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I don't even mind herbal blends for the most part but Teavana loads up on artificial flavors and sweeteners (rock sugar anyone?)
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Feb 28, 2014 16:53
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pointsofdata posted:What are people go to teas when they just want a cup of tea? Dragonwell, which I'm just about out of... lately a pretty young sheng puerh in the mornings, I like how forgiving they are when steeping.
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Mar 3, 2014 15:20
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And if it tastes a little weak to you, just add more tea next time, don't increase the steep time which can lead to bitterness, especially in greens. I really do find it helpful to measure in grams as opposed to tsp because of how dense or loosely packed different teas are.
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Mar 15, 2014 20:30
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Got my shipment of four sheng puerhs from mandala tea! Broke off a few pieces from my first cake, I need to get a proper tea pick as I didn't do a good job of keeping the leaves intact. Just brewed up a cup of 2012 Wild Monk. drat, this is one surprisingly smooth cuppa. Zero bitterness and a straight up sweetness already on the first steeping, really surprised with such a young sheng. The smoky-sweetness just clings to your tongue after sips. Seriously impressed with this.
hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Mar 17, 2014 |
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Mar 17, 2014 14:53
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milpreve posted:Well, this is clearly all your fault, tea thread: I just bought a Yixing teapot. I'd only use it for lapsang souchong if you decide to use it for that because you'd end up imparting smoke flavor in anything else you brew in it. I still haven't dropped any money on a yixing, I think I like gaiwans too much :/ Battle Pigeon posted:I was gifted some ginseng oolong and it feels like trying to brew gravel from an aquarium. The taste is a bit strange but pretty good, with an odd floral after taste. Check out a high mountain taiwanese oolong if you like milky oolong. A Jin Xuan (milky oolong) is actually a low altitude cultivar of these types, same with tung ting/dong ding which is usually grown below 1k. TeaDB has a good breakdown of what's what. http://teadb.org/taiwanese-oolong-compendium/ An Ali Shan or some kind of Four Season is a good entry point. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Mar 20, 2014 |
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Mar 20, 2014 01:16
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It's dark zi ni, 180ml, and made by Chen Zhongxu. I will post pics when it comes. I'm thinking of using it for oolongs, but I haven't decided yet.
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Uh, pretty much all major retailers use "natural flavors" for their blends, cause dried fruit pieces and flowers don't actually impart much favor when steeping.
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Mar 21, 2014 01:06
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Hey Teavana employee, I'm just curious, have you noticed any changes since Starbucks bought it out? If it's even ok to talk about that from your position.
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Mar 21, 2014 17:20
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That's good to know, my biggest pet peeve with Teavana (aside from the pushy sales) was all the dubious health benefits that they use to push their teas.
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Mar 22, 2014 04:21
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Just a warning, I've heard really bad stuff about their puerh, like it's really fishy smelling even for a shu. I'd recommend sticking to dedicated vendors like Yunnan Sourcing. I've really liked all the puerh that I've gotten so far from Norbu Tea and Mandala Tea if YS is a little daunting.
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Mar 22, 2014 21:45
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What's everyone cold brewing or making iced tea with this summer? I've been cold brewing a spring harvest taiwanese Bi Lo Chun the past week and its so refreshing. Got some new puerhs in today so I'm gonna see how a ripe one does overnight, probably will have to play around with leaf amount so it's not super strong.
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May 30, 2014 20:47
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DontAskKant posted:Where do you guys go to for everyday drinking teas. I see a lot of "it's pricey but good for something special". Maybe I'm a bit spoiled from when i got stuff wholesale. For most of the winter my go-to everyday tea was a dark roast tieguanyin that was about $10 for 100g which norbutea stopped selling which makes me sad. I'm all out of green TGY (monkey picked equivalent), but I've got some winter harvest ali shan still vacuum sealed, think I'll cold brew a pot tonight  I've been neglecting my oolongs lately, too. Not a fan of cold brewed ripe puerh so far, kinda made me gag. The '12 sheng turned out pretty delicious though.
hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Jun 2, 2014 |
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Jun 2, 2014 05:30
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DontAskKant posted:Back in my poor college days I'd get Mountain Rose Herbs or San Francisco Herb Company. http://verdanttea.com/how-to-make-iced-tea/ It's pretty much put tea in a pitcher, pour water, steep in your fridge overnight. Really easy and brings out a naturally sweet infusion and never any bitterness.
