/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Am drinking nettle tea rn.

>>17878615
3 kilos is a lot of tea anon, should last you a year or two depending on how much you drink.
Post pics when it comes in!
Also if it comes in a giant foil bag you might want to transfer some to glass jars or something to keep it fresh.

>>17878724
Before we start with another thread let's first acknowledge our own white privilege and think about the holocaust.>>17878724

>>17878735
Did you harvest the nettles or did you buy it from somewhere?

>>17878748
Just tea bags.

>>17878756
I need to try some of that, i haven't been drinking much herbal tea lately

where can i get nice japanese green tea

>>17878754
Huh, i had one of the older yunnan sourcing blends and thought it was okay, lots of fruity notes iirc. The spring morning is supposed to be a more premium cake than that.
I guess i do tend to get more viscosity from ripes but ive gotten a pretty wide range of flavor profiles from raws. Astringency is a pretty common feature, so i can see how that could turn you off if you don't enjoy it. I tend to not drink raws that are less than 5-6 years old. Im drinking some cheap xiaguan tuo right now and i get some lasting sweetness, a bit of smoke, astringency, a bit of tounge coating and a decent amout of mushroom broth tea soup kinda flavor.
Since you have some cakes on hand i would say come back to em later and really fuck around with brewing parameters. I got a tea recently that tastes way to stong if i infuse it for more than 10 seconds or so.
In the meantime get into wuyi oolongs, they are better than puer anyways.

>>17878776
The pastebin has vendors, if you won't order from japan there should be at least one vendor in each country / europe that sells good Japanese tea

What are some good teas to drink on really hot summer days. Nothing iced please i like to drink hot tea in hot weather.

>>17878739
Was going to tranfer the bag I opened into some freezer bags and keep everything in the fridge. Guess I should look for a good tea tin too.

>>17879411
I'd love an answer to this too. I love talking walks with my tea but in my retardedness, I took piping hot high mountain oolong tea with me and burned my tongue while sipping it since I tripped on a branch

Brewing up some of Obubu's kabuse sencha
The tea has a striking aroma, most similar to gyokuro, with a distinct note of seaweed
The tea leaves themselves look wonderful, a deep, dark green needle from the shading

>>17879411
I'm a fan of genmaicha in the summer, if you're into Japanese tea. Second flush Darjeeling is a nice summer-y tea. As far as Chinese teas, I was kind of thinking the same thing. Maybe aged whites, maybe some heicha. I've been drinking through what I have, but haven't found anything perfect yet.

>>17879696
How does it taste?

>>17879698
The tea has a striking aroma, most similar to gyokuro, with a distinct note of seaweed
The tea leaves themselves look wonderful, a deep, dark green needle from the shading

>>17879697
>I'm a fan of genmaicha in the summer, if you're into Japanese tea. Second flush Darjeeling is a nice summer-y tea
Both of those sound like good suggestions, i need to reup on genmaicha this year

>>17879696
Brewed it according to Obubu's recommendations
>1st infusion at 60c for 90 seconds
Incredibly deep umami, just a savoury bomb with underlying green notes and a slight sweetness. The seaweed smell of the dry leaves isn't present in the cup. Very much like a gyokuro, but perhaps a bit muted brewed this low
>2nd infusion at 80c for 15 seconds
Now this is strikingly unique. Still savoury, but the top notes are a perfect balance of spinach and seaweed, with a slight asparagus woodiness. Delicious
>3rd infusion 30 seconds at 100c
With boiling water, the seaweed comes to the fore. It's like drinking a green tea brewed with Kombu dashi instead of water.

>>17879727
Japanese greens are wild stuff
I'm glad people have been ordering them again this year

>>17879727
While I'm glad I to Obubu's advice, as it really showed me the breadth of this tea, I'll try brewing it at 60/70/80/80/100 next time, to try and hone in on the wonderful balance I got from the 2nd infusion

Overall, a really high quality sencha bordering on gyokuro (not surprising given the growibg conditions). A perfect distillation of the land and the sea that I think about with japanese greens

>Soundtrack to tea brewing: Celly Cel's mobb music classic on white label promo

P.S - just like gyokuro, the leaves make a delicious salad dressed with some ponzu

>>17879741
it's a good year for them this year. peak growing conditions
Also shipping is finally decent again after 2 seasons

>>17879745
What's the website again? I want to add it to the pastebin

How do i make roobois taste good

>>17879797
Brew it for only 60 seconds, no longer. It whould be much sweeter

>>17879797
Honeybush is pretty solid, other than that, >>17879807
Use way more and brew for less time.

Is the yunnan sourcing "first steps" tea sampler any good? I have wanted to try some nicer teas. I have brewed loose leaf for years but want to get experience with some more uncommon varieties.

>>17880050
Maybe, if you think you have some idea what you want to try i might be better to just pick out some 50g portions for yourself. All the looseleaf is sorted in terms of popularity so the stuff at the top of eaxh page is what gets ordered the most. If you don't want to figure that out yourself then yeah get a sampler

>>17880099
I have mostly had normie tier teas, and the variety pack doesn't seem half bad, pu'reh raw and ripe, white (never had it) and like 3 different oolongs. That actually covers a bit of what I want to try although it doesn't include something like a rooibos, or something that I want (or at least think I want) like a floral blended tea.

>>17878724
Hey /tea/, what's a good birthday tea?

>>17880160
Does he have any osmanthus oolong? I think he does, grab some of that, i havent had his but ive had it from elsewhere and loved it. I was looking for the link earlier but the one i like is sold out

>>17880161
https://www.mariagefreres.com/UK/2-marco-polo-sublime-black-tea-blend-fruity-and-flowery-aromas-T9181.html
There are some us sellers if you look around some

>>17880161
They also make a teabag version if you are into that
https://www.mariagefreres.com/UK/2-marco-polo-cotton-muslin-tea-sachets-TB918.html

>>17880193
they have that variety called under Osmanthus GABA Oolong Tea. I assume it's the same stuff.

>>17880228
Yeah try that, gaba oolong on it's own has sort of a sweet potato kind of flavor to it, but it should go well with the osmanthus

>>17880247
what size gaiwan is best to get or do you think a kyasu is a better option for single full cup brewing?

>>17880265
Gaiwan, 100-120ml
100ml usable space if he specifys
No more, trust me

>>17879779
https://obubutea.com/

>>17880368
Thanks

>>17880311
Ok, thank you. I just wanted to ask because I ordered a gaiwan on amazon and the reviews say that the size that actually ships varies from 100-130ml, less than the 150ml advertised.

>>17880395
It's annoying because they usually list the size if you fill it right to to top, but you can't actually use the full heigh wile brewing so it's probably 150 to the brim and 120-130 is the actual amount that fits under the lid. Anyway that size should be good

I don't know if anyone remembers my coffee aroma tea experiment posts, but I started it on Dec 20th of last year. Opened a few times, adjusted arrangement and added some more tea part-way in, but I finally have some interesting results to share in conclusion.

The very cheap dong ding oolong I started with had the least progress. I found that most of the time used on it acted more to mute the harsh qualities it possesses normally. However, better arranging the airflow some months ago seems to have sped up the adulteration of the coffee grounds aroma. It does mute the harshness and texture like before, but it also transferred some subtle sweetness and spice. It is pretty light and weak in general, and I wouldn't really recommend it overall, but it was a notable change.

