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: >>20899696
Threadly reminder to get a tongue scraper
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.
>>20940371I 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
>>20940384Boiling xiaguan is based
>>20940403You probably struggle to swallow a pill and you're worried about swallowing an entire tongue scraper while trying not to?
>>20940464Yeah. 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
>>20940514idk, it looks too much like grass and lawn clippings.
>>20940514Haven't tried itDon't mean toBoth the "tradition" and people who consume it seems gay as fuckReminds 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 brewingYerba 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.
>>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.
>>20940892people share the same spliff
>>20940474No. 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.
>>20940514I enjoy it. the traditional way to have it is also very convenient
>>20940384Reading this makes my skin crawl
>>20940682What, 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
>>20941024if that thing can go down your throat you've been deepthroating monster sized dildos for far too longI would die before that thing is even halfway down there>>20940892also crazy they expect you to drink 1-2 liters of that shit per cup if you're alone
I previously posted on this general about trying pu-erhI 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 2013Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng 2016Haiwan shu 2012Menghai shu 2017Brewed up one each (sheng/shu) gongfu styleGenerally sticking to recommended steeping times, etc, I found onlineI cannot see what the attraction is to this teaAt 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 waterIt also left an unpleasant smell throughout my houseBoth samples were like this so I have no desire to brew the other twoDid I do something wrong? Or is pu-erh just an absolute meme?
>>20941415My 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 booksI guess it's just different strokes for different folks
>>20941415You might like young sheng more. It's more like green tea.Dunno where you bought the samples, but "bing dao" does not inspire confidence
>>20941433>>20941415I 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 shouhttps://yunnansourcing.com/en-ca/products/2018-chen-nian-shou-mei-aged-white-tea-cake-of-fuding
>>20941433Damp, 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.
>>20941415Avoid ripe like a plague. Strange that you didn't like the raws. >Bing Dao sheng 2013>Zi Ya Purple Bud Sheng 2016Bing 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 waterOld 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.
>>20941438I 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.
>>20941451I 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.
>>20941477I 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
>>20941415If 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 DaoNot 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)
>>20941482Do 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 $30 worth of samples from FL. It's free shipping and it should get you a proper idea of what puer is all about.Having a good baseline can really help since many anons here have tried all the cheap FL teas and then can recommend what you might like, based on your findings.>My overall feeling is one of 'I wish I was drinking a nice oolong or green instead' If you are feeling this you need to give young raw a try. It's similar to it, just way more interesting.
>>20941521>>20941477the bing dao is probably faked / mislabeled, unless you paid 2$ 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 ShengNot 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 ShuLike 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.
>>20941561>The Shu stuff is just awfulYup>The Sheng is betterYup>but I would pick a mediocre oolong over it every timeOnce 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.
>>20941581Lol 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 tooYour taste buds are faulty broShu is shit, Sheng is goodNah bro, Shu is good, Sheng is shitTaste is an objective fact, if you like x over y then you are wrong and inexperiencedAre pu-erh people the audiophile knobheads of the tea world?
>>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.
>>20941606> I'm not a audiophile style knobhead> Behaving exactly like an audiophile style knobheadWhy does every hobby or interest have to attract these redditor dickheads?
>>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 chinanot>all the tea some random londoner imports at high markups
>>20941606> I like this brand of cameraNo! 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 stringsNo! 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 listeningOnly 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 wantYou 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 teasimply 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....
>>20941606>(one is 99% fakeWait 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.
>>20941686Damn, 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?
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
>>20941707you could calm down with a cup of shitty poop erh tea
>>20941714> is it just one retard spamming itProbably 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.
>>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.
>>20941686slopposter so you lose
>>20941561>Like brewing up the timbers of a ship or an old horse cartSome 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 700gHe emails you with shipping cost and a payment link after checkout
>>20941760Yeah, 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
>>20941743I don't really do the mountain anymore, just stick the bombilla in there and apply water
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?
>>20941933The 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.
>>20941964my buddy in tea those leaves are NOT aged >:(
>>20941415Another one fell for poo-er meme
>>20941933I've got this one from taobaohttps://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/2020-haiwan-quotthe-gathering-of-plant-spiritquot-raw-puer-excellent-tea-series-quotling-qiquot-premium-raw-puer-400gI 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.
>>20942051NTA, the 2022 one I have is quite apricotyBut 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
>>20941933I see people recommend teaswelike a lot for aged raws. If you want the fancier stuff, it's probably a good choiceFor 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.
>>20941933Depends 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
>>20942157Nobody 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.
>>20942192Check the shops in the rentryThe 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.
>>20941433Oh no. She's going to leave you for a woman. Puerh is the first step.
>>20942192don't forget the battupragu
>>20942192They 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.htmlhttps://www.o-cha.com/tea-ware-brewing-accessories/matcha-accessories/matcha-furui.html
>>20942192I 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-japanhttps://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
>>20942321I have that sifter and I really love it, tsuchime has grown on me recently
>>20942816Beats the shit out of the farberware strainer I've been using for years.
>>20942855I 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.
>>20942986sippin on this:https://www.fullchea-tea.com/products/tulin-2009-tuocha-tea-yunnan-tuo-cha-raw-puerh-250gand 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>>20942986Haiwan shu. It's an alright brick but I'm just drinking through it really.
>>20943052>How is that tulin tuoit's okay. like a less smoky Xiaguan tuo. can't complain for the price, but I did prefer the Happy Tuo
>>20942942Seems 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 meuhh anonyou know they say that about coffee, milk, wine, beer, whiskey, yerba mate and vinegar as well right
>>20940293Is awazon any good?
>>20944005Hit and miss, they have some pretty nice tea for cheap and some dogshit stuff.
>>20944239I was considering getting one of their tongs of ripe. The price was too good to be true, but it's very tempting.
>>20944269Yeah 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?
>>20944005the 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.
>>20944676taiwanese, wuyi and dancong are the major styles you should check out
