>almost 2016
>drinking anything other than water and tea
Enjoy your diabetes.
What are your favorite teas cu/ck/s?
>God tier
Genmaicha (pic related)
>Good tier
Sencha and other normal green teas
Oolong tea
Cleyon
Yunnan (gold)
>Meh tier
Earl gray
English Breakfast
White tea
>Shit tier
Herb teas
Fruit teas
Tea with flowers
>Overrated tier
Matcha
(pepper)Mint tea
Nothing like a big cold glass of sweet tea! Luzianne and don't forget the baking soda when you boil it!
Great thread op!
>>7192758
I'm a huge fan of Soderblandning tea. Their black blend.
>>7192740
>god tier
>not pu'erh
from god tier to meh tier you provide concrete examples, and in shit tier you provide vague categories of tea.
aren't half of those 'good' types of tea you mentioned belong in shit tier since they're herb teas?
Fucking moron; die.
>>7192740
Jasmine pearls best tea
Also no pu'erh or smoke teas?
>>7192740
Someone prefers jap teas to superior himalaya teas
>>7192991
How do they qualify as herb teas? They use tea leaves.
>>7192740
Doesnt tea lower your testosterone?
>>7193830
It's impossible to tell as nobody with testosterone drinks tea
I've got two indian spiced teas I enjoy, don't remember what they're called, though. They use CTC Assam as a base.
Genmaicha, golden dragon pearl, raw pu erh, I also enjoyed the peppermint gunpowder green I had a while back.
Primarily switched over to black coffee for the winter, though. I'll go back to tea once spring hits.
Drinking a bit recently however since I got a cast iron teapot for early christmas.
I would like to get my hands on some ripened pu erh sometime, but I haven't found the time needed to be in one place while it ships, or look into exactly what I should start out with.
Isn't genmaicha just green tea mixed with rice?
List is pretty solid, but could do with tieguanyin/iron goddess in god or good tier
Genmaicha is gr8, it's currently >40C in Australia at the moment and I've been making batches of it cold. So nice to drink iced without any sugar etc.
>>7195110
Sencha mixed with roasted rice. Makes sense in terms of OP's ranking
I'd just like to tell you something I learned in my health class today. All you tea drinkers out there, who think they are getting great health benefits are idiots. You are drinking leaves, how is that healthy? Your just drinking chlorophyll!
90% of the people who drink tea on this site are just fucking WEEABOOS. You drink tea just because the JAPS do it. Well, the JAPS have you conned. The other 10% are just britfags, and you are excused, because you are naturally fucking morons. Tea is just a LEAF! Japs aren't smart. You see how shitty their Yen is? You think that someone, who can't even keep a good economy, has the intelligence to know how good tea is? Bullshit.
Enjoy your diluted organic particles and chlorophyll, you've all been conned by the crafty, yet idiot NIPS.
>>7192740
I drink rooibos and twinings irish breakfast tea every day. Probably my two favorite flavors.
>>7192740
Only been buying Yamamotoyama genmaicha, sencha, and hojicha loose leaf teas. Pretty good and love the taste.
Does anyone know of any other good loose leaf brands of Chinese and other Eurasian teas?
>>7193830
>>7193875
Genghis Khan and Mongols all drank tea.
They eradicated European knights in Central Europe even when outnumbered in the field of battle. Genghis Khan fucked many women and his genetics can be found in a lot of Asian peoples. British people drank tea a lot, fought wars for it, and they conquered an empire spanning the entire world.
Being violent generally means a lot of testosterone.
>>7192740
What's a good container for tea storage?
>>7195156
Isn't mugicha the type of tea you drink cold?
>>7195086
Spiced tea is amazing but is it even necessary to put tea in this. Wouldn't spiced milk just taste the same? I didn't have the occasion to drink spiced tea too many times but I don't remember tasting the tea at all.
>>7195164
I drink it for the fucking taste.
Japanese tea sucks. I drink Chinese.
You know nothing about tea. Just shut up.
>>7195485
Well I'm buying from non-US local brands right now. But there is yunnan-sourcing, white2tea, the west china tea company and a shitload of other brands. I think reddit has a spreadchart on google doc with a list of brand that aren't half bad.
Tea is shit
>Genmaicha as god tier
>Not literal scrap tea leaves tier
>No mention of gyokuro
Some fag on /fit/ told me yerba mate was good.
Is it?
>>7195687
Well, it taste good. And that's pretty much everything you need to know.
>>7195690
Thanks anon. I'll give it a try.
>>7195454
Anything that can be sealed airtight
I drink longjing, English breakfast, and earl grey.
>>7195918
>I drink gold, dirt and shit.
wat. How?
Gimme sum dat darjeeling.
>>7192740
>Shit tier: tea with flowers
You're missing out
>>7196193
Like 99% of them taste like soap.
>>7193830
No, what the fuck kind of retarded source told you this?
>>7196195
No, it tastes like how soap smells. Soap is supposed to smell nice.
Get some soap and stick it in your mouth. See how it actually tastes.
>>God tier
>Genmaicha (pic related)
Look matcha-iri genmaicha is one of my favourite teas too but it's literally peasant tea with shitty little bits that make their way through even the best filters.
>>7192740
sweet iced tea is only tea
>>7193830
Explains England
What a coincidence, I just bought some genmaicha today. Never tried it, what temperature is best for steeping?
