/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Is using boveda packs for cakes I'm going to drink within a year overkill?
Surely if they're sitting in mylar they'll be fine without extra hydration?

>>20130375
>Is using boveda packs for cakes I'm going to drink within a year overkill?
It wont hurt but is probably unnecessary.

Reposting for new thread
>>20130436
Ive been posting about how i just put an order in with https://www.teahome.com/
They do all Taiwanese oolongs at very appealing price points. So i haven't gotten my order in yet but i know the teadb guys on youtube like this vendor.
The website can be a bit confusing but i just use some chromium based browser with their translate function.
Most of their teas are less then $15 for 150g and they charged me about $12 shipping for a 450g order.
They do only ship to limited countries but the US and Germany are included.
When you check out they calculate shipping and then send you a total and a payment link via email.
Lol i missed you said you were looking at teahome already.
Anyway if you want cheap and drinkable taiwan oolongs with some roast they are probably the way to go.
You probably want oolongs in the 20%-45% roast range. Unless you want the real tosty stuff.

I am intrigued by this. Wistaria are a Taiwan teahouse I've been eyeing up lately but they have a Paris shop too. Maybe I'll fork out for 25g. I wonder if it's legit but the guys on teaforum seem to think so, even if it's not the greatest stuff it'd be fun to try.
https://wistariaparis.com/produit/pu-erh-1960/

>>20130471
Thanks again, anon! I'll probably go with Teahome and try that Tungting you got and toss in a few others. Their Shanlinxi looks interesting too.

Hey /tea/ I quit my job so I'm back on the leaf extract
What are we drinking today?

>>20130494
They also have another version of that tung ting made with their own organic oolong thats cheaper.
The ancient or paleozoic (depending on what kinda mood google translate is in) roasted oolong from this page.
I didn't notice this till after i ordered.
https://www.teahome.com/product/uptea/

>>20130519
Ooo I'm just kind of stumbling around their site using google translate reading descriptions, but that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. Much appreciated

>>20130503
>least eclectic /tea/ poster

>>20130539
Nothing wrong with Assam Souchong, anon.

>get home from work at 4pm
>want to enjoy tea
>can't fall asleep at my bedtime (1030pm) if I indulge
I can only drink on the weekends. Anybody have a similar situation?

Some anon here said this was good right?
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/shudaizi-2020-bingdao-raw-puer-ba-wai-ancient-tea-tree-sheng-puerh-200g
I wonder how it compares to FL offerings

>>20130568
>>/ck/thread/18754590#p18768145
>>/ck/thread/18754590#p18770703
Yep seems like it's bretty good.

>>20130568
>>/ck/thread/18754590#p18770516
>>/ck/thread/18754590#p18770703
Yep seems like it's bretty good.

>>20130503
Drinking the classic myself

>>20130503
A comfy pot of sideritis for a comfy evening

>>20130760
Damn that greek mountain tea is so photogenic

>>20130503
For me its cheap xiaguan tuo

>>20130827
For me its cheap tibet brick.

>>20130898
Is the tibet brick smokey? Is it like the typical rough factory tea or is it lighter tasting?

>>20130905
Theres a bit of smoke. I haven't had too many other xiaguan raws though, just a few random samples from tea-expert. Everyone else says its got the classic smoky xiaguan house taste.

Follow up from last thread. This is what I decided to order. I heard dragon tea being mentioned when I first ordered so I went with them.
surely you cannot order anything thats too wrong if you dont know what you're doing...

>>20130981
That's a good variety of stuff. You won't be bored

I don't really like the Jingmai Miyun

>>20130503
>What are we drinking today?
Some awa-bancha from Thes Du Japon.

>Nightcap
Nice, I just got a tin of H&H WhiteKnight myself.

>>20131247
I thought it was unremarkable

>>20131247
I drank some today and quite liked it. Although it wasn’t too interesting. What year were you drinking. I had the 2021

>>20131396
Last year's. There's a strange minerality to it. I'll let it sit for a while and come back to it another day.

>>20131396
I had the 2023
It wasn't bad or unpleasant in anyway. I was mostly disappointed because i wanted to like it and buy a cake but i just found it a bit bland.
I imagine its been better other years
I get the impression that 2023 was a bit of a shitty year for tea on jingmai

>>20131401
>There's a strange minerality to it.
It's literally all minerality, it's pretty much 100% mineral notes.

Thoughts on adding matcha to overnight oats? Sounds unpleasant.

puer is fucking ridiculous, how the hell did i end up drinking this stuff?
i love it

>>20130232
how the fuck do i buy this tea

>>20131963
Ebay?

>>20130981
looks good. dragon tea house has some random really badly priced items, but you seem to have avoided those

>>20131247
>>20131396
>>20131499
I got two free samples of the 2022 and I thought it was really boring. no stand-out qualities at all. the Bangwai small trees was kind of similar but better and cheaper too

>>20130312
Drinking some Vahdam Earl Grey this morning with breakfast, got a job interview in 3 hours so need the juice

>>20132197
He went with the cheap stuff, good instincts there for sure

>>20132725
good luck anon

>>20131648
Then that's probably my gripe. It's like sucking on stones with a small tuft of grass stuck between them.

>>20132764
>The whole experience feels very mineral, like sucking on a rock.
to be fair, the description explicitly states this

Saw somebody ask about teapots with removable strainers in the last thread and someone else recommended this Bodum.
Thinking of getting one myself but I can't find the 0.5l anywhere in Europe. Not too sure about a plastic filter either.
Can anyone else point me to a similar product or recommend their own teapots?

>>20132881
The 0.5l model is on their website for sale but maybe you can find it elsewhere cheaper
https://www.bodum.com/de/de/12030-16-chambord

>Not too sure about a plastic filter either.
current gen has a metal mesh filter

>>20132958
Very nice, I'll look around for a cheaper price now that I have the full product name/serial number.
Seems like it's the best one for what I want and I've had Bodum stuff in the past without issue.

>current gen has a metal mesh filter
I had no idea they had a newer model with metal so this kind of decided for me. The whole plastic thing doesn't sit well with me for something that's going to be immersed in water for a long time over its life.

>>20132764
Where can I buy "zunyi" black tea or something similar?
I've tried bunch of black teas and all of them were worse.
I'm searching for that chocolate+dried apricots flavour.

>>20133014
Fuck didn't want to quote anyone. Sorry.

>>20133014
Dunno anything about it but tea expert has one called this.
https://tea-expert.net/zun-yi-hong-cha-2018

>>20132981
>The whole plastic thing doesn't sit well with me for something that's going to be immersed in water for a long time over its life.
Good, plastic and water suck together. I don't know about some of you anons but I've noticed it definitely flavors water sometimes.

What is a good naturally sweet tea that isn't just herbal?
I love hibiscus and honeybush, but I'm looking to expand the selection a bit.

>>20133089
some oolongs and white teas, but not universally. Honey Nin'ger is obviously a bit sweet but not extremely so, just subtlely. Anything grown in soil with heavy lead contamination is sweet

>>20132855
It's appealing in theory. That and being the flagship Jingmai tea FL offers drew me to it.
I think it needs to be blended with something. I'm not sure what, but I'll let you know when I am.

>>20133095
I'm fine with subtle, I don't like using sweeteners at all so something that has that natural taste is enjoyable.
>Anything grown in soil with heavy lead contamination is sweet
Well, thank you for that update but I feel that I've grown past my age of eating paint chips. I'll keep this in mind

>>20133061
The longer it sits in plastic and the warmer the temp, the more noticeable it is. But there is definitely a distinct flavor to plasticked water.

>>20133061
>I don't know about some of you anons but I've noticed it definitely flavors water sometimes.

