The is the thread for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusionsInfo on types of teas, where to buy, and how to brew: https://rentry.org/tea-pastebinPrevious thread: >>21650610
>>21672448What's a good tea that sells in Australia?
>>21672456Kuura is an Australian store that people seem to like, if you don't mind the hipster marketing I'm sure their tea should be pretty good
>>21672448For me it's Yorkshire Gold. Everything else is shit.
>>21672456>>21672487Absolutely Kuura. If I were Aussie I would be buying from there often.
The urge to consume overwhelmed me and I ordered some yiwu samples. Hopefully I will try them all before BF. I also wanted to try some FL samples, but I am not sure they would make it here before BF and I'm waiting for autumn releases anyway.
>>21672551What's BF?
>>21672669Black Friday. There is usually bunch of deals around that time.
>>21672669Boyfriend. I want to try the yiwu samples before my boyfriend drinks them all, he is quite the yiwu fiend.
Do bitches love yiwu?Asking for a friend.
>>21672709Where can one even shop for quality stuff this year given the tariffs.
>>21672791Yeeeeeaaaaaah
i threw 250 bucks worth of sheng into a pile of literal dog shit in my dumpster today.exactly where it belongs.
>>21672492For me, it's red Yorkshire with a teaspoon of milk. Gold's trying too hard to taste better.
>>21672737No. They love Puerh.
How can I be homophobic? My bitch drinks puer
i don't fucking like "fairness cup". what's fair about it? what the fuck are you talking about? fuck you. i'm not fucking calling it that. i'm gonna call it the fucking "distribution canister". Fuck you.
>>21672448I'm pretty sure those are the same pitches sold on aliexpress that have a habit of exploding.
>>21674061[Jules, Vincent and Jimmie are drinking tea in Jimmie's gong fu room]Jules: Mmmm! Goddamn, Jimmie! This is some serious gourmet shit! Usually, me and Vince would be happy with some Sea Dyke right, but he springs this serious GOURMET shit on us! What varietal is this?Jimmie: Knock it off, Julie.Jules: [pause] What?Jimmie: I don't need you to tell me how fucking good my yancha is, okay? I'm the one who buys it. I know how good it is. When Bonnie goes shopping she buys SHIT. I buy the core area, competition grade stuff because when I drink it I want to taste it. But you know what's on my mind right now? It AIN'T the tea in my Factory One teapot, it's the moldy Awazon tong in my pumidor.Jules: Oh, Jimmie, don't even worry about that...Jimmie: [interupting] No, No, No, No, let me ask you a question. When you came pulling in here, did you notice a sign out in front of my house that said "Moldy pu-erh Storage"?
>>21674100Kek.What are some gourmet yancha recommendations?
>>21674105just buy some fuckin DHP
Just ordered calendula tea. Is it good, anons?
>>21673221a teaspoon of milk in a mug or a small teacup? a teaspoon of milk in a mug is not enough milk
>>21672456I had some Australian grown tea: spring 2023 Arakai estate queensland.it was a very smooth mild black tea which isn't really my thing but if you like mildly flavoured black teas with zero bitterness then you might like it.
>>21674061The souled, hopeful and full of childlike wonder "fairness cup" vs the bitter, cynical and broken by life "distribution canister">>21674210One teaspoon per 200ml or so? More than that and I find it gets cold a bit too quick.
>>216742545ml of milk in a 200ml cup sounds like its not enough for my taste, id think it'd have little effect on a black tea and id be unable to taste the milk it'd just slightly diminish the bitterness.I mostly drink oolong brewed gong fu so i rarely use milk but if I'm drinking british tea bag tea ill usually use like 1/4 of whatever cup I'm drinking from of milk so for 200ml that'd be 10 teaspoons
Don't have a lot of experience with white teas so I just tackled it the way I normally would with new teas. 60 seconds of appropriate temperature water in my little pot. In this case 4 grams in 80 or so ML. It was pleasant but I didn't feel a lot of flavor or aroma to it. After the first cup I was surprised to see how it still stuck together so I had to pull it apart a bit And get all the dry stuff exposed. I'll have to try this western style next time.
>>21673221At least it's not PG Tips.
>>21674176be careful with calendula. it's a very potent vulnerary. quite effective at it, it can heal things *too* quickly. digestively it should be fine (may even help some of our tissues) , but be aware that it is an actual medicinal herb>>21674254fairness cups come from ensuring everyone drinking tea in the group gets the same tea. this concept alone suggests that china spent some period without fairness in tea parties. some hog slurping up all the tea, some emperor letting his vassals have just a drop, enough to understand what they were missing, nah sucka, too grim.distribution canister makes one feel like they're enjoying tea they stole from a cryo-room in jurassic park, which is *much* better.
>>21674452shou mei and gongmei is a rip off.
>>21674061>>21674781fairness cup because all the pour mixes in a cup before being shared out, the start of a pour will be weaker than the end and when you're gongfu brewing those few seconds difference in theory make a difference. chinese culture is obsessed with 'fairness', iirc Confucius exiled himself because he didnt get his fair share of meat from the emperor which he saw as losing favour in the court
>>21674820It stopping the overbrewing is also a pretty good thing because wasted tea is just not fair on anyone.
>>21674784I mean, I'm just working down my sampler list here. So if it is a ripoff I'm not exactly upset.
>>21674738I hear they were well liked not too long ago, then they changed the recipe in the bags and it became crap. Supposedly the loose leaves stayed the same, though. Can any bongs confirm?
>>21674830with the enshitification of everything they probably used african tea to save a few pennies per kilo over indian. checking wiki it seems they just uses kenyan tea. they're mostly known for their adverts or at least they were in the 90's and early 00s
I drink harney and sons. its bretty good
>>21674830They got rid of Munkeh.They are DEAD to me.
