/tea/

>>8158748

I just bought my first loose green tea today- a simple Bancha. Feels comfy :3

>>8158752
Nice, I've got http://www.yuuki-cha.com/organic-green-tea/bancha/kyobancha coming to me in the mail, seems like a versatile tea with many different brewing methods.

Where did you buy yours from?

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>>8158754

A local tea shop here in Philly. I'm new to green teas in general, so I started with Bancha on the shopkeeper's suggestion. I also picked up an oolong and some lemon mango for maximum variety. I hope you enjoy your bancha!

>>8158748
going to order some oolong from aliexpress, lets see how that turns out

>>8158748
i want to grow my own tea plant and make tea out of it. is it feasible to do this indoors so i can get tea in the winter?

>>8158869
pretty sure they can only thrive in subtropical climate, hence why there is only like one place in all of US with suitable weather to grow it

moreover, you would have to manually process it by hand, plus it shrinks down significantly after majority of the moisture in the leaf is removed, meaning you wouldn't yield that much usable tea compared to the amount of leaves you have before processing it

it sounds like a giant waste of time and pain in the ass with little to no pay off whatsoever

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>>8158748
玉露京都をのみます。甘くて、美味しいよ。あの、いい韓国お茶は何だ?もうノク茶を飲んだった。

>>8158950
and ching chong to you to young lady

>>8158950
A E S T H E T I C

Favorite place to buy wuyis?
Favorite wuyi variety?

I'm obsessed with wuyis and black tea right now.

>>8158748
What is the best type of tea to make ice cold?

>>8158896
The pay off would be less lead or arsenic if you buy from China, or less Hiroshima poison if from Japan.

I've recently got into the loose-leaf brewing and enjoy it. I went with a Teavanna set first, which I enjoyed some of the flavors. But later found some good local brews and some on amazon that I like more than the Teavanna. I feel that they are more hype.

>>8158748
>that /jp/-"""guide"""
What is this cringe?

grandpa brewing some year old gunpowder from adagio
aroma reminds me of a 60 year old smoker's house and meaty body odor :/

>>8159488
>less lead or arsenic

Couldn't you easily counter that by rinsing the leaf before brewing? Plus doesn't green tea make lead absorption more difficult in the first place?

>>8159593
That's iron absorption. Tho I've heard that the amount of lead that could be leaked by steeping is minimal.

Is this a good choice? I've been wanting to try some hojicha for a while now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QK3740/

>>8159607
Teabags are never a good choice.

Is Adagio a meme tea company, or is there good stuff there?

>>8159611
My apologies, but I have no immediate plans to begin loose-leaf brewing.

>>8159618
Ok, too bad.

>>8159617
You can see which sites are shit by how much flavoured tea they sell.

>>8159618
http://www.denstea.com/tea-bags-pyramid-pyramid-tea-bag-houjicha-995-c-134_137.html
>>8159617
You could do worse, but I would recommend doing research and buying the specific teas you want from places that specialize in that specific region.

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I've been wanting to get into coffee for a while now, is this a good choice?

>>8159649
the fuck

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>newbie tea drinker
>just tried lapsong souchong
holy fucc

>>8159484
Genmaicha's good.

>>8159549
Who are you quoting and what exactly is making you cringe?

>>8159752
Misinformation and his personal opinions are shit and irrelevant. The whole text made me cringe.

>>8158748
Bought Chinese tea samples (set of 10) from Lupicia. Opened two and most of them are broken leaves and twigs so be wary of that (Straya).

Tried Snowy Leaves (Oolong) a few days ago and didn't like it. Came out bitter using gaiwan and 95 degrees Celcius.

Having Bai Mu Dan right now and despite being broken leaves and twigs again I really like the taste and aroma. 80 Celcius for this one using both western and gaiwan methods.

I'll try the rest for the next few days.

>>8159821
Fix it or make a new one
>no
Please leave then

>>8159960
95 seems a bit hot for an oolong, generally 80 or 90 for most of mine.

>>8159960
Try at 75c, it will be comfy.

>>8158950
// Tea

MoonRunes = 馬鹿;

#include <iostream>

int main()
{
std::cout << MoonRunes;
}

>>8160078
>post cringy shit from other boards
>tell boards anons to leave
Nice logic cockmuncher

>>8160221
>not 茶

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the weaboos have overtaken the thread. escape escape escape

>>8160336
>4chan
>asian drink
>MUH WEEABOS

fucken normies ree

Very important and relevant to this thread

>How do you get hot water for your tea?
http://www.strawpoll.me/11374792

>>8160352
china/formosa =/= nippon
you disgust me

>>8160355
>boiling water straight from the tap
What

>>8160361
That's an U.K. thing I've heard. It's strange to us, but I added it because I know somebody here will say that's how they get their hot water.

>>8160369
I live in the UK, I've only seen those super hot water taps in industrial areas, like warehouses, mechanics, places like that. Never seen one in a home.

>>8159649
Loose beans are so much work!

>>8160356
>formosa
what fucking year is this

>>8160484
"Formosa oolong" is not an uncommon phrase, nor is "Ceylon" when referring to tea

Drinking a smoked lapsang right now. Can't really say I enjoy it. Tea should, for me, taste and feel fresh.

>>8159719
>>8160568
You could always blend it with another black tea and make a sort of Russian Caravan.

>>8160627
Yeah, thought of that as well. I just had a taster pack so I'll probably buy another and make it two by blending it. Would probably be pretty cool to add one of the fruitier teas to it and see how the flavours combine.

>>8160528
>Ceylon
what is this

>>8160657
Shit Brits drink

>>8160708
Boring
You are boring

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Looking to order some black tea, any suggestions? I've had English, Irish, and Scottish breakfast blends, as well as quality Darjeeling and Assam, but any other recommendations are fair game.

