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This thread is for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusions.

info: types of tea, where to get tea, how to brew tea
https://rentry.org/teageneral

previous thread: >>20899696
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Threadly reminder to get a tongue scraper
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Boiling 450 ml of water right now. Then I will add 5grams of a Xiagun tea cake into the water. Then I will boil for 10 mins. Steep 2. Then filter finely 4 times. Then add milk.
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>>20940371
I tied a long string to the end of my tongue scraper because I'm scared of swallowing it. I think if it slips and slides down my throat I can pull it out by the string
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>>20940384
Boiling xiaguan is based
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>>20940403
You probably struggle to swallow a pill and you're worried about swallowing an entire tongue scraper while trying not to?
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>>20940464
Yeah. And boiling pu erh in general. Each brand or type of pu erh does produce a different tasting cup of milk tea too.
>>
How does /tea/ feel about yerba mate?
No cancer fearmongering please
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>>20940514
idk, it looks too much like grass and lawn clippings.
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>>20940514
Haven't tried it
Don't mean to
Both the "tradition" and people who consume it seems gay as fuck
Reminds me of tea "purists" who demand everyone should drink tea a specific way with these specific measurements etc. but most people I've seen are pretty chill about tea. Most people don't mind if you prefer grandpa style or western style brewing
Yerba mate is like 30 different rules they try to impose on you & they try to make it like this "group activity", bro you're just drinking a coffee replacement fucking chill
>>
Ordered some teas from Japan.
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>>20940607
>& they try to make it like this "group activity"
this seems so weird to me, like why would you want everyone to take turns sipping out of the same tiny straw? I don't want people's cooties, they probably don't scrape their tongue.
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>>20940892
people share the same spliff
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>>20940474
No. I have no trouble at all swallowing a bunch of big vitamins and prescription pills every morning. A tongue scraper like pic related is dangerous because it easily slip out of my hands and slide down my throat. That's why I tied a really long string through the hole in the handle.
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>>20940514
I enjoy it. the traditional way to have it is also very convenient
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>>20940384
Reading this makes my skin crawl
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>>20940682
What, and from where? I saw the yen dipped again...wonder where it may bottom out to. I'd like to take advantage of the conversion rate to get some deals and teaware, maybe.
>>
Drinking long jing rn
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>>20941024
if that thing can go down your throat you've been deepthroating monster sized dildos for far too long
I would die before that thing is even halfway down there
>>20940892
also crazy they expect you to drink 1-2 liters of that shit per cup if you're alone
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I previously posted on this general about trying pu-erh
I drink a lot of tea, but never tried it as it just doesn't appeal to me (I mostly stick to oolongs)

Thought I should at least try it as everyone keeps saying how great it is...
I bought some samples of the following:
Bing Dao sheng 2013
Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng 2016
Haiwan shu 2012
Menghai shu 2017

Brewed up one each (sheng/shu) gongfu style
Generally sticking to recommended steeping times, etc, I found online

I cannot see what the attraction is to this tea
At best, I can say that it wasn't repulsive and didn't make me retch or anything. I could manage to sample it.
Completely unappealing though.
It was like going to outside, scooping up damp autumn leaves from a gutter, and brewing them in used bath water
It also left an unpleasant smell throughout my house
Both samples were like this so I have no desire to brew the other two

Did I do something wrong? Or is pu-erh just an absolute meme?
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>>20941415
My GF started on her tea journey a few months back, using suggestions from this thread we put together a list of the various styles of teas so she can have a wide array and try everything.
She hasn't tried raw puerhs yet, but absolutely hated both of the shou puerhs we got. Said they tasted like old books
I guess it's just different strokes for different folks
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>>20941415
You might like young sheng more. It's more like green tea.
Dunno where you bought the samples, but "bing dao" does not inspire confidence
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>>20941433
>>20941415
I had a sample shou puerh that I tossed because I didn't like it.

Otherwise I ordered a sheng cake and a shou cake that are amongst my best teas. I drink one at least every day.

the shou
https://yunnansourcing.com/en-ca/products/2018-chen-nian-shou-mei-aged-white-tea-cake-of-fuding
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>>20941433
Damp, mouldy old books isn't far off. lol.
You're right, it's very subjective. I love marmite/vegemite and that's something which is very unappealing to many people. When I used to drink I also liked whiskey which some people hate too.

I'm glad I've tried it. Worth giving it a go.
Wouldn't drink it again even if free though.
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>>20941415
Avoid ripe like a plague.
Strange that you didn't like the raws.
>Bing Dao sheng 2013
>Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng 2016
Bing Dao is generally very expensive so it's possible it was fake.
Anyway I would try something younger, like 2020+
>It was like going to outside, scooping up damp autumn leaves from a gutter, and brewing them in used bath water
Old raw should be more like dried fruits, while young is like green tea but also bitter, sometimes fruity, sometimes something that I can't put my finger on... it's complex that's why hard-core tea autists like it.
I've had some white/puer teas that were like wet leaves and yeah, those are boring at best.
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>>20941438
I bought 2 sheng, 2 shu. Tried one of both style.
I didn't find it to be like green, more that it was less like a rotten tree stump than the shou.
Got the samples from a decent online retailer. I routinely buy other tea of good quality from them.
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>>20941451
I bought from an online store I use regularly, and paid a bit more for small samples of each. So definitely not fakes.
I wanted to give pu-erh a fair chance so opted to buy some decent samples (I've heard a lot about avoiding low quality pu-erh)

The Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng and the Menghai Shu are the ones I have tried yet (after such a miserable experience with the first two!).

If I'm willing to give it another shot (God help me)... what do you recommend for that Zi Ya Purple Bud for steeping? I will try it now and report back.
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>>20941477
I was thinking 5gram in my 150ml (aiming for about 100ml of water), 95 deg C, rinse, 15 sec inf, then increasing by 5s or so depending on liquor
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>>20941415
If both the sheng and shou tasted the same and left a similar unpleasant smell throughout your house you probably have really shitty tea. They should taste very different.
What vendor did you get them from? It's possible they're more focused on selling other teas and only have a few shitty puers.
>>
I'm trying the Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng now.
Initial thoughts is that it is much better.
Not as horrible as the Bing Dao
Not unpleasant, but not great either. Just 'not bad'.
My overall feeling is one of 'I wish I was drinking a nice oolong or green instead'

So I think it's more that pu-erh just isn't my thing.

I will run though a couple more test infusions on this one and then I'll test the remaining one (Meghai Shu)
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>>20941482
Do more like 8g, first, do 5s rinse(pour it out), then wait a minute or so, and then start with 5-10s steeps, keep increasing the time for later steeps.
But honestly, I just don't know the tea, maybe it's good, maybe bad. As the other anon said, both raw and ripe puer tasting the same is a bad sign. I've had some old raws that tasted like old attic wood. Bleh.
I would recommend anyone that wants to get into raw, to get $30 worth of samples from FL. It's free shipping and it should get you a proper idea of what puer is all about.
Having a good baseline can really help since many anons here have tried all the cheap FL teas and then can recommend what you might like, based on your findings.
>My overall feeling is one of 'I wish I was drinking a nice oolong or green instead'
If you are feeling this you need to give young raw a try. It's similar to it, just way more interesting.
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>>20941521
>>20941477
the bing dao is probably faked / mislabeled, unless you paid 2$ per gram or something
>>
OK, so I just quick ran through some testing as one last chance before throwing the stuff in the bin...

> The Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng
Not awful, not good. Like drinking a very disappointing green tea. Tried a few infusions, but didn't improve and I don't feel like there was any capacity to impress.
At least made me understand why people like pu-erh as the taste wasn't awful, just not to my liking (in the same way that some people love a 'grassy' green while others hate that).
Wouldn't chose to drink it again though

> Menghai Shu
Like brewing up the timbers of a ship or an old horse cart. Completely unappealing. Didn't bother to go beyond 1st infusion.
Again, didn't taste off, it just tasted disgusting and unpleasant. It's almost like it's not tea (like some other tisane or something!).

