This is the thread for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusions.Info on types of teas, where to buy, and how to brew: https://rentry.org/tea-pastebinPrevious thread: >>21943358
Might make a little order from theTea.plMostly for the fresh spring green and Love Forever sample
Christmas Melon Split or not?
>>21964386Seems like a waste unless they specified you're meant to actually drink that. You could probably make your money back if you sold it as an "experience" in a shop.
>>21964386Ai Weiwei's companion piece "Ton of Sugar Cube"
>>21964408Nah, it's just an art piece some guy made. But I guess drinking the art piece would be an interesting gimmick.
ToTI got this cold "tea", it says MEGA DELICIOUS but it ain't. It's.. drinkable.
>>21964386finally a use for my sports direct gaiwan
>>21964437Finally, something sufficient to wake me up in the morning.
>>21964394>.plNice, I am from poland and gonna try next time
>>21964479I think it's a pretty good store, though they don't stock many cheap teas so not the place to go for bargains.There are a few other Polish stores too. Eherbata.pl has a large selection but is less curated and it's harder to know what's worth gettingThere's also five'o'clock, which has bad descriptions on their site but has some decent tea and a chain of IRL stores which can be convenient if you leave near them
>>21964386Usecase for 1 ton pressed cube of tea?
>>21964517Very large cup of tea to really wake you up in the morning
>>219643867 pence per gram, not a bad price
>>21964621for 2005 leaf no less. a fucking steal.
>>21964437the heat of the water steeps the tea
>>21964517Tea party in Boston
>>21964394>Love ForeverJust buy the cake. There aren't many legendary cakes in English speaking places. Might as well be the superior hobbyist.>>21964517Aesthetic af. It's rightfully an art piece and I would leave it somewhere I could see it while drinking my tea.
guys, the melon is actually really good
>>21964437in awe of the size of this ladabsolute unit
>>21964423Aren't those pyramid bags the REAL microplastic bombs?
>>21964709>>Love Forever>Just buy the cake. After trying sample I wouldn't. Overrated like all aged stuff. If I wanted to drink wood+resin I might as well boil some woodshavings from local pet store.
>>21964709>Just buy the cakeIdk, it's like 130$, I don't want to blind cake at that priceI hear this tea is a bit love or hate too and not a typical Xiaguan profile I do highly suggest blind buying the 2005 t8653 for 60$ though, great tea
2026 greens are up on KingTeaMall
>>21964856I'm plasticmaxxing. Health science is all about poisoning you, and they are the ones rallying the hardest against microplastics. So the truth is that plastics will make you healthy, maybe even night-immortal, once you adapt to them and incorporate their thousand-year long lifespan.
>>21965394I'm surprised I haven't heard this take yet
>>21964386>>21964621"Ton of Tea" is just the title. There's no indication how much it weighs. 1 m^3 would be a ton of water, and I think packed tea is usually less dense than water, no? Maybe it was hyper retard packed, but even then I'm not sure. There's also no way to know.
>>21965481Yeah. There's no info as to the actual weight. Could have just compressed super hard to make it fit the dimensions I guess
>>21965486>Could have just compressed super hard to make it fit the dimensions I guessMore likely they'd have tried to compress it less to save on tea material needed for manufactureOr even more likely they'd have compressed it as needed for structural integrity. Which I imagine might be pretty hard to keep the large cube stable and prevent it from falling apart under its own weight, or in fact avoid it compressing itself under its own weight and shrinking. So I'd imagine it's probably pretty compressed but likely not hyper hydraulic pressed
what weighs more, a ton of steel or a ton of tea?
>>21965499tea, it holds more water once brewed
>>21965501They are both a ton
>>21965610But the water adds to the ton
>>21965610But how are they both a ton if steel is heavier?? Doesn't make any sense
>>21965499you weigh them both, so you have weighed at least 2 tons
>>21965757are you calling me fat
>>21965758you went through the action of weighing the steel and the tea, so you weighed them at a ton each, two tons totalyour fatness is a different topic
ordered from ktm and w2t on the same dayktm won the race and arrived todayw2t tracking to arrive tomorrow, close but no cigar
>>21966121nice, what did you get?
>>21966510trying to find some new blacks and oolongs i like
>>21966780
>>21966510motorbike
Currently drinking the LSBC "2021 Yunnan Old Tree Tea White" from Awazon that I received from the melon anon.Wet leaf smell has a distinct sourness to it, maybe like tamarind or slightly fermented stinging nettle.The liquor smells sweet, with notes of hay that I know from a ChenPi in my collection - the only white tea I can draw a comparison to. There's a note of chamomille as well, so much so that I'd guess for this to be a weak chamomille infusion would I not know better.Taste opens up quickly after only the second short gongfu steep at about 95°C.It's sweet and coats the tongue. I've heard people use the descriptor 'honeysuckle' before when describing tea and that's what it reminds me of. It's not a honey or sugar-like sweetness, but something more subtle, subdued.This is accompanied by a hint of bitterness and slight adstringency - mirroring the sour notes of the wet leaf smell. Overtones of pollen and flower, but more akin to wild herbs than the poignant scent of rose or jasmine.Overall, it's subtle and approachable because of its tendency for sweetness. Very pleasant to drink and nothing too complicated.
>>21966907Nice photos and reviews mate.
some new stuff on FarmerLeaf is up
>>21966918>tfw pinching pennies for a whiletell me how it tastes when it arrives
>>21964386sigh. steam machine will never be released
>>21966919I'm also not buying, I need to pick up my Autumn LME from the post office anyway
>>21966915The photos are from the awazon site, I can't take credit for that.The gaiwan and wet leaf pic is maybe a little misleading; looks like they're brewing up the loose leaf before pressing. The actual cake is moderately compressed and doesn't come apart too easily.Caffeine content isn't bad either, I'm pretty buzzed after 4-5 cups.
>>21966907appreciate the review! I found it the second best tea I tried from Awazon (after the expensive sheng). Little bit of everything, nothing crazy or bad. Wet leaf smell was sweet and exotic I recall.>>21966928>pick up my Autumn LME from the post officeNice! Please post here what you think from it. I had one session with it so far and found it a little underwhelming. Mineral taste and not much else. I had a sample of some different year FL LME, which had a lot more funk and edge going on. However it's still better that Huey Wa lol, but yea theres propably a reason why this harvest is so cheap - the other LME havests cost multiples of that. I'll give it some more sessions before I do a full review.
