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Hello tea people. I have a preparation question that had no mention in the OP or last few pages: do you have a go-to way of making tea lattes? Internet points to two approaches: (1) brew a strong cup (twice the tea in half the water) and add steamed milk, or (2) brew directly in milk+water combination (in a saucepan?) and strain. I typically don't like milk in my teas, but dig the Earl Grey lattes I've had. Plus I really want to see how Yerba Mate (I've been drinking Republic of Tea's whole leaf) would work in a latte.
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Dec 12, 2016 03:24
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:42 |
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Having never cold-brewed tea, here's a rookie question: how do you not overbrew green tea when doing it cold? Is it purely a matter of temperature (compared to hot brewing) rather than how long it sits?
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May 27, 2017 19:30
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Thank you for the tips, folks! 
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May 29, 2017 15:52
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^ Agreed, big fan of the Finum here -- it's the best at keeping the tiny rooibos fragments out of my drink. If you want a metal basket for some reason, I have a decent FORLIFE infuser. It's generally very good but will let the superfine stuff seep through.
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Aug 4, 2017 15:54
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Good green tea prep is my white whale. If I'm making tea in the office, is this:EKDS5k posted:the way to do it is to "steep" it once with 80-85 degree water for about 15 seconds, and then throw that water away, since it's considered more of a rinse, and a way to sort of "wake up" the tea. Then steep it once more, for about 30 seconds, and then pour. If you plan on steeping again, take the lid off the pot and let the leaves sit uncovered. The tea comes out much clearer, and the subtle flavours are brought out more. my best bet? Keep in mind that I'm limited to a mug, Finum basket, and an adjustable electric kettle (which is excellent but may be a goner if my new employer catches wind of it).
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Sep 22, 2017 16:08
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It does make me wonder what would be a genuine "OK, you're probably drinking too much tea" threshold. Going by caffeine alone, the max daily recommendation (~400mg) would be... 10-ish cups of black tea per day? I think at that level my bladder would give me some early indications to knock it off.
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Feb 6, 2018 17:59
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I have the same Cuisinart and while the sound doesn't bother me, there's a solution if you're up for performing some minor surgery on it:quote:Remove the cover from the bottom of the kettle. Remove the pin marked "BZ" from the 9 pin connector. Cover the end of your lose connector in electrical tape and tuck away from the heating element. Replace bottom cover.
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Nov 11, 2018 21:14
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I'm a fan of Harney and Sons' stuff for reasonably-priced, ships-via-Prime stuff. Granted, I mostly drink their flavoured black teas (Paris, Earl Grey Supreme) but I've also had their sampler tins and are yet to have anything of theirs I didn't like. My favourite rooibos ever is Rouge Bourbon by Mariage Freres though, and there are some examples of it on Prime as well. You just won't find it for <$30.
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Nov 27, 2018 17:07
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I got a mini-cake of puerh for Christmas and thought I'd poll you guys: do you have a simple, office-friendly way of brewing puerh? I'm talking about a mug + electric kettle + brewing basket kind of approach. The vast majority of my tea consumption is while at work, which is why I'd like to come up with a way that wouldn't be prohibitively complicated for a cubicle or breakroom.
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Jan 9, 2019 18:40
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Excellent, thanks! I've been doing more or less the same (only including a rinse before steeping) so I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing out on something else that's simple-yet-effective.
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Jan 10, 2019 04:12
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Seconded -- I'd be all over that too.
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May 21, 2019 01:01
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There's also the possibility that we just can't really hit the right temperatures using home brewing equipment and therefore can't get the right kind of steep. As in, you can froth the milk with some cheapo gadgets but not really steam it without a much more expensive machine, and the steaming might be necessary.
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May 21, 2019 04:49
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Does that mean you cold-brew it or just drink it cold? Either way, I'm down to try it. I find rooibos pretty forgiving but I'd appreciate any go-to brewing method you have.
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Jul 8, 2019 18:53
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anakha posted:I use the following for my cold brewing: Thank you both! I'm a fan of Mariage Freres' Rouge Bourbon variety so I think I'll give that a shot with a cold/sun brew.
