of bagged tea, until I eventually realized that the higher grades of tea are not sold in teabag form, and if I wanted to keep drinking better tea, I would have to learn to brew it loose.

>>9027700

If money's tight, maybe you could try:

http://www.denstea.com/teapots-cups-shincha-teapot-1900-c-275_327.html

And pick up some cheap cups from the nearest Chinatown. Every time I go, I'm surprised by how nice the stuff is.

Still no shincha ;~;

Has anyone here ever tried cold-brewing sencha? I'm interested in trying to make several liters at once and that may turn out problematic if I want to brew it hot.

>>9034031
I can't really imagine that bringing out any flavor at all but then again, I'm no expert.

>>9034031
It doesn't realease very many tannins, so it's not astringent at all. It's hard to make it any bitter too. I would recommend using something that's a bit old that you don't mind wasting. Not that you're wasting it per se, but I think it's a lot better when drank warm, with the whole brewing experience and resteeps.

I've been buying tea from teavana for a while now since there is a shop near me and it's convenient, but I think it's time to stop.
I've gotten a lot of random black teas and quite a lot of their black dragon pearls. What website would give me an improvement in quality?

>>9034031

No idea about cold brew sencha. When it's really hot out (30+ degrees, humid, etc) is when I start drinking gyokuro. Since gyokuro is brewed with water between 100-140 F (40-60 C), it's no more than lukewarm when you drink it. Or you could brew it iced, literally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UEZcq1qVtw I can't wait until its hot enough to try this.

>>9034274

Not sure where to suggest. I haven't found any Chinese tea places I've been satisfied with yet.

King of Silver Needles sounds like a cool name for a spellcard.

>>9035879
Clean your apartment before I have an aneurysm!

>>9035952
But I like having a pile of spent tea lights next to my tea. I'm thinking of using the extra wax for something, though no idea what.

And yeah, I'll prolly dust again sometime soon.

>>9035879
Damn, that's a nice ass cup.

>>9035960
It's the dust that's the problem.

And yeah, that is a neat cup.

I'd like to drink something other than teabag tea but damn, doing it right looks complicated.

>>9036036
Just get one of these things and brew looseleaf in your cup to start out with, it's hardly more complicated than tea bags.

Came across this on Youtube, recognized the kanji.

Does anyone know which tea this is?

So /jp/, say I have NOTHING to make this delicious tea you speak of.

No equipment to cook water.
No teapot.
No cups.
No tea.
Nothing.

What should I get? And why?

>>9036145
>No equipment to cook water.

How is that even possible?

>>9036145
No microwave?

>>9036150

Don't ask.

>>9036145

But... you've answered your own question...

>>9036133
>>9036133
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongfang_Meiren_tea
That tea seems to come from Taiwan, though it is written in Japanese on that particular package. Note that it's written with the old traditional kanji, but with modern kana. Funny.

>>9036157
Oh, but I am: how the hell can you not have a stove, hot plate, electric skillet, electric wok, microwave or even a goddamn bunsen burner or camp stove but still have internet access?

>>9036163
Seriously. How do you even live? What the fuck do you eat?

>>9036163
Living under a bridge with cracked WEP. truNEET as FUCK.

>>9036169
I can help you.
Google 'penny stove'.

>>9036169
I think you have bigger issues at hand than tea preparation.

>>9036186

Yeah... it would be quite hard to get the necessities for tea, particularly affording the tea itself, if you're lacking in the basic necessities of life.

If you can get a cheap hot plate or something, anything to heat water, then try going down to the nearest Chinatown. There is nowhere else you will find cheaper tea and teaware. If you can't afford that, then other than getting a job at a tea place and mooching tea as an employee perk...

>>9036274

The tea shop I worked at once gave me free tea all the time in order to know what it was like if customers asked. It was grate.

>>9036061
Just be careful because that shit is FRAGILE. You see the spot where the handle connects with the cups? Twist it a little (same force to break a toothpick) and it comes off and you're fucked.

>>9036274
Typically, you need an outlet to use a hot plate, and it's been my experience that places with outdoor outlets get a little touchy about homeless folks using them.