>>8160657
Sri Lankan black tea. As far as I know the name doesn't refer to anything more specific than that.

I had a cup of Iron Goddess the other day, blew me away with how fresh it was. I can honestly say i felt different after drinking it

>>8160912
Ruby #18 is worth a go.

>>8160921
They make green and white tea as well, Ceylon is just the name of the growing region.
If you want to get specific you can even narrow it down to particular provinces.

>>8160369
No one actually has those boiling tap things. Everyone just uses a kettle.

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LEMME TALK TO YOU FINE TEA LOVING GENTLEMEN ABOUT THE BEST TEA

THE JASMINE TEA

>smells like you're in a flower garden in a summer day
>tastes like a sweet, liquified flowers while somehow holding the slightly bitter 'tea-ness'

I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DRINK IT WITH A BUTTERY COOKIE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT RIGHT NOW

Also, if you are especially buying the jasmine tea from a herbalist with whole flowers in it, it is very strong and dense in taste, so use sparingly.

>>8160885
Wasn't trying to be funny

>>8161029
Jasmine tea is unironically sickening, desu all infused teas are

>>8161029
thats not even tea you mong

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>>8161092
Unless I'm missing something, all teas are 'infused', no?

>>8161093
Excuse me?

>>8160627
I'm the first person you replied to, I'm not complaining I love it. The intense smokeyness makes reminds me of the medieval tourney they have on each year. Then again I've always loved smokey scents and can understand this tea being unpleasant to others.

>>8161092
Any tea with flowers tastes like soap.
Avoid at all costs.

>>8161196
I've literally made tisanes with whole flower bulbs and had zero soap taste, get your tongue fixed.

>>8161196
Does your soap faintly taste like heavenly flowers rather than a blend of chemicals or is this one of those differences in taste structureswhere things taste totally different for a group of people?

What's a good naturally sweet tea? By naturally sweet I just mean it doesn't need american spoonfuls of corn syrup to not taste like bitter soay leaf water.

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>>8161328
..Jasmine~..

>>8161328
silver needles in my experience

>>8161328
Yunnan White, Chrysanthemum, Matcha, Gyokuro, and Nok Cha are all pretty sweet in my experience.

>>8161328
The only tea that deliberately tastes bitter and leafy is Matcha.
Stop overbrewing and overheating your poor tea.

>>8161379
>Gyokuro
I haven't tried this one, but it's intriguing; in terms of taste, how does it differ from sencha?

>>8161417
I haven't had either in a while, but I will say that its flavor is more rich and pronounced because it's high grade and grown in shade.

>>8161328
Theres some ginseng oolong that I got from aliexpress that has a very nice sweet after taste. Sortof like stevia leaf

>>8159593
I think the plant will absorb some of those heavy metals, whether in the water supply or if the dust settles on top of the soil and the plant gets watered.

>>8161157
No, tea infused/scented with jasmine or roses and stuff like that are actually exceptions.
>>8161196
Agreed, even if you pick every single flower out of the tea and just steep the actual tea it's still overpowering. But to each his own.

>>8161171
i want you to know that your original post gave me a solid giggle

bump for english breakfast a shit

>>8161157
>>8161196
>>8161206
>>8162425
Jasmine scented tea is usually green tea that is scented with jasmine flowers overnight for a few nights. Then the flowers are discarded. Therefore the only difference is in the scent of the tea. The taste itself should be that of the original green tea and the brewing process follows that as well. Jasmine flowers in green tea are an indication of poor practice and/or low quality.

Jasmine tisane, is not tea. It's not prepared like tea, it doesn't taste like tea (green or otherwise) and it also doesn't taste like soap or anything like that. Tisanes and herbal infusions often use leaves, stems and flowers in a rolling boil for a few minutes. While this might disgust some TRUE KVLT TEA CONNOISSEURS, it's common practice in many parts of the world, it's delicious and unfortunately it's commonly referred to as tea.

>>8163542
>not being a TRUE KVLT TEA CONNOISSEUR

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sup nerds, /v/ here

1/2

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>>8163791
2/2

>>8163791
>Yaupon
Pretty cool. Where is this?

>>8163805
Harney and Sons in SoHo

>>8163813
Harney and Sons make GOAT tier bags as well, for all the bagfags ITT.

>>8164050
was about to go full autismo but I'll allow it, I'm happy if the bagfags can get slightly better tea despite their mental illness

>>8159618
>My apologies, but I have no immediate plans to begin loose-leaf brewing

Learn the ways of loose tea brewing and you'll know the ways of the universe, Talos guide you.

>>8163791
>>8163793
the fuck is that

>>8165144
A tea menu

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QUICK, /tea/! What's the worst tea you've ever had and why!?

>>8165163
The peanut butter cup tea from David's Tea. I expected something nutty and creamy, and I got some kind of over-flavoured apple nightmare.

>>8165163
Brisk """""tea""""" from a vending machine. Disgusting sugar water.

>>8165179
I've noticed that like half of David's selection is basically an assortment of candy with a sprinkling of leaves.

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>>8165188
Please tell me I'm not the only one who saw the tea with literal chunks of stale popcorn in it.

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>>8165193

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>>8165193
It's been done. Genmaicha often has popped rice in it.

Yo /tea/ senpaitachi, help me out here.
I need to host a Japanese-themed meeting in which Japanese green tea will be served to some college kids. What sort of Japanese snacks/pastries/treats should I serve along with the tea? Preferably something inexpensive to make, though I'm willing to spend quite a bit for quality.

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>>8165387
pockie

>>8165387
salad crackers
some rice for ochazuke
idk

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>>8163793
>>8163791
>those listed flavour profiles
>lapsang souchon
>bacon

>>8160093
>>8160208
I followed Chinalife's chart for Oolong brewing (95C). I'll try your suggestions for my next samples though.