>>21967125autumn harvest last year was super cheap in general. I had a 2023 cake before and it was 55$. we'll see if I like this one similarlyI do remember the 2023 as very mineralic and slightly one-note, but with good mouthfeel and longevity
On the off-chance, does anyone have tea/store recommendations on Amazon for Canadians? (I know there are some stores in the rentry, but one is completely sold out and the others are pu-erh heavy.) Asking for a friend. They are dabbling in teas but not ready (financially or personally) to go off the autism deep-end. They like teas with floral and fruit notes like aged white, oolong, and jasmine/osmanthus-flowered teas, but also like rich black tea. Thanks, anons.
Kombucha check in. Hope everyone is mold free. Just lazily drained off a gal into a plastic distilled jug and have a fresh pot of 2013 xg brick cooling.
>>21967772>Just lazily drained off a gal into a plastic distilled jugfor a moment i read that as "i drained a female"
>>21967774They also work for piss.
Been on holiday and got some loot, bought at a supermarket in Zhufangbei.
Kuura came in. Kudos for labelling their "mystery tea samples" as actual mystery, so you don't know what you are drinking.I propably overpaid for mediocre tea but damn I like nice looking things.
>>21968004Cute teapot. Being able to watch the leaves steep always seemed real nice. I've been on the fence about getting a glass brewing vessel but staying with ceramic for now for the higher thermal inertia.
>>21968004they do have cool branding, might be my favorite of the hipster craft beer type brandsand I hear the tea is at least not terrible
I want to see those gaiwans LOADED.The 3D printed tray bed I use has warped significantly but aside from having to reglue the halves together once, it has held up well.
>>21968976what's that tea? I had some 'chinese tea gift' tea that looked similar to that.[spoiler]I didn't like it very much[/spoiler]
>>21969010It's a cheap dianhong from TeaVivre. Low grade and hits just right at 9 pm.
FL 2025 Spring Jingmai Tian Xiang Sheng (2 sessions with a sample I received)8g Gongfu, 90°CThis is supposed to be a blend of old tree leaves and younger trees. Nice large leaf material, faint leathery smell, minor dried fruit. Taste wise this is quite a suprise hit for me. A little bit of everything thats fun in a young sheng, pleasent bitterness, minor burly notes, little fruit, bit mineral. Everything is well balanced out, good endurance too. All these FL young shengs can be a little samey but I'd prefer this one over 2025 Autumn LME (more mineral, not much else), 2024 Yellow Flakes (more bitter, more astringent) and 2023 Bang Wai Small Trees (more burly/tobacco-y). Wish I've gotten a cake.
>>21969265Have you tried young sheng from other vendors as well?I say that cause these days the competition is fierce and in my experience even young factory cakes are pretty good. >All these FL young shengs can be a littleYeah, I've tried almost all of them (sub $100) and sometimes it's kinda hard to distinguish them. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since this way you have some certainty that even if you do a blind buy, you will probably like it(I have my personal gripe with few of them, but people seem to like them)
>>21966907I bought a cake of this tea about a year ago and didn't like it much right after I got it, it looked and felt like low quality shou mei with no redeeming qualities.Trying it out again today gives me much of the same impression, it definitely tastes like a nettle infusion more than anything else, some hay, something dry and herbal that doesn't remind me of the somewhat citrusy taste and smell of tea, and the texture is much more watery than oily.I usually prepare a white tea with 80° to 90°C water, and with a higher temp it tastes a bit more like shou mei and a bit less like nettle but still quite underwhelming.I guess I saw the moon on the package and expected something closer to yue guang bai, but even considering that, I can't recommend this tea.>>21969316I bought some young sheng cakes from a number of more and less reputable vendors over the last few years, and found they can vary widely.There were a few from something like Dr. Tea, or Dr. something, I found on ebay, a mo lie which tasted vegetal without being sapid, somewhat cooling and every so slightly citrusy, and a 100g one I can't remember the name of which was wildly mineral, like licking a stone and a half with each sip.Then there were a few from Awazon, the one I described above and another cheap one that tastes nearly like mao cha, or like a muted, less astringent bai mu dan.Then there was a 9 month old yue guang bai from who know where I got on ebay which tasted high quality, stone fruit and white flowers with barely any malt, little tannins and a good viscose texture.Then there have been others but they were quite unremarkable.Overall I find lower quality young cakes are still widely available, but as soon as you go up one step in quality you can find a wide variety of flavors.On the other hand, a lot of it is gambling because it's hard(impossible) to find reliable info on many of these young blends, especially if they come from less than famous factories and stores.
Speaking of young FL sheng, I'm sipping on thishttps://www.puercn.com/puercha/mengkurongshi/27105.htmlVery FL-ish.It has some TFLZ qualities, but sweeter and fruitier.Not the most interesting or unique sheng I've had, but a solid tea for sure.
I gotta stop drinking sheng man. Every fucking time I'm fine then boom the buzz drops and I feel so depressed. I can't keep going through this.
>>21964625bet your bottom dollar, confuscious
I haven't lurked here in a long time. Where do Americans order cheap raw peurh from now?
>>21969931Awazon.
>>21969941Last time I wanted to place an order a few months ago the shipping cost was insane. Has it gotten better?
>>21969942I paid like $60 last around this time last year for ~5kg shipped.
drinking tea is relaxing but it really makes me scatterbrained
>>21969931QuicheTeas is the hot new puerh store on the block. rare combination of good prices and good storageotherwise, for young sheng FarmerLeaf is okay, they actually lowered their prices to match falling maocha prices unlike most western vendors that just pocket the extra money
>>21969988Nice, thanks for the plug. $25-$40 cakes is what I like.
>>21969627Interesting. This makes me want to try some more whites since I enjoy the LSBC quite a bit, though I have not many comparisons to draw.
>>21970009this is solid at that price if you want aged sheng: https://quicheteas.com/products/2011-xiaguan-jinse-yinxiang
>>21969878>>21969986That's not the tea, my friends.
Drinking tea is relaxing but then I piss out like five liters over the rest of the day, and I feel like that can't be healthy for my kidneys
>>21970155You're probably severely overweight and on medication if you're pissing out more than you drink. Or your father has that cancerous condition where he has to pump up the balloon placed underneath your skin to stretch it out for the graft operation.
