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If the original thought was "kinda like a samovar", you might want to look at hot water dispensers as a potential alternative to electric kettles, given that they fulfil very much the same function (heating a a large amount of water and keeping it warm so you can dispense hot water for your tea-making needs rather than having to repeatedly boil smaller volumes) except with more elaborate beeps and jingles and fewer ornamental silver bits. Definitely go for either one of those or an electric kettle though, rather than a tea machine. Waci fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Dec 7, 2020 |
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Dec 7, 2020 02:53
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Speaking of horrid impractical tea machines, someone made a Juicero for matcha. A mere $370 for the machine, and then just $3/cup or so for their premium (Kagoshima) matcha! You're practically losing money by not buying it!
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Dec 7, 2020 05:36
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Reiterpallasch posted:Speaking of horrid impractical tea machines, someone made a Juicero for matcha. A mere $370 for the machine, and then just $3/cup or so for their premium (Kagoshima) matcha! You're practically losing money by not buying it! This actually offends me on a spiritual level
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Dec 7, 2020 06:53
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Reiterpallasch posted:Speaking of horrid impractical tea machines, someone made a Juicero for matcha. A mere $370 for the machine, and then just $3/cup or so for their premium (Kagoshima) matcha! You're practically losing money by not buying it! lol
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Dec 7, 2020 07:08
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Reiterpallasch posted:Speaking of horrid impractical tea machines, someone made a Juicero for matcha. A mere $370 for the machine, and then just $3/cup or so for their premium (Kagoshima) matcha! You're practically losing money by not buying it! Thanks I hate it
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Dec 7, 2020 09:19
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Reiterpallasch posted:Speaking of horrid impractical tea machines, someone made a Juicero for matcha. A mere $370 for the machine, and then just $3/cup or so for their premium (Kagoshima) matcha! You're practically losing money by not buying it! Oh no it comes with a recipe for "matcha-jito" mocktail 
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Dec 7, 2020 14:01
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I'm guessing it's fair game in this thread because tea is involved. Anybody have some good recipes/ratios/tips for chai? My girlfriend likes to get some concentrate at the store and heats it up with milk. I figured it'd be fun to make it at home sometime and see how it compares.
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Dec 7, 2020 14:26
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the best part of that thing is that you know it accepts unground tencha just to make sure that you're locked into paying a 200% premium for their in-house
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Dec 7, 2020 21:40
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I love that it looks like it's basically just a glorified heated chemistry stir plate and a spice grinder. Hell, you could buy both of those yourself and still probably have about $300 left over to buy tea with.
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Dec 7, 2020 22:30
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I mean, that clearly belongs in the “a fool and their money deserve to be separated” territory. For the poster looking for a low effort way for tea making, there are electric kettles you can set to a temp and it will hold it there heating when it drops too far. But my favorite method is making a big pot of tea and keeping it at temp, which is what a pre-heated thermos does really well. The vacuum sealed ones are amazing at this and I’ve had tea still at 140F the next day. That was perfect for when I wasn’t near a heat source. If it’s mostly for at home, a nice thick ceramic with a tea coozy collection is a good move, and a good electric kettle will heat water really quickly.
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Dec 7, 2020 22:59
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Ok. I've got a well-reviewed electric kettle and I'm gonna shop local for a cast iron tea warmer
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Dec 7, 2020 23:20
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The Postman posted:I'm guessing it's fair game in this thread because tea is involved. Anybody have some good recipes/ratios/tips for chai? My girlfriend likes to get some concentrate at the store and heats it up with milk. I figured it'd be fun to make it at home sometime and see how it compares. I would also be interested in anyone’s recipes. Right now I just have a couple of links saved on Pinterest. Also if anyone could link a good black tea base for the tea? I’m not sure what a good price:quality ratio is for someone who’s just starting to play with chai. I was thinking of getting a bunch of Assam off of adagio and going from there but I alway end up getting lost browsing different blends and forgetting what I went there for in the first place  I know every ingredient in chai can alter the flavor based on quality, but just to get a recipe down before I start fine tuning it to my tastes.
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Dec 9, 2020 02:11
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CeramicPig posted:I would also be interested in anyone’s recipes. Right now I just have a couple of links saved on Pinterest. https://www.teasource.com/collections/shop-all-tea/products/breakfast-assam-black-tea I use this for my chai purposes. It takes milk well too for a breakfast tea too. Can’t really beat the price on it either. I’ve been making a lot of kombucha lately to help use up old tea, and it’s been interesting to do. A lot of the stuff I didn’t really love normally makes some really good kombucha. I have too much Darjeeling that was not great that I bought like 7 years ago and it’s been mostly packed in original vacuum bags since I got it and it makes some really good fermented drink. Same with the flavored teas that I’ve gotten as gifts.
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Dec 9, 2020 02:22
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Jhet posted:I mean, that clearly belongs in the “a fool and their money deserve to be separated” territory. Hell, I basically do this with a Corkcicle bottle I found at TJ Maxx - brew enough to fill it up, it's still steaming a day after I've brewed it.