Had the Menghai Puerh sample yesterday, slightly weaker than the Puerh coins I bought with my gaiwan last month but still enjoyable.

>>8165387
Mochi, daifuku wagashi, and dango from Asian groceries should work with sencha. Sushi and sashimi, but they might be pricey.

bought my first gaiwan the other day with some cheap green tea.

Is there anything wrong with putting multiple steepings into the one cup? The gaiwan I have is quite small and I dont have time in the morning to sit down and drink each steep seperately. Was wondering if I'm ruining the taste by doing this.

Why would you buy from anywhere other than Teavivre? They at least have both harvest date and chemical analysis records.

If you support anyone else you're supporting lack of transparency.

>>8165955
Your question seems ridiculous. Just brew western style if you want it all in one cup.

Anyone tried carbonating a cold brew?

>>8165978
i buy directly from chinese farmers
fuck you

any sensible ways of loose-leaf brewing at the workplace?

>>8166272
Granpa style

>>8166272
Western style

>>8166272
https://imbuetea.com/

>>8166549
can't add to cart lel

>>8166272
>>8166272
Long ass blog post about brewing at work.

Ways I've done it:

A) infuser "Western style" in mug

B) Grandpa style in mug

C) Libre mug "ghetto gaiwan"

Pour around 100ml of water into the libre and pour out into a separate regular mug. Closest I can get to gaiwan without using a gaiwan and looking completely ridiculous.

D) "Grandpa gaiwan" style in libre mug

Fill the libre until full, pour out small amounts of tea every so often to get different strengths of the tea. When empty, add a pinch of leaf and repeat.

I mostly stick with D at work. I did C for a really long time, but when I'm running a lot of things it's not really useful. C is great when I'm doing computer work and need to get up every so often. Either way a libre and regular mug are my go to tools for tea and at work and it's pretty flexible. Try it yourself.

>>8166549
Neat. I might check that out. I used the libre similar to this (flipping it upside down) but it destroyed the O ring and leaked every where. I wouldn't recommend it with the libre but it might work well with this.

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Is this stuff any good?

>>8167019
if you like the taste of soap

>>8158767
>A local tea shop here in Philly
What's it called? Philly's only about 30 minutes from me.

>>8167045
Does it actually taste like what it says or is it pure garbage?

>>8167115
It might, but it's not real tea. But try it, why not.

>>8167115
both
soap garbage

>>8166272
I just use a stainless steel infuser in a mug and brew it western style. At work I have mediocre water and minimal temperature control. So anything I'm drinking there is more of an "everyday" tea and I keep the good stuff at home.

Fucked around and bought a tin of this http://en.fteast.com/products_detail/&productId=89.html Chinese friend said it's good, hoping so myself

>>8167719
That stuff is super cheap but decent. Just don't brew it too hot.

I think the tea threads here are the most interesting even though I don't drink tea. Quick question though for veterans.

What's a tea you would like to try but haven't had the opportunity due to rarity or cost? A lot of the teas I'm seeing here seem generally cheap (which is good, since I assumed it would cost more). Just curious as to what's out there that some of you haven't tried.

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>>8166272
these type of mugs are everywhere, get the wal-mart version

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goat

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/teagen/ newfag here

Why are bags frowned upon? I understand it when the age of the leaves is an issue, but you can get stuff bagged for you right then and there at alot of shops if you like. What else am I missing here? Sorry if this is already covered in the pastebin.

Pic unrelated

>>8167833
The leaves don't have as much room to expand.

>>8167833
seriously what the fuck is happening in that picture

>>8167860
/vr/'s DOOM general is a magical place.

>>8167833
>Why are bags frowned upon? I understand it when the age of the leaves is an issue, but you can get stuff bagged for you right then and there at alot of shops if you like. What else am I missing here? Sorry if this is already covered in the pastebin.
The tea dust inside those bags are literally the rest products of real tea making. Basically the tea dust has such a small surface area that it gets easily scorched, and the tea becomes one dimensional. It just taste like "tea" but no complex nuances of flavours are there. Try some loose leaf and taste for yourself. If you already like your bags you wont be disappointed.

>>8167739
Some of the traditional Korean teas, just because most are tisanes and I can't be arsed making that shit.
On the side of the too expensive, some high quality Da Hong Pao is something I would kill to get my hand on. Most of the lesser quality stuff I buy isn't cheap either. It's my favorite tea.

>>8167739
as the other anon said, a good dahongpao, a 30 years puerh and some duck shit oolong are in my list

>>8167833
the only good teabags are the pyramid ones.
And they have loose leaf inside

>>8168630
Plastic tea bags leaching cancer into your tea

>>8168713
tea gives cancer anyway

I'm pretty sure my banko kyusu is unglazed, should I avoid brewing hojicha and kyobancha in it, or will it not absorb the flavours that much?

>>8168713
>>>/x/

>>8171315
I would keep them separate just to be safe. Same with genmaicha. You could always scrub it out with a little baking soda every once in a while though.

So I ordered my regular ball rolled Oolong from Chinalife and I noted instantly that either it isn't from the same source as it used to be, or it's a worse grade than usual. The balls aren't as tightly rolled as in my previous orders and there are quite a lot of twigs in it. Needless to say it doesn't taste quite as good as it used to either. I'm pretty disappointed by the whole experience and that got me thinking, what other vendors carry top quality tea? live in Yurop so preferably a Yuro site so I don't have to pay customs.

>>8172410
what-cha has free shipping once you ordered for a certain amount of money

>>8172489
>what-cha
I only look for top quality tea. I doubt these guys do when they carry tea from places like Russia, Kenya and Indonesia...

>>8172543
unusual doesn't mean bad.
but i guess there aren't enough of these 50000 year old tea trees.

>>8172410
If you want tip top quality single estate tea, try Postcard Teas. I'm not sure they sell much in the way of Taiwan ball rolled oolongs, but you'll find awesome wuyi and dan cong oolongs, senchas, puerhs, and black teas, at a price.