Alienist was good
>>21970510Nice! Never had it but I've got the towel :)
>>21970515damn i want that towel every time i look at the shop but its been sold out since i've been ordering from them
>>21970213I heard that it was normal for tea to stimulate pissing. Alcohol also makes me piss up a storm too. 5 liters is obviously an exaggeration but stillI'm slightly overweight and unfit but definitely not severely and I have no other health conditions so idk
My Autumn Lao Man E cake just arrivedWith another sample of Huey Wa. I thought the first one was okay, but I've had more exciting samples
>>21971944The pouring technique doesn't matter as much with dry material. It doesn't matter all that much anyway. I still find myself pouring delicately in most cases except for ripes which I blast.
tired of always making tea. This should last me the whole day tomorrow. I like how viscous peppermint tea gets when it steeps long
Post your gaiwan
>>21971944ah I see, it's the ancient 'making shit up for social media content' technique
>>21972270my entire teawarebeing poor is no joke
>>21972270I don't have one, the lid broke and I can't be assed to replace itI prefer using teapots anyway. Or my testing cup
>>21972270I drink out of a mug like a normal person
>>21972503Then post it
>>21971709>>21967125>>21967142First impressions with 2025 Autumn Lao Ma E after one sessionQuite different than what I remember of the 2023. This is more citrusy, with the bitterness it reminds me of grapefruit. I think there is a bit more sweetness and less bitterness. Good competition for the likes of Fa Zhan He, it's even cheaper tooWe'll see how my thoughts change later, but this first session tasted more like a normal balanced Menghai sheng than the savory bitter olives I remember. Might be because this one is mostly sweet varietal and the 2023 had more bitter varietal in it
Following the suggestions from the last thread I made sushki, but I found them too hard to be enjoyable, so I experimented a bit and arrived at these, which are about halfway between sushki and bagels.I also reorganized some drawers and cupboards and now all my tea's in the same place.Moving things around I also found 2-3g of GFOP I'd bought some ten years ago and some samples from health tea house from back when they were sold on ali.I finished the GFOP and it's better than I remembered, but then again, I think today's been the first time I prepare it the gong fu way.
I know that what differentiates most teas is their processing- drying, fermenting, and so on- but how are white teas and green teas differentiated? Is it the point at which the leaves are harvested?
>>21972785>how are white teas and green teas differentiated?The same way you mentioned above. White tea is left to dry naturally(either in sun or shade) while green tea use heat to stop any future oxidation(either steam or roasting)
>>21972785It's a processing differenceGreen teas are subjected to high heat right after they are picked, usually either on a wok or with hot steam. This stops enzymatic oxidation and preserves their fresher greener look and flavours.White tea is not subjected to heat, but just left to dry. It's like the simplest processing possible. It also means that they can oxidize more with time and change their flavour, some white tea is aged on purpose in recent years.
>>21972785These charts get posted sometimes, they cover enough bases for 95% of tea.>>21972751That looks fantastic man. How were the sushgels? BTW how old is that tea, i.e. when was Heath Tea House on Ali?>>21972477It's a good looking set any way you slice it. I'll take a shot of my corner with all my teaware sometime this weekend.
>>21971944Where's the part where you have to spill half of your water outside the gaiwanIt's crucial for getting authentic chinese flavor
>>21972798>>21972801>>21972860Thank you anons, I understand better now.
>>21972477All you need, more is just aesthetics/clutter
>>21972860Thanks, I'm calling them donuts despite their mixed heritage and they were good, like softer and chewier and slightly sweet bagels with a bit of a crust.That tea is nine or ten years old, I believe ali stopped selling tea around seven or eight years ago, Dragon Tea House and many others were on there as well.
>>21972477I just bought this teapot on AliExpressHopefully it's a good one100ml, offwhite "plant ash glaze", looks like the spout should pour fast, right?
>>21972751I should call her
More loot
>>21972751>about halfway between sushki and bagels.You might be close to making bubliki
>>21973044ooh, fancy pulltab. how is it?
>>219730443============================D
>>21973071I've never had one so I can't say for sure, but based on online descriptions it seems like bubliki are tougher than bagels, while my odd donuts are a bit softer than those.I only have one eastern european friend and she's not into cooking so I don't think we'll ever know for sure.
I've always enjoy Sleepytime Tea, but have just run out and decided to buy the Twinings Speep+ tea, which includes valerian root.Idunno bros, I think I like this better and I think it's as relaxing but I seem to have gone into a deeper sleep than normal. Either way I enjoyed the tea anyway.What's your favourite relaxing/sleepy teas?
i have drunk tea for 20 ish years with a tea ball, as i have been taught by dad. well, i tried tea with one of those big infuser baskets. there is actually a difference in taste, noticable too. same tea leaves, smoother taste.
>complimentary hotel teabags (Twinnings)>drinking the stuff for days now>realize the spots on them probably aren't little leaf flakes, but mold>no good tea on hand, just have to keep drinking itthe struggle is real. but it's better than nothing.
>>21973838>just have to keep drinking itFucking hell man, can't you get some coffee or something instead? Anything other than literally moldy teabags?
>>21973846coffee makes me feel icky
>>21973837Yes, the more space for leaves to unfurl, the betterDoesn't matter that much with most western black teas, but it can matter a lot for teas with whole leaves
>>21973000Nothing like a little bit of cadmium to flavour the tea.
>>21973828That's interesting that it contains hawthorn, I never see that in herbal blends. I've been liking TM's nighty night extra. It has me sleeping heavier with stranger dreams than usual and provides a pretty nice mild anxiolytic effect which is a small mercy while sober. Might throw some loose chamomile in there too, which I usually just like to drink chilled on its own. I'd like to try some other mild psychotropes sometime like skullcap or hops and see how they compare
>>21973938Wouldn't be afraid of that with a simple glazed porcelain pot like this
crazing driving me crazy, oh!i am drinking gaba oolong
>>21973838anon, walk into any hotel in the morning, take the elevator, all the way to the top floor, ride it all the way back down, and then as long as you walk like you know what you're doing, you can literally rob the breakfast station and they won't notice or care. please do not live like this. also post the tea? at least let me see what kind of mold this is.
moldy tea, west :|moldy tea, china :O
>>21974210it truly depends on the mold. some mold is friendly and some is deadly.
>>21974210Hypocrites will eat camembert but refuse a 2 month old molded sandwich, baka
>>21973333Fair. Yes, I don't know the precise definition of a bagel, but a bublik is quite tough that's true. I always thought of it as a giant sushka that isn't dried.
>>21973838You oughta be able to complain and have them get you new tea. Also take detailed photos (and, if your country allows it, record your complaining so there's clear evidence that these are indeed the hotel's teabags and not something random you just brought in yourself to false flag them) and, if they don't get you new tea, you can submit a health complaint to whatever local authorities.Unless you're in some dysfunctional third worlder shithole in which case rip.I unironically always travel with my own tea these days, unless it's a very short trip and the space my tin would take is not worth it.
>>21974178How/which one is it? I've had two GABAs so far, one was nice but a little mild and the other was just absolutely terrible.
>>21974475its the unroasted GABA oolong from thetea.pl, ive had it for a long time and im just finishing it off now, i think its really good and it has a nice sweet potato taste
>>21974183this is how it looks roughly (not my photo, it's from reddit, and the redditoids seem to agree that it's mold.) only some of them are like this.the stuff doesn't taste or smell out of sorts (as far as cheap black tea is concerned)>>21974353meh, this place is a shithole anyway. them having tea in the lobby at all is a surprise frankly. I'm sure it's the least of their concerns. what's complaining gonna do? they toss it out, then there's no tea. just makes a whole new problem.and ya know, they say not to look a gift horse in the mouth. sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad.
