/tea/

[Anonymous No.18121846]

/tea/ - /tsg/
Old Tea Edition
This thread is for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusions.
info: types of tea, where to get tea, how to brew tea
https://pastebin.com/80GeeXJV
Previous Thread: >>18088761

[Anonymous No.18121854]

I am currently drinking and enjoying some tea. Anyone else?

[Anonymous No.18121857]

>>18121846
Why does everyone leave the stickers on their serving pitchers? Is it some sort of meme?

[Anonymous No.18121859]

>>18121846
I'm drinking sencha right now

[Anonymous No.18121866]

Still working on this 2004 xiaguan from this morning, this is strong stuff.

[Anonymous No.18122023]

>>18121857
My old cheap one came with some sort of embossed logo on the bottom. Not a sticker, so it couldn't be removed. I ended up getting another without any maker's markings years later.

[Anonymous No.18122118]

I was talking with a friend and we disagreed on whether fruit tea/tisane counts as a tea/tisane at all. If you don't know what I mean, get dried fruit and steep in hot water, just as you would a tea or tisane, then strain.
Things like sujeonggwa, heotkaecha (which seems to be unknown in the west; it's made of a fruit, heotkae, that tastes like raisins) or mogoacha (again, seems unknown in the west, but it's made of a fruit, mogoa, that tastes horrible fresh but like apple when dried). Excepting sujeonggwa, there are no other ingredients but the dried fruit + hot water (sujeonggwa is persimmon, cinnamon and ginger).
Would you say these are teas/tisanes or no?

[Anonymous No.18122138]

[Anonymous No.18122196]

>>18122118
I think it depends on more than just a liberal vs conservative viewpoint on the term 'tisane'. That is, what is the etymological basis or definition for the term 'tisane'? Barley is regularly just a grain people eat, but people refer to infused buckwheat as a tisane. Orange peel comes from a fruit people eat whole, but it can be infused on its own as a separate beverage for (historical/CN) medicinal purposes. Neither have any relation to camellia sinensis, so they are not tea. If not tea, how are they not 'tisanes', and they are neither teas nor tisanes, are they infusions? Decoctions?
Here are some definitions of tisane:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tisane
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tisane
From my perspective, I think a tisane must meet three basic requirements:
>It is not camellia sinensis.
>It is infused in hot or cold water.
>The primary product of consumption is not the material + water (such as a shake), but the infusion itself.
So, if you infuse heotkae in water with the intent (whether done or not) to drink the infusion primarily over consuming all the ingredients mixed together, I would personally consider it a tisane. If you were to mix heotkae with camellia sinensis or any other plant, I would classify that as a tisane blend.

Just my thoughts on the matter. I imagine the selection of tisanes and teas in Korea must be quite different than what I'm used to drinking or even seeing online. It is a shame I do not know it very well, but it is always great to learn more with everyone here.

[Anonymous No.18122226]

does anyone else here enjoy nabat with their tea?

[Anonymous No.18122247]

>>18122118
>there are no other ingredients but the dried fruit + hot water
Are you sute about that? i think it's pretty likely they will have "natural flavors added"

[Anonymous No.18122620]

>>18122247
Yes. You can literally dry the fruit yourself. Or just buy a box of raisins or dried peaches/apricots and use those.

>>18122196
Korea has a lot of "tea" (tisanes, by your definition) that aren't made much, if at all, outside of the peninsula besides just heotkaecha and mogoacha. And there are other teas which are literally just marmelades dissolved in hot water.
But for the fruit teas, there are hundreds. The most common in the west is sujeonggwa, if that counts, otherwise, likely jojoba tea (daechucha). Besides fruit, there are also fruit flower teas. Japanese cherry blossom tea is the most well-known, but Korea makes peach blossom tea, among others.

[Anonymous No.18123071]

>>18122196
I'm not trolling, but wouldn't that make lemon water a tisane? I think it's too expansive a definition.

[Anonymous No.18123140]

>>18122138
This used to be super good, they fucked it up some how though. Citric acid is like crack to me, great on a summer day.

[Anonymous No.18123142]

>>18123071
Not exactly, at least from my perspective. "Lemon water" implies that you're squeezing lemon juice or otherwise drinking the juice/essence of a lemon into water to imbibe as a full drink. So, it is mixed for full consumption, not as an infusion alone. Similarly, even if you were to leave a lemon wedge in a drink (such as in a restaurant), that isn't a tisane so much as a garnish because the emphasis isn't on infusion itself so much as an additive, even if it may just barely occur. A good example would be something such as milk and sugar in coffee.

[Anonymous No.18123160]

Is coffee a tisane?

[Anonymous No.18123162]

I present to you a rare photograph of the elusive puerh lesbian in its natural habitat.

[Anonymous No.18123180]

>>18123162
>she has a bloody lip

[Anonymous No.18123269]

>>18123160
I tried to have a reasonable discussion about this a few threads ago. It quickly devolved into one of the lesbians here having a meltdown and refusing to engage any further.

[Anonymous No.18123425]

I finally got my chawang package. hopefully i will be able to post some tasting notes this weekend.

the way the Myanmar Kokang tong is wrapped is rather interesting. first off there is paper lining under bamboo leaves. additionally the wrapper of the last cake on exposed end (the other end has the bamboo leaves folded over) is not fully wrapped around the cake itself. instead it is wrapped against the rest of the stack instead (leaving the back of the first cake exposed and touching the wrapper of the next cake on the inside). because of this when the tong is snugged down the first wrapper surrounding the top of the stack is held tightly in place and prevents any of the cakes from falling out the top. i was surprised at how hard to was to wiggle the top cake out. i still managed to get it out without dissembling the tong though. not sure why they didn't just cover the top with bamboo leaf which would be more protective anyways, probably just wanted to show off the wrapper.

[Anonymous No.18123427]

which hario teapot should i go for? zen, kyusu maru, fukami

[Anonymous No.18123446]

>>18123425
Very nice. Arrived quicker than I anticipated. Let us know how much work you have to go through to open one up; hardest tuo I ever had to crack into in my life.

[Anonymous No.18123459]

>>18123427
Fukami? No, fukayu!

[Anonymous No.18123484]

>>18123446
>Let us know how much work you have to go through to open one up; hardest tuo I ever had to crack into in my life.
will do, hope i don't have too much trouble. it cant be worse than one of the fangchas i have.

also i just realize my tong has only three bamboo straps tying it together. guess the fourth one fell off.

[Anonymous No.18123520]

>>18123484
>it cant be worse than one of the fangchas i have.
If you are already used to fangchas or xiaguan iron cakes it won't be that bad, maybe 20% harder lol. Iirc i used a tea pick and hit it with a hammer like it was an awl.

[Anonymous No.18123769]

Ohhh... husbant... you buy too many puer bricks... now we are homeress...

[Anonymous No.18123780]

Thoughts on butterfly pea tea?

[Anonymous No.18123824]

>>18123780
If you add lemon juice it turns pink. Apparently it tastes like nothing so it's probably best used as part of a blend or as some cocktail syrup you you can do some color changing gimmick with the drink

[Anonymous No.18123853]

>>18123824
It does have a taste, just not particularly strong.

I drink it iced with mint because I'm losing weight and need to make water interesting.

[Anonymous No.18123908]

>>18123769
don't worry my darling soon i will be able to build us a new house... out of tea bricks!

[Anonymous No.18123944]

>>18123908
Imagine the evolution of flavors
>>18123853
>I drink it iced with mint because I'm losing weight and need to make water interesting.
Nice, cutting out soda and sugary drinks makes an absolutely massive difference. Plus as you reduce the sugar in your diet things that have natural sweetness like some teas will keep tasting sweeter and sweeter on their own.

[Anonymous No.18123954]

>>18123824
Not /quite/ nothing. Tastes like mild linden or chamomile.

[Anonymous No.18124348]

got some cheap gunpowder from ahmad tea, recommended temps? been a while since I've had gunpowder and I've completely forgotten

[Anonymous No.18124485]

>>18124348
You can probably get away with boiling with gunpowder, but if you are worried about bitterness 90°c should be fine

[Anonymous No.18125631]

Tried adding a teaspoon of honey to my black gold bi and high mountain red. It doesn't really blend well with either.

[Anonymous No.18125656]

>>18121846
I've been drinking tieguanyin from the Chinese Ministry of Education.

[Anonymous No.18125877]

Finally got some fresh Longjing. Visiting family so I borrowed a teapot. Also got some Genmaicha and fuck it's almost like food and tea with how roasted and toasty it is.

[Anonymous No.18125918]

just got this as a free sample at my nearby tea vendors.
what am i in for?

[Anonymous No.18125927]

>>18125656
Good idea, that's smart.

[Anonymous No.18125942]

>>18125918
I used to love going here when I lived in Germany.

[Anonymous No.18125981]

>>18125942
still my first choice for those everyday teas. their prices for some of those are better than any online shop. sadly more special kinds tend to be horrendously overpriced.

[Anonymous No.18126379]

>>18125918
Rwandan tea, the bulk of the commercial tea production for things like teabags comes from africa therese days. Be interesting to see what the leaf looks like since it's not a BOP grade.