>>8172569
Except it does. No tea from these odd countries can be top quality since they lack knowledge and proper climate. Stick with your shit tea tho.

>>8172589
I'll check it out. Thanks.

Where can I find a glazed kyusu or dobin for under $50?

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:^)

What do you think the Stash bag is?

>>8161417
Thicker, less grassy, less astringency since less sunlight.
More of a berry like sweetness that is less refreshing than that of Sencha (if that makes any sense).

Haven't had any super high grade Gyokuro but I generally prefer Sencha.

If anyone prefers Gyokuro i'd be interested in knowing what you drink.

Can I get recommendations on teas kids might like?

I'm 25 but I still like sweet things.

>>8172787
I have no idea what size kyusu you want but yuuki-cha has many in the 20-30$ range. Shipping will cost you a bit but it should end up well under 50$.

There might be better places to buy them but that's where i got mine.

>>8172923
Pure or high bud content blacks will be the way to go. This one, for example, is surprisingly sweet on it's own.

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/4222-imperial-pure-bud-yunnan-black-tea-of-simao-autumn-2016.html

>>8172923
Why do you want to drink tea in the first place?

>>8172920
I personally prefer gyokuro to sencha. I don't buy fancy ones though. I was quite happy with http://www.yuuki-cha.com/organic-green-tea/gyokuro/yabukita-gyokuro

>>8172920
I have only had gyokuro leaves from the Kansai region.

>>8163793
>>8163791
My fucking dude I work here, come in on the weekend and somehow subtley show me you're from here and i'll hook you up with a big ass free sample or something.

>>8173041
Small world! I'll be back in the area Saturday afternoon. I'll be the skinny white dude with brown shortish hair in a button down and black messenger bag.
>subtle
Look forward to me REEEEEEE-ing in the middle of the cafe area.

>>8172543
>>8172601
Well Russia/Georgia and Indonesia has a very long history of tea.
Do you then think Ceylon tea is shit quality as well since tea isn't native to Sri Lanka? or is everything inferior to China since their tea culture is way older than anyone elses?

What-cha does have tea from actual odd areas like The Azores and Colombia that you could have whined about instead.

I will give you Africa though (even if they still have some decent tea).

>>8172981
>>8172990
Interesting. I've actually had a different Gyokuro from Yuuki-cha.
Maybe Gyokuro isn't for me.

>>8172937
I could be wrong, but I think all of their kyusus are unglazed on the inside.

>>8173185
I have this: http://www.yuuki-cha.com/teaware/japanese-teapots/futanashi-tokoname-teapot Which specifically says it's glazed on the inside (read description) but I think most of them are (judged by the pictures).

>>8173209
Oh wow, this might just be exactly what I'm after; I want something for hojicha and other roasted and smoky teas.

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Can anyone actually taste sweetness of their tea instead of its scent? Because I drank pic related and vanilla chai tea and I could never taste the sweet part of it regardless whether I microwave it with the water or not

That bait is weaker than a cup of Red Rose.

>>8173228
I like it. I have used it for almost every type of tea imaginable including puerh.

Chamomile tea keeps me sane.

>inb4 'm-muh tisane'

>>8173100
I'll be in the front at the tea bar, i'll probably be the only white dude there

>you will never hang out with /tea/ and discuss tea related things

>>8173449
Technically you are doing that right now.

>>8172960
I'll get some of this, thank you!

>>8172966
I currently drink pleb-tier walmart teas, like chai, earl-gray and apple-flavoured black tea and I wonder what else is out there. I did read the guide and will explore out.

>>8172822
kys

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>>8173887
It was Chai.

What's a good tea for someone that has only been exposed to Lipton?

I just now started drinking my tea without sugar.

I do have a french press, it's nothing fancy though.

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>>8143853
>>8147493
hey this stuff is pretty good
dian hong was meh

>>8173132
I was just giving you three examples. They also carry tea from fucking Australia. Russia/Georgia might have consumed tea since a couple of hundred years ago, but that doesn't make them a good tea producing region. It's just empty mass produced, machine pluck shit. Well, it's probably drinkable and it probably taste like tea, however I was talking about _top quality_ tea. That kind of tea is mainly found in China, Taiwan or Japan. Therefore I will never buy from a site selling tea grown in their own fucking asses.

>>8174231
Just go to a local tea shop and buy some loose leaf. That will be a good start. Try to stay away from the flavoured and ask for the classics. They probably will give you different Indian teas like Assam and stuff, start with that.

>>8174231
Something simple like loose leaf orange pekoe, formosa oolong, entry-level assam or darjeeling

>>8174231
https://secure.uptontea.com/store/item.asp?from=catalog.asp&itemID=TD06&begin=0&parent=Teas%3EBlack%3EIndia&category=Darjeeling&sortMethod=0&categoryID=16

>>8174433
I can agree that those are the main countries for TOP QUALITY TEA but that's like refusing to buy wine from a store that stocks american wine since french wine is superior (it is).

The claim about mass produced machine pluck shit is funny since the Georgian teas on What-cha are small scale and hand produced.

In Japan on the other hand, tea is generally machine picked unless you're buying the really expensive stuff.

>>8174483
Nope, that's not a good comparison. Wine and tea isn't comparible in the exact same way. Wine is a finished and advertised product with a clear label, tea is more of a farmer product without a label/brand, you have to look for sources and farms that produces a quality product, you can't just buy certain names and know that they're good. Why in earth would I take a vendor seriously that stock tea from all around the world? From countries that produces inferior tea? What's the point? They are clearly aimed at people drink tea but aren't truly serious/passionate about it. Have they travelled around the entire world and found farma with premium tea from all over the world? No, they just stock tea from generic farms from all over the world because that's a selling strategy for people that don't know that you don't need to buy tea from Australia or Colombia because it's shit tea. A premium tea vendor is focused with East Asian teas and it takes well enough time to source good tea farm in the vast lands of China (and Japan and Taiwan). You clearly don't know enough about tea if you defend this site when I asked of _top quality_ tea. I didn't just ask for loose leaf tea.