>>21974532This could be machine oil stains for all I can tell from the picture. Think of it this way, drinking household mold is pretty fucking bad for you. Especially if this is just cheap hotel tea anyway, what even is the point of drinking it? Go without. Or find some cheap teabags in a local shop, I've never seen a shithole that didn't carry Lipton or something in a local cheapo grocery or convenience store.
>>21974511I had this exact one lolit's solid I think. not that I've had that many GABAs, I think I had like five
You have a birthday tea cake, right anon?A puehr you only drink one day of the year, marvelling at how the flavor changes as you grow older, right?
>>21974664No, I gave up on aging tea myself after I looked up climate data in Kunming, which has notoriously dry storage, way too dry for my taste.The average RH is >70% 7 months out of the year, and everybody online says >70% RH in a pumidor is how you get mold. So maybe that simply isn't true, but I don't really care to test that theory since it would take 15 years to age tea to my liking anyways. I'll just keep buying tea that's already aged.
I have been sick for over a week but j think I'm finally over the worst of it. Just in time for work tomorrow.Oh, well. Im celebrating with my first proper tea session to round off the night
Hey anons I want to get a sampling pack, are there any good ones I can buy in swedenland? otherwise inte probably better to buy from china because eu shipping is expensive for small shit
>>21974899You have a nice tea setup. I'm not much of a teaman but I do enjoy an afternoon black tea and an evening sleepy tea.Glad you're feeling better but sorry it's just in time for work. Classic.
>>21975147Tecentralen packs their own sample packs as teascovery on their site. They're good
>>21972477All I use is pic related and a mug.
>>21975160got one of those is it the best tea store in Sweden? any other you recommend
>>21975201Don't know. I just live nearby and have heard good things about them online after the fact. I just go to the store, chat with the owners about what to buy, and smell some samples before deciding myself.
>>21975201Which one did you get by the way? The country specific ones looked the best when looking at what they contained.
>>21975238I got the middle kingdoms one it seemed to have the most variety
>>21975262Good pick. The Long Jing, Yellow Needle, Tie Guan Yin and Top Tippy Golden Yunnan all taste great. The Pu'er not so much. I tried the slightly cheaper King of Pu'er rather than emperor. Which smelled much the same. Tastes like stable, don't get it. Haven't tried White Paklum Yinzhen Tips.
Anyone have a usecase for spent tea leaves?
>>21975335Compost
>>21975178you are missing absolutely nothing[spoiler]except ton of dishes[/spoiler]
>>21975335I throw it in the toilet so sewer rats can enjoy it too
>>21975335Sometimes I'll dump them in a mug and try a 12+ hour cold brew in the fridge.
>>21975351>>21975376>>21975383My 2 min google told me some people eat them, anyone try?
>>21975389I eat spent green tea leaves on rice with natto sometimes. Also used a green oolong once and it was nice. The flavor is very mild if you even notice it at all, just kind of a generic vegetable taste.
/tea/ anons, what are you using to boil your water? I've been using a stovetop kettle often enough that an electric one would probably suit me better.
>>21975571Stagg EKG for like 6+ years now?
>>21975571I have a dedicated tea machine, which I mostly only use as an electric kettle with temp control and keep warm feature. I occasionally use the tea feature for western style brewing.When you are looking to buy an electric kettle, make sure it has temp control and a keep warm feature, so you don't have to re-heat the water all the time during a gong fu session.
>>21975574Thats a high price point. The water doesn't meaningfully cool after traveling through that long skinny gooseneck?>>21975579Wery nice, thanks for the tip.
>>21975403How do you prepare the leaves
>>21975603Hasn't been an issue. They've also got the Corvo Ekg if you just want a beak.
>>21973125It is very much like a white tea. The first brew is light green and the subsequent ones are an amber colour. Slightly astringent on the back of the throat, it is very subtle.
>>21975634No prep, I just dump them out of my gaiwan onto the rice.
>>21975389yeah, the greener leaves can be pretty tasty. I snack on my spent Long Jing and it's mildly sweet and bitter.
>>21975571I've been using the Cuisinart PerfecTemp 1.7-Liter kettle from Amazon for seven years. The spring on the open button is pretty loose and I have to fish the lid open after I press it, but it's otherwise been fantastic to have. I also opened it up and put glue in the speaker to mute about 75% of the volume. I highly recommend it. Either way, you need an electric kettle you can keep right by you. I see it's $109, which is ridiculous. I paid $70 in late 2019.
>>21975571Stovetop kettle. It's pretty, shiny and has a good pour. And if it really had to. I bet it can sit on a fire and still do the job.
>>21975571This kettlehttps://www.amazon.com/COSORI-Electric-Gooseneck-Variable-Stainless/dp/B07T1CH2HH
any gaiwan reccs for a bonganon with 40 gbp?
>>21976084https://www.amazon.co.uk/AUSUAYA-Ceramic-Chinese-Traditional-Ceremony/dp/B0BTYC1J7ZI rec this one primarily for its shape, I use it a lot and its comfortable compared to some other gaiwans I've had.If you just want the cheapest possible, or more variety in designs go for something on aliexpress
>>21976084Honestly check your ebay listings. There's a lot of neat stuff on there from people who have been collecting for ages just looking to make room for more purchases. Profit off their addiction It's where I got mine from
Aged white teas. Recommend a brother some aged white teas, they're my favorite (ordering from within the 'States, probably will order from Yunnan but I'm flexible.) I'm also down for a good raw pu-erh (and is purple tea anything noteworthy to try?)
