any recommendations for a us-based seller of nice-looking gaiwans? looking to get a second and don't like anything bitterleaf/mud and leaves have right now and don't wanna get owned by tariffs

>>21831247
Dunno what you consider nice, but I like some of the ones at tea habitat
https://teahabitat.com/collections/porcelain-gaiwans

whats the difference between cakes vs looseleaf? e.g. for something like white tea
(i never tried puerh)

>>21831247
Have you tried your local craftsman or Etsy?
Something that will be special for (you) instead mass produced china import(although some can be nice).
Be prepared to pay up tho, some of the cool stuff I've found on Etsy costs a lot.

>>21831282
It's sad I can't find someone in the UK who makes gaiwans, I'm tempted to learn to do it myself

>>21831258
For the drink itself, with light compression there's not much difference, pressing is for long term storage concerns/marketing
Heavy compression will affect the way it brews

>>21831258
cakes are for making it easier to store/transport and slower aging vs loose. personally i find breaking up cakes annoying, especially bricks where they never give you extra paper and they're usually more compressed.
>>21831380
>Heavy compression will affect the way it brews
yeah, takes longer to absorb water and break up which can be good if you're drinking lao cha tou i.e nuggets of ripe pu'er, but other teas? mostly thats undesired

>>21831172
I should call her

>>21831258
not much, just the compression

>>21831475
Is she a pile of ashes?

>>21831247
I'm fond of Purple Cloud.
https://purplecloudteahouse.com/collections/gaiwans

Wanted to report in that after drinking 120oz of tea every day for 6 months the dentist easily removed all stains in 20 mins. that is all.

Just had some 2003 Brown Changtai again. It was quite relaxing and warming. It was nice to compliment the cold weather. So far, just kind of straight autumn leaf pile notes with a sort of sweetness and maybe a tiny bit of apricot. Got more honey-like sweetness in the latter steeps.

>>21832001
The changtai cakes seem to have that kinda profile.
I tend to avoid the softer tea because I've found it flat but does make me wonder if I should fork out for a decent one, the 2005 changtai off KTM is pretty good. Time to bring it back into rotation actually

Teadb recommended the 2006 Zhongcha Yiwu off Quiche, which I think I'm gonna grab

>>21831247
Honestly just look up eBay. There are a lot of really nice second hand ones you can get

File: IMG20260114110044_BURST002.jpg (967 KB, 3000x4000)

967 KB JPG

Finally got a new little pitcher for my Japanese greens.
It does the job but I hate this little rim it has, makes cleaning it out an absolute bastard because all the little leaf fragments hide there

>>21832406
if you dislike softer teas i'd avoid most yiwu, i tried that exact cake a few weeks ago and it didn't really have enough presence for me either

>>21832819
You mean the Zhongcha or the Changtai?
I keep thinking I haven't bought a good enough cake, but maybe I'm just not a yiwu guy.

>>21832406
I have the Yiwu Changtai 2005 cake
It's very smooth, soft and a bit boring. Not bad, but I'd rather have a Dayi or Xiaguan most of the time, they just have more going on

>>21832843
the 2006 zhongcha one, only yiwu teas i've enjoyed were both from manzhuan which supposedly has more body in general, so you could look into that potentially

>>21832854
Boring is fair, I'd spin it as comfy. No holes in the taste like a lot of the cheap yiwu-ish tea I tried

>>21832869
>manzhuan
Heard of it but never tried it. Thanks for the tip

I'm willing to bet most "yiwu" is fake just as most "lbz".
Especially the cheap and old stuff.
You will get mild tasting junk, that will get even milder with age(and let's face it 20 years ago the quality of all material was significantly lower than today).
I have some cheap 2012 "yiwu" from xiaguan and it's also bad.

>>21832781
With my kyusu I usually fill it up once and dump the water with the big stuff through a strainer. Then I put a little bit more water in it, put my hand over the top, and give it a few (careful) shakes before dumping it into the strainer again.

>>21833148
I got an unprovable suspicion they label random autumn tea as yiwu.

>>21833148
It doesn't have to be fake, it's probably just from young intensive plantations and not any of the best areas
Yiwu is pretty big, there was plenty of slop material to go around. It's not a tiny micro terroir like LBZ
But also Laos tea gets passed off as Yiwu, I think Jinggu does too to a lesser extent

>>21833123
Yes it's not bad, very easy drinking aged flavor. But I think I prefer the 2009 Yeeon chunks I have for that overall, though they also have the trad storage flavor of course.

File: WhatsApp Image 2026-01-14(...).jpg (286 KB, 1600x1264)

286 KB JPG

ive been drinking japanese greens for some years now but i still dont know much about them, different regions etc. any recommendations for resources to deepen my knowledge a bit ?

>>21833216
I know there is some about varietals like saemidori being sweeter while yabukita has more katechin bitterness
I honestly find jap greens quite similar desu

>>21833216
Try Hoji Cha. There's 'matcha' style powder as well. Inbetween green & oolong with the roasted notes. Low caffeine.

>>21833216
Hot take:
I like my Sencha better with boiling water. It mutes the umami a bit and pronounces the freshness more. Some teas get bitter when you brew them too hot but Sencha is not among them desu

File: xiaofa.png (793 KB, 798x1144)

793 KB PNG

Finally trying a xiao fa tuo I bought like 5 months ago because I saw anons shilling it on here lol. I don't usually reach for ripes in general and desu didn't have high hopes for this one at ~$0.06/g. BUT I'm drinking it now and it's actually pretty darn good. Nothing crazy nothing fancy, but it's really clean and smooth. I'd say it's almost a creamy texture and no weird fishiness or mustiness. It smells and tastes like petrichor which I think is very pleasant, and that's about it, comfy sipping. I do wish it had more body and more of an aftertaste, but for the price all can be forgiven. And honestly, just for being clean and not fishy I'd say it already beats a lot of more expensive ripes. Overall thumbs up and would buy again

>>21833577
yeah, it's hard to beat these factory ripes for value

File: 20260115_114513.jpg (479 KB, 4000x3000)

479 KB JPG

Firebat from white2tea, a smoked raw puer. It is really smoky, smells a bit like burnt rubber. The description mentions cigar/tobbaco, which describes this tea quite well. Not bad but for very short steeping only I'd say, beyond 30sec the bitter is not really enjoyable

File: Screenshot from 2026-01-1(...).png (443 KB, 937x579)

443 KB PNG

Only gone and smashed me bloody big teapot
Anyone tried this type? Seems like the mechanism might be prone to clogging?

>>21834319
Why not buy a Gaiwan or Kyusu? What kind of tea you drink, Anon?

File: 1759125799457.png (470 KB, 720x720)

470 KB PNG

>>21834319
I've been using pic rel for more than a year now and I'm never going back. (magnetic valve type)
The sieve is very fine but it barely ever clogs. It's good for one or two people.

>>21834332
I have them, but sometimes I brew western style out of laziness, or simmer tea, or dump a chunk of shu/white in it, so I like a nice big pot too.

>>21834333
Thanks anon, good to know

>>21834340
Di you try grandpa style for those "lazy" days? Don't need extra material and have great outcome.

>>21834346
I'm sippin some grandpa bi luo chun right now. The tea pot's for the case where I want a litre or so of tea and to take it away from the kettle/stove.

File: thermos.jpg (139 KB, 1342x1486)

139 KB JPG

>>21834354
Both pictures linked you need to add water, won't brew a liter there, other solution would be to have a thermos with a filter inside

>>21834354
I have my eletric kettle right next to my work desk, always doing gongfu.

