Who likes tea? I like tea.

[daojones]

I just picked up a huge bag of kukicha (roasted twig tea) and I'm feeling very wealthy as a result. Tea rich. Tea chamilionaire. Tea bajillion-heir.

This stuff is soooo strong and roasty! It's amazing. It gets stuck in my tea sieve due to its low quality construction of metal. I'd like to buy some nicer tea accoutrements. Maybe somebody can share some tea stuff they like.

I also really like jasmine tea, but I have a really hard time brewing it consistently well. Very finicky tea. Its floral and feminine, and I like to drink it after a heavy meal or if I eat anything strong tasting to balance me out.

The first problem I solved in dealing with jasmine was the water. I had always been a fan of my tap water, but I noticed in the last couple of years something just wasn't the same. This bad taste really was amplified when drinking jasmine tea. It was like drinking a cup of chlorinated water. Really nasty. So I switched to spring water. All of my tea tastes so much better with spring water. Its amazing stuff. Price per cup increased a lot too, but I highly value health, tasty water, and tasty tea so its worth it for me. If I had to use it for a whole family...that would get expensive really fast, but even then the health benefits may be higher than the health bills long term from doing this.

I think the next issue with Jasmine tea is the water temp. I know theres an ideal temp and I don't have a thermometer for my kettle. Which is probably the 3rd issue. I think boiling water in a pot is really the best, and then having it boiled on gas or fire even better. I've also tried different cup materials and that has affected the taste as well. Still unsure what the best cup material is.

[Mithras]

I've never actually gotten into tea, though I've tried before because it looks sagey and stuff haha + health benefits. Still never really got into it though, but I'm welcome to try again. So, what would you reccomend for 'le beginner'?
 

Also is tea for everyone? I'm not a big fan of coffee or other fancy beverages, water is a pretty solid choice for me.

Edited June 1, 2020 by Mithras

[daojones]

@Mithras Theres a lot of different types of tea. I just drink it because it makes me feel good and I like it. I was fortunate to be exposed to people who have good tea taste and I learned some stuff from them.

Matcha is pretty popular, but its also really expensive and I don't really like it. So just because something is popular doesn't mean you have to like it (or that it's good).

I don't like the big tea chains like David's because all their tea has this yoga chick pot pouri taste. Its kinda like pop culture, mostly the same thing with barely differentiable characteristics. That being said, if you can find a tea place with a bunch of different teas to try thats a good place to start so you dont have to spend a lot right off the bat. Its good to know what kind of taste adventure you enjoy, so setting that direction first is helpful. I'm not a fan of pu'er tea, which is very popular in high end tea drinkers. I like japanese teas a lot, and very very rarely a black tea. The black tea must be exceptional for me to really like it. I also think to really know that you like something you'll need to drink it a bunch of times. Hard to figure it out right away, but definitely you'll be able to say I really like this vs I dont like this at the first cup. Sometimes a brew may not be right so it can skew the process, so try to figure out a general type of tea you like and go from there.

Roasted barley is also really nice and warming, although its not a 'fine' tea. I still like it a lot!

[SirPalomides]

I don't know where you live but you can order tea online from a bunch of places. I've usually been getting my tea from adagio.com. Their jade oolong and jasmine yin hao are probably good beginner teas, very approachable IMO.

 

Last month for the first time I ordered from Teasenz.com which ships directly from China, their package will be arriving any day now. I ordered their da hong pao oolong and a pu erh cake (I forgot which one).

[Mithras]

Thanks for the guides and source to get tea from. Definitely will check out adagio.com and start experimenting

 

Though, on a side note, for people who aren't big fans of caffeine; should we be messing with this stuff?

Edit: I suppose so. didn't know there were non caffeinated teas, I'll try them out.

Edited June 1, 2020 by Mithras

[SirPalomides]

I get unpleasantly jittery when I drink one cup of coffee but I have to chug a lot of tea to get the same effect.

[daojones]

@SirPalomidesThai ice tea...that stuff slays me. I even have it made without the sugary ingredients and I still feel unwell after!

[SirPalomides]

That stuff is made with super concentrated black tea I believe

 

[Nungali]

I like it .  Aussies are a bit of a nation of tea drinkers .   Last night I noticed I am nearly out .

 

Oh dear ! Now i have to ride my motorcycle to town today and get some   

 

( every 2nd  or 3rd day I  need to do that for something  ..... unless its raining    )

 

 

 

Wheeeeee 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Nungali

[silent thunder]

The right conversation over a cup of well tended tea can be worth 10 years of therapy.

