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I microwave my water and have never had a problem. Step one, put water in a pyrex measuring cup. Step two, microwave for 2-3 minutes. Step three, remove from microwave, possibly stir to ensure even temp distribution (if I'm feeling saucy I'll use my electric thermometer here to make sure it's hot - doubles as a decent stirrer). Step four, pour over tea leaves in my mug. Step five, remove tea leaves after steeping. Step six, enjoy tea. I can vaguely see the concerns about people under-heating their water because they don't want their mug to get hot, but the first time you try an instant-read thermometer you'll be cured of that plan. As far as explosions and super-heating goes...I've never had it happen and would be surprised if most folks are using sufficiently smooth mugs for that to be a danger. If you're worried about it, hit your water with a spoon while it's in the microwave.
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# ? Apr 24, 2012 21:09 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 03:20 |
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Arcturas posted:I microwave my water and have never had a problem. Step one, put water in a pyrex measuring cup. Step two, microwave for 2-3 minutes. Step three, remove from microwave, possibly stir to ensure even temp distribution (if I'm feeling saucy I'll use my electric thermometer here to make sure it's hot - doubles as a decent stirrer). Step four, pour over tea leaves in my mug. Step five, remove tea leaves after steeping. Step six, enjoy tea. This is much closer to my experience with microwaving. I agree that using a kettle is easier/better when you have it available, but there's nothing wrong with the microwave as long as you make sure the water's actually hot enough and don't have some sort of crazy smooth container that will super-heat the water. And yeah, adding the leaves to the water rather than the other way around isn't good, but doesn't actually have to do with the microwaving itself (I avoid it at work by boiling the water in my mug then pouring it into my Ingenuitea to steep, thus making sure I don't accidentally add too much water and overflow my mug. Plus the very hot ceramic from the mug being used to heat the water keeps my tea hot longer).
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# ? Apr 24, 2012 21:26 |
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Again, I don't think that microwaving is inherently inferior. It's that there are plenty of ways to gently caress up making tea when you use a microwave, especially if you do not know lots about tea. Compared to that, a $15 water boiler will likely be quicker, doesn't require someone to use an instant read thermometer (which is likely too spergy for lots of people), and has less ways to gently caress up. I stand by the advice, despite being very drunk when I posted it.
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# ? Apr 25, 2012 00:33 |
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Give me all the product suggestions for an instant read thermometer.
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# ? Apr 25, 2012 00:39 |
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Thermapen!
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# ? Apr 25, 2012 00:43 |
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Or buy one of the cheap $10-15 ones off amazon. They'll work decently well for about 1/10 the price of a thermapen. Well enough for tea, certainly.
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# ? Apr 25, 2012 00:50 |
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So glad to find a tea megathread! Great OP... I've been hooked on the stuff for a couple of years now. I love coffee, but the caffeine and overall stimulation just wasn't conducive to my health, especially if drinking it all throughout the day like I do with tea. I've been a Teavana customer for the last year, because there are really no other good options in my relatively small city - at least, none that are likely to be any cheaper. I love their tea, but from what I've seen browsing through a few of the sites in the OP, I'm obviously spending way too much. So, I'd like to move on to an internet source if possible. Besides, they don't seem to be very knowledgeable at the Teavana store, and it's getting on my nerves. I tell them I want to try something new and bold, and they hand me what tastes like a cup of hot water. No thanks. I was thinking of trying out a bunch of samples from a few places, but I thought I'd see if there were any goon recommendations first. I love the Golden Monkey (black) and the Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong (oolong) from Teavana, and pretty much everything else there tastes weak or fruity to me. Any good specific or general recommendations based on that?