It absolutely does in my experience. Forgetting the whole microplastics thing, it still makes coffee and tea taste much worse, especially over time.

>>20133089
I think white teas are almost always sweet
Many other teas have some type of sweetnes to them too, there are actually different types of sweetness. The caramel thing some roasted oolongs can have, the honey or chocolate elements of good Chinese blacks, the vanilic sweetness that's sometimes present in ripe pu-erh, the roasted nuts and white chocolate thing you can get from good longjing...

Why is this thread so dead now? It used to be popping

>>20133893
have had no time to drink tea recently :(
mostly just been grandpa brewing medium aged factory shengs

>>20133893
Threads used to last for over a week bwfore hitting bump limit. The activity comes and goes.
I was drinking lao man e today, good stuff, nice and exciting

>>20133893
I ran out of new stuff I want to talk about for the time being. It's a while till I'm buying again.
Though I was snooping about fullchea earlier and found this cake, I think I'll try it in a month or so when my factory shu should be getting low. Anyone had it?
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/mengku-rongshi-2016-shu-pu-erh-tea-muyechun-gongting-puer-palace-puer-cake-400g

>>20133947
Haven't tried it, its worth mentioning that cakes with that abstract brid/tree logo or whatever the hell it is are made by a different factory then the main mengku rongshi factory on mengku, i think the other factory is on yongde. I haven't tried any of the productions from them, i probably should hurry up and get one.

>>20133962
The only ripe of theirs I've tried was a sample of that bo jun, which was from the main mengku factory I believe, but I'm curious if any of that cake is rongshi's "house taste" and could be gotten a bit cheaper.
We'll see I guess. They're quite an interesting factory to me. I guess there must be some differences between the yongde and mengku branches since they make a point of displaying it.

>>20133893
Been kind of busy lately so I have not been posting mutch, I still skim the threads however. Had some FL yingpan shan black today.

>>20133893
The puer lesbians tend to break up in the winter and stop posting. It picks back up in the spring when they find new /tea/ gfs. /tea/ women are very in touch with the seasons.

>>20134533
my wife

Yup, time for milk tea.

>>20134995
Where's the milk? Hammered glass is so pretty.

This thread always has the most shit teas and trash recommendations.
It's no surprise my clan will completely destroy yours soon.

>>20135445
>tea posters who don't even know a single growing estate
http://thiashola.in/
Just showing my power level. It's not personal when I destroy you.

>tfw 100g of good stuff can easily be 25 eur
>for the same price I can get a whole kilogram of assam tea from Ahmad
Wish I weren't poor. Guess I'll be drinking generic CTC black teas for the foreseeable future...

>>20135711
tea is a pretty cheap indulgence compared to everything else. 100 cups of delicious tea for 25 euro is not that bad, comes out to 25 cents per gram... considering that a cup of shitty death roast coffee at starbucks will cost you at least 5 Euro it's not too bad

that being said, you can get some more interesting and tasty teas on the cheap too.
http://www.pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=796
http://www.pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=53

for example, this 30$ haul from Awazon will give you 1.5kg of tasty pu-erh tea in two different varieties, as recommended by anons ITT. shipping price not included

SOVL vs SOVLLESS

>>20135972
It's true, when I see a sales pitch like the bottom my brain instantly filters it and discards it as falsehood

I've just finished the first full-size pu-erh cake I ever bought, a Haiwan 9978
goodbye old friend!

opinions?

Sipping the "Big White Pekoe" sheng from moychay,nl today. It was cheap and I didn't have great expectations but it's a really nice tea, especially considering the price and the age (~5 years, the "awkward age"). Lots of melon, balance of bitter and sweet.

>>20130760
Ever try it gongfu? That really brings out the buttery notes, and is good for quite a few infusions. I rarely brew the stuff "Western" style any more.
Some other herbals that actually kick ass gongfu:
>Jujube leaf
>Jiaogulan
>Ivan Chai
>Kudingcha
Anyone have others?

>>20133089
All the big categories can potentially be sweet. Silver needle is consistently sweet, as is gyokuro. I had a Taiwanese yellow tea that tasted just like a Snickerdoodle.

Think I'm finally gonna bite the bullet and buy some samplers from Yunnan Sourcing. Mostly just been drinking Tieguanyin, Silver Needle, and an oolong blend that a local teashop makes but not much outside of those. Really wanna broaden my horizons.

>>20136063
>I had a Taiwanese yellow tea that tasted just like a Snickerdoodle
I have a cheap Chinese yellow tea that legit smells a lot like Nutella. tastes kind of like that too, though more like a dark chocolate with orange if you brew it strong. has a bit of a green teaish tang you get in some cheaper green teas like gunpowder
yellow tea seems like an odd genre

>>20136063
I usually simmer it, which is kinda the opposite of gong fu. It tends to mute the high notes a bit but bring out the sweetness. I don't really bother with proper western style either, it seems like a worse version of simmering when there's no bitterness you need to avoid extracting.
I'll give it a go gong fu style tonight, it sounds good. I've totally neglected trying my herbals that way. I do like sitting down with a fat pot of tea and doing some studying though.

>>20136074
Nice. Feel free to post what you picked if you want some input.

>>20136074
Looking at this oolong sample set along with the Puer sample set, I really want to try Da Hong Pao since I've heard good DA Hong Pao is really tasty, but I'm far MORE curious about "King of Duck Shit Aroma"

>>20135899
Good prices, but
>shipped from china
I'm afraid shipping+customs would make that expensive. Also, I do still have some various puerhs and other teas in my cupboard from my last big order. I'll just have to settle for this generic brand assam as my daily drinker for now to save money. I'm actually sipping on it right now. It's not bad.

>>20131799
it could be if your using the good stuff

>>20136095
Seems like a good sampler. The hairy crab is bretty good, the duck shit is nice, I've heard praise for the Honey Orchid one. I can believe the 13 year da hong pao is good, I tried the wild da hong pao from YS and it was great, similar price bracket. Good rock oolong is expensive but man is it tasty.

>>20136151
I'll give it a go, then. Should be nice.

Why is it called duck shit though

>>20130312
Decided to Gong Fu this morning since I'm going to work on a book today.
Drinking 2018 Year of the Dog Blue Label Ripe this morning
Very mellow with a slight bitter flavor that isn't overwhelming, creamy texture and a nice subtle sweet back of the mouth notes that are reminiscent of cherries. A very mild wood flavor as well that is hard to pick up. Not a very complex tea but enjoyable enough.
>160 ml Gaiwan
>12 grams tea
>85C brew temp
>20 second wash +5 seconds each brew

What teas should I order from taobao?

>>20136214
Those that cost 1/3 of KTM price. Rest will fuck you on shipping and import taxes so it's not worth it.

>>20136191
how does this compare to big factory ripes, like Dayi or the Haiwan I finished off today?
I assume it's not worth the 70$ it goes for today because of the steep YS yearly price increase policy?

>>20136261
It's very mid-tier. It's one of my least favorite puerhs I have, even from among the YS selections. It's not bad just really subtle and mild to the point I'd rather have something else. I've had it for a long time though, since 2019, so it was cheaper when I got it. Though that should tell you how little I drink it if the puck is still so round and full after 5 years.
It's not even the best one I've had from them, Ba Da Mountain or the sleeping elephants ones are tremendously better.
Though I'm mostly a specialty green tea consumer so my tastes are not universal. I'm just waiting for the next harvest when I can get the teas I really want.

>>20136287
I've heard good things about the happy elephants cake. I hear it's particularly creamy or milky? price is not too bad either
>Though I'm mostly a specialty green tea consumer
interesting. what green teas do you prefer to consoom?

>>20136165
Some chinese guy said his tea trees were covered in duck shit to scare people away from the area, or something like that.

