This thread is for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusions.info: types of tea, where to get tea, how to brew teahttps://rentry.org/teageneralprevious thread: >>20646992
https://www.thatboutiqueygincompany.com/gins/vintage-pu-erh-tea-ginDo you think it's... good.
I've got this from Taobao"2020 Haiwan "The Gathering of Plant Spirit" Raw Puer Excellent Tea Series "Ling Qi" Premium Raw Puer 400g"It's completely different than I was expecting it to be.The dried leaves smell of the usual dried fruit, but much darker, almost like wine or something.And the taste... It says it's 2020, but tastes like 2010. This is nothing like any other young raw.I've some 2012 raw, but that one has a bit of the old storage funk, this has nothing.This tastes like old dried fruit like you would take some dried figs and boil them. No green taste whatsoever.
>>20675099Do you like it?Maybe they made it with aged maocha.
>>20675102>Do you like it?Yeah. I only have 2 aged cakes and I don't like those, I like this.
>>20675072My first thought was "that sounds disgusting"Then I thought maybe some young raw might somehow go well with gin flavors?But then I read the description and it's made with aged puer which sounds disgusting.In any case you have to buy some and tell us about it.
>>20675141I'm a poor candidate to realistically evaluate this, I have never had regular gin and tend to dislike most alcohol unfortunately. Someone else here with more experience should take one for the tea(m).
>>20675099>This tastes like old dried fruit like you would take some dried figs and boil themSounds good
Anyone ever got throat irritation from a tea? I'm usually fine with hei cha and this tastes lovely if I'm being honest (cherries, prunes, some astringency and bitterness but not bad at all,) but my body does not seem particularly thrilled about having drank it. Coughing, sore throat, tingling... feels like a mild allergic reaction to something. I've never had this happen before. (2019 Gao Jia Shan "Golden Prosperity Pig Cometh" Fu Zhuan Tea from YS. I was actually planning to get more of this, but maybe not now.)
>>20673294Interesting
>>20675523Who is this Vesper-chan, and is she cute?
>>20675523>>20675523Very cute
>>20675861I've hit worse.
>>20675833Tea master / tea seller often credited with popularizing dry stored pu-erhHe also has an online store called "best tea house"
Tried 2024 Astro Kittens and 2024 Gas. They both live up to their descriptions to an extent, with incredible bitterness from each.I should note, I have a cake of autumn LME from Farmer Leaf which I love, and rather enjoyed a sample of 2024 spring LME as well, but these two from W2T are truly undrinkable levels of bitterness, with no pleasant aspect to back it up. Gas especially. I'm not interested in a cake of either of these, the bitterness is truly insanely strong.Astro kittens has a moderate dried fruit sort of aroma in the first couple infusions but quickly loses it in exchange for intense bitterness. Gas has a unique aroma which I can't quite describe, in addition to a sort of bready sweet aroma, but very little comes through in flavor.I have a bitter spray derived from grapefruit rind designed to keep pets from chewing on power cables, and Gas is on par with the strength of that stuff if some of the spray gets in your mouth. It sticks to your tongue and builds up as you drink it, similarly to how the heat of a spicy pepper dish does. I don't recommend either unless you're some kind of masochist, or only drinking tea for the body feel, or perhaps want to prank a new tea drinker. Both of these do have a pretty strong stoned sort of body feel, but it's not at all worth the taste of the brew.
>>20676152yeah I always got the impression Gas was the meme bitterness one and Green Hype was their actually enjoyable "agressive" inexpensive offering
>>20676152>bitterness is truly insanely strongI've had cakes before that were so bitter and nasty it tasted like poison. Honestly think it's a shit material. Bitterness has its place but it has to be balanced with something. Some reward for enduring it.
>underwriting cake values to bypass taxesWilliam became full Chinese$8 cake and $1 samples looool
>>20676378He's done that last year too
>>20676378Shat did you get?
>>20676381LME small trees and bunch of samples....and like that my 2024 haul is here. I got Impatient with CSH and broke into them. Just couldn't resist that fresh 24 Naka. Now the worst part is letting them condition.
>>20676411Right samples came free with my Taobao order.
>>20676411Helllllll yeah! What's the year of that Great Flavor Wonderful Achievement? I just got a cake myself, but haven't broken into it yet. Interested specifically on hearing your thought
>>20676411Also what Xiaguan is that on top, right column?
>>20676242I'd agree with that. still haven't tried the '24 green hype yet, but that lines up with the '17 one I tried.>>20676255>Honestly think it's a shit material.seems like that could be the case, I'd like to know why the price for astro kittens is so high though. I'm wondering if it has to do with the low astringency possibly.>Bitterness has its place but it has to be balanced with something.definitely agreed. these two gave me a much stronger appreciation for LME. maybe they are worth sampling to gain firsthand understanding of what makes LME particularly special.>>20676411what's that top right cake? cool looking wrapper .
>>206764322021 and 2016. That 2016 one is to test a vendor.>>206764362019 Jingmai Xun Xiang >>206764372301 Dayi Yi Yuan SuIt's supposed to be Dayi's take on Bojun ripe so I bought it. It does have a pretty cool wrapper!
>>20676445Oh shit! I didn't even realize two of them were Good Smell, Excellent Job. I've only seen the wrapper with Chang smelling the tester cup. Please report back when you've had them both.
>>20676445>It's supposed to be Dayi's take on Bojun ripe so I bought itcool, sounds like they are using some unique '3rd gen' ferment process. would love to hear your thoughts when you get a chance to try it.
>>20676456I think they changed the wrapper after 2017. I actually like this older wrapper design with some ancient scholar. >Please report backSure, I'd be happy to share the notes. >>20676457Yeah the process sounds high tech and promising. I don't normally like ripes so a cheaper Bojun like ripe sounds awesome to have.
Saw someone post white tea in cake form in the last thread. Can you get all forms of tea in cake form? Is there any benefit to having white or anything else (I'm not even sure why puerh typically comes in cakes) in cake form?