Working myself through the mystery sample stack from Kuura. The sheng and the ripe were nothing special but the oolong is great. I believe it is the 2024 Taiwan Dong Ding.It is very floral, fruity, sweet, exotic. Only light roast compared to a Dancong, very pleasent. I'll definetly try to find me some Dong Ding. Any recs? (the Kuura one is sold out)
>>21976245Lao bai cha from KingTeaMall. Very cheap, very tastyI might also try something from Sweetest Dew, I heard good things about their whites
>>21976479Lao dong ding / legend of tung ting from TeaHome.com is probably the best value medium roast dong ding out thereBeware that the website needs automatic browser translation and can be annoying to navigate
>>21976091tempted to get the whole tea set desu>>21976141will have a looook
>>21976589Forgot to mention I meant the first white one. The one in the set looks like a different 150ml one, it doesnt look bad though seems to be missing a saucer
>>21976084Gaiwans are glazed ceramic, they're not expensive to make and don't do anything to the taste of the tea, so get the cheapest one in a nice shape you can find on ali.>>21976245I haven't tried this but by all accounts it should be fire: https://quicheteas.com/products/2016-fuding-white-tea-sun-dried-gongmeiOr this if you want something more oxidized: https://www.ebay.com/itm/156611738391There are a few different types of white tea that get pressed and aged, so if you have a more specific idea what you want, like, something lighter like a bud-only white, something stronger like an older sheng... that'd help us give you relevant suggestions.>>21976479https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/product/dong-ding-high-mountain-heritage-oolong-tea/?v=0d149b90e739They also offer a cheaper option I haven't tried, it should be alright if you want something lighter.If you want something in the same vein, lightly roasted, a bit more floral and less bready, you should try some of their Alishan qing xin (they're having discounts on last year's spring stock so you get a good excuse to try a sample) or some other Taiwanese high mountain oolong, a lot of them are sort of like a dong ding if it were lightly roasted but didn't lose any flowery and citrusy notes.A friend of a friend's is in Shanghai, and according to my friend knows his shit.I has asked for some good quality da hong pao within a budget of €25, and I just recently discovered the majority of tea sold as da hong pao is a blend of different, cheaper wuyi oolongs that should approximate the right balance of the real thing, though I figured he might find something real for €1/g at most, especially in Shanghai, and especially if he knows his shit.The friend's friend sent my friend a message today saying, in his second or third language, he got "five-ten small packets" each containing "about... double dose".Anyone wanna bet on what mix of burnt shui xiang and rou gui is inside those packets?
>>21976737The real da hong pao trees are government protected, so "da hong pao" functions kinda like a house blend. but supposedly qi dan is propagated from them.
>>21975571Any kettle with temp control and double wallsI use the bosh sky-something series it's nice>>21975574I don't get the point of a $250 kettle that fits barely 1L and has no particular features that aren't present on most chink kettles
anyone use one of these instead of a kettle?
>>21976805yes. I grew up with one in my family so I have one now too. super handy if youre someone who would enjoy hot water on demand. i drink alot of tea throughout the day and sip hot water for fun so it works for me. if thats not you then a standard kettle would probably save you space.
>>21964386I love that it's exactly scaled to the size of a minecraft honey block. tea and honey, anyone?kek
>anon discovers cubessalutes to that. I'm trying the awazon white brick at the moment (AW95 2019 Yunnan Old Tree Tea White Brick).Compression isn't too bad, it's compact but I didn't need any pliers to break it apart like another anon reported. The ShuBar from w2t is way worse in that aspect. It does take some time to open up in the gaiwan - next time I'll increase the steeping time of the first couple steeps so it brews up more consistently.It's more mellow than the 2021 LSBC ( >21966907) and missing that sour tinge/astringency. There's also little floral overtones going on, maybe a bit of herbal aroma.Hay, nettle, honeylike sweetness. Bitter - this one might benefit from a lower temperature than the ~95°C I'm targeting, though it's not overpowering.Caffeine hits good, it's no slouch.There's some hui gan going on, it leaves a sweetness in my throat.It's not good, but it's also not terrible. So 2 cent per gram will get you something drinkable that wakes you up in the morning and tastes (debatably) more interesting than plain water.I could not ask for more than that.
>>21976822Thanks chatgpt.
Shincha soonShincha so very, very soon...
>>21976494>>21976737thank you for the recs>>21976941My experience was somewhat similar, however LSBC is the clear winner for me.>ShuBar from w2t is way worse in that aspectYea I use pliers for that one too. Shubar is 50% twigs anyways. However I somehow don't hate it, its pleasantly mild.
Alright everyone. A while ago I asked for recommendations of smokey teas. I ordered the white2tea recs besides some other stuff from there. I haven't gone through them all yet:Boat Captain 2022 smoked raw: The first steeps tasted bitter rather than smokey. Later on it settled and I could taste the leaf and the smoke properly-both are fairly 'simple' but the combination gives it some depth. I did not find it nearly as hard hitting as was advertised. I preferred the later, more complex brews, flavour-wise. Got a few good steeps out of it. At 24 cents/ 18 pence a gram (14p if you buy the cake), I think it overpriced.Chapo-Mid (heicha liu bao nongjia.) So, a rustic style wet piled smoked dark tea aged in bamboo baskets. This was by far the cheapest (though not Awazon tier) and I actually really like it. It has a superficial roughness to it but the body is quite a savoury taste, tomato approaching fish. The smoke is mild but consistent. Clean taste, didn't linger. Got a few steeps out of it. About 8 cents/ 6 pence a gram. A fair price, if a bit too high for me to buy in bulk. I wouldn't rule out buying another brick.
>>21977280I'd be interested in what you have to say about the Sun Fu on your pic.I think the Chapo Mid technically isn't smoked, it's just coal roasted. I once had the smoked "special processing" black tea from FL, it was very smokey.
>>21977280I also tried blood moon 2025. Not smoked. This was advertised as a half oxidised white/black mix. Upon tasting it, I immediately recalled Awazon's BS06 golden bud. Yet there was an added and distinctive sweet 'red wine' taste to it, and in later steeps the similarity declined as this fruity taste took over. unusual, and pleasant. I've seen people break this down into particular fruit flavours-I only got the general flavour.20 cents a gram (15.5 pence) if you buy the cake. I think this acceptable as something to drink once in a while, as it is quite unusual, even though the constituent flavours can be found elsewhere. black bud teas seem to be the closest thing I've had though, and would serve as a cheap replacement (even 1/3rd price), albeit missing some notes.>>21977284Just checked. You're right about it being roasted. I'll try the Sun Fu later. 7p a gram for a brick-that will be interesting; up to now the cheaper teas are holding their own.
>>21976941Aren't you supposed to steep whites at like 80 C
>>21977306Not that anon, but I use around 95c. Sometimes I'll fill up a pot and go to bed, then drink it cold in the morning. It might be a problem for some white tea, but I've never had one from high temperatures with Awazon's.
>>21977284>Sun FuJust tried it:2021 Sun Fu heicha [wet fermented microbial with Eurotium Cristatum 'golden flower' fungus]- 12c/9p /g $3.10-started off as though it was going to be like a chocolately puerh, but quickly transitioned into a lighter, sweet plum flavour. Not too complex, not extremely strong, but hits consistently. Nice smell to it as well. Some slight bitterness came through (I used 95c water) but nothing unpleasant. Really a solid drink.it's a fair price I think, as non-Awazon dealers go. 10c/7p gram if you buy the 1kg brick.
