Cynthetiq

I just got me a really nice kettle, it was a splurge, but it has been a fun weekend sampling the different teas we have in the house.


Do you have a favorite tea?

I've got to pick up a tea basket infuser and I'll be getting some loose leaf tea when coming home from Chinatown. They also have some of the cool blooming tea balls which are tasty as well. I really want to find the chrysanthemum tea I had a number of years ago.

I prefer black teas, but am looking for some peach flavored teas for skogafoss.

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Baraka_Guru

I'm now exclusively using loose leaf tea.

These days I'm leaning more towards the less fermented side of tea. I really enjoy sencha specifically among the greens. Even the dried leaves smell divine. And I'm also enjoying oolong.

I do occasionally go for black tea, in which case I normally have Darjeeling. Sometimes I crave a heavier Assam blend, such as a breakfast blend, which is the only tea I'll put honey and/or milk into. I don't think I've ever had pure Assam, but I've been meaning to try it.

For variety, I'll also sometimes grab an herbal blend. Usually something I've never tried.

I normally infuse the leaves in a French press I've reserved specifically for tea.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

EventHorizon

it may be a little unsophisticated, but where i grew up (south dakota) our version of a kettle was just a saucepan with boiling water. what you guys are describing sounds really really good but all we ever did was go to our basement "herb garden" of 1 gallon milk jugs, pick a bunch of was smelled good (mostly chamomile) and tossed that in and then threw in some strawberries fresh from the ground. mama always said a little bit of dirt never hurt anybody. maybe toss in a raspberry or a few blueberries, also home grown, let that stew for about an hour and then drink up and play scrabble or whatever.

the only tea i remember in bags was generic earl grey which we loaded down with milk and honey and that was one hell of a way to start off a saturday or sunday morning curled up with a good book.

now my curiosity is what kind of small plants i can grow in hardiness zone 6 that i can make teas out of, i plan on experimenting as much as possible. also, is a tea infuser the same thing as a french press? i was told the only difference is whether you throw coffee or tea in at the bottom.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by canuckguy Pretty simple really, do your own thing as long as it does not fuck with anyone's enjoyment of life.

snowy

EventHorizon, mint is easy to grow, and great for making your own teas. I have spearmint, peppermint, and a cultivar called Moroccan mint. The Moroccan mint is my favorite for making my own tea.

I have the Brewing Basket on this page: Finum - Permanent Tea Filters | Brewing Basket | Golden Filter Set | Universal Filter | Tea Kit

Most of the loose leaf tea I buy comes from a local shop: Oregon Coffee & Tea | HOME I probably have six different kinds of loose leaf tea in my cupboard at any given time.

White teas: Silver Needle, White Peony
Green teas: Sencha, Hojicha (roasted bancha)
Oolong: Ti Kuan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)
Black: English Breakfast, Darjeeling

While not a true tea (as in not camellia sinensis), my husband really likes rooibos. I'm not really a fan. He likes a blend called Montana Gold.

When we're not drinking coffee around here, we're drinking tea At night, we both like Celestial Seasonings herbal teas--Tension Tamer for me, Sleepytime for him.

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robot_parade

A couple of my favorites:

I really like darjeeling, specifically from the Makaibari estate: Upton Tea Imports: Tea - Makaibari Estate FTGFOP1S Second Flush (DJ-142) (TD40)
This green tea is truly divine: Upton Tea Imports: Tea - Long-Jing (Lung-Ching) Green (Superfine) (ZG71)

Good call on the kettle - I just bought the same one a few months ago for work, and it rocks. Totally worth the price, especially in contrast to the crappy cheap one I had. I use bottled water - the water at work is filtered, but still incredibly hard...leaves crap on the inside of the kettle, and makes for nasty, muddy tea. I use a single serving cup with a filter basket and a lid.

Cynthetiq

we just spent a small fortune on teas and cups from Teavana. What a nice store, quite upscale but still we had fun. What was most surprising was the variety of fruit flavors they had.



Skogafoss got this blend:
Silver Yin Zhen Pearls White Tea - Teavana
Peach Tranquility? Herbal Tea - Teavana

I got:
Golden Monkey Black Tea - Teavana
Strawberry Lemonade Herbal Tea - Teavana

yeah they saw us coming.