>>8174483
Seems bait-y
Don't bother, man.

>>8173132
Portuguese here, wouldnt bother with ordering azores tea, its not very high tier, run of the mill indian style black tea, i drink It a lot because it is readily avaliable here for very cheap, not something Id pay shipping to get

>>8174647
Not same anon

First, you're wrong about wine. Literally the only difference is that the tea source doesn't put their name on the product. Otherwise, when you buy a wine you buy a specific type from a specific estate and a specific year, that has been processed in a specific (sometimes secret) way. Sounds familiar?

I'm not arguing about what are top teas, just the wine comparison. Also, it's a bit strange that you only drink TOP QUALITY TEA, but you have to ask a thai sock knitting community about where to buy it.

>>8174881
My compaison with wine is correct, you even said it yourself right now.
>Literally the only difference is that the tea source doesn't put their name on the product.
That's what I said. It's a branded product while tea basically is a anonymous farmers product. You can literally read yourself to good sources of wine, whiskey, cigars and stuff like that. But it doesn't work that way with tea, therefore you can't compare a tea vendor with a wine store. Absolutely ridiculous comparison. Also, why is it strange that I ask for good vendors? Should I not be allowed to buy premium tea because I don't know all vendors? I know a few and I would like to know more so I can evaluate them, that's not strange at all. And fyi I didn't say I only drink top quality tea, I said I'm only asking for top quality vendors with my post. Inferior tea is very easy to find so I don't have to ask for it to find it. Learn to read before you attempt to get sassy with people.

My What-Cha order arrives today along with my new teapot.

I usually drink tea with atleast 3 or 4 sugar cubes, I've worked myself off milk, but I don't know how I can possibly drink without sugar. Do you guys use sugar?

>>8174990
Why do you need sugar? Is your tea bitter without it? If so you're either brewing with too hot water or for too long (or both).

>>8174991
Not bitter, I just like it sweeter. I don't enjoy the taste without sugar. Do I just need to go without it for a while and get used to normal tea?

>>8174999
I guess so, maybe cut back gradually. Or just keep drinking it with sugar if you enjoy it. Bit of a wasteful way to get your daily dose of sugar but to each his own. I kind of like the health aspect of tea and I probably wouldn't be so sold on it if it actually was bad for me or my teeth.

>>8175006
That's the thing. I want to have it for health stuff, and it seems like it's a waste to buy all this nice tea then not really getting all the subtleties of the flavors because sugar

>>8175040
Alrite, then just make sure you're brewing your particular tea correctly and gradually cut back on the sugar. That's my advice. Also cut back on sugar generally, it sounds like your taste buds needs a bit of a reboost.

>>8174990
I pretty much never use sugar, but I don't like overly sweet things most of the time. Try weaning yourself off of it. Just start using less than you normally would then try stuff without it.

Most good tea really doesn't need anything else in it. I'll still use milk in cheap black tea and sweeten stuff like masala chai though.

>>8175046
How to taste bud reboot?

>>8175040
Just quit cold turkey. You'll get used to it in a week and then you will not be able to drink tea with sugar. I used to drink with sugar too, now I can't drink that way even if I wanted to.

>>8175109
Stop eating sugar and processed food/fast food for a while. Regular food will suck at first but your taste buds will slowly adapt.

>>8175173
>>8175172
Thanks Anons

Do you guys change up your teas for winter at all?

>>8175343
Not really, maybe a bit less green tea and a bit more black tea. Maybe.

>>8175343
I drink more roasted oolongs and puerh when it gets cold, and Shui Xians when it's wet. In summer I drink more white, sencha, and long jing. But I still drink all of them all year round.

>>8174969
>>8174647
Do you have any insight on tea from other regions than east asia or are you just pulling shit out of your ass?
What makes(made?) Chinalife a "top quality vendor"?
Or rather what makes them more qualified at curating tea than What-cha?
Does also providing Chinese alternative(fake) medicine make you more credible as a tea vendor?
Lies about health effects from tea?

The comparison with wine works since you don't even look at the product. You just classify certain teas as inferior based on the region they are produced in.
You also use TOP QUALITY as if it's a defined grade of tea when it's in fact your own narrow minded opinion.

Do you actually just want a niche hobby to be pretentious about?

>>8175652
>Do you have any insight on tea from other regions
Yes.
What makes(made?) Chinalife a "top quality vendor"?
They usually carry top quality tea.
>what makes them more qualified at curating tea than What-cha?
They carry top quality tea, while what-cha carry teas from regions like Kenya, Colombia and the Azores. Which by definition is of an inferior quality. Do I need to further elaborate on this? How can I make sure this information gets through your thick skull?
>Does also providing Chinese alternative(fake) medicine make you more credible as a tea vendor?
Doesn't affect me since that's not tea.
>Lies about health effects from tea?
Oh, you're that guy. That guy who claim a lot of shit but always disappear when you get asked to prove your baseless claims. What is it now, about five times you've fled this discussion? Why don't you just fuck off or take the debate.

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>>8175652
Here he is again. Every fucking thread. Creating arguments with people just looking to share information.

>>8175652
>The comparison with wine works since you don't even look at the product.
What?
>You just classify certain teas as inferior based on the region they are produced in.
Yes.
>You also use TOP QUALITY as if it's a defined grade of tea when it's in fact your own narrow minded opinion.
Well, that's just your opinions man!
>Do you actually just want a niche hobby to be pretentious about?
No, why are you continuing with these baseless assumptions? This discussion is about wether wat-cha carry premium tea or not. I have no problem with wat-cha, I have no problem with people ordering from wat-cha and enjoying tea from wat-cha. I just oppose your claim that wat-cha carry premium tea. Why can't you comprehend this? Why are you so emotionally invested in this argument that you can't let it go despite you being wrong? Go enjoy your tea instead of bothering me with your shit.