Should it be higher due to the rice, or should it be around 80C like sencha?
Brewing some milk oolong desu.
>>7195451
And think what they could have achieved if they weren't tea drinking cucks.
Is peppermint the best tea for colds?
I leke white tea, why it is meh tier?
Vietnamese Green tea with Jasmin is my favorite. (but I drink it with sugar and a few drop of lemon :( )
(Phoenix Dragon) Jasmine pearls are young green leaves rolled into pearls and laid to dry on Jasmine flowers for the night. When the night is over, the flowers are removed and the process is repeated for 5 more nights. You shouldn't get it just because it's labor-intensive, but rather because it's one of the 'softest' teas out there. Not only does it taste great, it has the best 'green tea feel' (the sensation that all green tea has on your mouth) of all green teas I've tasted.
Smoked tea is tea dried on for example pine needles to smell like tobacco. This was done at the time to keep predators away, but nowadays taste's the only reason to still do it. It's definitely the strongest kind of tea out there, which is why I typically only drink it during the cold months.
Pu-erh is tea that underwent a special fermentation process, usually involving drying without oxygen, and pressing it into 'blocks'.
The process is changed to simulate the long fermentation process. This way, instead of decades, tea that tastes like pu-erh is created in a few months. 'Real' pu-erh is unaffordable because it's like fine wine, it gets better with age.
It has a bit of an earthly flavor.
Why doesn't it let me post? Inb4 I accidentally post this 10 times.
>>7192740
Do I really have to order tea online to get anything good? It seems unreasonable that they don't stock good stuff at the supermarkets.
>>7196527
You don't have tea shops in your town?
>>7196527
>at the supermarkets.
>good stuff
Ahahah. No.
It's still possible to find mid tier stuff if you have a local tea shop in your town. That's not that hard to find, i have like 5 tea shops in my ~100 000 inhabitants town.
But in a supermarket, definitely not.
>>7196502
>Tea is for pleasure and taste. Get some drugs for you cold.
I dunno why this was so funny to me. Maybe my internalized hate for naturopaths.
>>7195466
CTC infuses quickly and strongly, and provides a solid base for it. I also don't add very much milk to it.
>>7196474
Peppermint and ginger I guess. Ginger is good for stomach upset. Peppermint certainly helps open up my airways just by breathing it in, I'm often too lazy to go out and get actual meds and don't want to bother for something as minor as a cold.
>>7196527
I order from upton imports, and crepes tea house because I don't have a tea shop in my area. CTH has free/reduced shipping (0-5 dollars depending on where you are), plus good prices. Upton is better for unflavored teas.
Here's a list someone posted in a tea thread about a year ago: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fo9L2k3ip6G7V6icE2RbfeLedwoJg2ux-juGLQUuRsA/edit?authkey=CJLgu5IL&hl=en&authkey=CJLgu5IL&pli=1#gid=0
Granted a lot of their shipping information is out of date.
>>7195164
what if i'm irish. where do you stand with regards to one of the formost teadrinking nations?
>>7195235
twinings is literal dishwater. that disgraces any irish tea
anyone drink the ol lapsang souchang? love a good smoked tea.
>>7192740
>genmaicha
>god tier
literally peasant tea. they added rice cuz they couldn't afford enough tea
gyokurocha is where it's at.
>>7195457
roasted barley tea, served either hot or cold, usually cold during the summer
>>7195668
mah nigga
>>7192740
>Genmaicha
Do any UK anons know if Whittard's Genmaicha is any good? I'll probably receive a bit of money for Christmas and I'm thinking of trying some new teas.
>>7196894
quality is not a concern in genmaicha. it's peasant tea.
if you're getting some money, I would highly suggesting ordering a gyokurocha. I got one from
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea-store
and it was really good.
look up how to brew it properly though.
>>7192740
Where do you guys get your tea? I was thinking of going to a local shop, but are there any good sites online?
>>7195164
but I live in Japan, anon
Been trying to find reputable brands of loose leaf tea, been trying to find some because people shit on Teavana for being expensive, but don't know any.
Does anybody in this tea thread know of good tea brands with loose leaves?
>>7197216
What tea is popular there?
>>7197296
Don't buy brand, just import general loose leaf types from reputable importers.
>>7196863
delicious camp fire
>>7197360
>reputable
And they are?
Just ordered me some matcha tea, is it as godly for health as some places suggest or are their equal/better alternatives?
I've never had tea I didn't like so my motivation is health.
>>7197418
Read the thread motherfucker.
Upton imports, and there a link to a list full of them (though lupicia and adagio I wouldn't recommend, haven't gone through the entire thing) a bit above your post.
>>7197427
It's no worse for you than drinking water, assuming you're drinking it without sugar/sweetener/milk/creamer. But it's also no better.
The only thing you really need to worry about is caffeine, and that's only if you have a sensitivity.
>>7195721
p'uerh is like mushrooms
lapsang souchong is like smoke
nothing is better than some lapsang on a cold winter night. its like drinking the smell of the wood smoke coming off the fireplace. the clear star and moonlight are sharp and bright because there's so little moisture in the cold crisp night air.
>except its 60 degrees and cloudy here goddammit winter you're late
>>7192740
I agree with most of your list, but chrysanthemum tea should be separated from herb/fruit teas and placed in the good tier.
How do you prepare your chai, /ck/?
