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Bruce Leroy posted:but every time I try to make it at home, it tastes generic and bland in comparison Are you using tap water? This might make a difference compared to filtered/bottled water. Sorry I can't help more than that! The tap water here is just fine but tap varies wildly from place to place, and rarely for the better as far as flavor is concerned. Personally I'd try measuring how much tea you use per how much water you have, maybe the temperature of the water too (boiling? just below boiling? etc) and an approximation for how long you steep before talking to the lady who owns the shop, so she has some details to compare it to- it would also help people here I think. Saying it turns out bad isn't all too helpful for knowing why if nobody knows what you're actually doing.
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Sep 18, 2011 12:11
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You could probably just mix it with some room temperature or cooled water? the temperature would be lower overall at least. Like take half a cup of hot water with room temperature water for the other half.
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Sep 18, 2011 12:41
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Errant Gin Monks posted:This may be a sin but I hate southern iced tea. Its terrible. Being oversteeped is the norm, really, and usually with low quality tea at that. It's not hard to imagine. Then you get into stuff like sun tea which from my understanding is not all that safe to drink (due to being at a temperature which is very inviting for bacteria for prolonged amounts of time), while also having those properties.
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Sep 22, 2011 08:13
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rockcity posted:Are there any tea bags that are worth drinking or should I find some small lock and lock type containers and a tea ball or something to bring with me? I find most Twinings brand tea is drinkable. Particularly in comparison with hotel/free teas. Much easier to deal with while traveling and you don't have to worry about cleaning out a tea ball or anything.
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Sep 22, 2011 17:59
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I keep seeing an ad for it on the forums here, so I'm curious if anyone has tried the Royal Red Tea? I'm more interested in how it tastes as that's probably my deciding factor on whether or not I'll give it a try to test its claims on other things.
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Oct 6, 2011 20:40
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dik-dik posted:If my calculations are correct, a mix of 18% ice-cold water and 82% boiling water (by mass) should get me water that's just about 180°F. Correcting for the difference in densities, a mix of 17%/83% should do the trick. I'll try this when I get home and report back. If that doesn't work, you can get a nicer thermometer  I've realized I've had what I assumed was a porcelain decorative teapot for years. Looking closely at it though it looks like it could actually work, but I don't know how to use it- I imagine I'd only use it when there are other people to share tea with, regardless. The IngenuiTEA I use works quite nicely and I imagine are a good deal easier to clean up. Do I just throw tea leaves in there and pour over hot water? It seems like the tea leaves would come out with the tea itself. I could take cell phone pictures but it's obviously something aimed at people who are fascinated with East Asian characters without knowing how to read it. Using a tea ball sounds like it would functionally solve that but most of those are way too small for good tea.
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Jan 19, 2012 15:21
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Cyril Sneer posted:(2) Is there any booze I can spike my orange pekoe with? You could basically make a hot toddy- add whiskey (but not a nice single malt scotch please- much better suited for bourbons for most teas I think).
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Jan 20, 2012 03:07
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Cyril Sneer posted:Maybe - all the hot toddy recipies I've come across seem to based off herbal teas which I don't really care for. I haven't tried it, but I know my mother would mix a chai tea together with some bourbon for my dad from time to time if he wasn't feeling too great. Basically just brewing the tea, pouring a glass, and adding of bourbon after dissolving some sugar in. No real recipe. With a more standard black tea I imagine some lemon juice or honey would work okay too. (She may have used honey instead of sugar, I can't recall). He's not a big drinker but really likes extra spice chai tea, so the bourbon would help him go to sleep despite the tea caffeine. Wins all around. Comic fucked around with this message at 11:36 on Jan 21, 2012 |
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Jan 21, 2012 11:33
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surrender posted:Happy Valentine's Day to me I enjoy their Ceylon Sonata, but wasn't too fond of the Irish Breakfast for whatever reason (I think I'm moving away from it in general). How's the Earl Grey?
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Feb 18, 2012 11:38
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Zelmel posted:Anyone else pick up some of the Brigadoon Breakfast tea from Adagio yesterday? Supposedly it's a blend they did just for leap day and will only sell every four years. I ordered one, alongside some more samplers I'd been meaning to try.
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Mar 2, 2012 02:53
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So I've recently acquired a 'iced tea maker' which so far, has surpassed my expectations and made very nice iced tea- both from bag or loose. Can anyone recommend some nice teas to use for ice tea? Flavored teas are fine, and I'm not a stickler for quality with iced tea as long as it is refreshing. Cheap would be best, I've been going through more tea than I'm used to, even brewing multiple times, as I'm no longer the only one drinking it. I'm not too sure about iced green tea though.
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Apr 21, 2012 06:13
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pork never goes bad posted:I will again recommend Upton. Depending on the kind of tea you want, they have many good options, and even have an iced tea category, in fact. :O Interesting, I've been meaning to order from them, anyway. Thanks for the raspberry tea suggestion too, Hawkgirl, I think I may grab some of that next time I order from adagio.