I need strong morning tea for work, I used to drink 2 or 3 glasses of cold brew coffee, trying to work away form it. Thoughts?

>>8175730
He is fucking insane. Fucks every thread with his shit.

>>8175737
tea won't be able to replace that much caffeine
try coke idk

>>8175737

A lot of people mistakenly assume black/dark teas have more caffeine, greener teas have less.

It's a really complex topic, but if I had to pick the SINGLE greatest indicator of high caffeine in a tea, it's the size of the whole leaf that the tea was made from. Smaller leaves have significantly more caffeine, because the caffeine itself is a natural pesticide that prevents the buds and young leaves from being eaten by insects.

If you want something to wake you up, look into white teas, teas branded as "silver needle", or teas that are described as tippy.

>>8175737
Green tea m8.

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Just got pick related on the mail from Sri Lanka.
So damn good
100% recommended if you never tried it

>>8175741
>>8175752
>>8175753
No no, it's not about caffine, but tea is just "lighter." I just need a strong tea, bold, lots of flavor, without being just some overstepped bitter crap.

>>8175839

A medium to dark roasted oolong would be my favorite for bold flavor, then. Dark roast is practically burnt, though. Even if you use boiling water the leaves won't fully unfurl, ever.

>>8175839
Dark roasted Oolong like anon above me said, or maybe a black tea? Maybe a
smoked Lapsang Souchong.

>>8175848
>>8175857
I've never tried Oolong before, anything I need to be aware of with it?

>>8175886

Oolong is just the word for partially oxidized tea. Non-oxidized being green tea, and 100% oxidized being black tea.

If its between 10% and 90% oxidized, it's oolong. So of all the different types of tea it is the most variable. The good stuff is always whole leaf and usually rolled into little balls. When brewed the balls unfurl into clusters of three leaves, with some larger single leaves mixed in. Good quality oolong has mostly three leaf clusters, mediocre to low quality stuff has mostly the big leaves.

>>8175886
Oolong is basically the easiest tea since you use boiling water. You don't need to bother with exact temperature. It's generally low in caffeine tho.

How do you guys tell the temperature of your water?

>>8175939

Electric kettle with water temp control.

>>8175939
-10 degrees per pour method

>>8175939
I use a thermometer.

>>8175730
I don't know who you think i am but i don't come here very often. I was here regularly a few months ago though.
>>8175716
>>8175733
>Oh, you're that guy. That guy who claim a lot of shit but always disappear when you get asked to prove your baseless claims. What is it now, about five times you've fled this discussion? Why don't you just fuck off or take the debate.
I'm not "that guy" but there is no proof of any health benefits from tea.

The discussion is about your claim that What-cha can't be a good tea vendor since they carry teas from other regions than east asia.
The reason i care is simply because i like What-cha and you denounced them on false grounds.
If a false claim isn't disputed it becomes truth to someone who's new to the thread.

I don't have to be very emotionally invested to spend an insignificant amount of time to argue on the internet and you apparently care enough yourself to respond.

I've heard a similar argument being made against Upton Teas for having such a massive selection, that is, that the freshness of the tea should be questioned. I would say this is true for their greens, but to discount their blacks would be doing yourself a major disservice. Same thing goes for What-Cha; I'm really surprised to see hyper elitists dissing it on the grounds that they import tea from less reputable sources.

There is literally nothing wrong with microwaving your water.

>>8176097
>there is no proof of any health benefits from tea
EGCG, lad. Do some research.

>>8176406
>There is literally nothing wrong with cancer
Yes you really do sound this stupid

my tiegaunyin is leaving china right now, i cant wait.

>>8175839
Try an Assam black tea. Orthodox leaf stuff is really malty. CTC is lower quality pretty much meant to have milk in it.

Just got a 200g bag of kyobancha, do you think it would be better to transfer it to a bunch of smaller mason jars, rather than just leave it in the bag it came in with some clips attached?

>>8176939
Yeah, airtight

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>>8176406
I'd rather stick to traditional methods of heating water, i'm not a fan of using radiation to consume something.

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On Sunday I went to downtown Seattle and went to my favorite tea shop called Perennial Tea House.

They have by far the best quality tea i've ever tasted, and they put so much care into the customers experience where they walk you through all the varieties and what you want.

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It's such a cozy place to chill.

>>8177758
looks ultra /comfy/ desu

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The guy who helps run the business has been doing it for 26 years and he was super friendly to talk to, he was a legitimate tea master, he knew where every tea came from and it's point of origin in history.

I ended up spending $60 worth to stockpile for the autumn and winter. Before I left I paid for a cup of their Seattle Chai blend and went on my way walking around Pike Place Market and just watch the city life go on by.

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>>8177753
>>8177758
>>8177769
tfw you don't have anywhere nearly this comfy in your town

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>>8177831
You gotta be in a super liberal area of the world to find cozy places like this for tea. And since it rains so much in Seattle it adds even more comfy vibes to the experience.

>>8161379
>>8172920
>Gyokuro

Thanks for this, gonna add some in my next order.

>>8177769
a tea master would not store tea in transparent containers in the sun

>>8174969
You literally only said
>top quality tea
throughout all your posts, not top quality vendors, which is of course not the same in every case, since vendors can be dropped in tier for other practices (e.g. overpricing, illegitimate claims), despite the tea being good.

I kind of get what you mean when you say it's easier to find a good wine, since it's more standardized. But I feel it's similar to tea in regards of finding a good source and then trusting the vendor to actually buy from that source. Sure it's not the same, but out of all the comparisons you can make, I feel wine is one of the most appropriate ones. If you have a better one, by all means explain (I'm literally being unironic here).

