Welcome to Tea General, a thread dedicated to all the variants of Camellia sinensis, discussion about tisanes is welcomed too!
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>>7663434
What can be addded to chamomile for added snooze?
>>7699189
valerian root
>>7699189
Poppy straw
>>7699189
Nyquil
Is tieguanyin supposed to taste floral?
>>7701016
Generally, its floral and a bit vegetal.
However roasted tieguanyin is pretty common.
Haven't had access to tea in days. Looking forward to my soon to be arrived duck shit oolong too much.
>>7701598
>duck shit oolong
wait, what?
>>7701655
http://chinalifeweb.com/shop/product/tea-ducc/86/
>>7699189
Chicago-style heroin
What's the best electrical kettle on the market for under 60$?
My last one was great until pieces of the fucking thing started coming off into the water during each boil.
>>7701706
there are some ovente ones in amazon, they are decent and no more than 30 bucks.
>>7701706
Just got this one today for 80 euros, pretty happy with it, not sure if its avaliable in other countries its an electrolux expressionist, love the gay ass name
Drinking some white monkey green, pretty nice, I find that it handles up to 80 degrees fairly well but usually brew it at 70 where I find it to be a bit more vegetable and less floral
>>7701673
That half asian girl that apears in the videos is such a qt, I'm going to track her down and marry her
Uh... I like the leaves in the water. Nice taste. Makes me feel clean.
Also crysanthemum.
Do people talk about fucking tea for more than two seconds ? Jesus Christ almighty.
>>7703773
yes, they do, it's a hobby like any other, with all the variety there is you can dedicate yourself to it greatly for years and still have a lot to learn. If you feel it's just leaves in water, then it isnt for you clearly, not that there's anything wrong with that
>>7703773
Low IQ scum detected.
>>7703773
People talk abot a lot of bullshit for lot more that two seconds. I think tea is comparatively meaningful topic.
How do I go around to brewing myself a find cup of poppy tea?
I'm fairly certain I can source the poppy pods.
>>7699155
>General
>>7703773
fucking brits, i swear.
Will drinking this give me any benefits of green tea?
>>7704631
doubt it
tried arizona green tea once (pomegranate I think) and it was fucking vile
>>7704631
Yes, but you will also enjoy the "benefits" of hfcs.
>>7704631
Depends on what you consider benefits of green tea, i guess. It probably wouldnt for me.
>>7699155
Who /wormwood/ here?
>>7704631
It will only bless you with a e s t h e t i c s, and that in and of itself should be worth it.
Bong here, Yorkshire tea is the finest tea in the land. Also if you don't drink tea with milk you are a fucking plebeian.
>>7704812
only poor people add milk to their tea.
>>7704834
>only poor people add milk to their tea.
Nice b8 m8, only degenerate foreign hippies drink tea without milk.
>>7704844
This is true.
>>7704901
>I have only drank low quality black tea so far
>>7704901
i don't think that anyone who knows what is silver needle will be imbecile enough to add milk.
Are there any nonherbal teas that are both decaffeinated and worth trying? or am i stuck with poverty supermarket tea
Your tea must be pretty shit to begin with if you have to add milk for """"flavor""""
Is butter tea good?
>>7704812
it's actually OK as far as bagged black tea goes. H&S bagged black is better, but pricier.
So got my package from YunanSourcing today. Havent tried any of the teas yet so you guys get my prelim report on packaging, timeliness and presentation.
Shipping Time:
Ordered on the 9th, arrived today to New Zealand on the 24th, used the 3-6 week shipping option so two weeks is great.
Packaging:
The box was packed pretty good, but some of the bags could have been better. Some of them weren't vacuum packed and some had been but sometime before they were shipped or in transit they became vacuumed. A little shoddy. Apart from that, bags are standard. White Puer Cake just came in some crepe paper.
Here's the kicker though. There is about 5 long brown hair baked into my white puer cake. Like not just sitting on the top, but running through it. I'm not a germaphobe by any means but I'm a little put off by it. Makes me a little less happy about the whole thing.
Planning on emailing the site and seeing what they have to say about it.
Will report back once I drink some of the teas, but I am a little more leery about the whole thing now.