File: 1741040372936.jpg (141 KB, 794x791)

141 KB JPG

>>21834346
Grandpa style is somewhat limited to slow brewing teas and it's a pain in the ass with floating leaves in the mouth so it is not at all a universial tool. However comfy for the teas it works with.
Got myself a dedicated grandpa mug with a sieve for the leaves, works great even with lower temps, pic rel.

>>21834363
thermos is the way

>>21834363
Not a bad solution, although for me I like my big ass teapot.

File: s-l1600.jpg (363 KB, 1200x1600)

363 KB JPG

Tea brewing just doesn't get any better than this, sorry.

If you have a big enough cup the leaves shouldn't float at all and you never drink it all so never touching the leaves with your mouth either. Depending on the tea but it's usually 2/3 full and then refill.

>>21834378
You can have a big terhmos, can't travel with the teapot at all, the only advantage you have is not needed to add water again.

>>21834380
Pröööh :DD

>>21834333
Respectfully, would you mind reporting back if any of the mechanisms break or start to leak, malfunction, rust, anything? If you drop and break it, oops whatever that's how she goes sometimes. I'm curious to know if those things have more weakspots prone to going bad assuming you avoid catastrophic dropping.

Just collecting data points.

>>21834437
>mechanisms break
no
>or start to leak
No, the metal ball seals agains a silicone grommet and I don't see any issues coming. Maybe a long time in the future the silicone goes brittle but it lasted a year of almost daily use without issues
>malfunction
it's a metal ball and a magnet, nothing can go wrong
>If you drop and break it, oops
That applies to any kind of tea equipment. I see more people dropping/slipping a hot gaiwan than accidents with that tea maker

>>21834333
>>21834437
i can see it getting clogged real fast, i have to burn my fine mesh filter clear about once a year

>>21834472
>I see more people dropping/slipping a hot gaiwan
lol my gaiwan is an absolute trooper. I've had multiple close calls smacking it or dropping it a little height in the sink while rinsing it but it hasn't broken yet other than a pretty minor crack on the lid. meanwhile one time i bought a bunch of extra tea so i could claim a free 80ml gaiwan offer and like 30 seconds after taking it out of the box i dropped the lid maybe like 3 or 4 inches on the table and it just shattered. oh well, it is what it is sometimes

>>21835010
Break one, buy two.

I decided to get the Takeya pitcher to cold brew some sencha, and I am glad I did. Have no idea what tea I used, since I lost track of what was what. I used 20g of tea and left it in overnight. So far, it's nice and thick. Has somewhat of a sweet cucumber-ish taste. I really remember enjoying cold-brewed white tea, so I might make some cold brew shou mei at some point.

File: Screenshot_20260116-01543(...).jpg (358 KB, 1080x2109)

358 KB JPG

lol @ this from the description:
>This tea isn't particularly inexpensive

>>21835686
I laughed at that description too when I saw it
To be fair, it's an expected price for 1980s puerh of good quality

File: IMG_20260116_131644.jpg (1.43 MB, 2448x3264)

1.43 MB JPG

Farmer leaf orders arrived, one from black friday the other from the 31th december. Tang fang liang zi sample with it. Bought one of the cup wanted to try it. The Baoshan beauty doesn't smell as nice as the taiwanese oolongs I bought recently but need to wait a little to warm up and settle after the long travel anyway.

>>21835858
Long wait for that. What are those circular things?

>>21835985
Box for the baoshan oolong. 120g in metal box

>>21835990
Oh nice. Are the taiwanese ones the ones from quiche?

>>21836091
Yes from quiche, especially the Guifei from Lishan it's pretty good.

>>21834590
Not that anon, but I also use this contraption relatively often. The weak points are: fragility of the handle (i broke one already) and filter fit with the glass (had to bend the filter a little bit). Will buy again if it breaks.

>>21831172
>Bulk Japanese green teas

Where do I stock up for the teapocalypse?

I think this will be my YS order.
>2023 Xiao Fa
>2018 V93
>2009 Gao Jia Shan "Wild Fu Zhuan" Hunan Brick Tea (unless someone could recommend me something else. I really wanted the
2018 Mojun Fu Cha "Ming Pin" Premium Fu Brick Tea, but it's out of stock on YS.us
>2021 Yunnan Sourcing "Ba Wang" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake
How is this so far? Does anyone have any final suggestions? I do not want to exceed 50$ too bad. Otherwise, if I didn't order at YS.us again, I was really eyeing ordering from quicheteas again since I was really satisfised with their quarter set. I was particularly fascinated by their 2007 V93 since it was aged in more humid Taiwanese conditions. I'd probably also get some year of Xiao Fa and maybe the 2007 Mengku Rongshi "Chun Jian" (Spring Buds) cake. At the same time, I don't know if I need a whole cake's worth of one tea. Thoughts?
>>21837164
>bulk japanese greens
Don't do it, anon. You need to drink nip teas within a short period of time before they go to shit. Nip teas after their "good point" (which is usually about a year) tend to be pretty bitter and harsh. I mean, you can pan roast them to make houjicha or you could coldbrew them, but if you're buying nicer green teas, then it feels kind of like a waste.

>>21837272
Did you see anon's bumper fu brick review post last thread? Don't think that one was in there, but worth having a look. >>21824250
Can't go wrong with the factory classics. YS's own press shu is pretty well regarded. There's just their annual price hikes to be wary of.
Seems like you're mostly interested in hei cha but I always pick up a bag of sweet potato xiao zhong when I order from YS

>>21837361
Ah, yes, I did. That's why I wanted to sample some Mojun Fu Cha "Ming Pin." It was rated well on the list. The others that took my interest either were out of stock or not sold on the US website.

>>21837272
>2018 Mojun Fu Cha "Ming Pin" Premium Fu Brick Tea
i've had the 2017 Mojun Fu Cha "Fu Shen" very nice and its about $90 cheaper than the one you picked out
>2009 Gao Jia Shan "Wild Fu Zhuan" Hunan Brick Tea
it does taste sweet, fruity and creamy. it doesnt have the murky taste fu usually has(probably from the golden flowers, which this doesn't have)

Gao Jia Shan "Guan Gong" Fu Brick, is possibly the nicest fu i've had, really smooth and thick

>>21837451
>2017 Mojun Fu Cha "Fu Shen"
Looks pretty promising. However, I am looking for a sample and not a full brick. 38$ for 50g looks pretty hefty, although it is technically cheaper than the other sample. It looks like it puts me over budget with the other items.
>Gao Jia Shan "Guan Gong" Fu Brick
Sounds pretty interesting. However, it only looks like it's on the main YS website.

File: IMG_20260117_145008.jpg (2.98 MB, 3120x4160)

2.98 MB JPG

Tang fang liang zi sample today, hope it will be good, almost one year old but not single tree so maybe a little aggresive.

File: IMG_20260117_151345.jpg (1.67 MB, 3120x4160)

1.67 MB JPG

>>21837554
Less punchy than Fa zhan he or lao man e. Lasting effect in the mouth and throat quite nice and not agressive, maybe a little less fragant than fa zhan he but might be du to recent transport.

>>21837574
FZH is one of the most fragrant shengs out there.
Only mohei can match it, but that one is kinda like FZH+ in some ways.

>>21837581
I remember Ao ne me being quite fragrant too but it's not the same price range. Endurance is good for tang fang liang zi, hard to tell if I like it more than fa zhan he or not without a direct comparison or blind tasting. I would say the mouth feel is a little bit better because it's less punchy but similar lenght effect that's the better quality over the fa zhan he I would say.

>>21837592
>Ao ne me
Never had that one, last time it sold out real fast and it has been a while since they offered it.
From other makers, mahei from haiwan comes to mind as really fragrant.
I remember my cup smelling a long time after I was finished. Too bad they only have 500g cakes and I already have too much tea.
>that's the better quality over the fa zhan he
I kinda find fzh annoying these days.
It's all fragrance, not much else and if you happen to have water on the harder side(don't always have bottled water for every brew) then it's meh.
Mohei is better at this, that one has more going on, but overall tflz is my goto.