[Anonymous No.18126438]

>>18122226
rock candy is fire

[Anonymous No.18126562]

>>18126379
>>18125918

i was fearing the same, those cheap ass stuff is mostly from kenia, afaik. at least those i've got here.
looks okayish i guess.
the leaf smells a lot like some light, smooth assam.
more incoming.

[Anonymous No.18126592]

>>18126562

prepared as recommended: 6g on .5l soft water, 3mins

[Anonymous No.18126604]

>>18126562
They give loose leaf samples? That's neat.

[Anonymous No.18126609]

>>18126562
Well id say calling it ftgfop1 is a bit of an exaggeration, but its not fannings so that's nice.
I bet its decent
>>18126592
Nice color

[Anonymous No.18126619]

>>18126592

tastes as expected. if it hadnt said rwanda, i wouldve assumed a mid-tier assam. rather malty, smooth, full-bodied but surprisingly low in those bitter-dull-adstringent notes. also there seems to be a hint of lemon in the smell.
id rate it 5/7

[Anonymous No.18126626]

>>18126604

they do everytime they introduce new varieties and know you. its one of the biggest chains selling almost exclusively loose tea in germany.

[Anonymous No.18126648]

>>18126619
Nice, it certainly looks better than most african tea. It's interesting to see a sort of mid grade offering like that. Most of the African tea i see is one extreme or the other, ctc / fannings or some moonlight white bud only pluck that costs $2 per gram.
But the tea that you got is where i think they would be most competitive with inda, sort of the more value oriented range of the assam market

[Anonymous No.18126660]

>>18126619
Looks like a pleasant surprise. A little orange tint in the cup and some actual aroma. Signs of better quality than the shit Africa churns out normally. In theory, they're at a very high elevation so they should be making good tea.

[Anonymous No.18126663]

>>18126648

just looked it up, they sell it for 78€/kg. that's usually the range i buy my everydays assams in. gonna get me some tomorrow, seems to be a great doesnt-hurt-anyone tea to offer guests. neither bitter black soup nor that pricey drink-only-as-treat stuff

[Anonymous No.18126688]

Cold-brewed Chiran Tea sencha. I did this with a good few scoops of tea in a jug, about 1 litre of cold water, and left it in the fridge overnight. Been drinking some throughout the day and towards the end now it's a very deep green. Not tried much cold brewing of tea but it's been super tasty and has given a nice progression of flavour.

[Anonymous No.18126736]

>>18126688
Damn that looks like some premium olive oil

[Anonymous No.18126957]

>>18126438
if you're already a rock candy fan, I recommend trying nabat. it's a saffron flavored rock candy that Persians like to let melt inside their tea. you can pick it up at a middle eastern grocery or online

[Anonymous No.18126958]

>>18126957
Ahh its saffron flavored, that's interesting

[Anonymous No.18127039]

I've been watching a lot of James Hoffmann lately, for entertainment and education. I don't even drink coffee. Are there any similar channels for our kind of flavoured water?

[Anonymous No.18127059]

>>18127039
Not like him, and that's a good thing. Tea has an element of inscrutability that coffee doesn't. It can't be standardized ground and brewed is such an accurate repetitive way so it's always going to require a bit of going with the flow and or brewing by feel, you cant just repeatedly follow a very specific set of instructions.
Anyway look at farmer leaf. He has some great videos talking about the tea industry in china, processing and his own ways that he likes to enjoy tea. They can get a bit long form and rambly sometimes but they are good. His video on fake and mislabeled tea is such a fascinating insight into tea the tea market and how it intersects with Chinese cultural practices and expectations.

[Anonymous No.18127325]

I brewed up some of that puerhshop liuan grandpa style today, about 4g in a 10oz mug. Had to spend a minute picking the floating twigs out before i could drink it but it tasted fantastic, very sweet, slightly woody, super smooth.

[Anonymous No.18127367]

Found a little friend in my tea today

[Anonymous No.18127380]

>>18127367
Damn, im glad i haven't found one of those yet, just the usual hairs of Chinese maidens

[Anonymous No.18127452]

>>18127367
Not alive, I'm sure.

[Anonymous No.18127482]

>>18127367
Eat it.

[Anonymous No.18127490]

>>18127380
This was the first non tea surprise I've found so far.

>>18127452
It was in a cake from 2009 so thankfully it just added a little flavor

[Anonymous No.18127647]

Just became aware of these existing. Anyone have one? How well does it work? Looks like a direct upgrade from a tea press.

[Anonymous No.18127692]

>>18127647
They don't work with Japanese tea or anything else that's thinly cut, the little pieces clog the filter and take forever to clean out.

[Anonymous No.18127705]

>>18127647
I have one, they are easy to use and work pretty well. It's nice if you can get one that can be dissembled because eventually some tea leaves will get under the screen somehow. Any way i have a kamjove brand one, got it on ebay.
You need to think about what size you want to buy, usually the listed size is how big the bottom picece is so you might have to dig around to figure out how big the top part is. If you want to use it for gongfu brewing you want the top to be about 100ml if you want to make regular cups of tea you want the top to be 10-12 oz something like that. I guess if you want to use one for both get a bigger one and then measure 100ml and put a piece of tape on the side so you can reliably pour the same amout.
When it needs to be cleaned you can use vitamin c or that powdered coffee pot cleaner

[Anonymous No.18128585]

I just bought more tea. I think i got a problem.

[Anonymous No.18128738]

>>18128585
Well that deppends. Some of these nerds have a shed full of puer

[Anonymous No.18128801]

i have more of a half empty cooler that used to be filled with puer

[Anonymous No.18129986]

>>18128801
Halfway through refill?

[Anonymous No.18130013]

>>18128738
i am pretty sure that description applies to me. though i only have two coolers (and could fit it in one if i needed to). i think i am now up to around 10kg of tea with this new order.

[Anonymous No.18130121]

>>18130013
Lol yup, thats a decent stash.
Not quite crazy territory but getting there

[Anonymous No.18130165]

>>18128585
My rule lately is to wait a week until the excitement dies down before clicking checkout on an order. Tea is too appealing to impulse buy since it's usually good for novelty at a minimum and lasts long.

[Anonymous No.18130237]

has anyone else noticed shipping speeds from china speeding up again? my current non tea order from ali arrived 2 weeks earlier than predicted :)
Im in europe btw

[Anonymous No.18130346]

>>18130237
Yeah, anything about that ships by airplane and isn't large or awkwardly shaped is moving reasonably fast these days

[Anonymous No.18130581]

yikes

[Anonymous No.18130672]

>>18121846
Earl Grey is my favorite. Historically there were complaints that it makes shit tea taste good, but it doesn't apply if you just buy a good Earl grey.
And I don't even use any premade combinations of spices etc, but tea and bergamot just fits together like fish and chips.

[Anonymous No.18130679]

>>18130581
Ahh that pg tips dust

[Anonymous No.18130689]

Do you guys really drink this shit with nothing in it? The tea I’ve made has ZERO flavor. Sure it smells good but then you just get tainted hot water that you have to pretend to like

[Anonymous No.18130709]

>>18130689
>The tea I’ve made has ZERO flavor.
What shitty tea are you drinking? Tea is strong

[Anonymous No.18130874]

>>18130672
Citrus is a good addition. Lemon is another classic. Part of the flavor, citronellal, blocks the bitterness of caffeine. Ceylon tea naturally tastes a little citrusy so it seems appropriate to boost it.

[Anonymous No.18131240]

Anyone know of a cheap decentis glass teapot for one person? ~300ml. Wary about ali because i bought a cheap one from there last year and it arrived as sand, plus i'd like it soon, not mid august.
I was about to buy the hario one >>18123427 but i found it is half the price in america (£30-$15!) and that annoyed me so im not going to buy hario.

[Anonymous No.18131315]

>>18131240
I don't think that hario pot typically goes for $15 in the US. If you want a glass teapot and you don't want something from china your options are extremely limited

[Anonymous No.18131341]

>>18131240
Kind of weird but I use a double wall insulated glass cup to brew tea
https://espresso-solutions.co.uk/fellow-stagg-double-wall-tasting-glass/
Just put a measuring cup over the top then you have the most temperature stable teapot. It's a little more than 300ml up to the top of the insulated part. It's nice to drink out of, you can pour it from one to the other through a strainer.

[Anonymous No.18131863]

>>18130165
>My rule lately is to wait a week until the excitement dies down before clicking checkout on an order.
that would not stop me as i am always planing more tea orders. there is just too many teas i would like to get.

[Anonymous No.18131893]

>>18121846
I pass on tea, enjoy your goyshrubs

[Anonymous No.18132170]

can anyone recommend some thing I can find in nature to make tea?
Midwest edition.
So far I have found habiscus, ginko baloba, dandilion and fir/pine.

[Anonymous No.18132174]

>>18127647
how does it steep, also.....seems easy to tip over....

[Anonymous No.18132204]

>>18122226
without looking this up... is that like... safron infused rock candy?

[Anonymous No.18132228]

>>18121846
The other day I want to a moroccan bar.
I ordered a kettle of mint tea. Shit was delicious, had like 4 small glasses. But couldn't sleep at all that night.