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Dec 9, 2020 14:18
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Hi friendsos. I love tea (english breakfast-ey/dark preferably) but don't know too much about it. Unfortunately a medical issue means I need to cut caffeine out of my diet for the most part. Are there any darkish tasting teas (not a fan of fruit-flavored), ideally in loose leaf form that ya'll can recommend with little to no caffeine content? Thanks!
Everyones Favorite Poster fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Dec 9, 2020 |
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Dec 9, 2020 22:08
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Maybe give rooibos a try! Caffeine free and can be quite bold. I love rooibos chai. Also some of the decaf black teas are acceptable. Not great, but acceptable. Definitely go for something flavored to help make up for what's lost in the decaffeination process. I'm a big fan of Harney and Sons Decaf Paris.
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Dec 9, 2020 22:31
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effika posted:Maybe give rooibos a try! Caffeine free and can be quite bold. I love rooibos chai. Thanks for the suggestion! Just placed an order Harney for a 4oz sample of both the rooibos and a decaf darjeeling, will report back once they arrive!
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Dec 9, 2020 22:58
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 You can ask me anything about Yerba Mate. When I dont have food, I'll pour hot water into a gourd of leaves for hours and hours. This is a very dusty cut, without stems. So it's more bitter, but it retains flavor longer. This is smoke dried, which is bad for you. Air dried is healthier. It tastes like a cross between an ashtray and grass. It's an acquired taste!! But one that grows on you. The air dried varieties have their own flavor, they are more sour.
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Dec 11, 2020 09:52
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I used to drink it, but the gourds either cracked, got moldy or the metal bits would fall off.
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Dec 11, 2020 11:52
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thotsky posted:I used to drink it, but the gourds either cracked, got moldy or the metal bits would fall off. I used a ceramic one for a long time, those are the most sustainable. Not as fun though. Actual calabash tastes the best. Upkeep is a pain. This is my first metal lined, palo santo gourd.
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Dec 11, 2020 12:46
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Cheese Thief posted:
Got any recommended suppliers in the US that ship? I have a gourd and bombilla and such but I haven't gone out of my way to source some good maté since I got back from Brazil a couple of years ago. I could totally go for one, they go fantastic as an all day drink or enjoyed with citruses like clementines (bergamots too).
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Dec 11, 2020 18:07
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Hey, I broke my robot breville kettle that a friend found for $50 at a flea market and could use recommendations for a replacement: I was just about to buy the 1.7l Bonavita but I saw a review that said it uses the PID to creep up to temperature even when going for a boil. Is there anything similar in the $100 range that will let me to a straight quick boil along with variable temperature? 1500watt and ~1.5l capacity would be nice, but not a requirement.
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Dec 11, 2020 20:05
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I've been using the Cuisinart CPK-17 for a long time and it's pretty fast. I don't know how to find info on whether it "creeps" for boiling, though
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Dec 11, 2020 20:45
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aldantefax posted:Got any recommended suppliers in the US that ship? I have a gourd and bombilla and such but I haven't gone out of my way to source some good maté since I got back from Brazil a couple of years ago. I could totally go for one, they go fantastic as an all day drink or enjoyed with citruses like clementines (bergamots too). Yea, I'd say Circle of Drink. You can always email, or find a way to message him and he will go way out of his way to help you. I drink Canaries, from Brazil. But I want to switch to La Rubia, its just a little harder to find a little more expensive.  Which reminds me, I want to buy another one of these gourds. I used to have this but everything got lost. My current gourd is nice just too small. e: I just said Canaries, like a bird. I meant to write Canarias! Cheese Thief fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Dec 11, 2020 |
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Dec 11, 2020 22:08
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The Postman posted:I'm guessing it's fair game in this thread because tea is involved. Anybody have some good recipes/ratios/tips for chai? My girlfriend likes to get some concentrate at the store and heats it up with milk. I figured it'd be fun to make it at home sometime and see how it compares. Here's what I posted earlier for my blend for one cup. It scales up pretty easily and you can leave out spices that you don't have. The main flavourings are green cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, clove. Fennel and black cardamom add depth. Black pepper adds heat. Mace rounds it out. Masala Chai ramblings posted:I know this is the thread to post about the subtle notes of perfectly steeped teas, but I feel I've finally nailed my masala chai recipe and thought I'd share.
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Dec 13, 2020 14:40
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Mini pu'erh bricks!   I straight up forgot I got them a long time ago but hey, that's actually a good thing in this case.
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Dec 16, 2020 17:08
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Search for tuo cha if anybody else is looking for single session puerh cakes like that. Very handy and comes in small squares or gumdrop shapes.
