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aldantefax posted:As a general rule I would say to just heat the water up only in the microwave and then steep the tea afterwards, then add milk and sugar to taste when you're done. You can experiment with what works best for you. Microwaving to heat water generally is suitable only for black teas, since you don't have any real control of the water temperature. The only thing you should keep in mind when microwaving is that water can get hot without appearing to boil:  This is because it doesn't evenly heat the water.quote:A kettle is designed to heat water evenly to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100c). Heat at the bottom of the kettle—whether from a heating element embedded in an electric device or from a burner on the stove—creates a natural convection current: The hot water rises and the cool water falls in a cyclical fashion, which uniformly heats the contents of the kettle to a boil (at which point an electric kettle clicks off or a stovetop kettle whistles).
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Jul 28, 2014 19:40
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Yeah, that. This person's got the data. In other news, I got a Bonavita variable temperature gooseneck kettle in via Massdrop today. Very excited to use it for fancy tea prep, but I don't have any thermometers or anything like that to actually check to see if the numbers I'm dialing in are accurate at all or not. If not...I guess I can use it for pourover coffee or something? I haven't really had to get too. I guess it's supposed to be accurate within 1%, which seems quite specific! I guess it's intended for commercial use, but considering I got it for 58 bucks shipped on a group buy instead of 100 bucks or whatever it retails for. aldantefax fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Jul 28, 2014 |
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Jul 28, 2014 22:39
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Thank you Nexus 4 for being fast enough to get a free gift card on TeaVivre.
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Jul 29, 2014 10:07
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Teavivre green and white sale yesterday i bought over $100 of tea. I saw it and was like $9 for 100g? Well hell a cup of bag tea at a coffee shop is $7, I'd be a full not to get this... And this... And this... And  that's a big total. By the end of this sale I'll probably have spent between 200 and 300 on tea.And i already have a huge back log of my stuff from Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
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Aug 1, 2014 02:39
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The oolong and puerh sale is going to kill me.
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Aug 1, 2014 02:42
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hope and vaseline posted:The oolong and puerh sale is going to kill me. Don't use future tense, I'm pretending I missed it!
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Aug 1, 2014 06:02
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I managed to only buy $30 of puerh from Teavivre with the sample special. Thankfully I'm still stocked on the greens and whites that I'd want from them. Let's pretend the oolong and puerh tea sales were over three weeks okay-thanks.
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Aug 1, 2014 16:29
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Yeah, there goes another $100+  got to do my drinking at home now to make up for this nonsense. Please send an intervention.E: I am limiting myself to just 2014 teas unless it's something I really want.
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Aug 2, 2014 20:25
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Thanks for the heads-up, I just dropped $70 on some oolongs. I've been enjoying the Chinese ginseng oolong that David's sells, so I'm looking forward to trying the Taiwanese version that Teavivre had on sale. Is there much difference between the superfine/nonpareil/etc. grades that they sell?
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Aug 2, 2014 23:13
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DontAskKant posted:E: I am limiting myself to just 2014 teas unless it's something I really want. I read this as limiting yourself to only 2,014 different teas.
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Aug 3, 2014 01:23
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Juaguocio posted:Thanks for the heads-up, I just dropped $70 on some oolongs. I've been enjoying the Chinese ginseng oolong that David's sells, so I'm looking forward to trying the Taiwanese version that Teavivre had on sale. I don't really get their grading system tbh, I've never seen those terms used anywhere else. Just assume it's a higher grade than their normal stuff, and that if it's organic that you're paying a little extra. 2 more days for the pu sale. Gonna limit myself to 2 cakes. Maybe. (I've been drinking so much shu lately so I dont feel so bad knowing that stuff wont really go stale like greens that I only try to have on hand what I can drink in a few months)
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Aug 3, 2014 01:39
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It wouldn't surprise me if there were some errors in terminology on their website, given that sentences like this exist:Teavivre posted:Teapot may be your choice. "You can use a teapot if you want, I guess. Whatever."
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Aug 3, 2014 02:58
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Maybe you can use the white or red tea pot. It's your choice. Living over here I just kind of gloss over that stuff. I drink about 4 mugs of oolong or green a day so I don't feel too bad about my spending.
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Aug 3, 2014 08:16
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What teaspoons do you guys normally use for measuring out your tea? I had a couple of the Teavana measuring spoons that have slowly disappeared on me, so I'm in the market for new ones! I liked the Teavana ones enough--I'm just feeling like a change.
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Aug 6, 2014 16:58
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Niemat posted:What teaspoons do you guys normally use for measuring out your tea? I had a couple of the Teavana measuring spoons that have slowly disappeared on me, so I'm in the market for new ones! I liked the Teavana ones enough--I'm just feeling like a change. A scale?
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Aug 6, 2014 17:09
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Niemat posted:What teaspoons do you guys normally use for measuring out your tea? I had a couple of the Teavana measuring spoons that have slowly disappeared on me, so I'm in the market for new ones! I liked the Teavana ones enough--I'm just feeling like a change. DontAskKant posted:A scale? I'm very happy with this pocket scale I picked up. http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-AWS-600-BLK-Nutrition/dp/B000O37TDO
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Aug 6, 2014 17:13
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DontAskKant posted:A scale? Fair enough. I was mainly seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a tea spoon, because it's an easy thing to bring to work with me. 