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# ? Apr 26, 2012 15:26 |
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Fryhtaning posted:I was thinking of trying out a bunch of samples from a few places, but I thought I'd see if there were any goon recommendations first. I love the Golden Monkey (black) and the Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong (oolong) from Teavana, and pretty much everything else there tastes weak or fruity to me. Any good specific or general recommendations based on that? I'm not familiar with those specific teas, but I do agree that Teavana is very fruity. As for retailers, Adagio and Upton both have great samples and are highly recommended throughout the thread. I ordered from Adagio first. Their samples are $2 for .8oz and have brewing temps/times, which I liked as a Teavana customer. My Upton order will be next paycheck, so I can't tell you much, but people here seem to like their tin packaging. I have an oolong question, as it happens. I like the dark leaves, like the rose oolong I posted and the stuff at Asian restaurants. Looking at oolong pages, though, I see a lot of green leaves with fancy names. I'd like to try some of them, but I'm not sure what to expect. Do they taste like the dark oolong I like, or like green tea, or like grass? Mostly I'm a rooibos/dark oolong-drinker. Can someone recommend a green-leaved oolong from Adagio or Upton that is a good intro to the other side of oolong? (I'm sorry I forgot the type names, I hope I'm not too vague.)
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# ? Apr 26, 2012 17:56 |
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Fryhtaning posted:I was thinking of trying out a bunch of samples from a few places, but I thought I'd see if there were any goon recommendations first. I love the Golden Monkey (black) and the Phoenix Mountain Dan Cong (oolong) from Teavana, and pretty much everything else there tastes weak or fruity to me. Any good specific or general recommendations based on that? Recommending a darjeeling if you've never tried one.
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# ? Apr 26, 2012 19:40 |
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Fryhtaning - how do you brew your darker oolongs? There are some which only really show well when you brew them in the Chinese style, others which will be more forgiving of more western style brewing. I recently tried this oolong at the shop, and found it to not brew up that well gongfu style, but the owner said that he often drinks this just by throwing some leaves in a travel mug and refilling with hot water whenever it gets about 50% empty, and that it's very well suited to that style of drinking. http://www.aromateashop.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=21 If you do like to brew gongfu style, either in a gaiwan or a small pot, this was phenomenal: http://www.aromateashop.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=73 Milpreve - Greener oolongs will often taste more like green tea than the amber oolongs. If you like amber oolongs, try to find a traditional green style oolong rather than the more modern style. The more modern style, which is a very bright green, is almost completely unoxidised and is often basically unroasted. Whereas a more traditional tie guan yin will have a good combination of the roasted and oxidised notes common to amber oolongs, but will also have some of that green characteristic. Sticking to Aroma Tea Shop recommendations, you could try something like this as a medium between modern green oolongs and what you're drinking now: http://www.aromateashop.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=205 If you want to go all in on the green, try their Ben Shan oolong. It's incredible.
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# ? Apr 26, 2012 19:56 |
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pork never goes bad posted:Fryhtaning - how do you brew your darker oolongs? There are some which only really show well when you brew them in the Chinese style, others which will be more forgiving of more western style brewing. I recently tried this oolong at the shop, and found it to not brew up that well gongfu style, but the owner said that he often drinks this just by throwing some leaves in a travel mug and refilling with hot water whenever it gets about 50% empty, and that it's very well suited to that style of drinking. http://www.aromateashop.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=21 I basically have two tins of tea at all time; one at home, and one at work. At work I have a 12oz thermos tumbler that has a tea basket lid that can be swapped out with a lid for drinking. I drop a tablespoon and some change of the oolong into it and use it 4-5 times a day by refilling the water and giving it a few minutes (increasing the more it's used) to steep before removing the leaves. At home I have a.. I think 20oz or so cast iron pot with a removable strainer. I drink the golden monkey from that after steeping it in freshly-boiled water for 3 minutes. I pour it out into a small glazed cup once it's done brewing. The Oriental Beauty you linked sounds fairly similar, although drat, just as expensive. I did try a "Monkey Picked" from Teavana one time, and I thought it was really mild, yet it did taste pretty complex. Maybe the hot water dispenser at work wasn't hot enough to open it up fully, but that water is steaming when it comes out... So many things to learn
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# ? Apr 26, 2012 20:34 |
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I was very happy with my Earl Grey sampler from Upton. I'll pick up a few more samplers next time I order from them. And a big bag of Earl Grey Creme Vanilla, god I love that poo poo. Also, seconding the Darjeeling recommendation.