>>20675487Ive heard people describe things like that happening before with teas but not sure the why or how.>>20676411Sex>>20676429Plase post a detailed review of the dayi instant ripes sticks
>>20676498>Can you get all forms of tea in cake form?Yes, you can more or less get all the main styles of Fujian or Yunnan white tea pressed into cakes. The top grade greener white teas are less likely to be pressed however.>Is there any benefit to having white or anything else (I'm not even sure why puerh typically comes in cakes) in cake form?Much, much more compact for storage storage and transport. Especially relevant if you are buying in bulk or aging it.
>>20676498I believe tea cakes are mainly good because they allow for easier and safer transport. They also prevent the inner tea from being exposed to as much oxygen as it would if it were loose. Many teas can be found as cakes, though it's most common for teas that do nicely with aging it seems.
Just got from my order some "Yunnan "Black Gold Bi Luo Chun" Black Tea"And I thought japanese hojicha was viscuous, this thing is literally oil in a cup. Good though.
>>20676644Hell yeah, thick tea rules
>>20676644Haven't heard that recommended in a while. Black Gold Bi Luo Chun is a staple. I love brewing it in the morning and throwing it in the fridge for after work.
>>20676411Oh nice, I've been shilling the xg jingmai cake for while. Hope you like it. >>20676429>tan shin lingWhat is that? I must have missed that on FL
>>20676505>dayi instant ripesOkay, will do. On Tmall their premade ripe cans are shown chilled I'll try one of the sticks in ice water. Cold shou is gonna be weird if it doesn't suck.>>20677018Were you the anon who said Jingmai was better than Hekai? I never tried either but seeing a substantially low price on Jingmai made me go for it. >tan shin ling No idea, it's not on his site either but I shot William a message.
>>20677166>Were you the anon who said Jingmai was better than Hekai? Yes. I have both and like the jingmai more.
>>20677185What do you like about Jingmai that you prefer it over the Hekai?
>>20677240The hekai is real pain in the ass to brew. It's finicky, gets bitter quickly... it feels like I'm always chasing the flavour. I can finally get maybe 1 good cup and then it's gone. The jingmai is much better at this. I can get consistently good steeps, without sacrificing any taste. 1 good cup vs 4 from the same amount of tea makes a huge difference. The flavour when they are at their best, both are good. One is more fruity the other more floral, I don't think I prefer one over the other.
>>20676411>>20676429nice haul anonwill you compare the CSH Naka to the FL Naka?
>>20676411which CSH cake is that above the Naka?
>>20677602never mind, it's Yihao / #1
>1.5kg of tea>Superbuy says the final parcel for forwarding weighs 2.8kghow did they manage to nearly double the weight of it holy shit.
>>20678054free samples!!!
>>20678054They also jewed me on shipping. Then again I somehow managed to dodge taxes so it worked out to be roughly the same.
>>20678217I'll go with it this time and weigh all of it carefully when it comes in. There is extra stuff like tins and wrapping and whatever, I guess. And there actually is a few free samples by the looks of things.
>>20678054There's a chance they overestimated and in that case you'll get the difference back, but still that's a lot of extra weight. When i bought 2.7 kg of tea with them the final weight of the parcel was around 3.6 kg.
>>20677275>The hekai is real pain in the ass to brew. I hear you but brewing a finicky tea sounds like a fun challenge. I think lots of Menghai teas like Lao Man E and Bulang are tricky also. Especially LME, it's too easy to make the first 5 ish brews insanely bitter but if you can tame it, the brews are rewarding. If I like the Jingami enough I'll have to try the Hekai.>>20677581Yeah sure I'll try to review the Nakas and the ripe stick soon. >>20678054Did you ask them to remove all packaging before weighing?
My work setup today, sippin vietsun Sơn La Spring 2024.Brews up a very nice almost orange color when pushed, strong floral and some citrusy sweetness with medium bitterness and astringency. Good stuff
Duck shit is finally on the menu at my house. Slowly but surely cracking into my oolong-heavy KTM order. The order was mostly for yanchas, but I did get about 400g split between Duck Shit (Ya Shi Xiang) and Honey Orchid (Mi Lan Xiang). Having only ever had honey orchid dan cong before, I'm happy to get around to trying new ones. Given my relative inexperience with these, I'm not sure I can describe it particularly well. "It tastes like the honey orchid but different." is where I might start. There's a light malty hong cha flavor similar to the broken leaf da hong pao but much gentler, much smoother. There isn't the same aged white tea kind of honey sweetness as in the honey orchid, instead I think it's more floral. Looking at the nice dark, coarse material, that's a little surprising to me but I stand by it.I love the leaves by the way. They're large, coarse, feel good to hold. After a few infusions, smell great in the gaiwan. Reading into it a little now, it seems that a popular opinion among the mainland natives is that ya shi is particularly fragrant. To me that is like 50% white flowers, 25% straw, and something else I can't quite put my finger on. KTM describes this as a heavy roast A+ grade, which I mostly take with a grain of salt.
>>20676429Hey would love to hear your thoughts on the FL ba ka if you get the chance >>20679208>50% white flowers, 25% strawBased
Has anyone tried 2023 Serpentine from W2T? I'm having such trouble describing it, it's a really unique and soft flavor profile. Quite pleasant and unlike anything I've sampled before.
>>20675067What the fuck does lesbian gin mean or have to do with gin?
>>20679803Welcome to the thread
>>20679803it means that everyone who drinks gin is a homosexual
>>20678673>Did you ask them to remove all packaging before weighing?I didn't click the checkbox to keep the packaging if that's what you mean. Or did I misread some chinglish
I just bought some Jade Oolong, it doesn’t taste of tea, it tastes of peaches, it is very faint, it’s more of a nasal aftertaste.
>>20676411How much tea do you drink?