I think at this point I can say I've given pu-erh a fair chance but it's just not for me. The Shu stuff is just awful. The Sheng is better, and I'd drink it again to be polite to a host, but I would pick a mediocre oolong over it every time.
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>>20941561
>The Shu stuff is just awful
Yup
>The Sheng is better
Yup
>but I would pick a mediocre oolong over it every time
Once you have tried a few good (young) shengs, you will change your mind. It's just a different league.
The simple truth is puer is king, that's why all the good material is used for it, which is also the reason why some of these cakes are just so expensive.
There is nothing wrong with some cheap TGY(TGY was one of my first favorite loose teas), but acting like it can compete with good young raws is simply inexperience speaking. But, everyone needs to find that themselves.
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>>20941581
Lol
Is there some sort of Pu-erh Stockholm Syndrome or something that all you pu-erh nuts suffer from?

Nah, you bought the wrong one...
Must be fake...
Must be a dodgy retailer...
Must be mislabelled
Yeah you've got the wrong one, try this other random one, that 'the one'
No, not that random one, that's the wrong one too
Your taste buds are faulty bro
Shu is shit, Sheng is good
Nah bro, Shu is good, Sheng is shit
Taste is an objective fact, if you like x over y then you are wrong and inexperienced

Are pu-erh people the audiophile knobheads of the tea world?
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>>20941594
>Are pu-erh people the audiophile knobheads of the tea world?
No. Audiophiles are delusional schizos. I've my fair share of experience.
You on the other hand tried two questionable old samples (one is 99% fake) and formed your opinion without trying even cheap young raws.
It's like using HD660 or some other open back piece of shit to judge the bass quality.
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>>20941606
> I'm not a audiophile style knobhead
> Behaving exactly like an audiophile style knobhead
Why does every hobby or interest have to attract these redditor dickheads?
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>>20941594
>Must be a dodgy retailer...
I wouldn't judge an entire "genre" of tea off what curioustea stocks. The saying goes
>all the tea in china
not
>all the tea some random londoner imports at high markups
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>>20941606
> I like this brand of camera
No! You're wrong! You aren't supposed to like that brand. It's bad and if you like it you are wrong and stupid.
You have to like this brand which I've built my whole identity and personality around.
> I like this brand of guitar and these strings
No! Are you stupid!? You must be a beginner or very bad at guitar. You should only like what I like.
> I'm happy with mp3 for casual listening
Only a complete moron who is semi deaf would not use FLAC. That explains things. You are wrong and your ears are wrong. You *need* to listen to music how I say you should or you are wrong.
> These budget bike parts are fine for me. I see no reason to upgrade.
Obviously you are not a pro like me. I should know. I mod the biggest bike subreddit. You clearly don't know anything about this hobby
> I've just bought this used laptop
OMG! Is that a thinkpad? Did you not know about this [completely unrelated fact]? You are stupid. You should have bought this thing inside. Let me tell you about this irrelevant thing that doesn't affect real world use.
> I'm happy with basic filter coffee. It's all I want
You clearly don't understand coffee. You've probably never even tasted proper coffee. I doubt you could even taste the difference. I, on the other hand, have lots of experience and knowledge despite being a 17 year old on the internet larping as an expert. Let me tell you about this obscure type of coffee bean and apparatus that I heard some other person larping about (I've never actually had it, but the current hivemind says it's the best so I'm structuring my entire identity around it.
> I don't like pu erh tea
simply inexperience speaking. You on the other hand tried two questionable old samples (one is 99% fake) and formed your opinion without trying even cheap young raws.

These losers show up in every fucking hobby....
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>>20941606
>(one is 99% fake
Wait you're telling me this isn't yiwu gushu?
https://www.curioustea.com/tea/pu-erh/yi-wu-gu-shu-sheng-pu-erh/
I'm only shopping at reputable London vendors like meileaf from now on.
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>>20941686
Damn, you owned me bro. You used your superior intellect to prove how right you actually are.
You even called me a Redditor to win an internet argument, how could I ever recover?
>>
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what the fuck is up with like the 50 shu haters spawning out of nowhere recently or is it just one retard spamming it? Theres so much good shu and other heicha out there that i would much rather have than a mediocre young sheng
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>>20941707
you could calm down with a cup of shitty poop erh tea
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>>20941714
> is it just one retard spamming it
Probably just one retard trying to liven up a dead thread. Like the guy who invents a new reason every few weeks to not try any w2t.
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>>20940514
>How does /tea/ feel about yerba mate?
It's good. It takes a little while to get the hang of brewing it and different brands taste very different, from bright green to woody and smoky.
It gives a noticable energy boost compared to tea or coffee. Buy a bag on Amazon and a stainless straw and try it out.
>>
Yerba chads, I could never really get the hang of the mountain thing, I just end up with the whole cup fulla sludge and rebuilding it every 2 seconds.
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>>20941686
slopposter so you lose
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>>20941561
>Like brewing up the timbers of a ship or an old horse cart
Some of us are into that.
Anyway liu bao is like shu except it actually tastes good, some other time down the road ask us for a recommendation and try some.
Sheng is great but highly variable definitely worth trying again in a year or two.
Anyway i would strongly recommend you try some Taiwan oolongs from tea home.
They are reasonably priced, shipping is fair and they are very enjoyable.
This is a real old school 80s style taiwan oolong, hard to find ones like this anymore.
https://www.teahome.com/product/upteah/
This is more contemporary, the roasted version is fantastic, think roasted pineapple notes.
https://www.teahome.com/product/ao202700/
Shipping will be like $10 for 700g
He emails you with shipping cost and a payment link after checkout
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>>20941760
Yeah, like I said, everyone has different tastes. Just not what I'm into.
I'll check that teahome next time I'm ready for a big tea order.
>>
all that's left of this site is redditors calling each other redditors
>>
>>20941743
I don't really do the mountain anymore, just stick the bombilla in there and apply water
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hey teabros, where can i get some old sheng? I've tried a bunch of the FL young shengs and liked them (my favorite was tflz), and now I want to try something aged. An anon above said it should taste like dried fruits, which sounds nice. where can i get something like that?
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>>20941933
The government and Big tea don't want you to know this.. but you can find high-quality free sheng tea in urban drainage systems throughout many temperate parts of the world. It's free. You can just take it. They can't stop you.
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>>20941964
my buddy in tea those leaves are NOT aged >:(
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>>20941415
Another one fell for poo-er meme
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>>20941933
I've got this one from taobao
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2020-haiwan-quotthe-gathering-of-plant-spiritquot-raw-puer-excellent-tea-series-quotling-qiquot-premium-raw-puer-400g
I don't know much about it but it tastes like dried figs and something funky like olives.
The naka from CSH is also fruity, but more like dried apricots/peaches.
>>
>>20942029
>The naka from CSH is also fruity, but more like dried apricots/peaches.
Oh what year for this one? I've actually been wanting to get something on CSH since I have the $20 off coupon for first purchase.
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>>20942051
NTA, the 2022 one I have is quite apricoty
But if you want the more aged sheng fruitiness that's darker and more like prunes, you'll have to go older
>>
>Boil 450ml water
>Weigh out 3 grams of Mevlana Pure Ceylon Tea and 3 grams of Yunnan Old Tea Tree Black Tea
>Boil for 10 mins
>Steep for 3 mins
>Filter with a ultra fine filter 4 times
>Add milk to cup
>Pour tea in
>Drink
>>
>>20941933
I see people recommend teaswelike a lot for aged raws. If you want the fancier stuff, it's probably a good choice
For cheaper stuff, just pick up some wepl known factory productions from any vendor. I like the 2008 happy Xiaguan tuo from kingteamall myself. I would describe it as plum-woody-tobacco.
>>
>>20941933
Depends on your budget
Puerhguy has some great teas but they aren't cheap, teas we like has some great offerings, king tea mall is a bit overwhelming and shipping is kinda pricey but he has a lot of old tea
>>
Every general does have its own "vibe" and those that try to stifle different types of discussions I noticed
>>
>>20942157
Nobody asked
>>
Can I get some advice? Someone that I know is getting into matcha, and I want to buy them stuff as a gift. What's a good baseline for "these are things matcha enjoyers should have?"
>>
>>20942192
>What's a good baseline for "these are things matcha enjoyers should have?"
No idea, just buy based on pricing. or buy a tea cake, those always look good as gifts.
>>
>>20942192
Check the shops in the rentry
The Japanese tea shops have good matcha and some have nice matcha teaware like chawans. You can also find chawans on Etsy and eBay, some are very expensive but some are quite reasonable. There is also a teaware section in the rentry that has a few japan focused teaware shops.
A mid grade matcha from a good Japanese shop will blow most of what you can get in the west out of the water. Pay attention to tasting notes and avoid matchas that are very bitter or have other flavor profiles that may put some people off.
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>>20941433
Oh no. She's going to leave you for a woman. Puerh is the first step.
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>>20942192
don't forget the battupragu
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>>20942192
They probably already have a bowl and a whisk since that's the baseline for matcha, so I'd get them some accessories, like a bowl coaster or sifter.