>>21977254>LSBC is the clear winner for me.Oh yeah, I prefer that one as well if I had to chose between the two. They're not miles apart, but the LSBC has a bit more going on.>>21977306>Aren't you supposed to steep whites at like 80 CPerhaps. I don't have a temp controlled kettle, so my brewing temps do vary a lot. I'll probably brew it up low and slow the next time I get around to this tea.
>>21977306The "white tea is delicate and should be steeped at 80°C" is a meme someone started to promote in the western facing tea market and somehow it took over.The reality is that white tea is not only the simplest tea to manufacture (as you can see on the processing chart that this anon posted >>21972860) but it is also super easy on whatever way or method you chose to brew it. You can brew white tea at 100°C no problem. It's also not a bad idea since white tea can be quite slow brewing and mild otherwise. Personally I brew it like most my teas at 90°C so I have some headroom to push it (and it's the max temp my kettle continuously holds)But as always try what works best
Consider the following:we exterminate all Japanese green tea then1) nothing of value will be lost2) from now on ALL tea will have recommended 100C brewing
>>21977537>from now on ALL tea will have recommended 100C brewingAnd 212F in the USA.
>>21977537I've done some experimenting and figured I prefer Japanese greens on 100°C. Lower temp will shift the flavor towards umami but higher temp makes it taste fresher with some bitterness edge, which I actually like more.All thats left to say is sorry, please don't commit machakiri for my heresy.
>>21964386test
>>21977439I got both the Sun Fu and the Inverse (which is supposed to be a fu processing heicha but made from puerh maocha) and like the Inverse quite a bit more. The Sun Fu has some nice butteryness to it but also some weird flavor components that put it off. The Inverse gave me more of a burly tobacco puerh flavor, which I found more harmonic. Yea Sun Fu is quite cheap, even if you just stack samples instead of going for the kilo, but Fu is generally piss cheap also outside Awazon.Good to hear you liked the Blood Moon tho. I went for Hot Brandy instead (the other white/black mix they have) and did not really like it.
>>21977617>Hot Brandy instead (the other white/black mix they have) and did not really like itHot Brandy just tastes like a hot Arizona Arnold Palmer. Its very odd and I kind of dig it.
>>21976747I'm aware but even after having a good look I couldn't find any reputable place that sells qi dan by itself, and only a few that sell bei dou that might or might not be reputable.Does anyone have any experience or suggestion about these two teas?>>21976941Do you find the nettle note stays there from the first to the last infusion?I feel like it's there in maybe the first infusion but it goes away quickly, and that for the most part it tastes like the typical soft citrus from white tea, white flowers and honey.I steep mine in a pot at 100°C give or take and I don't find it very bitter, so maybe try steeping it for a shorter time if you have some room for that, or use a bit less, the bricks are fairly big even for my biggest teapot.>>21977254Anytime xoxo
>>21977294>Blood MoonOh that's cool, I was wondering about that just recently.Have you by chance tried any other highly oxidized white tea like yue guang bai or t-18 red jade/white jade?>sweet red wine tasteRed wine's distinctive taste is tart and grapey, are you perhaps thinking of berries?The big families of fresh fruit are stone fruit aka drupes, such as peach and plum, berries, such as raspberry and grape, pomes, such as apples and pears, and citrus fruit, such as lemon and orange, they're a good starting point if you want to categorize notes and smells.>>21977306I'd brew a bud heavy or light green tea at that temperature, but most white tea can easily take higher temps without becoming (more) bitter.Try it out and see what happens.
>>21977617>The Inverse gave me more of a burly tobacco puerh flavorMaybe that's why I like the Sun Fu-I've got piles of that sort of Puerh here, so it makes a change. What was the hot brandy like?>>21977649>perhaps thinking of berries?I'll have to try it again to confirm but I think you might be right-I think it brought to mind some particular Port I had so I went to wine from there. But plum/berry was probably the taste at the bottom of it all. That sort of deep sweetness.
>>21977537>we exterminate all Japaneseyeah sure, sounds like a good idea
>>21977635>Do you find the nettle note stays there from the first to the last infusion?I'll try to pay attention to that the next time I brew it up but I think you're right that it's only present in the early infusions. Might be one of the more volatile aromatic compounds.
>>21977667>What was the hot brandy like?It just taste like a mid-tier white tea, I get zero of the black tea that is supposed to be in there. Others reported the same. When I drink it I add about 35% Keemun leaves, and that way it's actually really good.>>21977649>highly oxidized white teanta but the FL Jingmei Moonlight White is strongly oxidized. It's very dark for a white tea (and good)
>>21977667Good to know, thanks.>>21977797I don't think it's about volatility since it's always there in the 2021 white cake you wrote up about earlier, rather it's more about bigger and older scarcely processed leaves, and you can detect the same note quite clearly in a lower quality shou mei, especially if you steep it for a long time.If I find it in a higher grade white tea I typically chalk it up to finer broken leaves and dust, hence why it's reduced after the first infusion.>>21978005>FL yue guang baiThanks for the input, though I was hoping for a (more) direct comparison, that's why I asked the blood moon anon.
Anyone know a nice earl grey loose leaf? Getting tired of the tea bags.
>>21978392I know one, the same one that did your teabags, but loose.
Massive tea leaf.
>>21977649>Have you by chance tried any other highly oxidized white teathe nannuo white tea cake from thetea.pl is very oxidized and black teaish, kind of tastes like black tea with honey
>>21977505>>21977306I think silver needles are actually supposed to be steeped at lower temperatures? for leafy whites and anything aged, blast it with hot water
>>21978560That's my understanding too, anon. It's mostly just young, delicate little buds that haven't been fried or steamed or roasted or oxidized or whatever, where you may want to explore lower temps by default. Before the most delicate of plant compounds break down, ideally. Teas with any age, rough processing, or maybe even just lower grade pickings (i.e. 1 bud two leaf) are usually fair game to blast with boiling water. Of course you're always welcome to experiment. It's usually best to disregard tea dogma and do whatever you want at all times.
>>21978392cut the bags open :)))
>>21978392I sip on this. Its just their house yuunan black + italian bergamot oil.https://www.hugotea.com/products/hugo-greyhttps://www.hugotea.com/collections/black-tea/products/gao-wen
Has anyone tried oolong or puerh they bought off of amazon? Is it any good?
does anyone drink like, normie tea? I get adagio... made a pot of their Minty Comfort tonight and last night I made a pot of Pina Coladaboth are very very tastywhy does everyone in this thread drink like 20 year old ass tasting bougie tea
>>21979511Plenty of people do, and some people here do as well. There just isn't really that much to discuss about it, is there? How much more is there to say other than something like what you said, very very tasty?Also most of the tea discussed here is pretty cheap, not bougie at all. Just very niche.I drink 20 year old weirdo niche tea because it's interesting and complex on top of being tasty. Comparing and contrasting the storage between different old ass puers, the degree of steaming of different senchas, or the roast level of different yanchas is fun- plus all of the other little differences and similarities between them.But mint tea pretty much just tastes like mint, and earl grey like bergamot, right?