>>20136165
there are different versions of the story, but supposedly it was a deliberately unappealing codeword name of sorts, to prevent the tea from being stolen
you know - "oh, those trees? that's the duck shit varietal, nothing to see here." "what are we transporting? oh, just duck shit."

>>20136299
I tend to buy a ton of different senchas/shinchas around the japanese harvest from different cultivars in different farming regions and estates and compare them. I need a notebook to keep track of it at some point but I just do it for fun. I also like matcha but thats too expensive to do a huge comparison.
I drink, of course, (relatively) cheaper longjings around the $0.65 a gram rangeand try to get some chinese stuff too, particularly because their leaf isn't broken so it's easy to gong-fu them instead of using a tokoname dedicated to them or my dedicated gyokuro shiboridashi. My tokoname is pretty well seasoned at this point which takes forever compared to zuni clay, but I'm still working on seasoning my shiboridashi because gyokuro is too expensive and absolutely decadent to consume more than a few times a year. I know its not bad like a dessert or something but it's just so rich I feel its more for occasions (which tend to become on major church holidays for me) and I like to drink it out of my fine crystal stemware just to indulge more.
Otherwise I don't really like hojicha at all, genmaicha is very mid and feels like a waste of a tea session entirely, and I really can't get into indian greens. Usually get a few kilograms of sencha and shincha, 100 to 200 grams gyokuro, 200 to 300 grams matcha, 300 longjing, and like 4 other chinese greens at 50 to 100 grams each.

Debating on getting a gyokuro right now actually, my birthday is coming up next month and would be nice, but I'm also planning on a hot springs soak and doing some mushrooms (legal here) so I am also thinking it'll make me vomit if I combine all 3

Need a recommendation, what actually matters for a good matcha set? Don't mind if it's pricey, just curious at what price point they shift from truly making higher quality matcha to being purely for the novelty.

>>20136353
>a few kilograms of sencha and shincha
damn, that's a shitton of japanese greens
any recommendations for websites or outstandingly good value offerings? I really enjoy japanese greens, but buying them is annoying because the sites I usually buy from focus on Chinese tea
I only ordered from Japan once, from O-Cha and the tea was good, but the shipping and VAT was expensive, so I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble compared to just buying whatever the local EU stores have

>>20136371
the whisk and the sifter are the only two pieces of gear that matter. Bamboo whisk (please take care of it, it's not hard) is really really superior for making froth to anything metal or mechanic, and the sift keeps it from clumping. I suppose a temperature controlled kettle too if you dont have one but it's not strictly necessary you can just transfer water between vessels to cool it like they traditionally did. Just use a typical cereal bowl if you don't want a nice matcha bowl, and the scoop is inaccurate to begin with so just do like a 1/2 teaspoon of powder or something into the sift and sift it into the bowl.

>>20136353
Have you looked into Korean/Vietnamese green teas? From my limited sampling, they seem to split the difference between Chinese greens and Japanese greens.

>>20136400
I'm American so I don't have to deal with the weird EU importing problems. Ippodo is where I go for matcha and their annual shincha offering is superb. It has a US based store though so that helps me a lot. O-Cha is great honestly, yuuki-cha is okay for some niche stuff but I get sketched out by them since they don't update their site often. Tezumi has pretty good japanese teaware and I've had some of their sencha and its okay. Most anything else is too niche and focused and therefore expensive to really recommend and I don't really care for them.

>LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR NATIONAL BEVERAGE

>>20136059
cute press release
a trump white house would have no sense of humour about things like this
wtf im ridin wit bidin now

>>20136420
Salt might be alright if there's milk in there I guess. The Tibetans do it with their mulch.

>>20136420
>no sense of humor
Hmm

>>20136326
>>20136345
Huh. Never would've thought that, tea culture sure is interesting, can't wait to have the delicious taste of duck shit

>>20136447
get a cheap gaiwan or small pot if you don't have one yet. I think YS has a promo for a free one for orders over a certain price
dan cong and wu yi oolongs can be annoying to brew and the traditional and generally recommended way to make them is gong fu brewing

>>20136405
Cool thanks, will treat my whisk right. Will also probably get a nice looking bowl for the appeal.

>>20136432
ok this was pretty cool

still, i just can't see his white house putting out that kinda tea statement condemning that rogue scientist
trump would be like
>oy vey, lotta limeys talking bad about a great AMERICAN scientist. Britain is great but America is GREATER. Don't forget who kicked your ass in the revolutionary war and who saved your ass (TWICE!) in the world wars!

>>20136504
People complain about the whisks because they're lazy or use down syndrome strength on them. You just have to not beat the crap out of them when you whisk and wash them off and let them dry on the whisk stand thing right after you're done using it and they last for a long time. Even the cheap chinese ones you can find anywhere for $20 will last you a decade or two or even longer if you just don't beat it up and you wash it every time. Those specialty hand crafted by a 90 year old mountaintop shinto priest at a sacred hot springs who trained for 60 years before he made his first cut whisks are actually a bit better at frothing but not extremely so and will last longer than chinese ones if you treat them the exact same since the grain in the bamboo is considered a lot more, but really you don't need one and I'm going to venture to say even the majority of japanese people who are into matcha get cheap made in china whisks too.

>>20136432
Trashy as fuck.
Serving MacDonald's, in the white house, under the Lincoln portrait did more damage to America's international credibility than the mai lai massacre.

Embarrassing.

>>20136528
Eat the goyslop spics.

>>20136528
Who cares what Europeans think, it's the Pacific century, the age of the Atlantic is over. Chinese, Japs, Koreans, and Vietcong would appreciate the humor of the moment

>>20136505
oh wait, just realised it was the US embassy in London that put out that release, not the white house. so who's president is irrelevant. guess I'm back to being a drumpfmissile!

>The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way - by microwaving it.
kek
i wonder if they deliberately designed their new embassy building to only supply 120v inside

>>20136420
The Tea thing is cringe humor and fits right in with the current cringe administration.

>>20136587
anyway, i might as well contribute to some tea talk. i just went through a few months of having loose leaf tea. ahmad tea. first went through a 500g box of that English breakfast blend. after that i went through a 500g box of their darjeeling - which i didn't like by itself, only part of the spectrum, so went and bought some cheaper supermarket loose leaf assam and ceylon and mixed out in to rebalance it. made them in little cheap tea strainers i got off aliexpress, let em steep in the mug in that for 5 mins, then just lift it out, bit o milk, microwave to bring it back up to piping hot. a few thoughts

1) i liked my own janky eng breakfast blend better than their eng breakfast blend. even their blend was ultimately too delicate, too floral. but when i mixed their dajeeling with cheaper supermarket loose assam and ceylon, or had more edge, more bite, more energy, more body. and gave more of a buzz.

2) the ratio i did was either 1/3 the darjeeling and 2/3 the assam
or 1/3 Darjeeling, 1/3 ceylon, 1/3 Assam
honestly not much difference between them.
those loose teas were the 'extra specialc ranges from either Sainsbury's or Morrisons

3) you could definitely see the difference in 'quality' between ahmad loose and the other loose i bought. ahmad glorious big leaves that really bloom to almost look like seaweed in the end. other supermarket loose teas very small and a bit powdery, almost the stuff you get in the bags.
having said that, like i said i liked my blend using 2/3 of those better, so i question the value of that 'quality'

4) in the end i decided loose leaf is too much work in cleanup to bother with, every night, squeezing and cleaning out the little steepers. can't be fookin bovvad any more. so back to bags. found a box of Yorkshire id forgotten about at the back of my cupboard. drinking it now good shit, always a safe bet. might try aldi or lidls special range teabags if they have them next. or just their normal gold or red label even.

too much offtopic American politics, not enough glazeposting

>>20136600
Ahmad is decent value for supermarket Indian black tea
but I much prefer to be chinkpilled with Chinese black teas. all the sweetness, chocolate, honey flavors are far beyond any Indian black tea I've ever had. admittedly, the prices are also higher for the good stuff

>>20136214
>What teas should I order from taobao?
Modern xiaguan speical single cillage type productions, liubao, the 2011 mengku rongshi 88 tribute brick, seriously if you can find pic related for less then and you like 7542 $150 buy it, its the best version of that plummy 7542 sheng taste ive ever had.