What really impressed me is what happened to my Haiwan shou (installed some weeks later on 01/08/2022). The aroma completely imbued itself into the shou leaf, being sweet, spicy, and just a touch bold. However, the infusion is where it becomes more interesting. The wet leaf aroma is somewhat "sweet potato/spices", showing both aspects of the original Haiwan tea flavor and the coffee grounds aroma. The flavor initially transfers well to the cup, with a low-spiced milky sweetness and thickness for a few infusions. The texture is mild just like with the dong ding overall. Spice character increased with stronger infusion psrameters. This lasted only for a few infusions before it noticeably lost steam though, becoming weak and mild when hot, or plain bland (but inoffensive) when it would cool down.

Overall, I believe it is fair to claim that my initial goal of achieving significant aroma transfer/adulteration was a success, even if the end product is not outstanding. I don't particularly advise this unless you use quality ingredients in a controlled environment, and don't mind a bit of potential resource waste. It was entertaining to give it a go. I only wonder how my chenpi will turn out, now.

>>17880622
Nice I'm glad that turned out interesting, i guess the ball oolong is just too tightly rolled for it to absorbe significant amounts of aroma and the shu worked out much better.
You made that chempi with lemon right? You have it stored in a jar?

That reminds me i haven't had any chempi in a while, lets brew some up

>>17880682
Yes, it's lemon chenpi. I have just kept it in a plastic bag within a closet, only opening a few times to smell it. The aroma has developed quite well over time, being generally sweet, tart, and refreshing (dry). I haven't infused it once otherwise, but it looks quite 'healthy'. Some pieces had scraped pith, and some didn't. The former dried especially well, and darkened considerably as if to convey greater aging and concentration than non-pith. I think this one has more promise than my coffee aroma experiment, though I don't know how long to wait before I ought to consume any of it.
>>17880692
Nice, how old is it? I haven't had proper chenpi before, but that looks pleasant. I could use some mellow tisanes sometimes.

>>17880850
>Nice, how old is it?
I don't think it's super old, it's from fullchea, i think 4-5 years, it's not 15 year old tcm memes tier. It's nice, it's surprising how much of the cirtus oils are still left. When you rip up the skins to brew it your fingers smell ike citrus. But it's pretty mellow and easy to drink, at least in these concentrations. It's nice, sort of a softer more mellow citrue flavor with maybe a hint of aged flavor

>/tea/

>>17880850
>I don't know how long to wait before I ought to consume any of it.
The fall will be close to a year right? Migth as well try it then so you can see what it's like and decide if you want to try and make more. Seems like you figured out how to streamline the process from last time and have less losses.

>>17880896
I started the process for the lemon chenpi on 01/14 of this year, so it has yet to hit the 6 month mark. I might try some then. Would still be fresh, but it's all for fun anyway.

Tea

>>17878724
>it's another OP used a dull picture so I miss the thread when scrolling the catalogue episode

tfw no huigan from the usual strong huigan puer

Her face when she sees your BBC(Black Barry's Cup)

>>17882401
Man i love me some lingering sweetness, one of my favorite aspects of puer

>>17882034
Sorry I'm retarded and don't know how to select good images

>>17883457
No you're not. But that guy is.
You can find /tea/ with ctrl+f.

>>17883463
Boards.4chan.org/ck/tea
Works too

>>17883487
/tea/ is a terrible thread title, see pic related.
I usually enter tiss, but that only works because the OP misspells tisane.

>>17883521
Yeah you alway get 3 or 4 threads about sTEAk
Still better than using control f in the catalog

Komogai shape for me

>>17883521
>>17883543
Literally just enter /t.

>>17883680
Tenmoku is best

I've been making tea by the quart, doing multiple infusions of loose leaf green stuff. But, I typically dump the first infusion and do 4 more since the first is kind of bitter. Does this make me a barbarian.

>>17883876
Try cold brewing overnight

Try brushing your fucking teeth for more than 30s.

>>17884043
what tooth paste gives the best cha qi

Belated thanks for the reply anon:
>>17873570
I'm not sure, I don't know if I have the vocab right. It's like a sourness that's balanced out with the milk. Rn I'm using a brick labeled "Chibi Qing Zhuan" That I bought at my hometown asian market for $24 (ripoff? lol but i needed puerh).
Recently I got to the bottom of the jar and there's almost no more lapsang. I can taste the difference. I might try blending in some tieguanyin because the taste rn is reminding me of oolong and I like it a lot.

>>17883463
Yeah but sometimes I want to open multiple threads because I have multiple interests, so I scroll through the catalogue queueing threads, then I realize I missed /tea/ and have to do a search.

Gyokuro time

>>17884082
Tastes like gyokuro.

>>17884087
3rd brew tastes like watered down matcha? Very odd.
The rest tasted very unique, cant even place the taste properly, but this one just tastes like watery matcha

>>17884099
What brew parameters do you use?

>>17884063
>Chibi Qing Zhuan
Can't believe some random asican market has that. It's not really puer it's another type of hei cha. I think it's consumed in Mongolia a lot.
Mostly made in the hubei province
https://www.chawangshop.com/hei-cha/hubei-hei-cha.html

To the anon that likes red tea from chawangshop he has a new 2022 batch up
https://www.chawangshop.com/2022-jinggu-gu-shu-red-tea-50g.html

>>17884136
10 g, shibo is about 70 ml
2 min at 50ish C, 2 minutes 2nd brew, 4 minutes at 60C 3rd brew

>>17883680
Natsu-jawan is based but I only have hatazori-gata. Hatazori is good too.

>>17884193
damn, that's so much tea
i brew 5g/120ml. have i been underextracting my gyokuro?

>>17884193
Dang, that's a high leaf:water ratio. I use 3 grams for that volume, lol. Same temps though. No clue why your 3rd cup could be weak.

>>17884207
Gyokuro generally benefits from the highest leaf:water ratio you are willing to do. I try 4g per 30 ml as starting point, having smaller brewing vessels help reduce waste.
>>17884213
I'd do 3 if it was Chinese. I go much higher on Japanese tea in general. I do 10g to 140ml in my kyusu for sencha. Japanese tea is just really nice strong.
In my 160 ml gaiwan I'll maybe go 5 grams of long jing to maybe 7 if it's getting weak from age.
I probably brew stronger in general than I used to. My typicals are more or less (per 160ml)
>5g green
>8g black (though I take to brewing blacks western style at 9g per liter)
>7g oolong
>10g white
>12g ripe puerh
>8g raw puerh
>5g fu cha
Probably 7ish for everything else but I dont really drink much else often.

>>17883521
>The British one
Norf F.C. memes never fail to make me laugh. I've been up there while traveling and the people there are simultaneously the most racist and most hospitable people I've met. It's really nice if you just take their shittalk as just that.
>>17883680
Aesthetically, I really like the hiragata. It looks beautiful and reminds me of those old Chinese novels where the cherry blossoms fall into the cup. In terms of practicality, tsutsugata works. It's hard to spill and stands well. I've drank from hiragata cups before and those tip over really easily even when putting the cups on the ground. I'm more accustomed to using them as sake cups.