>>20681050Some oolongs are definitely aroma heavyBut some flavor doesn't hurtideally a good oolong should do both well
Teavivre has 20% off entire site sale for next three days
Emailed sensorpush with an issue on a 5 year out of warranty unit. Probably just needs a new battery but I wanted to see what they'd do.>No problem! It's long out of warranty, but I (confidentially) made you a single-use Amazon coupon code. You can use it one time to get 30% off the price of any number of sensors and gatewaysGreat people, great product.
W2T Big O V3 is remarkable, smells and tastes like dates and fresh pine boards. It's not really very citrus leaning, more like an ultra smooth lumberslut with date-like fruitiness instead of smoke and a strong sweetness.
>>20682159I need to reup on some chenpi before winter.
good place to order chai from?and your method of making chai?I am regularly disappointed when I brew some masala chai I bought from upton teas. I'm sure it's not the tea and it's me.
goo shoohttps://youtu.be/vrjGq8BoH4E?list=PLzlzBzm03rjeIPSi_uOJSirdjIiCE1Qwb
>>20682225>I'm sure it's not the tea and it's me.I would say that's the tea's fault. If you want really good spiced tea, you should get high quality loose leaf black tea, and fresh whole spices.
>>20682238maybe I'll put together something myself instead of buying premixed.https://www.uptontea.com/chai-tea/chai-loose-leaf-black-tea/p/V00171/
>>20682225Eh I really haven't been impressed Upton Teas. try somewhere else.Silk Road has a chai, I haven't tried it but I tend to like their black teas and looks like the chai has a decent amount of whole cardamom, ginger, etc
>>20682218Straight up or stuffed with puerh?
>>20682243>put together something myselfThat's the way to go. As soon as you grind spices, they start to lose potency rapidly. Another important part of good spiced tea is brewing technique. My favorite method is to:Grind spices, add to pot with tea and waterBring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 7 minutes or so (longer or shorter depending on how strong you like it, I would say 5 minutes is the minimum if you are using fresh ginger, or it will curdle the milk due to enzymatic action)Add milk (and sugar if you like) and bring to a boil again, then reduce to simmer for another 5 or so minutes (I think this is important as it thickens the mixture as well as allowing the fats in the milk to extract some flavors which water alone might not)That Upton mix is also missing black pepper, nutmeg, star anise, coriander, allspice and fennel seed, all of which I find to be pretty tasty, but finding what you like as far as spices and ratios may take some experimentation.If you want to get a taste close to what you'd get at an Indian restaurant, try to find CTC processed Assam, Darjeeling, or Nilgiri black tea.
>>20682289Stuffed. I might just buy a brick of channel orange though.
>>20681457Thanks for the heads up.>>20682228>https://youtu.be/vrjGq8BoH4E?list=PLzlzBzm03rjeIPSi_uOJSirdjIiCE1QwbWhy are the videos so split up? When did W2T originally post that?
>>20682553>Why are the videos so split upSeems to be ripped from a Snapchat story. It appears to be the origin of his tea "The Thing Still Is". Not really sure when it first showed up, but it's the only video of his I've seen. I found it linked here https://ooika.co/learn/white2tea-this-thing-is
Cracked two of the tangerine PuErhs from the flea market today. Labels were sill sticky so they can't be that old. Tried the paper one first. Contained 9g of ripe tea, which didn't smell like much but citrus note is there.Soup smells like a dusty old cellar.Typical ripe dark color almost like coffee.Tastes just like it smells with unpleasant bitterness on top. First steeps were undrinkably harsh, 5th steep was getting alsmost enjoyable. Strong tea buzz going, just ripe being ripe. Terrible tea overall, but at least it wasn't fishy.
>>20683081That's funny it's so harsh. I haven't tried those chenpi is it bitter coming from the citrus peel?
I bought this, mainly because this was the only purple puer that I could find other than YS offerings(fuck their scummy shipping)https://dragonteahouse.biz/caicheng-brand-gao-shan-ye-fang-zi-ya-pu-erh-tea-cake-2020-200g-raw/What I find interesting about this tea is the smell. At this point, I'm used to the dried fruit smell of cakes but this is like fruit candy.It's almost like something artificial, you can smell the juiciness and fruitiness of the candy.The taste is good but nothing mindblowing—some fruit candy notes, some sweetness, some usual raw puer notes.I wish more vendors would source this type of tea.
>>20683141Bitter propably bc it's bad tea and I oversteeped it the first steeps.After a rinse I started with 10s 100°C, which was propbably too much. Next time I'll go flash steeps with lower temp first to ease it out a little.Gotta admit 5th and 6th steeps were quite enjoyable with sweetness coming front and lighter color in the cup.
>>20683373Doesn't essence of tea also have a bunch of yesheng cakes?
>>20681060That's a fairly small amount of tea for an average-sized lesbian I'd say?
is there anything better than cool mizudashi gyokuro in the summer? i don't think there is to be quite honest famalam
>>20684355cool tieguanyinanxi oolong is green tea, except with flavor
>>20683373Does it have that purple tea citronella kind or smell?
>>20684355Great picture.>is there anything better than cool mizudashi gyokuro in the summer?Boiling hot bitter puer. Preferably the kind that makes you sweat even in the middle of winter
Check out my new cup I bought at the street fair today. It's holds much less than it seems. The foot is tall and the walls are thicc.Support your local potters.
>>20681876I regret going Govee over Sensorpush. I'll probably jump ship and try the later next time I need hygrometer. I've heard nothing but good things.>>20683081That's too bad. I love them stuffed little shits. I purchased about 60 recently. Hope they're good as some of the others I've had.
>>20685060Nice cup. As fat as local pottery goes, I have a Kyusu
>>20678054Now it's 3.3kg.
>>20684676>citronellaI don't know if I ever smell it.It does have like citrus candy smell.It reminds me of one of the fa zhan he reviews where someone wrote "Strong candy-like sweetness and a pronounced lemon character." Except Fa Zhan he has none of these things, while this purple puer has that candy characteristic.