https://www.o-cha.com/tea-ware-brewing-accessories/matcha-accessories/matcha-caddy.html
https://www.o-cha.com/tea-ware-brewing-accessories/matcha-accessories/matcha-furui.html
>>
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>>20942192
I just snagged some nicer matcha gear earlier this month.
https://www.slowpoursupply.co/collections/matcha/products/matcha-scoop-by-%E7%BF%A0%E8%8F%AF%E5%9C%92-from-nara-japan
https://www.slowpoursupply.co/collections/matcha/products/tsubame-matcha-sieve-1
> "these are things matcha enjoyers should have?"
I'd start with good matcha.
https://www.hugotea.com/collections/matcha/products/matcha-wazuka-ceremonial-tin-80g
>>
>>20942321
I have that sifter and I really love it, tsuchime has grown on me recently
>>
>>20942816
Beats the shit out of the farberware strainer I've been using for years.
>>
>>20942855
I bet, how's the suikaen chashaku? Have been considering getting one as my $1 pos one has splinters
>>
Tea bros we won
https://youtube.com/shorts/NQBwX4sbJEE
>>
What are ya'll sippin?

I'm trying my Keemun for the first time and it tastes like cinnamon with a hint of grapes wtf. Certainly different than any other black tea I've had.
>>
>>20942986
sippin on this:
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/tulin-2009-tuocha-tea-yunnan-tuo-cha-raw-puerh-250g
and a dong ding oolong in my other pot (dual wield sipping)
>>
>>20943037
>(dual wield sipping)
Based.
How is that tulin tuo, I was gonna grab one from fullchea on my next order

>>20942986
Haiwan shu. It's an alright brick but I'm just drinking through it really.
>>
>>20943052
>How is that tulin tuo
it's okay. like a less smoky Xiaguan tuo. can't complain for the price, but I did prefer the Happy Tuo
>>
>>20942942
Seems to work as well as a bamboo stick should. Probably grab one of these next year to round out the weeb set.
https://kurasu.kyoto/collections/all-tea/products/original-lipped-bowl
>>
>>20942986
>What are ya'll sippin?
I just had some genmaicha.
I have some left over from when I bought some on a whim to try.
Not something I'd drink regularly but it's a nice tea for when you want to try something different.
Genmaicha and kukicha are two teas I've really enjoyed. I'm looking forward to exploring more Japanese teas.

One of the best things I did recently was to buy a few really small 50ml gaiwans.
My main aim was to use them for parallel tastings but if also found them perfect for using up leftover small amounts or teas like this one where I'd only want a couple of small cups of it.
>>
my recent tea drinking strat has been to put a green tea bag into a bottle of water, toss it in the fridge for a few hours, take it out and toss the tea bag, then squirt in flavored water stuff like pic, shake it up, and enjoy cherry-flavored green tea.

I barely taste the tea, the artificial flavoring overpowers it, but it tastes good and it's still healthy for me, right?
>>
>>20943672
>and it's still healthy for me
uhh anon
you know they say that about coffee, milk, wine, beer, whiskey, yerba mate and vinegar as well right
>>
>>20940293
Is awazon any good?
>>
>>20944005
Hit and miss, they have some pretty nice tea for cheap and some dogshit stuff.
>>
>>20944239
I was considering getting one of their tongs of ripe. The price was too good to be true, but it's very tempting.
>>
>>20944269
Yeah not sure anyone has tried that. Or much of the awazon branded stuff in general. Definitely get a sample first.
The '09 fuhai is nice.
>>
Hey guys, can I get some basic oolong recommendations from YunnanSourcing (us site)? I'm about to make an order for some puers, but I was clicking around and got a bit curious about oolongs. I've been drinking a ton of raw puer, some ripe, a ton of white, a ton of red, even a bit of green, but no oolong. I don't know much about oolongs and there's so many of them, I'm not sure what to go for.

Here's my current experience:
I really liked a tie guan yin i tried when i was pretty new to tea. I remember the dry leaf smelled like medicine so it was kind of off putting, but the wet leaf had a really nice smell almost like cornbread. The liquor was super thick and syrupy, and pretty sweet iirc. It was a nice soothing tea. 10/10 would buy again.
The other one I've tried is eastern beauty. This was my very first loose leaf tea. I had only drank the usual english breakfast tea bags, camomile tea bags, etc. I remember pouring hot water on those leaves and it instantly smelled like my grandma's christmas fruit punch. 10/10 just for that. The actual taste was nice and fruity too.
Overall I guess I already do like oolongs lol, I've just been busy trying all these puers that I haven't tried any new oolongs. What are some other good ones to try?
>>
>>20944005
the dayi was good.
the moonlight white cakes are fairly good for what they are, a little bitter at times but it's great bulk tea. the silver medal raw puerh is great after figuring out steeping idiosyncrasies.
if you're looking for something cheap though, just get a tong from bitterleaf. you can be sure the quality is there at least, and don't have to worry about storage conditions. if you're brave and want a shitload of tea all at once, awazon is the way to go. make sure you snag a coupla the cheapest dayi ripes, those things are extremely inoffensive for ripes, i've heard the awazon brand ripes themselves are not nearly as palatable.
>>
>>20944676
taiwanese, wuyi and dancong are the major styles you should check out
>>
>>20944005
Get the xiaguan raw bricks.
>>
>>20945227
what do these taste like in relation to, say, xiaguan tuos? 3$ / 250 grams is kinda sussy
>>
I learned recently about how my favortie childhood show named a bunch of their characters after chinese teas (dragon ball)

they have puar == puerh, oolong which is obvious, but now I just realized... yamcha == yancha? yes? it seems so obvious. I wonder how many more tea references are sleeping in plain sight. It makes me happy to see tea reference in my more cherished childhood things
>>
>>20945360
also dont they call those ~7g ball samples of tea dragon balls? am i tripping or was that whole IP created by a bunch of tea drunk lads?