>>17883680
>Badari
Why would you want a sloping box for tea

>>17884177
Looks very high-quality by the fat, pristine appearance alone, though it wasn't from the Bada lot, so I didn't comment on it. I thought Jinggu was more pu'er country too, though the background description on the Jinggu red is interesting. Their huge in-house brick is from there, anyway (went up $9 too):
https://www.chawangshop.com/2021-chawangpu-jinggu-lao-shu-zhuan-400g.html
It's a bit much for me to buy /g+shipping, but if you or anyone else plans on getting it, it would be neat to read some infusion notes. His Bada loose teas were my favorites from the entire order, and he only selects a handful of non-pu'er/heicha for his storefront at once, so it is likely extremely nice.

Fat pristine leaves...

>>17882401

>>17883691
/tg/ gotcha

>>17883521
what got the mushrooms to pop up?

Someone gave me a really gross "medicinal" tea blend that I'm forcing myself to drink because I hate throwing stuff away.

>>17885780
Be careful, especially if it's some senna "dieter's tea" type of trash. Not especially good to take much of that, if at all. If it's just kind of vaguely not-great stuff, consider infusing it cold in a water-filled jar within your fridge. Add stevia/etc if you want to sweeten it up.

I got this rooibos tea from Davids that has cinnamon and apple in it. I really like it.
Reminds me a little of this ginger, cinnamon tea I used to make.

cool reflection

part duex with Upton Tea Original Russian Caravan blend.
Made it Yuropean style. Doesn't taste like Lipton anymore. I can taste the vanilla like that other guy who replied to me a few days ago mentioned. The body is very thick like syrupy almost. Wonder if I used too much. 2.37g to 125ml.

much better though.

>>17879727
is this what good sencha looks like? the crap I got is cut with "matcha powder" I think.

>>17886093
Fag

Working through some herbals I picked up from YS the other day. Kudingcha is as bitter as advertised; the aftertaste is mildly pleasant but this isn't something I would recommend to many people. The smell is of roasted meat, most comparable to a Paraguayan yerba mate I've had (supposedly the plants are related so it's not a shock). At least it's super cheap and should last a while; I'll be in the mood often enough I suppose. Jujube leaf tea on the other hand is very accessible and pleasant; the texture and depth is comparable to a C. sinensis tea and there's nothing off-putting about it. It's much pricier but still not outrageous. I still have jiaogulan I haven't broken into.
Am currently sipping their "Sweet Ya Bao", supposedly a white. The dry leaf aroma is ridiculously sweet, like a candy I can't quite place (maybe Jolly Rancher). Taste is very fruity. I don't love it but it's a solid and interesting tea, worth throwing a few bucks at for the experience.

I made some buckwheat tea. It's nice and nutty. Plus you can eat the steeped buckwheat as a snack.

>>17887445
How does it taste?

>>17887130
I have read that occasionally unscrupulous tea merchants will add some kuding powder to their puer cakes to make them seem like they are made with better material. Don't think ive ever seen it myself

>>17886825
Looks tasty anon
>>17886548
Great picture

what is this

>>17887981
Some kind of pastry filled with a mung bean and durian filling. It also looks like it has a century egg inside but maybe thats just the durian paste or something

>>17885745
"InsTEAd."

Thats right anons it's time for more smokey lapsang, what's your afternoon cuppa today?

Only another month before my smelly hk basement tea arrives

On a whim, decided to try Twinings English Breakfast when I found it at Walmart for $3.30. None of that detritus flavor like in some other teabags. It tastes thin probably because of the weak aroma and extremely mild bitterness. The best by date is April 2024. There's a balance where it's too boring without milk but if I add too much milk then it tastes like watered down milk. With a tiny splash it sure is smooth. Inoffensive, good value, only fault is blandness.

>>17888864
Sounds about right, get that pg tips next

Looking for an electric kettle and willing to splurge for a good one. Any suggestions?

>>17889149
fellow stagg ekg or any knockoff of it

>>17878724
has anyone tried brewin guarana? I'm thinking of switching to it to replace coffee and soda and energy drings. I'd need a sodastream tho. does anyone know if the brew tastes at least remotely like guarana antartica? that's some pretty delicious stuff.

>>17889149
I use a chefman temp control kettle (let's you manually choose in 5 degree f increments instead of just presets). Has a warming function and a timer so that's handy. Not a gooseneck though since I got it for general kitchen purposes too.

Would you rather have a tetsubin or a chagama?
Tetsubin - a normal kettle, but made out of cast iron without enamel to sweeten the tea
Chagama - traditional tea ceremony tool. A bamboo scoop removes the water, and it's heated over either a brazier or a hearth built into the floor

>>17889772
Id love a chagama and the ladle

>>17889772
This is way too advanced, you need to have a fireplace in the middle of the floor to really utilize this properly

>>17889149
Oxo brew makes a good one
The cuisinart cpk-17
Also the bonavita gooseneck kettle
The stagg ekg if you really want to splash out

To the anon who talked about the Love Potion from Crimson Lotus Tea, any more thoughts about it? Your description of it still makes me want to get it.

>>17889928
You could presumably use a portable induction plate for one.

>>17889149
forget about a kettle, buy a zojirushi or tiger water boiler
best appliance i've ever bought, there is no greater luxury than boiling water (or 70 celsius, or 80 celsius, or 90 celsius, depends if you're brewing gyokuro/sencha/oolongs/etc) on tap

>>17890062
Those things are pretty sweet but i couldn't fond one that doesn't dispense the hot water through plastic tubes

>>17890062
what kind of pressure does the water come out at? using a gaiwan i can imagine the water washing out the leaf

>>17890700
Its more of a dribble iirc

>>17878724
For me, it's peppermint, ginger, fennel, & dandelion all mixed together with a Ricola cough drop thrown into the cup.

if i wanna get into japanese greens how useful is a japanese teapot? any specific shape or water volume i should look for?

>>17887769
nutty and earthy, but not bitter. quite nice.

Best Shay B Laban recipe and method of making?

>>17891024
Yoy don't need a Japanese teapot, if you want to you could get one, get one with a fine mesh that is 160-240ml
You could also just get a finum brew basket and brew in a mug

>>17891024
The teapots are noticeably more effective than yixing for puerh
Should get one that's smaller, less than 150ml, for personal use. Japanese greens use much more leaf per session than Chinese or western so bigger pots will run your money out.
Avoid fine mesh as the metal affects flavor and prevents decent cold brewing due to the fear of rust. Clay spout filters work fine just dont be a wimp with finer particles.

Is there a reason to use a gaiwan over a teapot of the same size?

>>17892925
gaiwans tend to pour faster and be a big wider so they let the leaves unfurl. Also they don't build up as much heat which benefits greens but isn't great for puerh.

I wish there was yixing teapots with japanese side handle ergonomics. Why hasn't this been done? Is the clay autism all marketing and tradition after all?

>>17892992
I think Mud and Leaves have done a few Japanese style pots with Chinese porcelain and clay.

>>17892925
Gaiwans are peak lazy brewing, also they are ideally cheap so you don't have to be as careful as them.

>>17892809
Thanks for posting better Japanese pot advice than i did

>>17892809
I should note, tokoname for greens, not puerh
pls dont use puerh in your tokoname

>>17893557
But i want my pot to be stinky and brown

Why would a shiboridashi be used when hohins exist?
Why would a gaiwan be used when hohins exist?