>>20136605
Just a little bantz. All in good faith.

>>20136673
>single cillage type
Single village/mountain
Stuff like these
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2021-xiaguan/products/2021-xiaguan-xiao-hu-sai-gu-shu-xiaohusai-village-old-tree-mengku-lincang-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2020-xiaguan/products/2020-xiaguan-dong-guo-lao-shu-yuan-cha-dongguo-old-tree-round-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
And also maybe some of the 12 million cabbage cakes that xiaguan has made.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/2020-xiaguan/products/2020-xiaguan-da-bai-cai-6-star-big-cabbage-cake-357g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
I agree with the other anon, cross reference prices on king tea mall for a base line.
Its easy to buy from official taobao/tmall factory shops but they usually keep prices higher then distributors
If you just wanna fuck around and try a bunch of cheap tea get some cakes from tea nerd / dr puer they do all kinds of interesting packages, kilos od loose maocha, kilo colums of tea, tea pressed in bamboo, baskets of mini cakes, they make a lot of pretty cheap tea that seems perfectly good if you don't mind that their origin claims are a bit embellished.
https://m.grandnesstea.com/2018-Dr-Pu-er-Tea-Snowy-Silver-Buds-China-Yunnan-Pu-erh-Pu-er-Tea-Cake-Raw-200g-p91981.html

>>20136738
I've heard some good stuff about that Xiaguan Dong Guo
I wonder how similar it is to the Farmerleaf Dong Guo I've tried. That one was very lemony and quite astringent.

>jannies remove a few friendly political jabs faster than Paolo's tantrums
Lighten up FFS. It was already over.

>>20136605
Does this count as glaze? I have no idea but I really want this fuckin fish cup.

>>20136762
I drank it winter 2022. Can't compare it to the farmer leaf but to me it was a pretty typical mengku profile, some short lived bitterness and frutyness. I didn't get that intense lemon citrus profile people mentioned in the farmer leaf tea. I enjoyed it. Farmer leaf talks about how there are farms on dong guo that make lots of tea for the big factories and im sure that's where xiaguan got their so more on the bush tree side then the stuff that farmer leaf likes to stock, probably all processed in the sha quing machines instead of by hand.
Haiwan also dig a dong guo tea that year. If i had more money to burn i would have gotten all three so i could compare them

>>20136825
looks totally glaze
got dat Hagi drip, you mirin?

>>20136825
When I was looking for a gaiwan on ali, I found some koi carp one that made me laught.
Sadly I lost that link and went with something else.

>>20136837
Look at that subtle off-white colouring... The tasteful thickness of it...

>>20136846
I tried searching but my aliexpress search results are polluted with dildos and fleshlights for some reason I'll have to do it later. But thanks for the heads up anon, a good koi cup might hit the spot.

>>20136864
Yeah aliexpress is weird, lots of good teaware on there but getting ali to show the good stuff to you is another matter.

I captured this jizz cup in the wild at the local thrift store. Looks like some local rookie made it, bought it for the lulz. I use it to measure out tea leaves and not for drinking. Hard to see in the picture but the base is not perfectly flat so the whole thing has a slight tilt

>>20136825
>Does this count as glaze?
yes

Is it just me or does all wild sheng taste like purple and not much else? I might have to get some more standard stuff come spring.

How much would you guys pay for Japanese green tea on a per gram basis? I'm trying to figure out if I could run a little import outfit selling my parents-in-laws tea in Europe.

>>20136992
The purple tea all tastes like purple. If by wild sheng you mean the non assimica varietal with the big ass leaves that's purple then yeah its all kind of samey. There is a reason why factories like xiaguan could churn out almost yearly productions of that tea which is all big old ass treess from the middle of nowhere in the forest and sell it as cheap as they did. https://kingteamall.com/collections/2012-xiaguan/products/2012-xiaguan-sheng-tai-lao-shu-organic-old-tree-250g-puerh-sheng-cha-raw-tea?variant=31279129034855

>>20136914
Looks nice, what's the inside like? To me it's fun to have stuff made by locals even if objectively the quality isn't as high.

>>20137013
30eur/100g maximum personally. Would have to be very good.

why didn't you fuckers tell me puer would make my tummy hurty.

>>20137013
Wouldn't pay more than 25 cents for a gram of Sencha. I'm more interested in value japanese greens though, would love to buy some sub 15 cent sencha from a family business.

>>20137094
I always eat something before drinking puer
Ripe puer is usually easier on the stomach.
Well aged puer too

>>20137094
Sheng on an empty stomach is a bad idea, everyone says this.

>>20136914
Smooth it out with some sandpaper.

>>20136353
>I drink, of course, (relatively) cheaper longjings around the $0.65 a gram range
So you roll $6 per liter, when you drink a 'relatively cheap' tea? nice b8

>>20137094
Drink a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar beforehand on an empty stomach to avoid it hurting.

I’m drinking puerh tea for the first time.

>>20137090
>>20137099
20 - 30 / 100g. That sounds about right.

>would love to buy some sub 15 cent sencha from a family business.
Glad to hear. I might shill on here again if I'm able to set up imports this year.

>>20137089
The inside is not so bad. I'm in an area with a lot of studio potters and at some point decades ago the local craftsmen became obsessed with Japanese pottery. So, there is a constant flood of raku & hagi ware inspired pieces on the local market. I jokingly call them the "weeaboo community"

>>20137129
how is it

>>20137136
>the local craftsmen became obsessed with Japanese pottery
It's a bit of a problem here too. They never try imitating the fish themed ceramics. Still, it's fun.

>>20137134
Would definitely buy at least a little if an anon was doing some importing.

>>20137125
That's relatively cheap for longjing. i don't think they mean its cheap in comparison to other teas. Im not even sure if 65¢ per gram will get you tea from the officially designated west lake region.

>>20137013
>another white guy with an asian wife starting a tea business
wow never seen that before

>>20137134
>>20137158
I'd also enjoy the opportunity to buy some. Hope I don't miss the shill posts.

>>20137153
It's good, it smells very earthy almost like dirt, has a nice earthy taste. I rinsed it for 15 seconds, and then I have been doing my steeps for like 20 seconds, using boiling water. It seems to have less caffeine than I would have thought, but maybe that is because I rinsed it too long, Idk.

>>20137171
We need to verify that he is extremely skinny before we can trust him

>>20137171
>>20137180
it's a winning formula

>>20137174
Ya got some ripe. It is a little lower in caffeine than most types.
Try some liubao next.

>>20137158
>>20137173
Thanks guys, I'll keep you posted. For what it's worth, my dad who doesn't give a fuck about tea or anything weeb related is hooked and drinks it every day and bugs me to get some more every time I'm in Japan.
Mie Prefecture, if anyone is interested btw.

>>20137180
I'm hella fat.

I'm waiting for a sumo to make a tea shop

>>20137186
no actually it's raw, that's what it said on the website, but also it's been aged for a while (2001) so maybe that has to do with it, it definitely has caffeine though, I guess I was just under the impression that puerh would have lots of caffeine for some reason, I'm using 4 grams of leaves.