>>7192740
Genmai is OK, but certainly not god tier. Matcha, while overrated is still better than that. At least in my (not so) humble opinion. Anytime you need to add something to tea (be it rice), you're just addmiting tea itself is not that good.
>>7193830
That woud explain, why i am such a whiny faggot. *pondering*
>>7195110
>>7195156
I think they usually use Bancha? But it probably depends on producer and sort of Genmaicha..?
>>7195466
>Wouldn't spiced milk just taste the same
No, it wouldnt. Strong Assam Tea gives it firm foundation to build on. But you're right in regard that its not about tea itself.
>>7195164
Tea IS good for your health. Probably not _as_ good as some would have you believe, but its good nevertheless.
>>7196075
Man, dont start with this. I drink autumnal blend of Darjeelings as common black tea, but first spring teas... Mmmm!
>>7196480
>I leke white tea, why it is meh tier?
OP probably didnt get good one. I dont like shitty white tea more that other shitty teas. Good Yin Zhen, though... That's the stuff!
>>7195485
Get Taiwanese teas. Granted they are slightly different from their Chinese counterparts due to regional preferences in taste, they'll give you an idea of what Chinese tea is supposed to taste like without you having to worry about lead.
>>7192740
I've been into Nai Xiang lately. Also I am always drinking my puerh teas - I have over 30 kinds.
Plus good dragonwell always goes down easy!
>>7192740
Just tea, none of your gay shit
It comes in a big mug with milk and sugar
>>7195164
>who think they are getting great health benefits are idiots
Yeah better drink all that mountain dew, that's healthy!
After losing 20kg I used to drink nothing but water, now I drink tea just to get some variety.
Sure the benefits of drinking tea are negligible, but only people who read wymens magazines buy into that shit.
>>7198023
>with milk and sugar
>not gay
>god tier
>no Ssips Iced Tea
>>7195690
also has a lot of caffeine, if that's a factor.
>>7198023
>milk and sugar
I'm gonna get lynched for saying this but I much prefer herbal tea.
>inb4 IT'S TISANE NOT TEA HURRR
>>7196193
It's a shame how most people completely ignore herbal tea. The sheer amount of variety is superb, why just stick with just 1 traditional tea plant when there are thousands of plants over the globe to enjoy?
Was going through a local Korean/Japanese/Chinese shop earlier today. Is the Ten Ren Tea brand any good? I also found some generic yellow and orange labeled tin cans filled with Jasmine tea leaves from Fujian. They good too?
And another question: Can I just rip tea bags open and then use the leaves inside as "loose leaf" with my tea pot strainer? Any pros and cons? I can find oolong tea, but they're all in teabags and shit.
>>7199315
Like what kind?
>>7199330
>Pros
There aren't any.
>Cons
Tea bags generally use fannings, which is one step up from dust the poorest quality of tea leaf. They are also generally old, poor quality, and do not impart the best taste.
They're also more expensive than loose leaf tea, especially because a lot of green teas, oolongs, and especially pu erh you can resteep numerous times bringing the cost down even further.
If you don't have a tea shop, or asian store (or indian store if you'd like some spiced tea), you can order online very easily.
Good shops can be found here:
>>7196768
Avoid
>Adagio (meh quality not worth the price)
>Lupicia (unless directly from japan, bad quality and expensive)
>Teavana (extremely expensive, overly perfumed shit)
>Bagged tea (see explanation above)
Things to start out with
>Genmaicha (cheap green tea with roasted rice)
>sencha (green tea, standard tea served in japan)
>raw pu erh
>Assam black tea (Indian black tea, there are many variations of this, assam refers to where it was grown)
>Oolong
>Gunpowder green
I'm sure I'm forgetting things.
Upton has one dollar samples (15 grams, about 5 servings) so you can try a whole bunch of shit and figure out what you like. Don't buy their pu erh.
Instead of measuring with a teaspoon (which is innacurate because of the different densities of tea leaves) measure via weight, via a small scale. You can get one on amazon for 10 dollars (though they'll start recommending you rolling paper, and bongs after you buy it).
3 grams per 8 oz is the standard.
That should start you out. Other anons can correct/add on to this if they feel like.
>>7197209
I don't know how I missed that. I noticed that it has tealuxe listed, and that was where I was thinking of going, so atleast I know it's good.
>>7199330
> generic yellow and orange labeled tin cans filled with Jasmine tea leaves from Fujian. They good too?
I saw this too while I was thinking of buying some French-Japanese bakery goods.
I like Sencha a lot.
>>7192740
I rather drink coffee
>>7195687
I love yerba mate, I can drink more of it than coffee and not feel sick from too much caffeine, and it also has theobromine and shit like that.
Guayaki is a good starter brand, especially the San Mateo (more mellow taste), but it might run a little expensive, especially if it's being sold in pretentious health food stores. Check out Latin groceries in your area, if they have an Argentinian section you should find some good brands for cheap. All the stores I have are Mexican and don't carry it, so I have to buy mine online if I want anything other than guayaki. :/
I don't know how much info said fag gave you about it, but circle of drink is a decent place to start. Few words of warning though: Don't buy their products, they're disgustingly overpriced. Although it's one of the best sources of information out there, there's a lot of pseudoscientific, new-age bullshit. The founder has done his research but also is a pretentious fucktwat who pads his information with false health benefits, and dumb shit about the "Mate Gods"
The dude "changed" his last name to Mate for chrissakes. He's a goober.