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Jun 2, 2014 12:28
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Hummingbirds posted:Got a local place with good prices, honestly, and I don't have to pay for shipping from them. You could check for tea shops in your area if you haven't already. Wegmans apparently has a pretty large loose leaf section if you have that in your area! And check asian grocery stores if you like chinese greens, they usually have a large tea section.
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Jun 2, 2014 16:47
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I don't understand bubble tea, isn't it just a tapioca smoothie? Like does it actually have tea in it
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Jun 8, 2014 04:21
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I'd hazard a guess at that being a green style Dong-Ding, being from Nantou County, maybe a lower grade one that they sell cheaper than their other offerings. I overpaid for some Yunnan Gold from an Adagio storefront today. Tasted a few of their chinese blacks and this had some wonderful complexities and a slightly malty, thick mouthfeel. Been on a shu puerh kick lately but sometimes I want a little more of a caffeine kick. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Jun 28, 2014 |
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Jun 28, 2014 04:47
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I've found puerh to be an acquired taste. I guess (specifically for shu/ripe) that it's most akin to black coffee, some people like it or hate it. I'm guessing you've had shu, and it's the kind that has the most crappy stuff floating around, mostly because the pile-fermentation process if done badly will end up smelling fishy, and even properly done usually requires about a year to mellow out. The good stuff is smooth as hell, the first infusions will be dark and intense and earthy and will mellow out to sweet caramel or dark chocolate notes. Sheng/raw is a completely different market. Young shengs are more akin to green tea or green oolongs, with a smoky character, floral notes, and usually a harsh bitterness. This stuff mellows out into something really deeply woodsy and can vary in flavor as much as wine does. Properly aged sheng is really expensive thanks to a speculator's market, I've only had a few different samples and it is something to taste. Teadb has a neat introductory article on puerh if you're interested in more. It's one hell of a rabbit hole once you get hooked though... Also yeah, upton is great for trying a boatload of samples, and once you find you like a specific kind of tea you can branch out into more specific vendors. Teavivre and Yunnan Sourcing are my go-to chinese vendors. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Jul 2, 2014 |
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Jul 2, 2014 21:37
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Yancha's really gone up in price lately  Teavivre still stocks a pretty competitively priced da hong pao though. I've had some of Silk Road's ma liu me TGY and wasn't terribly impressed, how do you like their drunken concubine? Though to be honest it's probably because I just really prefer my TGY heavily roasted.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:01
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Verdant's 5 samplers for $5 is back. They're not my favorite vendor but it's still a drat good deal. http://verdanttea.com/teas/5-for-5-tea-samples/
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Jul 14, 2014 19:33
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Crazy rear end Teavivre anniversary deal, 5 samplers for $1 (Shipping $4-$6, china post or usps). About 40g of premium chinese tea for dirt cheap.
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Jul 15, 2014 13:58
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Niemat posted:I saw this post this morning, and I thought, 'oh, I'll have to grab that during my lunch break!' NOPE. It's already sold out. Yeah.. it sold out crazy fast, a few hours after I found out about it. I think one of the puerh they're giving away is old stock they're clearing out room with. I got mine in with a 100g dragonwell order though, yay me!
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Jul 15, 2014 22:36
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Batch #2 teavivre samples is up and in stock, who knows how long it'll last. http://www.teavivre.com/special-anniv-sampler-pack/
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Jul 16, 2014 13:56
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They give you an additional one at checkout I think. Not sure if you get it with just the dollar sampler but I got an extra one with an added dragonwell order. Guhhh I hate waiting for international orders
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Jul 18, 2014 16:17
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Good god, and I thought I splurged today on a 400g bing
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Aug 29, 2014 03:24
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Zelmel posted:Using a kettle isn't snobbery. Saying "using a microwave to heat your water ruins your tea!" is silly snobbery. Really? Cause I see $10-$30 electric kettles (standard, no temperature control) in pretty much any kitchen supply store or Target. This whole thing is ridiculous. If you don't have a kettle, a microwave is fine, it just makes the process more complicated than it should be. If you're going to make tea on anywhere near a regular basis, get an electric kettle. Or boil it on the stove.