>>20137205
Ah my bad. What did you get specifically? It's an interesting first choice.
Really aged raws are actually lower in caffeine too, it gets eaten by the microbes apparently.

What's the best black tea on farmer leaf right now?

>>20137215
>It's an interesting first choice
haha yeah I'm sure it is, I just wanted to try some aged stuff because the idea of drinking 20 year old tea appealed to me I guess. The one I'm drinking now is
https://yeeonteaco.com/collections/puerh/products/2001-wild-camphor-loose-pu-erh-tea

I also ordered this one though
https://yeeonteaco.com/collections/puerh/products/1999-broad-leaves-raw-pu-erh-tea-maocha

>>20137228
Nice you went in hard. I haven't tried either of them, but my mind's nose can smell the beetroot. You can probably brew it pretty hard if you want.

>>20136491
I haven't got a gaiwan but I've got a gongfu tea set with a 175mL porcelain teapot, fairness pot, and some cups as well as another 500mL tea set for western-style brewing. I probably should get a proper gaiwan or yixing pot though since I just got this little gongfu set off Amazon since it was cheap and easy, it's done me alright so far though. Maybe this is a good time to get a good one, though.

>>20137274
>You can probably brew it pretty hard if you want
I'll keep this in mind, I was wondering if brewing these western style would be worth it at all or should I just stick with gong fu, I brew my other tea western style, but I felt like I should do this stuff the proper way.

>>20136914
>>20137136
it does take some practice and dedication to get the cum chalice aesthetic down. you can tell when stuff was made by a newbie

>>20137293
It depends on the specific tea, you'll get a feel for it. If it's got enough going on then gong fu is the best way to drink it, if it's not complex it might not be worth the effort. If it's expensive you might want to take your time and gong fu for atmosphere, if you're drinking with food then a small tea pot and strong steeps makes sense etc. Try some different methods and compare.
Though I personally almost never do western, I just do grandpa or some things I simmer.

>>20137293
Worth trying everything. Often something unexpected will turn out to be ideal.

>>20137195

>>20137013
I'm an American but I'd pay a decent amount up to upper-premium prices if it's actually good tea. Certainly enough that shipping wouldn't really be a concern. I agree with that anon who mentioned the lower end market though, what people really need is a source for cheap ほうじ茶 or daily drinker sencha. Are you a /tsg/ poster? The real value add comes from being able to know a lot more about the tea and exactly how it's produced, we are mostly super autists.

>>20137356
>>20137369
For sure, thanks for the advice frens

>>20137377
>sumo ballsweat tea

>>20137125
Long Jing is expensive, anon. Genuine West Lake Longjing is going to start you at $1.70 a gram for the cheapest lowest quality stuff you can buy outside of actual auction.

Is Kombucha covered by the thread?

>>20138455
Yes.

>>20134533
she seems nice.

>>20130312
So isn't the organic label on pretty much bullshit?

>>20137220
I've only had the yingpan shan everyone keeps memeing
I bet the Naka black is good and it's not too expensive for a shai hong from a famous village

>>20137228
yeeontea is a bold choice for a first order, not everyone likes the super earthy taste the traditional hong kong storage imparts
glad you're enjoying it though

>>20138868
the most organic tea in the world, like the wild growing forest teas and gnarly gushu gardens does not have an organic label
in general, I wouldn't worry too much about it. as long as you're not drinking huge amounts of dollar store teabags, you'll be fine

Anyone know if there's any other drugs that are good for anxiety?
Here's everything I've tried:
Benzos - exceptional
Tea - pretty good
Ashwaganda - dog shit
CBD oil - unknown

Tea is pretty good as an every day thing, but when im away it's not really possible. Benzos are great for when shit hits the fan and I function well on them, but they cant be taken often. I'm gonna give CBD oil a shot sometime soon, but I have heard a lot of conflicting information about its efficacy. I think I've tried just about everything, but if I've missed something I would really apricate a reply. Thanks.

>>20139003
L-theanine is the main source of the anti anxiety effect of tea. It works alone but most people say it's better with a small amount of caffeine.

>>20139003
you could try GABA oolong, the choice of permanently stressed out Japanese salarymen

>>20139038
Worth a shot. Do you know any good vendors? Preferably direct from Asia.

>>20139048
I'd probably go with Taiwan Tea Crafts. Their GABA green tea is good too.
If you want to go bargain hunting, you could also check out Teahome. they supposedly have really good prices on Taiwanese oolongs, but the site is in Chinese

>>20139038
>>20139063
Not that anon but is it all the oolongs from that site or just GABA that gives anti-anxiety?

Second taobao order has arrived. I think i'll first try one of the Tulin ripes or something from the Taiwanese sample packs.

Here are some thoughts about these so you do not have to order them:

>golden snail
>jin jun mei
>golden tips
Meh. Not worth the money. None of these will make it to my let's say top3 black teas
>Bai hao
Wet leaves smell of something I've never smelled before. Interesting. Liquid is meh tho.
>Dong ding
It is quite nice, slightly roasted so it has a slight cookie flavor but drops off after 1st infusion.
>alishan oolong
Meh, just mild green oolong, nothing special.
>tie guan yin
This is my 4th tgy. Very light, and sweet, I feel relaxed. Would buy it again, makes me think I need to try more of these.
>da bie shan cha
This tea is the closest to coffee I've ever experienced.
The wet leaves smell exactly like coffee. The liquid is also very close.
It has that roasted, slightly sweet but also sour flavor. If I was a bigger fan of a coffee then this would be my go-to replacement.

>>20139074
GABA is the tea that was created to be anti-anxiety, acting as a GABA supplement. hard to say if it works or not, but anecdotally it has never made me anxious at least, unlike some other teas
it has a characteristic flavor caused by the production process (it's processed in a nitrogen atmosphere I believe?)

>>20139074
GABA oolong has that name because it goes through a fermentation step that produces GABA which is the neurotransmitter for the receptor that benzos hit. Whether it's orally active at all is questionable but if it is then GABA tea will have a unique effect.

Remember to drink them young and raw. Hag ripes leave.

>>20139136
I really can't stop drinking young raws right now. no interest in the aged stuff lately, even though it's wintertime

>>20139136
GET AGED GET AGED GET AGED

>>20139136
I hear nu shengs have smaller and tighter bing holes

what are some good flavoured teas, other than smoked souchong or milk oolong

>>20139136
>Comic LO as mousepad
UUUOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH TOT TOT TOT

>>20139205
I hear you can condition yourself to drink really astringent young sheng by imagining its cnuuy juice. N-not that I have tried it.

>>20130981
What did they mean by this?

>>20139323
maybe they do the sussy aliexpress type package that can't ship food for some reason?
that would explain why their shipping is cheap

>>20139323
Import regulations in general are fucked. Lying about products and value to get around them is normal.

>>20136059
do americans really???

drinking some Tanyang Gongfu. some similarities to the robust Jin Jun Mei from KTM maybe. makes sense as it's also made up of lots of tiny early spring leaves. this has more going on, but I also paid more for it so that makes sense
really intense stuff. lots of brown sugar, chocolate, dark malt. has a short, intense aftertaste that's a bit hard to describe but reminds me of rum, maybe connected to the brown sugar. tastes like some really great dark chocolate candy bar or cake

I really have to try more of those gong fu teas

>>20139003
Anon, when I was diagnosed with cancer and had constant panic attack, I couldn't drink tea at all it made it a thousand times worse. Caffeine is freaking awful and overpowers the L-Theanine. I switched to L-Theanine pills for awhile and they helped marginally okay.
What really helped was when I started brewing ayahuasca but that's uh, not legal most places (legal here)

>>20139567
Caffeine seems to vary a lot in effects between people. I'd guess generally for brain on fire panic the higher level of arousal is bad but for ADHD restless type anxiety the enhanced executive function can make it come out positive. Psychedelics can definitely cause a more fundamental lasting internal change if you use them right. Other drugs can too but it's mostly through the path of better coping -> constructive action -> better life circumstances.