[Anonymous No.18132231]

>>18132228
Probably a truck load of sugar in it.

[Anonymous No.18132235]

>>18132231
Yeah, but I'm pretty sure it was the teine or whatever that's called. I've always been very sensitive to caffeine and shit.

[Anonymous No.18132242]

>>18132170
Raspberry leaf, nettle, thistle

[Anonymous No.18132421]

>>18132242
thanks.

[Anonymous No.18132970]

Whats your favorite fall/winter harvest teas?
I had some fall Oriental beauty that was pretty good. I think summer is supposed to be the ideal harvest time for oriental beauty.
Actually just fall oolongs in general have been pretty good

[Anonymous No.18133399]

I'm really starting to dislike teabags - they take away all the art and appreciation of making tea. You don't get to smell the tea in anticipation before you make it, to examine the texture and colour. You don't get to control the amount of tea you use, you don't get to vary or experiment with different infusion types for different teas. Teabags are such a lazy way of making tea, there's no romance in teabags.

[Anonymous No.18133669]

When you guys infuse your tea, do you just let it sit or do you sort of tea-bag it? I find that makes it stronger but sometimes too strong

[Anonymous No.18134344]

>>18133669
By tea-bag it do you mean standing over it spamming crouch? Or like stirring it or squeezing the leaves? I do give it a good swirl before straining but I won't squeeze the leaves because it seems to have lots of dust clinging to it.

[Anonymous No.18134463]

>>18134344
Noo lol I mean constant dipping with the infuser

[Anonymous No.18134500]

Hello, fellow /tea/ friends. I’m not sure where to go but I figured I’d start here. I recently beat Persona 3 and found that there was an official yunomi of Aigis that was released with the movie back in 2015, so of course I ordered it. Anyone able to translate what it says, even if it’s a bit rough?

For anyone curious, I christened my new yunomi with yin hua xiang (I almost felt bad putting “””duck shit””” in her lol) - I am typically a jasmine/tieguanyin drinker, but it felt just right :)

[Anonymous No.18134502]

>>18134463
Sometimes I do that yes. I think it helps water circulate through it, if the strainer's small anyway. If the tea has plenty of room, probably fine on its own.

[Anonymous No.18134504]

>>18134463
Oh if you've got an infuser it might be a good idea. Tea extracts differently with more water flowing around it, it looks slightly more orange. With teabags you can get them to brew twice as fast doing that. If it's too strong you can dilute it with more water/milk then use less tea leaf next time.

[Anonymous No.18134629]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDq9-QxvsNU&t=538s
There should be a company that only makes one tea, and the name of the tea is the name of the company. Like Snapple, except premium orthodox loose leaf tea. I want high quality tea selected for me by a tea-tasting-daddy so I don't have to shop around or compare multiple offerings from multiple companies. Why does every specialty tea shop need to have a hundred options?

[Anonymous No.18134631]

>just tried grampa style for the first time since i'm in a rush this morning

Damn that's pretty flavorful

[Anonymous No.18135289]

Upton sells 400 different teas. WTF
Curate your shit, don't make me do it myself.

[Anonymous No.18135297]

I just ordered some "organic positively loose leaf black tea", a 1 pound pouch
Can I make really concentrated tea in the french press and then dillute it with cool filtered water to bring the temp down for my kombucha?
If so, does anybody know the ratio?

[Anonymous No.18135315]

>>18135297
When I was making mine I'd bring a gallon stockpot up to a boil, let it calm back down for a sec, then heavily leaf and sugar it. Split that gallon 4 ways with cold water after its dissolved the sugar and its not hot enough to crack my 4 pickle jars. I've been brewing for about seventeen years okay? I don't write my stuff anymore I just kick it from my head you know what I'm sayin? I can do that. No disrespect but that's how I am.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Vr53on5hs

[Anonymous No.18135325]

>>18135315
absolute legend takes instruction from the soul, not some stupid recipe online
based

[Anonymous No.18135379]

What do the denizens of /tsg/ think about decoction/concentrated tea? Brew huge amount of tea in small amount of water for absolute minuscule amount of time, strain then either let sit until cool and store in the fridge or keep warm on a double boiler type of thing, topping off with extra water as it reduces, if it even sits long enough to reduce at all.
When you want a cuppa, just add a spoonful or two to a cup of hot water/milk (there is always hot water ready for a quick cup of tea). Do other cultures do this or is this just a central/West Asian thing? I think Russians appropriated it at one time but don't do tea this way anymore.

[Anonymous No.18135452]

>>18135379
i'm going to do that once I get my loose leaf tea tomorrow
Can you put sugar in the french press, I know this is a dumb question but once the sugar dissolved in the water then the french press obviously can't take the sugar out, right?

[Anonymous No.18136066]

>>18135452
>I know this is a dumb question but once the sugar dissolved in the water then the french press obviously can't take the sugar out, right?
it should work to remove the sucrose if your french press has a mesh size of 3 ångström.

[Anonymous No.18136127]

How often should I wash my teapot?

[Anonymous No.18136159]

>>18136127
About as often as you brush.

[Anonymous No.18136475]

>>18136127
Whenever it doesn't look perfectly spotless.

[Anonymous No.18137061]

anyone got any tips for finding cheap vintage bone china?

I found this at my local car boot sale for like 50 pence, ended up liking the quality so much I intend to toss out all of my shitty mugs and go all in on vintage, teacups saucers kettles and all... so common so cheap so pretty

[Anonymous No.18137234]

Ate tea bags
Luv tea bagging
Nuff said

[Anonymous No.18137239]

>>18134500
Nice pickup, can't translate but the google transalte app does pretty good with optical recognition on your phone.

[Anonymous No.18137264]

>>18136127
>How often should I wash my teapot?
Whenever it starts to feel too dirty. Some tea scum and staining is fine. But don't let it look like a science project

[Anonymous No.18137287]

>>18137061
Lovely find. It has been years since I went to a sale like that, but the last estate sale I visited had some lovely teaware. Shame they did the dumb "glue the cup to the saucer because we're paranoid of earthquakes" thing. Very annoying to see otherwise gorgeous teaware defaced by that stuff. My grandmother did that with a ton of her nice teaware she never uses too, irks me a bit.

As for finding stuff, consider the area you reside in. If you have an area situated around many elderly or affluent folk, the thrifts may have okay offers. The real deals are garage/yard sales with old grandmas. Estate sales specifically entice a bit too much sentimental valuing autism, but you can find some okay deals that way.

[Anonymous No.18137309]

>>18137061
If you want to get specific bone china is made mostly in England, they were trying to find a recipe to imitated Chinese porcelain and they developed one that uses something like 20% animal bone meal in the blend, hence the name bone china. Prior to that most English ceramics were more of a sturdy stoneware style and the upper class was obsessed with delicate fine Chinese porcelain. Ebay is a great place for reasonably priced china. Even better is local charity shops, salvation army that sort of thing, those antique stores where multiple people rent space to sell in the store are also sometimes decent but you wont beat charity shops church sales that sort of thing for prices. There is lots of affordable china made in japan from the 50s-90s there is a huge amount of English made china and you can get it pretty cheaply if you aren't going for specific collectable pieces. French porcelain is also decent look into. Modern china from china is affordable but there is a huge domestic demand for older pieces, and the stuff made under communism wasnt all that great. So for the actually Chinese stuff stick with modern pieces and the once imitating historical pieces since chasing the actual old stuff isn't worth the headache.

[Anonymous No.18137345]

Just trying out licorice tea for the first time, and good lord is it sweet. Possibly the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. Anyone have any other interesting tisanes to suggest, ideally ones that can also be used as spices in conventional cookery (since the literal twigs of licorice I bought were sold as such)?

[Anonymous No.18138374]

USPS is being dumb again and messed up my tea shipment that was supposed to be here on saturday and now probably wont. The package was already in my state and just had to make it from one end to the other. You know what the USPS did? they put it on a plane and sent it to the other side of the country.

[Anonymous No.18138785]

I have enough points for a 10 dollar voucher on Yunnan Sourcing (not US). Anyone know if they still tack on shipping? It'll annoying to spend 22 on shipping for a 10 dollar voucher.

[Anonymous No.18138881]

>>18137239
Thank you, I’m so happy I was able to find it - I actually ordered it before I finished the game, and brother, I did not expect the game to hit me that hard. Showed up the day after so it felt like it helped give a sense of closure.

I actually tried that, as I’ve had pretty good luck with it - but for some reason it’s all over the place. Seeing the “hot water only” also worried me a bit, so I thought I’d see if anyone could actually read it

[Anonymous No.18139067]

>>18138881
>Seeing the “hot water only” also worried me a bit,
If i had to guess it's telling you not to put it in the dishwasher. Maybe it could cause the printing to wear off, so it probably says something like hand wash only.

[Anonymous No.18139105]

>>18139067
Ahhhh that makes sense, my paranoid brain didn’t even think of that lol. Good call! I can enjoy my Yin Hao Jasmine in peace.

This steep is to you, Anon

[Anonymous No.18139214]

>>18139105
Cheers anon, nice tea pet/ clay rock

[Anonymous No.18140202]

>>18138374
Mother fucking sons of bitches, USPS actually delivered my package to someone else on the other god dam side of the country.