>>21674830this is a yorkshire thread
Gocciole are the best biscuits for tea.
the shui xian white from wuyi origin is a masterpiece. melon, grapefruit, ceylon cinnamon. it is neither savory nor sweet, has a great deal of depth and nuance.
>>21674820I've seen the videos of Chinese tourists at buffets. I don't think they care much about fairness.
>>21675106that's the thing, they're just like american politicians. they name things so that they superficially carry the things they superficially honor, but are in fact using to rob, lie, and cheat. what's in a name?
>>21674738>>21674830Two weeks ago I drank a cup of PG Tips and it made me dry heave for 3 minutes. Would not recommend.
>>21675143>what's in a name?Power. That's why knowing a demonic entity's true name gives you power over it.
>>21675157if you believe you have power over demons, you're making a grave mistake. that is to say, you are making a mistake which will send you to one.
I'm drinking some cheap Chen Pi White. What do I think of it?
>>21675172a little musty, not as unidimensional as expected, but overall dull. nothing special but fairly comfy.
>>21675172You like it more than you thought you would but you know it's pretty low grade shou mei. You're therefore apprehensive about "glazing" it on /tea/ so you meme what you can't say, baiting for validation.It's good tea, bro.
>>21675172It has a strange spiciness to it, almost ticklish with a metalic, coppery, tangy aftertaste.
>>21675172Is that freeze dried ramen vegetables?
>>21675236sure is! makes at least two meals
>>21675172>>21675177>>21675180the first note I'm getting is that of faintly diluted chamomille tea. the leaves are pretty broken and very inconsistent in appereance. they open up very easily, which I did not expect after mostly working with factory ripe puerh.nice sweetness, only slightly cloying. I guess most of that is imparted by the mandarine peel, right? the box has a big laminated printout that makes a big stink about describing what Hui Gan is, so I guess that's what they're trying to sell the stuff on.It's okay for what it is. I probably could have bought something better with 15€.>>21675236ramen veggies are probably of a higher quality than these leaves. it does look kinda pretty as a micro brick though.
also it comes in little 5g sachets, which is pretty silly. I guess it's one way to get a consistent cuppa.
>>21675278White tea can be quite sweet, and chen pi is pretty overpowering on the tea itself but it seems to bring potpourri dried perfumey type notes rather than sweetness to me. Though, I only had it with ripe.Is hui gan a thing in white tea? I'd write it off as just marketing.
>>21675278I usually associate huigan with a nice strong puerh. White teas are too delicate and chen pi doesn't offer bitterness or huigan.>>21675281I've seen more Shui Xian that comes in mini-packages than I haven't. That said, I thought Shui Xian was a kind of oolong exclusively.
>>21675074Great to hear, that one was on my list
>>21675292>Is hui gan a thing in white tea? I'd write it off as just marketing.according to them, it's a 4 out of 10 on the huigan scale, lol.I do still have a sweet aftertaste in my mouth, but I suspect that's mostly the sugar from the mandarine peel. the aged xiaguan raw that I have gets a lot more huigan.
SHULLOWEEEEEEEEN
>>21676447Stocking up on ripes.
>>21676447>>21676468Which site?
>>21676479Shulloween is a white2tea tradition. The grab bags of minis is the main attraction, but each year seems to be a little better than the last for offerings. The minis also come with a nice linen bag.
>>21676447>>21676468Honestly as a promo this is really pretty weak, but is a fun idea and good marketingPersonally if I wanted to buy ripe from w2t, I would wait for free shipping on BF and buy a cake of lumber slut + something else that's a fan favourite
>>21676447ended up ordering 2kg tea
>ripe puerh offerings
I'm not a big fan of puerh in general
>>21676493Individual cakes Lumber Slut and 520 Jin have a cheaper gram price than Shulloween but Shulloween is still a good deal below 10 bucks per 100g in the realm of hipster vendors.
>>21674452So just to confirm, yes. Western style was very nice. The smell never transfered over from the leaves to the brew but it has this nice sort of syrupy taste that makes me think of dried fruits that held up for two four minute brewsI wouldn't order again at these prices but honestly it's nice. A lot better than the raw puer I tried before. I might actually finish this before my next sample
>>21676468Oh nice same as last year. Might finally be time to try some of the Cat.
I want to participate in W2T's Shulloween this year. Anything worth getting besides the grab bag? I don't know if I can justify buying the cool shou package thing with 2x200g cakes or not. Damn, I just don't want to miss out on yet another year before they sell out. There's BF's annual sale too, damn it.>>21676447Oh shit, thank you for the noti. I completely did not notice.
>>21676447Thanks for letting us know.Was just thinking I should get another Waffles, the grab-bag is just icing on the cake.
these spooky balls do look pretty cute... how is the quality, you guys reckon? I've heard people in here advise against these mini tuos.
>>21676701W2t's shu is good. The balls are made of the same material as the cakes, they're nice.
>>21676701>how is the quality, you guys reckon?This will be my third year ordering the grab bags.>I've heard people in here advise against these mini tuos.That's a good memory but these are not those tuos we warn against. In fact, they aren't tuos at all. These are rolled dragon balls, sometimes called pearls. I know it sounds like BS or pedantic. There is a strong correlation between those single serving tuos and really bad quality puerh. There is no such correlation with dragon balls, at least not from any Western facing store I've ever seen.On top of that, w2t is trustworthy and imo very good.
Gonna skip the cool 4x200g W2T cakes thing and just get the grab bag while they're still in stock. Any weird bargain items (sub $12ish) in the heicha/hybrid/oolong categories worth considering before I pull the trigger?
UK anon here, out of interest just had a look at the W2T grab bag which for me would be £38 total (including shipping). The page says the bags include ~455g of tea which works out to be 8 pence per gram. Is this too good to be true? Most UK sellers seem to price tea at around 12-20 pence per gram
>>21676506it really just isn't worth the squeeze for me. i like some of the bready notes in ripes, but drinking moldy ass tea doesn't sit right with me. don't get me started on bitterdent apricot juice and their lies
Should one go for the oldest Lumber Slut from w2t? They're all priced the same.