>>20686143It's got to be the free samples
>>20686188fa zhan he is apricot juice
>>20686188>>20686351I still get lemons from it tbqh. We'll see if I get them in the 2024 too
>>20686337I will enjoy my free brick
all the tea in the world and not a drop to drink
just got a bunch of o-cha green tea after getting out of the mental hospital. kurasawa is my favorite still, very fresh springy taste and not grassy or weird vegetal but more like colors of blue and green. yutaka midori is very good, like purple flowers and sea air. sae midori is good and flowery but not very deep or complex. the fukamushi is pretty generic but good. i don't remember the yame gyokuro, maybe i didn't brew it right as i am used to sencha
Today was brew day! We made an altbier style wort and are splitting it into a few batches in order to figure out what the best way to introduce raw puerh is. You've seen my tincture, which by now is a surprisingly black, dark, angry brew. That will be added to a batch after primary fermentation. This is 32.5 grams of 2023 Fa Zhan He, brewed at boiling temps for about 15 minutes into approximately 3700 grams of wort. It was tiring but I have the full support and interest of my friends, the real brewers. In September, when all is said and done, we're going to take the best tasting experiment and have the beer formally judged by the local chapter of the governing body of beer judging in the country. >>20687858Nice! Holding up alright?
>>20688175no i am planning my suicide out right now. i've been through too fucking much hell to go on. im going to drink some vodka and shoot up and depending on how that feels either shoot myself or overdose. i used to be a happy kid now im a fucking useless piece of shit abused by demonic spawn. i am twenty two
forgot image
>>20688305Maybe you have gender dysphoria. Have you considered you might be trans?
>>20688305I'm planning to kill myself in about a week, you wanna talk about it anon? I'm willing to listen. No sense in two dead bodies floating around.
>>20688321why are u Killing yourself? i have been through the worst experience in my life in the psych ward on thorazine shots and halidol and shit and i am never going to recover. i do not feel anything anymore
I seriously hope you are trolling. Please don't even joke about killing yourself
>>20683081How do you brew these, do you take the tea out of the orange or just pour the water into the top of the orange so it hits the leaves?
I've been disappointed with some teas as well but this is bit extreme. There is always the next year harvest to look forward to.
>>20688341Haldol's a rough medicine to take, were you having hallucinations anon? Coming out on the other side of all that would leave anyone feeling brutalized, and it will take some time for your mind and your body to recover from such a jarring and chemically upending ordeal. Don't do anything rash -- first week is the hardest, but I promise it will not always be this way. If it's something chronic you suffer from... it doesn't mean your life is over. My mother was a paranoid schizophrenic and she had her issues, but she also lived a rich life and died in old age from unrelated causes. It's very demoralizing and frustrating to live with that infuriating sense of doing something you enjoy and not being able to feel anything but a dull, irritating sens of apathy, I get it. But I've lived long enough to know that things can always get better, anon -- but only if you're here to see it happen. Might sound hypocritical from someone like me, but I mean my words all the same.As for me, it's nothing so raw and dramatic, but I'm also falling asleep at the keyboard, so I can talk about it after a good nap. I'm glad you're making art as an outlet right now, keep doing that -- anything helps. Hope everyone /here/ is doing well.
>>20688367i dont know anymore my soul feels torn into shreds and i am living a waking nightmare. hell would be better than this
>>20688399Hell would just be this but prolonged. I had an exposed dental nerve once and lived of water and orajel for a week of feverish anguish. I'm a grown man but I remember going to my father and laying next to him crying and asking why god wouldn't just kill me. Eventually I came out on the other side of it. You will come out on the other side of this, too. As bad as it seems right now, it won't be this way forever.Hey anon, what first drew you to /tea/? If you don't mind my asking.
>>20687858get better soon, anon. as long as you can enjoy tea you've got something to look forward to
>>20688512> Haloperidol is a typical butyrophenone-type antipsychotic that exhibits high-affinity dopamine D2 receptor antagonismAm no doctor, but I think the issue is that the meds block the ability to feel happiness
>>20688535So with haldol typically the reason you're given it is that you are experiencing hallucinations the sort of which make life some shade of unlivable. Hallucinations, broadly speaking and simplifying it greatly, tend to be caused by the brain either not processing signals correctly, processing them in an inadequate fashion, or being too sensitive to them. (Again, I am oversimplifying this whole thing dramatically.) In patients who are experiencing hallucinations or having a psychotic break (and also in some forms of seizure disorder,) too much dopamine (or other substances) is actually a bad thing. Rather than help us to feel more positive, it can instead make us feel like shit, or worse, cause our brains to manufacture stimulus (or start seizing, etc.) Kind of like when a trusted strain of herb or shroom that usually chills you out instead gives you a nasty goddamn trip, sometimes reducing the amount of shit we can experience actually results in someone being able to feel more normal. It's about balance. In OP's case, I do not know their history or story, but I know that being yoinked out of your regular routine and plonked in a regimented facility where you lack control is never not a frightening experience, even if sometimes it's better than the alternative (trust me, anytime my mother went in, it was for the best.) If OP was given medication while institutionalized, but no longer has access to that medication now, their body would additionally be feeling like hot garbage (the last two years in the 'states have had a brutal medication shortage in some classes of drug and it's not fun to constantly go on and come down from your meds at the BEST of times, let alone a traumatic experience like this.) Coupled with whatever else OP is dealing with, I feel their response isn't unexpected. I just hope they stick it out in spite of it all: because it really will get better.
i am feeling more stable now after sleeping and i think i want to try to experience life before thinking about suicide anymore. drinking some home blended russian caravan (2:1:1 lapsang keemun ripe puerh) and smoking cigs. pic semi related was wondering what kind of teas you people enjoy with hot foods, 'specially soup
>>20688535dopamine overload is what causes psychosis anon it's a bit more complicated than this is the happiness chemical and you want loads of it
>>20688846I'm very happy to hear that anon. If I'm eating something heavy, I tend to go for something bitter and aged to go with it -- hei cha or raw pu-erh. This soup looks fucking phenomenal, do you know what it's called by chance?