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Jul 9, 2019 05:02
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Rooibos cold brew report: used one of these (per anakha's rec) with about 2 tablespoons of this (for "pleasant occasions") to 4 cups of water, brewed for about 12-13 hours. Came out great! No sweetener needed, unlike when hot-brewing the same leaf. I'll experiment with other teas, but this might become my go-to for cold drinks. 
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Jul 14, 2019 15:22
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Making pu-erh at work, breaking off pieces of the cake with a pocket knife, looking like a goddamn psycho.
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Sep 3, 2019 15:52
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I appreciate the "hero" fix but thisShallNoiseUpon posted:"did Trabant...stab his tea before he put the water in it???" is almost certainly what's happening. One day I'll change jobs and will be remembered in the department as the Tea Stabber.
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Sep 4, 2019 00:09
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Heath posted:If anyone asks you why, reply with "gotta make sure it's dead, right?"  ulvir posted:if you ever upgrade from using a regular flat-head electronics screwdriver to an actual puerh pick, please change your tea-prying habits and don’t be an idiot like me. I jammed the pick right into my hand a couple of week ago and I still have a scar from the wound Oh poo poo, you just gave me an idea for my next idiot project. Also, ow.
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Sep 6, 2019 19:44
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Sirotan posted:Also sometimes I have to walk really really really slow to my meetings with my almost overflowing mug.  "Stairs or el-" "Elevator. Definitely elevator."
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Oct 10, 2019 19:52
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I finally got around to following up on this:Trabant posted:Oh poo poo, you just gave me an idea for my next idiot project. and made a pu-erh pick: OK, yes, technically, it's more of an ice pick. A pu-erh pick should have a flat section towards the top, but I didn't have the oxyacetylene to get the steel hot enough for reshaping. As my wife pointed out, instead of breaking up the tea cake at work with a pocket knife, I'll now be doing it with a high-end shiv. So, you know, not much of an improvement re: looking like the office psycho.
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Nov 30, 2019 00:36
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I'm 100% certain that my corporate legacy will be "Oh yeah, that guy with the kettle and cubicle full of tea. Whatever happened to that guy?"Johnny Truant posted:Wow, that looks fuckin excellent.
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Nov 30, 2019 04:08
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Can anyone hazard a guess for a reasonable delivery time for a Teavivre order to US/Texas? It's been 3 weeks since I got the original "it's on its way" email and the tracking still says just "Your order is in transit."
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Dec 4, 2019 18:11
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Stuporstar posted:So even if something happened to your order, their customer service is excellent and they’re quick about fixing poo poo. You could probably contact them now if tracking through China Post turns up nothing helpful. Thanks!
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Dec 4, 2019 21:03
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CeramicPig posted:The Republic of Tea I'll second Republic of Tea for bagged teas, although it's a slightly upmarket product so may not be as cost-effective as some of the other suggestions. I'm partial to their Yerba Mate latte which, per thread title, is not technically tea.
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Jan 20, 2020 17:02
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I'm looking at a looong-rear end business trip around the world, so thought I might as well squeeze in as much tourist stuff as I can. London, UK Bangalore, India Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Singapore Tokyo, Japan (all of this may fall through if the norovirus derails the trip but for now it's happening) If there's anything tea-related -- and unlikely to be found in the US -- you can recommend, please fire away. I'm thinking tea shops or houses, since those are what's most likely to be available to me within a walking distance from hotels and offices. In case it helps, I mostly drink black teas (including pu-erh) and my preparation approach is minimal (Finum brewing basket, electric kettle, sweetener). Bringing back pots and cups is probably not in the cards, esp. since I doubt they'd survive the trip.
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Jan 28, 2020 15:33
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Carbon Thief posted:I just got back from a trip to London and had fun checking out the Twining's shop. It's still in the same building from when it opened in the early 1700s. There's a little museum section in the back and the curator was super nice to talk to. The staff were very well-informed about the teas and happy to brew anything to sample as well. That looks like a great stop!The museums are on the list, time allowing, and I'll probably aim for V&A first. I visited the National Gallery a while back (even if I saw just a fraction of it), but more importantly: Victoria and Albert is just a 20-minute walk from the nearest location of a restaurant I've wanted to go back to for years. I'm not leaving that drat town without having the Dishoom gunpowder potatoes. 