I am having my first yancha right now, white2tea bantianyao, I am amazed how unique this is tasting. it really is, like, resinous and oily. I'll NEVER get sick of this hobby.
>>
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>>20945348
Smoky, bitter, astringent, and extremely tasty. I just busted down another brick of it a few days ago. Found some sort of acorn. Its just xiaguan scrap. Yunnan brick weed for export to remote Tibet. Cheap and potent.
>>
Bros should I buy a tong of Caledonia from white2tea shulloween sale?
>>
how many different teas did you find you received when you bought last years trick or treat bag?
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>>20945449
There was 10 unique teas, but 5 of them had only 2 balls or less. About half the bag was the two shulloween special ones.
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>>20945360
Don't forget bulma

>>20945364
Yancha is awesome. Expensive habit, I'd drink that stuff way more otherwise
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>>20945360
dude, i didn't notice the yancha, but i too realized puar last week. i think dbz is getting a sort of resurgence with that new game of theirs.
quite cool though. funny we both went through such a similar experience within so recent a space.
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>>20945389
toxicology department speedrun any%
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>>20945429
I bought the Lumberslut tong on sale last Shulloween. Don't regret it one bit. You have decent storage? Do that first before a tong.
>>20945364
>I'll NEVER get sick of this hobby.
Fucking heard that.

So check this out. I was digging into my qian liang again a moment ago and noticed golden flowers. At least I think so, right? It's the right genre of tea being hei cha, but I've only known fu bricks to be inoculated. I've also never had a golden flower fu brick, so I rule out cross contamination. Either way, it's a pleasant tea.
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>>20945755
looks like it, yeah
I think they sometimes inoculate other hei cha too

love Lumber Slut btw, I've gone through two cakes so far and might buy more. very distinctive and yet pretty cheap
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>>20945389
bro took the "just grab some random shit off the street outside" to heart
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>>20945766
Were there any 15% off tongs this year? That's a pretty good deal for shu you know you're going to go through.
Here's a shot of the slice. Looks like a tree stump.
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>>20945832
That was one from YS wasn't it? Gotta grab me a slice of that some day.
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>>20945837
King Tea Mall, actually. I've only ever had this one but I sure like it. Lasts a pretty long time, but I tend to use a lot of material when I brew it. Nice fat chunks.

https://kingteamall.com/products/2009-anhua-qian-liang-cha-cake-700g-dark-tea-hunan-province
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>>20945832
>>20945837
i've had Qian Liang, its a bit like fu but the lumps break apart easier because it was made in massive logs not 1 kg bricks. you can actually get some mostly intact leaves
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>>20945930
Good price, thanks.

>>20946491
Nice, looks like your one has golden flowers too?
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>>20946656
i think they all do, how the leaves are processed you'll get golden flowers but lots of manufactures add wheat and spores to maximise the amount
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>>20946491
What's the strongest tea you've had? I've had Lao Cha Tou that's been like syrupy coffee. Gaiwan and left overnight.
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>>20945389
>>20945389
>>20945755
>>20945832
>>20946491
Absolutely rancid.
Even that mentally ill random man who made porn inside a septic tank would find this shit disgusting.
Peak poop-erh meme
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>>20946784
What we drink puts hair on your chest. Hei cha, puerh included, is not for women or children.
>>
drinking a really shitty Alishan oolong I bought a sample of at a local store
man, this stuff sucks. no real aroma or flavor beyond a typical roast. I'm guessing it was sitting there stored improperly for years or something, cause it's the worst taiwanese oolong I've had and it wasn't the cheapest at all
the other stuff I sampled from that store was better though. gui fei oolong was decent enough and they had a pretty good raw pu-erh from pu-erh.pl
>>
> Moychai monthly tea subscription
> 500-600 grams
> 180 euros
> Puer and aged oolongs

I'd need a 3rd kidney if I were to go through that much tea in a monthly basis
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>>20947055
at least it's better than what the ani-puer/puerh lesbians poster is drinking. he still hangs in here? in the puer/farmer leaf/cheap chink tea general? that's an achievement on steam.

whats the best starter kit for matcha fo eus and uss? somebody knows?
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>>20947200
I'm probably gonna make a teahome order when I run out of oolong. seems like the ultimate site for taiwanese oolong on a budget
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>>20945502
im dumb, what tea word is bulma
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>>20947261
bulma balls lmao
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>>20947200
> in the puer/farmer leaf/cheap chink tea general
You say it like it's a bad thing.
I will keep ordering and drinking cheap chink leaves thank you very much.
I will not redeem 1$/g Indian shit
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>>20940293
Is the fix to a bad thermometer on a kettle just waiting awhile? I got one of those temperature control kettles and if I had to guess its between 15-20 degrees out of range now. I fucked it up today while descaling and it got stuck between 0-32 degrees and 1E. Gave it like 30 minutes and it was fine though. Has this happened to anyone else?

Also any good recent tea reccs? I still haven't checked out raw puerh that much. All the white tea I have tried has been pretty bland but I think that might because they were both really compressed. Thinking of putting together an Awazon order. I'd buy more Farmerleaf but it's too expensive...
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The yerb
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>>20947293
>Also any good recent tea reccs? I still haven't checked out raw puerh that much
try the 2006 Spring of Menghai sample if you're gonna buy from Awazon. it's pretty good and a rare chance to get a 2000s Dayi that isn't overpriced
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>>20947447
sssssip
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>>20947447
I make it in a pot and strain it off like tea. We didn't fight the Falklands War to drink out of Argie straws.
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>>20947447
thats a nice yerba, mate. you cleaned the straw too.
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>>20947533
don't tell me that's what you look like /tea. that's a scooby-doo villian vibe.
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>>20947533
That's an ugly mug (I like the cup though)
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Coffee guy looking to try some good tea. Can't go wrong with hot drinks. Normally coffee wise I drink that natural fermented stuff so whats a comparable tea to that?
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>>20947738
the fuck is "natural fermented stuff" you mean the stuff monkeys or whatever have shat out?
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>>20947738
get some shu puer. white2tea waffles aint bad, or get some haiwain 9978 or something. Just get something with a few years on it and you should be good.
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Gonna get me some Martinelli’s and brew up some of my Darjeeling and give this a try.
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>>20947738
not sure what natural fermented coffee tastes like, but there are some fermented teas. ripe (shu) pu-erh is thick and dark, a lot like coffee. not everyone likes the woody, fermented flavor though.
there are also many roasted teas, some of which can be reminiscent of coffee. if you want to taste some roasted teas, try roasted oolong like shui xian or da hong pao
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So, what are the must buys from teahome?
I'm thinking of ordering:
>Legend of dongding
>Alishan or shanlinxi
>One of the gaba teas (not sure which one)
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>>20948404
All coffee beans are fermented before they are processed and turned into green coffee beans for roasting. In fact the two most common methods for processing the coffee berry incolve dry and wet processing, which is a direct analog to raw and ripe tea processing.
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>>20947738
Tea isn't coffee like wine isn't beer. There isn't a directly comparable option.
Just aim to try basic introductory tea and find what you like then go from there

>>20947910
>>20948404
Ignore the pu erh faggots
People who drink that shite are the mentally ill transgenders of the tea world
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>>20946784
i break chunks off bricks and store it in jars, all the mold falls off, once i've gone through my 2 bricks i'll snort the yellow gold
>>20946779
>Lao Cha Tou
that stuff is great but i dislike how even after a dozen steeps you still need to break the lumps up my hand. probably three crane liu bao tea that brewed very dark and tasted of betel nuts
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>>20948693
Please saar drink more streetshitter tea.
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>>20948522
How does one acquire this book?
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Where do I buy cheap (good) smoked tie guan yin? Roughly under $0.15/g, I don't care how long it takes to get here.
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>>20949043
fullchea has a cheap roasted tie guan yin. I think some anon liked it
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>>20949043
also, try some roasted taiwanese oolong too, like the ones from teahome that get some attention for their value lately
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>>20942192
I'm actually in the opposite position as this. Someone that I know is a tea lover (but more of a normie, if that makes sense), and they've expressed wanting stuff or matcha as a gift.

Does anyone have brand recommendations for bowl/whisk or a starter kit of some kind?
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>>20949284
>opposite position
>wants advice on the same things
?
just read the replies
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does Chawangshop do black friday deals? what about teahome?
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Did anyone tried "premium" priced cakes from one of the big factories?
I'm impressed with my 260 yuan($36) haiwan cake, so I'm wondering how better would 560 yuan($78) one could be.
I wonder how would it compare to the csh/fl/w2t etc cakes in this price category.
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I bought a tea and it came in powdered(more like pellet really) form. Is this normal?
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>>20950531
like this? normal for cheap indian/kenyan teas. high surface area withs strong bitter tea to be drunk with milk and sugar
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>>20950546
something like fish food, came with sugar too.

the box had chinese character but it was made in indonesia.
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>>20950375
Mengku bo jun is worth every shekle.
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Confirmed farmerleaf black friday releases:
>Sheng from Mohei village, near Kunlu
>Wood fired teapots
>Maybe Banpen shengtai material?
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>>20950671
I'm guessing mohei will be expensive as shit, but what about banpen?
I think I've seen some from other vendors and the price was decent so I'm guessing not as famous?
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>>20950695
>This maocha is from small trees from Banpen. In the choice between tree age and good soil, i will always pick the latter. It seems that all what grows south of Menghai was infused by something magic.
>Complex leathery fragrance, good balance between the softness of Hekai and the potency of Bulang Shan. Close enough in taste to Lao Banzhang despite the 200m of elevation difference. It’s got a bite that forbids you from leaving the tea table, cup after cup, your kettled keeps being emptied by this charming tea.
small trees probably means it won't be extremely expensive. but I wouldn't count on it being very cheap either, the well known villages of Banzhang are always pricey. I would guess mid price. if it actually gets released that is, maybe this was just a random tangent
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i like lapsang souchong because it tastes like bacon bits
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Oh nice. My shulloween cakes are already in Chicago. Took like 3 weeks last year.
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>>20951252
nice. what did you get?
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>>20951325
Snagged the 4 pack again. I've been chipping away on my other w2t ripes trying to make space.
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>>20951344
I'm almost out of them myself, down to the last bits of Lumber Slut and Peak Vulture. but I'd prefer to take a break from ripe and maybe drink some liu bao instead for now
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>>20943435
That's good, probably doesn't have the problems mine has then, I'll have to get one
Seems like a nice piece, just wish it didn't have a spout, do you typically pour after whisking?
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hey anons, so I want to get myself some sort of nice slippers to replace my old crocs. I don't like being barefoot, but there's no reason to be sweating in my sneakers all day if I'm just chilling in my house. Honestly I'd just be in my socks but I don't want my socks piling and picking up all sorts of dust and stuff from the floor. Are crocs just the best option for this? I like that they're airy so I don't sweat in them, but they're literally just cheap rubber... I wanted to see if there's any nicer options. All of the stuff I see by looking up "house slippers" are like cozy warm fluffy ones that are probably gonna make me sweat more than my sneakers.
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>>20951516
Hey buddy, I think you got the wrong thread. /fa/ is two boards downs.
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>>20951531
KEK my bad, i had both threads open
drinking tflz today
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>>20951497
Always. I like drinking out of crystal/glass more than anything glazed/stoneware.
>>20951516
https://queencityfootwear.com/collections/house-shoes
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>>20951516
I got Birkenstock sandals for this exact purpose
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>>20940293
Hey, I was wondering about Gaiwans. I want to get my mom a nice one for Christmas and would be willing to spend a decent amount, but was wondering, are the more expensive ones worth it? I saw some nice looking porcelain ones for 60 some odd dollars, and was wondering if the price was indicative of any quality or if it's too necessary to spend a lot.
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>>20951571
i used to wear birkenstocks year round. eventually, it turns out i deformed my own feet. injured my heel in a little sprain and my doctor was like "huh, yeah that's not how they're sposed to be"


really do love birkenstocks though.
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>>20951571
They're nice and this is an occasion where it's really not worth cheaping out, you can get similar sandals for much less but the crude straps will irritate your feet and the soles will never "mold" properly. I'm sure that Birkenstock has outsourced production like everybody else these days but the difference is still noticeable. Take care of your tootsers lads, older (You) will be grateful.
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>>20951873
I only have 2 gaiwans at opposite ends of the spectrum, a super cheap one ($12, 100ml, normal glazed porcelain) and a really expensive one ($85, 120ml, "mutton fat" porcelain), so I can't speak for all the stuff in between, but the difference between these two is night and day. the expensive one has a really nice unglazed texture, like a soft matte if that makes sense. I absolutely enjoy looking at and holding that one more. The only problem with it is that since it's not glazed, it has gotten a bit stained over the months I've had it. I see it specifically at the outer base where the drippage sits throughout my sessions, and I can notice it a bit on the inside of the gaiwan in the right lighting. I haven't figured out how to clean this fully, and the inside of my matching gong dao bei is very obviously a darker shade than the outside. I don't really mind it myself since it doesn't mess with the taste of my teas, but it's something to be aware of. The cheaper one feels thinner and lighter like a toy in comparison. I can't compare the actual pouring since the lid of the cheaper one broke before I could use it, I dropped it like 3 inches from my hand to the table and it shattered. Now the bowl just sits as a decoration. :( I'm assuming it would make the same tea just as well though. I just really like the look and feel of the other one better.

links to both so you can see what I'm talking about:
https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/teawares/products/white-porcelain-gaiwan-for-gong-fu-cha-brewing-100ml
https://westchinatea.com/mutton-fat-jade-porcelain-gaiwan/
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>>20951571
yeah I wear them while driving my Subaru all high on puerh
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drinking 2023 Snoozefest today
personally, I won't repurchase it this year. can't complain for the price, but it is a little bland with not much depth. also, a bit vegetal for my taste. still, for 15$ it was a fine way to add some more variety to my sheng rotation
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My Awazon shipment with a selection of whites + a raw cake is sitting at customs for 2 weeks now :(
This is not looking good.
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>>20952515
which raw did you get?
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>>20952532
2018 Mijing Early Spring
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>>20952474
Glad I grabbed 3 last year. Think I'm still sipping on the 21.
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>>20952042
Try a magic eraser to clean those tea stains. It works wonders on my mutton fat teapot.
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>>20952474
I think for the price of 400g (+ a few sample balls) at $30 shipped, it's pretty reasonable. I intend to recommend it to some people who have wanted to get into gong fu with me so they have a low-stress intro to it. That and maybe Farmer Leaf when he has another BF sale.
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>>20951873
In terms of function they'll be more-or-less the same, the extra money you're spending is for aesthetics, materials, and/or craftsmanship. If those are things your mom would appreciate then it's worth shelling out the extra money. If it's more of a functional gift- or you can find a cheaper gaiwan that's aesthetically pleasing- the extra cash would be better spent buying her some tea to go with the gaiwan.
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> Drinking vietnamese green tea
> What? This tea is usually steeped at boiling? The vietnamese are crazy. This tea is dreadfully bitter even 1 celsius above 85.
> Today, lazy and busy with cooking, so grandpa brew a cup with freshly boiled water.
> The tea is sickeningly sweet.

It's not that the tea is both bitter and sweet. The bitterness is sweet. Like gargling a load of stevia in the back of the throat. I can now kinda understand the appeal of boiling vietnamese green tea.
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>>20953052
sounds like you're describing huigan
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>>20952619
>magic eraser
holy crap anon thank you! this stuff is witchcraft, my whole tea set is looking pristine now
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>>20953274
Just be aware those things do nothing but shed microplastics all over everything. Use sparingly.
https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2024/june/melamine-sponges-shed-microplastics-when-scrubbed.html
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What black friday sales are you anons planning to partake in?
I'm thinking cspuerh for raws + someone else for other teas
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>>20953315
I'm tempted to pick up a Farmer Leaf woodfire teapot teased earlier this year. Anon reminded me this thread that was on the way. They looked really nice. Maybe I shouldn't, have recently become unemployed.
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>>20952042
>>20952691
Thanks a bunch for the advice. One other question, is there any information out there about if there have ever been lead based glazes being used? I know my mom would probably be the type of person to be concerned about such a thing considering many seem to be made in China, and I wouldn't want her to have it as just a decorative piece, I think it would be best if she got use out of it too.
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>>20953861
>lead based glazes
Its typically the gold painted stuff that's high in heavy metals. Rims and filigree. Don't be looking for thrift store scores and you'll be fine.
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>>20953315
I told myself that I wasn't going to spend any more money on tea this year.
>>20953821
>Maybe I shouldn't, have recently become unemployed.
Sorry to hear that anon, hope things work out for you soon.
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>>20953882
Thanks anon. Trust me when I'm say I'm good. I just need to resist the woodfire teapot haha
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>>20953861
Most of the plates for sale at target still use lead based glazes. For Chinese stuff avoid anything where there is paint on top of the glaze and anything antique and you will be fine.
>>
Yeah the dirty little secret of the dinnerware industry is that nobody has found a decent replacement for lead glaze and just about everyone still uses it.
Not even the EU has banned the use of lead glaze on dinnerware mugs teapots etc
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>>20953861
modern porcelain is pretty safe, just avoid vintage stuff
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>bought a bunch of 10g sencha bags from Yunomi
>half of them were more like 8 or 9g
>one was 13g
The quality of the tea is just fine, but what's going on here? It's left me with a lot of awkward half-doses. I don't expect this sort of carelessness from the Japanese.
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>>20954938
is your scale fucked up? my samples from them have always been 10g, it seems weird that everything you ordered is off
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New to tea. When it says first infusion on the chinese style does that mean infuse it for that long then toss it or what? How many times can I infuse the same leaves? Does the infusion time go up or down after the first one?
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>>20954943
Never had any issues with it but it is a few years old... it could be part of the problem but the swing is dramatic enough I doubt it could be all scale.
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>>20954954
>When it says first infusion on the chinese style does that mean infuse it for that long then toss it or what
some teas can benefit from being "rinsed" or very shortly infused before the first actual infusion. in that case, the "rinse" is tossed. I wouldn't worry about it much though, it's not necessary and I only do it for compressed or aged teas myself
>How many times can I infuse the same leaves?
depends on the tea and how much tea you use. most will go for several brews at least. some could be more than 10
>Does the infusion time go up or down after the first one?
it goes up, unless the tea is compressed or rolled. then it should go down as the leaves unfurl / open up (more contact area with the water, so it will brew faster), and only then does it start going up
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>>20954954
Infuse for that long, drink, infuse for longer, drink, rinse repeat as long as you're getting flavor. Different teas act differently so just play around.
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Shulloween got here early. 4 cakes and a dangerfield mini. Hopefully yalls balls start arriving soon.
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>>20955078
>"Dangerfield was blended with an intention of being a poor man's Naka"
>costs the same as cspuerh's Naka (more if you consider cspuerh's promos)
a bit funny. could be interesting to compare the two
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>>20955086
Naka=/=Naka
https://white2tea.com/products/2005-naka?variant=31961868107913
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>>20955115
I'm surprised they didn't squeeze "punches above its price weight", "won't destroy your wallet" or "on a budget" in the description on this one. Maybe they only do it for sub 200$ cakes
>>
I prefer heavier roasted yancha over lighter roasts, but I've never had bad yancha either way.
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>>20955115
>Naka=/=Naka
True. Csh naka tastes way different than FL naka
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>>20955404
any comparison? which one did you like more?
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>>20955410
>csh
Fruity
>FL
Typical FL young sheng with leathery notes. Think fzh but --fragrance ++leather funk

I like csh more, didn't like the funk
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>>20955482
>Typical FL young sheng
wait do all young shengs not taste like this? I got like 8 young sheng samples from FL and they all taste like 95% the same with varying levels of bitterness, except for maybe TFLZ which felt more citrusy (i think?). That being said I did get the cheap ones, no fancy gushu or single trees or anything like that.
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>>20955482
I love that CSH Naka myself, fruity, strongly mineral, short lasting bitterness with sweetness, cooling effect. just a fun cake to drink. gets me a bit high too
>>20955498
FL does have a bit of a house style, they process their tea on the greener side and it is very clean modern production
always worth diversifying vendors a bit to have more of an idea of what's out there
but honestly it's way easier to know the difference between teas with bigger samples sizes especially when you're new, 20 grams is not that much
which teas did you get? for what it's worth, TFLZ and Lao Man E autumn are my favorite FL cakes right now and they stand out a bit
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>>20955523
>which teas did you get?
I got TFLZ, 2021/2024 yellow flakes, huey wa, fzh, bangwai small trees, jingmai miyun, dong guo, and lao man e.
I liked tflz and 2024 yellow flakes the most so i went back for the cakes. I thought the lao man e was a bit too bitter, but I still have more so I'll give it another chance one of these days. The others didn't really stand out to me so I don't remember them as much; they're pretty much interchangeable in my mind

>20 grams is not that much
I think you're right. 20g is like 3 sessions so it's enough to figure out if I want to keep drinking a tea, but not really to pick out and compare the nuances
>>
I see that some anons are concerned about lead in their glazed teaware but shouldn't the biggest worry be what kind of chemicals or heavy metals are in the tea? The two big tea growing nations aren't exactly known for their concern for the consumer.
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>>20953872
>>20953930
>>20954280
Sweet, the advice is very much appreciated, thanks dudes
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>>20955706
It's like this my man: there are poisons in your produce, cadmium in your coffee, lead in your cup, and microplastics in your balls. Something is definitely going to kill you. And if something is definitely going to kill me, I sure as hell hope it's tea. Cheers.
>>
>>20955706
China doesn't pollute their tea that much because they're the ones drinking it. China is the biggest tea market after all.
>>
https://kingteamall.com/en-pl/products/2004-changtai-chen-hong-chang-yi-wu-yiwu-cake-400g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha?variant=44452371562726

Is this cake any good? looking for an aged raw that's better and smoother than the factory tuos I've been drinking but still not too expensive
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>>20956282
I have a cake of it that I bought after I finished a 100g sample, I'm drinking some right now actually. I think it's pretty good, especially for the price. It's not very complex, but it's enjoyable, and definitely smoother than the average cheap xiaguan tuo.
https://kingteamall.com/collections/sheng-puerh-raw-tea/products/2006-changtai-si-pu-yuan-tong-an-hang-65s-year-of-hk-tongan-tea-cake-400g-puerh-raw-tea-sheng-cha
This one is pretty good too. Both solid daily drinkers imo
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>>20956030
>Chinese don't fuck over other Chinese for profit
Congrats, anon, it's an auspiciously educational year for you.
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>>20956282
I have that one too, agree 100% with the other anon. Enjoyable cake.
>>
drinking cheapish Shui Xian oolong from KTM
chocolaty roast, burnt butter cookies, some cinnamon
totally an easily acceptable tea
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>>20955498
>wait do all young shengs not taste like this?
Similar but not the same. Probably every vendor has some underlying flavour.
I've got several relatively young xiaguan cakes and again, they have this... thing that was common for all of them.
I tried 3 csh cakes and again they were different to FL cakes but more similar between each other.
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>>20956475
>I tried 3 csh cakes
which ones did you try? thinking of ordering from them on black friday
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>>20956489
Naka, zodiac and the emperor sample.
All of them were good. Naka is fruity, zodiac is a blend so it's fruity, grassy, but also leathery and bitter(not a fan) and the emperor was decent but just too expensive.
They have new cheap cakes that I'm interested in, but there is too much tea everywhere and I can't get it all.
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>>20956526
nice. I loved the Naka and liked the Sheng Yun blend I got from them. Might get the Zodiac or Yin Banzhang, haven't decided yet
>>
Good morning /tea/, here's a bump. What's everyone sipping?
I've got an unlabelled bag of oolong from teahome I'm finishing up.
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>>20957568
gonna sip some kind of sheng or maybe yerba mate

I'm thinking of buying from teahome myself. any reccs?
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>>20941868
Go back
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>>20940514
>>20941738
>>20941743
I have never tried yerba before but I've really curious about it after seeing someone sucking it down at a festival, can any of you dudes red pill me on it?