>>20136063
I just got big white pekoe in yesterday too! It was the price that tempted me to buy some, happy to gear it's good!

Does /tea/ ever go /out/? A cup of tea tatstes so much more rewarding after a hike.

>>20139251
infinite options. Differenciate betweent two groups

Natural blends with no extra aroma added such as Jasmine.
Stuff with added aroma (artificial or natural) such as Milky Oolong.

The latter group is more unorthodox but damn milky oolong is good. I had some whiskey flavoured black tea recently and served it in whisky glasses, it was the tits. Shit like this is nasty from a trafitionalist perspective but I have it in the house mostly for guests. Flavoured teas don't scare newbies but still contain real tea.

For the first group I have some black tea berry blend that is really good as well.

>>20139077
Damn cool stuff
A bunch of modern fuhai productions
Whats in the boxes?

>>20139078
Thanks for the review

>>20139602
I'm extremely pro-tea in most ways but it just wrecked me during that time of my life, most of 2022 and half of 2023 I was just in a wretched state beyond what I really knew the human mind was even capable of enduring. I'm back to it, of course, and do try to drink it for the health benefits as well as taste and the drug effect of it, but it's definitely not a cure all.
If the regulations aren't bad when they roll out the psychedelic treatment centers I am thinking of trying to open one here and I'll probably offer a bunch of chinese teas on the side, or otherwise because its legal to gift I may do the opposite if the regulations are harsh and have a tea shop with a "gift" of psychedelics included in a backroom tour. Basically 2 of my 4 great passions in life would be great to combine them into a career. The others don't mesh well together

>>20139931
I hope you can carry out your dream anon

>>20139931
Are you a crazy person?

>>20140033
I'm a farmer, so yes

>>20139866
That's the Taiwanese tea sample pack. I bought two because it was cheap (56 yuan/ box).

>>20140105
Cool stuff
Post a picture of one of those modern fuhai cakes when you crack into it.
Did you order those samples or did you buy from an official fuhai storefront and get those complimentary with your order.
If you ordered from the fuhai tabao or tmall store can you drop the link so i can add it to the pastebin?

>>20136825
I emailed artistic nippon for the hell of it, the artist is gonna make some more fish cups.
素晴らしいよ

>>20140110
Thanks! Yeah, i bought those from the offical Fuhai store and the two samples were a gift.
This is the store:
https://fuhaichachang.tmall.com/?spm=a1z10.3-b.1997427721.d4918089.14dcd865WPufDc
They had this offer, apparently 3 teas that are 438 yuan for only 199:
https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=738299688742

>>20140122
Cool thanks
Damn i really need to start buying on taobao, the deals are killer. I wonder if there will be a bunch of big chinese new year sales next week.

>>20140116
Hell yeah

Some Russian Caravan and homemade crumpets for today

>>20140238
very cute

Drinking some Japanese Honyama Koushun Oolong from Tezumi. It's not bad, but it's got this weird flavor that I can't put my finger on in the first few infusions (seems to go away around infusion 4-5). Not sure if I recommend.

>>20140238
drop the crumpet recipe

>>20140354
>1 Tbsp Warm Water
>1/2 tsp Sugar
>1 Tsp yeast
Activate the yeast

>200g warm water
>150g flour
>1/2 tsp salt
>1 tsp baking powder
Add the yeast and mix into a smooth batter, let set for half an hour

use some sort of metal form factor, I used mason jar lids but dedicated stuff works well. brush them with melted butter and stick them in a hot pan on medium-high heat, melt a small amount of butter in the forms as both a lubricant and for flavor. Once butter is melted add 1/4 cup (or whatever fits without spilling over, they will rise) into the forms, they will bubble for a bit and when they start bubbling good drop the heat down until they stop bubbling, remove the crumpets and flip them over for a few seconds to sear the batter, the bottom should be golden brown. Cool in the fridge for a day before eating to get the texture right, pop them in the toaster and put butter and/or jam on them.

W2T Almond Dancong, again. Last time I was getting a lot of peach coming through, but this session is legitimately surprising me with a clear and even taste of banana bread. It's very striking. I'm a professional baker and the first sip sense memoried me to passing through the cutting and finishing room to grab a few banana bread butts to munch on partway through my shift.

>>20139567
Anxious anon. Yeah, I've cut back on puerh. I'm going though some shit and the caffeine is more then my heart can handle. Switched to mainly shoumei. I'll be alright in a couple months, just going through a rough spot. When the time is right I'll buy some psychedelics, but right now I don't need to go through derealization.

>>20139063
I'll have a look thanks.

>>20140441
Yum. Looks great.

what is a /tea/ approved kettle? need one that is magnetic/induction capable

>>20140662
Why not just an electric kettle? It seems more practical to me, you can plug it in anywhere you want, often with temperature controls and all that.

>>20140662
We all use electric kettles
I use the secura brand kettles on Amazon sunce they are 100% stainless steel on the inside.
If you want a stovetop induction kettle then
This one is good but overpriced
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-BREW-Classic-Tea-Kettle/dp/B003L0OP20/
The chinese knockoffs of it look good too
https://www.amazon.com/Kettle-Stovetop-Whistling-Teakettle-Stainless/dp/B07DFF5WPQ/

>>20140679
>>20140692
damn, alright. feel like electric have no sovl with their plastic base and ugly cord. also just prefer the aesthetic of a kettle on the stovetop. anyway, thanks for the links

>>20140662
If you wanto go full weeb you can get a Sori Yanagi kettle, a staple of Japanese design. But fair warning they can oly be filled about halfway or they will boil over from the spout

>>20140705
If I wanted to really weeb out, I'd go for one of those cast iron kettles

>>20140702
Aesthetics is a completely valid reason to prefer something in this case. Tea is mostly an aesthetic experience really.

>>20140702
>cares about sovl
>uses an induction stove
???

>>20140730
is what it is. wasn't about to pay the city 25k to run a natgas line to my house. not everyone can live in a cabin in the woods uncle t

browsing amazon is pretty dire. i'll prob go to a dept store this weekend and actually shop around

>>20140745
You still talking about stove top kettles?
Things to avoid,
enameled steel, the enamel will chip and break eventually.
Kettles where the bottom is a separate piece and the sidec of the kettle are folded over anc crimped to hold it on. That isn't as big of a deal but it can be a failure point and is a way to cheap out on construction.
Plastic whistles, again this isint as bug of a deal but if the whistle bit is all plastic its more likely to break or wear out over time

>>20140369
Very neat. Thank you for sharing.

Anyone else have good recipes for tea snacks?

>>20139077
This looks great. Definitely report on the Tulin tuos.
>>20139684
I need to get something figured out so I can go down to the river and enjoy some fine tea.
>>20140045
My brother. Who do you deliver to?
>>20140116
Good fucking work anon. Never hurts to ask.

>>20139095
>>20139097
I guess I know what I'll order later this year. Thanks anons!

>>20140745
Avoid any green tea kettles, I had one that split down the bottom while it was boiling water. I wish I had a picture still to show you the design.

I'm drinking my first Lumber Slut. It tastes like 2x4 and with a dash of mint! Strong, too.

>>20140705
why the fuck is this 150usd
wtf

Do you guys like chamomile? It's my favorite herbal tea.