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# ? Apr 27, 2012 04:06 |
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What's with cornflower petals? I see them in so many teas but haven't seen anything saying what they add other than looks. Like in this Earl Grey Blue Flower from Upton. One of my favorite teas is Earl Grey de la Creme and it has the flowers. The flavor is milder than regular Earl Grey and I assumed it had something to do with the flowers but when I see them in other teas, there's no notes about what the flowers do. I asked at Teavana and the girl got confused and asked me if they were for decoration.
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# ? Apr 27, 2012 16:59 |
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I'd like to think they add something to the flavor and aroma, but it's probably just decoration. The Upton Earl Grey Blue Flower smells pretty much like Earl Grey (aka bergamot) to me. Twinnings Lady Grey is another good one that has bergamot, orange and lemon peel, and cornflower petals.
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# ? Apr 27, 2012 19:20 |
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pork never goes bad posted:Milpreve - Greener oolongs will often taste more like green tea than the amber oolongs. If you like amber oolongs, try to find a traditional green style oolong rather than the more modern style. The more modern style, which is a very bright green, is almost completely unoxidised and is often basically unroasted. Thanks! That's really good to know. I've seen the tie guan yin talked about a lot in this thread, so I'll give that a go. If it matters, I brew in an IngenuiTea. Fryhtaning, I second the recommendation for Darjeeling. I've always though of it as sort of between an oolong and a black tea. milpreve fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Apr 28, 2012 |
# ? Apr 28, 2012 16:34 |
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I just got another big order from Upton, including the samples of various teas that I can't justify buying more of because they're expensive. The samovar blend that Upton has is great for normal drinking, even without a samovar. It's really smooth, not too bitter, and make a great early morning drink.
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# ? Apr 30, 2012 16:08 |
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milpreve posted:Fryhtaning, I second the recommendation for Darjeeling. I've always though of it as sort of between an oolong and a black tea. Thanks for the advice. Darjeeling sounds like a must-try, and you've all given me some good ideas to go off of otherwise.
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# ? Apr 30, 2012 19:43 |
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Zelmel posted:I just got another big order from Upton, including the samples of various teas that I can't justify buying more of because they're expensive. The samovar blend that Upton has is great for normal drinking, even without a samovar. It's really smooth, not too bitter, and make a great early morning drink. Is that like a Russian Caravan-style tea? Those tend to go well brewed strong and taken with milk and sugar. In other news, I did go to Samovar Tea the other day and it was about what I expected. High prices but good tea, definitely a very 'frou-frou' type of place, as pork never goes bad had called it. If I worked in San Fransisco I could certainly see myself going there once a week to unwind, since their signature tea is 14 dollars a go. The nice thing about it is that with said tea, you get unlimited access to the samovar they have at the back, but I barely diluted the liquor with water, just had some milk and sugar to taste. I also forgot a box of cookies (6 bucks for 3 cookies! ) at the place when I left.
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# ? Apr 30, 2012 21:01 |
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aldantefax posted:Is that like a Russian Caravan-style tea? Those tend to go well brewed strong and taken with milk and sugar. I don't know that it's really a Russian Caravan-style one, I think that milk and sugar would probably overpower it since it's so smooth and mild. One of the reasons I like it is because it's really forgiving about oversteeping and such (since at work sometimes I have to step away from my tea and it sits for a little while). This is the Samovar blend I got: http://uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TB28
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# ? Apr 30, 2012 21:34 |
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Use in samovar-style pots tends to suggest it is brewed extra strong, but that does seem like a pretty solid breakfast tea. Whenever I get around to ordering from Upton I'll have to try that out!
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# ? Apr 30, 2012 22:27 |
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aldantefax posted:Use in samovar-style pots tends to suggest it is brewed extra strong, but that does seem like a pretty solid breakfast tea. Whenever I get around to ordering from Upton I'll have to try that out! Can you (or someone) explain what samovar-style is?