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Apr 21, 2012 09:32
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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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I just got my recent order from adagio, and they sent me a free sample of Lapsang Souchong. I've never had it before, but I'll never turn down any sort of free sample. Drinking my first cup now, and I'm surprised that a tea can smell so much like a campfire. It's not overwhelming, though apparently with this kind of tea it can be going by a quick google search. I get the feeling drinking it black is the best, but anyone have any experience with this kind of tea?
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Jun 6, 2012 13:30
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Mizufusion posted:I still feel bad about throwing it away, but good lord no one liked it. I hope your batch is a lot better than mine was! So far I haven't found anyone else that liked it, but the smoke aroma isn't so strong. Well, let me clarify that it is definitely a powerful scent, but I don't find myself gagging over it- I mostly find it appealing. Going by some of the reviews on adagio apparently it's fairly weak compared to how it could be, and once was. I only tried two steeps though, I think next time I try it I'll go quite a few more if it really changes dramatically. Strangely though, I felt like it would improve from bourbon, and make a weird scotch-like drink. It's an idea that's been eating at me since I had that cup, so I'll probably dedicate a cup to it at least, at some point. So far it's not something I would find myself drinking on a regular basis, maybe occasionally when it's cold outside.
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Jun 7, 2012 13:27
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Haha, I know my dad always made his chai here by microwaving a cup of milk with a cheap black tea bag in it, so it's nice to know those results probably aren't too different from back home. On the same lines, I once rented out a meeting room to a group of dudes who brought in one of those large commercial tea making machines, only they filled it with milk instead of water. I don't know how much sugar they went through, but they brought their own box of sugar packets to be sure. That said probably less than I think, since I definitely smelled sweetened condensed milk added to it all, too. I still cry for that machine, it must've been difficult to clean- I hope it got cleaned properly at least.
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Jun 11, 2012 13:13
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Green tea is plain or maybe with a bit of honey in my experience. Indian tea is usually black tea, sometimes with plenty of cream and sugar. Both green and black teas have as wide a variety as coffee (if not a wider variety- I've had some teas that you'd never expect came from the same plant) and depending on the type of tea additions vary really. Heck depending on who is making the black tea, sometimes they'll make the tea in milk rather than water, or making use of condensed milk for extra sweetness.
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Nov 24, 2012 04:10
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Personally I drink my green tea plain, but I have been served honeyed green tea before that I found delicious- I just never seem to replicate the flavors or my honey just doesn't suit the tea. For black tea, most of the time I'll drink it plain, but if it is a chai or english breakfast it gets a bit of cream/milk and sugar (sometimes). Though with fruity black teas I prefer to make iced tea out of it, which does almost always get sweetened.
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Nov 25, 2012 06:48
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I've mixed a bit of scotch into a hot cup of lapsang souchong for an extra smoky alcoholic drink, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to drink a fireplace. Also don't use any nice scotch for it that's a waste.
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Dec 6, 2013 00:15
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It's true, but without a point of reference you can keep doubting yourself. Do you really not like it? Or was it just made incorrectly? That said tea is pretty varied so if you're not feeling one type of tea after a bunch of attempts I'd move on to a new variety.
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Jan 15, 2014 03:14
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I might have to look into some US distributor who sells cascara. That sounds really interesting as a fan of both coffee and tea.
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Jan 16, 2014 18:48
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Fluo posted:Also I've found some places in the US that sell it (they give slightly different ratios but I think it's because of Metric vs US measurements). I ordered this, along with their '1950s blend' because I've just about run out of coffee beans anyway. I remember eyeing their site when I was first looking for online coffee beans.
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Jan 17, 2014 10:26
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Got my cascarra today, drinking my first cup- if I had to describe it as anything I'd say 'sour cherry'. Had someone else try it and they listed off citrus fruits. Calling it coffee cherry tea is pretty apt. I like it though. I'm trying it without anything added, wonder if sugar/honey/milk will bring out any flavors or just mask them.
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Jan 23, 2014 21:24
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areyoucontagious posted:I started drinking english breakfast tea and earl grey with a coworker, and now I can't get enough. I see people put milk in their tea- how does that change the taste? I'm curious to try it, but really I'm afraid of change. I'm more partial to irish breakfast myself, but I can't enjoy that unless it has at least a little cream or milk in it. It doesn't need a lot, just enough to break the bitterness. I only add sugar to my teas if it's closer to a chai, and I'm wanting something closer to a dessert.
