How do you prepare your tea?

[zanshin]

It occured to me that my teabag in the cup in the microwave routine is probably wrong on many levels.

 

[Mak_Tin_Si]

Oh... microwave the tea is no good, it will affect the chem. of the tealeaf just like putting a cup of milk to the microwave and heat it up will loose all it's good stuff.

 

For easy normal drinking - prepare a kettle, boil water and then put a teabag in the cup, and put hot water in the cup... let stand for 10mins and then leave the teabag inside but you can then start to enjoy the cup!

 

Chinese tea are very complicated and technical sometimes when talking about "cups". For some tea you use the brownish wears, for some case you use glass.. some use ceramic.. depends on what kind of tea you drink. But normall we just drink it like water.. haha!

 

Don't drink tea that are over 1-2hr made, the tea-leaf will generate a kind of "oil" or something on top which is no good for the body. In chinese called "tea-soap" on the top.

 

Tea are best to drink "HOT".

[Owledge]

Edited April 21, 2009 by Hardyg

[Mak_Tin_Si]

Just for some extra talk..

 

some western tea are good with some white sugar or honey too, haha! (teabags)

[Prince...]

Our water cooler has a hot water setting. I usually put 2 tablespoons of honey and a cap full of lemon juice if we don't have any fresh cut lemon on hand. If I have a cold and it's late in the evening, I might add a half shot of Jack Daniels...that's a family remedy for the flu.

 

Right now I'm really enjoying Raspberry Zinger.

 

Probably not the answer the OP was looking for, but I'm southern and that's what I enjoy. It really irritates me when I can't get good iced tea in restaurants...and by good, I mean sweet tea that actually tastes sweet.

[Aetherous]

I like gongfu tea (probably not done in the ceremonially correct way or whatever)...but getting a Yixing clay pot (which is like the size of a mandarin orange usually) and putting a scoop of tea leaves in there, then putting hot water in for like 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then you can use the same tea leaves for like 4 or 5 cups. There's a little bit of skill involved in making it not taste bitter. If you use good tea leaves, it can taste REALLY great and be so relaxing.

 

It's fun.

[Mak_Tin_Si]

One more favorite to share, -- the hong kong style MILK TEA.

 

You guys tried it ?

 

 

You can use red tea bags from lipton or something.. typical ones.. pour hot water over and make a cup of tea first, add 2 tsp of sugar (white) and mix some evaorated milk or coffee creme (10%), give it some mixing and try !~! one of hong kong's favorite stuff~

[DaoChild]

Hi Zanshin,

I'm an avid green tea drinker, so several years ago I bought a lovely tetsubin. I drink all manner of teas (I'll even drink a Rooibos in my tetsubin from time to time), but personally here's how I do it.

 

Get the water to a boil. Pour some into the teapot, some into the teacups, let them heat up, and then pour the water out.

 

Let the water in the teapot settle for several minutes so that it cools and does not scorch the tea leaves.

 

Measure out how much tea you want to use (I actually can't give you exact measurements anymore, as I simply eyeball it), add the water, and steep for several minutes. Steep time depends on the heat of your water and the type of tea (green, black, red).

 

I like drinking Jasmine Dragon Pearl (My favorite tea), and it's rather light so I don't try to put too hot water, or steep more than a few minutes.

[super80]

I drink about 4 cups daily of Tian Mu Qing Ding (organic green tea) from specialteas.com. IMO, they have some of the best quality tea.

 

Since I drink my tea at work I do not not have access to a stove to boil my water, so I use hot water from the coffee machine along with this cup:

 

http://www.specialteas.com/images/catalog/a_large/CMGFRI.jpg

[Stigweard]

My preferred method:

 

Bring kettle to boil (apparently there are now kettles with a "Green Tea Setting" ). Let it cool to approx 80deg C (green and white teas can be sensitive so you want to treat them gently). Place your preferred tea in a teapot ... earthen ware or ceramic is best ... I have a beautiful hand made Morrocan coffee pot that works a treat! My current fav is Ti Kwan Yin Oolong.

 

Pour in the water and let this brew and sit for at least a few hours (overnight is the best). Now you have a 'tea concentrate'. Then as needed pour out a third of a cup and add boiling water.

 

Beautiful !!!

 

Remember to change the brew every 3 or so days so that it keeps fresh.

[WhiteTiger]

Ti Kwan Yin Oolong.

 

My Favorite Tea!

 

I wonder why I've read numerous places says that Oolong tea is the fav for martial artists?

 

Editing for clearity

Edited April 22, 2009 by WhiteTiger

[Aetherous]

Amber dragon oolong is my fav.

 

 

http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/bai-hao-ool...oolong-tea.html

[TheWhiteRabbit]

Mak is right the microwaves reverse body energy. It may seem that the power from the high radiowaves in volume is heating your food, which it does... but radiowaves are a lower frequency than the infrared spectrum.

 

Do a test, see how long it takes for an item that is cooked in either the microwave or oven too cool down.

 

And no this post is not to say:

 

[Owledge]

Do a test, see how long it takes for an item that is cooked in either the microwave or oven too cool down.

Could also be due to a higher heat penetration in the slow heating process of the oven. A microwave tends to quickly heat the food up, but more the surface than the inner substance. So the food from the microwave might end up having a smaller heat reserve. When food in the oven looks done, it's done. Not so in the microwave.

[Vajrasattva]

Just for some extra talk..

 

some western tea are good with some white sugar or honey too, haha! (teabags)

 

You forgot also BLEACH

 

But here is the solution.

 

 

http://www.a-camlife.com/a-cam_herbs.html

 

These are some of the best 100% NATURAL HERBS & TEAS & ESSENTIAL oils in the "WEST"

 

Peace

 

Santi

[Ya Mu]

I like PU-ERH tea, have some green now, had some black that Ken Cohen gave me that lasted 3 years - AWESOME.

 

I do simple method of putting leaves in cup and add hot water, good for several water replacements.

[Mal]

[doc benway]

I like gongfu tea (probably not done in the ceremonially correct way or whatever)...but getting a Yixing clay pot (which is like the size of a mandarin orange usually) and putting a scoop of tea leaves in there, then putting hot water in for like 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then you can use the same tea leaves for like 4 or 5 cups. There's a little bit of skill involved in making it not taste bitter. If you use good tea leaves, it can taste REALLY great and be so relaxing.

 

It's fun.

 

Me too!

Here's how my ShiYe taught me.

 

Put enough Wu Long tea in Yi Xing pot to cover bottom with one layer (more or less)

Boil the water and let cool briefly.

Pour into pot then immediately pour out and discard (rinse the leaves to clean and get rid of some caffeine).

First round:

Fill again and steep for ~ 45 seconds - pour into serving vessel

Share with friends

Second round: Repeat, steeping for ~ 60 seconds

Third: Repeat, steeping for ~ 90 seconds

Fourth: ~120 seconds

Times will vary with type of tea, temp of water, size of pot, and so forth.

Yum!

[WhiteTiger]

[Yoda]

*now offering wu wei offsets for busy people.

 

[zanshin]

 

Thanks for all the fabulous suggestions! Will definitely try some of these- no more heating water in microwave.

[Mal]

[contrivedname!]

well there are lots of ways i guess. a great book that i would highly recommend (and it is in public domain ) is the book of tea by okakura kakuzo, which not only deals with tea but touches on some pointes in zen, daoism, confucianism, teaism, etc.

 

one idea i took from there and really like was brewing some loose leaf oolong in a teapot along with some chopped up onions. might sound kind of weird, but the flavor of the onions really compliments the oolong well.

 

if kakuzo's account is to be believed, in ancient china tea was prepared almost like a kind of soup with all sorts of herbs, etc.

 

happy drinking; cheers!

chris

 

 

Thanks for all the fabulous suggestions! Will definitely try some of these- no more heating water in microwave.

 

yeah once i started getting into better kinds of tea, and learning about tea ceremony, i shunned the micro-tea

[WhiteTiger]

 

Edit: after finding this photo and looking closer in my tin yes there are a couple of those flowers in there too

 

Eh, well I got the the feeling mine is artificial flavor stuff because my Tin doesn't have any flowers... just has those balled up Oolong leaves. It still taste great.

 

well there are lots of ways i guess. a great book that i would highly recommend (and it is in public domain ) is the book of tea by okakura kakuzo, which not only deals with tea but touches on some pointes in zen, daoism, confucianism, teaism, etc.

 

one idea i took from there and really like was brewing some loose leaf oolong in a teapot along with some chopped up onions. might sound kind of weird, but the flavor of the onions really compliments the oolong well.

 

if kakuzo's account is to be believed, in ancient china tea was prepared almost like a kind of soup with all sorts of herbs, etc.

 

happy drinking; cheers!

chris

yeah once i started getting into better kinds of tea, and learning about tea ceremony, i shunned the micro-tea

 

Thanks for the book reference. Oh how I'm really starting to appreciate these book references.

 

Also thanks for the little information was very interesting and nice to hear.

[Apech]

well there are lots of ways i guess. a great book that i would highly recommend (and it is in public domain ) is the book of tea by okakura kakuzo, which not only deals with tea but touches on some pointes in zen, daoism, confucianism, teaism, etc.

 

 

 

Just found this book free download pdf on line here:

 

Book of Tea

 

 

"Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves, are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others."

Kakuzo Okakura (1862 - 1913)

 

 

- written in 1906 the language is quite flowery - but I like that