Unfortunately there's not a lot of good resources on it beyond basic history and preparation, so you're sort of stuck with him. He's especially useful if you want to get an idea of the difference between cuts. http://circleofdrink.com
Mate is really good made in a French press, but still tastes different than the traditional gourd method. I'd suggest buying some and brewing it in a press (if you don't have one, you can brew it like normal tea) to see what you think. Instructions should be easy to get. Find some friends to drink it with if you go for the gourd.
I started off with the leaves in a teacup, sucking the drink through a plastic straw that I pinched to filter the yerba. This method is the closest thing to the gourd but it's a pain in the ass. I shelled out about $20 for my gourd and $15 for the bombilla, and that's cheap.
Hope this helps a bit
I hope tea gains more popularity to where tea bars become an actual thing. Coffee is still dominant where i'm from, and some try to mix tea in there but it just doesn't feel right. Teavana is experimenting with their tea bars but there's not even 10 globally.
I just want a nice cozy place where I can sit down with a nice cup of good quality tea, and something to nibble on while I browse through the daily news. Tea is my life, tea is everything to me.
>>7200694
>Going anywhere teavana in the first place
Yeah right.
There are cafes and tea houses around, just because you live in bumfuck nowhere doesn't mean they don't exist.
Granted they don't in my home state much (Indiana) but there are plenty in New York.
>>7192740
>tfw work at a barkey with over 30 different loos leaf teas to choose from
>I can make anything I want using the espresso machine
>London Fogs, Steamers, Lattes, etc
>we have over 30 different flavours to add into anything (hazelnut, vanilla bean/french vanilla, gingerbread) You know
>Make myself something different every day
>I still think mint hot chocolate and peppermint tea are my favourites.
>Make Mint London Fogs more often
>Mint steamed eggnog is the best. We can substitute our regular milk for eggnog without extra fee
I'm in heaven /ck/
>>7197308
Mainly different kinds of green tea like houjicha, matcha, sencha etc
Black is fairly popular in the mornings tho
>>7200694
>>7200706
I'm not 100% against teavana bars. Like starbuck it's more industrial that an actual tea house and maybe not that high quality in the shipping and processing but at least they offer a great choice of teas and a lot of cultivars that aren't even half bad. The simple fact that you can enter a franchised tea bar and get some tie guan yin (rebranded monkey picked but whatever) is awesome. I don't even expect that from a local tea house (it's already great when I sea that they have lapsang souchong). Then of course it's a franchised shit with over priced tea. I won't buy from them for my personal tea (because lower quality), and I won't go there everyday (because too expensive). But interesting anyway, they still have cultivar that you can't find in any tea house.
Apart from teavana, tea (as in great tea, real good tea) isn't really that popular yet. And it's hard to find a tea house that doesn't serve Lipton shit or maybe like 3-4 teas. The best tea house I ever went was in a zoo in Belgium… Because there is a China themed park and they built a zen garden with a tea house from real Chinese plan and they wanted to be as realistic as possible. Then again, it's over priced, because tourist shit. I paid 7€ for my 1 person Pu-erh teapot, and only enough water for 2 brews. Yet that's still the only place I know where I got a yixing (well maybe a classic earth but great anyway) teapot with already-washed pu-erh tea and hot water aside. And they didn't asked if I wanted sugar, like it never even was an option. It was fucking great. I wish I could go back there some day, but it's 300km away from where I live and in a fucking Zoo. Pic related, that's the tea house.
Then there is this teahouse in NYC. (tea drunk) I never went in US, but they're pretty active on the internet and upload pictures of tea from time to time. Looks fucking great.
>>7201471
Second pic related, the inside of the tea house.
Merry christmas /ck/.
My dad sent me this cast iron teapot for christmas. It holds heat pretty well, and will probably last forever. It also has a built in stainless steel strainer (that I can remove if I find an alternative) The double walled glass I got from upton about half a year ago during a sale.
Where can I get good tea, /ck/? I wanna start drinking more tea, but every place I've found in Boulder charges out the ass
>>7201756
Oh absolutely perfect. Thanks!
>>7200706
>just because you live in bumfuck nowhere doesn't mean they don't exist.
I live very close to Seattle and there's barely any tea bars. And for being such a liberal hipster culture you'd think it would be everywhere.
>>7201471
It's a shame how tea isn't as popular as coffee. If the "free market" is anything to say about one's culture it shows that tea just isn't that popular when compared to the coffee shop to tea bar ratio.
Lets hope that'll change over the next 10 years.
>>7202027
Yup. Hipster bullshit. But at least it's not
>Do you want green or black tea?
>>7202036
>Hipster bullshit
Well it's permeating just about everywhere in society to where it's no longer just a trend but an actual culture shift. Hate it all you want this is where things are going.
A very good tea documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHXkmzikuI4
>>7202036
Not only hipster bullshit, but shitty quality tea.
Fuck teavana and their expensive shitty swill.
>>7202065
Well as I said before
>>7201471
Not as good as anything you bought on the internet and brew yourself but definitely better than 90% tea houses next door.
I live in France, I can drink tea absolutely anywhere. There are teahouses everywhere and cafés serve tea as well. Except I will get served some Lipton shit every fucking time. Teavana is meh-tier but it's better than literally shit tea or nothing at all.