[Anonymous No.18140283]

>>18140202
Damn, man. That hurts to hear. At least you can confirm it was sent there and not have the shipper say there's nothing they can do. What'd you order?

[Anonymous No.18140292]

i usually buy sugimoto sencha off of amazon but i need to start saving money. is there a cheaper made in japan sencha that's just as good that i can get off of amazon with ebt?

[Anonymous No.18140414]

>>18140283
Good news is it turns out I just got given the wrong tracking number. I had always considered that was a possibility but after the USPS took almost 2 months to deliver something from what was only a 6 hour drive away a couple years back I have been less inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt on anything.

[Anonymous No.18140467]

kek, I remember you asking last time. I thought I was going to have to tell you that you are out of luck but I actually manged to find something a bit cheaper:
https://www.amazon.com/Yamamotoyama-Sencha-Ume-Plum-2-20-Pound/dp/B001P8YHHI
YamaMotoYama is a well known Japinese brand but the product itself does not say definitively where it is grown. its probably not the best sencha but at $0.70/ounce you cant go much cheaper. also I hate to be that guy but you could try searching amazon your self you know. I could be wrong but don't think anyone besides you here has any experience trying to get the cheapest EBT eligible sencha off amazon. how was the sugimoto sencha for that matter? good luck anon and i hope you can find some tea that fits your budget.

[Anonymous No.18140479]

my bad
>>18140467
is supposed to be a reply to
>>18140292
pic unrelated

[Anonymous No.18140504]

>>18140467
i don't remember asking before but i also have real adhd and do a lot of things and then promptly forget lol. thanks for this though it's exactly what i was looking for. i used to buy this brand from a japanese store when i had a car but i forgot the name. i have searched amazon myself but never had any luck for some reason; probably because i tend to use highly specific search terms.

[Anonymous No.18140543]

>>18140504
>i don't remember asking before
it could have been someone else but they also where looking for EBT eligible japanese sencha on amazon and i ended up suggesting sugimoto to them. it was a good while ago though.

>thanks for this though it's exactly what i was looking for.
glad i was able to be of help anon.

>probably because i tend to use highly specific search terms.
it actually showed up on page one of "sencha" for me. sometimes longer search terms are not better.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sencha
see if it shows up for you.

[Anonymous No.18140554]

>>18140414
That's some hardcore incompetence. I just did my bi-monthly order of puerh this morning. I hope Chinese work ethic let's them work over the weekend and get my shipment out soon.

[Anonymous No.18140586]

>>18140543
oddly it doesn't show up for me at all unless i search "yamamotoyama sencha" even if i search "yamamotoyama"

[Anonymous No.18140975]

>>18140586
Amazon is dogshit

[Anonymous No.18142119]

not shilling but moychay has a 30% discount on all blacks using "red30", posting here since its not listed on the website like they usually do

[Anonymous No.18142364]

Any here like guayusa? I'd like to get into it and I already have a traditional yerba mate setup; do you brew it the same way? Surprisingly hard to find much info on the subject.

[Anonymous No.18142414]

Realised that black tea is bad for stomach so I've had to cut it out

Oolong and green is good tho

[Anonymous No.18142466]

>>18142414
>bad for stomach
in what way?

[Anonymous No.18142539]

>>18142466
Mild cramps and makes me go poopy

[Anonymous No.18142570]

>>18142539
wierd, theres not really anythingdifferent with black teas compared to other types, its just fully oxidised. Though I have an issue with white teas where they make my stomach hurt for 0 reason, so i guess some tea types are just incompatible with some people.

[Anonymous No.18142712]

>>18142570
I think its probably the caffeine dosage for me

But I don't drink coffee or any other highly caffeinated beverages so I can't pin it down

[Anonymous No.18142776]

>/tsg/
Tea ________ general.
What's the S stand for, anyway? Is it surgeon? Does the tea have a medical degree or is it an honourary thing? Actually, answer that last question first; I /really/ wanna know!

[Anonymous No.18142904]

>>18142776
Terroir snobbery general

[Anonymous No.18142929]

>>18142904
That's surprisingly accurate. I hadn't considered 'snobbery.'
Oddly, I was called a tea snob while at uni despite using normal every day teas like Margaret's Hope and Nuwara Eliya OP. I guess anything beyond PG Tips (which I also enjoy, though I don't buy) is snobbery.

[Anonymous No.18142930]

>>18142776
>What's the S stand for, anyway?
i cant remember for sure. it was added recently because of some anon who does not know how to use search properly was salty that they kept pulling up threads on steaks. /tea/ is still our main thread title.

[Anonymous No.18142936]

>>18142930
Why didn't anon just search '/tea/,' then? I do hope the poor lad isn't retarded.

[Anonymous No.18143026]

the only tea i need

[Anonymous No.18143075]

Lunch. Some oolong and bao.

[Anonymous No.18143265]

>find a, advertised, 240ml +/- 10ml teapot on AliExpress
>buy it
>actually 180ml to full, ~140ml usable without making a total mess

Fucking chinks

[Anonymous No.18143272]

>>18143026
>Kratom
>Tea
wtf scummy labeling is this?

[Anonymous No.18143385]

>>18143272
just one of many brands

[Anonymous No.18143420]

KTM is selling some young An Cha for about $40 a basket.

[Anonymous No.18143475]

>>18143420
it is nice seeing more vendors carry liu an. KTM's prices are roughly in line with other western vendors. the quality of the batches they brought in look pretty good for their nominal grades too.

[Anonymous No.18143521]

>>18142776
Sipping

[Anonymous No.18143541]

>>18142936
Try 4chan.org/ck/tea like him

[Anonymous No.18143554]

>>18137309
>>>18137061
>If you want to get specific bone china is made mostly in England
Bone china was reverse engineered in Meissen, Germany.

[Anonymous No.18143672]

>>18143541
4chan.org/ck/catalog#s=/tea/ works but is a bit longer.
Did we ever actually define the acronym /tsg/?

[Anonymous No.18143679]

>>18143672
Tribadism for Sexual Gratification

[Anonymous No.18143697]

>>18143672
Twinings Sneering General

[Anonymous No.18143700]

>>18143679
that sounds about right sister.

[Anonymous No.18144485]

what did you all sip today? I will post some tasting notes tomorow if i can.

[Anonymous No.18144500]

>>18143541
I just open the catalog altogether and ctrl+f /tea/.

>>18143672
My vote's for Tea Snobbery General.

>>18144485
Some green I was gifted. Don't know where from. Tastes very grassy, almost floral, with a good sweetness of its own when iced. It is entirely too hot to drink tea any other way right now.

[Anonymous No.18144543]

>>18143679
anyone else flavor their tea with girl sweat?

[Anonymous No.18144553]

>>18143026
How does it taste? I hear kratom is good for pain and shit.

[Anonymous No.18144560]

>>18144543
Where the fuck do you get the girl sweat?

[Anonymous No.18144571]

>>18144560
I wring it out from my wife's workout clothes when she lets me do the laundry

[Anonymous No.18144594]

>>18144571
Does she know?

[Anonymous No.18144665]

>>18144553
it taste like ass but its nothing squeezing some lime in there wont fix.
can help with pain. I find it nice and relaxing at the end of the work day. i barley drink alcohol anymore thx to this tea.
Around where I live a lot of Kava bars are popping up with this tea. I even found a brewery now making sodas with it.

there is no regulation with this stuff
stay away from powders and extracts.

[Anonymous No.18144746]

>>18144594
Of course not that would make it weird

[Anonymous No.18144862]

>>18144485
Nothing today. I'm waiting for a tong of ripe puerh. I miss my smooth hay and chocolate sips. I grandpa style 10 grams and get almost a gallon out of it.

[Anonymous No.18144867]

>>18144862
>I'm waiting for a tong of ripe puerh
what production did you get a tong of?

[Anonymous No.18144940]

>>18144867
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/ripe-pu-erh/products/golden-needle-year-of-the-tiger-ripe-pu-erh-tea-cake?variant=41561591447751

I highly recommend it. I can't even say it's malty. It just has a nice dark chocolate taste that I can't get enough of. The first steep is oaky and hay like, then it's just the chocolate smoothness from then on.

[Anonymous No.18144962]

>>18142364
Ive only ever had it in flavored teabags that were gifted to me. They were awful.
Sorry i can't offer any advice it does seem interesting.

[Anonymous No.18144966]

>>18142414
It's probably tannins, bitter English breakfast style black teas bother my stomach as well but more mild Chinese black teas are fine

[Anonymous No.18144969]

>>18144940
sounds nice, not a big shu drinker myself but i will keep that production in mind. getting the whole tong warped in bamboo should be fun. tell us how it goes when you get it.