>>20688846>what kind of teas you people enjoy with hot foodsI tend to pick some liu bao or HK ripe
Happy birthday to me! Today in celebration of turning 30 I am opening a yunnansourcing teacake, I'll have one drink and then wrap the teacake away and store it for 12 months - this tea shall only be drunk on my birthday. I'm looking forward to experiencing the change of flavour on every 20th July.
I chose this tea because it had a handful of lovely reviews that championed it's juicyness
>>20689136Oh man I was looking at this one but got this instead >>20683373
>>20689136Happy birthday anon! I like the idea of having a birthday teacake, might steal the idea.
>>20689136Happy birthday, lad. A birthday cake is great idea.>>20689160The tradition is to get one from your birth year. The longer you wait, the more you'll be priced out.
>>20689136Happy birthday anon. I too will be stealing that idea next year.Would be nice to hear how it is.
>>20689055lohikeitto. i live in seattle so i get very fresh salmon and it tastes delicious. dill and allspice and lemon and cream and fish stock and butter with salmon, leek, potato, and carrots
>>20689275Thank you for the recipe. I can't make it quite as fresh, but I'll try making ti next time I get groceries. It looks wonderful.
>>20685463Its probably just been me shilling lol. They're great. I'd have bought more even without the -30% they kicked me.
>>20689139Is that some wild purple tea? It looks purple
>>20689136Love this! There is a taste of fresh straw/hay but the drink is very mellow like white wine, with a good balance of bitterness and sweetness, plum flavours. Now off for dinner with friends. Have a good summer anons!
White tea anon here, unfortunately my major exam did not go well, so no new tea orders for the time being. Gotta fork over more dough to big education instead, I'm still pissed about it. Consequently making dank white tea memes is also a low priority right now, but don't worry I'll still be around. Looks like there have been some interesting developments on /tea/ since I last stopped by, lotsa new tea orders coming in. Lately I've mostly been drinking cheap coldbrew jasmine or mint flavored green tea. Good for the summer heat and lazy enough not to distract from studying. When stressed out sometimes it's nice to just drink tea that one doesn't feel obligated to pay attention to ya know. I have kept up unironically praying for the job seeker anons and cancer anon, I will add in psych anon as well. God bless and good day/night to my fellow /tea/ denizens wherever you may be.
Tonight, I had 2018 Classic Mi Lan Xiang from Yunnan Sourcing. I roasted it for 15 minutes on the lowest setting in a frying pan. The very first time I had this tea, I had a very poor experience with it. I don't remember my brewing parameters, but it tasted like poison. It was this extremely bitter, alcoholic, like whiskey and chemicals. I gave up and didn't touch it again until now. I tried to brew it multiple ways, but it just kept coming out nasty. This time, however, was completely different. On the first steep, I had flavors of peaches, baked bread, and subtle whiskey. Again, the whiskey-like flavor took the background, and it was very gentle as to not be nasty. Didn't taste very complex. It just kept on going. Think I got 8-9 steeps before it went. But very very sweet tea. There was almost a caramelized peach flavor at points. Also got subtle florals. It also had a nice hui gan. Very pleased.
What's the deal with puer tangerines? I didn't taste any of the citrus.
It's been pretty hot here those days so I've been drinking post cold brew carbonated mao cha. I'm pretty happy with it considering I usually don't like raws. If you want to try it, be careful with the foam. It seems CO2 solubility is higher in tea so the soda stream pressure valve is not fit for that beverage. Spilled 1/3 of the first bottle everywhere lol. I had better results injecting the same duration as for regular water. Better add CO2 again if it lacks than leaking foam everywhere.
Trying out making a little ivan chai, anyone done it?I guess I'll process some as "white" and some as "black"
What's the trick for making a good cup of Korean green? I picked up two from What-Cha recently and have been pretty disappointed; they don't hold up to gongfu well at all, and are a bit better brewed sencha-style but still not great. What-Cha's Vietnam greens on the other hand have been very good to me.>>20691317I like Moychay's "willow-herb", never tried any others and I don't think it grows here. Do report back, anon, I'm curious how it works out.
>>20691339According to the Morning Crane/TeaBuy Korea people, Korean greens can take the heat and are brewed hotter than sencha. They mention brewing with 190F-200F water or even boiling.https://teabuykorea.blogspot.com/2019/09/brewing-korean-green-tea-and-ddeokcha.html
Time for withering. Haven't done much sorting as I only have a little material, I'll try focusing on smaller leaves next time. I kept aside the flowers, and for no particular reason chopped some softer parts of the stems.>>20691339It's all over the northern hemisphere but there are some places it doesn't grow.I should probably pick up some of that from moychay for a comparison, I've never even tried it.
>>20690599>Lately I've mostly been drinking cheap coldbrew jasmine or mint flavored green teaYou getting those at an asian market? Or online?>sometimes it's nice to just drink tea that one doesn't feel obligated to pay attention to ya knowYeah i always have something cheap around when i just wanna drink tea and not think too much
>>20690655>I roasted it for 15 minutes on the lowest setting in a frying pan.Awesome, more people should be experimenting with giving oolongs a quick roast, especially older ones.Stinks that you had to to get good flavor out of it but it's awesome that it worked. Dancongs are a finicky bunch.
>>20690878>What's the deal with puer tangerines? I didn't taste any of the citrus.Some are better then others.Ideally they will stuff the puer into the fresh still wet tangerine skin and then dry them together. Sometimes the cheaper ones buy dried skins and fill them with puer and that might result in the puer not picking up as much flavor.Did you brew some of the tangerine skin with the tea? Break a hunk off, maybe 1/3 of the skin and add it to the brew
>>20690892Lots of interesting tea projects getting posted today.Carbonated maocha sound kind of amazing. I keep meaning to get a 10lb co2 tank so i can drink unlimited carbonated water. >>20691317I know Moychay has a video up talking about their processing for ivan chai a bit.https://youtube.com/watch?v=s_ha74UYmOU
>>20691421Thanks for posting some process pics, really cool to see
>>20691317>>20691421Need long withering if the leaves are old, then hand rolling, I liked it with good oxidation like black tea. Good luck anon :)
>>20691458Thanks anon, really useful video.>>20691522Cheers I will probably let them wither until this evening then.Will continue to post my progress.