>>21837621
I always have good water for sheng, little extra brewing time with fa zhan he you can push it to be punchy and not boring if you get used to it. I wouldn't do tea with bad water, same with oolongs it's ruining the session for me if I don't, had bad experiences with people brewing for me even the same tea. I'd rather wait to be home than drink bad tea.

>>21837554
I also had some TFLZ today, it's good though I've enjoyed my sessions with my new Jingmai Autumn gushu cake more I think than this one. same pricepoint.
I would say both the Jingmai cake and TFLZ stand out for being somewhat relaxing, unlike FZH which is just caffeinating. especially the Jingmai cake

>>21837722
I drink tea everyday for at least one full gongfu session sometimes two so it's hard for me to know which are more energizing or relaxing. Might be the difference between autumn and spring, gushu are usually sweeter on average even if jingmai can be quite punchy like lao man e.

>>21837744
the autumn one is not punchy at all, it's a very soft tea. no real bitterness and quite low astringency

>>21837771
Yes because it's also autumn, spring ones are more punchy.

recc me some oolong i can buy cheaply in huge quantities

File: 1754451327399182.png (1.69 MB, 2004x988)

1.69 MB PNG

>>21837988
Today I will remind them.
I bought two kilos of this from King Tea Mall about two years ago and its treated me fine. It's more like a black tea than other yancha I have and it can brew up pretty strong, but not crazy strong.

File: 1768713806.jpg (2.17 MB, 4096x1844)

2.17 MB JPG

1. Why does red tea not require first step wash?
2. Thoughts on picrel? It's been more than 5 years old, I wonder if I should open this asap

>>21838813
>Why does red tea not require first step wash?
No tea really "requires" a rinse, but they will brew differently depending on whether you rinse or not, and depending on if you let them sit for a few minutes after rinsing before the first real steep.
And if a tea has been sitting in a dusty basement for 20 years with bugs living on it, I'm going to rinse it.
I can't read Chinese, so I have no idea what that is besides tea that appears to have been produced in 2020. There's no harm in opening it up and trying some of it.

I preordered a cake of the BYH 2004 Manzhuan from teas we like's group buy, I love aged sheng so much.
The jade leaf has the same cake for like $50 cheaper but they say they won't ship it to the US

>>21838813
It's white tea. On the top it says One Year Tea, Three Years Medicine, Seven Years Treasure, a popular marketing for aged white tea.

>>21839357
>7 years treasure
>still 5 years old
Oh well, 2027 it is then

>>21838813
>Why does red tea not require first step wash?
like anon said you only really have to wash if you feel the tea is dirty or something, otherwise you don't have to. red tea specifically gets rolled so a lot of the oils end up on the surface of the leaf and even with a quick first steep you can get a strong enough brew. therefore it's best to do quick brews at the start and increase once it actually starts tasting weak

relevant video by william: https://youtu.be/gZ5bjBxPbts

If I'm brewing black tea leaves, do I really only let it brew for 10-15 seconds, like the guide says?
t.tealet

>>21839912
Depends on how you are brewing the tea. The ratio of tea leaves to water effects how long you brew. In gongfu brewing you use lots of tea, little water and lots of short steeps. For example I use ~12g of tea in a ~150ml gaiwan and start by only steeping the tea a few seconds each time then extending as the tea gets spent. If I were doing traditional western style brewing (e.g. 1 teaspoon per cup, and minimal to no rebrewing the tea) I would probably brew the tea a couple minutes.

>>21837272
>2023 Xiao Fa
>2018 V93
solid, good value ripes. I have both
I also have the Mengku Chun Jian cake from Quiche, it's alright but I wish I bought a 8582 instead or something. sweet and kind of bready, mellow but not very interesting

>>21839935
I see. My teapot only holds 150-200ml so I'll try the Gonfu style. Although it does seem pretty expensive. Thanks anon.

File: IMG_3703.jpg (97 KB, 1500x1125)

97 KB JPG

>>21839912
>650ml water on stove top
>boil
>add 10 grams black tea (preferably ceylon, but any black tea is awesome)
>tea to boiling water
>boil 10 minutes
>strain tea through ultra fine mesh many times until it is clear
>add tea back to pot, add 500ml water to tea, stir with whisky and reboil
>pour 60ml evaporated milk or 80ml milk into cup
>add 120ml tea to cup
>stir
>enjoy

>>21839935
>>21839939
Holy shit you were right. It tasted great. Wild Tree Purple Black tea from Yunnan, very sweet. A little too sweet for me but still really good.

>>21839974
Saved. I'll try it the next time I order tea. Where would you recommend ordering some ceylon from?

File: 4e8.jpg (144 KB, 552x530)

144 KB JPG

>>21831172
Is there really nothing better than yuuki-cha?
They used to be my absolute favorite until they switched to plastic packaging and machine shredded garbage.
I have yet to find tea as good as what they used to have and it's why I don't bother with tea anymore.
All my tea equipment sits unused for years now.

>>21839939
>Although it does seem pretty expensive.
If it helps you can typically steep the tea many times this way. I probably get at least a liter and a half of good tea ~12g of dry leaf. This is also probably about as much caffeine as couple cups of coffee.

If you want less could try using a little less leaf and longer gongfu steeps. 0.5g/10ml is not an uncommon ratio even if I personally go higher. The other option is to get a smaller teapot or gaiwan. ~80-120ml is a popular size for a single person. I also mostly daily drink tea in ~$0.10/g range so that helps a well. I am fortunately in the position where I can justify spending a buck or two on tea each day.

>>21839979
>Holy shit you were right. It tasted great.
Glad it worked well for you! Maybe it's just because I am used to it but I actually find gongfu brewing easier to get good results from than "western" style. You get almost immediate feedback and can adjust following steeps to taste. Also because the steeps are so short I personally don't feel the need to use a timer. I actually don't typically even weigh my tea tea anymore like I used to and just eyeball it. I will weigh my tea the next few days just to make sure my estimates are not too far off.

>>21840002
>I have yet to find tea as good as what they used to have
What tea have you tried?

>>21839938
I have a quarter of the 8582. It's pretty good. Hmmm, I also noticed that YS has the 2007 Taiwan-stored V93. In that case, I'll prolly order from YS, then. I don't know if I should get that or the 2018. Any ideas?
>>21837478
Any ideas for any smaller samples (25g) of Fu cha?

File: IMG_3538.jpg (168 KB, 750x1071)

168 KB JPG

>>21839974
I have no idea where to get “high quality ceylon tea” but this is what I use atm.
If going for the HK milk tea taste, aim for fine ground or dust (i forgot what official terms were bof? bopf?) I have used whole leaves before but it isn’t as good.
I use 8-10 grams but in Hong Kong cafes, it is about 30 grams. It is supposed to be strong cause 1/3 of the cup is evaporated milk.

>>21831172
Does anybody here only drink what they can get from their local supermarket?
>>21834319
I use a coffee plunger.

>>21840174
The two listed in the threads guide.
I've tried 2 others I forget the name of, a few Chinese tea focused ones, and one more called "David's tea" that sold some nice equipment and cups but again, the tea was lackluster in comparison.
I love Japanese teas.
I've tried just about everything yuuki-cha had and tried them again from those other retailers if they even carried it.
Chinese tea seems to be more common online, sadly.
Last good thing I had from yuuki-cha was their white tea which is only available for a limited time seasonally and sells out quick.
Took a few years before I snagged some.
It was worth it. Beautiful, fragrant, and visually like a cup of liquid gold.
Gyokuro is definitely my all time favorite tea however and matcha is a close 2nd.

