Let's boil leaves: Tea and things that aren't technically Tea

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's boil leaves: Tea and things that aren't technically Tea

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Hey, this seems like the right spot to try to up my tea game.

I've always drank tea, mostly from bags, but also loose leaf back a century ago when I worked at Pier One in high school. But I've never known squat about it! All I know is that I like oolong in a bag, and senchas too, but green teas can be a bit tannin heavy at times. Also darjeeling maybe but generally I am not so fond of the english styles of tea unless sugar and milk is involved.

I first accidentally discovered better tea when in China unsurprisingly, when at the airport in Hangzhou I bought some new harvest Dragonwell, which my partner loved. Also more recently we got as an Amazon added item a box of Uncle Lee's Organic black, which I adore. So now I would like to know more about Chinese black/oolong/pu-erh teas, and what I should try! And our local shop's website is overwhelming with options, ugh. I mean if it weren't for the pandemic I would go in and start tasting but lol nope.

I would love your thoughts and suggestions as I begin to learn more about fine tea and what I like!

# ¿ Apr 16, 2021 00:05

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 11, 2024 05:50

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Death Vomit Wizard posted:

Loose leaf or pressed hand picked Chinese style tea is my specialty, other goons can learn you more about Japanese styles.

Sheng Puer tea: this kind of tea is hot right now with tea snobs. A big round brick is called a cake or a bing. Puer can also be spelled pu'er or pu-erh. It's made from big leaf cultivar trees in remote southwest china. Popular "young" which means less than a few years old, or semi-aged (5-15 years) or aged. The only oxidation puer goes through is during aging, so young shengs are akin to green tea due to puer processing. Puer is known for its health benefits. It has the widest variety of tastes -- they can be extreme compared to other teas. And within puer, ancient tree tea is popular for health.

Oolong: While puers are appreciated for their "wild", organic quality, oolongs are popular for their exquisite craftsmanship. Within the tea classification system, oolong has the greatest diversity of production styles, with oxidation ranging from 3% to 35% or near-green to near-red. ("Black tea" is a mistranslation of hongcha which is "red tea" in Mandarin. So from here on I will call it red tea.) Therefore we need to know which oolong is which. Taiwanese high mountain tea is the lightest. Rock tea from Wuyi mountain in China is roasty and fruity. Phoenix Dancong is another Chinese oolong that has been bred into hundreds of distinct tasting cultivars. The trend, bemoaned by many of us, is to make all oolong styles greener now, so even with traditionally roasty cultivars/styles like Dongding and Tieguanyin you have to specify if it's "green" or not. You may see an "oolong" from Tibet or Sri Lanka or some other place, but unless it was made rigorously following the 25 steps of oolong processing (basically meaning from China or Taiwan), it shouldn't be called oolong. It's the biggest pain in the rear end to process of all tea styles, basically 40 straight hours of labor, so half-assing it and calling your tea oolong is some bs imo.

Red tea:
Puer, oolong, green, red, white... these are all categorized by their processing btw. So let's say you have leaves harvested from one tea tree. You could make that into any of those 5 kinds of tea. So it's a matter of preference. Each cultivar has its traditional processing, but more and more you're seeing farmers making other kinds of tea than you'd expect for a given cultivar. Red tea is 99% oxidized during 2 days of "wet piling" of the leaves at the beginning of production. And since red tea is really popular for its taste, you see red tea being made with all kinds of tea. In Taiwan the oolong farmers split up their oolong harvests and make them into both oolong and red. Puer farmers do the same with their puer trees. Of course there are teas that are traditionally red too: All assam teas, Jinjunmei and Lapsang come to mind.

White tea:
White tea is growing in popularity fast in asia now and you see a lot of different farmers making their tea into white. White tea is naturally oxidized through wilting, but just 15%. So it has some of the qualities of red tea, but the taste is closer to the tree. Its is known in asia for being healthy. It's the most minimally processed style and has a very different taste than the others. It has little to no bitterness. Traditionally made in Fuding China.

Thanks for this, its very helpful.

Guess its just time to start tasting a whole bunch of different teas and learning how to brew it right

# ¿ Apr 16, 2021 05:27

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Death Vomit Wizard posted:

Have fun and remember this: there is no one right way to make or enjoy your tea. The joy of "gongfu tea" as they call it is the fine tuning and experimentation it allows. Keep a journal and list your steep times and grams of tea and vessel size. If a tea is high enough quality, I always steep at 100C (except green tea). But write down the temp too.