>>7705800
Care to post some pics? i have heard horror stories of puer having... insects on it but never hair.
bought this last week along with 200g of sencha from o-cha. still awaiting an order of puer from dragon tea house i paid 2 months ago. i'm starting to suspect i'll never see it.
>>7701016
I thought the tie guan yin i tried was way too floral but supposedly it isn't a very floral Oolong.
>>7704812
Brit tea culture is stupid. How can you drink so much of something yet care so little for it.
It's a bit like fat people who don't know how to cook (americans).
>>7703595
>80 euros
>for a water boiler
why?
Where can I get a Japanese cast iron teapot for under $250? Seems everything on Amazon is Chinese lead flavored and any other site only offers tea pots folded over one quadrillion times. Is there no in-between?
>>7705162
Black tea is low quality by definition. No nation that the plant is native to is fool enough to have a tradition of consuming rotten leaves. That's for the schlumps to whom they exported.
>>7705162
>>I have only drank low quality black tea so far
I don't like black tea at all and I never drink low quality tea.
However black tea generally has a stronger flavour and can sometimes even be a bit bitter, meaning it's understandable if you add milk.
However adding milk to milder tea does not make sense since you override the taste of the tea with milk.
>>7706266
what about india
>>7705818
Yeah there ya go. Crap camera so hard to see but I'm really put off by the whole thing. Not like I can just pluck the hairs off either, they have been pressed into the block and run all the way through.
The tea I have tried so far (white from 2014 so dunno what I expected), has been rather meh as well.
>>7706335
White tea never has a strong flavour.
>>7704631
only if you drink it with skittles while wearing a hoodie
>>7706363
Its not as good as the other white teas I have bought is all.
>>7704812
>>7705800
I heard about cigarete butts in pu-er, so hair is comparatively OK. But it would suck anyway.
>>770626
Black tea's are not rotten. They're oxidized! Pu-erhs on the other hand...
>>7706215
I see plenty of $20-$80 iron teapots in brick-and-mortar kitchen shops.
Make sure you get one that's enamelled on the inside, rusty tea is no fun.
>>7706540
black tea is rotten, puerh is fermented.
>>7705529
Depends on how close to the original thing you can go.
I've tried something that was made to be similar (as close as you can get with readily available north european dairy products anyway). I wouldn't neccesarilly describe it as something I would sip slowly for enjoyment of the subtle taste but it was okay (same mouthfeel as hot chocolate), made me feel alert and warm enough that I went outside in a t-shirt in minus 4°c and dug my car out out of a snowdrift.
I at least reccomend it heartily in the wintertime or whenever you need your wits and warmth about you.
>>7706559
Ripe puerh is fermented, raw puerh is not.
Also fermentation and rotting are the same process, oxidation is unrelated.
>>7706559
Oh. That is different? I was never good at chemistry.
>>7706266
Black tea is oxidized, not rotten. Puer is however fermented and it's considered the most valuable of them all. Guess the Chinks cherish their rotten tea. Now fuck off.
>>7706635
Only ripe puerh is fermented, raw puerh is dried and aged.
The fermentation of ripe puerh is designed to emulate the flavor of very well aged raw puerh for a fraction of the cost and time, same as the bergamot oil in Earl Grey.
>>7706655
It's common misconception. Process chemically known as oxidization is for some reason called fermentation. I wonder why.
>The fermentation of ripe puerh is designed to emulate the flavor of very well aged raw puerh for a fraction of the cost and time
Again - its oxidization of the tea you're talking about. Otherwise you're right.
Havent heard about the bergamot think at EG, though.
>>7706826
Oxidation and fermentation are two entirely separate processes.
Black tea is not fermented, it is oxidized.
Ripe puerh is not oxidized, it is fermented.
>>7706826
>heard about the bergamot
probably cause it's bullshit
>>7706882
Only partially. Earl Grey imitates Fo Shou and Keemun teas, not Puerh.
The idea of imitating more expensive teas by processing cheaper teas is the same though.
>>7706543
My local store has some for 80, but they look near identical to the ones on Amazon and don't list a country of manufacture. Guess I can get over my autism and ask the clerk next time I'm in.
>>7705800
>>7706335
Also got mine today. Had no issues with packing, still havent opened the cake so no comment on that, tried both the white and green,nothing extraordinary but not bad, but that is to be expected from 2014 teas, they were on sale and pretty cheap.
>no one drinking based blue tea
>>7707855
>clitoria
couldnt help but to chuckle
>>7707867
>Clitoria ternatea, common names including butterfly pea, blue pea, Cordofan pea and Asian pigeonwings, is a plant species belonging to the Fabaceae family. The flowers of this vine have the shape of human female genitals, hence the Latin name of the genus "Clitoria", from "clitoris".
>In traditional Chinese medicine, due to its appearance similar to the female reproductive organ, and consistent with the Western concept of the doctrine of signatures, the plant has been ascribed properties affecting this organ. It was used traditionally in an attempt to treat sexual ailments such as infertility and gonorrhea, to control menstrual discharge, and also as an aphrodisiac.
>>7707895
fair enough, does it taste like pussy though?
>>7707929
>fair enough, does it taste like pussy though?
It has a sweet and herbal taste. Goes well with a few drops of lemon juice.
So maybe if your gf ate a bunch of flowers every day.
>>7707855
>tea
>>7704812
Even for black tea intended to be drunk with milk, it's still shit.
All you do with these posts is parade your ignorance.
>>7707992
There's herbal tea and red tea. While not technically real "tea" you prepare, drink and enjoy them like tea.
>>7699189
Cyanide.
>>7708058
>there's herbal tea and red tea
what
>while not technically real "tea"
right, piss off
>>7704812
>tea with milk
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
>>7707780
Just drank the puerh, it was good, shoulve used a bit more leaf, only used about 2g, nice chocolatey flavour, usually I tend to like the later steeps more than the first few, the first 3 or so always taste very standard only later do the more subtle flavours are able to come through
>>7708270
>>7699558
Seriously what's this like and made? Can bulk baking seeds be substitute?
>>7708270
this is a raw?
>>7708362
Nope, ripe 18th january 2016
>>7708390
>ripe puerh
https://youtu.be/EZ8t_7OII0k
>>7708768
Menghai is known for only selling their ripes after that fishy taste dissipates in with time, it ďidnt taste fishy at all
>>7708786
cool. i've had only terrible experience with ripes and gave up trying.
>>7708092
You're retarded. All your tea knowledge probably comes from some wiki and your own assumptions you have only amassed from this year.
>>7707855
looks like avatar piss lmao
>>7709624
Nice argument.
>>7709624
He's not wrong though. He's just an asshole. (Which admitedly, is even worse.)
>>7710116
Yeah, the first person obviously knows that his blue tea is a tisane.
The second guy is just being pedantic to start shit.
What is your opinion on putting alcohol in tea? I've been wanting to try it for a while now.
>>7710376
Alcohol has generally too strong of a flavour, so you wouldn't be able to add much without overpowering the tea.
>>7710376
It might work with flavored teas, I think it would overpower the taste otherwise.
Something like rum could possibly work in a masala chai.
Maybe some of those fruity tisanes, could pair well if they were iced.
>>7710376
I had a gin and matcha cocktail before, it wasn't bad. Don't think I'd regularly mix alcohol and tea, maybe tisanes would work better.
my dragon pearls, yin zhen and long jing are here ! ! !
>>7710376
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfire_(drink)
>>7710376
Here what I have tested so far :
>Pu'er and scotch
Truly masterace, both flavour mix perfectly.
>White tea and brandy (apple)
Apple flavour explode in you mouth if you put too much
I might try pu'er bourbon soon.
I want to try something with the Shui Jin Gui oolong I have, someone have an idea?
>>7710376
>What is your opinion on putting alcohol in tea? I've been wanting to try it for a while now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOHw7c2N5LA
Got a few bags of some really smoky lapsang, I fine-ground the little bits left in each after drinking it all, combine it with coarse salt, and use it as a pork rub! Seriously try it!
>>7711053
>>Pu'er and scotch
Interesting, never thought about it, the flavors would work well
>>7710376
Im currently experimenting with brandy because of LOGH. my current findings are that it works best with black / puer tea. I Do about a shot worth of brandy per 500 ml, and oversteep the tea a bit to help the tea taste compete with the liquor.
>>7712247
yeah, id assume you have to brew it strong so it isnt over powered by the alchohol, do you drink it hot or cold?
>>7712439
I let the tea cool off for ~5 minutes
>>7711017
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfire_(drink)
sooo...a hot toddy sans lemon and honey
Sipping on some nice milky oolong from my local tea shop. I'm thinking of switching over from David's Tea to this place, since the quality here seems a bit better. Where do you guys usually order your tea?
>tfw expensive hobby
>>7714872
not that expensive when you consider grams per ml.
>>7701016
Yes but if too strong then use shorter steeps. Best way to drink TGY is with a gaiwan. Short, increasing steep times (10s, 20s, etc). Preserves all the floral flavor without it being overpowering all at once.
>>7714872
The cost is slightly higher than mainly drinking coke in cans (what i did before tea) and you get to have an interesting hobby as well.
>>7710376
It depends on what you're drinking. For example, a home remedy for colds my mother used to tell me about was a hot toddy, which is generally a black tea, some whiskey, and some honey. Knocked you out and helped you sleep, and the honey helped with sore throats.
Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it with white/green teas. The flavor would be too much.
>>7705464
All tea has caffeine natural. I don't know what you're asking for. You either have decaf or herbal.
>>7714872
You would think a non-chain would have better quality, however a small shop couldn't have the faster product turnover or control a company like David's would. A small business wouldn't be able to afford keeping bulk quantities always fresh as much.
That's just my thoughts on it though.
>>7716738
The owner of the small shop I buy from takes a yearly vacation to source tea directly from estates, and get in wrestling matches with Chinese grandmas over the expensive aged shit.
The David's mixes sprinkles and non-dairy creamer into rooibos and calls it "birthday cake"
>>7716738
following this logic walmart would have the best quality items.
>>7710376
Treat alcohol like any other additives (milk, sugar, honey, spices, ..) - probably OK for mediocre black teas, if you want to try something different. Dont try that with anything fancier - sublteties of taste would be lost, otherwise.
>>7717969
After reading other answers, i will probably try scotch&puer combo, it seems intriguing.
Only peasants drink tea with milk and sugar in it.
>>7718927
There's nothing wrong with people doing that as long as they don't claim to like tea.
Same with people who drink tisanes and shitty blends.
>>7716738
>>7716824
Davids tea also sell a blend of banana, dates and almonds and call it "herbal tea". They also sell flavoured matcha.
Looks like a joke company yet they are apparently doing well(?).
A local tea shop can without a doubt sell better stuff.
>>7718927
>Look, other people like things i dont. They're so stupid!
Please, stop being rude.
>>7716738
Smaller of my two favourite suppliers dont always have same items on the stock, but they generaly have better teas. And they dont sell year old teas either (with exception of puer).
Best Japanese green tea?
I've been drinking Yamamoto Yama
>>7718927
>>7719774
>There's nothing wrong with people doing that as long as they don't claim to like tea.
>>7720352
>>Look, other people like things i dont. They're so stupid!
>Please, stop being rude.
Sure other people like other things, but the fact that they like the inferior things is precisely what makes them peasants.
>>7722025
Or, possibly, they have other hobbies.
I dont get this.
Do you feel better person for drinking tea without milk? Do you feel better for mocking them? I dont understand your motivations and your behaviour saddens me.
>>7722110
Not him but,
Do you feel better person for drinking tea without milk?
Yes
Do you feel better for mocking them?
Yes
I was gifted a matcha tea set for Christmas last year and while the set is nice the tea taste horrible.
I've watched a dozen different videos for preparing it and every time I've tried it still comes out too bitter and polluted water green. Is there something I'm doing wrong somehow? Or is the DNA matcha powder just low quality that shouldn't be used for tea?
>>7722489
And how do you make it? One plain tsp for half a deciliter water about 70 degrees shouldn't come out bitter. Also buy a milk frother instead of the whisk.
>>7706258
Can someone answer this?
What's an electric kettle that will last me 2+ years of heavy use without fucking up on me?
>>7723185
Depends on budget/features, general consensus seems to be to not spend too much on one, personally I dropped like 80€ on one of those variable temp ones but I drink a lot of green/white teas so it's useful.
>>7703595 mine is this one, not sure if it is avaliable outside of europe or even in most of europe
>>7721822
This is a bit like saying "Best black tea? I like Lipton".
If you wanna talk types my anonymous internet opinion is that Sencha, Matcha and Gyokuro are all very nice and that Genmaicha is worse than just buying whatever Sencha they made it with (though Genmaicha should be much cheaper).