>>21840688
Wait, when did Yuuki-cha go to shit? I ordered from them in 2024 and absolutely loved what I got. I didn't find that their packaging was shit. As for alternatives, I've tried Den's Tea and O-cha, and I preferred Den's Tea. I thought they had some good budget options - but nowhere near Yuuki-cha's level, unfortunately. I am likely going to try Hibiki-An next season.

File: Screenshot 2026-01-18 221451.png (15 KB, 429x279)

15 KB PNG

>>21840688
>The two listed in the threads guide
There's like 8 though.

>>21839992
This was for you. lmao>>21840574

>>21839992
Check out thesteepingroom or uptontea

>>21840574
This looks like fine dust so it's propably shitty quality. I also don't see why the HK routing is in any case necessary if you want to consume it outsied of PRC. Just use a higher quality western facing Ceylon brand. (I've had Twinings loose "High Grown Dimbula" Ceylon and it's pretty good but also too expensive. There are many more)

>>21840622
>Does anybody here only drink what they can get from their local supermarket?
Not exclusively but in supermarkets here we have quite a selection of loose leaf black teas and the stronger ones are perfectly fine to drink.

>>21840287
>Any ideas?
make sure they have a decent price for the 2007, compare with Quiche
I haven't had an aged V93, I only had a 2018 and 2022 and those were similar

Drinking some of late 90's or earily 2000's white wrapper shou brick. It does actually have a nei fei so it is not anonymous but I don't recognize the factory. The material is a shou blend heavy on huang pian and stems. Probably a lower budget tea originally but in this case I think the material used lends itself to the shou being unique and not just cheap. The taste is strongly of moth balls and aromatic cedar on top of the an earthy loam base. I haven't encountered any other tea that gives such a strong moth ball impression. It is not quite the same as camphor either. It is not my favorite tea and I am not really a shou fan in the first place but this if a fun once in a blue moon sort of tea due to how different it is. It is certainly not boring.

I cut my lemon with the knife I was chopping garlic with yesterday.
My tea tasted weird.

File: IMG_3705.jpg (55 KB, 399x501)

55 KB JPG

>>21840855
You need fine ground tea for that concentrated flavor. I have used whole leaf ceylon. Hong Kong milk tea has a distinct flavor you won’t get with whole leaf or muh high quality ceylon.
Popular hk cafes known for their hk milk tea use a blend of ceylon. I think the blend is the secret.

File: image.png (121 KB, 938x684)

121 KB PNG

any other moldbros pick up the 80s brick from quiche? seems like a really good deal desu
https://quicheteas.com/products/1980s-glossy-paper-special-grade-raw-puerh-brick

File: IMG_3770.png (272 KB, 1024x1024)

272 KB PNG

>>21840855
Where do you live? Give me cities you are nearby if you’re scared. I will google up authentic HK cafes for you so you can get a grasp of what makes hk milk tea unique.
It is less about tea quality but more about tea blend.
Or get boxes of these like my parents because they don’t know anything and are lazy.

>>21840855
https://youtu.be/vOlFTQYgokQ

File: IMG_3771.jpg (258 KB, 750x1221)

258 KB JPG

>>21840855
Or get these if your supermarket has them. Obviously it is better to brew fresh tea yourself or go to an authentic restaurant.
You need the right tea blend or it won’t work.

>>21840855
>Just use a higher quality western facing Ceylon brand. (I've had Twinings loose "High Grown Dimbula" Ceylon and it's pretty good but also too expensive. There are many more)
It won’t work. You need a ceylon blend. And unless you work in the restaurant industry, you are going to buy those dust blends which are close to the real thing.
Maybe you can go to restaurants and ask what they use, but it is a trade secret.
I am sure some restaurants get it pre-made from a supplier but in my vhcol city, certain restaurants still stand out for exceptional HK milk tea.

I always spill when pouring from my gaiwan.

You guys all sound snooty with all your weird nomenclature, I don't want to drink tea anymore.

>>21841790
Tea is for fags.

>>21841702
>>21841722
I remember reading somewhere that one of the key things was Uva Ceylon.

>>21841809
Interesting.
I will look into it.
In my cupboard I found a bag of tea labelled “hk milk tea” probably from 20+ years ago. I made it and it tasted very authentic. Haven’t found anything as close as that since. Still, >>21841709 and >>21840574 are kinda okay. It costs close to $3 CAD to buy a cup from a restaurant and sometimes more.

>>21841708
Hmmm that sounds interesting but I'd have to sample it first before committing to a whole brick at that price, and samples are sold out. Description says
>It underwent light Hong Kong storage
but without tasting it I'm personally not willing to bet 200 bucks that the HK storage didn't make it taste overwhelmingly/mostly just like HK stored puer.
I'm sure it's not like that and it's really good though, I think I'm just trying to talk myself out of buying it. I really do wish I could sample it. Let us know what you think when you get to try it.

My first shou is the best shou I have yet tasted.
2022 7562 Dayi from quiche is so nice, I'll need to buy another brick before they raise the price.
Is the other 7562 equally good?

>>21842055
>My first shou is the best shou I have yet tasted.
Many such cases

File: sencha_2020-07.jpg (66 KB, 800x534)

66 KB JPG

>counting the days until I can order a fresh Japanese green again
Winter is hard but the hope for fresh delicious tea is keeping me going. I have other teas true but nothing gets me happy like a jappy

Is panda shit tea any good? Anyone here ever sample it?

File: temp.png (105 KB, 1047x532)

105 KB PNG

>GABA oolong is made by steeping dry tea leaves in nitrogen
>you can make it at home with tea you already like
any anons tried this? this seems too easy

>>21842055
7562 was my first shu as well, good one
Dayi are pretty consistent

>>21843777
Would you have to rehydrate the leaves a bit first?

I'm currently drinking Teavivre's Liu Bao. It's probably the best Liu Bao I've had. This would make an excellent first liu bao to try because it's on the milder side of fermentation. That means the root cellar/dirty potato notes are a bit gentler, more welcoming. If you're unsure about whether you would like tea that tastes like dirt, this might be the one to try.

Note that the first infusions are still pretty intense with earth notes, there's no getting around that with liu bao. It's just as good as the CNNP orange box, but about half the price my weight. Good tea.

File: liubao basket.jpg (139 KB, 1143x629)

139 KB JPG

>>21845107
I'm looking forward to eventually try one of these funny baskets or pillar tea liubaos. Something about the format is really amusing to me. The beet root notes are also intrigueing to me.

File: 1760007939705362.jpg (2.45 MB, 2419x1609)

2.45 MB JPG

>>21845672
If you have the space for it, owning a basket of tea is maximum comfy. Mine is from 2006 and it's delicious. There is a small curve appreciating liu bao, imo. It's a weird beverage. Those beet flavors really last and endure after the muddier flavors subside. If you thinking a basket is cool, you should just pull the trigger.

Pillar tea is typically a different hei cha called hua juan cha or sometimes qian liang cha. Different flavor profile, just as good. Mellower.

>>21845799
I considered it for a while but wondered if it would fit in my storage. Doesn't look as big as I imagined in your pic though.

>>21841518
Lemon and garlic tisane is a classic grandma medicine.

>>21843777
>>21844412
It seems that the leaves need to be fresh or freshly-withered, since the glutamate decarboxylase enzymes need to be active for the fermentation. I'll have to keep an eye out for fresh leaves up here in Zone 6.

Am I retarded if I get a Chen Yuan Hao sample from puerh.uk? Paolo seems to be a niglet but I wanna grab a small chunk of one of the ones they also list at TWL.