[Anonymous No.18144983]

>>18143672
>Did we ever actually define the acronym /tsg/?
kek i kind of like that i just put it up with no explanation.
Anyway i had tea sippers general in mind

[Anonymous No.18144992]

>>18143265
Damn that's annoying, ive had mixed luck with that as well sometimes, i bought a cup that was supposed to be 120ml and it was actually 100ml to the rim

[Anonymous No.18144995]

>>18143026
>made in usa
Lol bit of a strech there
Also i take pitty on you if you actually brew kratom as if it was tea. Tastes like dirt

[Anonymous No.18145001]

>>18143420
Awesome, now they just need to get some aged baskets that arent $300 each

[Anonymous No.18145004]

>>18144940
God i love ripe puer, nothing else tastes quite like it

[Anonymous No.18145033]

>>18144995
yeah people do grow in the US
yeah i do brew the tea
yeah it does taste like shit. just add some lime

[Anonymous No.18145043]

>Anons start bringing up shou on a night I was thinking of drinking red.
The timeless duality of man and his desire for leaf.

[Anonymous No.18145065]

>>18145033
>yeah it does taste like shit. just add some lime
Just stirr it with a once or two of hot tap water and drink it powder and all

[Anonymous No.18145097]

>>18145065
>Just stirr it with a once or two of hot tap water and drink it powder and all
no

[Anonymous No.18145115]

>>18144992
I bought a set of cups that were meant to be 16oz/473ish ml, the perfect size for a large cappuccino IMO, but they're /exactly/ 420ml to the rim. I hate Amazon.

[Anonymous No.18145121]

A plain, smoky cup of Lapsang Souchong.
Or a nice cup of Early Gray with a bit of cream.
Simple as.

[Anonymous No.18145355]

What qualities surrounding a tea session do you anons favor the most? How do you think your preference shapes how you consume tea? For me, I find the freshly delidded scent of a just-poured gaiwan to be the most enjoyable part of the experience. The best sessions are ones where I keep a very prolonged and mindful pace in how I engage with each part of the routine. That is, I treat a session as a sort of meditation in of itself, whether that be full, slow inhalations from a vessel, relaxed observation of a pour or texture of a sip, or whatever else. In a way, if practices like aromatherapy and meditation are shown to provide a multitude of health benefits, couldn't the same be said of a well-observed tea session that naturally includes both? I will endeavor to appreciate my leaf more.

[Anonymous No.18145665]

>>18145355
For me it's contemplating beauty with my taste buds. Sometimes it's pure bliss.

[Anonymous No.18146250]

>>18145033
How do i grow a tea tree

[Anonymous No.18146267]

>>18145355
I like to thank God during my tea time. One anon said long ago that you shouldn't see your tea as a package that arrives at your doorstep, but leaves that had to grow just for you. I get all contemplative and it let's me enjoy the little things, like leaves that God let grow and become my favorite tea.

[Anonymous No.18146417]

>>18146250
not sure exactly. all i know is that it takes years and grows best in humid climates.

[Anonymous No.18146433]

>>18143420
>>18143475
Whats KMT?

[Anonymous No.18146574]

>>18146433
KTM is the store king tea mall a relatively prominent puerh vendor that also sells some other types of tea on the side. are you a newfriend here?

[Anonymous No.18146601]

Someone told me the other day that this gives them more energy than a Red Bull. I want to believe it, so I'm getting a box later.

[Anonymous No.18146643]

>>18146601
You're a retard to believe that. It's just spices.

[Anonymous No.18146658]

>>18146643
To his associate's defense, placebo is a hell of a drug. That brand's turmeric and mint bags are weak shit, though. Hopefully anon's vanilla ones are decent.

[Anonymous No.18146683]

>>18146574
Thanks. Yeah i never bothered checking /ck/ before, it didnt occur to me there'd be a tea general. Used to visit r/tea but that's all peaflower video and pictures of bagged tea/cups these days. I dont think ive every seen KMT posted there

[Anonymous No.18146686]

Finished my box of PG Tips just now. It's a weirdly satisfying taste. Nicely blended despite the cheapness of raw ingredients. It really hits the spot for me and I can't explain why. Ended up tearing open all the bags to loose brew it which totally gets rid of the bad smell. Only complaint is how astringent it is even after shaking the dust off.

[Anonymous No.18146756]

>>18145355
I will try an light some mild incense, relax, i tento focus on flavor first instead of aroma.
I don't always make an experience out of it but it's nice when i have the time to.

[Anonymous No.18146773]

>>18146250
It's actually not that hard, buy a tea shrub, make sure it's for making tea and not ornamental. Plant it, give it room to grow, it will reach a 10x10 bush after a decade or so, some of the dwarf varieties are a bit smaller.
https://camforest.com/collections/tea-camellias?page=1

[Anonymous No.18146780]

>>18146601
Buy some sliced american ginseng root, brew it up. Stuff will give you POWER

[Anonymous No.18146784]

>>18146686
Nice, im still not sure if there is any consensus as to what the best bagged English style tea is. I thought pg tips was pretty decent if a bit strong

[Anonymous No.18146829]

>>18146683
>Used to visit r/tea but that's all peaflower video and pictures of bagged tea/cups these days.
Sounds about right, same reason I stopped browsing r/tea years ago. There are still a few really knowledgeable posters one there but they tend to get drowned out by the noise. r/puer/ is much slower and generally better though i have not browsed for awhile.

we have a lot of puerh and heicha fans in this general so king tea mall is well known here. what kind of teas are you into?

[Anonymous No.18146900]

>>18146784
amongst english people generally - Yorkshire Tea are the best tea bags (unless if you're including more premium brands like Twinings); at least from my understanding

[Anonymous No.18146930]

>>18146784
I haven't seen descriptions of brands for a specialty loose tea drinker's perspective so I'm forced to investigate. Still need to try Yorkshire but PG Tips is up there compared to some other crap I've tried. Due to the tippy taste, not being 100% African, and ability to find it in an American grocery store I rank it close to fancier Thompson's and Ringtons.

[Anonymous No.18147095]

>>18146930
>Thompson's and Ringtons
Don't think ive seen these in stores in the us, i can probably get them in specialty stores
>>18146900
Yorkshire huh? I wonder if my local grocer has them

[Anonymous No.18147150]

>>18146784
its irish but barry's tea was my favorite bagged stuff

[Anonymous No.18147196]

>>18132174
steeps well, you brew it while it stands on the counter, you only set it on the cup to drain the tea in to it, takes less than 15 seconds. you could hold it to make sure it doesn't tip. but I've never had a problem with it falling over

[Anonymous No.18147317]

>>18127647
had one years ago their design seems to have improved/is more stylish. mine was a plastic top that slotted into a glass jug, most seem to be more glass these days, avoid ones with plastic obviously. they're good unless your leaf is very broken up, i used to western brew in mine and just keep adding more and more leaf into the top after 3 infusions until it became mostly packed. easy to use, great for people worried about burning themselves or spilling with a gaiwan and dont want to shill out coin for a clay teapot

[Anonymous No.18147386]

I actually love the taste of wet pile in puerh. Is that weird?

[Anonymous No.18147417]

>>18147386
Well it might be weird but i agree, i don't like super funky productions but i sort of enjoy a bit of funk. Xiaguan has a reputation for being quite funky back in the day, i had a 2010 tuo that was really up there, but there more recent productions seem to have toned it down a bit but still have some funk, its good.

[Anonymous No.18147467]

>>18135297
That's basically what samovar does.

[Anonymous No.18147469]

>>18147417
Yeah, funk is a good descriptor; nothing too overwhelming. I may pick some of that up on my next order

[Anonymous No.18147483]

>>18144553
Tastes like ass. Highly addictive. Wouldn't recommend unless you have issues with pain or are trying to ween off stronger opiates.

>>18144665
>stay away from powders

That is how the majority of people in the West consume it. If you have a good source its all fine.

[Anonymous No.18147509]

Tea on an empty stomach is my kryptonite.

[Anonymous No.18147539]

>>18147509
I love my ripe puerh just for that reason. It helps me fast. I'll skip breakfast and lunch just to sip until dinner. The only downside is I'll end up with British teeth at my rate.

[Anonymous No.18147552]

>>18147539
Is that tea anything like oolong?

[Anonymous No.18147602]

>>18147552
Ripe puerh is in its own universe. It's very "earthy" and sometimes funky tasting. You won't find the sweetness that you find in oolong.

[Anonymous No.18147610]

>>18147602
Thanks, will try.

[Anonymous No.18147811]

>>18146829
I seem to drinking a lot of chinese blacks/reds recently but i can enjoy most tea. The only ones i havent enjoyed were japanese sencha with the strong seaweed-y flavour and the cheap Puer i tried years ago. I ordered a puer sampler pack a few months ago with some higher quality puers in but i havent got around to trying them yet.

[Anonymous No.18148151]

Just bought some Darjeeling

[Anonymous No.18148218]

>>18148151
Very nice

[Anonymous No.18148271]

>>18147483
>Highly addictive

I disagree yet I do meet some people who are really hooked but they are usually the ones who move to kratom to get off other substances.
>https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/kratom
"Studies suggest people may experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms when they stop regular kratom use, but more research is needed to understand to what extent people develop substance use disorder symptoms related to kratom"

>how the majority of people in the West consume it.
true but just having the plain tea is growing. hell some from the cultures that been drinking the tea for years just chew on the leaf.