>>20691624Texture for the leaves will tell you when they are ready for next step if you start rolling and they crack or break then it's not enough. Hard to tell how long you need because of temp/humidity/air flow would vary a lot. Smell is good indicator too you don't want micro org activity just soft leaves to start rolling.
>>20691683I see, then they're already pretty much there after around 4-5 hours, I can scrunch one up and it doesn't break.
>>20675072I generally like gin and have had many. I have had Earl Grey gin before, but I didn't like it and I think I ended up dumping half the bottle. I don't think pu-er would be better.
>>20691421Surprisingly they're withered a little too much, but it's ok I think. I rolled until they didn't change much further. Slightly worried they're too dry but I haven't got a gut feel for this process so lets just go with it.I totally forgot to save some for "white" tea but they smell super grassy, I don't think it'd be good anyway.
>>20691791They will be fine, it's hard to wither with a small amount of material. Having enough to fill a small cardboard box and then leaving it with the lid open for a few hours might be a good way to do it at home
I got a fu brick. Do I brew it like puer or what?
>>20691817Yeah basically, you can usually brew it more aggressively (longer brews, screaming hot water) but you will want to experiment a bit and see what works best for the specific brick you got. If it's rock hard then split it into 3-4 thin layers if you can, if you just put a huge rock hard chunk in it will take forever to open up. If it's a more lightly compressed brick it should open easily and you don't need to worry about breaking the piece up first.
>>20691434>You getting those at an asian market? Or online?No, just using regular old grocery store teabags. I don't have a special coldbrew basket so using teabags saves me the hassle of straining off big pitchers of tea when they are done steeping. Quite a few herbal teas coldbrew nicely as well, I drink them later in the day when I don't want more caffeine.
>>20691791And finally I'll try stems only and flowers only, why not.The stems have a grassy smell like that of damaged bark on a tree. The liquor's a light yellow colour. I was fully expecting it to be nasty but honestly it's not bad. It's a little sweet, mild and a touch grassy. I will drink this during the apocalypse happily enough.The flowers smell a little grassy and a little floral, not bad although it's hard to call the cut-grass smell appetising. Liquor is a little paler yellow at first, on the second brew it picked up some purple tint. The taste is stronger, and it tastes of pea pods. There's some grassy bitterness and more astringency than I'd prefer.See ya next week after the ferment.
>>20691872Sometimes easy is bestGood luck with the BAR or med school exams or whatever you are working on
>>20691880>See ya next week after the ferment.Whats that process like? Mind explaining how you plan to do it?
>>20691895Pretty much, stick them in a loosely sealed jar and let the enzymes and bacteria do their work for a few days up to a week. Shaking them up and letting fresh air in every now and then. Apparently the smell will change from grassy to sweet when you're good to go.
>it's JoeverTea for this feel?
>>20692003Ma huang to the point of psychosis.
>>20692018Your what?
>>20692003Tibetan flame brick puer boiled for about half an hour with a splash of milk and a pat of salted butter followed up with an overcooked cheap shitty cut of beef like round and old grandad rye whiskey or mellow corn whiskey.Alternatively an overbrewed black teabag with a tablespoon of sugar and a pint of whatever the cheapest vodka at the liquor store is.
>>20691893Thanks anon, I'll do my best! I didn't make it this far by giving up. Once I pass my plan is to put in a largish tea order, so I do have something to look forward to.
>>20691458>Carbonated maocha sound kind of amazingIt really is. The sourness of carbonation balances bitterness and tannins. I'll try over cold brew next time.
>>20691817Some people also simmer fu
>>20691317>>20691421>>20691791>>20691880neat, I have been wanting to try ivan chai. Though I have not found any fireweed growing locally unfortunately.
just acquired lots of green tea. any good recipes for icy green tea?
>>20693784Uh just cold brew?
>>20693784>put ice in vessel>put green tea leaves directly on the ice>???>profit
>>20693167You can find it sold online at least with shops in the us so you don't necessarily have to import it from moychay if you can't make it yourself.
>>20691357Tried again at 90C; better but still disappointing. I'm glad I tried them as a reference, but I'll stick to jap and chink greens going forward.
What's your favorite kind of tea?Green, black, pu erh, oolong, etc
>>20694826nowadays it's definitely young raw puerh
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/feng-qing-silver-needles-white-tea-dragon-ballDrinking one of these. Damn good silver needle tea, in my opinion. At lower temps, mildly floral and lightly green in taste, a touch sweet with a light liquor and plenty of stamina (given that my preferred way of drinking dragon balls in particular is just dropping them in a mug and refilling it with hot water all day.) When pushed, the soup darkens considerably and develops a huigan that feels like the back of your throat has been coated in sugar... I wish I knew what caused huigan, because being able to trick my brain into believing I've had a sweet treat when I've only had a cup of leafwater is onee hell of a con. Stamina from these is great -- I'm on my fourth 20oz mug of tea out of these in the last 24 hours. Not a bit of bitterness out of these, either. Caveat that I'm already partial to silver needle in particular, but I'll get more of this.
>>20694826High end wuyi oolong, young raw puer
>>20694826Young raw all day, but I try to drink a wide variety regardless.
THREADLY REMINDER This is the summer of Taobao.If you haven't made an order from taobao yet you should be thinking about it, make an account, do some browsing, make a wishlist, check the buying from taobao guide linked in the Rentry for info on how to make an account, navigate the site and a few suggestions for proxy services to use.Also for those posters with more flexible budgets you should consider trying some of the yiwu teas on offer from tea encounter. They are next on my list to try after one of our long time posters said they have some good teas. (You can find some specific recommendations in the archive by searching tea encouter) They also have a site that ships within the EU for those of you that hate dealing with importing shit into Europe.Also a shout-out to puerhguy.com for having a lot of puer brands you won't see at other Western vendors and somewhat reasonable prices. Iirc he ships from the UK.