File: Awazon tea melon.png (55 KB, 754x199)

55 KB PNG

I just placed a big order from Awazon. I had a good experience with them last year but I'm down to my last few cakes. Amongst other things I ordered picrel. I will update everyone when it arrives.

>>21847241
Finally someone buys the big melon

>>21847354
With the discount for bulk buying the actual cost (listed on invoice) was $121.55 or £90, so about 1p/gram. I wonder who bought a 30kg melon.

>>21847241
you're doing the lords work, anon.

>>21847241
Melon split wen?

>>21847396
Thanks. They still have more in stock. I've never seen anyone buy one. I had to search up Chinese videos for reviews. Turns out you can steam the whole thing then break it up rather than chip at it. They also used to use them whole at big events or in monasteries to make tea for hundreds of people at once.

>>21847402
I thought about it. I'm based in the UK.
It costs £25 to get a small melon here 800g, might cost me £5 to send, then if I put a premium of 3x on 1p for time/costs that comes to...£25+£5. So it would be cheaper to order one.

I don't mind doing it but I'd have to think about the costs.

>>21847513
Awazon isn't sending to my country, so you'd be the best value option, guaranteed :^)

File: Awazon tea order 2026 1.png (54 KB, 567x1127)

54 KB PNG

>>21847601
Germany? You can get a shipment to Turkmenistan or Belarus but not there, kek. I also think there's a customs VAT of 19% or something. It will be a couple of months to get here; I had to get it by ship, due to the cost. When it does I'll be here to receive my (you)s/look into it more seriously.

>>21847670
The xg bricks get another one :)

>>21847241
can I haz some?

>>21847670
Thats almost 20kg of tea. Do you have a strategy on storing all this?

>>21847670
>Germany?
Yeah. I wonder what Bernd did to the poor Awazon staff to get the whole country shitlisted, lmao.

File: Tea Sergei_Prokudin-Gorsk(...).jpg (2.5 MB, 3349x2939)

2.5 MB JPG

>>21847686
I bought one brick for a sample and I was pleasantly surprised. It really is very cheap. I like the white tea cakes as well. Really smooth and fresh to drink.

>>21847754
See >>21847513
For storage, I'm just going to put it somewhere. Cupboard, wardrobe etc. The bulk of the weight is in cakes, bricks, and melons so very compressed. I love tongs of tea, cool things, not as big as I expected.

Also I'm obsessed with old-fashioned warehouses and storage like picrel. Barrels, crates, baskets, sacks etc. So I don't mind them being in the open.

>>21847937
It's an odd one. Their duties aren't the worst nor do they lack the transport links. They deliver to half the third world as well.

>>21848150
aight, will lurk the general until the tea made it to you and then reach out.

>>21847937
nta but I propably caused this. Ordered me some Awazon 2 years ago, parcel got seized by German customs, asked for re-ship, they didn't but refunded me and blacklisted Germany afterwards.
>tt..thanks
>still no white tea cheapies for me

>>21848176
>parcel got seized by German customs
Did they give a reason for it?

>>21848225
no. They propably saw the undeclared mulch and burned it.

>>21848228
probably declared it as an opium seizure on the way

>>21848225
>>21848228
I'm tired of all these nice tea vendors shipping to the Central African Republic, Timor Leste, Belize, Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan but not to my country.
I think its because customs requires a detailed description of the product and they just cant be bothered looking up what that entails.

File: IMG_2967.jpg (1.36 MB, 4032x3024)

1.36 MB JPG

Got some Dilmah Premium Ceylon Golden Pekoe Leaf Tea from the clearance store.

>>21840893
Huh, damn. Looks like the 2007 V93 on YS is way jacked up. However, I think I'd only get a sample, anyway, because even a 250g tuo feels like a bit much of tea for me anyway. Otherwise, if I were to order the V93 and Xiao Fa on Quiche, I am not sure what else I'd get. I've already tried 2008 8582, 2010 7542, 2003 Brown Changtai, and 2005 T8652. Also tried 7562.

>>21848799
Cool. You drink it with milk?

>>21848893
Nah, I take it neat

>>21848933
Wierd.
Boiled tea leaves then adding milk is so much better desu

>>21848935
I like Earl Grey with milk. I find the sweetness of the milk helps bring out the floral notes.

>>21848799
Nice teapot. Do you notice any difference based on the pot you brew in?


>>21848851
I just checked that. What the fuck? $200/kg. That's what you pay for some first flush Jap tea. Yunnan Sourcing has always been an overpriced r*ddit site. I've had some more expensive ripes from there: 1997 Xinghai, 2017 Hai Lang Hao, and really there isn't that much difference between them and the cheaper stuff, certainly nothing to warrant the price. I think ripe is the tea to cheap out on. Raw is really where you see the difference in quality. Awazon does ripes for about $20/kg I'd get something like that, then spend the difference on a different type of tea like raw. Also try purple if you haven't already.

File: IMG_2969.jpg (1.35 MB, 4032x3024)

1.35 MB JPG

>>21849082
>Nice teapot. Do you notice any difference based on the pot you brew in?
Thx I found it in a 2nd hand store. Yes the tea tastes a little bit like mushrooms.

>>21848935
Americans can't survive a day without adding fat and sugar to their drinks, amazing

>>21849510
It’s ceylon. I would never drink ceylon or most assam teas without milk and sugar. It’s just more pleasant.

File: 38475987345.jpg (495 KB, 1438x1438)

495 KB JPG

Tried a free sample of FL's 2024 Mangzhi today and it was surprisingly good especially with my low expectations from previous mediocre Xishuangbanna puerhs.
I brewed it in my 120ml zhuni pot, around 7g of tea and 30s rinse.
In the first brew it started with a mild the taste of black pepper, then next brew moving on to a more typical floral raw puerh taste (their site mentions it being foresty which i might agree more on than floral but i havent used that term for puerhs much before) but with a very low and soft bitterness, i got some notes of vanilla when i pushed the brewing time a bit also.
The huigan became very impressive later on in the session, slowly going from a pleasant bitterness to a milk-candy like sweetness over several (5+) minutes. The tea had a standard endurance but it never got bitter when i pushed the time.

Also i really love my yixing teapot i dont think ive had a single bad session with it, i want to buy a duanni one but its very rare i gongfu brew any darker teas that would fit it so i havent gotten around to buying one yet...

>>21849565
>It’s just more pleasant
Adding fat and suger to any food item will make it more pleasant. This principle is the fondation of the obesity epidemic in your country.

1. How important is tea cake knife over other tools to pry open the cake (flat screwdriver, normal knife etc)?
2. Does dusty result from the tea come from skill issue or more of the tea quality itself? How does that affect the taste?

I bought a small 100g raw puer cake as beginner trial, it tasted vegetal with strange absence of bitterness and somewhat sweet aftertaste. I'm curious to try other types but I don't know if I can handle normal tea cake size.

>>21849693
Have you tried the other "forest" raws?(tflz,manzhuan)
Would you say it's worth the price?
So far I don't think I've had anything from FL that would cost $100+ and say to myself, yup totaly worth over the usual $60 cakes, gotta get me a cake.

>>21849752
>How important is tea cake knife over other tools to pry open the cake (flat screwdriver, normal knife etc)?
Not that important. Some cakes are so loose you can use your hands. But for tight ones, it can be useful to have a good tool. Oyster knives I hear also work well

>>21849752
>2. Does dusty result from the tea come from skill issue or more of the tea quality itself?
some cakes fall apart easily and have larger intact leaves, others smaller/more compact and you get more dust
>but I don't know if I can handle normal tea cake size.
unless its green tea, you can just say its extra aged by the time you finish drinking it all, i still have some teas from 2019

Today I learned that my tea I drink is pretty much just hot cordial full of flavors and colorings. I want to start looking at brewing my own ginger tea. Is it still tea if I just crush some ginger and lemon and steep it?