[Anonymous No.18148652]

>>18148271
Just drink the dirt, brewing it is a collosal waste, the efficiency of extraction even with citrus is probably 10%

[Anonymous No.18148673]

>>18148652
i enjoy the tea
sometimes hot
sometimes cold
plain or with lemon/honey
somestimes w/sodas

whatever the extraction efficiency may be is more than plenty for me
its cheap
and if you are rlly broke u can make 2-3 batches from the same leaf

[Anonymous No.18148747]

>>18148673
Fair enough, don't use boiling water as iirc some of the actives are destroyed by excessive heat.

[Anonymous No.18148812]

>>18148747
thats a myth
lots of bars boil large batches to server customers in dispensers like this

[Anonymous No.18148835]

>>18148812
God i wish i had a kava bar locally

[Anonymous No.18149464]

>>18142904
i havent seen that much discussion on terroir here, whats your guys favourites? From the fl samples i've tried, nannuo is probably my favourite mountain even though the menghai area puers dont interest me that much

[Anonymous No.18149962]

>>18149464
Something I read about Darjeeling was the importance of estate terroir versus the tea making process. The argument was processing makes the biggest difference, particularly the wilting and drying steps which are effected by minor differences in daily temperature/humidity. It's partly up to chance, thus why it's tasted then sold in lots with a single invoice number like EX-67 or DJ-68. They also tell you if it's a heirloom bush or an AV2 clonal because that's a bigger factor.
That said, estates still plant their most expensive clonal bushes on the highest, sunniest microclimates within the farm.
So to answer the question, I guess my favorite is Darjeeling

[Anonymous No.18149974]

>>18132170
Camomile and lemon grass can be grown pretty easily if not found and I like it with a little honey

[Anonymous No.18149996]

>>18144940
20 weeks shipping welp guess I'll just be surprised by my first order of puerh at some point

[Anonymous No.18150158]

>>18149996
Think of the bright side. You get 20 weeks of extra storage for free!

[Anonymous No.18150243]

>>18149464
For me it's bulang, lincang/mengku, naka, usually when i try yiwu it's good but i don't seek it out

[Anonymous No.18150311]

>>18148151
Which one? First or second flush? My go to is Margaret's Hope second flush.

[Anonymous No.18150444]

>have small hands
>buy the biggest fucking gaiwan possible

Why do I do this bros?

[Anonymous No.18150543]

>>18150444
How big is it? Just use it as a cup for grampa style, use the lid to hold the leaves in so you don't drink them.
Or just use the gaiwan two handed, nobody is going to know

[Anonymous No.18150611]

>>18150543
It's 200ml with a massive lip. It's aesthetically pleasing, so it was difficult for me not to get it, but I'm still glad I did. I suppose it would be suitable for grandpa style now that I think about it, so maybe I'll try that someday

[Anonymous No.18150665]

>>18149464
Bada mountain has shown some exceptional leaf. Haven't had pu'er from there, but their non-heicha leaf is good. For liu bao, Wuzhou area (Guangxi) has some good productions.

[Anonymous No.18150706]

>>18150611
Take the grandpa pill. I use a 24 ounce mug with 10 grams of ripe puerh. I drink it down to a third and add freshly boiled water again. I say leave one third because it's a nice thick reservoir that you can stretch all day. I do this daily and get about a gallon a out of it. >>18150665

[Anonymous No.18150707]

A tea sourced from a new tea shop I recently discovered -- 'Betel Nut' Liu Bao Hei Cha.
As the names suggests ('Hei Cha'), it is post-fermented like the shu pu'erh, though it does not come from Pu'er. The origin is actually Wuzhou, Guangxi.
The style is non-traditional low-fermentation 'Liu Bao' that aims to bring out the aged sheng notes in the tea.
Dry leaves smell of turf and wet forest. For me personally, it is similar to the smell you get when you enter the terrarium section of the zoo. Exceptionally strong and pungent, even for shu pu'erhs.
Wet, hot leaves take these aromas and amplify them even more. Again, for me, it is similar to the smell of the dirty furnace room that I used to smell whenever I went on holidays to the countryside.
The flavour of the brew loses some of its aromatic notes, but it is strong nevertheless. It is super-efficient, I've brewed it 5 or 6 times and haven't noticed a weakening of the flavour. Honestly, I could brew this one for the aroma alone, it's that good.

[Anonymous No.18150723]

>>18150706
Ignore that other anons post I referenced. That's what I get for being a mobile fag and accidentally touching random post.

[Anonymous No.18150756]

>>18150707
God i love liubao, probably more than i like ripe puer, that rich loamy soil root celler fermentation flavor is just fantastic.
Some big intact leaves in that. Im guessing it's a smaller production and not from one of the big factories. Did they give you an age for it?
Chawangshop, and yunnan sourcing have decent selections of liubao. If you are in the usa purple cloud tea house has quite a bit (use the search function their website is a mess right now) three bears tea in the us has a some interesting productions as well. I generally recommend looking for ones that have spent several years or more aging in baskets in Guangxi / Hunan after production assuming you like that root cellar flavor and want to maximize it.

[Anonymous No.18150761]

>>18150723
Use kurobaEX on github, it takes like an hour to get configured the way you like it but then you will never go back to the browser.
Or blueclover if you want something as simple and easy as possible but one day it's going to break and probably won't get fixed

[Anonymous No.18150776]

>>18150756
They actually give the ageing info, it was harvested in 2015 (which I'd say is noticeable in the flavour and aroma). The tea comes from old trees growing within a forest, gathered by a local farmer, a friend of the tea-store owner.

[Anonymous No.18150803]

>>18128801
>>18128738
why would you keep so much

[Anonymous No.18150835]

>>18150776
Nice, yeah those farmer productions can be interesting. I figured it would because the big factory fermentation process is kind of rough so the leaves are usually broken up into much smaller pieces.
Welcome to the world of liubao, its fantastic stuff

[Anonymous No.18150863]

>>18150803
>why would you keep so much
As long as you store it properly it stays good forever. Puer isint getting any cheaper. A product that retailed for $10-$15 a piece in 2004 goes for closer to $60-$100 today. I got into puer collecting 6 or so years ago qnd there are a lot of teas that i really regret not buying when i could. Stuff that was $80 a kilo that now goes for $300-$500. Stuff that you can't even buy anymore at any price unless you know some private collector and convince them to sell to you.
Im not saying everyone should start hoarding puer but if you have aged teas you know you love and enjoy drinking you should be buying it now because you might not be able to later

[Anonymous No.18151241]

Apologies if this is a stupid question but what's this filter thing called?

[Anonymous No.18151443]

how do i get autistic lads

[Anonymous No.18151456]

>>18151241
Its called all kinds of arbitrary things. Something like
tea strainer
will usually get you a lot of results.
You can also try
Tea filter

[Anonymous No.18151471]

>>18151443
To be real that's all you need to have good fucking tea. I frequently recommend those mug filters for brewing.
If you like Darjeeling check out some of the indian shops in the pastebin and order directly.
I found this the other day that was a pretty nice deal.
https://www.thunderbolttea.com/teas/puttabong-kakra-musk-organic/
If you want to get into chinese or Japanese teas specifically let us know where you are and i can give you more specific advice

[Anonymous No.18151488]

>>18150707
>A tea sourced from a new tea shop I recently discovered
what's the shop's name anon?

>>18150803
>why would you keep so much
because it keeps "forever" and i like having a good variety on hand as well as to stock up on favorites. also aged puerh costs more then younger stuff so you may be able save a bit by buying in advance.

>>18150863
>Puer isint getting any cheaper.
true but i still wouldn't worry too much. i don't think we will ever see such rapid increase in prices again. we may even see a bit of a slump if the "puerh as an investment" bubble pops. at worst i think you will see the prices for some of the famous locations continue to shoot up into absurdity as rich collectors try to outdo one another but good more reasonably priced puerh will likely continue to be available.

I am not even really entirely sold on the concept of terroir at least not how it is popularly understood. yes, location matters but i think it is overstated in comparison to plant varietal, processing style, level of expertise, and the intended market for the tea. also the established famous locations have another huge advantage, it is much easier to make exceptional tea when you know you will get an exceptional price for it. that income be used to improve the quality of production both in the plantation and the processing steps. it also allows you to be far more choosy in the material you utilize.

>I got into puer collecting 6 or so years ago
most of the really exponential deals were gone way earlyer than than that (pre-2006). what is it you want that was cheaply available then but not know?

[Anonymous No.18151597]

>>18151488
>I am not even really entirely sold on the concept of terroir at least not how it is popularly understood.
I agree completely competent processing and healthy plants probably make more difference than location. In my mind the terroir stuff comes in to play from plants that predate when planting with clones became the standard, just because when they were planting from seed they would probably be using seeds from local plants so it makese sense that specific mountains would share more similar genetics than mountains 20 miles away. Even though planting fron seed would still result in a decent amount of genetic variation.
>most of the really exponential deals were gone way earlyer than than that (pre-2006).
Yeah absolutely, stuff like $50 laobanzang cakes were long gone when i started buying but there were still much better prices then there are today. Im especially thinking of MengKu Rongshi or whatever they hell YS calls that factory. Their tea from 2008-2016 was extremely well peiced for several years, now you can get a few of their cheapest 2012 productions affordably but nowhere near where they used to be. Also KTM in general used to be a massive value shop and just isint anymore and nothing has replaced the kind of value they were offering even shopping on taobao wouldn't make that much of a difference. But i totally agree that i missed out on the real deals by a decades or so. Liubao and other hei cha has also shot up in the last few years where it used to be quite affordable compared to puer. I guess a lot of that is the result of significantly increased quality and care of processing if you compare say fu bricks from 2005 to some of the productions they have put out in the last few years but still it's not getting cheaper
I do hope that your right and things will cool off a bit but they current bubble has been marching pretty steadily since the last one deflated in 2013 or so.