>>17893637
alright anon, hohinpill me

>>17893637
>shiboridashi
smaller, easier to eyeball measure the water for gyokuro, tend to be unglazed
>gaiwan
cheaper, pours faster, takes less space, looks nicer

>>17893643
It's a gaiwan with a proper filter so you can use finely cut leaves.

>>17893656
hmm that does sound pretty nice

>>17893656
learn to hold the lid bro
Besides you still need the fairness pitcher so why not keep the filter on the pitcher

Sidenote, I really can't stand the japanese method of pouring back and forth instead of just having the pitcher

>>17893637
Based hohin chad
Ive been meaning to get one for a while

Should be getting my yearly YS shipment next Tuesday
Kind of upset they didn't have any Honey Nin'ger or fresh jasmine

>>17893685
Is the fairness pitcher required?

>>17894474
No it's just easier if you're pouring into multiple cups

If only there was some good decaf tea

>>17894474
>>17894486
I'd argue it's kind of required if you're pouring into multiple cups, the last little bits of tea taste very different to the first part of a pour. Try to pour evenly from a gaiwan into three cups in order, the last will taste unlike the first. You can kind of do a little dance pouring back and forth between cups, but if this is something you're really thinking about, just get a cheap one. I also kind of think glass fairness pitchers are a convenient way to look at the brewed tea, which is pretty cool.

>2 grams for one cup!
what the fuck constitutes as a singular cup, I drink most of my tea out of a half fucking liter big gulpin cuppa.
https://www.chadoteahouse.com/collections/organic-green-tea/products/organic-sencha-g
https://www.chadoteahouse.com/collections/organic-green-tea/products/organic-matcha-iri-genmaicha-tea
These teas, specifically, how much water?

>stop microwaving the water and start boiling it instead
>tea is now very intense, kinda bitter
huh

I am an american and I want to get into tea. Is it an acquired taste? If so, what should I start out with?

>>17896341
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_tea
closest thing I've found to corn syrup tea.
That aside, pastebin sums it up pretty well; get a bit of whatever you think you might fancy and slowly go deeper. green teas and black teas are most common and an easy starting point.
Your post makes it sound like you haven't even drunk any of the cheaper dust bag teas that you can get in at the supers, is that the case?

>>17896328
because you're now fully heating the water to boiling instead of just a part of it. i for one prefer my blacks at 90c, george orwell insisted that a full rolling boil taken straight off the hob and onto the leaf as soon as possible

>>17896341
>Is it an acquired taste?
Not especially, at least broadly speaking. Tea can vary widely in flavor and aroma notes, texture, astringency, bitterness levels, and so on. It's more accurate to say it's all about preference and acquired skill and understanding thereof. Your ability to appreciate the results of those things develops over time.
>what should I start out with?
Personally, I think most people can dive into most reds/blacks, whites, or oolongs more easily than fermented tea types (pu'er/heicha) or greens, but that's just me. Check the Pastebin for some sites. Off the top of my head, you might like to try a Wuyi oolong, gong mei white tea, or dian hong red/black. Some anons may be open to posting specific links if you ask. There are various infusion methods, but I'd stick to either a cheap porcelain gaiwan, Finum basket, or infusing in a mug ("grandpa style").
>>17896328
I'd wager it's likely that the water you were microwaving was being heated unevenly, and possibly to a lower peak temperature compared to the boiled water. Microwaving does not heat liquids so evenly as with boiling or simmering on a stovetop, which is why people will mix or turn their food in such cases (to redistribute the heat).

>>17896269
There is a chart in the pastebin for brewing Japanese teas that you might find easier to understand.
Otherwise check the instructions on this website
https://www.o-cha.com/make-green-tea.html

Harney & Sons any good? Seems to be the common boomer stuff I find everywhere. I have their lapsang souchong and it's ok, but the odor smells like burning vinyl when brewed, lol. Only as because I was going to this tea house with a hoe and it looks like, from the reviews, they just serve up Harney slop.

>>17896632
All I know about Harney and Sons is that they make retarded ass "cannabis infusions" or whatever they call it, so I do not give them my money. I concur that it looks like boomer shit though.

what's the /ck/ approved way of reheating a cup of tea?

>>17896632
They get mixed reviews from posters here. They are probably better than the average random tea you would buy on amazon but not nearly as good as the more specialist tea dealers people here tend to order form. The pastebin has a pretty good selection of tea sellers.
Don't worry too much about what they serve in tea houses, even in other parts of the world they don't generally sell the real fancy stuff in tea houses

>>17896654
The secret is that the best way to reheat tea or coffee without totally fucking up the flavor is using the microwave. Just heat it enough to be warm/ hot, dont boil it for several minutes, but as short a time as you can get away with and still have it as hot as you want it

>>17896663
ya. I've been buying from the pastebin sites and they've all been fine.
Yunnan sourcing
upton tea
farmer-leaf
teabox

all have been fine.

>>17896649
>it's real
jesus christ.
https://www.harney.com/collections/the-hemp-division

Any way to freshen tea? I've had some Genmaicha for a while now and despite storing it properly it is getting a bit stale. Would it be worth mixing some fresher Sencha in with it or is it pretty much just done?

>>17896747
Great it's just hemp extract added to teabags. I actually buy and use cbd balm but 90% of cbd stuff on the market is worthless junk that costs 10x more than it should.

>>17896654
If my tea gets cold before I finish drinking it I simply dump it down the sink. You heat it once and drink it.

>>17896751
Learn how to enjoy the new flavors that reveal themselves with age. Japanese used to age tea for 6 months to a year before they drank it. Super young green tea is a recent trend.
With genmaicha i would actually suggest messing around with toasting it. Put a brews worth in a pan on low low heat, shake it arou d a few times, take it off the heat when it starts to fill the room with tea smell then brew it. If it works you could roast a bunch at once.

>>17896857
Already roasted some fresh Sencha to make Hojicha.

>>17896751
Don’t waste your time. Just throw it away.

>>17896888
Well? Is it good. I still think thats id the best way to wake up some genmaicha

Hey /tea/, where can I get the prettiest tea cups.

>>17897204
korean teaware is really underrated imo

>>17878724
Retarded question but is it advisable just to drink straight from the gaiwan in a pinch?

>>17897231
thats how the Chinese used to do it. first it was just a cup, then they added a lid to keep the tea warm and to help hold back the leaf while they drank and then some smart spark thought to strain the tea out using the lid

>>17897261
Okay that's good. I really love how the gaiwans usually seem to have much more beautiful designs on them versus teapots and they look like they can double as cups too.
>>17897210
Well time to tap into my parents' motherland and actually appreciate Korean teaware. I was only familiar with Korean pottery but for some reason never connected that to teaware. A lot of Korean markets just sell bootleg Japanese teapots so I'll definitely look into this because stuff like this is gorgeous. The celadon shade really sells it.