Also, there is a lot of bad and possibly unhealthy tea out there.

ulvir posted:

to avoid the really awful and possibly harmful stuff with puer teas, do yourself a favour and buy this only from shops that specialise in it, and who market it to the anglo sphere/europe. for reasons, that market is heavily tainted with fake teas that’s made in dreadful conditions with bad products, and sourcing has all the regular hurdles that most tea has added tenfold

Thanks you two, will do! I appreciate the tip on unhealthy teas. I had already heard about how the "pu-erh market" had collapsed recently and about the counterfeits so I will stick with my local reputable merchant

# ¿ Apr 16, 2021 18:42

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Carillon posted:

Where's a good entry point for oolong? I've mainly had out in Chinese restaurants and really enjoyed it when it's actual tea leaves. But just checking online there's a whole lot of variety which left me a bit wrong footed trying to figure out where to start going a bit deeper.

Mine has been an organic Shui Hsien (Xian), from Fujian Province but not on Wuyi Moutain. Its very modestly priced but has a very complex flavor that, once I learned how to brew it (thanks for folks ITT) it has really paid off well. It is apparently your standard "restaurant tea" but it tastes so much better than any I've had before. I'd be perfectly happy to settle on this as a daily driver but the experimental spirit says try more! My next will be a more expensive rock oolong from Wuyi, and then we'll see where we go from there. (Phoenix perhaps?)

# ¿ May 4, 2021 18:30

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Carillon posted:

Awesome, thanks, I'll check that, are you brewing it Gong Fu style?

Kind of a hybrid of gongfu and western styles. I am using gongfu amounts of tea and water and brew times, but I am using a basket strainer in the 4 oz teacup for the leaves not a red clay pot

eta: this is the vendor and tea I got mine from: https://mrmaxeystea.com/product/organic-shui-hsien-oolong/

# ¿ May 5, 2021 23:43

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

I've been sampling two new teas I picked up last weekend, my first milk oolong, from Wuyi in China, which is amazing and complex and will be one I want around forever. Today I tried out a new batch of Dragonwell. Whereas it is not as high a grade as what I bought when actually in Hangzhou, it is still legitimately tasty and refreshing on a summer day.

# ¿ Jul 11, 2021 01:33

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Subjunctive posted:

Any Canadians have recommendations for pu erh shops like, well, http://www.puerhshop.com/ with reasonable Canadian shipping?

Am also interested in this question.

Have found these two shops so far with good selections of puerhs:
https://camellia-sinensis.com/en/teas/pu-er-and-aged-tea?page_size=12
https://thechineseteashop.com/collections/pu-erh-teas

# ¿ Oct 7, 2021 05:21

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

thotsky posted:

YS is good but shipping has gotten more expensive so I am drinking my way through my significant stock.

However shou puerhs are currently on sale for 12% off from YS for the next day or two. Just sayin'

I am new to puerhs so am putting in a sampler order from CS (free shipping in Canada for orders over $50) for some shengs and shous, see what I can find that I like

For cleaning tea strainers: I just use the dishwasher, but Cascade Platinum seems to do the best job of cleaning them. One site that sells them suggests a soak in baking powder dissolved in warm water. Have not tried this and there are no specific amounts mentioned.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2021 22:52

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Subjunctive posted:

Wait, what? I ordered a bunch of stuff from them recently and shipping was most definitely not free. I wonder what I did wrong�

I just put in an order of about $60 CAD and got free shipping, was automatically applied so dunno. Over $50 applies to the US too according to their policy page: https://camellia-sinensis.com/en/shipping-policy

# ¿ Oct 16, 2021 02:02

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

actually, now that I think about it there was an option where you could select a faster delivery option for payment (expedited vs. xpresspost)

# ¿ Oct 16, 2021 02:07

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

facepalmolive posted:

Thanks for the tips re: cleaning filters. I hadn't thought to look at coffee gear cleaners, that's a great idea! I'm hesitant to either use anything caustic or toss it into the dishwasher, because the mesh is fairly fine, and dishwashers tend to scratch up the plastic parts of it (not to mention it's unclear how the mesh part would react to it).

I do also have a metal filter but I don't like it as much as the Finum. The holes don't air out as well so I always get annoyed at the leaves stuck at the bottom when I try to empty them out, heh.

yeah sorry I just assumed it was metal. I have a few larger sized basket types for loose leaf, by Forlife and Chacult, and there are no issues I have had with them releasing air.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2021 15:51

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

I really like Uncle Lee's Organic Black and Green teas. They cannot really be over steeped, the bags can be resteeped, and there are no metal staples so the bags and teas are fully compostable. And it is cheap and easily found in boxes of 100 online

# ¿ Oct 18, 2021 18:37

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

thotsky posted:

That's rice, not tea.

Have not had enough tea to get the joke, so I will sincerely assume you are mistaking this guy (https://www.unclelee.com/) for Uncle Ben (https://www.bensoriginal.com/)

# ¿ Oct 18, 2021 19:22

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

DurianGray posted:

Oolongs have so much variation that you're probably best off trying samples of a few different ones to see what you like. Looks like Adagio has a 12-oolong sampler sometimes (it looks like it's sold out right now, but you can sign up for a restock notification) and that could be a good crash course. If you want something sooner, I think their Ti Kuan Yin, Golden Flower, Formosa Oolong and Milk Oolong could all give you a good idea of some parts of the oolong range if you're into doing a little compare and contrast. The Milk Oolong will be the wildest of the lot -- it's one of my favorite teas in general and it's very unique -- it really does taste/feel creamy somehow.