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Aug 6, 2014 17:43
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Niemat posted:Fair enough. I was mainly seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a tea spoon, because it's an easy thing to bring to work with me. I just use a plastic teaspoon out of a set of measuring spoons I got at the grocery store for like $2.
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Aug 7, 2014 06:03
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Niemat posted:Fair enough. I was mainly seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a tea spoon, because it's an easy thing to bring to work with me. I use a teaspoon out of my silverware drawer. Works great with big leaves!
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Aug 7, 2014 06:41
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Niemat posted:Fair enough. I was mainly seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a tea spoon, because it's an easy thing to bring to work with me. If you want to get fancy with it stopping in a Chinese tea shop and buying a scoop (usually sold as a single item, or as part of a multi-piece gongfu tools set like this one here - they roughly measure out to a teaspoon and a half, and the angled scoop is useful for if you're trying to measure out from a bag of looseleaf. Of course, I've also used it with a scale and it provides great control for when you're trying not to add too much leaf to your stuff!
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Aug 7, 2014 18:02
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Got my Teavivre 3rd anniversary order today. I'm very pleased with the quality of all the teas I received, and even though I chose free shipping, it only took 12 days to get to Canada. Well packaged, too. I would definitely order from them again. I'm currently enjoying my free sample of Keemun Mao Feng. Delicious!
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Aug 15, 2014 04:08
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Yeah I've enjoyed all my teavivre stuff so far! I ordered a brick of the 05 fenquing raw that was part of the anniversary dealie cause it's pretty cheap and not bad. And their dragonwell's my daily green now, god it's good.
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Aug 15, 2014 04:13
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Hey tea thread - looking for a shove in the right direction. I got a cold brew coffee toddy as a gift, but have decided I don't really like the caffeine buzz I get from coffee. I do however, really love tea but pretty much have just had bagged/basic stuff. I'm having trouble finding any methods to use the toddy for making cold brew tea, even though the box references it - their site has pretty much nothing. I'd love to be able to keep a jar of this in my fridge for a few days or weeks but have NO idea where to start. I have some local tea shops (teavana of course, and some other small ones) or can buy online, but really have no idea where to start with tea weight vs amount of water, what types would be good, etc. I'm pretty much down to try any tea but wouldn't mind starting out in the less expensive or basic ones!
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Aug 16, 2014 18:01
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This is what I always link for cold brew. http://verdanttea.com/how-to-make-iced-tea/ I use the same ratio, 4g to 12 oz (a little less for puerh). You don't really need any special devices, any kind of mason jar or pitcher with a cover or you can just use saran wrap.
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Aug 16, 2014 18:41
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I have cold brewer tea in the fridge for a while. For two quarts I tend to throw in six tea bags or so. Leave them in for about twelve hoes and it's good. Longer and it gets a little bitter. I have just used el cheapo Lipton green tea bags and have been pleased.
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Aug 16, 2014 19:52
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This came up in my feed reading today. Pretty interesting. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3034333/infographic-of-the-day/the-alchemy-of-tea-illustrated?partner=rss
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Aug 19, 2014 03:29
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I ran into a friend at the tea shop and she made me buy some matcha. I don't have any matcha paraphernalia, only a cup, a kettle, a fork, and a tea ball. Any tips for a first attempt?
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Aug 20, 2014 15:07
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If you have a thermos with a screw on lid, you can shake it up in there to similar effect. If you have a french press (doesn't sound like you do) you can also put it in there with hot water and ram the filter up and down to make it frothy. Matcha's great for having a quick cup of iced green tea, too. You can just stir it right into some ice water and there ya go.
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Aug 20, 2014 18:02
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Thoht posted:If you have a thermos with a screw on lid, you can shake it up in there to similar effect. If you have a french press (doesn't sound like you do) you can also put it in there with hot water and ram the filter up and down to make it frothy. Matcha's great for having a quick cup of iced green tea, too. You can just stir it right into some ice water and there ya go. I ended up just stirring some into some cold water, and then pouring my boiling water on top of it to achieve something close to the 74c recommended on the package. I'm a bit underwhelmed. Maybe I didn't put enough in, or something. Is the whisking and frothing really important to the experience? If so maybe I'll go all blender on it later. Ooooh I should start putting it into my protein shakes...
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Aug 20, 2014 18:09
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I put matcha in my tofu yogurt smoothies all the time, it's pretty great. I bought over a kg of tea in Chengdu today for about $22. I passed on the yellow tea because it was $50 for 100g. drat yellow tea, i want to own some but not for that much. So now with the teavivre sale and my stuff from Hong Kong and Vietnam I probably have about 5kg of tea. Help. Me.
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Aug 22, 2014 17:25
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So I too am just getting into teas, and I am dying to try lavender tea. I saw one from The Tea Spot, but what made me do a double take was the 'vanilla flavouring.' Should I be hitting the brakes or are added flavours normal in floral teas?