>>17897204
It depends on your price range and what you define as 'pretty'. Besides the typical offerings from various vendors in the Pastebin, I know there are some pretty nice offerings to be found on Etsy. I don't remember all the stores anons have mentioned (perhaps TreasureTeawares was one), but you can find tons of neat pieces from niche individual makers all over the globe on there, and not all of them cost obscene amounts for handmade works either. I second the other anon's note to consider some of the Korean offerings, but here's one American artisan I personally purchased from and daily drive an excellent cup from:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/flyingplumtreestudio
I'm split on some of her design influences, but she does have multiple diamonds that I think are certainly worth the cost. Very comfortable and well-balanced in my case, and aesthetically very pleasing. Another anon bought a (I think teal) teaware set from her after my post, and said they were great. Wonder if said anon is still around.

>>17897210
If I buy Korean teaware will it help me get a Korean girlfriend.

>>17897322
No

>>17897308
These look really nice. Thanks anon. I'll give it a look.

>>17896654
Yes, microwaves have been endorsed by James Hoffmeme and David Chang. It's fast, easy, it works.

>>17897204
Ebay, french porcelain, or old english bone china

Anybody like making peace shortbread to accompany with some good tea? Gonna enjoy these with some loose earl gray

>>17897676
I think you mirrored the design

>>17897676
Bless be bless be

>>17897792
Neato. Mine are always one big loaf that gets sliced into boring old finger shapes.

>>17897676
lel

>>17897811
Thanks lad, I used to make em simple but the cookie batter is so easy to make little designs on, so I thought might as well

bump

>>17899232
Proves this is an American thread
dies when it's nightime in America and needs bumps

What are some great china teas for someone who always drank yorkshire or earl gray? Can they be drank with a little sugar? I've only ever had japanese green tea but just tasted like wood

>>17899637
Chinese black tea. In particular I'd try zheng shan xiao zhong and any bud-heavy yunnan black tea. Keemun (Qimen) might also be your thing. You can add sugar but I recommend not doing so.

>>17899477
Well, tea gags are pretty fucking gay so you may be right.

>>17899477
We have more than one time zone in the USA, retard.
Bet you’re a West coast faggot.

>>17899776
that bump was midnight EST, definitively nighttime

>>17899755
Thanks m8, are oolongs tasty as well? I tried big red robe and was not a fan. I recently bought a gaiwan, I'd like to try the duck shit one

the puerh i ordered from yeeontea finally arrived after being stuck in my country's customs for 2 weeks. the cellar smell of them is very unique and different from any other aged tea i've had. will try them later but i dont think i will post tasting notes until i've had more sessions.

>>17899839
Yes. Try other yancha, not just big red robe, I can recommend shui xian in particular. Duck shit is classic. Also for a different experience to other oolong try tieguanyin.

Why do people here say the pastebin instructions for how much time and amount of tea to use suck? Ive been using them for a while and i dont think its that bad especially for the puers, maybe other than for oolongs its pretty good.

>>17900692
They're not disgustingly wrong or anything, just broadly incorrect. They don't "suck", but if you're giving someone new to tea guidlines, I wouldn't use those. Realistically you're going to adjust your brewing parameters to your personal preference and to the specific tea you have, but if you're new you don't have a personal preference and don't know what to adjust to get certain flavors, so it's important it be more accurate.

I (different anon) might do something a little fancier this summer, we'll see. The pastebin is pretty good though, and certainly way better than most tea introduction documents you'll find floating around.

>>17900030
Damn i jealous, another fucking month before mine arrives

>>17900692
Pasebin author here, i don't think the instructions for gongfu brewing are an issue, its the western brewing chart that sucks

Is it weird to reuse tea bags? I buy a lot of herbal tea and some chai and I've found they're all good for two to three uses. I'm just worried that if I have company over and they see me reusing tea bags they'll find it off-putting. If I were to serve tea I'd always use a fresh bag, the reused bags are just for myself, but it makes me worried.

>>17901882
It's fine to reuse herbal tea, you can actually simmer many herbal tea bags on the stove for a few minutes to get everything out in one brew. How weird it is or isnt to reuse teabags depends on the state of your place and you general demeanor and the way you carry yourself.
If your kitchen os a fucking mess it will look weird

>>17901629
Is the western style chart oriented for Chinese tea? For black tea it's way different from what I do. It could use some standard teabag advice too.

>>17902119
It's just retared and wrong

I successfully made Hojicha with Sencha twice, and so now I am doing some science. I'll be doing a batch of slightly stale Longjing green tea first, and then I'm going to see what happens if I roast some Shou Mei white tea.

>>17901882
Most bags don't last beyond a single use, at least not to great potency. It's not really 'weird', but it's not really worth the payoff to hold old used bags in my opinion. I reserve my used use leaf in my gaiwan for later infusion or just toss it into my cold infusion jar within my refrigerator if I don't want more. I think if you just want to make the most of your bags, you may be better served by discarding them into a water-filled jar within your refrigerator, and filtering off to drink when you find yourself hot and parched.
>>17902251
Sounds comfy. You can get some really juicy results from simmering a leaf-heavy white such as a shou mei. I usually infuse gently, but there are days when a punchy infusion of white hits well, kind of like when simmering some shou pu'er into a half-syrup. How old is the longjing, though? Of all categories in tea, greens are probably the kind I've ignored the most. Shame too, since I heard the greens this year were particularly excellent.

>>17902301
The longjing is last year's harvest so it's not a fresh harvest. It still has some of the nutty, buttery flavor you'd expect from it but it's a lot more muted than it should be. It's done roasting so I'll probably make a cup of the Hojijing in a bit, and then a cup of the HojiMei.

Unfortunate news; you can't just magically make tea better by roasting it in a pan.
I didn't really get the same result as I did with my Sencha - the Longjing is just sort of a more muted version of itself with a bit of the roasted flavor, it does hit a little different though.
I fucked up the Shoumei because my stove sucks, but the liquor is still a clearish-green color despite burning some of the Shoumei leaves. The flavor isn't good, though. It's deep and syrupy, but not in a really pleasant way.
Overall both teas are still more or less drinkable, but I'm probably going to stick to using Japanese greens (I might try roasting white tea again and babying it to make sure it roasts evenly and has no opportunity to burn, but I imagine the outcome won't actually be much different.)
tl;dr: You can't re-invent the wheel.

>>17878724
what are good daily drivers?
don't want to do black tea anymore, teeth stains and all

>>17900030
well fuck, that ripe puer brick on the top is probably one of the best teas ive ever had. the aging has made the ripe puer soil taste really mellow out, and the cellar taste makes it almost taste like it was smoked. that session alone probably made my whole week, very excited to try the raw cake tmrw.
Thanks to the anons who reccomended this :)

>>17902514
Depends on what kind of flavor you'd like, what type of brewing you'll be doing and how patient you are. I could recommend you pick up a Gunpowder tea, but my experience with them is it's incredibly easy to make a bitter and unsatisfying infusion of Gunpowder and you need to get the water temp and time just right to really enjoy it. On the other hand, it has a lovely flavor when done right and a highish caffeine content so a good black tea replacement, and it has a bit of bitterness like a black tea. I could recommend Chun Mee too but I also found that I needed a few sessions to acquire the taste and enjoy it, but it's usually very cheap. If you want to relax, and don't mind vegetal/seaweed flavors, then a Japanese green like a Sencha is a good choice. Fukamushi will be deeper and smoother with a more vegetable and broth-like flavor whereas I have an Asamushi that has a very sharp and straw-like flavor.
White tea will give you a lighter, more floral flavor. There's a lot of variables to consider with each type of tea. There are also oolongs, something like an Osmanthus Oolong has a very pleasant and flowery flavor to it that's smooth and easy to drink whereas the darker oolongs can have a sharper and more bitter character to them.
You have Hojicha as well for a nice sorta of smoky flavor that I'm not sure I can describe well, and finally you have the ultimate comfort tea in Genmaicha which is just a warm, filling, nutty tea.
There's a ton of depth to try out and I'd probably recommend you see what you can get for small samplers and just try a bit of everything before settling on a new daily drinker.
But if you don't read this long-winded post; I'd recommend Chun Mee. Cheap as shit and usually a pretty decent green tea. Gunpowder if you're drinking black tea for the caffeine kick in the morning (but be ready for bitter as shit tea as you learn to make it right)