>>21676845Yeah that's the strat, imo. Always pick up the most aged one.
/cklit/ here, what's your favorite book to read under the influence of a fine cuppa?i like a bit of poetry meself
>>21676853Various amateur Japanese webnovels I read for free while drinking liubao.
Going to be in Italy for 2 weeks, what local bottled water do you guys buy to brew your tea?
>>21676853>i like a bit of poetry meselfI wish I could actually enjoy poetry. It would be nice I guess to enjoy a cup and read some soul moving stuff but I always bounced the fuck off of it.
Take my money, chang. I didn't want it anyways.
>>21676859On holiday, if I dont want to waste time reading mineral content on water bottles I just go to the supermarket and grab Volvic. Its expenisve but good for tea. Another tip is finding a turkish store. They usually carry 5l canisters of tea water at lower price than Volvic.
>>21676884By local I mean from Italy I know Volvic and been in france multiple times already and found better water there too.
>>21676871get onna them thar compilations, them thar anthologies from Norton (third edition specifically)and give em a look, the trick with poetry is about the same with tea, you gotta find the one that speaks to you specifically, but there's definitely some poems out there for you if you look. >>21676858anything particularly good?
>>21676859>>21676886
>>21676894I got to try Sant'Anna in france recently I enjoyed it because of the shortage of Mont Roucous which is in my knownledge the most used for tea in france. I'll keep the list and see what I can find and try out I have a few tea shops to visit and I'll ask what they use, good ones won't be using tap water at least not in Rome that's for sure I don't know about Florence but will see. Thank you anon.
>>21676894Would you have the same list for France I'm curious.
>>21676899>>21676900Shitty screenshots since this guy won't let me rip his doc. Lets see if 4c will let me post the link this time.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AEsSN9NqldHeXuvsDUxc33xnLrWrgJoxrt2AwVWltDs/edit?gid=0#gid=0
>>21676859i use levissima
>>21676905Thanks. The Mont Roucous is not updated tds is listed as 22 it's now 33 on the bottles, ph 5.8 instead of 6 Calcium 2.6 instead of 2.9 Sulfate 2.5 instead of 3 and Nitrate 1.6 instead of None (?) >>21676907If I can find some I'll try.
Where the fuck can US anons buy shou and liubao besides W2T without getting fucked on shipping/tariffs now? I thought YS US would be okay enough, but even compared to a boutique seller like W2T, the price per gram is a little rough outside maybe a couple of low-stock heicha items. KTM is high as usual. Fullchea doesn't ship to the US anymore. FarmerLeaf's offerings are kind of limited for shou, and not that cheap either. Kill me.
>>21676921Its a years old secret document from a defunct blog. Last updated 2022. Not too much saved on wayback machine. Interestingly enough it seems like he abandoned bottled water documentation and started working off Empirical's recipes(like I've been shilling for some time).https://web.archive.org/web/20220605164433/https://therhymingleaf.info/2021/07/168/>When I was looking into water remineralization, I found three main sources of inspiration: Tea Curious and Tea Secrets / Empirical Tea. Their recipes gave me invaluable insights into possible methods for obtaining a certain water profile. They taught me a lot, and most importantly they motivated me to learn more. However, the TDS of their waters was quite different from that of the waters I loved the most for brewing tea. For example, it was about 3 to 5 times higher than that of the water I used the most: Sant’Anna (22 mg/L of fixed residue). After much learning and after a great deal of trial & error in procuring the right tools for the job and learning how to use them, I went on to try their recipes extensively. Their waters are a force to be reckoned with, as they produce excellent tea.
>>21676958I'll look into it thank you Anon. I discovered Sant'Anna recently in France it's a nice coincidence for me.
>>21676940Anon I'm sorry but good tea is a luxury good and you'll be paying out the ass for it like anyone else that wants something nice not made in this blasted hell scape. Your only hope is to wait four years and hopefully the next seat warmer will repeal some of these tariffs But I doubt it because it's just another way to tax the populous. Just start budgeting and planning when you can actually make large purchases to bulk up your reserves
>what's that? tariffs? i can't hear you over me buying more tea *sluuuuuurp*
>>21676987I can afford it now, it's just frustrating because I don't want to overspend, and it's a little pressuring since W2Ts limited items can run out quickly sometimes. I checked my stash, and I have around 550g of shou, though practically no heicha. It's weird thinking back how W2T was supposed to be a boutique option, but now it's a reasonable budget pick.I've resolved to at least get one mix bag, but idk if the other items are worth it or not.
what's the /tea/ approved humidity regulator of choice?
>>21677027i just open the cabinet and breathe heavily for a minute or two and close it quick
>>21677027I hear Boveda and silica beads usually in this thread. No real contention between the two camps. I think both work well. It may be just me and anon who shill the silica beads. Heartfelt was the company usually recommended for beads, but they are kill. Anon knows the name of another company selling them.
>>21677027Since Heartfelt is out of business now, you could be the first to try these guys. Seems like the same product but they're advertising them for puerh and pot instead of just cigars. Or pay the Boveda tax every once in a while.https://rhshield.com/
>>21676853Usually something pulpy for me.Just got through a story of notgypsies being persecuted by a mad count, with a side-spinkle of vampire shenanigans. Now onto a story of a couple of witch hunters who have chased their quarry into a land run by a vampire count who is actually a pretty decent guy but all his children are total fuckups.Pulpy stories are good to relax to.
>>21677037>>21677039is 70% good for puerh? I know that for the devil's lettuce you usually go with about 62% so it doesn't get moldy, but it seems that puerh calls for extra dank storage.I'm not really looking to age my cakes very seriously, I just don't want them to dry out completely in the ziploc bag where I keep 'em.