File: PXL_20260120_235948340b.jpg (987 KB, 1600x1200)

987 KB JPG

Any yerba mate enjoyers here? Recently got hooked and I like it a lot, the nice ritual and the impressive caffeine kick.

File: 1741807870501501.jpg (102 KB, 680x567)

102 KB JPG

>>21850159
I'll recommend boiling the ginger, just steeping isn't all that effective
Good though, and settles an upset stomach. I put a little bit of tumeric in too

>>21849770
>Have you tried the other "forest" raws?(tflz,manzhuan)
I got a sample of the single trees tflz that i will try tomorrow so ill compare it to this but i probably wont post notes again because im lazy..
>Would you say it's worth the price?
Im not really sure desu, i wouldnt mind having a cake of it but it did feel a little weak for the price since i prefer more explosive teas, i agree with what you say that the more expensive cakes usually dont taste significantly better than the $60 ones and this tea did give me the same feeling although i usually dont get a strong huigan from the cheaper ones

>>21849731
NTA but I only use 2% milk for black teas. Anything higher masks the flavor.

Are Japanese greens only good in season? I've never bought them outside of then. Otherwise thinking of putting together an Awazon order. Is there anything that tastes pretty unique? I wanna try something new.

>>21850595
they have 20kg melons in stock

>>21849510
You will never be American.

>>21850468
Need to boil the leafs so it is strong. Preferably bof or bopf.

>>21850733
It's not really a matter of strength imo. I have a bunch of CTC Assam and BOPF Ceylon. I drink it without sugar and once the milk knocks down the tannins too much milkfat just makes it taste buttery. Whole milk is probably okay in masala chai where you're already obliterating the flavor of the tea anyway.

>>21849082
>Awazon does ripes for about $20/kg I'd get something like that, then spend the difference on a different type of tea like raw. Also try purple if you haven't already.
Interesting. I've never bought from Awazon before. I've heard good things from you guys on here, but it looks like a sketchy chink site. Do you have a recommended raw for them? I'm largely wanting to delve more into heicha's and at least want to try one fu cha.

>>21850595
Of the ones I've tried and are still in stock, it's mostly not what I'd call unique. Bread and butter cheap dry stored tea. Though there's a fair amount of stuff there that nobody's ever reviewed.

>>21850801
Nta but these are all decent
http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=796
http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=10
http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=1090
http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=900
http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=1051
Didn't like item CC, AW27 is meh
I suspect the AW18/AW17 mijin is worth a try, I'm getting some next order

>>21850278
>i wouldnt mind having a cake of it but it did feel a little weak for the price
This is my problem with all expensive tea.
You can get so much good stuff in the sub $0.20/g price range that paying more feels like a waste.
I can think of maybe one or two teas above this price, where I was like ok this is something special, and I can see people wanting more.
Most recent tea that comes to my mind was the FL hekai.
Yeah I liked it, but I expected more at this price.

>>21850751
What are your thoughts on evaporated milk then?

>>21850751
Do you boil? Or just steep? Try boiling 10 minutes. Delicious.

>>21834363
terrible fucking idea. stainless holds onto tastes smells so all ur tea will end up just tasting of the flavours built up in the thermos instead of what your wanting to drink.
just buy a normal big fuck off tea pot and a fucking strainer its not hard.

>>21834363
These tea flasks are stupid because they keep infusing for hours on end. Just use a normal flask and treat it as a fairness pitcher. You will get the perfect steeping and the commodity of carrying it around.

>>21849731
>Adding fat and suger to any food item will make it more pleasant.
Not with most chinese and some others, it doesn’t. These teas have pretty much been bred and treated to be drunk with milk and sugar. That’s the whole point of CTC. And if I were to drink a tea without sugar, I’d simply pick something better for the task.

>>21850171
Yep, I'm drinking it today. Just some Pajarito for the classic smoky Paraguayan taste. Kind of reminds me of plums dried over a fireplace.

>>21848851
Could get some Xiaguan raw. Quiche has good prices and storage on those

>>21837988
Anything from Teahome.com

File: 51uLE+JYLNL._AC_SL1500_.jpg (36 KB, 407x1334)

36 KB JPG

>>21851090
The only portable gong fu tea flask I've found that works decent enough is picrel.

>water and tea chambers are separate
>can pull the strainer basket out of the tea chamber so it doesn't overinfuse

>>21851112
Sounds pretty good, but I am not big into smoky flavor profiles, I've discovered. Does Xiaguan have less smoky offerings? I was eyeing the 2011 Jinse Yinxiang and the 2004 Nanzhao tuo.

>>21850468
>I only use 2% milk
2% milk has a lot more calories than eg Coke

>>21850751
I enjoy my CTC assam with a bit of erythritol, which tastes better than sugar in tea desu.
I also tend to order masala chai when I spot it on some menu but sofar it was always flavored milk more than anything else. This has little in common with "tea"

>>21851124
I mean whats even the point. You only get one western steep out of this before you'd have to add new hot water to the flask.
At that point I would just brew the tea before I put it in a thermos.
The other option is you just put hot water in a thermos and use some separate gong fu travel kit.
Also the thing you posted is tiny

>>21851130
Jinse Yinxiang is smoky. I like it.
The Nanzhao tuo could be worth a shot though, I hear those are softer and less smoky

>>21851153
>whats even the point. You only get one western steep
it's for gong fu

>Also the thing you posted is tiny
see above

>>21851108
Nice, so far I only tried 3 brands, all of them from Argentine. But I really like this, and I normally drink either Japanese green tees or coffee.

>>21851201
You mean the top compartment acts as a mug with strainer so you pour the hot water into there and don't strain in the flask?
The pics I found of this thing show only straining in the entire flask volume.

>>21850801
I do put my money where my mouth is >>21847670

I had AW20 2008 Manjing. That was very good.

The only issue I've had with the site is that it's timed out sometimes and emptied my basket.

File: 二刀流でおいしく飲もう ドリップできる水筒.webm (1.71 MB, 1080x1920)

1.71 MB WEBM

>>21851267
>flip upside down
>twist
>water pours from flask into cup
>twist again
>drink tea
>repeat
shrimple as

>>21851345
How is this any better than a normal thermos?

>>21851360
You only have to carry one thing instead of 2 things.

>>21851370
A regular thermos lid is also a cup

>>21851345
seems like a good tool to scorch yourself with 95°C water

>>21851019
I don't mind it sometimes, but it does mask the flavor as well. The cooked taste and different ratios kind of make it into something else.

>>21851022
Both, but I steep more often because it's easier and boiling also affects the flavor. Higher fat tastes different either way.

>>21851145
For the amount in a cup of tea it's probably like 30 calories. I'd probably try erythritol, but milk already adds enough sweetness for me.

File: Dong-Fang-Mei-Ren_Miaoli-(...).jpg (619 KB, 1000x667)

619 KB JPG

an old friend/acquaintance re-enters your life after a decade of separation. what tea are you pouring?

for me? it's gotta be some dong fang mei ren.

>>21847241
>>21847670
Welp, guess I am no longer the mountains of cheat tea guy around here. My stash is only somewhere around 15-20 kg. I just have not been buying tea like I used too. I still kind of want to grow my hoard but going forward I think I will be more picky with what I buy. I don't want to end up with a bunch cheap tea I will never drink.

>>21851157
I'll look into it. Do you have any recommendations for some non-smoky raws on Quiche?

I'm almost done with my giant bag of Rosamonte, what Yerba mate brand should I try next?