>>17902570
Nice im excited for my order to come in.
Glad you are seing the beauty of hk basement funk

>>17902514
tieguanyin preferably roasted

I made cold steeped tea but forgot it in the fridge for a week. It was white tea flavored with mango. Yea I know flavored tea bad but I like it for cold steeping. It smells fine but there are tiny white fuzzy bits floating throughout. Not sure if mold or just the the dissolving. Think its safe to drink?

>>17902773
It's been in the fridge for a week, it's not moldy lmao.
I doubt it's going to taste great but the white bits are probably just hair from the leaves, mold usually forms on top of liquid rather than in it.

>>17902251
i've made hojicha lots of times. i'd be willing to help if u have any questions

>>17878724
You guys never talk about Keemun.
Let's talk about Keemun.
It's one of the finest teas you can drink, one of chinas top 10 teas.
It has a red- orangey, beautiful color and smells rich, fruity and inviting.
The taste is of fruity plum, floral and woody notes. It has a natural sweetness that gives it a distinct, slightly malty taste.
It's the red wine of black teas.

>>17902990
Where can I get it for cheap?

>>17902990
I've never had it, where should i get some?

>>17903017
>>17903000
it doesn't have to be the most expensive tea.
I pay around 8€ for 100g of a very well tasting keemun in EU.

since you are probably US based I spontaneously found this while browsing amazon, the first review makes me think this would be a good purchase for 25$.

https://www.amazon.com/English-Tea-Store-Keemun-Panada/dp/B002MTYPJO/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2Y5XIIAK733V6&keywords=keemun&qid=1653702220&sprefix=keemun%2Caps%2C237&sr=8-5#customerReviews

>>17902990
Keemun's aftertaste lingers for a good while on your tongue, with very subtle and sweet fruity notes, always makes me crave another sip.
I drink mine with a little bit of sugar.

>people buy tea from amazon

Any of you guys been to wing hop fung?

>pre-Qingming Longjing is over $1 a gram
I wish I were rich enough to partake of this level of luxury.

>>17903362
i have no fucking idea where americucks buy their tea.
in EU there is a million different ways to buy it

>>17902990
How good quality of keemun should I get? Is it worth paying premium for?

>>17903392
We got plenty of chinamen to get it from

>>17903410
I haven't had the most expensive ones yet, but from my experience you don't need to pay an arm and a leg for enjoyable Keemun, it's a traditional black tea.
So I'd say start with medium grade or so with good reviews from a reputable seller. Anywhere in the ballpark 15-30$ per 4 ounce will probably be just fine.

>>17897676
Care to share the shortbread recipe?

Just got this order in. Which should I drink?
I been on a heavy Shincha kick this year so probably not going to want either green.

>>17882034
fuck you melanin enriched person, that image is comfy as fuck

For me it's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzs9jGW6g6Y

>>17904189
ai lao is really nice for the price

>>17904156
Pretty much any basic shortbread recipe, only I try not to add too much powdered sugar. It's a great compliment to tea, you should really try making some it's fast and easy
https://preppykitchen.com/shortbread-cookies-recipe/

>>17904550
tyvm anon

>>17904156
Not him but this is a basic recipe by weight plus protips.

1 stick (113g) butter
130g AP flour
50g baker's/caster sugar
Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

Swans Down or White Lily or bleached flour recommended but not required. Or some portion--like 1/3 or 1/4--can be substituted by sweet rice flour AKA mochiko to make it more crumbly.

Butter should be chilled then softened (i.e. 67 degrees.) Scrape the surface to remove yellowed layer if necessary. Dice into cubes before letting it warm up. Probably takes half an hour to soften.

If you need to add salt, put it on a plate then grind it into powder with the bottom of a glass or something.

Cream the butter and sugar and salt together in the mixing bowl. Then incorporate the flour just until it's absorbed.

Roll the dough out flat with a rolling pin. Put it in a baking dish or shiny pan covered with plastic wrap then leave it in the fridge. Start pre-heating the oven to 300 or 325 F, convection setting if available, with rack in the middle.

An hour later take out the dough, throw away the plastic, and punch holes with a fork or make swastikas. Pop it in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test, or the instant you notice browning. As soon as it gets any color it will start browning really rapidly. If it looks yellow it's probably done.

Let it cool for 5 minutes then invert the dish to knock it onto a cutting board. Slice it while it's still warm. It gets crumbly as it cools, don't worry if it seems soft.

>>17904614
Thanks

>>17904614
Based reply, very helpful
>>17904679
Ideally you're gonna want to draw stastikas

>>17904189
Classic 58

is it true that adding milk ruins the health benefits?

>>17905187
What health benifits?

>>17905190
antioxidants and stuff

>>17905187
Yes and it doesn't take any chemical shit for it, milk is just unhealthy.

>>17878724
for someone that it's just starting to enter in the tea world, what would be the first teas that i should buy?

>>17896747
I thought CBD doesn't bind to water.

>>17905691
100g or more of this
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/black-tea-spring-2022/products/high-mountain-red-ai-lao-mountain-black-tea
Sample of this
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/black-tea-spring-2022/products/feng-qing-17-pure-bud-golden-needle-black-tea
Some of this
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/anxi-oolong-tea-tie-guan-yin/products/light-roast-premium-tie-guan-yin-anxi-oolong-tea
A sample or up to 50g of this
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/green-tea-spring-2022/products/premium-grade-dragon-well-tea-from-hangzhou-long-jing-tea?variant=32105650815079
Make sure to check if you qualify for any freebies

>>17905737
It probably doesn't, there isn't enough in there to do anything anyway

>>17904189
>>17904427
I agree. I was really surprised by that one.

Are there any Japanese greens with a wider cut? I enjoy the flavor, but the little leaves they use traditionally get clogged too easily.

It's about time to order tea, isn't it?
I'm still divided on what I want from which sites and what my budget is (shipping from China/Japan is ridiculous)

>>17905772
thank you very much

>>17906181
Yeah its time, anons have been geiing their Japanese greens orders un over the last few weeks. 2022 china looseleaf is in stores.

>>17906207
Cheers

>>17906430
I'm debating waiting to see if local stores get reasonably priced and quality stock in or if I should just eat the cost of shipping.