Our first brews were short of awesome, okay they were awesome.

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Baraka_Guru

The good thing about a decent tea shop is that they will sell in bulk in virtually any amount. I normally buy my tea in 50 g lots (just under 2 oz.), and most of them I choose are around $7.00 for that amount. However, just recently I caught a whiff of Quangzhou milk oolong and I was enticed by its uncanny buttery & creamy aroma. Unfortunately, 50 g sells for $18.

The woman in the shop said she'd sell me any amount, and to either name a weight or dollar value. I told her I'd take $5's worth. It was enough to brew six cups of tea. However, she informed me that oolong is very resilient to steeping and that many varieties can be rebrewed all day. I knew that green tea was good for double-brews, but didn't know this about oolong. Black teas generally are only good for one, as far as I know.

Anyway, I steeped this stuff at least three times and it was fantastic every time. The flavour is unbelievable. It's only grown in one region in the Wuyl Mountains in China. Apparently it gets its properties from the more drastic shift in temperature as it's harvested. If you ever get a chance to try it, do yourself a favour and do so.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Cynthetiq

yes, Dan at Teavana said we could steep at least 4-5 times. The only caveat he said was that you lose out on the "health benefits" since they are mostly in the first cup. Personally, I'm not drinking the tea for those health benefits, but for the benefit of not drinking as much soda.

I wish I could smell the teas. It is a shame that I'm missing out on the finer points of better teas. I can still taste them when they are strong, just can't taste notes and hints. I'll look for your suggestion in Chinatown.

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aberkok

George Orwell had a few things to say about tea - I'm including the first half or so... check the link for the rest!

A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell

I've been successfully battling a coffee addiction and tea is the natural next step in that fight. Imagine waking up and choosing from 4 or 5 teas! I'll have to hit the tea shop soon.

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Baraka_Guru

We should make a man-date. There are three tea shops in my hood. (DavidsTea and two locations of the Tea Emporium.)

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 AM ----------

From what I know, the jury is still out on this one. I think the one thing they've discovered is that the majority of the caffeine is released after the first infusion. I doubt there are no health benefits with multiple infusions. Reduced? Probably. None? I find it hard to believe. If your water turns from clear into the colour of the tea, there's gotta be some good stuff still coming out of the leaves.

Yeah, that's unfortunate. So does this mean the more robust teas come through more? Assam and breakfast blends and the like?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Leto

I have to agree with some of the points highlighted by George Orwell. I was lucky enough to spend some time working in Sri Lanka - back in my youth - on a tea plantation. I got to appreciate the finer points of black tea and the predominant picking method of Orange Pekoe, where the 3 newest leaves are picked from each bush.

while many of the flavoured teas are great as a variety in your diet, and I drink a lot of everything from Earl Gray to cheap stuff poured out at all our local Chinese Dim Sum restaurants, I find that nothing is as soothing or enjoyable as a plain cup of freshly steeped orange pekoe, no sugar, no milk. The fragrance and the colour is all part of the experience.

What I did learn while on the tea plantation is a lot along the lines of what Orwell mentioned: loose leaves left to steep in a warmed china (or earthenware) teapot and poured into a cup with the leaves.

The point that was always hammered into me was to take the water off of the stove AS IT COMES TO A BOIL. Do not let the water actually boil as the oxygen is (apparently) depleted, affecting the taste of the brew.

Another (ironic) point was that I drank my tea straight up. no milk or sugar. This is totally at odds with the local culture. the custom was to pour half a cup of strongly brewed tea, top up with condensed milk AND add sugar. Stir for a while (sometimes whisking) and then pour from the cup into a saucer and drink out of the saucer. At the same time the drinker would place a piece of fudge (jaggery) made out of palm tree sap and as sweet as maple fudge, between their teeth and lips, to dissolve as the tea is being drunk.

Altogether way to sweet for me. So if the strange foreigner only wanted plain tea, basically it was free of charge.

thought I would add some pictures of the environment I was in:

I worked in Agarapatna - a town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka - at the Waverly Tea Estate. The tea bushes were maintained at waist height so that the lady pickers could reach the leaves :






Your's truly - flying the local colours at the bus station with a friend - back in the day. side note, if your remember the footage of the Boxing Day Tsunami which struck Sri Lanka, this is the bus station that had people clinging onto floating upside down buses.