>>21677057I saw 70% available under the puerh section on the website, too. It's cool that tea gets a shoutout! Props to a small business paying attention to who is using their product.70% may be good, but it is on the high side of common pumidor Rh values. I use 65% personally. It was a decision I made seven or eight years ago and one that hasn't let me down since. Let me also say that puerh doesn't necessarily call for extra dank storage. It shouldn't be considered the default.>just don't want them to dry out completely in the ziploc bag where I keep 'em.If you only have a few cakes that you chew through, that bag is just fine.
>>21677057I think I've got a big 63% boveda in my small pumidor right now. I'll be replacing them with 65% beads eventually. Same % as my cigars. You might want that higher rh for a ziplock you're regularly opening but someone can correct me.
Anyone buying the jin tongs?https://white2tea.com/collections/latest-additions/products/2025-520-jin-tong-shulloween-special
>>21677039I also see that they sell the empty tubes. I suppose that's nice. Heartfelt never did. I fill pantyhose ends with the beads and tie them off.>>21677092Yep. Not even my first blind buy tong.
>>21677100>pantyhose endsanon...Quit stealing your mom's nylons.
>>21676828It's a normal price for shu puerh. There are even cheaper ones that are pretty good, as low as 20$ for that amount
>>21676940Have you tried the steeping room? They are in US and resell bestsellers from other vendors, margins aren't badThere are also some US boutiquey brands
>>21676828>guys, is this a correct price for moldy sack of balls that taste like dirt and twigs?
>>21677109If it's stupid but it works, then it ain't stupid.
>>21677100>Not even my first blind buy tongCan't say I get the appeal of blind buying tongsBut I guess these small pseudo tongs from w2t are fine enough, 1 kg is so much less than 2.7kg
>>21677124the fuck is wrong with you
>>21677092Any opinions floating around about this tea?
>>21677124That's clever n-rigging. You're a lunatic though. I gots to know why you have pantyhose to begin with and where you got bulk silica beads.
>>21677100I bought the tong. Only ever bought single cakes/bricks/loose before, never a whole tong. Feels weird, but fun. Maybe they'll toss in a few extras to sample too, who knows.>>21677132I have no idea. They just released it, and it's marketed seemingly as a more bang-for-buck daily driver.>Our new 520 Jin blend is a no fuss workhorse that boasts a molasses sweetness atop classic notes of forest floor. Incredibly affordable daily drinker that will help you fight through the work day without hammering your wallet.I will post notes when I get to tasting it.
>>21677124"If it works, it works" is not an unreasonable sentiment.But that it looks like a collection of severed scrotums is somewhat suspect.
>>21677129I just think they're neat. I have a lot of tea to cover. This is purely economical. Easier to resaturate than those tubes, too.>>21677128Essential point to make regarding w2t tongs.>>21677143>You're a lunatic thoughNot the first time I've heard that here. Thank you. Both beads and pantyhose were for the sake of my pumidors. I first heard about it from cigar humidor discussions. And I didn't buy in bulk. Just one pound order at a time as my collection grew.>>21677156Very nice! Lots of tea is a good feeling.>>21677185I usually refer to them as nutsacks.
>>21676940Purple Cloud.https://purplecloudteahouse.com/collections/liu-bao
>>21677143Before beads we'd buy crystal kitty litter and do the same thing. Beads made the process way less dusty.
>>21676940FatBat Puerh has a US-based store now.https://fatbatpuerh.com/
>>21676890It's a mixed bag. By no means "high literature", but the last thing I read (~33 or 34 chapters of) was this: https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330661730670311It had a satisfying 'ざまぁ' kind of feeling. I'd like to branch out to yakuza and warrior novels. I feel like that'd really fit the vibe of having a smooth, malty tea more.
>>21677535>Us based storeOkay that's pretty good. Never heard of these guys before. Would you recommend them for an aged puehr?
Just tried to grandpa brew my white tea. Worst mistake of my fucking life. Would not settle and I cooked on a bit of stem. Lesson learned for next time I guess
>>21677744i recommend using better quality stuff, fuding silver needle is amazing for grandpa brewing
>>21676853Historical fiction like Shogunt.
>>21676671>There's BF's annual sale tooWho is BF again?
>>21677814Black friday. Usually new raws, $15 snoozefests and free shipping on $29. And I think $10 off tongs of Lumber Slut?
what are the other typical "nice deals" for shit that isn't puerh that this thread approves of?
>>21673298What about puerh from yiwu?
>brown rotten moldy tea>called poo>nobody on the mainland drinks it>papa, tell me the story again of how you sold the retarded westerners a pile of rotten leaves
>>21677907>chang my son>you must decide >sell rotten fish tea to western lesbians>or slave away in the underground tea pits
>>21677944>what do you mean puerh sales are tanking? I PAY YOU SHILLS THOUSANDS OF DONG TO KEEP THESE WESTERN IDIOTS SLURPING SHIT
new Kuura teaware drop
>>21678044>we've even convinced them my child's art project for class is fine pottery
Sir the jig is up. Gweilos are now buying seaweed and grass clippings from the Japanase to get their fix.
Is there a particularly convenient water filter jug thing (like a Brita?) or other low cost option for managing hard water? I have 'filtered' water at my home (no chemical/bacteria/particulate weird shit), but the filter doesn't do anything for the hardness of the water, and so I keep getting limescale in my kettle.
>>21678061https://mypurewater.com/shop/mini-classic-ct-distiller/
>thankfully, the baizuo will always purchase rotten leafwater. worry not
>>21678044>>21678046still mogs w2t teaware
>>21678073t. lead glaze slurperyou know they don't give a shit about what they're feeding you, right? every one of those beautiful cups are shitting heavy metals directly into your system. don't be such a fucking rube
>sir, a second post has hit the thread
>>21677156>t's marketed seemingly as a more bang-for-buck daily driverIt's really hard to know what the difference between these w2t teas are l, they all have "amazing value daily deinker that won't destroy your wallet" and no other info
Does it get more (((jewish))) than this?