[Anonymous No.18151607]

What's the deal with Chinese "prestige" tea culture? Is it just new money flexing or what? I doubt there's much of a difference between a $150 Yixing and a $100,000 Yixing, or $1/g yancha and a $2,000/g yancha.

[Anonymous No.18151836]

>>18151597
>or whatever they hell YS calls that factory
my impression is Shuang Jiang Mengku Tea Company is their more formal company name but Mengku Rongshi is their brand name. they have both on their wrappers. i have been meaning to get cake from them at some point. i see what you mean though most of their higher end older productions are really pricey right now. some of their young and lightly aged cakes are still somewhat reasonable especially when you consider that a number of them are 500g. not sure how the new stuff holds up quality wise though.

>Also KTM in general used to be a massive value shop and just isint anymore
yeah, i am real sad i missed out on that myself. taobao is in my future.

>if you compare say fu bricks from 2005
we barley even have any aged fu available in the west. i don't think fu gets enough love here. i guess i can be happy the prices are still mostly ok. the Chinese msrp for a lot of the higher end fu bricks is still only 8-15¢/g. the catch being that you often have to buy a whole kilogram of it.

>>18151607
>What's the deal with Chinese "prestige" tea culture?
its not really any different then prestige culture anywhere else. people buy overpriced to stuff to signal status and sometimes in an attempt to compensate.

[Anonymous No.18151917]

>>18151607
China has a large focus on gifting culture both as displays of success and wealth and as expected psuedo bribes to grease to wheels and keep the people who are over you happy. As a result there reaches a point when the value of some goods that are popular gifts sort of detaches from reality and becomes, The item is expensive because expensive gifts are good and this item is a famous expensive gift.
I would actually say the expensive teapots are more justified that some other goods. You are buying fully hand made teapots from a guy that has been making teapots every day of his life for the past 60 years, you are buying clay that has it's provenance as being pulled from mines that were shut down 20-40 years ago. But anyway there is no need to spend more than $150 to get a fantastic yixing pot that will do everything a more expensive on will and the fully handmade ones are just luxury goods.

[Anonymous No.18151971]

>>18151836
>i have been meaning to get cake from them at some point.
I got a 2011 "88 tribute brick" from them years ago and it was fantastic, a better example of that plummy character that 7542 is famous for that any of the examples ive had from dayi. Would highly recommend if you can find one. Also their mother tree or tea spirit / arbor king productions. Something from say 2009-2012 or so if you can find one, also any of the bricks or more premium special productions. If you want to buy something modern their "Original Flavor Great Achievement" bricks are okay price wise right on release, but i havent tried one. I would avoid their 2005-2007 stuff, i see it everywhere and its too cheap to be that exciting. They also have later productions where they set up a factory on a different mountain, the ones with the big bird logo on the wrapper, haven't tried them, i would probably stick with the main factory stuff.

[Anonymous No.18152009]

>>18151443
What does the mug say?

[Anonymous No.18152066]

>>18151971
thanks for the advice. i will keep it in mind.

[Anonymous No.18152173]

>>18152009
>dog walkers are getting more arrogant year by year

[Anonymous No.18152472]

>>18151488
Shop's name's thetea.pl, as the domain suggest it's based in Poland.

[Anonymous No.18152972]

anyone here enjoy making their own tea blends? If so, share your recipe.
I've been playing around with a hibiscus, raspberry and lemongrass recipe lately. I drink hibiscus tea pretty much all day. Its done wonders for my blood pressure

[Anonymous No.18152983]

>>18135379
>>18135452
10g of the ripe xg chocobar ground espresso fine and run through the tea portafilter gave off some interesting results. First mug was opaque black and strong. Drank half of it and dropped in some cold water. Immediately went from forest floor to a nice lingering sweetness. Second cup is fairly light translucent brown and just tastes nice and comfy like the end of a grandpa mug or the last few infusions out of a gaiwan. I'm going to have to play more with grind size and dilution but I may have just stumbled onto something cool. Cup of "concentrated" inky ripe and honey over ice sounds fantastic.

[Anonymous No.18153038]

I need suggestions for an electric tea kettle. Ideally something with no plastic

[Anonymous No.18153197]

>>18153038
bonavita, there is a plastic handle but its above the water level. or a stagg which is a little more expensive. those cheap chinese kettles always break down and start leaking after a year to 2

[Anonymous No.18153283]

Anyone bought from tangpin on aliexpress? Whats the quality like? I'm not expecting handmade yixing or anything but it's well packed, non-toxic, when it says 150ml it means 150ml etc?

[Anonymous No.18153386]

Fun fact: vaguely "oriental" tea houses are insanely popular in the Czech Republic. Also every Slav "tea enthusiast" is essentially the Mei Leaf guy, they almost always believe in crazy stuff.

[Anonymous No.18153558]

>>18152472
thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.18153945]

Tea

[Anonymous No.18154054]

I'm jonesing for my ripe puerh. Somebody do a junkie a favor and show off their cake or sweet, sweet red tea.

[Anonymous No.18154226]

>>18153386
Based

[Anonymous No.18154235]

>>18153283
I haven't ordered from tangpin but in my rounds on ali i have run into their store a few times and i think it looks good. They seem to have the quality, prices arent too crazy and the stuff looks nice. Sorry i haven't actually ordered but i would say they shoud be a good bet, one of the better stores on ali

[Anonymous No.18154291]

>>18153283
i've ordered from them twice, really good quality and packaging. cant talk much for if the sizes are to the lid or the rim of the gaiwans though but i think they write it sometimes in the images

[Anonymous No.18155227]

>>18136127
my nigga. i have the very same design tea pot as you. wash it out after every drink, only negroes do not.

[Anonymous No.18155253]

>>18155227
Rinse it out? Or do you wash it with soap?
I try to avoid using soap on teaware when i don't need to. Especially if you have scented soap

[Anonymous No.18155531]

>>18151597
this is the cake they took from you.

[Anonymous No.18155561]

>>18155531
Ahhh don't remind me.
I don't know if bing dao lives up to the hype but i love mengjku teas and know that big dao only has a fraction of the output that LBZ does

[Anonymous No.18155731]

"Tea drunkenness" is a myth. There I said it

[Anonymous No.18155814]

>>18155731
It's actually the feeling of the tea goblin stealing the life essence of people with low levels of cha qi. Common mistake.

[Anonymous No.18155893]

>>18155731
I don't really have strong feelings on it. I think it's more just being in a good mood and feeling good while drinking a cup of tea is a nice experience more than any actual intoxication.

[Anonymous No.18156011]

Where do I get a cheap gong fu kettle that holds about 150 ml in Canada? There are teaware dealers like Camellia Sinensis in Montreal, but they only have fancy stuff that costs between $110 and $680. I want something cheap (<$30) that I won't have to worry too much about accidentally breaking.

[Anonymous No.18156046]

>>18156011
What specifically are you looking for, like a clay Yixing teapot?

[Anonymous No.18156087]

>>18156046
Yes. Other materials like glass is fine too. I'm not being picky about the thermals or aesthetics.

[Anonymous No.18156128]

>>18156087
If you're not picky about the material, then it shouldn't be too difficult to find a nice and cheap porcelain teapot online. Usually the fancy expensive shit is going to be clay and silver. Check out the sticky if you haven't already though

[Anonymous No.18156140]

>>18121846
Is earl gray any good? I barely drank tea in my life and it's all I have on hand. I'd take it with milk.

[Anonymous No.18156179]

>>18156011
Use aliexpress, don't get clay get porcelain
Also 100ml to 120ml or so is much better idea than 150ml trust me
https://aliexpress.com/item/3256802836777481.html
https://aliexpress.com/item/3256803386135691.html
https://aliexpress.com/item/3256802882451817.html
https://aliexpress.com/item/2251832658086746.html
https://aliexpress.com/item/2255800440273264.html
https://aliexpress.com/item/2255799884752760.html

[Anonymous No.18156194]

>>18156140
It's good, especially if you're trying to come off of coffee. It's notorious for staining teeth though kek

[Anonymous No.18156198]

>>18156140
It's fine, it's black tea with bergamot oil, a citrus flavor

[Anonymous No.18157116]

drink more tea

[Anonymous No.18157449]

>>18121846
>>18157116
Give me a glass of lipton

[Anonymous No.18157734]

Redpill me on tea snobbery.
I usually do the russian/turkish method and cook up some strong black tea (i leave the leaves in the pot) and then just dilute it with fresh water to drink troughout the day.
I still enjoy different types of tea and their aromas, why go through the hassle of making a tiny portion and exactly time how long it should brew?