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Feb 1, 2014 12:38
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mmm11105 posted:I'm just getting into tea, have currently mostly tried greens, and am looking to try out some of the different varieties of teas. I'm planning on just ordering a bunch of sample sizes from adagio, any particular teas you guys really like from there that I should try? If you're a fan of ginger, don't get anything from adagio involving ginger. It'll just be disappointing in taste. It smells nice, usually, but there just isn't much ginger flavor to it. Seconding being wary of things with lots of flavoring, as some of them have a bitter chemical flavor (that smells really good). It's not true across the board though, I've gotten the 'orchard' sampler before and while not tea they makes a nice cup of whatever you'd call it. Reminds me of hot cider. I'm also not a fan of anything they add lavender into.
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Mar 3, 2014 10:53
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pointsofdata posted:What are people go to teas when they just want a cup of tea? If I'm not at home, a bag of Stash 'Double Spice Chai' assuming I can milk and cream it. If I'm at home, I like a cup of Irish Breakfast. I'm out of the latter, but I have so many other kinds of tea due to people gifting me tea that I like okay that I can't bring myself to buy more. Drinking the last of my 'mocha nut mate' sampler, which is... eh, it's okay. Not a huge fan of adagio's chocolate in tea, it always seems too light on it. Of the mate sampler I much prefered plain yerba mate or the spiced mate.
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Mar 3, 2014 15:54
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Chaos Motor posted:Same goes to you, if you like spiced chai, and chocolate teas, you really should try ours, it's a chocolate masala chai in the Hyderabadi tradition. I've actually been meaning to try it, but I suffer from too much tea in my pantry as it is. Maybe if I didn't also drink coffee it'd run out faster. I'm convinced my father would love it though, so maybe I might just order some 'for him' next time I can take advantage of that. I also don't actually have a tea strainer, I mostly make use of an ingenuitea type pot. Comic fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Mar 3, 2014 |
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Mar 3, 2014 19:33
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Boris Galerkin posted:Their emperor sampler sounds right up my alley. Their pu erh sampler sounds kinda interesting too and fermented stuff is awesome but I'll wait tip I try the pu erh the emperor sampler gives me. Thanks! I'm still drinking their emperor sampler but overall I think I preferred the raja sampler, and of that the darjeeling I think was my favorite. Their pu erh is my only experience with it and I didn't find the smell off-putting, though.
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Mar 23, 2014 08:03
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Agenta Khaulan posted:IDK what to think about cinnamon in my tea seems unusual to me. But I live in the south and we do tea way different then other places. I don't know about teas specifically, but in other foods 'cinnamon flavor' usually means Tabasco, at least a little. That said, my fiancee had some old cinnamon-based teas that were gifts she never tried (due to a pepper allergy, and the above factoid) that we found she could have. One was delicious and really potent, the other tasted like medicine (I think it has an excess of clove). It also definitely has huge chunks of apple in it. The good: Harney and Sons's Herbal Hot Cinnamon The bad: Teavana's Spiced Apple Cider flavored rooibos
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Oct 22, 2014 03:32
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milpreve posted:It's better at home. Samples in store are brewed 5-15+ minutes and is heavily sweetened. The sugar just kills the flavor. I like it brewed for 2-3 minutes at oolong temps, no sugar, much better. Hmm it's possible I overbrewed it then, because it definitely just felt 'too strong' and not in a good way. I'd never gotten that from a rooibos so I didn't really think of that possibility. It's not like we threw it away so I'll try it again sometime soon at a lower temp and time, without subjecting the fiancee to it.
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Oct 22, 2014 19:26
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Armchair Calvinist posted:Also, I love teas that taste like gunpowder and cave moss, so if anybody has a suggestion for something that will kick me on my rear end, lemme know! Bonus if all from the same source to save on shipping. The closest thing to gunpowder in taste I can think of, having never tasted actual gunpowder, is probably lapsang souchoung. It tastes like a fireplace smells, and is pretty strong. Not sure how caffeinated it is, but I know during cold nights, a cup of it is pretty nice. Though there is a tea referred to as gunpowder and if that's what you meant, oops.
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Nov 22, 2014 19:21
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Someone has recommended me try valerian root (in a tea) to help me get to sleep easier. However the only source of it I've found is David's Tea (The Big Chill and Mother's Little Helper), I haven't bought from before because I always considered it a little bit too pricy. Anyone else have any recommendations on places I could find it? Upton didn't have any as far as I could find.
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Dec 11, 2014 21:17
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DontAskKant posted:Mountain Rose Herbs is good for all the herbal stuff and things for blending. Their regular teas are quite good too. Nothing too amazing, but solid and a good price. Though... I'm drinking them really old now, so they were probably pretty great fresh. Yeah, I wasn't looking for a source of it alone so much as a blend including it (though I could totally make my own blend if I had found it cheap enough), but was also warned it was terrible in smell/taste and you'd need something to mask it. Looks like their sleepy time valerian root tea is out of stock though, alas. I COULD just order valerian root though, but I don't have any potent non-caffeinated looseleaf to blend it with. I'll consider it.
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Dec 12, 2014 05:13
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