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Aug 29, 2014 15:09
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Eh, as iffy as Teavana can be, it's still better than the awful Tazo teabags that used to be the norm in Starbucks.
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Sep 10, 2014 18:35
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Yancha is awesome and keep in mind that it can be lighter or heavier in roasting, lighter will be more vegetal and darker will bring out those cocoa notes. This article is awesome if you're interested in the details of Wuyi oolongs http://teadb.org/wuyi-oolong-compendium/
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Sep 14, 2014 05:25
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whitey delenda est posted:Someone recommend me a strong as gently caress plain ol black tea? I'm tired of all these subtle flowery blends with fruit and cardamom or whatever I want to assault my taste buds so I wake up faster and I love strong tea in the morning as a complement to fruit and yogurt or whatever. In the US and preferably not too pricey. http://crimsonlotustea.com/products/2008-bulang-imperial-grade-shou-ripe-puerh Shu Puerh is the coffee of the tea world.
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Oct 15, 2014 03:25
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Fluo posted:Poster above me hit the nail on the head. If you can't get hold of it a cheap alt can be Assam, its sometimes sold as breakfast tea but not always. A good Keemun or Dian Hong are quite tasty too but can run a bit higher in price.
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Oct 15, 2014 03:39
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Thoht posted:Oh man, I just got into this Four Seasons Oolong from Taiwan Tea Crafts and it's kind of blowing me away. Intensely floral aroma with notes of melon and vanilla, clean crisp taste, rich finish. If you dig more floral oolongs on the green side, this one was a knockout for me. I haven't ordered from TTC but 4 seasons is my favorite affordable green oolong. I like the occasional dayuling and lishan but god can those get pricey. What-Cha has a 20% off all teas sale running, by the way. They have some interesting oolongs from Nepal and India and an eclectic selection of whites and yellows.
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Oct 23, 2014 23:06
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You're probably going to be tasting more of the blend than the actual puerh. If you buy a straight puerh tea though I'd highly suggest avoiding the major retailers unless you want some funky fishy smelling stuff. If you're not into more oxidized stuff, you might be interested sheng (raw) puerh, especially younger ones, 1-5 years of age or so. Their flavor profile is more similar to green tea with hints of smoke, hay, and light floral and fruit notes. The really young ones tend to be very astringent (which actually makes them a better candidate for aging as it mellows into a deep, woodsy flavor years down the line), but there are sweeter ones that are sold primarily for immediate consumption. Mandala Tea has a great beginner selection for raw puerh, they actually source and press their own cakes. hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Nov 8, 2014 |
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Nov 8, 2014 14:40
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You want shu or ripe puerh, aged at least a year. My go-to vendors are Crimson Lotus Tea, White2Tea, and Mandala Tea, they have really nice curated selections and it's really hard to go wrong with the puerh they stock. This article is a really great breakdown of the types of ripe puerh, from the importance of the leaf size, amount of fermentation and big factory vs small farm gushu puerh. Yunnan Sourcing is another great vendor but their stock is huge and a little overwhelming.
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Nov 12, 2014 02:28
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She's probably talking about gongfu style brewing which uses small steeping vessels like a gaiwan or a yixing clay pot, anywhere from 60 to 150 ml. You stuff it full of leaves, and you do short steeps of a couple of seconds and increases gradually. You can extract many steepings this way, usually the more oxidized a tea is the more you get out of it. I can get up to 20 steeps with my ripe puerh if I'm pushing it.
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Nov 12, 2014 03:11
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An aged sheng, around 5-10 years would be right up your alley. I picked a Fenqing raw brick during a teavivre sale and it's just the right amount of smoky and woodsy while still being relatively cheap.
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Nov 22, 2014 19:33
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Juaguocio posted:I like Keemun black tea when I'm looking for a strong cuppa. The Keemun Hao Ya that Teavivre sells has been my favorite lately: http://www.teavivre.com/keemun-hao-ya/ Steepster always has a great bf/cm sale compilation http://steepster.com/discuss/9732-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-2014-sale-compendium
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Nov 23, 2014 01:49
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