>>21979511Lucifers been busy at shartmart. His special can of green tea, all year long, has been covered in jizz. Every can is sticky and it’s obvious that he jizzes all over the cans. Literally for over a year, I keep trying to buy some fucking green tea and every single time I’m like “oh shit Lucifers been cumming on the green tea so we can’t drink it anymore”. Hes probably so pissed off at us to do that. Theres another brand of green tea, which is also pretty good. I forgot about that tea I should’ve bought it. That’s probably why actually he’s trying to upsell this other can of tea to us. Because there’s not much competition in the green tea market. Green teas actually like decent because it’s carbureted and also tastes like something. Not like carbureted water which almost tastes like a Champaign. Which is also decent. But yeah im not gonna be making my own tea for awhile dude, it’s too much work. I dont have the tools necessary to produce a quality cup of orange pekoe. I hate when they name the food after peeing or pooing, they also did this at kfc and now I can’t even go there because they named the food after pooing good.
>>21979523>mint tea pretty much just tastes like mintbut that's not true, this particular mint tea has juniper and lemongrass and tastes very different than my morrocan mint teaearly greys also all have totally different ingredients and flavors, not all just taste like bergamotand saying "early grey like bergamot" is exactly like someone saying and pu erh like pu erh
>>21979511I didn't like tea until I went to a tea shop and bought some expensive loose leaf Long Jing. So no.
>>21979534Yeah I get what you're saying.To me, the nuances between different puers/yanchas/senchas/etc. are much more subtle, interesting, and worth devoting my time to.Of course mint, juniper, and lemongrass tastes different than gunpowder tea, mint, and sugar. You could drink those one time each months apart and remember the differences, right? Same or similar to earl grey with different flavorings added to it, it's gonna taste like those flavorings. I don't find that interesting.But with puers or yanchas or any other given subtype of camellia sinensis tea, if you have one yancha(for example) one week and a different yancha the next, you would probably think they tasted the same. To really appreciate the little differences you have to drink them over and over, think about them in comparison to the other teas you've drank, drink some side by side.The more niche enthusiast teas discussed here are also just higher quality than anything you can get from a grocery store or somewhere like adagio. The flavors and aromas are more complex, they're more balanced... they're just better. It's like craft brewery vs cheap macro lager, or single malt scotch vs jack daniels.It's also just so much more fascinating because the differences in taste are caused by little differences in processing, or terroir, or varietals, rather than "cheap tea + herb X tastes like cheap tea + herb X while cheap tea + herb Y tastes like cheap tea + herb Y".I'm not saying you shouldn't like what you like, just trying to answer your question. But really, you have to be open to the idea that tea could be something more and then experience the difference yourself to get it. And if that isn't something you want to do, then of course that's fine.But really as for why normie tea isn't talked about here, if you're going to be a tea autist like me, you're more likely to end up here than the people who drink normie tea. Most of them probably stay on reddit or wherever.
>>21979566holy god this is exactly the type of comment i was expectingliterally all the things youre saying can apply to "regular" teas as wellhave you ever had anything from adagio or are you just commenting out of your tea autist assa tea doesn't have to taste like dirty socks and wet asshole covered in half digested twigs to be interesting or complex
>>21979566also the autistic assumption that because someone hasn't tried the thing you're obsessed with or is inferior because they are saying they don't like it
>>21979589*that they haven't tried the thing you're obsessed with or is inferior because they are saying they don't like it
>>21979583>>21979589Learn to read or go troll somewhere else>have you ever had anything from adagioYeah, it's low quality crap. Like I said, jack daniels vs a single malt scotch. Frozen tv dinner vs a high end steakhouse.>taste like dirty socks and wet asshole covered in half digested twigs to be interesting or complexJesus christ, are you the same guy that posts the same shit like this every once in a while? Seriously, even if you aren't, just go to reddit and I'm sure they'll be happy to discuss adagio with you.
anyone tried sugimoto’s japanese greens?
I only buy tea I can throw into a mug and have them fall to the bottom while staying whole.
>>21979511Depends what you mean by normie teaI used to buy loose leaf indian blacks locally, english breakfast, ceylon, darjeeling. I still like black teas, but now I've tried ordering some random chinese ones and I like them better. Plenty are cheap too. The only difference is that you have to order from John Kingteamall or Farmer Leaf or whatever and wait 3 weeks for shipping, rather than just walking in and picking some up at Fortnum&Mason's or the local Mariage Freres whenever I'm around the area. So in terms of obscurity it's just as "bougie" as the 20 year old rotten teas that John Kingteamall also sells, but in practice it's the same kind of tea as the normie loose leaf black you can get in a physical store around here, just from a different area and therefore tastier to me.If by normie teas you mean bagged supermarket tea then it's usually either just plain bad, or at best if you buy "premium teabags" it can be pretty decent decent but 5x-10x overpriced compared to a similarly decent loose leaf.
Could anyone help me please? I really enjoyed pic related when I visited Japan but it's really hard to find (and expensive) in my country.Is there any type or brand of tea that would give me a similar taste?
>>21978557Good to know, thanks.
>>21980011good post>>21978392stop drinking tea with added flavoring
>>21978431>>21977667Following on with the white2tea stuff.I've just tried firebat. For comparison (up to now) I've had Boat Captain, which I reviewed above. Fundamentally there seems to be more similarity than difference with these smoked teas. They seem, by nature, fairly one dimensional: a taste of smoke with some leaf coming through. However, firebat was less bitter, had a more lingering taste, and tasted more like food that had been cooked on a fire, rather than the ashes of the fire itself, the aftertaste also has an interesting spiciness to it. I prefer it.The only smoked tea left is camphire. That is a ripe.>>21980048>Purified Water, Green Tea, Ascorbic Acid(Vitamin C)(E300).Mix all of the above. Or make a gallon of green tea and squeeze a lemon into it.
>>21978392I may be a pleb but I've tried a bunch of premium high street loose leaf earl greys here and honestly they all tastes the same to meF&M, Harrods, Whittard. They're all, like, good, if you want normal earl grey, and I trust the quality of their tea. But also typically the loose leaf is in pretty small pieces - I'm guessing large leafs are aren't going to flavoured teas in the first place.Just buy whatever's available around you.