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Dec 16, 2020 21:19
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I have some V93 Tuocha that brews up almost coffee-dark and is luxurious. Highly recommend
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Dec 16, 2020 21:46
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Trabant posted:Mini pu'erh bricks! I got the same selection a while ago, they’re really nice. The rose and chrythanthemum ones aren’t overpoweringly floral, just add a subtle fragrance and sweetness to the tea. Not a bad price for 200g of mini tuo chas: https://www.teavivre.com/pu-erh-mini-tuocha-assortment.html
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Dec 16, 2020 21:57
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The Postman posted:I'm guessing it's fair game in this thread because tea is involved. Anybody have some good recipes/ratios/tips for chai? My girlfriend likes to get some concentrate at the store and heats it up with milk. I figured it'd be fun to make it at home sometime and see how it compares. This is my goto masala chai recipe. Makes enough for me to drink over a day or two (lasts fine in the fridge overnight) 2 tbsp loose Assam or Darjeeling tea, or 3 English breakfast teabags 12 slices of fresh root ginger 1½ tsp black peppercorns 12 cardamom pods 2 cinnamon sticks 5 cloves 50g white sugar 500ml whole milk 1. Put the tea, ginger and spices into a saucepan, pour on 1 litre boiling water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer until you can smell the spices, about 10 minutes. 2. Add the sugar and milk, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Allow 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (A skin will form, but this is strained off at the end.) Taste to see if the chai is to your liking; boil a little more if you wish for a stronger flavour. Patience will be rewarded! 3. Strain, discard the solids, and serve immediately. Ahdinko fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Dec 17, 2020 |
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Dec 17, 2020 03:55
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I actually just zerobrain chai right now and do 1tsp each of cardamom, cloves, and 2tsp of peppercorns (white since that's what I got right now). Coarse grind in a stone mortar and pestle, because a wooden one didn't cut it. For ginger instead of grating or slicing, I will bust or chop off a knob that is probably 2 to 3 oz of whatever ginger I got in the fridge and smash it. I've found that this is a much faster way of getting the job done and releases more of the essentials. I bag all spices up including one full stick of cinammon i've probably had for 4 years in the back of a cabinet. I use disposable tea bags (finum or whatever is fine) to make cleanup of spices and tea easier. I use assam from Ahmad tea (relative of a coworker runs it), 4 tablespoons. 2 to 2.5 cups water. Order of operation: - water, spices - boil, tea, steep 3min at boil - whole milk - simmer at half heat, 10min - remove bags, this will also break the skin of milk on the pot - jaggery to finish, stir really thoroughly - pour through a mesh strainer to catch any bits into a preheated vessel, average yield is 3.75 cups or one bigass latte mug I have found that more cloves doesn't matter too much but I have an obscene amount of it. I often find that I want my chai a little sweeter but not too sweet. The key here is using the disposable teabags to hold all the stuff, makes cleanup much easier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd8DpenLE5E Good video, if you want that.
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Dec 17, 2020 07:40
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The Postman posted:I'm guessing it's fair game in this thread because tea is involved. Anybody have some good recipes/ratios/tips for chai? My girlfriend likes to get some concentrate at the store and heats it up with milk. I figured it'd be fun to make it at home sometime and see how it compares. Not a recipe, just tips. Your herbs need to steep hotter and longer than the tea. You can really lay on the herbs and not hurt but final product but the tea will go bitter after much more than 4-5 minutes if its any good. I do it the way they do it at the Thai restaurant near work. They boil the herbs spices for a few minutes then strain it and use that water to make the tea with. Milk goes in at the end, usually when its put in the pitcher to serve. If this is something you enjoy, spend a couple bucks on decent loose black tea. Vadham is pretty good and reasonably priced.
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Dec 18, 2020 06:49
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Any recommendations for cheap tea tins/storage containers? I recently got a batch of tea that i'd like to organize a little better than shoving the bags into cabinet.
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Dec 20, 2020 18:51
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How cheap, and how much do aesthetics matter? Mason jars work fine in a pinch, just don't let them sit in direct sunlight. If you're keeping bags, any kind of airtight jars will work.
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Dec 20, 2020 19:11
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The aesthetics don't matter and I was thinking of somewhere in $2-3 range per tin. I had a few of these but apparently they're no longer sold. I'll chuck them into mason jars for now, thanks for the suggestion!
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Dec 20, 2020 19:27
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I have a couple of these tins from ikea I write on them with a chalk marker so I know what's inside.
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Dec 20, 2020 19:30
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effika posted:Maybe give rooibos a try! Caffeine free and can be quite bold. I love rooibos chai. Just got my order in from Harney yesterday for a tin of the rooibos and another of the decaf darjeeling. Both are delicious! Thanks again for the recco, definitely making cutting caffeine out of my diet way way easier.
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Dec 22, 2020 19:08
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNFbeR72Jec In this one I brew up some Taiwanese "Strong Fire" Tieguanyin using the gongfu method and it's pretty good!
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Dec 29, 2020 01:04
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trying a pu erh for the first time (scottish caramel); it's pretty neat guess i'll get into this tea thing!
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Dec 31, 2020 22:00
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It's pretty darn swell. I'm starting to run low on my oolong supplies so I went ahead and ordered a few from Verdant, more on the darker side. I tried a bunch of samples from them before and over time I've concluded that as far as oolongs go I really prefer that end of the spectrum. Looking forward to trying them once they're in! And then at some point I should get some more genmai houjicha...
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Jan 1, 2021 02:27
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