>>9036300

You just need a real long extension cord.

Though to be honest, they're not hard to find. I notice - maybe its just my city - even lightposts have them.

>>9036340
I'm not so lucky. Often tree planters have them too, for Christmas lights. They aren't necessarily active.

>>9036340
This has been my experience too, outlets are not hard to find or use, lightposts, older stripmalls, public parks, the exterior or people's garages, and all manner of other places.

Though I used a hexamine stove and some old army kit to boil my water, and usually the same kit to drink it from. I guess a penny stove would work in a pinch, but they certainly hold up for very long, and are kind of unstable.

>>9036399

Possibly tea-related story time?

>>9031121
Non-Directional, I think I just found my teapot! I've been looking for a lower-cost kyusu-type that has the internal obiami and glazed inner, which has proven pretty difficult for me, and since I didn't want to collect a ton of teapots initially just for each type of tea, you have saved me from having to save up over a million years to buy tea! どーもありがとうございます。

>>9037401

Glad I could help. You should post pictures of it in action when you get it.

>>9037420
I absolutely will, sir! Also, I intend to try out some different Chinese tea places and let you know what I think.
(I was the one from the original Q&A thread that really liked lapsang souchong and pu-erh and hadn't tried much Japanese green), but I will be giving some shincha a try next month! キターーーー(・∀・)ーーー！！

>>9035842
>Not sure where to suggest. I haven't found any Chinese tea places I've been satisfied with yet.
Yeah, that's what the FAQ said. I was hoping that someone had run across someplace since then. oh well.

>>9037446

If it helps, the places I can think of off-hand that I have tried for Chinese tea are:

Hojo
Seven Cups
Teaspring

I have found all of them vastly overpriced for the quality of tea they offer.

>>9037615
The only one of those I've stuck with for the long haul has been Hojo. His stuff is overpriced, and his selection is small, but he's never sold me utter crap and will usually supply you with any info you might care to know about his stock. Never had any problems with getting stuff so covered in pesticides that you end up bed ridden from him either, so there's that too.

Teaspring is alright, but much more touch and go.
Never bought from Seven Cups, so I can't say anything about them.

>>9037660

Yes, that sounds about right. It's by no means bad tea, it's just nowhere near worth the price.

Trying to use up my open package of Shimofuri as quickly as possible before my Zencha Sencha 'Ultimate' arrives. I've been doing some experiments.

The Cliff's Notes:

-Filtered water makes it taste dull and flat, and the Meng Ding Gan Lu I have also been drinking gives the same result
-My tap water has a dissolved mineral solids of about 120 ppm, which makes it hard water, yet its impure, somewhat pool-water-ish taste is still preferable to tea with pretty much no taste
-There is a marked difference in water quality between just letting your water boil and taking it off to pour in the pot and letting it 'cook' for 2 minutes. This is likely the chlorine being boiled off.
-Shimofuri is very mellow at 140 F (60 C), but lacks the bitterness and astringency to balance the flavours
-Chocolate is not recommended at all as a snack with tea. It's too strong of a flavour and leaves a lingering mark on the palate. Learn an ancient Chinese secret, have only fruit and nut flavours with your tea.
-Waiting longer than 10 minutes between infusions will generally yield poorer, though not ruinously so, results
-The lower the water temperature you use for brewing, the brighter green your tea will be

>>9041207
>Chocolate is not recommended at all as a snack with tea.
If you ask me, there's a single exception to that: Genmaicha.
For some reason, the two tastes go together perfectly for me.
Of course, only with a very small amount of chocolate, not taking a mouthful and washing that down with your tea.

>>9041207
Every store in my county has stopped stocking the mineral water I use, so my Shimofuri is either completely tasteless, or shitting on the shelf until I find a work around.

What a catastrophe!
Luckily I still have plenty of black teas that can handle normal filtered water well enough to tide me over.

Also that boiling thing is true. There's a sweet spot for most water that gets rid of most of the sewage, without completely stripping taste.

Who has tea with anything other than lemon biscuits or barley scones? Chocolate, yuck!