I'd stay away from the flavored ones if you're looking to get a baseline of what oolongs are like by themselves, but if one of those just sings to you, go ahead and follow your dreams.

Oolongs are really something to spend some time with I think, and I am only getting started myself. I really love Wuyi Rock oolongs, but have not yet found a Ti Kwan Yin I like much. I have not tried any Phoenix or Taiwanese oolongs either. The current trend is lightly oxidized forms but I like the richly roasted options. Etc. Really have to try and see.

Also agreed, milk oolongs are great.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2021 05:05

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

I've been exploring my way through both raw and ripe puerhs over the past month. I have decided that nothing better on a fall morning than a nice dark shou

# ¿ Nov 2, 2021 22:03

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

I love that setup!

# ¿ Nov 17, 2021 05:28

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

I do like Keemuns.

I got on that puerh sampler offer as well. I'm very new to fine loose leaf teas and the only way to learn is to taste!

# ¿ Nov 22, 2021 04:59

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

beepsandboops posted:

I had a pleasant sticky rice puerh at a cafe while I was traveling recently and didn't get a chance to ask where it was from. Anybody have any sticky rice puerh recs? I've had mixed reactions to puerh til this one.

I have these mini tuos, its tasty. One little guy per session so its handy too.
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/sticky-rice-scent-ripe-pu-erh-mini-tuo-cha-nuo-mi-xiang?_pos=2&_sid=39f050da4&_ss=r

# ¿ Feb 24, 2022 02:58

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Today I was enjoying the heck out of this ripe, its really smooth and refreshing. I'm saving the leaves for tomorrow as well because its the last I have. Time to get a bing I think

https://yeeonteaco.com/collections/puerh/products/2009-purple-tea-ripe-tea-cake-7342h

# ¿ Feb 24, 2022 03:01

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Strange Cares posted:

Holy poo poo, how are these so cheap?

they don't ferment the top quality leaves, and the mini tuos are often pressed with fragments and dust left over from larger bing processing. These little guys are not terribly dusty but the leaves aren't large either

# ¿ Feb 24, 2022 20:20

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Stuporstar posted:

I have a little dish specifically for this because I don�t like throwing tea leaves in my compost when they�re super wet (and also some leaves can be resteeped). They make cute little tea bag dishes that also work for infusers, but I just went to a Chinese import store and bought a nice sauce dish for a dollar

I just use a gaiwan and keep the leaves in it until done. For the mess I have a folded tea towel and all is good.

I have been enjoying some shou puerhs from a local vendor of late--the one large cake comes from a small organic producer and its a nice smooth tea, whereas the other is like liquid mesquite smoke. The latter comes in 100g bings, and a tong is only like $75 CDN. Lovely to have easy to access options!

# ¿ Oct 28, 2022 04:50

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

neogeo0823 posted:

Seconding throat coat. I forget what the instructions are for it, but ignore them. Steep the tea for 20 minutes, and be sure to wring out as much of the syrup-whatever out of the bag as you can, since that's what actually does the soothing. And sip it slowly.

same

Going to have some Tension Tamer now though, because tension needs taming!

# ¿ Dec 19, 2022 02:39

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

aldantefax posted:

Apparently not very since I don�t remove the teabag, and usually I have a thermos so I will let it ride for hours. So, maybe one tenth dutch

grandpa style tea baggin'

I have a friend from Newcastle (guess he's in Oslo now tho) who would probably have a stroke were he to hear that

Just steeped some hojicha for an afternoon pick-me-up

# ¿ Feb 22, 2023 22:22

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

I've been out of sheng puerh but last week got my resupply shipment in, plus some of the good sencha my partner prefers. Last week was the 2007 Lao Bang Zhan, today its a sampler of an inexpensive Bulang Shan from Mengsong Mountain, dated 2016. Really like this one, am considering putting in a cake as a daily driver

# ¿ Mar 18, 2023 17:40

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 11, 2024 05:50

Bilirubin: Feb 16, 2014; The sanctioned action is to CHUG

Vivian Darkbloom posted:

In the US if you order tea at a coffee joint you're likely to get a tea bag in a cup with no way to dispose of the bag. Pretty annoying

That was the way I first had ripe puerh. I went into a tea shop, they tossed a bag into a large cup, and I drove to my parking spot 15 minutes or so away.

Thank goodness it was ripe, because it turned out strong, but not bitter in the least.

(I then got several more brews out of the leaves in that bag)

I have recently been enjoying my first lapsang souchong and its a new favourite. I expected it to taste like an ash tray but it is actually really sweet and delicious!

# ¿ Dec 20, 2023 05:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's boil leaves: Tea and things that aren't technically Tea