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# ? May 2, 2012 16:46 |
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In Russia and some surrounding countries, the Samovar is one of the two typical vessels used to make tea. A samovar is a large metal urn in which water is heated. Above it is a small teapot, in which zavarka, or very concentrated tea is brewed. Typically this tea is then put into a cup and diluted 10 to 1 with hot water from the samovar. If you want to brew tea this way at home, it's fairly easy. You need about 5 teaspoons of tea leaves per cup of water. Use a strong black tea, ideally with whole leaves (CTC and broken-leaf teas end up more bitter with lower extraction of other volatiles, which is not ideal). Flavored tea is very common in Russia, so Earl Grey, or a fruit tea, will often work well. Make sure to heat your brewing pot, and ideally add the leaves to the pot and then leave covered in the heated pot before pouring water over for 10-30 seconds. Brew for a long time, I'd say about 10 minutes. You can then pour this into the bottom of a cup and top off with boiling water. Jam or marmalade are common sweeteners in Russia, as are syrups like the ones Monin makes. Good luck Russian-tea-ing! Wikipedia has a pretty good page on them.
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# ? May 2, 2012 21:19 |
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milpreve posted:Can you (or someone) explain what samovar-style is? I used to have a video to explain this exact question, but basically a samovar is a large heavy-duty water dispenser. The heating element is sealed inside the water vessel which holds about 5L or more, and sometimes a separate heating coil is at the top, where a fitted teapot rests. The idea is that the teapot will steep with an extremely generous amount of black tea leaves and left to sit on top of the samovar itself - at that point it's a matter of pouring some of the extremely strong tea into a cup, diluting it to the desired consistency with the water, and then taking it with sugar and milk. 3d rendering of a samovar Samovars were (and still probably are in some areas of Russia) a family fixture, and there developed a pecking order in who was served tea first to signify social status in the family proper. House guests would be invited to take tea from the samovar as a sign of welcome and respect, though I guess some douchebags wouldn't get the offer since it wasn't part of compulsory etiquette or anything that I know of. Samovars also have an interesting history in that they are in use in all levels of society! Russian Caravan tea gets its name from when Imperial China used to send overland tea trade to the Russians (they had established border posts exclusively for that, though said posts didn't exactly flourish). Russia is actually one of the oldest Western civilizations to have enjoyed tea, having done so for many years before places like the East India Company decided to capitalize on China's resources.
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# ? May 2, 2012 21:38 |
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Are they all electrical now?
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# ? May 3, 2012 00:42 |
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The majority of them, sure, since otherwise you'd need to have them over a wood stove or something similar to maintain the heat throughout the course of the day.
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# ? May 3, 2012 06:04 |
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Just overbrew your tea (quantity AND time) until it's extremely bitter, then dilute it with water until you can drink it without gagging. There you go. Russian style. For best results make sure to have some old-rear end water (if not kept hot then at the very least reboiled all day) that's so flat that your tea will be the better option no matter what. What. I'm not bitter. On a serious note you're pretty much doing gong fu with tannin teas. Well, and no rebrewing, or rinsing, or much temperature stuff... okay, it's really not got a whole lot in common with gongfu other than your tea/water ratio is gonna be pretty much that. How much you dilute depends on your tolerance. Some people do it straight. That's pretty hardcore though. It's also kind of a thing to have it with no sugar (I don't remember what the attitude towards milk is, but it's not really common) and instead have some jam or just a candy on the side. So that you can, uh, taste the tea. (Oh yeah less-purists will put the jam inside though.) It's why a lot of Russian candies can be really obnoxiously sweet by themselves, they're kinda meant to cancel out a really strong unsweetened tea. Culinary Bears fucked around with this message at 23:26 on May 3, 2012 |
# ? May 3, 2012 23:20 |
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Goddamn posted:Some people do it straight. That's pretty hardcore though. When I was at Samovar drinking from the samovar, I didn't dilute
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# ? May 4, 2012 03:28 |
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COMING SOON: pre qingming da fo (great buddha) long jing dragonwell
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# ? May 6, 2012 10:00 |
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I got some spring Lishan last week that is quite tasty. They said I was 1 week early to get any of the Dayuling yet, but I'll remedy that soon enough. The teashop guy reports that this year was too rainy for optimum tea growing conditions (again). I can't tell, but I guess superfresh spring tea just tastes good no matter what.