[Anonymous No.18157922]

>tfw no chinese gf to share a fairness pitcher of moldy leafwater with

[Anonymous No.18158026]

>>18157734
That's basically grandpa style, but using the pot instead of a mug and refilling it. The gongfu process is to extract different flavours and feelings out of the same leaf. Different steep times, water temperature, amount of water, more or less leaf. I grandpa more than gongfu, so some other anon will have more to say than I can.

[Anonymous No.18158198]

>>18158026
I worded my first post the wrong way. I don't dilute the tea inside the pot. I use the brew like sirup or concentrate and mix it with water in a mug. This way i also vary the strength depending on what time of the day it is.

[Anonymous No.18158298]

>>18157734
>why go through the hassle of making a tiny portion and exactly time how long it should brew?
If you mean using a gaiwan, it's not really "making a tiny portion" so much as preparing multiple consecutive infusions. You extract different potencies of aromas and flavors as the leaf material opens up, and thus get a developing experience in each session. You can minimize or otherwise avoid harshness in sensitive teas (especially greens and shengs) while still acquiring a full breadth of aromas. It's not like using a gaiwan is inconvenient either. Once you'e done it long enough, you don't really have to weigh out the leaf or time anything strictly. I basically only hard count anything nowadays if I'm sampling something and noting down my impressions. I almost never use any other method at this point.

[Anonymous No.18158580]

>>18158198
We really don't get anyone here that drinks tea the way you do. Ive seen a few anons asking about how its done. Any tips tricks you can share?
So your process is basically
Simmer tea leaves in small pot of water
Strain out the leaves?
Add tea syrup to hot water when you want to drink a cup of tea
Anything else you can tell me about it? It's very interesting

[Anonymous No.18158599]

do i have to milk ceylon tea?

[Anonymous No.18158685]

>>18158580
You got it, i guess whether you remove the leaves or not doesn´t make a difference, as you let the brew simmer for the longest amount of time possible.
In turkish tea houses they have a large pot of hot tea concentrate next to a pot of hot water so customers can dilute the brew to their preferred strenght. Russians do basically the same thing with their samovars.
Since i dont have a samovar, i just make a very strong black tea by leaving four spoons of leaves simmer in a small pot and then mix with either hot or cold water depending on the temperature outside :D
It isn´t as refined as a japanese tea ceremony, but thats how i prefer to do it since i find it to be the most convienient method and thats how my parents (from kazakhstan) do it.
Kind of a low brow method, hence why i think turkish tea can be had for much cheaper than high grade chinese/japanese ones, but you should definetely try it.
I honestly drink way too much black tea, it has started to stain my teeth already lol

[Anonymous No.18158882]

>>18158685
Thanks its pretty interesting.
So im guessing by small pot you mean something like a litre of water?
I actually have experimented with simmering some Chinese tea in a pot on the stove but with fermented tea. It has a sort of dark slightly fermented chocolate earthy soil kind of flavor.
If you are interested in trying it here is some pretty cheap ripe puer and these guys ship to most places.
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/250g-big-tuocha-2016-yr-yunnan-nanjian-phoenix-tuo-cha-chinese-puer-tea-ripe-pu-erh-tea-aftertaste-sweet-pt06-aged-puerh-best-organic-tea-p0238.html
You would brew it the exact same way you make tea now, break a few pieces off with a screwdriver or a pick toss it in a pot and let it cook.
Your technique is also pretty close to how they make Tibetan yack butter tea. They make the same concentrate but instead oh hot water they mix it with hot milk and then add a pat of butter and a pich of salt. Its a very interesting but really an acquired taste.

[Anonymous No.18158916]

>>18158882
Thanks for the info, i use a 500ml pot with 4 spoons of black tea

[Anonymous No.18158979]

>cloudy overcast today
What's a good tea for this weather bros?

[Anonymous No.18159055]

>>18146643
>>18146658
So wrong. You underestimate plants.

[Anonymous No.18159168]

>>18158916
> i use a 500ml pot with 4 spoons of black tea
Awesome thanks

[Anonymous No.18159200]

>>18159055
I thought it was just vanilla-flavored black tea or similar. I agree that a number of its ingredients are useful (especially with adaptogens), having experience with most of them myself. I doubt the effectiveness of dose from a tea bag alone (not many mg of useful contents compared to isolates), but ingredients-wise, probably fine. I still think Yogi is a shit brand, but I've only had their plain tisanes.

[Anonymous No.18159232]

>>18158979
Liubao, any other fermented tea
Or earl grey maybe
Oolong would probably be good too

[Anonymous No.18159240]

>>18158916
Awesome thanks anon, i added your recipie to the pastebin because people were looking for a simple tea concentrate recipe that didn't use a samovar and all that extra stuff.

[Anonymous No.18159275]

>>18158599
Depends on the region. If you don't know and the liquid is brown, not orange then probably add milk.

[Anonymous No.18159473]

Separated plentiful dust/fannings from my Haiwan 9978 shou into my shou pu'er dust collection bag. I have something similar set up for whites. Not sure what I will end up doing with it. It is interesting seeing a cake I've held onto and nibbled into slowly for so long being almost entirely exhausted.

[Anonymous No.18159476]

This will be pleasant to drink later. Perhaps a touch dank, but I think in a good way.

[Anonymous No.18159636]

>>18159473
I use all my dust/fannings for grampa style. Something like 4.5g to a 10-12oz mug. It's usually pretty good

[Anonymous No.18159817]

Thinking of trying grandpa style. Does it work better with raw puer or ripe puer?

[Anonymous No.18159923]

>>18159817
I personally use 9-10 grams of ripe. I can't tell for raw because I've never had it. I can just tell you that I get around three liters when I grandpa style my ripe. Maybe a gallon if I'm fasting for the day.

[Anonymous No.18159927]

>>18159636
I was mostly considering that, though it would be a lot of light particulates I may or may not want. May add deep texture, if nothing else. This is for something a long time from now anyway.
>>18159817
You can do both, but in general, I lean shou for something like grandpa. Depends on the leaf, but a deep shou can take well even to outright boiling, so tossing it in a mug is fine too.

[Anonymous No.18160045]

Slowly losing interest in teas. Maybe I'm bored of the flavors but it's been hard to brew the cups right lately. My scale has trouble measuring black tea leaves now so I just eye ball it. I think I bought too much tea overall. Maybe I'll try a sampler next time...

[Anonymous No.18160062]

>>18160045
What are you drinking? I have phases like that, sometimes it just happens. Sometimes I drink a couple different teas every day and enjoy all of them, sometimes I drink the same tea every day for a week or two, sometimes nothing really seems good.

Generally I think if you're unhappy with tea because you haven't weighed it or haven't measured the water temperature exactly, you don't really like it very much. I have a nice scale, but I only use it for certain teas that I think benefit from it, and I want to do a gongfu session. Everything I have I'm willing to grab a handful of and brew grandpa style, and it always comes out pretty tasty.

[Anonymous No.18160078]

>>18160045
When did you last clean your kettle? Only the same leaf? I didn't realize how much build up mind had until using vinegar to clear it. I think you get used to the flavor over time, and may not notice. Made a very noticeable difference for me. I'm also experimenting all the time with my leaf in new ways to keep things fresh. Cold brew is an easy way to try that if you have a lot of budget tea on hand.

[Anonymous No.18160101]

>>18160062
Dragon well green tea, High Mountain Red black tea, and Black Gold Bi Lou Chun black tea. I just started about a month ago, more or less. I really like the cocoa flavor from the Black Gold but it needs to be done just right to really bring it out.
Right now I'm using the cheap supplies from local stores for western style brewing.
I guess I could try investing in better quality items online.

[Anonymous No.18160113]

>>18160078
No kettle yet, just an infuser. But I haven't cleaned it for build up at all yet, I just rinse it thoroughly with water. I haven't tried cold brews yet

[Anonymous No.18160134]

>>18160101
>Right now I'm using the cheap supplies from local stores for western style brewing.
I'd brew all of it grandpa style and see how you like it. For the dragon well, I wouldn't use it right off the boil, but I'd pour it in pretty hot. The leaves will sink once it's ready. I'd also buy a cheap gaiwan pretty much right away. You don't need a lot of money to buy tea equipment, most of it is totally optional, and what isn't (like a gaiwan) can be had really cheap.

After that, the next thing I'd look for is a scale you like, those can be had for ~10-15 bucks, get one that does tenths of a gram. If you want repeatability, that's essential.

[Anonymous No.18160211]

>>18160045
Maybe that black tea you have isn't really your thing. It's always good to experiment with samples as much as possible instead of committing to one thing while you're in a tea craze. You should find at least one special tea you could enjoy drinking daily while in a tea lull that you don't have to put much thought into preparing.

[Anonymous No.18160619]

>>18160134
>grandpa style
It looks interesting, I'll try a cup tonight. But if the leaves are always brewing, wouldn't it become too bitter once the water cools down? Or would you avoid boiling for black teas too?
>gaiwan
I'll check some out on amazon unless you have any site recommendations. The scale I bought was a digital from Walmart but its already losing sensitivity.

>>18160211
I'm starting to think so. I bought way too much for starting, but they black teas were only sold by 100 grams. I guess I'll try a popular sampler next