>>21678108>they all have "amazing value daily deinker that won't destroy your wallet" and no other infoWhich is why I stay clear of them. No need to support these practices. Maybe the tea is good, but I value transparency. It clearly works tho, look>>21677156>I have no idea>buys it anywayMight as well go all TV commercials and say you are getting $1000 value for only $29.99
>>21678126>Which is why I stay clear of themFor me its because most of the wrappers are ugly
>>21678061There is this product that chemically binds clacium and magnesium salts in the water kettle when you boil it. These paper fan things are single use only tho and I havent tried them. Might be good for travelling if this actually works.I think most people with problematic tap water took the distiller pill, since it is cheaper than buying and running a RO system.
>>21678116>(((jewish)))wait a minutehol upAYONO FRICKIN WAY JOSE
>>21678044It looks like Deus Ex HR assets. Kinda cool.
>>21678135Ugliness is in the eye o the beholder, but I'd certainly say they are very much designed to appeal to a particular stripe of hipster.Then again, I also tend to judge a book by it's cover and I'd much rather go in blind on something like YS's cute (year of the)snakes than some old photo someone fucked around with in GIMP for fifteen minutes. Packing in a lot of details about origin and tasting notes is very nice too. But I mean just look at this damn cute thing! I'd consider framing a wrapper like this.
>quick, shill harder
>>21677886Teahome is always a good deal for Taiwanese oolong. I don't know if they do sales, but their prices are very cheap for what you're getting
>>21678304>taiwan>capable of making tealmao
can tea be wet? if i'm drinking grandfather style and i don't feel like getting new water for a while, can i just drain the water that's in the tea cup and the leaves or do i leave a little bit of water/tea flavoring in there
Family member offered me tea but they only haslve trashy tea bags. When I complained, they told me to bring some of mine so they can shelve it for when I visit.Now I'm stuck with what to bring. Because the storage is going to be dry like a desert and stored alongside their spice cabinet. And it's not like they have a gaiwan lying around, so I'd drink it bare from a mug.I don't want to bring something too nice, but also not something that turns astringent. And it's got to withstand the test of time, because who knows how often I will visit them.I'm thinking either taiwanese oolong or white tea. Not sure how taiwanese oolong will age though, because they are very green. But thry are more convenient to drink from a mug.Thoughts?
>>21678390You can leave the water in. The Chinese supposedly do this for grandpaing green tea in particular because it slows down the leaves oxidizing
>>21678403White tea or roasted oolong
>>21678404thanks
w2t does blackfriday and not 11.11 ?
>>21678700Yes. Probably because they are focused on the western market
>>21678075Is this feeding me heavy metals?https://www.kongmountaintea.com/gaiwan/handmade-rice-white-glaze-gaiwan
>>21678297That is really cute, too bad it's sold out.
I’m a bit nervous to ask, but I know people here are knowledgeable. Can anyone recommend a nighttime chocolate blend that’s not spicy or herbal—just rich, sweet, and full of chocolatey-vanilla flavor to enjoy with a little milk? I also love a hint of salt in chocolate!
>>21678876For you.
>>21678887>but I know people here are knowledgeable
>>21678403You can get Taiwanese oolongs like dong ding and tie guan yin that are darker and heavily roasted, they age well. Legend of tungting from teahome is the classic thread recommendation
>>21678887Hot chocolate
>>21678126It fits my present needs, which include having a surplus of expensive but hopefully decent shou I can drink very casually at night. I also would prefer more transparency, and that's something I don't like about W2T too. Yet, I view this as something done for fun, especially since I can let a few cakes age untouched and see how they compare down the line.>>21678403I second white tea. Since near spices, better off in a tin or glass jar. Don't need a lot since it's only when visiting, so break off some and leave it in. Some may say otherwise, but I've found white tea to be fine in anaerobic/sealed environments.
rec me some tea that goes well mixed with coke and rubbed on a buttplug? with so many dykes in here some of you must have figured this one out by now i bet
>>21678994>It fits my present needs, which include having a surplus of expensive but hopefully decent shou I can drink very casually at nightCould achieve that even cheaper with factory shu desu. A 500g sleeve of xiao fa is 12$ on KTMBut I get the fun factor in drinking through something new
>>21678986On a diet and I'm trying to cut even on chocolate milk, also I want to try something new
>>21679128You're cutting on choccy milk? Are you from /fit/?
>>21679262Just diabetic... it's not severe but I'm either skipping the night drink or going for a blend
>>21678887>>21679128Cacao husk tea
>>21678887>>21679128A good Dian Hong, (black tea dried with hot air) is probably what you are looking for, but it's chocolatey like flavor it's not cocoa milk but similar to it's also has malty flavor and smell to the nose depending on what you buy. Do you want a "local" buy or can order online anon? No milk no sugar and no added vanilla but might need to buy good water to use for your tea that's all.
>>21678994>having a surplus of expensive but hopefully decent shou I can drink very casually at night. Mate the order is $0.07 per gram with a fancy packaging.I know shou can get away with using worse material, but still... Hopefully it's at least factory tier decent. >>21678887Seconding diang hong for chocolate, but I wouldn't wanna drink any tea before bed. The caffeine will fuck you up. Some people drink ripe puer in the evening, and say they taste chocolate... I taste fish and again... wouldn't drink before bed.
>>21679016Yeah, the novelty of trying it will be fun. That said, I'd like to try KTM, but I have looked multiple times in the past, and the shipping rates/fees were consistently rather harsh for me. Not sure how much it scales by kg. Though, if fees and shipment scaling aren't so bad, I guess I did overpay.>>21679504>ExpensiveTypo, meant inexpensive, but I think it'll be fine for 7c shou. I don't think they'll fuck it up that badly. I'll post about it in the gen when I get to it anyway.