Anyway, Teavana isn't coming in France anytime soon…
>>7202084
>Better than nothing
Absolutely fucking wrong. I'd rather stay home and drink tea I brewed myself than go pay an exorbitant amount for perfumed shit.
What benefit does a tea house have other than experiencing good quality tea you'd not have tried otherwise? Or atmosphere? Talking to people who are knowledgeable about tea?
Teavana has none of this. You're paying money for fucking nothing. Worse than nothing.
Alright, ordering some teas from Crepes Tea House. This is what I have in my cart right now. What else should I grab?
I just don't want to like something that turns out to be really expensive lel
>>7202088
If you're into flavored teas beyond basic stuff their raspberry lychee, and cinnamon plum black teas are both good. I also like their golden dragon pearl.
>>7202086
The point is to drink tea when I'm away from home for OTHER reason than drinking tea. Like I go shopping somewhere and I want to have a break and get some tea. Or when I'm traveling. It's OKAY, if it's not AS GOOD AS HOME, I'm AWAY from home.
Then of course, I won't go to teavana for the point of going to teavana.
That's the same with starbuck. I went like… Three times to a Starbuck. And the three times were when I was traveling. I never drank teavana tea but I don't think it's worse than tea from starbuck. I could have gone somewhere else, but I know that somewhere else means Lipton shit. So I went to starbuck, at least I have some tea.
>>7202049
>UK talking about Tea
>BBC
I have a bad feeling about this. Watchin' anyway…
>>7202049
>all teas come from the same tea plant only the processing change
>what is a cultivar
>>7202109
Okay, I added the lychee and gold dragon. I usually don't drink sweeter teas, but I have a hankering for one lately and want some variety in my life
>>7202139
Hope you enjoy, anon, be sure to post your thoughts in a future tea thread.
>>7202049
>Hey let's not visit China and go to a British plantation instead
>sure they know how to make good tea
>>7202049
>Promoting Crush, tear, curl
>>7202049
>We added milk to cool down the tea because our porcelain sucks and would break otherwise.
This explain everything!
Top fucking kek.
Hey anons, so I'm new to tea and just picked up some loose leaf and realized I don't actually know how to make it.
Some black, red, white, and green desu.
Do I need a tea infuser? Do I boil the water and pour it over the tea leaves, or do I boil the water and put the leaves in the pot?
Educate me on proper tea technique
>>7202557
black = just under boiling
green = 190
white and red = 180
Tea infuser or a strainer that goes in the pot. pour the water into the pot, then put the infuser/strainer in and let steep
There should be directions with your tea for how long but it's generally 3 minutes unless it's a special type of tea like pu erh.
>>7202557
>Hey anons, so I'm new to tea and just picked up some loose leaf and realized I don't actually know how to make it.
That's ok. Nothing really hard if you don't go in more advanced techniques like gong fu cha.
>Some black, red, white, and green desu.
black = pu-erh and red=black?
or do you mean Rooibos? Rooibos isn't really tea. There is no rule about how to make it.
>Do I need a tea infuser?
Either you have a filter in your teapot and you put your leaves directly in it or you use an infuser in your mug directly. If you don't have a filter in your teapot that's a problem.
>Educate me on proper tea technique
The simpliest for early beginning is the tea infuser in the mug.
Like this: http://www.palaisdesthes.com/fr/filtre-a-the-pour-tasse.html
An alternative is the teaball but it's inferior.
If you have a teapot with filter/basket. That's even better.
>Do I boil the water and pour it over the tea leaves, or do I boil the water and put the leaves in the pot?
It shouldn't matter but it's usually the tea first and then the water. It just make more sense to moist the tea than to drop it into boiling water.
About the water, very early even if you are a beginner you will have to take the temperature into account. The most important thing about tea is the temperature and the brewing time. It's either indicated where you bought your tea or you can find charts on the internet. It's usually ~90°C 5min for black tea and 75°C 3min for green tea for 2g of tea and the volume of a mug.
Summer here so making iced tea
Has anyone brewed different teas together?
Like black and green tea and the same time, or half black half oolong or whatever. Is this stupid?
I like tea but it's just too damn expensive. Like seriously $10 for a little tube is just really expensive.
Is Tea cheaper in Europe since it's the preferred beverage. Because I'm starting to think Americans are just price gouged on Tea because we drink coffee primarily.
I can get a giant bag of amazing coffee for 16 bucks, just can't do that with tea.
>>7202637
Depend on quality.
The most basic teas are 5€ for 100g. If more expensive it's a steal.
Look for gunpowder, that's a very popular and yet very basic tea. If a brand sell you gunpowder higher than 5€ for 100g change brand.
If you want some more refined/rare teas you can easily go up to 10, 15, 25€ per 100g and higher.
Also, cheaper than 5€ is also weird. That's the base price. Every brand, every shop it always start from 5€. Even boxed Lipton from supermarket in teabag. (aka shitiest tea ever) That's approximately 5€ per 100g.
>>7202658
That's right both for internet and physical shops btw. Shops buy in big quantities and then sell you 100g per 100g. They get reductions and are able to sell you tea at 5€ per 100g, maybe 6 but not 10.
>>7202615
Rooibos isn't really tea.
Sorry but it is tea.
Tea is the process of which they take Camellia Sinensis plant, dried it out, and then infused it with hot water. From that process it's known as tea, which can be done with many other plants in nature.