>>20141865
>why the fuck is this 150usd
>wtf
It shouldn't be, its like $60-$75 on Amazon depending on finish, i know ive seen it on other sites with similar prices.
Anyway its still expensive but you are paying for a designer piece that's made in japan. Not for but i get why some people would be into it
https://www.globalkitchenjapan.com/products/sori-yanagi-stainless-steel-induction-kettle

>>20141873
i've been enjoying rooibos lately

>>20142169
If I were fronting that much money for a kettle I'd buy a bare iron Japanese tetsubin off ebay used.

should have known all-clad made one. $99.95. the high gloss finish is gonna look nice

>>20141865
>>20142169
Stainless steel products are marked up because there are people that don't want to buy aluminum no matter what. At least for stuff that touches food. I think it's disgusting that this is the case, especially because for some other products, the stainless steel versions cost the same as aluminum. Then on top of that I believe kettle prices went up years ago when pour over coffee became more popular.
>>20142202
I know it's probably a weird preference but I actually prefer matte.

>>20141873
I don't enjoy the taste, but it helps a ton with nausea. I usually throw in some rose petals to make it taste a little better.

>>20140662
get a temperature controlled electric kettle
>>20140116
doing the lords work

>>20141873
I bought a yerba mate with chamomile mixed in and it's a great combination flavor-wise

>>20141873
Flowers only chamomile is simply exquisite, if you haven't had it before already. It's simply one of those things that everyone should taste at least once in life

>>20142502
I was debating getting some on Amazon. I've only had the grocery store teabags.

>>20142923
great stuff if you like strong flavors and a powerful caffeine kick
I've been drinking yerba mate for nearly 10 years now. all you need to get rolling is a bombilla. thermal flask and temperature control kettle are convenient too, but not necessary

>>20142923
For the bombilla, make sure it's stainless steel (nickel silver alloy or real silver is fine too if you want to spend more for some reason, just avoid nickel plated shit). The ones that look like a flattened spoon are a safe choice

For the mate itself, get some prepackaged south american brand. There isn't a huge difference in quality like there is with tea, so price and personal preference are the biggest factors. You could get something like a Cruz de Malta and a Pajarito or Colon to ascertain if you prefer the more fresh and mild or the darker and smokier end if the mate flavor spectrum. Nice to try stuff from different countries too, because there are some differences in processing (Paraguayan mate is finely cut, dusty, smoky with a darker flavor, Argentinian has a bigger cut with less dust and can vary in flavor, stuff made for the Uruguayan market is finely cut but greener and less smoky etc.)

curious why /tea/ is so big on electric kettles. guessing the majority here are non-american? it's a stereotype for us-expats (and general non-americans) in my mind

>>20143322
I think they're bigger in US now too because of the rising popularity of pour-over coffee?

>>20143322
They're convenient if you do multiple brews of tea. Especially for gongfu, if I want to do 7-10 brews, I don't want to walk to the stove to heat up water every time, I want a device that keeps the water at the right temperature where I'm brewing. I own an electric kettle and I'm an American. The "Americans don't have/do X?" memes are entirely European cope, it's all Europeans talking back and forth about fictions they've invented in their head. Most Americans don't have an electric kettle because most Americans don't drink tea. It's that simple. The ones that do mostly use kettles, because they're convenient.

Found a big pebble today.

>>20143600
Did you keep it?

>>20143614
Yeah, I put it in my collection. This one was 0.6g, pretty big.

>>20143600
Ive been drinking all these modern young shengs lately, i haven't found any bonus presents in ages

>>20143600
You're getting all the good shit, I just get scraps of tarp.

forgive me i am a /ck/ tourist, my buddy was telling me that the british don't know their tea-- earl grey, orange pekoe, whatever are shit
and he's committed to oolong and green tea
what is this opinion based on?

>>20143684
>what is this opinion based on?
pure truth

>>20143684
>the british don't know their tea
It's based on truth. If you know your tea you don't put milk in it. Period.

>>20143684
Most people here have heard of Earl Grey but not orange pekoe or other grading terms I'd say. "Tea" means a bag of Yorkshire Gold or whatever. No we don't know our tea, but will act snobby anyway because that's what we're good at.

>>20143684
The brittish used to drink the finest Chinese teas, to the point where the country almost went broke sending all their gold to china to buy more tea and porcelain. Thrn they set up tea plantations in india and started drinking that instead. Now most teabag tea the English drink is mostly African grown tea.
I woukd say the current tastes the English have in tea are not really the optimum examples of what good tea can be, they like tea that is strong and malty, which is in its own way bland since it only represents a fraction of the flavors you can find in fine teas.

>>20143684
Because most of my fellow countrymen know absolutely nothing about a good cup of tea whatsoever.
The common cup of tea in England/UK is something called the 'Builder's Tea'. You leave a cheap black tea bag in boiling water for 5+ minutes until it's stewed and dump milk into it. It's vile.

Milk and cream have their place in tea culture but nobody I have ever met utilises it properly.

>>20143699
Long story short the working class saw the upper class drinking this new drink from the East and tried to imitate them to seem high class themselves. Throughout the Victorian and Edwardian period especially tea became a common drink constantly being sweetened and ruined by the working class until you have the strong over-sugared stuff you find today.
It's ironic that the country that was once famous for importing the finest tea from around the world only now really drinks the dust from cheap teabags.

>>20143684
the British just drink cheap shitty teabags drowned in huge amounts of milk. British tea culture is greatly exaggerated. 5 o'clock tea is a whole meal and the tea is not an important or celebrated part of it really at this point, just something to watch the cookies down

your friend is correct. oolong is a huge variety of tea to explore, if you've had several different oolongs you already know more about tea and its range of flavors than the average angloid

>>20143744
Afternoon tea and 5 o'clock tea are completely different.
Afternoon tea is just tea with some small snacks like a finger sandwich or cake and is more like a special occasion.
5 o'clock tea or just 'tea' is northern English slang for a regular dinner.

>>20143338
That is correct, yes.
>>20143354
Yup, it's pure cope. A lot of people here have kettles and a lot of people drink tea. Also some college students use it to boil water for ramen cups instead of microwaving it. Some people I've met also shy away from using the stovetop which really confuses me.
>>20143684
I'm not a tea snob but I can't stand early grey. Adding oil to tea is gross and tastes gross.

>>20143338
makes sense
>>20143354
makes even more sense.

you guys almost got me convinced but i'm still going with the stovetop kettle

>>20143617
are you talking about your kidney stone collection

I ordered an oolong sampler from Yunnan Sourcing a couple days ago, but I don't really have a proper gaiwan to brew it in. I DO have a pretty nice tea set for western style brewing, but as far as gongfu teaware goes, all I have is one of these kinds of sets you find on amazon that I got last year when i started drinking tea

Not this set exactly, but it's got some cups, a 175mL pot, fairness pitcher and strainer, so it's done me alright for brewing despite being a pretty cheap set, but I'm just wondering if I'd get more out of ordering a proper gaiwan and brewing it in that. I don't really know what tangible advantage it WOULD have over my cheap little set, but if there is one I'd like to know.

Should I get a proper gaiwan right now, or should I just keep using what I am? Don't have much money to spend, so I figure I'd ask if there's a real reason I'd need a gaiwan over what I'm using right now

>>20144288
Nah a lil teapot and a gaiwan do the same thing basically, a gaiwan can pour a bit quicker then a pot but that really only matters if you are brewing some bitter ass raw puer or something where you want to use incredibly short steeps.

>>20144288
if you want a gaiwan get one, if you don't want one don't worry about it. it's entirely personal preference. the only advantage gaiwans have for me is that they're easier to drink straight out of and they're easier to clean out.
the only disadvantage they have is that even though they're easy to use, you will have mishaps at some point. not frequently, but they will happen. the first time you use it, you'll burn yourself. then, 5 years later, when you've been using it every day without problems and you pour the tea out without thinking about it, the leaves will just happen to somehow slide forward to block the opening in such a way that tea starts coming out the side of the gaiwan onto your keyboard, destroying it.
i personally prefer using a gaiwan. and that keyboard was already starting to break, anyways.