>>21851905
Canarias or Barão de Cotegipe. They are at opposite ends of the body spectrum, though. Canarias is fine and strong while Barão de Cotegipe is coarse and somewhat mellow.

File: hexagonal__52540.jpg (54 KB, 900x779)

54 KB JPG

>>21851925
do I need different bombillas for different mates? I have one like this because thats what they had at the shop.

>>21851978
You dont need it but having a wider bombilla will make drinking something like Canarias easier. It can clog your bombilla quite easily. Supposedly there's some sucking techniques mate veterans use to get a perfect drink but I very rarely use bombillas (I do it grandfather style) so I can't tell you much about that.

>>21851587
I prefer my black teas boiled then with 1/3 milk or evaporated milk. You gotta try it.

>english breakfast
>irish breakfast
>boiled ceylon
>boiled pu erh
>boiled chinese blacks
All these hold up well to milk

>>21852012
>boiled pu erh
Sheng can work. Shou with milk sounds utterly disgusting. I wonder which type of tea they use for milk tea in China. I know it has been a huge trend over there in the last decade.

>>21852027
That's interesting. To me shou sounds like it would be great with milk and sheng would be strange with it.

>>21852027
Sheng?
lmfao
Only shou would work. Try it.

>>21852027
China?
I don’t know. But Hong Kong milk tea is a blend of ceylon
Trust me. Ripe pu erh milk tea is heavenly.

>>21851397
But has no way of straining the leaves, so you'll be doing impromptu grandpa style.

>>21852027
Dark colored tea works best with milk.
Obviously oolong and greens and I am sure shengs would too.
Milk oolong tea was sold in shops here.

>>21852062
There's a matcha shortage because people are basically making fucking milkshakes with it, so yeah.

>>21852047
>>21852055
>>21852057
There's no way. Something in my brain just tells me that damp and milk just dont go together.
>>21852062
I thought "milk oolong" had no milk in it. But yeah, if I were to guess, it would be high oxidation oolongs and black teas. I know ceylon is used for HK milk tea like the other anon pointed out, but I doubt the indigenous chinese milk tea industry relies on it, but idk.
>>21852073
Matcha with milk also sounds fucking gross. Only white women could come up with such a terrible combination.

>>21852080
This sounds like a shitpost but it's a genuine question: Do you even like milk, anon?

>>21852080
>1.2 litres water in pot
>boiled
>add 8-10 grams ripe to boiling water
>boil 10 minutes, has to be agitation of leaves
>strain through ultra fine strainer many times
>pour tea into cup
>add milk or evaporated milk
>yum

>>21852080
> but I doubt the indigenous chinese milk tea industry relies on it
China itself has many black teas so yea. They probably don’t use ceylon just because HK uses it too. I made a black milk tea with the most expensive chinese black tea from YS. Very flavourful.

>>21852088
I love milk, dairy and milk in tea. But those combinations sound bad.

>>21852027
Shou with milk is all it's good for
Sheng is actually good on its own, so no need to milk it. Shou is the blandest of all fermented teas and having it with milk is what it deserves

File: b8dd019e55def16930ec38739(...).jpg (1.12 MB, 3840x4768)

1.12 MB JPG

>>21852027
>milk tea in China
>huge trend over there in the last decade
>last decade
last 8 centuries*

Can also add a knob of butter to milk shu... And a small pinch of salt

Any Amazon wakoucha recs? I know there's like 5 brands but did (you) like any of them?

>>21852114
Shou needs long steeps not those 30s or 10s or 20s.
Get it thick and rich and dark. Delicious.

File: teavampire.png (591 KB, 600x413)

591 KB PNG

20% off over at yeeon

>>21851791
At the start I followed all the recommendations you hear from rddt and those places.
>holy SHIT dude you've GOT to try duck shit oolong!
>you HAVE to buy from mei leaf or YS at a 10 times markup
>you can't trust your own opinion, you NEED to go with recommendations
>those sneaky Chinese will sell you twigs, so you NEED to go to a curated selection
I did all that, and was profoundly underwhelmed; the cheap tea from Awazon is really as good as what everyone is paying premiums for. So even though it's cheap, I'm not stocking up on bad tea; it's all drinkable.

Also my strategy is to have lots of cheap tea for daily drinking out of a teapot [usually just steel with an infuser] and some better stuff for the gaiwan. I think a simpler, single note tea can actually be better when you're distracted; I've had some good teas whilst I was busy and it was like drinking water, since I wasn't paying attention to the subtleties.

As for not drinking it, only the green will go off. I actually planned to have enough in case of supply chain disruptions. At moderate consumption this will be about 5 years worth.

File: Tea comparison Awazon Mei(...).png (1.38 MB, 2674x1828)

1.38 MB PNG

>>21852392
>>21851791
I created picrel quickly just to show what I mean: Mei-leaf is overpriced, and YS has better lighting. That's about it. When you look at the leaf and the details they're outrageously overpriced. So I agree that I wouldn't want piles of, say, CTC tea, but this stuff is really good for the money.

>>21852027
>>21852055
>sheng shou sheng shou ripe raw ripe raw
I propose renaming them to 'dry-rot' and 'wet-rot' tea for ease of understanding.

>>21852405
Lol
>>21852122
This.
>>21852027
Shou works well. Been drinking it like this for a few years already. It is delicious.
Try some chinese blacks too. Malty chocolatey milk tea.

>>21852190
Grandpa with milk

>heavy snowfall and a freshly opened bag of gyokuro
Yes. This is a good day today I feel.

File: tea_set.png (1.29 MB, 900x1600)

1.29 MB PNG

it came with tea...
would you drink aliexpress free gift mystery tea?

>>21852916
Yes

>>21852916
No

>>21852916
The packaging says tie guan yin. With the nice vacuum sealed packaging, that tea is definitely good to drink. It's the most gifted tea in China.

>dozens of green tea shreds slipped through the filter into the cup
Pain.

>>21853074
>cursing an opportunity to share the last bits of your cup with your tea pet
Cruel or just stupid?

>>21853090
I don't have a tea pet...

>>21853093
the slime mould in my tea tray is my tea pet

>>21852823
Is there a decent cheap gyokuro to pick up this time of year? Or have you been stashing them in the freezer
I got the itch for something green and I never got around to trying gyokuro

Do you guys think a gooseneck kettle would be a bad idea for tea? I've heard the water can lose lose heat traveling down the spout, and they're slow pours. But the best electric kettle I've found so far is a gooseneck...

>>21853127
I use a fellow stagg.

>>21853115
>Or have you been stashing them in the freezer
Does that damage the quality at all? I've got some coming in soon that I'll have to store.

>>21853130
I was looking at a cheaper knock off because $200 for a kettle is expensive as fuck man.
When do you guys count the infusion time? As soon as the water hits the tea, or after you've poured all the water?

>>21853139
Sorry no idea, I just heard anons speak about chilling them for better shelf life

>>21853140
>As soon as the water hits the tea, or after you've poured all the water?
Doesn't really matter desu, feel it out

>>21853127
>>21853140
>I've heard the water can lose lose heat traveling down the spout, and they're slow pours.
the spout is metal and heats up as the water does, i just burnt my fingers proving that to myself. they arent that slow to pour, mine fills my 100ml gaiwan in around 5seconds starting as soon as water hits the leaf and im not trying to pour fast. bonavita kettle is cheaper, mine has lasted for a good 5 years no problem. i wouldn't be so worried about timings, sure i time and for ripes brew as short as 10 seconds for the 1st but thats mainly for consistency in brewing not because its a hard rule that must be followed

>>21853139
i know the TeaDB guys freeze their cakes they aren't currently drinking, possibly to stop them aging weirdly. i leave everything in drawers and no mould yet!