>>21678061Ja/ck/ shills some water filter that's supposed to be really good. He kept getting kidney stones after he moved to TN because the water was so hard. After he had the filters installed in his home he stopped getting kidney stones. I can't remember the name of the filter but in his reccent videos he shills it right at the beginning if you're curious.
do you bob your teabag while steeping it or leave it be
>>21679559>He kept getting kidney stones after he moved to TN because the water was so hard.Jesus fucking Christ how can it be that badIs he just drinking actually gravel
>>21679671my what?
Since the chinese are notorious scam artists what are the chances you get a tea cake that's poisoned or toxic? Especially from a place like yunnan sourcing? This is an actual concern of mine, not a troll.
>>21679882send it in for testing or you'll never know. it's that simple.
>>21679882I've also always wondered about this and no one on /tea/ has been able to give a reasonable answer.
>>21679899the answer is right here, retard:send it in for testing or you'll never know. it's that simple.
>>21679913>>21679883Where would you send it? I'm interested in doing that.
>>21679913That isn't a reasonable answer. Where do I send tea for testing?
ffs, you're like childreneurofins usafsnsmicrotracealfa chemistry testing labany accredited ISO 17025 food testing lab in general.>>21679917>this isn't a reasonable answeryou're a fucking absolute retard. what happened is you got a perfectly reasonable answer you're too fucking stupid to utilize.
>>21679882literally just google it. you won't find a single incident of someone being poisoned by tea that isn't from a toxic herb/herbal blend or some absurd niche case like the lady who drank 100 teabags a day for 20 years.
>>21679917nta but iirc yunnan sourcing or white2tea has certain teas that they've sent in for third party testing and are certified pesticide free. You might search more on their site or ask them. It's not a concern that I have personally so I don't know any more than that.
>>21679926Sending tea to a lab to make sure it's safe to drink isn't reasonable.
>>21679934>look at me, not only am i a retard, i'm doubling downshiteating dumbfuck
>$1,437.00
>>21679937Getting your Chinese tea of questionable provenance lab tested to make sure it isn't poison is not a reasonable option. Enjoy ingesting heavy metals.
>>21679968Being paranoid that the most commonly consumed drink in the world is poisoned because of le dastardly chinks isn't reasonable.
>>21679970>Being paranoid that the most commonly consumed drink in the world is poisoned because of le dastardly chinks isn't reasonable.It 100% is, even if it's not intentional china is indisputably a heavily polluted shit hole. There's no telling what's actually in the stuff without testing.
>>21679968>i implicitly trust certain tea companies due to their excellent marketinglmao, you're a special type of dumbfuck. besides, presumably if one is testing said teas they won't be consuming heavy metals. you sure are a retarded shit-for-brains.>i hope you get poisoned because you said mean thingsmay you someday escape your obvious and myriad cognitive impairments
>>21679973You're right. I trust China way more than the west when it comes to food standards. And you can see how evil they are by wishing death on you for calling them racist against Chinese. They are dumbfuck shiteating shit-for-brains retarded.
>>21679882As long as you buy from big factory/western seller you are safe. Famous locations are kept in check by farmers themselves since if someone find some pesticides on one farm in that area, it would drop the price for all the farmers. I dont know if the same applies to the cheapest lose tea, but I would say the chances there are about the same as the Indian/African stuff. Those cultures also aren't known for their cleanliness.
>>21680026>>21680047>>21680053Hmmm I might just move over to jap teas from now on.
>>21680062you're probably fine with greens, whites, shengs and blacks but holy shit don't drink ripes. if you're really that insistent, get some maocha and wet pile it yourself.
>>21680068Are raws fine?
>>21680077sheng, yeah. the only iffy thing with those is obvious malfeasance and the rolling machines they use storing metal filings in your tea. this issue is across most of the rolled teas which aren't done by hand, though.
>>21680076wtf is that?
>>21680093That's the guy that owns yunnan sourcing
>>21680096*farmerleaf>>21680093he's at a ripe puerh factory. under those tarps are what is seen here: >>21680047
there's a reason why it's insisted one uses BOILING water with shou.
What if instead of using two teaspoons of tea for 2 cups of tea at 3 minutes, I actually use 1 teaspoon of tea for 2 cups of tea at 6 minutes?
>>21680193In general a longer steeping time will make it more likelty for less than pleasant bitter tones to start seeping into the drink and tainting or overwhleming the taste you want.Measure of tea should be relative to volume of water, while time should be roughly constant.
>>21679882You mean intentionally poisoning? Highly doubt that.Knowingly processing moldy tea or "non tea" contaminations or processing under dirty conditions or herbicides/pesticides above thresholds? Propably. Is this dangerous? Maybe a little.Southern China is a piss poor region and people will jump hoops to fill their pockets. Heavy metal contamination by the soil itself might also be a thing.Some vendors offer special cakes which have been tested at least for herbicides and pesticides such as w2t 2017 big green hype.However >>21679931is also kinda right. Most of the things above would unfold only after after decades of intense tea drinking I suppose.>>21680015>As long as you buy from big factory/western seller you are safe.I wish. Sometimes they even warn you for contaminations, such as pic rel. It would be naive to think they can guarantee for save products although they are for sure trying. With all the funny stuff eg. w2t is doing, I would be suprised if no problematic material would slip in here and there.
>>21680287>implying there's any limitation on selling moldy tea
>>21679550Another value pick to consider is 500g of V93 tuos from QuicheTeas, for 20$But I guess you won't be needing more value ripe for a while
Is there any tea exchange community in EU for fellow /tea/ anons? I have a bunch of cakes and other teas, that I personally don't like but they are too good to throw out. I would just exchange that for something else
>>21679286>>21679287>>21679504Thank you! I will try both Cacao husk tea and Diang Hong, I am so curious about the Diang Hong. I can shop online, I am from Europe!For the caffeine to sleep, maybe I should try an infusion instead?