>>17906626
Where are you? Yunnan sourcing .us got stock and sold it in about 48 hours

>>17906770
C*n*d*

>>17906912
Pretty limited, that capital teas shop in the pastebin will get some sencha and some Chinese tea they might have already. Some people say they are too expensive but at least they are in country. Unfortunately overseas shipping from china and japan are very expensive to the great north compared to the USA right now. So i guess it's kind of pick your poison. I would look at us dealers because shipping from them with be much easier to stomach

>>17906912
Also buy a box of this
https://incense-traditions.ca/shop/tibet/tibetan-therapeutic-and-relaxation-incense/holy-land-incense/
They are the best tibetan incense shop in north america

>>17907042
>US dealers
You would think this logically makes sense, and that an American shop shipping maybe 400km across the border would pay less in shipping than an order being sent from the other side of the world. Unfortunately, that's not the case. American shipping is just as expensive, and it's so bad that some American businesses don't even ship to Canadian addresses even if they're somewhere like New York or Washington. It's cheaper to ship from California to New York than it is to then ship that same package from New York to Ontario.
Living in canada is like living in hell.

>>17907104
Weird, last time i ordered Canada to the US it was maybe $15, and that's including handling from a small business

>>17907048
>Tibetan incense
redpill me on this, what about the sampler collections of 20~ sticks?

>>17907136
I haven't tried the sampler so i can't say, i know holy land is good.
Tibetan incense is in the same style as Japanese incense where its ground up ingredient paste made into sticks. Not like the indian stuff which is usually dipped or sprayed with scented oils.
Anways its nice stuff, usually a base of cedar, lots of juniper berries and frequently spikenard plus whatever else they add to it.
It can be quite potent, and some of it is very far from Western tastes, i got a few sticks of the mandrolling monistary grade 1 with my last order and it stings the nose with the a smell that reminds me of gunpowder.
Any way the more mild sticks tend to be woody and herbal and very pleasing. I usually break a long stick into 4 smaller pices as that's enough to burn at once.
The guy that runs the shop is awesome and really passionate about what he sells. Don't be afraid to email him and ask questions.
Im guessing the samplers he does are on the more accessible side but it can't hurt to ask

why would brittish people post in a tea thread?
do they even drink tea there anymore?
just pensioners right?

I recently made 2.5 gallons of yerba mate to have in my kegerator. My god is it glorious having unlimited, ice cold, mate.

>>17907735
That's a pretty sweet project anon, next do kombucha

Everyone here loves Puerh, but what's the best store for sourcing non-Puerh Chinese teas?
Yunnan?

Ordered my gaiwan, boys. Now I scour for a tea that'll satiate my sweet tooth cause I'm an idiot and think it'll get the job done.

>>17907741
I can't decide between 5 gallons of kombucha or switchel.

>>17907758
Depends on the tea, i would say essence of tea for yancha
Chawang shop for hei cha and more affordable yancha
Purple cloud tea house for liubao
White 2 tea seems to be getting nice spring greens but they are a limited time preorder
Im not really sure for black teas there are a few here and there in the other shops i mentioned but none have as wide a selection as YS.
This is just scratching the surface,

>>17907767
It should work as long as you can cut down the sugar in the rest of your diet / cut out sodas
I havent tried this but it seems to get called sweet frequently
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/black-tea-spring-2022/products/high-mountain-red-ai-lao-mountain-black-tea

I need to start brewing Kombucha/Jun again, it'd be good if I could get it to a soda replacement level.

>>17907741
Nitro yerba mate.

>>17907812
Can't beat it for that price. I'll pull a Slowpoke and try to update when I get it. Thank you.

anyone ordered black tea from KTM?

Finally got some white tea. Very nice.

>>17908044
Ive had some of his mod grade green tea and thought it was good. I also had that xiaguan black tea cake he has which was good. But i haven't had any of his looseleaf black, I'm guessing it's good but i cant be sure

>>17904614
Dough chilling rn

What kinda kettle/teapot should I use? I'm looking to get rid of my plastic lined water boiler.
What do you guys have?

>>17910311
If you are in the usa the cheapest option is one of the secura kettles on amazon or ebay
They are one single piece of stainless steel on the entire inside + stainless steel lid
https://www.amazon.com/Secura-Electric-Stainless-Protection-K15-F1E/dp/B087BRBX4Q/
No idea what to recommend for Europe apparently they arent widely available there

I spent hours looking through gaiwans on Amazon and can't pick one. I'm scared of getting a nice looking one and it'll be trash, so I'd rather get a reliable plain one that an idiot like me can handle. And recommendations for one on Amazon?

>>17910368
I will take a look, i usually recommended cheapies of aliexpress unless there is some reason you cant over from there. One sec

>>17910325
>33 dollars on amazon.com
>180 euros on amazon.de
Jesus Christ. But thanks anon, I'll try to find something similar.
Also what do you recommend for teapot, glass or clay?

>>17910387
For a teapot i for regular western style brewing i recommended a glazed stoneware or ceramic teapot, cheaper the better, 2 cup size something in a design like the English chatsford shape
Make sure it has a removable mesh brew basket
If you are in germany finum might make a glass teapot or brew mug type thing that works well

>>17910368
You want something around this size and price, this is shipping from china anyway unfortunately
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0962W4M5X/

>>17909484
Post result lad

>>17910311
The other guy said a Chatsford and I'd agree, you should be able to get a nice 500ml Chatsford with built in filter basket for a reasonable price. I bought one when I first started brewing tea and it does everything you want it to, although in my opinion brew baskets compress the leaves too much to get optimal flavor so you might eventually move to a Gaiwan or even Grandpa style.

>Trying to clear through my lowest grade white tea I drink casually so I don't feel I am being wasteful.
>Taste is okay, but not great; kind of 'dispirited' overall.
>Remember some people re-roast teas.
>Note that I have a toaster oven I use almost exclusively for delicious bread I can re-purpose.
Anons, this is just slightly mixed low grade white leaf, majority from a shou mei cake I broke up. Dare I attempt to make "bread smell" roasted white? I'd consider pan roasting, but that isn't an option at the moment. So, I think it might be amusing to try this instead.
>Pic related, potential material.

>>17911510
Give it a shot, i would mess around with a few brews worth at a time instead of toasting a bunch.

>>17911448
I don't put the tea leaves in the basket at all. Instead, I dump the leaves directly into the pot then, once it's finished, pour it through the strainer. Brewing with the strainer in seems like it's intended for those big mass market brands that sell loose leaf fannings that look like picrel.

>>17911602
I decided to try it. It's not much, and I've done most of it at 150F. Do you think ~20m at such a temperature would suffice? Already smells nicer than usual, though that may just be the nature of the warm aromatics lifting. This is a pic before going in.

>>17911639
Yeah that makes sense, with big enough leaves they won't really pour out of the neck of the teapot anyway

>>17911658
I dont really know what the optimal time is, if i had to guess it's closer to 5 minutes than 20

Post minor refresher roast, ~20m/150F. Touch more tan. May not need more, rather not go overboard. I'll probably leave it as is and taste in a few hours.

>>17911670
What does it smell like?

>>17911510
Having tried to pan roast white tea, Shou Mei in particular, I would advise against it. It just doesn't sit in the pan right, I think a proper convection oven/toaster oven etc is the way to go.