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skizziks

i like to cook with tea. infuse butter with tea for cookies (sorta like infusing butter with weed for cookies) or add green tea to soups or sauces.

oh, and i drink tea too sometimes.

EventHorizon

has anyone heard of the misnomer "Russian Tea"? its basically tang mixed with cinnamon and a little bit of sugar and you just down the chunks of whatever comes your way. i had my first experience with this "russian" tea was while i was dogsledding and someone was passing it around. it was a good excuse to add flavor to the nasty lake water we were pulling up to drink for the sake of getting heat and water into our systems but i mean come on.... tang powder and cinnamon?.

__________________
Does Marcellus Wallace have the appearance of a female canine? Then for what reason did you attempt to copulate with him as if he were a female canine?

Quote:

Originally Posted by canuckguy Pretty simple really, do your own thing as long as it does not fuck with anyone's enjoyment of life.

Baraka_Guru

I picked up some Darjeeling today after taking a bit of a break from it.

I also grabbed some Yun Cui green tea.

---------- Post added at 02:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:43 PM ----------

That sound weird, but I'd probably try it, just like I tried that misnomer Long Island iced tea.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

snowy

I like Russian tea mix when camping. It's really quite handy then. But my husband mentioned that he knows how to make Russian tea with orange juice and black tea. He has yet to make it for me, but here is a recipe most like what he talked about: Russian Tea | WholeFoodsMarket.com

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Baraka_Guru

Today I decided to go with some malty black teas after not having any in ages. I normally drink breakfast blends in this capacity, but I haven't purchased any lately because I love Irish breakfast tea but can only find it prepackaged in grocery stores. For some reason, neither of the two tea shops I frequent carry any—only English breakfast.

I've always wanted to try a pure Assam tea instead of a blend, for full-on maltiness. I picked up a black tea from the Banaspaty Estate in Assam, India. I had a sample of it in the shop, and I loved it.

But they also convinced me to try a black tea from the Tinderet Estate in Kenya, which they said was the maltiest of their selection. I'm drinking it now. It's definitely full bodied, rivaling coffee, even—except without the resulting jitteriness. I love it.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Charlatan

I have completely reduced my intake of coffee and replaced it with green tea.

At the office we have some relatively cheap Japanese green tea in tea bags. It's mostly acceptable (mostly because it's free) but at home I have a selection of loose leaf greens that really make me happy.

And Leto, great photos. I am hoping to get to Sri Lanka in the next year or so.

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Cynthetiq

I'm drinking this Alishan oolong tea...They had something like 4-5 different grades and I opted for the most expensive. It was something like $120/lb. I got $20 worth. I've been able to steep it up to 7 times and each time the flavor and body got better and better. It's pricey but oh so tasty.

I got it because I was reading . It has been such an informative read about variants of tea. I've also gotten which is going to be read next.

Alishan Oolong Tea




Developed around 10 years ago, the tea estates on the Ali Mountain (also known as Alishan) produce the newest type of high mountain oolongs. At the elevation of 950 to 1000 meters, the mountainsides are covered with fog or clouds which are ideal for growing Oolong. The tea estates are nestled in a beautiful scenic area with a 1000 year old forest nearby. Due to the unique local climate and selection criteria for the leaves, this tea is a high quality grade Alishan Oolong. The steeped tea has a pale yellow color matching its faintly fresh scent. Once tasted, the tea presents itself with a fresh taste followed by a faintly sweet aftertaste.

The water used to steep this tea should be about 185-195°F or 85-90°C. Use about 2 teaspoons (3 grams) of tea leaves for about every 5 ounces (150 milliliters) of water. A steeping time of about 3-5 minutes is recommended with more or less time depending on the desired concentration. As a rough guide, the higher the temperature of the water or the greater the amount of leaves used, the shorter the steeping time should be. The tea leaves should uncurl for full flavor. For the ultimate enjoyment, a traditional Chinese Yixing teapot is recommended for loose oolong tea. The teapot should be half filled with leaves and initially steeped for 45 seconds to 1 minute with the steeping time increased by an additional 15 seconds for each successive steeping. The leaves may be steeped multiple times. Net tea weight is 10.6 oz (300g) and shipping weight is 1.10 lbs.