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# ? May 10, 2012 03:47 |
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Just got some Taylors of Harrogate: Yorkshire Gold black tea. It's supposed to be a national treasure or something. Is it just me or do the British like their tea bitter?
Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 06:21 on May 10, 2012 |
# ? May 10, 2012 06:19 |
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steep to long because your lazy and add milk to try and save it. Then they become used to it and make it that way on purpose.
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# ? May 10, 2012 13:06 |
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Most black teas are quite bitter - especially if cut, broken, or CTC processed. This is deliberate. This notion that bitterness in black tea is somehow bad is misguided. And the notion that adding milk to tea is somehow inappropriate is also misguided.
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# ? May 11, 2012 01:54 |
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pork never goes bad posted:And the notion that adding milk to tea is somehow inappropriate is also misguided. I completely agree. When my mom was in South Africa, home of the rooibos plant, the only way ANYONE she met drank their rooibos was with milk. Most Americans I meet don't add milk, but it's much better with. And who can say the growers of the plant drink it incorrectly?
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# ? May 11, 2012 04:48 |
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Let's Drink! Company: Life in Teacup Product Name: Pre-Qingming Da Fo (Great Buddha) Long Jing Type: Chinese Green Tea, harvested and hand-processed on April 3, 2012 Introduction I'd been meaning to get another one of these up and going but being unemployed is arguably busier than being employed! On Bob McBob's recommendation I pre-ordered a series of these types of teas, "long jing" or more commonly "Dragon Well" teas. I was not disappointed by the results, and this particular one I got twice the amount of at a very reasonable price considering the scarcity (50g for about 25 bucks). Pre-Qingming is similar to what is called "first flush" teas, in that they are among the youngest leaves and buds to be harvested. There is an extremely tight window (about ten days) in when to pluck these leaves - prices from older or more exclusive tea plantations can be prohibitively expensive. Preparation The package came with several opaque silver ziplocs (important, since direct sun contact/excessive heat, etc can ruin this kind of tea), 25 grams to a bag. Compared to the last time I rigged one of these things up I decided to prepare it Chinese style. dry leaves, about 1.5 to 2oz This particular tea is plucked in such a way to preserve the leaves surrounding the bud. I don't do any particular ceremony when preparing tea in the gongfu way, but I do use mostly appropriate utensils, such as a gaiwan, fairness cup, in addition to a tea boat (a draining table) and a teapot full of the appropriate temperature of water, and a hand filter to catch any leaves during decanting. A second, larger draining table catches any other fumbles when handling liquid. Brewing 179F temperature water in a small 100ml gaiwan The tea set used today (with the exceptions of the metal bits) was purchased for a reasonable sum of $25 in San Fransisco at Aroma Tea Shop. I bought it mostly for the smaller, ceramic tea boat, which could fit easily on my cluttered desk and had larger draining holes to catch leaves with. alternate shot with the tea boat and the water pot in the background - also a felix the cat wallet from a dollar store Dragon Well tea tends to last for about 3 to 4 brews, which is certainly a change of pace from what I prefer - ripe puerh and oolongs can go for as much as 10! Each infusion took about 2 to 3 minutes. I used the gaiwan lid to sweep the leaves occasionally during the brewing. Each infusion with this tea set yields enough for six dainty tasting cups. Tasting A crumby shot of the decanted tea prior to service The aroma in addition to the taste of this is milky and green - not necessarily astringent similar to some other green teas, it's in its own category. My folks, Filipino immigrants to the US, said that this kind of tea reminded them of leaves from the south Asian plants pandan or guayavano. It carries a gentle sweetness that envelops the tongue and provides a pleasant, warm feeling with each miniscule cup. First steep color and tasting After the third infusion, the overall flavor drops off sharply, and the fourth infusion is where I usually draw the line and call the leaves truly spent. Spent leaves after the fourth infusion Some may cry foul that this tea be paired with any type of food, however it would go well with dry, crumbly sweet things, like coconut biscuits. Too much flavor from whatever you may be eating can diminish the overall impact of the tea, though, but I think you might have some interesting results if you ate it with fruit and veg that have a milder/blander taste, such as fennel, golden pears, etc. Personally, I'll just stick to drinking this before or after a meal when I've cleansed my palate. Overall Impressions I was very pleased with this tea and the opportunity to try something that you can only really experience a few weeks in a whole year is certainly something else. Compared to the two other Dragon Well type teas that I purchased (Shi Feng Long Jing and Bi Lo Chun), this one is the 'softest' in terms of palate. The distinct lack of bitterness is definitely welcome, and the only thing I regret is that the leaves run out so quickly. I've had multiple gaiwans of this stuff in a day and I have no problem drinking more! Afterword Would I buy this stuff again next year? Certainly. I fully intend to drink through (or give away as a present) the remaining dragon well that I have, since it's meant to be enjoyed as soon as possible. Though it's been a month since the plucking, the flavor is still quite fine, though you will begin to taste some staleness after about a month or more, even if they're kept in lightless bags away from sunlight. I also need to get something set up to get some clearer pictures than just a phone camera and ambient lighting. The majority of that stuff costs money, though, so you'll just have to deal with poopy phone shots for now!