 

Or even no conversation at all... the smells.  the process.  such simple bliss!

 

 

However, in the presence of a truly well crafted coffee... it becomes a lovely catch 22.  Joyful either way.

[senseless virtue]

4 hours ago, Nungali said:

Aussies are a bit of a nation of tea drinkers .

 

This is one of the main symptoms of the British disease.

 

Unfortunately, there is no known cure. The only available treatment is to keep drinking your tea black and strong while listening to the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 and resting your adoring eyes on the framed picture of Her Majesty.

Edited June 2, 2020 by virtue

[C T]

 

 

Edited June 2, 2020 by C T

[SirPalomides]

I might have posted this in another tea thread but it's pretty neat

 

[C T]

https://www.chinaeducationaltours.com/guide/culture-chinese-tea-types.htm

 

 

[anshino23]

A great Wuyi rock oolong (大紅袍 - Big Red Robe) is next level. My dad managed to get some for me from one of his PhD students who has a father who is connected in the high echelons in Chinese government. That's the only way you can access that type of tea. Apparently they have guards in front of their tea plantations protecting it 24/7. And wow does it pack a punch of Cha Qi. It's pretty incredible. Some amazing pu erhs too. But for special ocassions only. 

Edited June 2, 2020 by anshino23

[C T]

34 minutes ago, anshino23 said:

A great Wuyi rock oolong (大紅袍 - Big Red Robe) is next level. My dad managed to get some for me from one of his PhD students who has a father who is connected in the high echelons in Chinese government. That's the only way you can access that type of tea. And wow does it pack a punch of Cha Qi. It's pretty incredible. Some amazing pu erhs too. But for special ocassions only. 

 

In this part of the world, people are willing to pay anything from $5k USD to $50k USD for a brick (about 1kg) of rare Chinese tea. Big Red Robe is available on amazon for about $60 per kilo. 

 

Quote

 

1Kg Premium 'Da Hong Pao' Big Red Robe Red Oolong Tea

Price:

$58.86

 

 

 

random snip from a local paper: 

Quote

Antique and rare teas, which cost anywhere from RM2,000 to RM20,000 in 2004, have seen more than a tenfold investment gain over the past decade. 

(RM is Malaysian dollars) 

 

The super rich tea connoisseurs are in a different league altogether

http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/rare-oolong-may-fetch-hk1m-at-hong-kongs-first-tea-auction/

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-wine/article/1668217/chinas-premium-tea-prices-have-cooled-its-still-boom-time-some

 

I paid $15k before for 3kg of a rare-ish Pu'er many years ago. Its value have gone up a bit since.  

Gets a bit ridiculous after a while, but enthusiasts and collectors here call it 'investment'. 

Edited June 2, 2020 by C T

[SirPalomides]

Yeah, it is possible to get Wuyi tea without any connections, and not even at exorbitant prices, even though it might not be the highest, most coveted grade. Same with Pu erh- lots of good, affordable cakes out there, and, with my underdeveloped palate, I probably couldn't tell the difference.

[C T]

14 minutes ago, SirPalomides said:

Yeah, it is possible to get Wuyi tea without any connections, and not even at exorbitant prices, even though it might not be the highest, most coveted grade. Same with Pu erh- lots of good, affordable cakes out there, and, with my underdeveloped palate, I probably couldn't tell the difference.

 

My go-to is whole leaf green tea. Paid RM$46 for 470g last November. Still have about 200g left.  

A friend of mine who's in the business of tea investment invites me over once in a while to savour her prized collection, but I still prefer my green tea. Habit, I guess. 

[anshino23]

17 minutes ago, C T said:

In this part of the world, people are willing to pay anything from $5k USD to $50k USD for a brick (about 1kg) of rare Chinese tea. Big Red Robe is available on amazon for about $60 per kilo. 

 

Yes. There's lots of cheap and mid-priced puerh and oolongs that taste great! But they're not the same as the high priced and special teas you can get with special connections... It is the same with herbs. There are masters and lineages that access specific herbs that are treated and cared for in a very special way and are used medicinally and are increibdly expensive and unable to be found unless you have the direct or right connections.

 

Unfortunately just the way it is. 

 

Quote

I paid $15k before for 3kg of a rare-ish Pu'er many years ago. Its value have gone up a bit since.  

 

I hope you enjoyed it  

[silent thunder]

Gynostemma is one of my all time favorites.

Body and Awareness both respond so beautifully to it.

Cascade effect of lovely awesomeness.

 

My local source for it died a premature death two years ago and I'm still mourning it. 

It was a local Tea shop run by an actual Herbalist.  She was knowledgeable, adroit, caring and thinking of the scent and flavor of her personal Monk's Blend still causes me to whine that she's no longer in business.  In my afternoons sitting there, I witnessed several women come in and praise her for her help in balancing issues they had, through herbs and teas.

 

It was in a neighboring area and out of my usual loop and I discovered it only a couple months before it went under.

I guess folks here just didn't realize the potency of such a place.  She would host weekly meditations after closing.

 

I've got one other option in Old Town, but they're down due to the virus.

 

This has me deciding it's time to try an online source for Gynostemma though. 

I hear the call now distinctly.

[Nungali]

18 hours ago, virtue said:

 

This is one of the main symptoms of the British disease.

 

Unfortunately, there is no known cure. The only available treatment is to keep drinking your tea black and strong while listening to the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 and resting your adoring eyes on the framed picture of Her Majesty.

 

Ha .

 

My mother pretended we where English .    " All our ancestors where English ! "

 

Me;  " Really ?   Both your parents where Irish . "

 

 < Harumph ! >  " They lived in England before they came here, so they where English ! " 

 

" Dad is a bit dark for an Englishman ."

 

"  The Welsh can be dark ."

 

" But Welsh are not English "

 

" I am not having this conversation with you  any more, you always twist things ."

 

- at Junior  (Catholic ) school   ( note , not  C of E    )  each classroom had a big  framed  picture  of Queenie , one of the Pope and ... wait for it  .....

 

one of    Chiang kai shek

 

[Nungali]

My tea hate ;

 

One of the things I enjoy  with 'eastern style ' tea , is the tea service , especially Japanese style .

 

In the local city there is a rather good Japanese food place in the centre of the mall. I often eat there and have genmaicha . They serve it with a variety of cups and pots , traditional. Each time its a different one , I like that and the small serve cup .

 

Last week I went there  and  ..... coronavirus take away only ....  ???  it was always 'take away' you ate it at the seats in the mall .  And I get a near half  litre of it  in a huge cardboard cup with a plastic lid      .

[SirPalomides]

18 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

Ha .

 

My mother pretended we where English .    " All our ancestors where English ! "

 

Me;  " Really ?   Both your parents where Irish . "

 

 < Harumph ! >  " They lived in England before they came here, so they where English ! " 

 

" Dad is a bit dark for an Englishman ."

 

"  The Welsh can be dark ."

 

" But Welsh are not English "

 

" I am not having this conversation with you  any more, you always twist things ."

 

- at Junior  (Catholic ) school   ( note , not  C of E    )  each classroom had a big  framed  picture  of Queenie , one of the Pope and ... wait for it  .....

 

one of    Chiang kai shek

 

alright I’m confused... why is there a portrait of a Chinese Methodist in a Catholic school in Australia?

[kevin_wallbridge]

On 6/1/2020 at 10:08 AM, daojones said:

I think the next issue with Jasmine tea is the water temp. I know theres an ideal temp and I don't have a thermometer for my kettle. Which is probably the 3rd issue. I think boiling water in a pot is really the best, and then having it boiled on gas or fire even better. I've also tried different cup materials and that has affected the taste as well. Still unsure what the best cup material is.

 

There is a trick from Chinese Gongfu Cha. When the bubbles are as big as crab eyes the water is 70 degrees (good for lighter teas: green, white, fragrant wulongs, etc.). When the bubbles are the size of fish eyes the water is 90 degrees (good for more robust teas: reds, pu'er, etc.).

[Nungali]

6 hours ago, SirPalomides said:

alright I’m confused... why is there a portrait of a Chinese Methodist in a Catholic school in Australia?

 

I remember the nuns frightening us with stories  about what nasty evil communists did to innocent little catholic school children in 'China' . *   Godlessness was taking over , due to them .... and they didnt even believe in Jesus .   But  a good man was fighting them ... that man there <point>  .  (Something like that )

 

* It was all very confused  'China' became  'Red China' , Formosa became  'China'   ( 'real Chin' ) then  Red China became 'Mainland China' , then China / Formosa became Formosa  and then Mainland Red China became plain old China again ( and his picture sorta vanished ) and China / Formosa became Taiwan. Then Gough visited and it was  'China' and never speak of the previous again . Now they buy  our coal   and uranium  ....  because we friends .