>>20144520
>leaves will just happen to somehow slide forward to block the opening in such a way that tea starts coming out the side of the gaiwan onto your keyboard, destroying it.
>i personally prefer using a gaiwan. and that keyboard was already starting to break, anyways.
lol true, or the saucer will stick to the bottom of the gaiwan just long enough for you to pick it up six inches obove the table and then suddenly detach and fall on something.

how long is shipping from most popular tea vendors here in your experience? eg farmerleaf, white2tea, etc

Mom's office was getting rid of their tea bags because no one drinks tea so now I have a ton of tea bags of various sorts because mom was being nice. I will now embark on a quest to determine which tea bag makes the best arnold palmer. Is it the irish breakfast tea bags? The english breakfast tea bags? Those oolong tea bags? Maybe it's the taizo orange peel and whatever tea bags, who knows. It's the middle of winter but it's golf weather wherever there's a bunch of tea bags and lemonade and a gallon pitcher to fill.

>>20144520
>onto your keyboard
Am I the weird one for making tea in the kitchen?

>>20144730
To the USA shipping is typically two weeks for me. During December and other busy times it can be longer but most of the shit i order from china comes pretty quick. It used to be closer to a week most of the time before covid.

>>20130312
Hey bros. My father got this as a gift for Christmas. Can anyone tell me what it is?

>>20144795
I'm not entirely sure about this but it looks like it might be tea.

>>20144795
Its puer tea
Specifically raw or sheng puer from the yiwu region
Drink it, it's probably good

>>20144795
On the back of the wrapping paper for the tea there should be a bunch of text including a production date and possibility the brands website. It's not a brand im familiar with.

>>20144795
Just run it through an image translator, they work pretty well these days. It's a sheng pu erh

>>20144829
>>20144834
>>20144841

>>20144866
Yup, definitely tea

>>20144866
Xishuangbanna jinfu tea factory
The rest is just boring regulatory labeling

>>20144829
>>20144834
>>20144841
>>20144856
>>20144887
>>20144961
Thank you frens. Sleep well and have a goodnight.

>>20144288
don't worry about it bro, you already have a whole damn set for gong fu brewing
you don't need a gaiwan if you have a similarly sized pot. people just recommend gaiwans because they're dirt cheap and tend to be easier to clean

>>20144730
two weeks to a month

>>20144748
Godspeed Anon. I love arnold palmers in the summer. I make the lemon syrup myself. Last year i tried three different black Teas myself. In my opinion a strong black tea like assam worked the best, but i also made arnold palmers with shou puer.

Fuhai 2022 Yunxia ripe puerh. According to the description this is made from Menghai material.
I can't say anything about it because i don't feel anything when i drink it (and i like brewing ripes very strong). Weird tea, neither good, nor bad, it sits kinda in the middle and ends up being nothing. Maybe it will taste different after some time.

>>20145681
Do you grow lemon trees for your tea? I've read that some dwarf lemon trees don't get very tall.

>>20145748
I do have a lemon tree but i'm not really in the right climate for a real harvest. Maybe some day.

drinking some of lu an gua pian
some cucumbery and marine tastes that remind me of bancha. but with a clearly roasted character. the combination actually makes me think of fried fish oddly enough

This bai mu dan is growing on me over time. When I first tried it a year ago I thought it was just gross, maybe a year in storage improved it. The flavor profile is grass & clover meadow. The dry leaf aroma is still very strong floral and smells oddly good & bad at the same time

>>20145908
maybe I should give white tea a chance again at some point. it's usually just boring to me

>>20145693
>I can't say anything about it because i don't feel anything when i drink it (and i like brewing ripes very strong). Weird tea, neither good, nor bad, it sits kinda in the middle and ends up being nothing.
Damn, i know that feeling, too bad

>>20145693
Before you stuff it in the back of the pumidor to foret about for a while simmer about 7-8 grams in 1.25 litres of water for about 20 minutes and see if it does anything interesting.

Anybody got some recommendations for tea vendors in the UK?
what-cha.com and theteamakers.co.uk have served me well in the past but they sell out of the Darjeelings I like so often I wanted to see if there was another good quality place I can source it from.

>>20146370
I suspect many people fudge their white tea brewing, decide that's what it's like, and then never touch it again. Not realizing that something like baihao yinzhen needs four to six minutes of steeping or that white tea really needs full temp water. The whole "white tea is delicate" meme needs to die

>>20146778
>>20146370
I didn't really get into it until I started simmering. But still a bit of a newb, dunno if all of it stands up to that kind of treatment.

You drink your wash when doing gongfu right?

>>20146804
depends. it usually tastes fine but i like to get rid of it anyways unless im drinking some very expensive tea i want to get the most out of. for some very astrigent black teas i wont though, because it doesnt taste good

How expensive is tea making for a complete beginner? Assuming you don't have anything regarding it.

>>20146834
free minus the price of the tea. just put tea in hot water. what else you want to make tea depends on the tea you drink.

>>20146834
All you need is a mug and a mesh brew basket like pic related. You can get one on Amazon/ebay for a $5-6.
A small digital scale also helps but isint strictly necessary, one of the $10 ones people use for weed is fine.
Oh and tea obviously.
If you really want to do gongufu style brewing you can buy a 120ml white porcelain gaiwan on aliexpress for $10-$15 shipped.
You only need to spend $$$ on teaware if you want to get fancy handmade stuff, the price of the teware you use makes no difference in the quality of the tea.

>>20146804
Aint a rinse if you drink it.

>>20146804
>You drink your wash when doing gongfu right?
I maybe sip it once or twice and then toss it. Usually i keep it short and it doesn't taste like much. Mostly i just don't rinse.

>>20146842
>>20146848
idk. I was sure it required special pot because the material of pot and temperature it can hold would affect the tea.

>>20146834
Depends on how you want to brew the tea and how much you're willing to improvise equipment. You can make tea gongfu style with two cups and a strainer.

>>20146885
no. as long as you own a mug and not just glasses its the same

>>20146885
>because the material of pot and temperature it can hold would affect the tea
It can but you only care about that stuff if you're in too deep at the hobby. On a macro level it doesn't make that much of a difference.

>>20146804
Yes.

New tea pet r8 it

>>20147026
unusual. is it clay?

This is 2021 Gas from white2tea. It's an interesting tea that advertises itself as having a mind-bending bitterness. I picked it up because I have an extreme insensitivity to bitter and wanted to see what it could do for me. Predictably, disappointingly, it doesn't do much. It has some herbal green tea characteristics and a rather thin mouthfeel. Like treble notes on a piano. It lacks sweetness or much body. I've certainly had worse, I don't mean to imply it's a bad tea. It fits a niche. I'm unable to compare it to anything off hand. I was expecting Bulang, Lao Man E strength but that isn't quite right. It really does continue to build a head of steam as the steeps go on. Maybe I'm writing this too preemptively.

I wish somebody else would pick this up and compare notes with me, but at $0.225 per gram, it's a bit much for what it is. My insensitivity to bitterness makes me wonder what I might be missing out there. Maybe I should try giving one of those Kuding needles/single leaf teas a try.

>>20148005
>I wish somebody else would pick this up and compare notes with me
I was getting some samples anyway, so I will post in a few weeks my man it'll be fun.

bump limit

new thread
>>20148066
>>20148066
>>20148066

>>20148058
Right on. I'll keep an eye out.

>>20148005
ill get a sample as well, sounds interesting