>>20695143>I wish I knew what caused huigan,That's a great question, i would like to know this as well. Im super impressed by how sweet some teas taste and when you get one with that aftertaste that just lingers forever it's so impressive.
>>20694826I like my puer like my anime girls
>>20690599Incredible art if you drew that btw
So glad I don’t drink puerh like the group of faggots on this board does. Anyway whites are good and do sencha if I want something brothy
>>20695576No!! This is summer of white2tea >:(
My Yunnan Sourcing delivery arrived today. Unfortunately I'm sick and miserable and don't feel like writing up much about it. I got a Bangwai ripe and raw, Lao Man E raw, AI wrapper ripes, a shit ton of cha gao and some individually wrapped white tea made from var. assamica. I think I cleaned them out. I see the individually wrapped whites are sold out on their website and my kilo bag only came with 750g as written on the label. I haven't weighed it out yet but I'm going to be pissed if 1/4 of that is missing and Scott didn't refund me or even give me a decent freebie.>>20695576Taobao is next on the list. Might be next year, though.>>20695614(You)>>20695740That was last year mate, you missed it.
>>20695752Get well soon anon.
>>20695752Very nice haul anon, do leave a review when you get better
>>20694826black
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/classic-gan-zao-ye-wild-jujube-tea-from-laoshan-village-2018?variant=44218326810823Drinking this. It's my first time trying jujube of any sort, so this is less of a review of YS's individual jujube offering, and more of an impression of the plant as a whole. I've brewed it as I would a green tea, at low temps.This tea brews a lot darker than I expected it to! The soup is thick, I'd consider this "brothy". Leaves are extremely small and delicate compared to basically any other tea, but turn back into whole entire leaves once in the cup. Jujube smells great as dry leaves and in the cup, it's just a very pleasant "sweet plant" scent. As far as taste goes, it's an interesting plant, definitely herbaceous but also notably sweet on the tongue. I'm going to doxx myself slightly here but if you've ever had poke greens/poke sallet, it's very much like that if it was sweet instead of savory. If you haven't had them, it's like... canned spinach in a positive way. It's a strong taste, just a little bit of leaf will go a long way. Has an almost peppery aftertaste... I almost want to try this in a spice rub; this would be a great seasoning for tomato soup. Actually I think this would make a killer base for a soup stock on its own... when fall comes, I have experimenting to do.Overall I'm not sure if I'd drink it straight again, but it's fun, and I'm happy I got to try it. There's a lot of potential in these little leaves.
How do you guys brew this? Mine has that pu'er mouthfeel, but is basically flavourless.
>>20694826green
>>20697030Hard and lazy at boiling. Long steeps. I'll knock off a big chip for a grandpa pitcher/mug too.
Anyone here ever made buckwheat tea and if yes how do I brew this? Can I eat it after?
>>20697919Take lightly roasted buckwheat, add boiling water, wait 5 minutes.>Can i eat if after Sure i don't see why not.If you have plain unroasted buckwheat roadt it in a pan on the stovetop on low or in the oven. Plenty of instructions online for how to do it
What are you drinking today, anons?
>>20699102whisky
>>20699102White2tea Snoozefest 2023I find it pretty mid, you can taste the price IMO as it's a bit bland and "empty". I guess it's some autumn material. For 15$ and free shipping it's not bad admittedly, not nasty or anything. Best thing about it is definitely the cool fruity aroma aroma (mango and strawberries? Somewhat unusual), has a bit of creaminess in flavour too.
>>20694826Chamomile.
>>20699102Xiaguan Xi Zi tuo, became a regular for me.
>>20699221it's a good one, isn't it? much better than the 2005 Jia Ji I also got from KTM. nicely aged, less astringent, smoke integrated into a nice classy cigar sort of profile...
>>20699231Yeah it's got a bit of everything I like in those tuos, in a nice balance. You can brew it quite hard too. I got more tuos to try but I'd happily pick up a stack.
>>20699251I recall they used slightly aged maocha in those, might be part of why they taste more aged and smooth than 2008 would suggest
>>20688305As jap tea lover with depression and anxiety, having too tea, especially fresh green Japanese, worsens my anxiety and makes me want to die. I mean it feels good at first but like 5 hours later and next day is miserable until I have more. If I manage to stay off a full day, it usually clears up by the end of the day leading to sense of calm which I'd say is worth trying. Exercising, chores or some mundane content helps to distract, and you can think through stuff, just don't expect to have fun.
>>20699586good white tea is always calming for me
>>20691339My two experiences with Korean greens was from a cheapish local shop (Jeoncha, Jeju), it was sweet, soupy and very buttery with a food-like feeling. Closer to Japanese than Chinese, but less fresh than Japanese. Then next year's batch was pretty shit, tasted like stale vegetable/weeds without the butteryness.
I'm looking to buy a glass teapot, kind of like the one in The Menu. Do you guys have any recommendations on good looking and reasonably priced glass teapots?
Mountain Valley spring water is so good for young raw puerh.220-230 TDS
>>20699722Appears to be this pot, but they don't seem to make it anymore and it's not in stock anywhere. Which is a shame because Ichendorf have replaced it with new ugly ass pots. Can't really find anything that similar either.https://www.shopstyle.com/p/ichendorf-milano-osaka-curved-handle-glass-teapot/876604359I'd just have a look through ali express and see if any catch your eye.
>>20699102Broke into some fresh baozhong this morning and it's just what I hoped it would be: mid-green oxidation, some pleasant sourness, and a little bit of cinnamon.But now, it's chamomile time!