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Baraka_Guru

When you price it out by the pound, it sounds ridiculous.

I posted about this above: I recently tried a high-grade oolong: Quangzhou milk oolong. I kid you not, it smells like honeyed buttermilk it's so fucking good. It tastes even better, and you can steep the hell out of it all day and it seems the leaves just love it and keep getting bigger and bigger.

It costs $162/lb. How could I afford it? I bought $5's worth. It got me two day-long sessions of tea.

It sounds outrageously expensive, but when you can pay $2.50 and get at least six (if not more) cups of tea out of it, you realize it's actually a fantastic value.

I only steeped mine three times (two cups' worth each time). But if you're going seven, I'm going to get more of this stuff and see how far I can push it.

High-grade oolong, FTW!

Quangzhou Milk Oolong / Oolong tea - DAVIDsTEA

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Cynthetiq

That's why I like the oolongs they are so creamy. The crap ones are light cream and the expensive ones are like full on heavy cream.

Leto, that's really cool. I am finding that just below boiling gives the best brew. I've been reserving boiling for anything that's in the tea bag grade of dust and fannings.

---------- Post added at 10:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 AM ----------

I'm going to have to get some of that one. It sounds like something I would enjoy. I totally agree with you and the price point value. It's really great if I can get one teaspoon of leaves to last a whole day of tea drinking.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Baraka_Guru

Here's a great photo series from a place out in San Francisco.

Tea Porn | Samovarlife

Actually, overall, it's a pretty cool website. If I ever get out that way, I would love to drop by.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Cynthetiq

wow, that's a nice store.

over the weekend I spent some time and a little money at the Harney & Sons store in SoHo, it's about 3 blocks from the office. It is a really nice tasting room and has a tea lounge in the back. Walking up to the tasting bar, you just ask the lass behind the counter to suggest a tea or whatever tea you'd like to try. Everyone in the group got a different tea and it was interesting to have the tea presented to us in different states, dry, infused leaves, and liquor. Those that could smell were really able to smell the differences in the different states. Teas that smelled strong of fruit did not necessarily provide liquor that was as fruity.

I picked up another oolong a Li Shan based on the young lady's recommendation and sample. It is also quite creamy.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Kookookachoo

I lived in Japan for a long time and got totally hooked on their green tea (ocha). The bags and bottles you buy in the US aren't nearly as good as the simple vending machines that every business had that dispensed fresh green tea. I also liked going to tea plantations there...gorgeous to see from a distance.

I had a French friend there that steered me towards fermented teas as well. Can't say that I ever got in to them. Tea was her passion and she would go to Hong Kong just to try to convince tea vendors to sell her 100 year old tea. It took her years, but eventually the vendors figured she was a true tea freak and sold her some. I have to say...I didn't like it and it was amazingly expensive!!

Jinn

I switched my morning Mountain Dew for a packet of instant oatmeal and a cup of honeybell orange black tea. Less caffeine, but I don't crash as hard and it's enough to keep me going through the day. Lost 8 lbs without any other dietary or exercise changes.

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Baraka_Guru

I picked up some sencha flavoured with dried pear and some matcha, both organic.

I've been trying to cut down on caffeine, but I'm interested in seeing if the caffeine in green tea is indeed counteracted by the L-theanine content. If any tea will demonstrate that, it's matcha.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

EventHorizon

i had Tazo brand tea today for the first time and it was ok i suppose. i dont see what all they hype is about.

__________________
Does Marcellus Wallace have the appearance of a female canine? Then for what reason did you attempt to copulate with him as if he were a female canine?

Quote:

Originally Posted by canuckguy Pretty simple really, do your own thing as long as it does not fuck with anyone's enjoyment of life.

chinese crested

Chai for a change. Used to like my earl grey in the mornings now assam takes that place.

Baraka_Guru

Morning matcha instead of coffee is fantastic.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot