tea

First for ripe puerh

How long until the puerh lesbians move on to the next hip tea? I'm so fucking tired of puerh.

>>21089728
land of the setting sun

Is matcha a meme maintained by culture or is drinking a powdered leaf in its entirety actually an enhanced experience from just soaking it.

>>21089929
i don't read into memes, so no placebo, and matcha gives me a tea high unlike any other. absolutely no adverse effects, feels very good, lasts hours, no crash. although to be fair i think i'm caffeine sensitive so factor that in. good green tea comes somewhat close for me though. personally, black tea leaves me feeling awful.
my personal experience of course, we're all different

>>21089738
>Go to brew gunpowder tea
>Leave the box a foot from the open flame gas stove I’m heating the kettle on
>Apartment explodes
Wtf bros is this some CCP psyop shit??

>>21089738
I still think the TEA emblem on Temple of Heaven would make a cool shirt.

>>21089929
1. Fully ground up tea steeps faster and more thoroughly than loose leaf, that goes for CTC as well as matcha but matcha is made from the good stuff. Matcha is even more because you consume a lot of the powdered leaf.
2. Matcha is shade grown so it has extra caffeine and theanine. So even if you had "loose leaf matcha" (called tencha) it would be a hell of a tea.

>>21089728
>red sun in the sky edition
Thread theme? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23oZbJNSd0s

The "imperial grade" silver needles of jinggu from ys get bitter kind of quick

>>21090368
How'd you brew 'em? Not denying it, that happens with some white teas.

>>21089745
>waaah other people enjoy some thing therefore I'm no longer special snowflake
grow up

>>21090542
??? where are you getting that from in his post

>>21089745
im glad weve memed people hard enough into believing theyre a real thing

My phone's translation of my Teahome order email receipt, lmao
Google translate says
>Your order has been processed.
I don't know who to trust, I'm excited to try them out though.

>>21090408
4g/100ml 190f 30/60/90
I probably need to dial that back and see if they can go to maybe, four or five steeps without the cups being too delicate

It was only good for one soak in a thermos too. Too hot for too long maybe

>>21089929
have you ever had matcha? obviously it's different, it's thick and foamy. kind of like comparing pour over coffee to espresso
is it worth the prices? I don't know, I mostly just stick with sencha because it's so much cheaper

>>21090601
I'm curious about that shan lin xi. will probably get it if I order from them again (which is likely)
what are those last two?

>>21090774
Ancient flavor roasted oolong- if I read the description properly it's jinxuan that's been more heavily roasted than is typical of modern jinxuan which sounded pretty interesting to me
And Weng Zang Flavor Old Tea 35 years
Pretty cheap for an oolong with quite a bit of age on it, we'll see how good it is.

>>21090841
the roasted alishan jin xuan I got is pretty nice. the legend of tung ting is even better for my taste though and slightly cheaper
the aged oolongs sound interesting for sure

looking to get some japanese tea, any recs? dunno which website to use, but I have a couple picked out on yunomi life

man, I'm really enjoying this 15$ white tea cake from KTM
honestly not any worse than the boutique whites I've been having recently, but several times cheaper

>>21091171
I've used O-cha.com and been pretty happy with it.
the Chiran and Sae Midori sencha were my favorites

Got some bits from awazon. Anything anyone wants to hear about?
I decided to try one of their slightly less cheap raws, that's the 2010 nahan cake. I checked the archive and it's only gone up $5 in 15 years so it might be pretty good value if it isn't terrible

>>21091215
>Got some bits from awazon.
Lucky mf. My order got refunded after customs ceased the package. Awazon woun't reship :(
>Anything anyone wants to hear about?
Yes, the moonlight white and anything else that is good value

>>21091223
Why would they cease it?

>>21091223
That sucks anon. I'll sip in your honour

>>21091215
Expound on the lct please. I had a few hundred grams of that in my cart last week.

>>21089728
is it worth it to buy high quality expensive matcha if im only making sugary milk drinks with it?

>>21091285
no. that's exactly what culinary grade matcha is for.

>>21091171
Yame Gyokuro Imperial is really good.

>>21091215
>Anything anyone wants to hear about?
all of it, ideally. not many reviews of Awazon stuff floating around

>>21091173
That's what I like to hear. I need to buy another tong.
>>21091215
Nice! I want to hear about everything too. I want to pick up a bunch of Awazon for the long haul.

My new tea should be coming in a day or two from now

>>21091465
what did you get?

>>21091484
2 kilos from yunnan sourcing

>>21091223
2020 Yunnan Old Tree Tea Moonlight White Cake
I ended up setting up a comparison with the KTM one anon mentioned.
The KTM one is smooth with good texture, and it has an interesting cooked apricot/marmalade aspect. For its cost it's quite unique really.
Comparatively, the awazon one is very generic white tea. It has a nice floral aroma. There's less sweetness (which is a minus for me), but more mouthfeel. You can bring out a pleasant bit of bitter and astringency, that improves the aftertaste. It's nice enough tea but there's nothing that stands out to me.
If you don't care about these things and just want a big stash of drinkable white tea for the cheapest price, get the awazon one. It's pretty remarkable you could get a year's supply of the stuff for $30. Otherwise I'd get the ktm one, which is only 4.5c/gram. Or ideally both, it's nice to have some variety.

>>21091493
so the KTM one wins out a bit in your book? aside from being more expensive, but still really cheap all things considered?
do you also have that random """Jingmai""" white tea cake from fullchea some anons liked?

Why are people saying awazon?
>>21091171
hibiki-an.com and denstea.com are two other good places to look.
>>21091223
That's why I always buy from within the country if at all possible.

>>21091514
It wins out a bit for its uniqueness, and I think the extra sweetness. Though I'd be a bit sad if I didn't have the generic stuff on hand.
>random """Jingmai""" white tea cake from fullchea
It might've been me blabbering about that. It's a closer comparison to the awazon one. It's a really tough call between them, awazon is brighter, """jingmai""" has a more cooked aspect a bit like the KTM. It is more floral, I think I'd have to give it to fullchea. The awazon one gets astringent more easily so it's possibly not as suitable for just throwing into a pot, which is what I like to do

>>21091545
>Why are people saying awazon?
It's the name of a cheap online pu-erh store with magazines in Kunming. Not sure if it's actually supposed to be a knock-off of Amazon's name or just a coincidence.
http://www.pu-erhtea.com/TeaType.aspx?typeID=1

My gf got me a teacup made in occupied Japan for Christmas. Should I be worried about lead paint or am I safe?

>>21091573
I'd mostly worry if it's decorated on the inside. You can always get a lead testing kit.

>>21091564
none of the images load, is this where you buy cheap teas from?

What sort of tea would you recommend to someone who's drunk Twinings and Lipton all his life? I thought I'd get myself some nicer tea for 2025 but I legit have no idea what's good tea and what isn't.

>>21091612
the site is kind of janky, but the images work fine for me. I ordered from them once, no complaints. I buy more from KingTeaMall though because they have a much larger selection

>>21091641
What do you like in a tea?
>Twinings and Lipton
I'm assuming black tea? Do you wanna try black but better? Or something else? How much you wanna spend?

>>21091655
>'m assuming black tea? Do you wanna try black but better?
Yes, but I'm open to green teas as well.
>How much you wanna spend?
Up to $50.

>>21091641
if you want to see what's out there in terms of premium tea, you could get a tea sample kit, like this one:
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/first-steps-tea-sampler?_pos=1&_sid=596a44dea&_ss=r

>>21091661
In that case you can't be spending on shipping.
Get this black tea
https://dragonteahouse.biz/premium-classical-58-dianhong-dian-hong-yunnan-black-tea-golden-needle-180g/
I've had a lot of black teas and this one is up there in the budget category. And since DTH has free shipping, there is no reason to not get it.
>but I'm open to green teas as well
There is so much more than just black/green. I'm biased since I don't really enjoy green teas but I don't think green teas are beginner friendly.
I think nice green oolong is much better choice. Something like green tie guan yin but I'm not sure if DTH has something nice within budget.
Maybe something like this(didn't have this one)
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2018-premium-china-tie-guan-yin-tea-organic-anxi-tieguanyin-chinese-oolong-tea-125g
Fullchea also low shipping so should be still worth.
Maybe some other anon knows of good budget oolong.
What ever you do, don't go with YS(fuck them) or KTM since you will spend like $30 on shipping alone.

>>21091564
>or just a coincidence
Pretty sure they predate Amazon. For a while I thought it was a cheeky way to refer to taobao.

>>21091226
Tea imports are Germanys public enemy #1

Farmerleaf added several new ripe cakes and a -15% sale.

>>21091661
get this, its what i drink when im in the mood for afternoon tea
https://www.amazon.com/Alwazah-Tea-Swan-Brand-400g/dp/B07FYVQ461
you might be able to find it at your local middle eastern or asian market for cheaper than amazon, thats what i did

>>21091661
>but I'm open to green teas as well
You're actually open to oolong, all the noobs love oolong

First time making tea from leaves here.
It's a Ito en bag from Japan, green tea, the package says to put a teaspoon of leaves (2g) in 100 ml of water at 95°C and steep for 20 seconds then filter and pour.
I did it but waited a full minute instead, I boiled the water in pic related and filtered through the metal mesh (small particles passed through as expected), but the tea tasted like hot water and was a very very pale green.

Tell me how to unfuck my cup of tea before I toss these leaves in the trash and go back to cheap kukicha sachets, thanks.

>>21091916
Forgot the picture

>>21091916
>95°C
That's way too fucking hot, and 2g isn't very much leaf.

Try 3-4g per 100ml at 70-80c for 60-90 seconds on the first steep. The second steep can usually be very short. Further steeps just depend on the tea.

>>21091956
>first steep , second steep

Sorry, I'm handicapped, what does that mean?

>>21091968
put the same leaves in water again

>>21091970
I see, but why do I need to do that? If I want to make a second cup?

>>21091976
Yes, but also the flavor and aroma changes.
The first steep is weak, it's for the leaves to hydrate and open up.
Then, the second time you put water, a stronger flavor and aroma comes out.

>>21091984
Ok anon, thank you, so I guess that I should use half the water for the 1st steep and half for the 2nd.
This sound the same as making filter coffee with my hario switch desu.

>>21091661
Vahdam has two black tea samplers that are a pretty good buy, just make sure you don't get one with too much flavored tea, you want to sample the different types of pure tea.

>>21091916
>package says to put a teaspoon of leaves (2g) in 100 ml of water at 95°C and steep for 20 seconds then filter and pou
Try 70-80C with 4g leaf. I do like 1.5 minute for first infusion, less for second one. Assuming this is sencha

>>21091991
You can do more steeps, depends on the tea and how much you're using. For jap greens I usually get 3 or 4 steeps, but I use more leaf and colder water.

>>21092025
>>21092032
It's a blend, pic related.

I will try doing like you suggest then, I'll pour the steeped tea back in the milk jug with the leaves for a second steep and see how it changes. Thanks.

>>21089728
canned children

>>21092025
NTA, but It's kind of weird a lot of guides seem to rec that 2g/100ml figure, including some vendors and the guide in the OP. Ito en bags are 2g each too. I've never found that to be strong enough for sencha but I guess it just depends on the tea and the water.

>>21092064
>I will try doing like you suggest then, I'll pour the steeped tea back in the milk jug with the leaves for a second steep and see how it changes. Thanks.
Jesus anon, no.
80-85C water, and 4g of leaves.
Pour 100ml into the teapot or whatever with the leaves. Don't touch it for 20 seconds.
Pour it through the strainer, discard that water.
Put the leaves back in the pot, refill with fresh, hot water of the same temp, add 5-10 seconds to the original 20.
Drink that.
Repeat until the flavor is gone.

>>21091493
the KTM one is sweet and fruity for sure

>>21092190
>discard that water
You don't need to rinse sencha.

Its true, the cheap kimikura sencha on amazon isn’t very good. Drinkable, but i prefer even costco ito en bags. Probably ok for iced tea.

Not worth prime shipping/10. Don’t do it. I think it would be fine if it were fresher and never in an amazon warehouse.

>grandpa style assam
>forget to drink it
>it went bitter
>>21092770
I've had good Amazon sencha. If it's vacuum packed it shouldn't matter.

>>21092770
>costco ito en bags
I was going to try some of those but it isn't even a great price for the amount you get.

>>21092798
Strain out the leaves and add milk. Wa la.

>>21092242
I mean, it's not gonna taste of much.

>>21092190
this sounds more like gongfu brewing than for sencha, do you really get decent results with it? i drank all of the sencha i had so i cant test that out but for sencha i usually do 2.5g/100ml, 1st brew 1 min, 2nd brew 30s, 3rd brew 1.5min

>>21089929
I think you either like matcha or you don't. Personally I do not care for hot matcha but I enjoy it iced or in dessert-drinks like frappes. I don't like Starbucks but every year without fail someone gets me a gift card and their matcha drinks are one of the only things I will tolerate.

>>21091799
first time I see FL offer a vague blend btw

>>21092960
If your first steep of any jap green doesn't taste of much then something is wrong

>>21093297
It's a ripe that is supposed to taste like wooden house.
It doesn't matter what mulch he put in the pile, carpet lickers won't notice.

>>21093297
>>21093352
youre right--i wont. and thats exactly how it should be. this is right up my alley, give me the strongest most "aggressive" ripe possible.

2020 WuDi Zhengyan Wuyi Hongcha. So, a roasted Wuyi red tea. First mug is fragrant like a spiced apple. Lots of spice drawer flavors that build and linger over a very subtle malt. Like Constant Comment, only $1.10 a gram and just tea. Very light liquor for a dark roast and a citrus peel note like a mandarin or a tangelo. Clean, mineral, low astringency.

It's somewhere in oolong/yancha territory, but different. It has the fragrance and complexity but a red tea body. Worth the price, easily, but not my thing and you can get 80% of the flavor from a good red tea for 15 cents a gram. I like it, it would do well as western high tea and pair well with shortbread. I think gongfu would get a little more out of it, but wouldn't make a drastic difference and may yield something too strong. I could see that slight coriander and bergamot note getting heavy.

>>21093654
I'm thoroughly priced out but that sounds very tasty

Does anyone else just not use timing for reddit brewing aka gong fu?

I just look at the color of the water and I havent noticed any difference in flavor progression. If anything it's better.

>>21093977
I just pour it when it feels right. Occasionally if I'm unsure I count my breaths.

>>21093977
i like using a timer because it lets me completely zone out without having to worry about the tea getting too bitter

>>21093977
I just go by feel. Become one with the leaves and the water anon
>>21093991
If you want to zone out do grandpa style. Gongfu is an exercise in mindfulnesd

>>21093654
Constant Comment in teabags isn't much cheaper, 63 cents a gram at MSRP.
Just remember, as much as tea snobs get ripped off, normies get ripped of more.

>>21093719
It would be worth it for a sample, but I couldn't see myself buying it again. I think it would be perfect in the right setting but breakfast caffeine fix in a mug wasn't it. It did make a nice point of reference and I still have 4 more packets of it, so not a waste of twenty bucks. 80¢ a mug still ain't too bad.

>>21093977
Nah just vibes

>>21093977
Using a timer has always seemed at odds with gong fu for me. The fun part to my taste is adjusting the strength as I see fit and brewing by feel.

>>21093977
I used to set a timer, but now I do it by feel
>>21094065
>63 cents a gram
>for teabags
holy, that's horrible. that's more expensive than most cakes on FL

>>21094065
Where are you seeing that price? It's like 10 cents a gram pretty much everywhere. Even the loose pouch directly from their site is around 8.

Never made green tea, don't have a thermometer, but I do have a lot of hot water that is still giving off steam/vapor.
How do I gauge the temperature for it?
It's been about 5~10 minutes since it's been boiled, I can put my hand over it and it doesn't heat my hand terribly but it's still making a visible gas.
Is it cold enough?

>>21094332
It was for a pack of 6 boxes and I read it as for a single box. I am quite retarded.

>>21094469
Yeah, for sure. What I usually do is listen while it's boiling and take it off when it starts bubbling, well before it boils. Waiting for it to boil and cool is a waste of time IMO unless you don't trust the water.

I want to grow plants for tea. So far I'm growing basil, rosemary, and lemon balm. Thinking of adding chamomile. What tea mixes would you make with these?

>>21094469
Ancient Chinese Secret is to estimate by the size of the bubbles while heating it.
https://www.adagio.com/blog/story.html?id=43

Should probably be added to the rentry really.

>>21094483
>implying adding other plants to tea isn't heresy
There aren't really recipes like that, most mixes are the sellers throwing in whatever has the flavor or herbal properties they're looking for.
Never heard of adding basil or rosemary to tea, and mixing chamomile with tea is counterproductive, it's supposed to make you sleepy.

>>21094483
I like to grow mint leaves and just brew them by themselves. Its pretty tasty

My Yunnan sourcing order successfully escaped Los Angeles before the whole city caught fire

When I turn my sink to the hottest setting it steams up the whole kitchen and burns me. Can I makes tea with this?

>>21095145
I'll bet you could brew some greens with that

>>21095145
Maybe, if the temp is set stupidly high and wasting energy. Scalding temperatures are lower than you'd think and brewing temperatures basically start at ones that will instantly fuck you up. Also if it's from a tank it might not taste good.

>>21095145
a friend of mine does have a "boiling point water" setting in his kitchen sing, and he does make tea with it
it's always seemed kind of scary to me though, just a stream of boiling water. what happens if someone selects it on accident and tries to wash his hands?

>>21095364
not to mention it is also probably dirtier, because there is probably another compartment where the water is boiled that can grow more bacteria since its uncleaned for longer. it could just be heated in line with the rest of the water though but that sounds unlikely. this is the same reason you shouldnt use the hot water from your sink to make tea, since the boiler tank is likely dirtier.

>>21095145
Hot sink water is risky because it leeches more from the pipes. Cold sink water, boiled afterwards, is less risky.
>>21095510
The bacteria will be dead as a doornail as soon as it boils, metals are more of a concern.

>>21095775
>leeches more from the pipes
I've only ever heard that it's just hard as fuck because no one actually drains their water heater, so it collects all the calcium and shit.

Also, can someone recommend me a filter pitcher?
>didn't have tea for a while
>went to friend's house
>has pitcher filter thing because he's out in the boonies and the water gets chlorine shocked a lot
>tea tastes amazing
>have same tea 2 weeks later at home
>tastes like ass

>>21094494
>mixing chamomile with tea is counterproductive, it's supposed to make you sleepy
It doesn't really do that, it's just mildly relaxing. I have a premade yerba mate and chamomile mix that I quite enjoy, Colon Completo is the name. Effects are the same as normal mate

>>21095978
I have one of these fat brita things, it's pretty nice. Holds a day or two of water so I'm not filling it up constantly, which annoyed me with the pitcher.

>>21096075
i had one of these, kept it in my fridge and filled it every morning. saw mould/algae growing in the tap, so clean it every time you change the filter, dont be lazy.

>>21095775
Bacteria isn't the problem, it's the toxins they produce. It's why you can't just boil water in a survival situation.

>>21096587
The toxins aren't a problem, it's the metals they metabolise into

bacteria is bad for you retards

>>21096663
fungal spores typed this post

>>21096650
metals aren't the problem, it's what they do to your body

>what if there's a trace amount of bacterial toxins in my kettle?
>meanwhile, how ripe poo-ergh is made:
anyone get sick from the mycotoxins yet?

>>21097147
>anyone get sick from the mycotoxins yet?
ok this is kind of erotic

>>21097147
>>21097290
I read somewhere that Indian oolong was bruised by stepping on it.
Even if I was a footfag, the problem is it's Indian women and there's no guarantee it's women. So I'm never buying Indian oolong.

>>21097344
im gay and i wouldnt even buy it because indians arent human. if it were chinks however

was puerh popular before covid? i never followed asian tea until i finally got sick of earl grey and irish breakfast

>>21097467
yeah puer has been popular for a couple hundred years desu

>>21097516
I mean with americans, sheldon

>>21097517
There's been a community of puerhbians for years, dog

oolong recs? i prefer the less floral more savory(?) ones. love jin xuan and creamier ones too

>>21097344
There's always that one chinese big titty tea. You know the one.

>>21097530
Teahome Legend of Tung Ting. It does have some of the herbal savoury notes and also a lot of nice roasted pastry scents

It’s me again >>21092064

I tried your suggestions and got pic related: clear water with small residues through the filter mesh that tastes at best like algae and at worst of absolutely nothing.

I am at a loss here

>>21097741
So it tastes like Japanese green tea? It's supposed to taste like algae. Definitely not for everyone, many people hate it. Could be this one is just extra bland or stale too.

>>21097768
I really like kukicha which it reminds me of vanilla though.
Well, I guess I’ll try experimenting some more, but I don’t get why if I use sachets of 1.5 grams from the supermarket I get a way more intense flavour than steeping 4 grams of leaves as I did.

>>21097775
>>21097741
Try to brew it hard enough to get a bitterness and tartness out of it. That way you can be sure you're not just underbrewing it. Second brew is stronger than first with sencha too.

>>21089728
Are there any good stores that are not in the op?

>>21091726
Why is YS bad? I've only been doing tea stuff for a few months now and have pretty much only done YS. I like the jin jun mei.

>>21097796
Both their tea and shipping is expensive.
No reason to pay $40 for shipping when you are already paying extra.

>>21097796
NTA and I don't have experience with YS, but the common complaints are:
>high yearly price increases on pu-erh making some of their pu-erh overpriced
>no free shipping
>weirdly specific and confusing sales (-15% on everything? fuck that, -15% on sichuan hei cha and if you spend 300$ on it, you get "Mid Cake We Couldn't Sell 2018 (please take it, no space in our werehouse anymore)"
>huge choice of tea means many mediocre teas on offer compared to a more curated store (though fullchea, dragonteahouse and ktm also suffer from this)

>>21097792
if youre asking because youve never bought from any of the sites in the op before but you still want to try tea like this, then no; if youre asking because youve already tried all the links in the op and youre looking for smaller shops, then yeah kind of.

>>21097783
K thx

>>21097792
there are a few decent EU stores missing, like theTea.pl, Moychay, puerh.pl and pu-erh.sk. I know that one german blogger buys a shitton from pu-erh.sk

>last night decide to drink some bangwai small trees from FL that I got as a sample
>usually do 7g in my ~170ml pot, but there's 9g left in the bag
>lol whatever i'll just do 9g then, also used my 100ml gaiwan instead because it's easier to clean
>delicious tea, drink about a liter
>unable to fall asleep until like 5 am
welp, I've never had a tea keep me awake before, but i guess 9g of young sheng around midnight was just a little too ambitious

>>21097741
>>21097768
You can overbrew it to test the leaves but I almost guarantee it's stale, Japanese greens aren't supposed to taste like algae or nothing and be clear, they're usually bright green and have a vivid taste. Anon is full of it or tasted stale tea himself.
Besides it's January.

>>21098068
>I've never had a tea keep me awake before
Tea can fuck you up.
I remember the dong guo sample made me so jittery, when I went for a walk it was like speedwalking in Olympics.

>>21097796
this >>21097805 but.... they are generous with free cake/deals and have loyalty points. not terrible.

>>21090088
agreed,

>>21097796
>>21097804
>>21097805
hmmm YS is kind of hit or miss in my experience. I like them for green teas and some oolongs, thinking of trying some white like a silver needle or something soon too.
>tea and shipping is expensive.
>$40 for shipping
if you're in the US just make sure you're on the US site and you'll be good. iirc it's like $5 for shipping which is reasonable.
I do agree the sales and free cakes are really weird though, you have to spend a lot to get like $20 worth of some random ripe tea. I'd rather they just gave me like a nice teacup or something.

>>21096581
Yeah that's the caveat. I clean it and change the filter monthly and haven't had any problems.

any recs for one of those bottles with a strainer i can take with me and drink grandpa style?

>>21098302
its not true grandpa style unless youre not seperating the leaves at all, nigger.

>>21098395
To clarify i mean I want the leaves to stay in the bottom of the bottle with tea the whole time but a strainer at the top so they don't end up in my teeth when i'm in public

>>21098302
>Navaris Glass Water Bottle 500ml - Double Wall Borosilicate Glass Tea Bottle with Stainless Steel Infuser, Bamboo Lid, Non-Slip Neoprene Sleeve (Grey)
a lot of chink vendors drop off amazon after a month or two only to pop back on under a different name. get one where the metal strainer clips on to the inside of the glass that way you can have just the top clipped in and let the leaves float freely. something like pic

>>21098408
I used to put culinary matcha at the bottom of a water bottle at the beginning of the day, at room temp it would just cold brew. Every time I refilled it I gave it about 15 minutes for the powder to sink, it would last about 3 refills which is all I needed.

>>21097741
>>21098086
>>21097775
It probably is stale. You should try roasting it to breathe some life into it.

>>21098503
got one of these as a christmas gift, haven't used it yet, but I should try it, I need to get back into the habit of bringing tea to work everyday

>>21097741
Lol wut?

Buy a hario kyusu off amazon, like 300ml or less. You can use these for tea in general. They filter well and are piss easy to clean.
Put EIGHT grams of tea in
Pout 175f water vigorously directly on top of the tea. You wanna see some foam.
45s
Pour but stop short of the mucky bit at the end unless you’d like it

>>21099650
8 grams nipponese leaf crumbles / 8oz fluoridated water flavored chlorine
Simple as

Cbd tea is good

>>21099759
Way good

>>21099762
Why are you posting vtubers in the /tea/ thread?

>>21099759
>>21099762
>dude weed lmao
>>21099803
Give him a few more posts, he'll get it eventually.

>>21099811
Cbd isnt psycho active

>>21099811
>Someone mentions cbd tea,a non psycho active non addictive compund
>NPC: HURR DUDE WEED HAHAH
STFU already fag

Someone greenpill me on tea resin

>>21100236
>non psycho active non addictive
Really? Then why are you people here?

>>21100289
It's meh ripe that's been boiled down, there iisn't much to it really
Several people have asked me about it irl lately and i'm not sure why

>>21100459
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG2JF0P4GFA
NON NARCOTIC
NON ADDICTIVE
BRING BACK THE FUCKIN' QUAALUDE

Any idea what this is? I found it in my grandpa's tea cabinet.

>>21100694
That's an old as fuck xiaguan jia ji tuo, from before they used the crane logo on them
Colour me jealous

>>21100664
>Several people have asked me about it irl lately and i'm not sure why
maybe they saw Jesse on their tiktok feed or something

>>21100664
Is it the teabags of puer

>>21100734
I wouldn't go quite that far, but they're nothing special.
What surprises me about them is you can just throw ripe in a flask anyway and it doesn't overbrew, if you care about bits then get one of those flasks with a strainer
Jesse seems to be selling them at an insane markup too

>>21100703
My grandmother claims it was a gift from an old neighbor back in the mid to late 90s. Thanks for the information.

>>21100738
Who is Jesse

>>21100816
He's the tool who scams noobs over at jesse's teahouse

Glum?

>>21100828
>jesse's teahouse
Oh this guy has been popping up in my youtube recs, you already know if its a youtuber its overpriced shit.

>>21100694
>>21100753
>Mid to late 90s Xiaguan
Damn, what a great find. This tea has a good reputation of getting better over a long time, and 90s raw pu-erh is expensive at this point. More so with good storage though, and not "grandpa's closet" (unless grandpa lives somewhere really humid), but still one this old would be pricey.

>>21100881
It's DC area, so it's a swamp and can get humid, but it's certainly not ideal storage conditions.

>>21100890
Only way to find out if it aged well is to crack into it. Or sell unopened I guess, on reddit or something. IDK how much you could get for it, 50$? 100?

>>21100952
>>21100890
This is what a 2001 one with good storage sells for:
https://yeeonteaco.com/products/2001-xiaguan-grade-a-pine-crane-raw-toucha-tea?_pos=1&_sid=8f71f0543&_ss=r

>>21100694
Jealous over here, too.
>>21100703
How did you identify it as a Jia Ji?
>>21100738
Without saying anything about Jesse-- cha gao has a deceptively long production process. It's an expensive thing to make.
>>21100952
>50$? 100?
Yeah somewhere in there.

>>21101004
>>21100703 #
>How did you identify it as a Jia Ji?
NTA, but the green box is reserved for Jia Ji afaik and it's become Xiaguan's most iconic packaging probably. There are identical ones on various stores, from early 2000s or earlier

>>21101030
I thought Xiao Fa boxes were also green, but I see they had yellow patterns in them too. The oldest one I could find was a 2003.

>>21101004
>How did you identify it as a Jia Ji?
Yeah as far as I'm aware they don't use this box style for any other production, if anon opens it and looks at the wrapper it'll probably have 甲级 (jia ji) on there.
There's a chance anon is sitting on something fairly valuable there, if they find the right buyer
https://yunnanteamarket.com/product/1989-xiaguan-jia-ji-tuocha-raw-puer/

>>21101085
Nice. I have no idea how to appraise something like that if you do intend to sell it, but that 1989 one with good storage is going for $5/gram. Probably I'd unironically post it on reddit and see if any xiaguan nerds crawl out the woodwork

>>21101088
>"yun nan xia guan jia ji tuo cha"
That's so cool, anon. 1991 jia ji.
>>21101094
Fuck a dollar. Anon, you should stick around, learn about /tea/, put that tuo in proper storage for a year and let it get juicy for a while, then enjoy something most of us cheapskates wouldn't cough up for.

If you do brew it, for the love of god, post about what it smells like

>>21101122
Plus it has personal significance as it was your grandpa's. If he's still alive see if he wants to drink it if not reflect about him while you drink it. Unless the tea is worth an absurd amount you can't turn down, how many chances are you gonna get to drink a tea with sentimental value like that?

>>21101150
He passed away on the 7th, I was going through his whiskey and tea collection, I'll start going through his tool collection and workshop the next few weeks.

>>21101153
Sorry about your pops anon. Thanks for sharing the tea.

>>21100694
>>21101153
Sips up for pops.

>>21101274
>>21101210
Thanks anons, I had a pour of his Willett earlier and depending what my grandma wants to do with the puerh I may or may not drink some of that in his honor.

>>21101153
A shame that he passed if he had taste like that dating back that far, godspeed

>>21101153
My condolences.
Anything else of note in the tea collection?

this might be heresy for you dorks, but I'd like recommendation for some bulk loose leaf.

I want to transition away from bleached microplastic teabags but I'm not ready to decant multiple steeps of rare himalayan hippy hoppy (though I did spend $60 on a sample pack from whachacha that's kinda interesting)

is there a normal basic bitch black tea I can get a bunch of that isn't crap but won't break the bank?
an ol' reliable that's easy to make and enjoy on the regular.

>>21101759
civilize me anon!

also - I was using this to make Kombucha with once a week. I'd like to upgrade all my processes a wee bit but don't know what puerh means

thank ye kindly!

>>21101586
He had apparently stopped drinking chinese tea in the early 2010s, so there wasn't a ton in the cabinet.
The only thing worth asking about was the one I already posted. Everything else was just generic shit you'd find at the store.

>>21101770
>>21101759
maybe buy loose leaf Earl Grey
it's a taste you know and like, just better.

>>21101787
I wouldn't use a flavored tea for kombucha. Those oils are going to get funky in layers of scoby.

>>21101787
>buy loose leaf Earl Grey
oh. I didnt know it was that easy.
>>21101806
I agree. what's simpler?

>>21101770
>don't know what puerh means
I've never made or tried kombucha but if you're looking to try puer, maybe check out farmer leaf. There's a lot of good affordable cakes on there. An anon posted his beer made with Fa Zhan He a few threads ago, i'm assuming it's a similar kind of thing?
https://www.farmer-leaf.com/products/spring-2024-fa-zhan-he

>>21101881
how do you make tea?

>>21101759
I just ordered some fullchea black tea on Amazon today so I'll report back when I have a chance to try it

>>21089745
I never really liked it honestly.
Some shengs are nice and have a camphor like smell and a bit of a smoke flavor, some shous have a zesty fungus mushroom earthiness, but the quality is way all over the map and I'm not convinced the mycotoxin stuff is worth risking, especially because I don't really think the flavor is there and consistent. I forgot to mention how expensive the stuff I like is as well.

>>21101770
Doesn't matter what you use for kombucha. Blend some cheap ass green and black (red) and you'll have a good kombucha.

>>21101898
Hot water
Leaves

That's it. Check temperature, adjust for taste.
I'd say for basic style, 2g for 100ml is a safe amount for about 5 minutes.

>>21101857
Fannings grade green or black.
Don't use any flavor shit or anything in your kombucha other than water, tea and sugar. You add everything "flavor wise" at bottling, including extra sugar.

Also watch your fucking scoby. If it looks fuzzy or colorful, it's joever. Toss it all out.
Black filaments, fleshy color is fine.

Other notes: if you keep it too warm, it might get cloudy, if you keep it too cold, it will die. I usually buy those planter heater pads and wrap it around and aim for around 25C.
Cloudiness isn't bad, it will just give you a different flavor you may not like.

>>21089929
Alright, as an update I got a kit from Hibiki An and some of their competition grade stuff. At first I didn't quite get it right, but on my third cup I realized just how important the foam was and it really is a nice experience. Expensive, so it wont become my norm or something I can just toss back again and again like how I can make a 24 oz teapot and work on it for a while, but this is nice. I like my teas unsweeted so I dont mind the flavor at all and it's quite smooth and enjoyable to sight and smell and taste.
Consider me sold on the concept. Well done Japan, you kept one of thee few good things going.

>>21102108
Nigga. Just use a milk frother. The bamboo whisk shit is dumb.

>>21101857
I've used puers of varying quality over the years. From 4c/g to $1.60/g. A pound of this just showed up at my door so it may be kombucha fuel for a bit depending on how I like it. They also use the same leaf for some in house earl. Haven't opened the bag but it smells great.
https://www.hugotea.com/collections/black-tea/products/hugo-grey
>>21102108
>>21102159
Nice matcha is great until you realize you're tossing in a few bucks of powder into a blender. The whisk ritual keeps me from pissing through my stash too quickly.

I would like to recreate this soda as a cold brewed, sweetened tea.

I am thinking Jasmine Silver needle for the tea and pouring orange blossom extract water over it, and letting it sit in the fridge overnight.

I have NO idea what i'm doing. Good idea/bad idea?

>>21102071
>>21102239
Is kombucha actually worthwhile? I always thought it was a meme, and I got it from the store and it sucked.
>>21102268
Seems like kind of a waste to flavor silver needle.

>>21102308
Its an acquired taste but yeah I think it ends up being very tasty once you get it dialed in. Lightly effervescent "sweet" tea thats had the sugar fermented out into a nice little acetic acid backing to round everything. Then you can tweak the bubbles and flavor by adding different things to the bottle ferment.
>got it from the store and it sucked
Cheap tea, cheap sugar, and probably not all that probiotic since you can't grow a healthy scoby out of most bottles anymore. Different world when you're using great tea and sugar with a thriving scoby.

>>21102239
>>21102268
I dont want to get a blender out to plug it in. It's easy enough to just soak it before and then dip it in again to rinse it off and then just rinse off the bowl
I'm only feeding one here, so I don't mind taking it slow. And it gives me a moment to think and just zone out

>>21102308
fermented foods are supposed to be great for your gut biome.
sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, or there's a korean one too. most cultures have one (a culture)

storebought is bullshit far as I can tell. it's too sweet and just like a $6 soda. but you need to buy one just to start your own batch which is very easy to make.

it's tea adjacent. fermented tea. idk, i sip some every day semi medicinally. I wouldnt ever buy one except to kickstart it again

>>21102342
>you can't grow a healthy scoby out of most bottles anymore.
why not? what do you mean?
I use a half gallon glass jar. do you mean the bottle in the store?

>>21102720
Back in the day people were getting accidentally shitfaced off GT's kombucha because the bottles were still fermenting in the store. You could easily cultivate your own scoby off those. Then the FDA changed something and the bottles have to be pasteurized or some other process to kill the ferment. I say most bottles because the market has exploded in the past few years so there may be some brands out there that are still able to be used as a mother culture.

>>21102308
>Is kombucha actually worthwhile?
I don't think I've seen a single legitimate study that would prove that it actually does something.
That being said, placebo effect is always something to consider of if people belive it helps them, then good for them.

>>21102753
oooh yeah ok.
well i managed one, but I can totally see how it's quality might be crap. I wouldnt know any better.
that whole 0.00% alc thing was definitely an issue

>>21102767
I assume he was asking about flavor/quality etc. in a tea thread afterall.
though I drink it for the placebo health effect you're right.

>>21101759
this was pretty good
https://dragonteahouse.biz/xiaguan-brand-dian-hong-yunnan-black-tea-300g/

there is something in this CSH Naka brick that reminds me of coffee. a coffee-like bitterness or something. anyone get what I mean? I haven't gotten this from other sheng

Purple leaf tea is always lovely

>>21101759
ignore everyone else, they are reccomending more in depth stuff that you may very well like even if you dont have a palate for it however there are still amazing indian teas like what youre used that will actually make you want to try the fancier stuff in this thread. start with this
> https://www.amazon.com/Alwazah-earl-grey-loose-360-gram/dp/B07XQMYLK5
and then once youre ready you can remove the bergamot flavoring used in earl grey and just drink regular ceylon.
> https://www.amazon.com/Alwazah-Triple-Traders-Loose-Ceylon/dp/B07DZ4M75Z/

also just some other thoughts:
>I want to transition away from bleached microplastic teabags
do not ever drink tea for the "health benefits," because tea is only harmful to you
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Fluoride-HealthProfessional/
tea contains a large amount of fluroide and minerals that build up in your body and have caused death before when drinking in large quantities, and thats not even to mention the caffeine. if you want to be healthy, please drink water, you dont need to "wean" of the coffee, you need to change your lifestyle, go to sleep earlier. tea thats not from india like what we drink in this thread is a bit better since it has lower fluoride content however it really isnt much better. it is a complete myth that tea is good for you so please dont do it for that.

>>21102905
also i didnt include this in my main post because this is mostly borderline schizo to care about but if you know about the effects of pineal gland calcification, higher fluoride content (like those found in tea) have been linked to higher mineral content in the pineal gland
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23334-pineal-gland
but whether or not you should care about this is up to speculation at best or personal opinion if this is already a subject youre familiar with

cha qi decalcifies the pineal gland and opens your third eye, so it cancels out

>>21102924
only if you use a setup like picrel

>>21102935
>anything to not use an electric kettle
this is the most American image I've ever seen

>>21102905
>and have caused death before when drinking in large quantities
Emphasis on the large. Like brewing a pitcher with 150 teabags in it and drinking that every day for decades. It's not going to happen with any normal quantity of tea.

>>21102946
>Like brewing a pitcher with 150 teabags in it and drinking that every day for decades.
yeah we are both refferring to the same thing. i just brought it up to stress that it isnt some healthy god liquid, its just plainly not healthy. drink tea for the taste, not the supposed "health benefits."

>>21102946
>Like brewing a pitcher with 150 teabags in it and drinking that every day for decades
it has to do with shit quality tea too

>>21101759
Get some orange pekoe

>>21101274
kek

>>21101759
vahdam is a good place for Indian teas

>>21102808
>coffee-like bitterness or something. anyone get what I mean?
Nope. Didn't get anything from it that would remind me of coffee.

>>21093231
Hello, it's me again.

Tried all the methods suggested.

I brewed the leaves for 4 minutes in 100 ml water at 80°C and tasted like grass and seaweed, it was disgusting, also bitter.

Second brew the remaining 100 ml again at 80°C but for 3 minutes, it was a bit sweeter but still disgusting.

This tea is beyond salvation, I will toss it in the trash and go back to the kukicha. I'm really disappointed.

>>21103317
that's too bad. was it 2024 harvest?
some people just hate jap green teas, the grassy seaweedy flavor can be odd

>>21103319
I don't know, I tossed the bag in the garbage bin but on the front part it says that it's best to be consumed until may 2025. It has been bought at a Don Quijote in Tokyo a couple months ago.

>>21103326
*august 2025

Don't forget to descale your kettle often!

>>21102905
word. thanks brotha. fantastic.
>>21102919
is there *ANYTHING* that potentially reverses this?

>>21103348
>descale your kettle
Just looked this up, I've been using my kettle almost daily for like 4 months and have never descaled it. Is that too long? it looks clean, I only use filtered water in it.

>>21102961
chocolate has lead and cadmium.
everything good is bad.
I am trying to limit all indulgence. but a little tea and some nibs is preddy gud

>>21103373
it's fine. scale is something you can see and taste. and is a result of "hard water" which a filter limits dramatically.

>>21103376
Feels like you're reading into it too much. All food probably has something in it that's bad if you eat it in huge quantities

>>21103373
you'll know if it's there, it's a white crust. You can get rid of it by boiling the kettle and dumping a few tbsp of citric acid powder into the hot water, letting it sit for a while and washing it out.

>>21103373
>>21103379
>scale is something you can see and taste
You know it's one of those things where it builds up so slowly over a month or two that you really don't notice it. Boiled frogs in that kettle. But when you do give it a vinegar soak or whatever and get all that junk off, that first session is notably better. Makes you slap your forehead and wonder why you didn't do it earlier.

>>21102905
>>21102947
>its just plainly not healthy. drink tea for the taste, not the supposed "health benefits."
In other words,
>Antioxidants and theanine aren't good for you because there's slightly more flouride than tap water
>*sips diet soda*
Also I would tell you to not type like a retard but, well...
Westerners acting like tea drinkers are right on the verge of poisoning themselves with one of the healthiest drinks known to man, while slamming back alcohol and soda, always makes me equal parts amused and angry.
>>21103370
The schizo world has many ways for decalcifying the pineal gland, good luck finding one that works.
>>21103380
The dose is the poison, you can die from drinking too much water.

>>21103398
you don't understand! you HAVE to pay 3x more for the non-flouride toothpaste because... your pineal gland! *bites big mac*

>>21103446
Look, I get it, I use aluminum-free deodorant, I think fluoridating the water supply is dumb, but declaring tea unhealthy is just bonkers.

>>21103348
i've been putting it off too long
>>21103376
just buy a brand with lower levels and it's fine, i usually just get ghiradelli which is supposedly within safe levels

>>21092064
>150g mega bag
>company makes bottled tea
Yeah this looks like low grade industry leftovers, probably not even fresh, does it say what year it is from?

- Get single origin tea or even single cultivar tea from the latest harvest, 6 months from April is guaranteed fresh, some teas stay good for longer. I bought from local tea shops until I found Yunomi which has been very good.
- Use high leaf/water ratio, the leaves might absorb 20-30% of the water volume (teaspoon to 60-80ml or something).
- Use 65-75C water measured with thermometer in cup, or that's how I like to do it because temperature can change 10C+ after pouring depending on the cup, preheating etc. otherwise you will have to guess. Using cooled down boiled water removes dissolved oxygen and gives the tea more crisp flavor and is preferable in my experience, you can always reduce temp and time if needed.
- For optimal first steep: 70 to 120 sec (rarely: 50s or 140s), usually long at low temp or short at high temp, depends on the tea. Second steep 15-25s at lower water amount because the leaves are already wet and won't absorb much anymore. If you prefer to optimize second steep, first steep can be even 30-40s.
- (/tea/ is gonna kill me again) add sugar to taste. My instructions will lead to very concentrated and flavorful (but not overcooked spinachy) brew which sugar balances and enhances nicely.

If green tea is disgusting, it's usually because the tea is bad, or brewed too diluted at too high temp, or is lacking sugar.

>>21103606
>If green tea is disgusting, it's usually because the tea is bad
I disagree, I think japanese greens filter many people. not everyone likes savory, grassy marine-vegetal flavors in their tea
greens in general are not for everyone IMO, though something like a longjing should be more accessible

>>21103386
>it's a white crust.
mines like a yellow resin stuck to the bottom

>>21103331
the spring harvesting season for sencha is only a few months away if you want to try it again but fresh, its nothing like what you have described. the early growing varietals which get sold first like saemidori tends to be very sweet and not seaweedy or vegetal like other varietals can be like yabukita. the first varietals usually start to get sold in the middle of april and then the rest of them a couple of weeks after.

>>21103606
ITO EN makes pretty good teas, at least in terms of readily available products. Obviously it gets destroyed by properly good teas but I tend to pick some up when I can't be bothered to place an order, since my grocery store sells it. All that to say, I don't think his tea should have turned out that poorly, something was definitely amiss. I second your all of brewing parameters, except that my second steep is usually only 5-10 seconds maybe.
About the sugar, if that's what you enjoy then enjoy it. No need to be weary of other's thoughts. At worst it still seems like good advice for those that are new to jap greens. It's definitely an acquired taste, one that I myself once detested
>>21103648
It's been too long bros, I need my shincha

>>21103640
Get some citric acid on that bitch

>>21103317
>tasted like grass and seaweed
Congrats, you brewed sencha

>4 minutes
>bitter
Yes.

>>21103606
I'm not ruling out it being shit tea, but sencha isn't for everybody. Even the cheap stuff generally tastes like green tea because their industry is so mechanized to begin with.

Also sugar is actually a traditional pairing. You're just supposed to eat some sort of sweet separately instead of putting it in the tea.

>>21103719
Japanese add cream to green tea?

>>21103723
They don't. That's why it's a troll image.

Though it's not like you can't find matcha lattes there.

My 2020 w2t waffles tastes like dashi. Fish stock. Should I just through this shit away? Is this what its meant to be?

>>21102919
Pineal glands calcify with age regardless of diet. All adults have calcified pineal glands. Humans no longer need them to regulate sleep/wake cycles.

>>21103740
Oh dear fucking lord it stained my teeth instantly. What the fuck.

>>21103740
>Should I just through this shit away?
Do you enjoy the taste of fish? No? Then don't drink it.
It's that simple.
I can't stand ripe for this reason. My theory is that people drinking this fishy/oily dirt are all smokers with no taste buds left, but whatever, I have my young sheng and I'm happy to ignore the rest.

How do you guys keep your tea warm? I usually make a pot of tea and leave the pot on the counter. My mother leaves her on a plastic thing (the ones for coffee thermos) and her teapot is like pic related, whereas mine is just plain glass.

>>21103810
If my cup of tea goes cold while it's still pretty full I just microwave it.
Otherwise, I do a new pour.

>>21103740
>>21103780
>>21103786
Yeah I've pretty much stopped drinking ripe. Most of the ones I tried were nearly identical, like dirt with a fishy smell. Also I noticed it's the tea that stains my mutton fat porcelain teaware the most, like even if i wash it right after the session, it's stained and I have to use magic eraser.

>I have my young sheng and I'm happy to ignore the rest.
same, young farmer leaf sheng FTW. TFLZ, LME gushu, my beloveds. I also really like white tea, that gets a pass too.

>>21103810
just a tea candle

Fullchea amazon order got here next day

>>21103913
Decent. What's the two on the left?

>>21103740
let it sit for a while, sometimes shipping could stir up fermentation flavors
>>21103786
>>21103841
I don't drink much ripe anymore, but I never thought it was fishy aside from bottom of the barrel stuff. I think some people are just much more prone to tasting the fishiness in ripe
>>21103841
I like young sheng the most too, but ripe serves a nice purpose as a gentle, thick and simple after meal tea for me

>>21103913
I'm guessing the ones on the left are tie guan yin?

>>21103957
>>21103963
Yeah TGY (gold) and roasted (red)

>>21103969
>>21103913
the roasted one sounds cool, not that common to see cheap roasted TGY

>>21103614
I honestly find it hard to believe that people hate sencha. I've had teas that tasted like grass and sencha is the exact opposite, it is vivid yet delicate. It can be almost naturally sweet if you brew it light enough.
It is one of the most temperamental to brew, so I have a much easier time believing it was brewed wrong.
I'm basically a pushy anime fan, but for tea. Yes, there IS an anime you would like that you just haven't found yet, and there IS a way to brew sencha that you would like.

>>21103786
>>21103841
Ditto, it's not worth it.
I have found that aged shou tastes fine (it barely tastes like anything) but at that point why not just drink aged sheng? The ripening process is pointless if you have to age the flavors out anyway.
>>21103780
Shou puerh is the highest in gallic acid.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10341202/
It has at least twice as much as the next highest, Fujian black.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18968631/
Tea chemistry is fascinating and explains a lot.

>>21104183
My (albeit uninformed) understanding is that in east Asia some people enjoy the "mustiness", which was associated with aged sheng of a certain vintage that had all been stored less than than intentionally (i.e. wet) before the tea gained popularity and value and dry aging became a common practice. This is what shu was created to mimic

>>21104169
Have you got a rec for an affordable entry level one by any chance? I've been meaning to try jap greens for ages.
Or should I wait for the new harvest at this point

>>21103740
>Humans no longer
*dream

and I mean that in the most mystical divine metaphysical awe/wonder sense, though their actual dreams are probably shittier too.

anyway, I want it back damnit

>>21104169
>and there IS a way to brew sencha that you would like.
Yeah, let it be known that senchas take time to learn how to brew well, and continues for each new tea
>>21104219
If you have the patience then just wait yeah, ask again around February or March when preorders start popping up

>>21104219
I'm >>21091545 so those are my recommendations for the realest deal.
Waiting for next harvest is a good idea. I still have sencha that is "good enough" but having your first try be super fresh would be great.

>>21104225
We are still around.
It may be a cold winter
But there's always spring.

silver needle recs bros? I haven't tried any before and they look so pretty. Also white peony recs? I need more white teas in general... The only one I have is the FL jingmai moonlight cake. It's great and I want to try other kinds of whites.

>>21104263
>>21104272
I'll have some patience then, cheers.

>>21104169
>I honestly find it hard to believe that people hate sencha.
I don't. Some people just get filtered by it. Even though the good ones have a lot going on, I've seen people unable to get past the vegetal aspects.

In a way I'm glad that it's not a meme like matcha.

>>21103379
>"hard water" which a filter limits dramatically
Filtering water doesn't remove significant amounts of hardness, you need a water softening system for that.

>>21103913
>TGY
Pretty bland, lacks the sweet and floral depth and huigan of the good TGYs i've had. still pretty drinkable, and don't feel bad about wasting it if i just want a quick grandpa style mug
>Roasted
Roast flavor is really the only thing that comes through, no real depth, reminds me of peanut shells in aroma and flavor. perfectly drinkable if you're into that but definitely not some diamond in the rough

Overall about what you'd expect from $14/250kg tea from amazon

>>21104601
250g i mean lol

>>21104601
Yeah sounds about right for fullchea
Not a bad buy for fast delivery filler tea

>>21104601
That's too bad, huigan is my favorite part about TGY.
I guess it was too good to be true.
It looks vacuum sealed, was it sealed well?

>>21104650
yeah sealed very well, the payload was like a brick and i could hear the air entering it when i opened the package

>>21104644
yeah pretty much my thought as well

>>21100696
>1991
Would love to try it

>>21104208
>had all been stored less than than intentionally (i.e. wet)
traditional hong-kong style wet aging is extremely intentional. so much so that it's done in phases where the switch the tea between more humid and drier conditions at some point

>>21104307
I got the 2016 Lao Bai Cha from KingTeaMall and a 2024 Moon waffles from white2tea recently
both quite nice and the KTM one is really cheap too. has a sweet fruity aged flavor to it, quite different from the fresher FL cake

I've never had a good silver needle desu, I feel like there are too many bland ones on the market that are made more for the looks than the flavor. I hear there are good ones too, but probably expensive

>>21104601
Update - had some of the TGY grandpa style and it was significantly better than my gongfu session last night. Still not amazing mind, but I got a lot more of the sweet notes this way. At least I've got plenty to experiment with

>>21105675
>>21104601
>>21103913
sounds like the TGYs would get kind of mogged by the teahome oolongs at this pricepoint. though I guess 250 for 14$ is even cheaper than most teahome prices

how autistic is this general
I'm branching out from coffee and need to know if I can ask shitty newb questions here

>>21106592
You should read the rentry first, but anons here are pretty chill and willing to answer questions.

>>21106592
Too much green tea to be upset.
A guy who boiled tea by microwaving a Gatorade bottle still got a decent reception.

How do you properly add things to your tea? Like, milk. Or lemon
Do you pour over it? Do you try to steep the leaves with the milk added? I got some chai and I enjoy it, but the spices feel like it's not quite right for just water.

>>21106592
They were very friendly and accomadating when I was new, it still very much so seems that way and I try my best to contribute towards it
>>21106704
If you're resteeping then I'd say only after, otherwise do whatever. Either way the world is your oyster. Try stuff and if it werks for you then it werks for you

>>21106704
For milk or honey i would add it after, but also you can feel free to experiment, thats one of the fun parts of tea. You can squeeze some lemon juice into the soup after you brew or you can try adding some lemon zest or lemon balm to your leaves and brew it all together

>>21106592
this general is chill with newbies

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>>21107033
>>21107033
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