My 24 fa zan he cake is finally on a plane, finally some tea from this year.Cant wait to put in a bigger order in a few weeks
>>20699102More cheap xiaguan tuo, thank god its good>>20700305Nice, i need to take another crack at baozhong, my first introduction as a lightly roasted batch that was like 2 years old and my conclusion was i should be drinking it fresh and the age doesn't do it any favors
>>206991021999 7542 that smells like wet top soilJust incredible aroma and oily mouthfeel.
/ck/~、特級茶葉で頼む!
>>20700809how expensive was it?
>>20702075Mr.Mopar $165 for a cake + shipping + $4 for boveda in the mylar bag so tea doesn't dry out during shipping.
Goodbye world
>>20702729That some kind of white tea?
>>20702773Yeah, white tea cake. It's the 2022 Nannuo white tea cake from Bitterleaf and not Bada. Hoooo boy I'm super caffeinated
>>20702789nice. I have a Nannuo white from another site, might sip tomrrow
>>20702832Nannuo region is pretty good for Puerh but if I'm being honest I'm not feeling it with white. Maybe it's just Bitterleaf processing but I feel it's too similar to their Bada loose leaf. Anyways let me know how your Nannuo white tastes! I might pick up some to compare.
>>20702841>Anyways let me know how your Nannuo white tastesautumn leaves, apple, honey, hong cha notes from what I recall. it's highly oxidized. not bad but also not my favorite, I like more floral whites I think
>>20702851Yeah same, I like my whites perfumey and floral. They're so good fresh, I guess I'll just have to wait until next year.
>LSAT in two weeks>Working and taking summer classesI think I would have died without tea, bros. I'm drinking cheap thermos brewed white tea like it's my job.
>>20703211>LSATDon't come back if you can't score 170
>>20703230>my mom is posting on /ck/ now
>>20703235Im just giving you a hard time, you going for biglaw? Maybe a few years at a t50 then jumping to a cozy inhouse gig?
>>20703211i didn't give you consent to post my photo online, anon, what the fuck.
>>20703258Worse, I'm interested in intellectual property law.
>>20703416You should do Pro Bono work and call the law practice IP Freely (tm). Make sure to only have fresh green tea prepared for clients.
Is v93 always fishy or did I get unlucky? 2015
Just for completeness sakeI tried the alu wrapped tangerine pu erh today from>>20683081It's very similar to the paper one but slightly worse.Pure dusty old cellar taste all the way. Only got a little enjoyment out of steep 6 or 7, it did not become as sweet as the paper one unfortunately.Tee high was less intense this time.I started slower in the beginning with lower temps and shorter steeps to calm the bitterness.tl;dr don't fall for chen pi tangerine pu erh
>>20688359I removed the tangerine peel and brewed regular gong fu.Since I don't have much use for the remaining ones I'll propably try to toss a whole one into water and see what happens.
>>20703913>Is v93 always fishy or did I get unlucky? 2015Ripe can be fishy I saw a Russian guy saying he was mad about the quality of v93 from like 2013-2017 but i don't drink nearly enough of that stuff to know if he was full of shit or not, im also not sure what his specific complaints were.Lots of ripe can have a bit of the fishy smell, the fishy taste is the issue for most people.So just give it a nice 20-30 second rinse before brewing and don't take a big whiff before you sip and see if it tastes good.
>>20704006Chen pi can be alright but its annoying to find a nice example. Easier to just buy dried chenpi skins from fullchea and toss a few pieces in with your nice ripe that tastes good
>>20703913I've had at least a kilo of 2015 v93 from King Tea Mall without fishiness. There is a bit of woody dryness. Any wo dui fish funk should have worked itself out well before now. Maybe yours was stored poorly, maybe you're sensitive to fishy notes.
>>20699878That is a huge bummer, but thanks regardless for the help. Will definitely have a look on Ali
>>20704273> maybe you're sensitive to fishy notes.Can't be the case. Humans have evolved to the point of being able to detect trimethylamine (aka fishy smell chemical) in the part per billion region. There is no room to be more sensitive when baseline human is oversensitive.
>>20704654
>>20704654Are you certain trimethylamine is a chemical produced as a result of wet piling? No results on an initial search suggest so.
>>20705183i want to bury myself in that pile and ferment with the tea
>>20703416Why does IP law interest you?>Worse Indeed, IP law as a whole strikes me as being particularly rife with rent seeking behavior even by lawyer standards. I am not against IP as a concept but the current situation is a mess and big IP law has a vested interest against making things better. They make too good of money off the current legalistic quagmire. More lawsuits, more money!
no offense to ip law anon but if you're not going in with the hopes of making it weaker against schizo corpos like nintendo and disney, you are making the world worse for everyone else.
was checking out steam's Simfest and this upcoming game is topical.https://store.steampowered.com/app/2613540/Loose_Leaf_A_Tea_Witch_Simulator/I was excited for a moment but it seems all blended drinks and tisanes, and that made me wonder: are there any good games about tea, /tea/?
>>20675067I'm drinking gin right now and take offense to this general title. Delete this right fucking now.
>>20676025Based and Dry pilled.
>>20705418I always assumed gin was gin for lesbians
>>20705317It's not just copyright and trademark law that has problems. You don't hear about it as much but patent law is also a mess. Besides the patent trolls and "obvious" patents that should never have been granted big tech companies often hoard arsenals of overly broad patents in a sort of MAD-esk deterrence against patent lawsuits from rivals. This likely also has the effect of deterring new competitors who have deal with working around webs of 1000's of patents and don't have have enough patents to counter-sue or negotiate a truce.
>>20705415Holy shit. I am hype.
>>20705415You can matcha emote in The Finals now.https://youtu.be/y5Ov4NC1-dc
>>20705415>are there any good games about tea, /tea/?Can't say I know any, but there is a good anime about tea ceremony and teaware in samurai times, Hyouge Mono
I was on a tea discord and i see that many into tea are ill freak troons, are you guys alike?
>>20706253i'm a straight white blue-eyed blond-haired man, but i don't drink puer
Yep it's sippin timeThat random 07 mengku cake was 100 yuan from their shop so I think I'll try it first.