>>7202857
I forgot to greentext quote anon.
>>7202857
No, it's "herbal tea"
Tea specifically means camellia sinensis. Why are you trying to argue semantics when you can't even into?
>>7202865
Then you might as well call it Camellia. Oh wait it only becomes tea with the infusion of hot water, thus tea.
>>7202874
no you fucking retard, the plant is called tea
My favorite tea is the turkish tea.
>>7202876
It's actually cha or chai. Tea traces back to plant matter + hot water
>>7202637
>tubed tea
>>7202884
>cha
Which is the first known word to refer to the camellia sinensis plant we are discussing.
>>7202637
I can easily get bulk tea very inexpensively. You're probably buying shit quality for a high mark up.
>>7202637
Are you going to Teavana? $16/lb for coffee is high tier local roastery. $16/lb for tea can get you some decent stuff, but you only use ~4g of tea for a 12oz mug, yet you use 22g of coffee for the same at 16:1.
Tea is, and always will be cheaper.
>>7202876
The plant is called Camellia Sinensis.
Tea is what happens after you dry it out and mix it with hot water.
>>7202979
citation needed
Anyone else order from TheTeaSpot? Are their prices decent compared to other sites?
>>7202857
>Sorry but it is tea.
It isn't.
>>7202857
>Tea is the process of which they take Camellia Sinensis plant, dried it out, and then infused it with hot water. From that process it's known as tea, which can be done with many other plants in nature.
The dry tea is STILL called tea.
The plant is STILL called a tea tree.
Camelia sinensis is the scientific name. It IS a tea tree. Anything else that isn't Camelia sinensis isn't tea.
>>7202874
>Then you might as well call it Camellia.
Camelia = tea. That's two names for the same fucking thing.
>Oh wait it only becomes tea with the infusion of hot water, thus tea.
This is wrong. Even dry it IS tea. Even leaves on the fucking trea are called tea leaves. The field is called a tea field. The region that produces tea are called tea region. Tea isn't the fucking infusion tea is the fucking plant.
>>7202884
>It's actually cha or chai. Tea traces back to plant matter + hot water
Cha and chai means exactly tea in other languages. Cha doesn't make any sense in English. That's an exact translation. It means exactly the same.
At best Rooibos is Herbal tea. With is a stupid name to call infusion plants that just aren't tea.
>>7202894
Exactly my point, what are you doing?
So tea = plant matter + hot water and cha = tea made with C. Sinensis. Got it?
>>7196193
Hibiscus tea is literally the single best thing to drink in summer after a cold bottle of kumys.
>>7200694
>I hope tea gains more popularity
Isn't tea drunk far more than coffee worldwide? I think only a few western countries like USA drink more coffee than tea.
>>7203357
plant -> tea tree/tea bush
plant (scientific name) -> Camelia Sinensis
dry leaves -> tea
leaves + hot water -> tea
cha === tea (strictly equal, no fucking difference, just different language)
Rooibos plant -> Rooibos
Rooibos plant (scientific name) -> Aspalathus linearis
dry Rooibos leaves -> Rooibos
Rooibos leaves + hot water -> Rooibos
Rooibos leaves + hot water -> NOT FUCKING TEA
Rooibos
is
not
tea
Are you a fucking moron?
>>7201499
Always wanted to ask, how do people use cast iron teapots? Do they brew the tea straight on the fire? Or just use them like any ceramic tea pot?
>>7203442
>brew the tea straight on the fire
No. They're just used for their heat-retention.
>>7203357
>>7203423
I don't even know why I'm still arguing. Just open a fucking dictionary:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tea#English <- tea is the plant not just any plant in hot water
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infusion#English <- that's the word you're looking for
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tisane#English <- that's another possibility
>>7203448
Did you read that before you posted it?
>any drink made by infusing parts of various other plants.
camomile tea; mint tea
>>7203487
>By extension
aka misused
Just stop using that. "herbal tea" is dumb enough.
BTW, English is the only language dumb enough to misuse that word.
The most important part is:
>The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis.
tea == Camelia sinensis
>Synonyms: Cha
Cha === tea
The previous assumption was that tea is only the infusion.
This is fucking wrong.
>>7203501
>>BTW, English is the only language dumb enough to misuse that word.
Not really, in Russian it's be called "travyanoi chai", which quite literally is "herb tea".
>water volume measurement
>leaf weight measurement
>water temperature measurement
>controlled brewing time
>picking tiny pieces of leaf out of nooks and crannies in the kyuusu
Every year I buy shincha, and every year much of it ends up in the trash because I CBA to deal with the process and fall back to throwing coffee grounds in my cup and pouring boiling water over them.
I have no doubt about the merits of loose leaf - it makes tea worthwhile for me, with both the taste and the caffeine buzz beating what coffee has to offer; but it proves to be too much fuss in the middle of the work day.
How do you streamline the loose leaf process?
>>7203524
Anon, people can get even more autistic about coffee.
Just trust your intuition, you don't have to measure fucking leaf weight. If you should do one thing from that list, however, it's to remember to not oversteep it though.
>>7202884
Tea and cha both trace back to 茶, which means camellia sinesis and the drink made by infusing its leaves in hot water.
It's just that each one traces back to a different Chinese dialect, so each culture adopted one or the other depending on how and where it made first contact with the Chinese.