FYI if you can't take some friendly banter in here with established memes, you're not gonna like this place.

>>8177769
You sound like a faggot

>>8175950

What pour method takes 10 degrees of the water?

>>8177922
>a tea master would not store tea in transparent containers in the sun

That point caught me too.

>>8178071
i agree, but I guess it sells easier like that, its understandable

>>8177831
You'd be mistaken.

>>8178068
Pouring from one thing into another. Most Japanese tea vendors talk about this somewhere on their site.

>>8178292
so if I pour 10 times, the water will be frozen?

>>8178382
yes, but it must be 10 different cups. If you pour it into a used one it gets 10 degrees hotter

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>just poured some loose leaf gunpowder green tea
>hear a crack
>mug explodes

>>8177868
>You gotta be in a super liberal area of the world to find cozy places like this for tea
or have lots of Asians around

>>8178382
I think you've got him

What's a good reusable tea infuser? Are those metal ball ones any good?

>>8178461
>Are those metal ball ones any good?
yea they're fine
makes it easy to make your own mixes as well.

>>8178461
don't think they're a good idea unless you're hellbent on one
loose leaves are supposed to have room to expand, tea infusers usually don't give them that room

>>8178461
consider one of those basket infusers that just sit right in the cup

those really allow the leaf to expand freely

Need mug for work with infuser built in. Any recommendations?

>>8178536
Yeah the basket ones are the way to go if you need tea when you can't use a proper pot. Ball infusers are too small for most teas and the expanding leaf will break the close fit after a few brews.

>>8175343
I switch from green, white, Jade/TGY oolongs to black and wuyi oolongs. Throw in some lapsang for good measure.

Also tfw Chinese shipping trackers suck. How am I supposed to constantly stay updated on my huge haul from YS?

I've had sweet tea, Earl grey, green tea, mint tea all multiple brands and they were all complete shit. Like make me gag and I'd rather go thirsty. Is tea just not for me?

>>8179295
No one should drink bagged tea period.

>>8165387
Pocky (I'd get the strawberry or green tea flavoured because milk chocolate doesn't compliment green tea that much imo)
Mochi (more sweets to go with green tea).
Get some salty-sweet style rice crackers. Available in the Japanese section in your asian grocery
Maybe pickup a few serves of takeaway sushi from a decent sushi shop. That's all you'll need I reckon.

Make sure you let them know it's an insult to sweeten or adjust your tea until you try it first. It's like putting salt on a dish someone made for you before you even tasted it - like judging their flavouring incompetence without even trialling them.

>>8166067
I had carbonated lipton sweet iced tea but never carbonated my own. Let us know

>>8166272
One of these
http://www.kitchenstyle.com.au/bodum-travel-press-with-free-extra-lid-350ml-off-white-k11102-913/?fee=3&fep=3906&gclid=CP2grafL1s8CFVYAvAodvqIBrA

>>8172923
When I was a kid my favourite tea was chamomile with milk and honey. Or brown sugar if we had none.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7HU8a-fgzY

Now this is how it's done.

I'm new to tea, and now that I have some decent tea shipping my way, I need a proper way to make it. My caveat is, I prefer to make at least 600ml at a time. Not opposed to reaching that in batches, but I like to have a large mug of whatever I'm drinking.

Am I crippling my results by wanting to make this much at once? Is there anywhere recommended that I can buy a good large teapot? The pastebin didn't help me much on this front.

Personally I like maiquaylong and aged/smoked fooshoopaytong. Brewed in a traditional ceramic tailinping tea pot at approximately 75 or if I want that extra kick- 98 degrees.

Usually go to my local tea spot to pick up some stems my guy is from the Philippines and apparently has a connect in the Yailinreipang province of China.

>>8180039
just get a basket infuser for a mug and make it a glass full at a time
here you go, found one 80% off for $4

https://www.amazon.com/BoldDrop-Stainless-Filtering-Infuser-Basket/dp/B01EVRQ2GS/


alternatively, if you want to try eastern style brewing, you can get something like this
http://chinalifeweb.com/shop/product/tea-brewer-decanter/193/

and reinfuse the leaf over and over again to add up to a lot for a single setting (you could probably squeeze about 1600 ml of tea liquor over the course of 8 infusions with just ~8g of leaf using gong fu style)

it says 500ml on the page but the top tank is most likely 200 ml


note that the latter is something you generally drink repetitively in smaller quantities over time, not quite something you just fill a giant mug with

>>8177723
>radioactive water from microwaves
>>8176440
This at least makes some sense, just don't stand too close to the microwave or the atoms in your own body will start to jiggle to that wavelength.

>>8177769
Part of the enjoyment I get when visiting a tea place is that the containers are all opaque, and you choose one your interested in and reveal the tea.

>>8179636
>the tap water is going to be clean once you boil it
What place do you need to be in you have to be concerned there is bacteria in your public tap water supply??
Or does he think when water evaporates, the remaining water will have less residue.. forget about distillation f a m

>>8180113
*you're
woops

>>8180088
Thank you, that's absolutely perfect! I'll be buying both of those in the morning. I look forward to joining you all in proper fashion once everything arrives.

>>8180039
>>8180088
If you want an actual teapot
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007WTBQ0/

>>8159484
just dont make the misstake to brew it with boiling water.

Just brew it with codl water in your fridge for 6-12hours(longer is more intense/coffein)

Got a 5g sample of Mao Feng, any brewing tips for someone without a gaiwan?

How much caffeine do you think gets extracted from cold brewing? That is, compared to using hot water.