To be even more obtrusive I will suggest buying your tea from places where they are open with at least which region it is from and maybe what cultivar it is from. Not just some branding.
>>7723185
>What's an electric kettle that will last me 2+ years of heavy use without fucking up on me?
A commercial one that won't cost you under $60.
>>7723767
For me Genmaicha seems very specific. Like drinking it with breakfast or dessert. I personally don't find it good to drink on its own.
>>7722489
dumb you
>>7710376
Cold, overstepped black tea with a splash of vodka has always been a staple of mine, even before watching LOGH
>>7722489
sounds like you just don't like matcha. its a strong taste and not for everyone, even if you like green tea you may find matcha too tannic-tasting. no idea about DNA matcha. DoMatcha is bretty gud
I've been drinking tea for years, but I've never taken a step outside generic green and black tea's.
What kind of vaguely exotic tea would you recommend to a casual tea drinker?
>>7729392
Bruh you're already drinking a plant imported from the arse-ends of Sri Lanka and India, it would literally be more exotic for you to grow a tea tree in your back yard.
>>7729399
Perhaps /exotic/ was the wrong term for me to use.
I'm looking for something else, other than generic & flavoured green and black tea. (That bears some decent taste to it)
>>7729392
what the fuck is generic green tea? black im sure is some shitty Darjeeling.
Anyway, try some tieguanyin
Got some Ti Guan Yin arriving tomorrow or the day after. What is the best way to prepare it? Was thinking water cooled for 2 minutes, then use about 5 grams for a 200ml cup. Should get 5 or 6 good infusions from that right?
I'm a big green tea drinker, but today I went out and got some beautiful Grand Pouchong, and it tastes awesome. Don't understand why I never got into Oolong before.
By the way, my local cafe uses this tea to make a cold brew iced tea, which is awesome as well.
>>7729972
Shitty picture of the iced tea, didn't even need any kind of sweetener
>>7729985
i really never liked ice tea, what is the point?
>>7731642
It is tea that is cold, what point is there to a beverage, you drink it and enjoy it. Also, it's a good way to use leaf that was already steeped, after a session you put the leaf in a glass bottle with water and leave it in the fridge overnight or until you remember it
>>7729985
are those fucking guppies
>>7731990
In my experience I have never tried an oolong that works well cold brewed, they always get an almost fishy taste, but I havent tried that many and alway on that low oxidation spectrum. Puehrs, greens whites work great, never tried black actually.
>>7732074
Thats why Pouchong works, it's somewhere between green and black tea in terms of oxidation
>>7732106
Every single Oolong is somewhere between green and black tea in terms of oxidation.
>>7707855
I plan on ordering this very soon!
>>7699155
Post your tins
>>7732204
Just because I have an exam in a few hours and my procrastination powers know no bounds
>ITT - neckbeards who've convinced themselves there's anything more to tea than putting a PG bag into hot water and leaving it for a few minutes, then adding milk and sugar
>>7732399
>bag
>milk
>sugar
The trifecta of bait.
>>7732399
>2016
>being a pleb
So thinking of buying a small glass teapot (300-350 ml) for the more premium blacks (Darjeeling ,Keemun,Yunnan) already have a 550 ml porcelain for my breakfast teas and a few gaiwans is it worth it?
>>7732484
Go make yet another fast food ranking thread already, pleb.
>>7732484
I find a gaiwan a bit more difficult with boiling water brewing and probably its going to be easier to measure the ratio in a small glass teapot
>>7732488
>animu on a food and cooking board
>>7732505
>4chan
>crying about animus
>>7732476
>I like my 'ea 'ag with a sip of 'ilk and 'gar. I call it, the 'go 'ea.
>>7732738
great, the memes are seeping in, it was a nice month of discussing tea
>>7733014
>it was a nice month of discussing tea
When you start saying things like this you know it's probably time to do everyone around you a favor and KYS.
>>7733014
I am drinking pic related right now.
>>7729972
7 mins, 2.5 gr per 200?
Puckering up just thinking about it.
>>7733050
>green ceylon
how does it taste?
>>7734777
>Fucking vegetal
>smooth
>a little sweet
About to drink Himalayan wine, it's awesome.
---> https://www.teabox.com/himalayan-wine-summer-darjeeling-black-tea