Various cultures have had native plant infusions for thousands of years, predating their contact with China, and those that are called teas today are only called that because of the influence of actual tea.
>>7203423
I almost starting to think that the definition of tea is quite literally changing before our very eyes.
We all know language adapts and morphs over time, so for example gay once meant happy now it means homosexuality... only within a few decades or less.
With major tea companies changing their labels of "Tisane" into just tea... well we can see where this is heading. I think people prefer just saying tea for all other plants because it's easier to say. Tea is so simple to describe what they're doing, Tisane ain't necessarily bad but tea is just better.
>>7203524
>>water volume measurement
Pour until the teapot/mug is full
>>leaf weight measurement
Do it visually of use a tea spoon. Don't fucking weight it.
>>water temperature measurement
Use an electric kettle.
>>controlled brewing time
Not that hard, just look at your watch.
>>picking tiny pieces of leaf out of nooks and crannies in the kyuusu
Use a filter or a basket.
It can be a lot easier that you think.
>>7203546
"Herbal tea" is a bit dumb, but at least we know what you are talking about. It's not tea, it's HERBAL tea.
But saying that those herbal teas are tea. And changing the whole definition of tea. No. Just no. That's fucking stupid.
I don't think tea is changing definition. Herbal tea is a popular term but it never goes further than that. When you talk about tea, everyone think about actual tea not other infusions. There is always that distinction between tea and herbal tea.
Not a single shop labeled herbal teas as just tea. Nor should they.
>>7203501
By extension doesn't mean misused.
>>7203559
>"Herbal tea" is a bit dumb, but at least we know what you are talking about. It's not tea, it's HERBAL tea
I think that's proof that it's already changing definition. Long ago saying Herbal tea would of meant nothing other than Chinese tea. Nowadays the "Herbal" can mean something not even related to Camellia.
Help me /ck/.
I'm too used to sweet tea I put sugar in my sencha and genmaicha.
Shit's fucking delicious actually. I don;t need your help.
Baby first gong fu cha setup.
>my very fist gaiwan
>nice tea cups
>no proper tea tray
>no proper pitcher
>meh-tier kettle
But eh! It works.
What are you waiting to start gong fu cha?
>>7195164
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of researchers across the planet who have done extensive research on tea and the health benefits, most conclude that it's healthy and in the long term helps with human life span.
![wpid2701-DSC_3007[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/ZUJcokv.jpg "wpid2701-DSC_3007[1].jpg")
>>7192740
God, I love Lapsang Souchong so fucking much.
>live in coffedrinker land
>order a tea at starbucks-esque chain
>comes in the flavours "black", "green", or some specific blend
>it's in a fucking bag
Just piss in my fucking face m8
>>7204078
*sips dirty leaf water*
Mmmm mmmmm....I'm going to live forever yumyum! Gotta do it. So healthy.
I drank pu'er once. It tasted "earthy", meaning it tasted like a fucking stable smells like.
Was I drinking a shit tea or is that a common factor in all pu'er teas?
I always use a regular strainer - do you guys notice any big difference in using a proper kettle or a strainer?
>>7204268
The human body is very sensitive to what it ingests, I know that's probably hard for you to imagine but consider it a possibility. It's especially healthy when there are so many people in 1st world nations that literally eat heavily processed shit food. If people just cut out the sodas and juices for just some water would help them tremendously. And then add the benefits of plant matter infused with water, ya see?
>>7204269
They're fermented so yeah.
>>7204269
That's normal. It's a bit of an acquired taste, but I like it.
I am probably late to this conversation, and I am also very drunk, but I drink fairly high quality chinese tea almost everyday and I never get sick. I am not even joking. Everyboy in my house could get sick but not me. Maybe I just have a great immune system or maybe he tea I drik constntly is really good for me. We may never now.
>>7204948
It's a coincidence, anon. You just have a very strong immune system.
Or it could be your entire diet is better than the rest of your family's which could contribute.
>>7204959
I eat very healthy, drink tea all the time, and have a very fast metabolism.
However, I drink too much.
>>7204965
Does your family not eat healthy? Because that could be a big factor for getting sick, if they're not getting proper nutrition/overeating/etc.
>>7204299
Bad pu'erh taste "fishy".
Most good pu'erh is going to have a "hay" smell or taste at the very least if it is raw and young, or a camphor/forest floor/dirt/mushroom taste if it is aged/ripe.
Hey sorry for the newfag questions but Im trying to develop a taste for tea
I wanted to start with bagged tea.
What are some good readily available brands or brands to avoid?
and I know lose leaf is supposed to be better in every way but im not even sure if tea is for me yet.
>>7205032
And if you insist to choose teabag. Avoid Lipton at all cost. Apart from Lipton, there isn't any good advice I can give you… All other brands have similar quality.
>>7205032
Loose leaf is cheaper, and better quality. You wouldn't get taco bell if you're trying to figure out if you like mexican food. Especially if the good quality diner down the street is just as cheap, if not cheaper.
>>7199357
Here's a list of types of tea to start with.
If you live on the east coast of the US, I'd recommend Crepes Tea House, because then there would be free shipping and it'd be a minimum 2 dollar investment for 30g (1oz) of tea, which is enough for 10-15 cups of tea.
If you don't have a tea ball you can get a very cheap one for one dollar.
