Recipe Tea: What are you steeping these days?

I've got about 20 different loose leafs and probably 100 different kinds of bagged (dust and fannings) teas sitting in my house. Stash just sent me a 4 packet sampler in the mail today.

My favorite has been an Ali Shan. I learned about it from reading Harney & Sons Guide to Tea. It is the most sublime oolong I have ever had. It is $120/lb, my packet was $20 and I can steep one teaspoon of leaves about 6 times, each brew getting better than the previous.



Another of my favorites is Irish Mocha La'Tea from [site=discoverteas.com]Discover Teas[/site] of Virginia. It is a rooibos with mocha notes and rounded out with Irish Breakfast giving it a full mouth and body.

What kind of tea do you drink?

 

I'm currently drinking through a batch of Qi Feng, a smoky green tea from a small estate in Jiangxi Province, China.

I also have a Darjeeling on standby. It's pretty much a mainstay.

In my cup right now is a custom breakfast blend (organic). It's not bad, but I much prefer Irish blends that have a much higher Assam ratio. However, I can only seem to find Irish blends prepackaged in the grocery store. However, Twinings has a loose-leaf tin. I might have to give in soon. I haven't had an Irish blend in a while.

As an aside, I bought a pound of coffee beans last week. This was after a long spell of drinking only tea. I think the verdict is finally in: tea > coffee.

 

My friend visited a few months ago and left me with some Stash brand decaf Chai tea. It's a delightful treat in the mornings. Though I admit I have quite a few types of tea in my cabinet. I usually stick with herbal or decaf blends. Friends frequently give me tea, it's a wonderful delight to try something new.

 

It's been too hot here for me to want to drink tea lately...and I can't find my tea basket

We've been drinking iced green tea that my husband makes. It's okay quality-wise...not my favorite, but he likes it.

 

Ideally, you need one of these: http://www.finum.com/permanent-tea-filters.htm

A tea basket gives the loose leaf tea enough room to expand, and for the water to circulate around the leaves. Tea balls don't work very well for this. And, surprise, you need a teaspoon.

My advice: find a reputable tea shop in your area and visit it.

 

I'd also wait for Cyn to respond, if he will. He's become quite the connoisseur of tea lately.

 

sgbsteve, baskets are good, because they give the tea leaves space. I've had some teas that look like little small pop rocks, and after sitting in the tea basket, they turn into something looking akin to many whole leaves of spinach.

Do you have any idea as to what kind of tea you like? Green? White? Black? Herbal/Tisane (not really tea)? Let's start with the teas you've been drinking what are they? Do you have any particular flavors you like?

 

A coffee press reserved just for tea works for me beautifully.

 

I used my first one the other day at a restaurant. I got a formosa oolong and I have to share the photo.... absolutely nuts how much oolong they put into the press.

 

If you can get the Republic of Tea loose, it's so much better than those little discs.

For example, the [site=republicoftea.com]Republic of Tea[/site] Pineaple Lychee bags vs. 1lb is like night and day. The flavor is much more intense with the loose than the bags.

 

I find the quality of loose leaf green tea to be much better than what's in the bags. Plus, there is a lot of variety out there in terms of flavor.

 

Once you've had enough loose leaf tea, it's difficult to settle for tea bags.