As an ausfag, what do I buy? How do I use it? What is it like? As much detail as possible please
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>>20957570
They've got a "wu yi" aged roasted oolong which I enjoyed, I tried the 2013 one.
I'm pretty sure it was their Alishan which I liked most, out of the greener stuff I had.
Some anon has mentioned Legend of TungTing as a standout, which I'll be trying next time I order.
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>>20957576
>As an ausfag, what do I buy?
buy the cheapest prepackaged south american brand you can find. where I'm at, that happens to be Pajarito. for first time, I'd probably pick something more mellow though, like a Cruz de Malta
don't buy random loose mate sold by tea stores, it's always many times the price of what it should be

if you want trve traditional mate brewing, get a bombilla (metal filtering straw). doesn't need to be expensive, just make sure it's stainless steel and not some nickel plated shit
>How do I use it?
fill cup with yerba (let's say 1/3rd of the way to start with). stick the straw in there. apply water at 70-85 degrees celsius (green tea temperature). drink through straw, keep adding more water until it brews out. if the brew is too weak, just wait a bit more
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>>20957576
>What is it like?
grassy, bitter, sweet, tart, often smoky, herbal, grainy
there are some differences due to processing, the biggest ones are in amount of smoke and in how long the leaves are "seasoned" (the longer, the less grassy, darker flavor)
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>>20957590
>I'm pretty sure it was their Alishan which I liked most
the normal green one? I remember one anon recommended the "selected roasted" version
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>>20957609
Yeah I got the greener "selected" one in the blue bag since I was interested specifically in the jinxuan aroma, I figured the roast might obscure that. Usually I'd err on the side of heavier roast though so anon might be right.
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>>20957568
Just had some lishan oolong that I bought in Taiwan. Pretty nice stuff, but with the weather getting cooler something with a darker roast would have been better. I also just prefer darker oolongs in general. I also need to make a teahome order sometime.
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>>20957621
>>20957626
thinking of grabbing:
>the legend of tung ting
>roasted selected jin xuan
>maybe ruby 18? haven't had it before, but it's at a good price
>maybe a GABA? not sure which one of them is roasted though, I want a roasted one
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>>20957576
>what do I buy?
There's no reason not to go for South American brands; here in the US and almost certainly in Aus too a lot of it is heavily marked up and hipsterized for gringos even though it's by nature a cheap unpretentious commodity. Another anon mentioned Cruz de Malta; it's a good gentle introduction and is widely available. If you want something with more character, try Rosamonte Traditional.
>How do I use it?
Put the straw in the gourd (both items are famously cheap) and throw in way more leaf than you think you need- something like 40-50g in a standard gourd. You'll then want to hit it with some room-temp "dummy water", a little at a time, until the leaves stop gulping it up readily, otherwise your first few brews will shrink to almost nothing. After that you just fill 'er up with desired water (I start at 70C and go up one or two degrees at a time, all the way to boiling) and sip; from here on its very easy and you can get dozens of infusions with that mountain of leaf. There are other approaches but that's what works for me.
>What is it like?
Sort of like a rustic green tea, or green herbal like nettle, but it's a surprisingly varied world. Grass and "earth" are flavors you'll get a lot, but many have a vaguely maritime saltiness to them, and some of the smokier brands are downright meaty. It's really not as bitter or unapproachable as people say, especially if you're versed in tea or coffee. I like to have a brew or two a half hour before a workout.
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I wanted to order from Teahome, but just noticed I can't select my country when ordering
does this mean they only ship to some countries?
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>>20957808
Seems like a pretty nice selection. Ruby 18 has always intrigued me but I never got around to trying it.

>>20957956
That happened to me too, I emailed and they added it to the list.
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>>20957969
>That happened to me too, I emailed and they added it to the list.
nice, that's great news. I've now emailed them too
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>>20957811
agreed. buying south american brands is the best advice
I think yerba mate is especially great for people who like smoky teas like old school xiaguans and whatnot. some brands advertise as smoke-free too, which you could compare to modern vs old school production in pu-erh
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>>20940371
why
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>>20957994
You want your teeth seasoned, not your tongue.
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>>20957994
>>20958000
Anon convinced me to start tongue scraping about a year ago or so. Without a doubt it results in more acute tasting of tea and better breath. Don't forget to floss and mouthwash, too.
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>>20957568
sippin on some 2012 haiwain 9978 that I thought I had lost until recently
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>>20957808
Tung ting is good.
I got the blue bag GABA, I think it has a light roast %5 I think. Its really good.
It looks like there is a more heavily roasted version as well.
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Inky black lumber slut + a cigarette = nice
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>>20958224
I hear the only cigarette brand worthy of pairing with puerh is Chunghwa. the favored brand of Mao himself and leading premium cigarette in China
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>>20958224
I don't smoke, but that infusion looks so slick in that lighting. Yummy.
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>>20958244
For me it's Golden Bat.
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>>20958244
I'll have to try to find some.
>>20958280
I'll buy a pack of cigs like once a year, it's a very occasional thing for me. I do smoke a cigar once or twice a month though.
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>>20958080
It's always nice to dig something up from the pumi you thought you ran out of or otherwise forgot about!
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>>20958466
>pumi
damn that's a lot of tea! Letely I've been thinking of setting up something proper to store my tea too. I got into tea a few months ago and so far I have 4 full cakes, 3 of them being puer and the other a white tea. all of them are in the sealable pouch FL sends them in, but other than that they're just thrown in a cardboard box in my room. how important is getting proper storage for these things? do i need to drink stuff within a certain amount of time if i don't store it well?
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https://cspuerh.com/products/2022-yi-pin-chen-sheng-raw-pu-erh-tea-2
Anon shilled this here couple months ago and I finally got my paws on it. I'm partway through and so far it's a big disappointment. Weak qi and everything tastes the same.
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>>20958623
did you try the naka? anons were shilling the naka earlier and I'm thinking of getting it myself
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>>20957568
Some Kashmir Tchai (spiced black) by Kusmi Tea to get some contrast from all the black, pu erh and green I had the past weeks. It is very christmassy and comforting for the cold weather.
Little sugar, no milk.
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>>20958466
None of these cakes are opened
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>>20958623
which ones have you tried?
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Gabaron sencha tonight. I used too much, but it's still nicely savory and mildly sweet. Always reminds me of sweet potato.
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just made a teahome order... I think, I haven't paid yet. they're supposed to send me a payment link, right?
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>>20959157
>>20958725
I just pick randomly and if there's anything which I like I'll pay closer attention to it. So far nothing impressed me.
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>>20959227
Emperor is supposed to be real rocket fuel, try that one
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>>20959213
now the payment failed. maybe I need to have NTD on my card? I thought it'd convert automatically...
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>>20959319
>Emperor is supposed to be real rocket fuel
In what sense? I still have a sample around here somewhere... I remember it was good, but I wouldn't buy it for that price.
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>>20959357
It might be blocked by your bank for security reasons because it's an overseas transaction. I did not need to worry about any currency conversion. You might need to call your bank and complete the purchase with them on the phone so they can let it go through. My bank is extra paranoid and i have to manually authorize about 50% of my tea orders to Chinese vendors.
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>>20959458
kinda crazy cause I've never had those problems before. I guess I could ask them to use paypal instead too, maybe that will go through
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>>20940371
not a bad idea Anon, I'm prone to getting tonsilitis and white growth on my tongue, so that would be a good habit to train
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Just made milk tea with 7572.
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Fullchea seems to be running a 10% sale on everything right now
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>>20941024
Get a two handed one.
They're better anyways.
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hey anons, so I want to get myself some sort of nice slippers to replace my old crocs. I don't like being barefoot, but there's no reason to be sweating in my sneakers all day if I'm just chilling in my house. Honestly I'd just be in my socks but I don't want my socks piling and picking up all sorts of dust and stuff from the floor. Are crocs just the best option for this? I like that they're airy so I don't sweat in them, but they're literally just cheap rubber... I wanted to see if there's any nicer options. All of the stuff I see by looking up "house slippers" are like cozy warm fluffy ones that are probably gonna make me sweat more than my sneakers.
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>>20959955
wrong thread again, I like cotton soled tai chi slippers thought, theyre pretty light, and fit right to your foot without being stuffy. cheap as hell too
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>>20959633
Any recommendations from fullchea? I’ve been looking at the Keemun, the milk oolong, and the smokeless lapsang souchong and wondering what else to add to my order.
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>>20960055
https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/tulin-2009-tuocha-tea-yunnan-tuo-cha-raw-puerh-250g
this one for sure
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>>20960041
Ok mr Wong Fei Hung
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Bump.
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>>20959955
https://gokeyusa.com/home/gokey-shoes/double-sole-moccasin/
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>>20960055
note that the milk oolong is flavored, even though they state it isn't
I have the tuocha anon posted, it's alright