>>21679972India is also le poisoned shithole. So is Kenya and other tea producing countries.I guess you just can't drink tea thenOr you can buy the organic attested teas from YS's own brand
>>21680026Are you really shocked that pile fermented tea... Ferments in big piles?
>>21680093That's dishonored Chinese general Tso fotographed in his illegal organ harvesting facility (the bags are full of kidneys and livers)
>>21680390Tea doesn't have the same effect as coffee even if it contains caffeine. It has longer effect but without the crash and not as high effect. You need to try it and see how you react to it of course. For dian hong first buy maybe check yunnan sourcing would be the go to checking the shopping fee to your country. Should find a "classic" yunnan dian hong for a first experience and go from there. A spring"Black Gold Bi Luo Chun" is fine for a first try or equivalent from another site depending what's the most advantageous to order in your country (shipping fee + taxes + local delivery etc) For a first try maybe a local shop could be easier too if you know one not too far from you, overall more expensive but have at least a smell of the tea and direct look at it.
>>21680108Yes, it needs a lot of heat to steep well and it won't get bitter anyway. Same as with black tea
>>21680381There's a reddit and some tea discords do that too, not sure if they're very active What do you want to get rid of
So what does Xiao Fa taste like in comparison to Dayi ripe?
>>21680593Btw the Dayi ripes I've had were 7572, 7562 and V93.The first two were similar (7562 was fruitier, but it was also younger so can't judge). V93 was a bit different, less creamy-sweet to me and more doughy like bread dough or pasta
Why do you guys keep on buying this fish tasting garbage instead of that bo jun some anon here was praising?
>>21680651Because Bo Jun costs 200$ per cake, making it at least 10x the price of most other ripe discussed here?
Good Keemum recc? I want high caffeine but I do not add milk or anything. Located in USA. Thanks.
Just got my Gaiwan and matching cup. Very excited to break this in today Still can't decide on what I should use it with.
>>21680666I've seen it for like $80 per 500g cake or something on taobao. 500g is a shit ton of tea and if its as good as he says it should be worth instead of these fish cakes.
>>21680798that's a big if
>>21680798>500g is a shit ton of tea and if its as good as he says it should be worth instead of these fish cakes.Is it? My pot makes 400ml of tea which is a large cup's worth of liquid and according to the link in the OP that should be about 20g of leaves per go. Sure you can do multiple infusions that way, but still, 500g of tea is only 25 days worth of tea.
>>21680754Wound up using some of the raw puehr I didn't particularly care for just to help move it along. The brewing vessel comfortably holds 100 or so ML and the cup has room for even more. Can definitely get use out of this as time goes onGiven it's probably going to be the last good purchase for myself for a while before it's time to tighten the belts I'm happy I got this
>>21680830>Is it? My pot makes 400ml of tea which is a large cup's worth of liquid and according to the link in the OP that should be about 20g of leaves per go.That's way too much tea for a one person session. I've been using a 120ml teapot with 8 grams of tea, and I feel like it's a lot of tea. That's like 7-9 steeps over 3 hours usually.
>>21680830If you aren't reinfusing it many times use something like 4-6g, or you're wasting a lot of tea
>>21680651>Why do you guys keep on buying this fish tasting garbageFishy puer is an aphrodisiac
>>21680830Gong fu proportions like these are for doing many infusions in a small pot, like 100 to 150ml. With a 400ml pot you should western brew with less leaf
China trip anon here. I got a 2018 sheng factory cake (Menghai Gelanghe Township Big Trees sun dried) by Menghai Bajiaoting Tea Co. 2nd pic is the rear wrapper info. Since I only had artisan cakes before, I was suprised to see QR-Code which links to a product page with info on the origin and quality of this batch. In the wrapper was a printed lab report so this is what actual tea analisys looks like. Contents:Sensory: appearence, smell and taste (from a product safety perspective)Moisture contentTotal amount of water leachables from the leaves in hot waterLead contentInsecticides: DDT, Permethrin, Bifenthrin, Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin, Esfenvalerate, Flucyvalerate, Dichlorvos, Fenitrothion, Quinalphos, Endosulfan. Fenpropathrin, Lambda CyfluthrinPresence of added flavor enhancers: AcetylmethylFungicides: Difenoconazole, Benzene HexachlorideBacterial contamination: Coliformal, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, hemolytic StreptococcusMore stuff the translation app did not catchThis test was carried out according to the chinese standard for testing raw tea "GB/T 22111-2008".Looks like they used their own lab and not a certified 3rd party one. By all this effort you can see this is a sensitive topic for tea production.
>>21680970the only people in this thread which dispute the obvious need for quality control and testing are literal shills who have vested interests in selling as much tea as they possibly can. the only other alternative is people who have consumed so much lead that they're drooling retards
>>21680970I noted with some cnnp liu bao I bought it came with a similar leaflet, testing loads of pesticides and such. Pretty nice but not sure if cnnp always have that.
>>21680970>trusting chinese "labs"lmao
>worried about heavy metal contamination when drinking tea in a house with a cat gives you toxoplasmosis
>>21681061>owning a cat>not only this, thinking that everyone else owns onelmao yeah, retardation struck this nigga full force
>>21680593Xiao Fa has a drier feel to it. Mushroom broth notes. Less body. Less chocolate, more wood, but not excessive. It has a signature Xiaguan funk, especially on older ones which tend to have a slight smokey flavor on top of it. It's not always the most pleasant smoke, though.It's so insanely cheap you have no excuse not to try it if you like ripes. >>21680970>Presence of added flavor enhancersI wonder what that means, exactly. Deliberate additions?>>21680985Don't conflate quality control and testing for pesticides. Nobody disputes the need for quality control. All I ask with the testing is "where is the line? What is minimally acceptable? Should all tea be tested?" I also question how well you know your own country's produce QC and testing procedures.