>>17878724
>Met some Indian dude on a cruise ship
>Told me he lost like 150 lbs drinking green tea and eating apples
>He looked really good/skinny
>Tried drinking green tea to lose weight years ago
>Tasted bland
>Internet says you have to drink like 4-5 cups a day of the stuff
>All grocery store brand green tea tastes disgusting
>Not autistic enough to make fancy/elegant tea

I just don't have that kind of dedication, and even if the green tea weight loss thing is a meme, I'd still like to experiment with it. I just wish the tea was tastier or had a taste profile to it. Last time I made it, it was just like drinking really hot water, like can I put some fucking honey or stavia in it?

>>17911766
Your problem is you're making grocery store green tea with boiling fucking water.
Making real green tea is incredibly simple, and if you can't handle using a finium basket in your cup to make loose leaf in a cup with water that has been allowed to cool for a few minutes because that's "too autistic" then I don't know what to tell you.
Making loose leaf tea is not complicated or difficult, especially if you have the budget for an electric kettle with a thermostat so you can heat water below boiling without any real effort.
Anyways to start with, take your grocery store tea bag and steep it in a little more than a cup of water that's been allowed to rest at least 3-5 minutes after being boiled in your kettle. The longer you steep the more flavor you'll get, but you're also going to get a lot of bitterness if you let it steep too long. That part you're going to have to experiment with.
>can I add honey
Sure, just keep in mind that's calories so the "weight loss" part is going out the window.

>>17911812
I just need it to taste better or have a flavor profile, it has no fucking taste, anon. You're telling me if I steep it longer and get an electric kettle it'll taste better? And I can do this with grocery store green tea? Not fancy green tea? I just figured all grocery store brand tea sucks ass and you gotta get the high quality expensive fancy stuff from a hippie store.

>>17911766
The weight loss effect is purely from substituting corn syrup soda and cheese-flavored chips with zero calorie tea. It can be any color of tea. You can add stevia or even a little bit of honey. As long as you don't go full southern sweet tea. Realistically, 15 calories from honey isn't going to hurt if you fill your tummy up or distracted yourself from eating something. I also suggest adding a tiny bit of salt, just a few granules.

>>17911829
Yeah see I figured this as well, surely a tiny bit of honey or stevia wouldn't be fattening or offset the weight loss effect as long as you don't add a lot, never heard of adding salt to tea, but I'll have to try it.

>>17911824
The tea bag stuff you're buying from the grocery store is calling "fannings" and it's tiny shreds of low to medium quality green tea packaged into a bag. This lets it steep really quickly, because there's a ton of surface area. All tea has something called tannins in it, and the longer you steep (and the hotter) the more tannins get released leading to a bitter flavor. Generally speaking if you use "cooler" water (granted, you want water at 75-80c which is still hot as fuck) it means you get less tannins and less bitterness. I started with grocery store green tea, and eventually I refined it to have a decent taste with a sharp but not overwhelming bitterness just by using water at around 80c and steeping for about a minute in about 300ml of water. You are only going to get so far with cheap grocery store tea bags though.
if you want to go further, and get real flavor, you have to toss aside your misconceptions and try to find a real tea store (not some overpriced hippy garbage with flavored tea) and make the leap to loose leaf. I am drinking a Sencha right now (Japanese green tea) that has a very strong and distinct straw flavor to it. My process is spoon about 5g of it into a lidded cup called a Gaiwan (you could just put it in a mesh basket), pour water heated to about 75c in my temperature controlled kettle into that cup and wait roughly a minute, and then pour that cup (using the lid to keep the leaves in it) into another cup that I drink from. The entire process of making a cup of tea takes about 3 or 4 minutes including the time it takes the water to boil, and then I can make another 4-5 cups before the leaves start to lose flavor with about 1-2 minutes to make each cup. It really isn't that much more effort than using teabags. And again, you can just get a brew basket where you put the basket in your cup, pour water into your cup, wait a minute and then pull the basket out of your cup.

>>17911843
I doubt my city has a tea shop, and I'm not driving out of the way for good quality tea. I'll just add a small amount of honey or stevia into it and see if I can give it a flavor profile. I highly doubt a tiny bit of stevia or honey will ruin the weight loss effect.

>>17911851
Who knows, I live in a tiny shithole in the middle of nowhere and even I have a decent tea shop. There's also plenty of decent online options if you're American.

>>17911851
Not that anon, but check around. Some brick and mortar tea stores deliver. Granted, I'm next to a major city, so take that with a grain of salt.

>>17911836
In isolation, sugar is calories, but when observing real human behavior nobody gets fat drinking tea all day. When I say I add salt I mean more as a water enhancement than to make it taste salty, like how beer has 10 or 15 milligrams of sodium. Also I mix 10% MSG into my salt.

I want to make a DIY russian caravan blend.
I read somewhere it's 2 part keemun, 2 part da hong pao, and 1 part smoky lapsong.
Any tips for Russian Caravan or blending in general?

>>17911733
Dry leaf smells somewhat sweeter and more 'honey' than it did before. Less stale. The infused leaf smells better now too, having a more forward "low toast and honey" quality than before, but it isn't obscenely drastic; maybe just 'cleaner', if that makes sense. The liquor smells juicier, maybe in a buttery way. The liquor seems smoother than I recall, possibly a bit sweeter, perhaps more toasted-bread focused, but still fairly plain overall. It may also be placebo, but it almost seems more astringent in my throat, oddly enough. Seems to do best with fairly low infusions in its current state. It's not especially excellent leaf in the first place, so it seems there's only so much that can be done, but doing just this little bit seems to have dusted it off just barely enough to be inoffensive, which is nice.
>>17911762
I went with the toaster oven at roughly 150F/20m. Maybe have been better off with more or less, but it does seem better than it was initially. Still not amazing leaf, and I wouldn't do this to anything I intended to age, but it's fine as it is to drink casually now.

I got a coffee press from someone. Are they any good for tea? Do they affect the taste in any way?

behold the cast iron cuppa

>>17912087
4 parts keemun, 2 part lapsang (or more if not heavily smoked), 2-3 part generic roasted oolong, 1 part or less generic ripe puerh, add additional black teas to flavor. can't go wrong with extra keemun. pic related

>>17907730
Average age group in this thread is usually 100+ years old, anon

>>17912594
They don't affect the taste but some say the plunger ruins the leaves if you push it down to the bottom. If you want to be sure that doesn't happen,do like Hoffmann does when he uses it to brew coffee, you can check his video but basically he pushes the plunger until it sits atop the water, and it filters just fine.

>>17912594
i used to use one as a chahai for my gaiwan by just taking the lid off. if you just use the strainer to make the tea leaves not fall out while pouring and dont crush the leaves then it works well for brewing too.

pill me out of buying the bonovita 1L kettle

Does anyone have any recipes for cold brewing young sheng puer?

>>17912727
Yeah I think I'm one the younger posters in this thread at 87.

>>17912727
Just look at all that beautiful tea

>>17913138
It's a pretty decent one to get, 1L is a bit on the smaller side but the 1.5 has been out of stock for years at this point

Anyone else drink Mao Jian for allergies? I find it works surprisingly well for me, it's like an allergy pill but not quite as extreme, it still makes me a little drowsy because it's acting as an anti-histamine, but a few cups clears my allergies up.

>>17912612
i really like the style of these, is that an alcohol stove at the bottom or something?

>>17914195
>>17914195
>>17914195
>>17914195
>>17914195