>>21853115
The date on my bag is harvested 3/31 25
It's been sitting unopened in a Ziplock bag in my cupboard since I got it with some others in April. When I popped this open it was as comparatively fresh as when I first got it. I think you just freeze them if you're keeping them well over the use by date

>>21853220
Oh nice, I'm gonna grab a little bit from what cha then and give it a try. Cheers

>>21853168
>i just burnt my fingers proving that to myself.
Thank you for your dedication, man. I think I'll pull the trigger on the goose neck.
I was looking at off brands on Amazon to be desu. But the price on the Bonavita doesn't look bad.

File: IMG_0055.jpg (24 KB, 383x280)

24 KB JPG

>>21853176
> TeaDB guys
The asian guy does gay porn

>>21851978
you don't but for chimmarao it can help to have the proper one for that type of mate, as it's very finely chopped

>>21852944
oh sweet. thank you very much.
ill still maybe wait untill I'm not alone incase its got some sorta opioid reaserch chemicals or something in it xD

What tisanes work well grandpa style? I want some good non-caffeinated drinks I can lazily refill from my thermos for a long time.

>>21853661
I tend to make mine by just dumping a teabag I filled myself into a teapot and leaving it there, not exactly grandpa but none of my tisanes went bitter this way.
I think you might have to worry about floaties and little bits though if it's unbagged.
Chamomile, rooibos, ivan chai, sideritis all good

>>21853714
>I think you might have to worry about floaties and little bits though if it's unbagged.
The government doesn't want you to know this, but you can use a bombilla to comfortably drink anything grandpa style.

>>21853857
It's kind of dumb, but I always feel like I'm gonna fuck up and accidentally get a mouth full of boiling water with those things.

drinking some 2005 t8653
damn good tea. smells like incense.

>>21853661
Cant think of a single one where the bits won’t be a problem. You could go for mint or orange rind, but I don’t think they are that good and the latter goes bitter after some time.
As for general tisanes, I like roiboos and verveine.

>>21854191
But how does it taste?

>>21853661
Rose hips (it's good for you, too)

>>21854468
like incense.

>>21853433
ok i haven't tried fine cut mates yet, only argentine coarse cut. i did however buy a brazilian style cuia porongo and that one works real nice with the argie mate.

File: cb88194e9a6481405a97b6cfa(...).png (906 KB, 1080x1163)

906 KB PNG

dropped $1k on the yeeon sale by accident

>>21854930
Damn, I was just looking at my basket trying to decide. What did you get?

>>21854937
2000 menghai tea factory 7542
2004 zhongcha 8582
2001 xiaguan grade a tuo
tea for connoisseurs 1 red label
tea for connoisseurs 4 mengku
plus some random samples and a few loose teas

Has anyone here tried using a tetsubin? How is your experience?

File: Screenshot from 2026-01-2(...).png (400 KB, 1222x598)

400 KB PNG

$30 for a kilo of tian jian? What can go wrong?

>>21854983
>2001 xiaguan grade a tuo
I hear a lot of good things about this tuo
rare occasion to try trad stored Xiaguan too

>>21854468
it's very woody, incense, barbeque, charred wood, some menthol, good mouthfeel. smooth and rather aged taste
gotta be one of my favorite aged raws I've had, though I haven't had many fancy ones

File: Trader-Joe-s-USDA-Organic(...).png (96 KB, 768x768)

96 KB PNG

Rate from 1 to 10.

>>21855123
I don’t live in usa

>>21855127
trader joes = aldi

File: PXL_20260128_004749098.jpg (1.96 MB, 3024x4032)

1.96 MB JPG

Been a while since I made some milk shu, I do i how anon taught in this thread
I keep this 7572 aside for it

File: PXL_20260128_005824012.jpg (1.62 MB, 4032x3024)

1.62 MB JPG

>>21855227
Whiten till it looks like chocolate
Quite good, rich taste

>>21853661
Best results I ever had were with some Japanese greens.
That all sinks to the bottom in my experience even when you're tipping it back to drink from it.

File: PXL_20260128_042640855.jpg (3.11 MB, 3472x4624)

3.11 MB JPG

Can anyone ID this tin? Based on the little english in the corner it's an Anji white. tia anons

File: 1731471852637290.jpg (594 KB, 1250x2000)

594 KB JPG

My sister is going to Taiwan and is offering to get me tea while she's there. What tea shops do I send her too? I already sent her to Wistaria last time around.

>>21855695
I’d get teaware instead

>spending thousands on tea when you can just make it at home
You guys may be overdosed with fluoride

File: Cold_Hardy_Tea_7_FGT.jpg (210 KB, 1000x1000)

210 KB JPG

>>21856218
Forgot pic

>>21856218
It's just not the same without the chinaman sweat and cigarette butts.

>>21856274
I have a guy for that

File: 1719192121218643.jpg (16 KB, 320x320)

16 KB JPG

king tea mall master race entering on the building

>>21852201
i´v had the chance to taste a kunming shou 2005/06 brick and let me tell you, i´m in love with HK storage. For the rainy days, its perfect. Any sites besides Sensing Tea and Yee?

>>21856218
yes of course let me age 20 years of tea so i can drink it when my future son moves home

File: 100%OJ_Cover.png (2.02 MB, 1446x2048)

2.02 MB PNG

>>21855239
so the HK tea is pur erh and not black tea? Can you teach me, k-kind sir?

>>21856456
Only other option I'm aware of is
https://hayslontea.com

>>21856460
Nope it's not HK milk tea at all, that's made with black tea blends

>>21856463
teach me ripe milky tea. Is it good cold?

>>21856467
Not tried it cold with milk
I've done ripe cold brew and it was ok, but I think cold ripe isn't the best presentation

If tea is so great, why is there no tea 2?

>have to live in the middle of nowhere in the woods for a few months
>no tea, no hot sauce
>no packet delivery either
This is hell. But I think I figured out how to get delivery now. I've had only coffee and I'm fucking tired of it.

>>21855227
7572 is very good for milk tea
Nice
> Quite good, rich taste
Sounds perfect.

>>21856467
> teach me ripe milky tea. Is it good cold?
I think the post is in this thread.
>cold
Tea can be enjoyable cold but best is warm or room temperature. That’s when the notes are more pronounced.

>>21856460
Hk tea is ceylon blend. 100% ceylon. And evaporated milk is added to it. Has to be filtered many times for smoothness.

File: IMG_3848.jpg (127 KB, 750x839)

127 KB JPG

>>21856467
see>>21839974 That is HK milk tea.
You can use any black tea or pu-er and it will taste good but it won’t be hk milk tea.
>cold
Sure.

>>21856467
They charge more for cold hk milk tea at restaurants lol
>>21856654
What?

>>21855239
It even tastes like chocolate if you get the most expensive black tea from YS.

Is hot chocolate a tisane?
[spoiler]Is coffee a tisane?[/spoiler]

>>21856689
Yeah if you use actual beans

>>21856689
It is and it's the original way it was consumed.

>>21855239
The thick, deep, rich taste with milk that satisfies me is heavenly. Tea and milk tea are two totally different drinks.

File: Mangird-Tea-2-MKII-Earpho(...).jpg (406 KB, 1000x1000)

406 KB JPG

>>21856654
But there is

File: IMG_3849.jpg (117 KB, 750x876)

117 KB JPG

Wtf lol

>>21856689
Rice pudding is a tisane

NEW:
>>21857070
>>21857070
>>21857070

>>21857072
Please don't make a new bait edition thread before the old one hits bump limit in the future.

>>21857094
312th post itt, which means 12 above bump limit mate

>>21857102
Bump limit is 310 newfriend. No reason to make a new thread before page 10 on an extremely slow board.