>21677907>21678046>21678068>21678075>21678116>21678159>21678300>21678323>21679926>21679973>21680985>21681061>21681065Could you fuck off? The thread was fantastic until this derailing, bad faith baiting. This isn't /pol/. If you want to strike up genuine conversation, don't be such an asshole.
>>21680086So as long as it's a pressed cake it shouldn't be a problem right? Or are pressed leaves also rolled?
>>21680411Or just buy jap teas. There's even some oolong jap teas.
>>21680856>hat's like 7-9 steeps over 3 hours usually.Holy fuck am I drinking tea wrong? With my puerh I'll normally do 6g per 100ml and I'll drink 10 or so cups in about 30 minutes. Is that overdoing it?
>>21680970Doesn't yunnan sourcing also do these? or alteast claim to ?
>>21681070>>Presence of added flavor enhancers >I wonder what that means, exactly. Deliberate additions?If it wasn't for "creative" producers secret saucing their tea with added acetyl methyl, the standard wouldn't contain this test.
>>21681094>10 or so cups in about 30 minutesThat seem pretty fast, but then I'm something of a leisurely drinker.
>>21681092>Tea:|>Tea, Japan:o
>>21681110Yeah, because japan isn't an apocalyptically polluted hellhole. So if you want tea that isn't filled with who the fuck knows what. That's where you should buy it from. Maybe next time read who I was responding to and the conversation that was being had.
>>21681116I don't like fish and seaweed tea
>>21681095for shipping into the eu i think he has to
>>21681116japs use a ton of pesticides on their tea. probably different ones from the chinese but lets not pretend any produce is free of poison(even organic)
>>21681157Not to mention the radiation, but only a fool worries about these things.
>>21681152I don't think the eu has any policy on this? i used to order from fullchea (rip IOSS number) and i doubt they forward any toxology/pesticide reports.
>>21681162from this cake >>21678936>This tea has been tested in a certified laboratory for 404 pesticides, and is within the EU MRL limits set for those 404 pesticide residues. For a full list of the 404 pesticides we tested for and more information about MRL testing and the EU Food and Safety commission click on this link.>https://yunnansourcing.com/pages/eu-mrl-compliance-and-yunnan-sourcing-brand-pu-erh-teasbut this is just for their own commissioned teas not all their stock. maybe the eu doesn't legally require it and thats just the list not allowed to be used in the eu. maybe other sellers also test but dont publish the results, after all why would you want to advertise your product could be contaminated even if you can prove it wasnt
>>21681116Japan uses a ton of pesticides and has radioactive pollution. it's also much more mechanised productionChina varies a lot, it has industrial hellhole areas, but that's not teally where tea is grown. there are many very clean areas that grow teafeels like you're working off some broad stereotypes for both countries that aren't really true
>>21676859Levissima, Sant'Anna, Lurisia, Lauterana These are all bottled water brands that have very low TDS (all under 100mg/ml). I don't know about others but I prefer my tea water to have very little mineral content. I've seen Chinese people brew tea with it it so I can't be far off.Some discount stores like Lidl and Eurospin have their own store brands with low TDS (sometimes the label will read "minimamente mineralizzata" but at that point you're better off reading the label)
>>21681070>It's so insanely cheap you have no excuse not to try it if you like ripesIs there some quality difference between the boxed and sleeve Xiao Fa tuos? Or is it just paying for fancier packaging?
>>21681289They are the same. There is always a premium for the packaging. I say go for the cheaper sleeves. The boxes do look nice, on the other hand. I have some old ones stacked as decor. Your call.There are also some (much) less common versions of the Xiao Fa out there as well e.g. Blue Label. I've only seen those come in boxes and they are a bit more expensive. As always, keep an eye on what you're buying.
>>21681369>it's your callwhere do i recognize that phrase...
>>21681080shut the fuck up lil faggot
>>21681181Interesting, but when the go through the effort of testing each batch, why don't they release the test reports on the item pages? It's also just pesticides. Lead content, fungizides and bacterial load are apparently not tested. Would also cool to know, if they ever rejected a batch due to the test results.
>>21681369I'll definitely buy a sleeve or 250g tuo next time I order from KTM
Farmer Leaf Jingmai Yellow FlakesMellow, tart, a bit herbal, a bit fruity and very boring.Huangpian is not for me desu, I enjoyed Fa Zhan He and Snoozefest much more at this pricepoint
>>21682381I rather liked yellow flakes, the tartness is pleasing my abused taste buds. I enjoy it more than eg 2023 Huey Wa, which I would describe as really boring.>>21680474>What do you want to get rid of3/4 2023 Huey Wa cake for example.
>>21682442Do you have some list of stuff you want to swap out?
>>21682454Additionally I would throw in a 2008 sheng factory cake (is labeled 380g, took out maybe 20g)and a pouch of FL special processing black tea (smoked). It's certainly a good tea but I don't see myself drinking smoked tea any time in the future.Sir, why did you request this specific information?
>>21682527Because I'm in the EU. But not that interested in those aside from the special processing black tea
I'm a coffee/espresso guy so I've got an electric kettle with temperature controlWhat other equipment do I need for matcha? I've always used a normal whisk, is there any real difference between that and a matcha whisk?
>>21677535>>21677634Decided to take a chance and swung for the Phoenix. Will be sure to pass on what I think their stuff is like.
>>21683081>Tulin are arguably the masters of classic Shou (next to Dayi) and this is one of their most outstanding recipes in our opinionare they? I never hear any talk about their ripes. people talk about Haiwan, Xiaguan, even Mengku sometimes, but not TulinI've had one of their raw tuos and didn't really like it much, dunno what their ripe is like