>>7203442
Didn't see this. I put hot water in while prepping the tea (picking the type, measuring it out), empty out the water and add new hot water and the tea.
The cast iron keeps the tea hot and the temperature consistent. Would recommend.
>>7205053
>>7205056
>>7205068
I don't have a teapot or infuser or any of those other things you need
I thought it would suck to invest in it and find out I don't like it
also i'm in burgerland and always thought loose leaf cost alot more but apparently i'm mistaken
any do or don'ts on teapots/sets if I decide to go that route?
I should probably to more research on my own time but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask
>>7192740
Fact is that I don't give a fuck about your tea. I'll get a couple bags from Chinese take out and it tastes as good as anything you hoity toit types can come up with. You're pathetic to me.
>>7205103
If you're worried about investment, a 1 dollar teaball is the way to go. They're not that great, but it'll be good to test shit out and see if you like it.
As for teapots, they're usually 20-40. I have the cast iron pot and quite enjoy it, it'll likely last me forever. Teavana actually sells some decent ceramic teapots for 24 or so, and they have built in strainers.
If you buy the teapot do NOT buy their tea. It's shit. Just the teapot and nothing else.
And no, tea isn't very expensive. I live on the east coast, and don't even top 10 dollars a month for tea (and that's way over what I drink and building up a stockpile). The most I've spent is 20 a month when building up my collection.
The most important thing is not to cramp the tea. This is why teabags and teaballs aren't fantastic, but they'll do for a cheap testing period. Strainers are better, and pots with strainers right at the spout, leaving the rest of the pot to act to hold the tea freely is the best.
Adagio also has some decent pots, but I don't really like their tea.
Any more questions and feel free to ask.
>>7205136
Thanks for alll the info anon that was really helpful
>do NOT buy their tea. It's shit.
Whats a good site to by tea from?
>>7205202
see
>>7196768
Upton imports (http://uptontea.com/store/home.asp), crepes tea house (http://www.crepesteahouse.com/storechai.php), are good starters.
For more advanced options white2tea, yunnansourcing, yuuki-cha.
For measuring use a teaspoon, for actually accurate measuring later on use a digital scale (10 dollars on amazon) and do about 2-3g per 8oz.
If you're interested in a tea but you're not sure if you want to try it, check out steepster for reviews.
Does anyone know which Chinese brands of tea are good? I've suddenly discovered some Asian markets with loose leaves locally.
I hope that if someday humanity doesn't destroy itself and we move beyond this sphere to explore the cosmos... just imagine the herbs on other worlds that we can use to make tea. What if there's massive economies between various star constellations where galactic tea trading is common.
Imagine the variety of teas just waiting to be discovered in this universe and how we might someday contribute our teas for trade. Imagine if tea is more universal than we previously thought.
Tea is the result of a fertile planet and it's beauty, having other civilizations taste it is a welcoming gift from our world to theirs.
>>7206636
>Herbs in universe taste like shit
>tea from earth get popular in the galaxy
>some alien empire want to get tea very bad
>get somehowe in war against earth
>can't to buy tea from earth anymore
>they invade partially earth to get tea and make it grow somewhere else in the universe
>make it all wrong and act like they know how to make tea
>make an all new different tea culture that make it completely different from earth tea
>make tea field in some colony in their empire and spread some new version of their new tea culture
>local colonies change yet again their way to make tea and develop their own tea culture
>in the end, the alien empire doesn't need earth anymore and can make war against it
>earth is the new China
>>7193060
genmaicha has roasted rice so it kinda has a 'smokey' flavor... my favorite's lapsang souchong, which apparently is a 'low class' tea but i really like it
>>7207409
>which apparently is a 'low class' tea
There is different grades of lapsang souchong.
http://www.teavivre.com/lapsang-souchong-wild-black-tea/
15$ for 100g is NOT low class. teavivre may be a little over-priced but not that much.
Low grade lapsang souchong is very smocky with mask every other aspect of the taste. More rafined Lapsang Souchong are less smocky and let place to some other fragrances.
In any case, smoky tea is really nice, and Lapsang Souchong is a nice one. It's a very good tea to drink even low grades ones.
Liptons tea.
>>7196849
I've got a sweet spot for their earl grey (paired with biscuits or toast+jam). More of a call back for when my life seemed a little easier though then on grounds of quality.
>>7192740
>2016
>Not drinking a gallon of milk a day
>>7207450
>http://www.teavivre.com/lapsang-souchong-wild-black-tea/
Hmm I'll have to try that stuff you posted in the link... I had tried the stuff from Twinings which was tasty, so I got some from Harney and Sons which I though was fantastic at about half the price of what you posted... Good tea seems to be much more reasonably priced than say, good Scotch so experimenting with new stuff isn't so much of an unobtainable luxury- are there any other smoky teas that you recommend? I've only ever heard of lapsang...
>>7207760
>are there any other smoky teas that you recommend? I've only ever heard of lapsang...
Unfortunately no. I'm only beginning to look for higher priced teas.
I've already ordered Lapsang Souchong twice but it was first price and mid-tier. Never bought a high quality Lapsang Souchong yet. But I've tasted some other tea from teavivre in that price range and it's fucking great.
I believe there are some teas that aren't LABELLED as lapsang souchong that can be smoky. But lapsang souchong is pretty much the definition of taking tea and smoke it with pine wood fire.