>>8180228
You can make a makeshift gaiwan with a strainer and a mug but western style works just fine for green tea imo, use like 70 or 80C water depending if you like it with a bit of bitterness or not, Id say experiment with both to find what you like best but you only have 5g

>>8180277
Id assume less or the same depending on how water soluble is cafeine

>>8175939
do you even chink shit? http://www.gearbest.com/temperature-instruments/pp_218366.html
after a little practice you don't even need to use it, maybe for finnicky greens
btw, here's raw puer review from aliexpress, machine-translated, to light up your day:

>It is necessary to understand, this Puer 2012 years. he is not very expensive Puer. and if it is understood, the price is consistent quality. tea light bitterness get him hard out of steam after the third welding. it can be safely drink night and then lie and sleep. fruity taste. compact is weak-you can hand break off from a pancake.

>>8179282
www.17track.net/en
if that doesn't help, nothing will

>>8179295
Pastebin on OP

>>8180039
I assume you'll be brewing western style then. Not much point in spending a lot on good tea, since you'll need gong fu style to truly appreciate all the flavours. If you want to learn more about that, the chinalife youtube videos are pretty decent.

I'd suggest this for a pot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141682942770

Just remove the basket when tea is ready.

>>8180317
IR thermometers are actually awful for hot water because you'll end up measuring the steam. I do use one for checking if something is cool enough to drink though.

>>8180228
Imma gonna go full unorthodox here.

I got some Mao Feng as well recently, bretty good. I brew it at roughly 80 (no thermometer yet, splash of cold water to boiling water). I use a style in between wester and eastern, that is I put more leaves and less water than western, but not to the ratio of gong fu. Typically I eyeball about 2-3 tbsps for 150ml water. I find anything less than that too weak, but more than that is too expensive and currently I am very poor.

>>8180332
>Not much point in spending a lot on good tea, since you'll need gong fu style to truly appreciate all the flavours.

I find higher quality tea tends to be a bit more forgiving, it doesnt get less bitter, but its a good bitterness, I like pushing some greens and whites sometimes, even when gong fuing, being with temperature or brew time.
The tea plant is bitter by nature, i dont think avoiding bitterness ar all cost is the right way to think about it

>>8180317
>>8175939
/chinkshitgeneral/

I got this while they still had it on EU stock. Waiting to arrive still. You can probably find cheaper on aliexpress if you want straight from china.

http://www.banggood.com/LCD-Digital-Thermometer-for-Laboratory-BBQ-Meat-Deep-Fry-Cake-Food-Candy-Jam-50-300-p-985527.html?rmmds=search

>>8180346
I agree, I didn't say anything about bitterness. But gong fu is supposed to let you taste the difference in each cup or couple of cups. So the taste will actually change from 1st to 3rd to 5th to 8th cup, especially for oolongs or pu erh but even greens will give you that same effect imo. These are all going to be both mixed and less strong in western brewing. That's why I do >>8180343 style with multiple steeps until I feel the tea is "out" or "off".

>>8180352
I agree gong fu is better most of the time but I believe you shouldnt be dogmatic, I find some teas to work better with different leaf-water ratios, i always do multiple steeps regardless.
Idk where I read it but in oolong competitions( in taiwan iirc) they had big bowls with the leaves and poored a large amount of water then tasted the tea with large ceramic spoons from time to time, the logic is the same as gong fu except it brews continuously and you taste how it develops over time likw that

>>8180360
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP0y-4nCvuU
trigger warning: autism

>>8180360
>>8180376
I see, like an upscaled granpa style. I'm not trying to be dogmatic, I mean I'm not doing gong fu myself. I just mean, supposedly, it's better.

That's some next level autism though. The dude has the charisma of a brick. And his logic of "I like tea, let me learn mandarin and go to china/taiwan" is a little bit....unusual.

>>8180415
Yeah, its pretty cringy, but hey, he seems happy.
Not going to lie, if I wasnt a poor college student I would also go to taiwan and sperg out a ton of money on tea

>>8179636
Is this how genderkin feel when I mix up their pronouns?

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>>8177922
>a tea master would not store tea in transparent containers in the sun

What you failed to realize from my picture is that the tea shop is in a cute little alley way in the market, so the only sun light that enters the store is bouncing off the brick from the alley. It's not direct sunlight.

Checkmate.

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Get ready to get comfy.

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It pisses me off how most of society treats tea like a 3rd class citizen. Every cafe is coffee oriented, and tea is shoved off to the side but the coffee smell completely ruins the ambiance of tea. Starbucks tried buying out Teavana to kickstart the trend but it's not doing so well, the only tea people like here is iced tea from McDonald's.

And America still thinks tea is to pussies because of the Boston Tea Party, no different than why we call natives -- Indians still.

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Coziness reaching maximum levels!

new thread
>>>8180520

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>>8180496
go back to le reddit with your faggy ass response
the tea is clearly in the sun
you probably drank some overpriced tisane and thought it was high quality shit

Just ordered the Intro to Tea sampler from whatcha.

>>8180521
Ok, i apparently cant into crossthread

New thread >>8180520

>>8178405
underrated

>>8180640
If I were making you a cup of tea i'd cum on the top and say it's a new type of cream, and i'd happily watch you drink my frothy jizz as it lingers on your shitty facial hair. And what's even better is that you'd tip me for being so nice to you.

>>8180321
thanks breh. Left Shanghai yesterday!

>>8179636
>Lipton green tea bags
>"Press the bags cuz I like my tea as strong as possible"
>whole jar of honey
>"I drink a lot of bottled water"

wew lad

What types of stores usually have food selections of teas and teaware without being the snooty yuppy kind of place?

>>8182796
Chinatown for gaiwans and cups.

>>8181607
Your answer shows again that you are nothing more than a pleb when it comes to tea
Only faggots like you would drink tea with some sort of cream
Just acknowledge that you are a stupid moron with no actual knowledge about tea

>>8180504
Around here cafes sell tea for $3 a cup which is retarded since its main constituent is boiled water.