they have a lot of reasonably priced Taetea and Haiwan pu-erh, I'd go for some of that myself. reputable brands
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>>20959955
Dubs checked. Anyways get some roman sandals.
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Who here uses bovedas?
I'm testing it this week.
The current room parameters 24C and 40% RH, popped one 69% boveda to my FL cake pouch and it raised the RH to 57%.
I wonder if I need bigger boveda then 8g or if I should wet it a little to help it.
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>>20960060
having it right now. smooth woody, some plums or cherries, a bit of smoke. when overbrewed, it can get some unpleasant astringency and it isn't complex or deep. but a decent semiaged daily drinker overall. it doesn't feel too young like some factory tuos I've had
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>>20959458
turned out to be that. I didn't want to do it manually though, so I asked teahome to send me a paypal link, and that went through
thanks for the help, anon!
ended up buying:
>the legend of tung ting
>selected roasted alishan jin xuan
>ruby 18 black tea
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>>20960055
I don't really trust their loose leaf desu, but it's a good place to buy cheap factory pu-erh
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>>20960853
Where do you go for loose leaf?
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>>20960713
Give it a few days before making a decision. Your tea acts as a humidity battery. The cakes themselves need time to come up to proper humidity. Until then, they will act as moisture absorbers, keeping the ambient storage lower than you may expect. When your ambient storage Rh matches your packs, then you'll know your teas are juicy, resilient to Rh swings, and good to go for the long haul. Your parameters seem fine otherwise, but be cautious about drops in temp at 69%. It wouldn't take a large drop down for condensation to happen.

Additionally, I recommend treated silicon beads (from Heartfelt Industries in the USA) rather than Boveda pouches. They are much easier and faster to recharge with water, can be fit into their non-original shapes, and are cheaper by storage volume.
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>>20961004
The ones I got from kingteamall some time ago were pretty good
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Taiwan Tea Crafts is having their 13th Anniversary sale rn.
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>>20962254
I"m convinced /tea/ is made up of autistic weeb coomers who sufffer from terminal cases of yellow fever
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>>20962264
thats all of 4chan, we're just caffeinated and hydrated
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>>20962304
most of the interest boards don't have a majority weeb coomer base like /tea/
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>>20962254
>-50% on cheaper pair and save teaware teaware item
not too great a sale desu. but new teaware added is nice.
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>>20962352
Also $13 off $100 orders, $26 off $200 orders. Not great, but if you are making a large order or getting some expensive teaware, it covers shipping.
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I was browsing etsy for a kefir seller and saw this pu'erh kombucha in the reviews.
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>>20962354
oh yeah, that's a bit better. just bought from teahome though, so I'm not in a hurry to buy more taiwanese tea
I do think they have some really cool teaware
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Finally killed a pot. We had this one for around 10 years.
Anyone where I can get a nice big (fish) pot, a lot of places seem to only stock small pots. Maybe local charity shops are better, I'm guessing this is chinese made for export type stuff.
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A very sorry state of affairs
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>>20962479
RIP fish
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Wow, da hong pao is fucking awesome
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>>20962526
>>20962526
roasted oolong is good in general. especially comfy in the winter
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>>20962381
>Jiaogulan Booch
wtf that actually sounds really good
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>>20962264
Can confirm sipping puer all day opened my third eye and now I can see only thing that matters in this rotten world is tits
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>>20962479
Pour one out for the fish gang.
That's a magnificent fracture for kintsugi. I'm a little jealous.
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>>20962254
Some of these are really charming!
>>20962264
No.
>>20962304
No.
>>20962526
Yes.
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>>20962874
Booba or not, this guy's work is cool
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>>20962878
They're about $35 per cup. I'm tapped on teaware for now but it is definitely cool.
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>>20962847
I've been considering kintsugi today, it'd be quite sad to let this old pot die.
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do any of you have a tenugui? wondering how they compare to normal towels and tea towels
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>>20963196
Buy some sashiko fabric and make tea towels with it. Specifically the stuff the make kendo uniforms with since sashiko also refers to a style of Japanese hand embroidery.
https://bansyo-fabric.com/products/sashiko-fabric-by-the-yard-kendo-fabric-sashi-ori-alternative-version-sashiko-weave
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>>20962874
Sorry. In your case I meant autistic weeb coomer furry.
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>buy a gaiwan
>largest size I could find (6oz)
>give it a try, love it at first
>only get like 2 sips worth of tea per steep when using a teaspoons worth of tea
>accidentally fill it a little too much? fuck you, asshole burn your fingers
>tea tastes noticeably weaker for some reason
What the fuck am I doing wrong. Are these just not for me? I love how easy they are to clean but holy shit I get like no tea out of this. Like 1/5th of a cup
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>>20963791
thats cuz youre probably using a coffee mug or some shit, these gaiwans are intended to be used with and often come with these chinese tea cups that are tiny as fuck, theyre like shots. and you arent packing nearly enough tea in there, watch a gongfu tea tutorial. you put a shitton of tea and you get little shots of strong tea.
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>>20963833
Yeah a few gaiwans I saw had those with it but I assumed that a 6oz gaiwan would be fine for an 8oz coffee mug and fill it up 3/4, or at least half, so I didn't buy those to save money. And I definitely wasnt packing it much, I was trying to leave space for liquid.
Guess I quite literally am doing it wrong
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>>20963843
definitely pack it way more at least. you can definitely still use a larger cup
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>>20963843
The capacity of the gaiwan is usually measured with water right up the rim. In real use you always get less than advertised because the tea leaves absorb/displace some of the water
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>>20963205
mainly interested in how tenugui is because they're a softer weave and i'd also like patterns on it, but that link and sashiko weave in general still interests me as i'd love to get into sewing to some degree eventually. so much of the fabric at craft stores is cheap slop, so thank you
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I'm drinking some peppermint tea to relax.
>>20964032
>so much of the fabric at craft stores is cheap slop, so thank you
Especially yarn, it's all polyester trash. Although there's alternative sites online for wool but it's pricey. Maybe regular fabric has equivalent sites?
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i got this white tea thing as a gift. it's wrapped in citrus peels. no idea how to brew it. any ideas?
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>>20964522
take some of it out of the citrus, break off a piece of the peel and brew it along with the tea. I think that's how most people do it
never seen a white tea in citrus peel before, only puerh and oolong for some reason
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>>20964536
ty!
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>>20964654
>>20964654
>>20964654



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