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Feb 1, 2020 00:05
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I've been using the Cuisinart one too and it's great, but it's not exactly all metal/glass. Still pretty solid though!
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Feb 5, 2020 19:27
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Chip McFuck posted:On a recommendation from a friend I've started drinking rooibos and am liking it a lot! Doesn't exactly taste like black tea, but it has a really nice mellow flavor. Mixing it with a little bit of French vanilla is my favorite so far as it adds a wonderful aroma and pairs really well with the rooibos, though I'd like to get some recommendations on other blends to try out. This isn't a DIY blend but I recommend it to anyone who will listen: Mariage Freres Red Bourbon is an excellent rooibos and one of my all-time favourite drinks. Excellent iced too, doesn't even need sweetener. It is literally a vanilla-flavoured tea from France though, so I don't know if it's just more of what you've already had.
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Feb 21, 2020 22:13
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Jazz Marimba posted:I’m back 20-something pages later to ask for more advice...I’ve been consistently steeping my tea for the correct amount of time, what’s one more thing I can do to get better at making delicious tea? I find the water temperature to be hugely important. There are a bunch of guides out there to match your tea of choice with the right temperature range, and an electric kettle with adjustable heat control will let you do that.
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Mar 11, 2020 23:18
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Working from home on account of the... you know, which is letting me revisit some tea I bought a while back and stashed away. That includes opening up these TeaVivre pu-erh samples and omg they're tiny little minicakes  This is going to be the most adorable apocalypse ever.
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Mar 13, 2020 16:17
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Yup, steeped in freshly boiled water for about 4 minutes. Most of the time I make pu-erh -- especially if it's a cake with some deep funk -- I end up breaking it into basically looseleaf and give it a quick hot water rinse before steeping. For these, I chose to just put them in whole to see what happens. Result: they come apart on their own and the flavour is just as good as with a rinse. Then again, these weren't the super-funky kind, so ymmv.
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Mar 13, 2020 16:28
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I'm going through my TeaVivre pu-erh samples, and there's this baggie of "Palace Ripened" tea from 2007. They suggest brewing for 5-8 minutes, which is  I like my tea strong, but that would kill a horse at 50 paces. One minute was plenty.
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Mar 17, 2020 15:43
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Heath posted:I went and bought four ounces of gyokuro to get me through the quarantine, so my jar is now full. About an hour later we went on shelter orders. Could be talking about tea, could be talking about weed.
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Mar 26, 2020 02:28
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LifeLynx posted:My Harney & Sons Earl Grey Supreme came in today! Super excited to try it tomorrow, it smells amazing. One of my all-time favourite blends!
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Apr 28, 2020 00:39
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 , surely?
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Apr 28, 2020 09:32
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TeaVivre is... taking a minute: But then again, the apocalypse.
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May 7, 2020 03:44
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I'd argue against a ball because I've yet to use one which doesn't let bits of tea escape and make the whole experience a hassle. Especially the case with smaller stuff like rooibos. Plus, you can get an excellent mug-style infuser by Finum for about  My suggestion for testing purposes would be, in ascending order of quantity you'd have to commit to: sachets (I like Harney & Sons in particular), loose leaf sample packs, and then loose leaf in large quantities (tins, bags). That's also the decreasing order of cost per cup, but what are you gonna do...
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Jun 2, 2020 13:57
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A few of my favourites: Harney & Sons (for black teas, esp. flavoured blends), TeaVivre (for pu-erh), Mariage Freres (for rooibos and black teas), Tea Forte (for tisanes), and Upton (all around, esp. for sampler sets). I'm not big on green and white teas, so I can't help there.
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Jun 8, 2020 18:01
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Trabant posted:TeaVivre is... taking a minute: Update: turns out the shipping time during the apocalypse is 77 days.
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Jun 17, 2020 00:56
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:42 |
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My interests coming together: https://www.pitchblacknorth.com/  And something I'd actually buy: 
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Aug 2, 2020 23:13
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