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# ? May 11, 2012 07:43 |
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milpreve posted:I completely agree. When my mom was in South Africa, home of the rooibos plant, the only way ANYONE she met drank their rooibos was with milk. Most Americans I meet don't add milk, but it's much better with. And who can say the growers of the plant drink it incorrectly? I had no idea adding milk to rooibos would even be enjoyable, I'm going to have to try that soon.
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# ? May 11, 2012 13:52 |
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Ok so I am an idiot and I bought matcha thinking it was just regular green tea. I had never heard of this stuff before and apparently its really weird and you're supposed to drink it out of a bowl. I looked online for how to make it and after 2 cups I'm not crazy about the stuff, it tastes like green tea ice cream at first which is awesome but then it has a really bitter aftertaste and it smells kinda funny. I assume I am just making it wrong. I have some questions about this whole thing: 1. Do I really need a bamboo whisk? I don't even think I've ever seen one in a store and I don't see why a metal one wouldn't do the same thing. 2. Should there be sludge at the bottom of the cup (like a french press coffee almost) or am I not whisking it enough? Edit: Still wondering about the above but I made another cup later and it came out much less bitter, this stuff is definitely growing on me Starks fucked around with this message at 04:30 on May 13, 2012 |
# ? May 13, 2012 01:08 |
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I realize this is really a "loose leaf tea thread", but can someone recommend to me some excellent individually wrapped bag tea? I've been living on a steady diet of Bigelow tea (mostly black & black + flavor) for about two years now, but I'd like to expand out and see what else there is. I have a steeper, but loose leaf really isn't my thing. I looked through the OP and this was the only individually wrapped stuff I could find, which seems pricey @ $0.40 ea. Compare to $0.10 ea for Bigelow. I'm sure there's a wide variety on Amazon, but choice overload creeps in and it helps to get some direction on the subject. http://www.adagio.com/teabags/index.html
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# ? May 17, 2012 17:14 |
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Twinnings is decent for bagged. Tazo is OK too but I find the different flavors are hit and miss.
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# ? May 17, 2012 17:36 |
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Hadlock posted:I've been living on a steady diet of Bigelow tea (mostly black & black + flavor) for about two years now, but I'd like to expand out and see what else there is. I have a steeper, but loose leaf really isn't my thing. Just out of curiosity, what makes loose leaf "not your thing"? Flavor? Effort needed to brew a cup? Cost? There may be some misconceptions you're having on one of those notes. The difference between loose teas and bagged tea is the difference between fresh ground coffee and a Keurig cup. While the latter is more convenient, in the end you're actually paying a premium for convenience and getting a product that isn't as fresh. Let us know your tastes and how/when you're drinking and maybe we can convince you to give loose teas another try.
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# ? May 17, 2012 17:40 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 03:20 |
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If your search criteria is 'bagged' and 'cheap', your choices are going to be very limited. Why not buy loose leaf and fill your own bags, or buy an ingenuiTEA? I use one at home and work, they're very hassle free and in the long run you will probably save money this way.
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# ? May 17, 2012 17:44 |