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Aug 22, 2014 22:40
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LEFTENANT RIGHTIE posted:So I too am just getting into teas, and I am dying to try lavender tea. I saw one from The Tea Spot, but what made me do a double take was the 'vanilla flavouring.' Should I be hitting the brakes or are added flavours normal in floral teas? Added flavors are pretty normal. It's one of the reasons I don't like them at all. To me it makes the tea taste a bit like chemical. Some people really like it though. So try things and see if you like them! And DontAskKant - I have at least 3kg right now myself. It's perfectly natural to keep buying more tea than a human being can logically drink.
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Aug 23, 2014 01:01
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Jhet posted:It's perfectly natural to keep buying more tea than a human being can logically drink. My new rule is 3 cans and one envelope: 2 for work, 1 for home, 1 for sample.
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Aug 23, 2014 05:18
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LEFTENANT RIGHTIE posted:So I too am just getting into teas, and I am dying to try lavender tea. I saw one from The Tea Spot, but what made me do a double take was the 'vanilla flavouring.' Should I be hitting the brakes or are added flavours normal in floral teas? Lavender is a very strong scent/flavor and can easily be overpowering. If you've never tasted it before, you might want to try buying plain dried lavender and adding a tiny amount to an unflavored tea for starters. I have a 1 oz. bag that's lasted forever because a little bit goes a long way. That said, I think it's pretty good with black teas like breakfast blends and greys, but everything I've tried that already had lavender in it had way too much for my tastes.
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Aug 23, 2014 13:29
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I just visited a friend, and through a conversation eventually walked home with this bag:  He says he bought it on a vacation to China, the tea looks like this:  Now sadly I don't know exactly much about Chinese tea, so does anyone have pointers for not loving this up?
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Aug 24, 2014 15:30
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Looks like a green tieguanyin. A western style brew would be 180-190F water, 1.5-2 minutes, 4-6 grams (or 2 heaping teaspoons) for about 2 cups/16 oz. You can resteep a couple of times, increase the steep time by 30 seconds to a minute per additional steep.
hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Aug 24, 2014 |
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Aug 24, 2014 15:44
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Got myself a teapot and infuser recently, been using an old Keurig as an electric kettle (it only heats water to below boiling, but that seems to work okay for me.) There's a cafe near here that sells the loose leaf teas they brew. I have no idea if the "Ceylon" I got from them is actually Sri Lankan as I don't know their supplier and I didn't see the lion stamp on anything, but I got a generous amount of it for 5bux so that's what I've been drinking.
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Aug 24, 2014 22:01
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VenusInFurries posted:I just visited a friend, and through a conversation eventually walked home with this bag: That's an Anxi oolong of some sort, TiKuanYin is the most likely but there are all kinds of smaller varieties. If brought back from China there is a chance it has a flavor in it like jasmine or osmanthus, as those are much more popular domestically then they are for export. Get a little teapot and dump it in loose, about 1 teaspoon per person you are serving. Boil some water and let it cool to about 90c or so. Fill the pot till the leaves are just covered, swirl gently then wait a few seconds then dump that water out (or drink it, it will taste bad though). Then fill the pot with water and wait .5 to 1.5 minutes or so. Every oolong is a bit different on times and temperature. Many prefer to err on the side of weakness for the first steep. You can get 4-5 good steeps out of a quality Anxi oolong. After the 2nd steep you can up the temp and the steep times, its pretty hard to hurt these later pots. You will need a strainer of some sort for pouring to catch the leaves, which will expand considerably. If serving more then two, it is normal to pour into a serving cup or pitcher first, then into the drinking vessels to mix the weaker tea from the top of the pot with the stronger tea at the bottom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1hjky2glaA This lady is preparing the same sort of tea in a ceremonial way, in a gaiwan though, not a teapot. She uses the first wash of water to heat the serving cups, which is traditional. She also does the weak first steep, also traditional. Neither of these practices are common for everyday drinking. Most folks who drink oolong alone, myself included, just drink it out of the gaiwan.
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Aug 25, 2014 05:56
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Thanks for the advice, vaseline and taters. I ended up steeping it like a green tea, but a bit longer, which turned out to be a good choice. I steeped it 5 times, at the fifth time it started to turn stale, so I left it at that. Tasted fantastic, and I'm really glad he insisted on me taking that bag. Later I made another cup in what has been described to me as "Grandpa style" (putting less tea than usual into a rather big mug and refilling with hot water as you drink, and just leaving the leaves in) because  , which tasted fantastic as well, even if it probably wastes some of the potential taste.
VenusInFurries fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Aug 25, 2014 |
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Aug 25, 2014 08:22
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Fluo posted:
No, I thought this was due to not having nucleation sites in the water to allow boiling? If you get a good beaker, that's very 'smooth' in the inside, lacking the sites, you can superheat. The nonsense you quoted makes no sense to me whatsoever. It could, though, if you had a large amount of particulate matter in superheated water, then stir, causing instant boiling where only simmering or less was occurring. Is that the same principle you had quoted?
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Aug 26, 2014 02:59
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SoroScrew