>>21979511It all started with normie tea for me. My grandma used to serve me earl grey. I disliked it and thought all tea was bad for years. Then I had a student friend that didn't drink alcohol and drank tea instead that made me try Darjeeling and I realized tea could be better. I don't remember how I got into Ceylon but it was my daily drinker for quite a bit. Then I tried Yunnan black, and holy shit was it an upgrade from floor sweepings teabags. That was it: I left normie tea behind. I had some normie mystery black tea recently. It was weak and tasted of hay: totally uninteresting. Quality tea is so much better, especially since my palate is now quite trained. It's a bit like wine: different styles and varieties for different moods and occasions. To each their own tea journey. Not every coffee drinker gets into specialty stuff. There's decent affordable stuff and overpriced underwhelming shit. Enjoy what you like. Know your tastes, try things and maybe train your palate.
>>21980142I think tea really gets the short end of the stick because teabags are basically the equivalent of instant coffee, but coffeefags all know that that is intentionally utter shit and that normal coffee is better. And it's not hard to get normal coffee around. Even cheapo coffee made from actual beans is plentifully available.Winefags also generally have large selections in stores and even people who don't drink know that there's a difference between budget swill and decent quality wine, and you can easily get decent wine anywhere. Maybe if you're a connoisseur you will be hunting rare bottles in specialty wineries, but most supermarkets at least carry shit that's above the bare minimum budget tier and quite drinkable on an average day.But mass market tea is for some reason entirely composed of teabag dust and the normie consciousness is not even aware of quality tea, most people don't even consider loose leaf as being possible. Acceptable quality tea is not even expensive, far cheaper than wine, and even just a loose leaf average ceylon is going to be way better than a budget teabag - it's basically the equivalent of a decent pack of coffee or a slightly up-market bottle of wine that any supermarket will cary 50 different kinds of, but for most people said loose leaf ceylon feels like a specialty item you need to hunt for in special stores, no, heck, most people might not even know it exists and not realise anything other than teabags is a thing.
>>21980137I read somewhere that earl grey was developed as a cheaper substitute for expensive teas by the British. There might be something to it. If so, expectations can't be too high.
>>21980154>teabags are basically the equivalent of instant coffeeI agree with everything you said, but this. So much this.
>>21980011i only buy loose leaf and i got to local teahouses as well as using adagio and the quality is comparable and adagio is much cheaper and it is very annoying that it get shit on by tea autists because its not 20 year old chinese mold dirt teaive tried a lot of chinese/japanese teas from online stores and theyre fine, but the hype is overblown as fuck and these types of threads are so annoying for the average person who isn't into ass tasting shit bricks and discussing why the 25 year old version is better because it tastes like smoked cum sockthere are many nice oolongs and pu erhs and etc that come from USA based companies that are just as good as the chinese shops >>21980174instant coffee also is not bad and has it's place in the coffee world and any coffee snob will tell you the same thingthis comment and the one its responding to are exactly what im talking about with you autistic weirdos just hating anything normal or popular
>>21980398>local teahouses>quality is comparable>adagio is much cheaperThey're both selling you the same tier of shitty tea. You're paying for someone's rent, electricity, and staff.>any coffee snob will tell you the same thingActual coffee snob here. No we wouldn't. Good coffee is INCREDIBLY popular in recent years.
>>21980401any actual coffee snobs that aren't autists who hate anything popular or mainstream is what i meant
>>21980404Mainstream normie coffee snobs suck off and seek to emulate this very popular twink. He sells $7 capsules of very high quality frozen instant. You're drinking the equivalent of Nescafe Gold.
>>21980407because instant coffee has its place and can be very goodpeople will pay premiums for anything thats branded well enoughnescafe gold isnt even one of the better instants
>>21980407if you drink instant and haven't tried Pilon, you are missing out
>>21980401also just fyi you can instantly tell you know nothing about coffee based on your opinion on instant
>endgame teabags>endgame instant coffee>you hate what's normal and popular /tea/ eventually got its own resident schizoIt was nice while it lasted
>>21980430I've seen an influx of thread schizos in several long-term, generally peaceful generals across multiple boards, recently. It's perplexing. Where are they coming from?
>>21980430not a single person is advocating teabags
>>21980435have u ever been on 4chan before today
>>21980435From what I've seen, they always shill the worst slop and are dunning kruger victims about the general's topic. They're also as relentless as bots and because janies let them, the general's quality drops quickly. Regulars leave. Thread dies.
>>21980448having dissenting opinions isn't against the rules and the janitors know that and if a thread dies because there are different opinions in it then it never should have been a thread in the first placewelcome to 4chan noob
>>21980410>people will pay premiums for anything thats branded well enoughI mean it doesn't cost $7.50 a cup when its not flashfrozen and shipped in an insulated box. Also doesn't have Hoffmeme anywhere mentioned or have him advertise. Thats just what good instant costs. You're not going to find it in a jar of granules labeled "Espresso"https://cometeer.com/pages/stellar-serieshttps://georgehowellcoffee.com/products/mamuto-ab-med-kenya>>21980418Only been roasting very high quality greens for about 7 years now.>>21980448Happening over in /ctg/ as well. They tend to be anime slopposters for whatever reason.
>>21980455>Thats just what good instant costs"if its not overpriced and unknown it's shit"what's it like being this boring and having no friends
>>21980451told you guys that the pu erh lesbian is in position of influence here on the compromised 4channel boards, discords, glowies farms, behind the scenes black magic - sick shit!. the bot that destroys the generals, I wonder what is really lurking behind the posts.maybe someone truly intelligent and english speaking could shed some light here.jeanny who probably has cyber wank sessions with the bot (aka his alter ego) pls don't redeem my post
>>21980435> Where are they coming from?'generals' are by definition reddit cancer they destroy the culture of every single board they appear onmore importantly, why did chenyuanhao just double the prices on their cakes right as I was going to buy some
been brewing up some xiaguan and my whole room smells of it. lovely.
>>21980751Based, what batch/kind? I'm still sipping on W2T's Shulloween stuff. Wish I skipped and just bought a bunch of cheap aged Xiaguan shou or any liubao. I keep feeling an urge for something more smoky or earthy.
I've recently taken to adding a tiny bit of simple syrup to my tea in lieu of sugar. It feels more controlled and it doesn't take any time to dissolve. This feels like a pretty obvious substitution (it is just pre-dissolved sugar in water afteral), how come I've never seen anyone else try this? I assume people have tried it before, but it certainly doesn't seem common.
>>21980823XG81 2013 brick from Awazon.I wasn't so keen on it the first time I tried it, but this second brew has me warming up to it. I might write up some tasting notes at some point.
>>21980862I make simple syrup out of local plants already to add to club soda/sparkling water whenever I want something fizzy, so adding it to tea isn't a bad idea. For anons in the eastern US, honeysuckle blossoms should be in bloom soon, and these blossoms are safe to consume as long as they haven't been exposed to pest/herbicides. Rose petals, as well (or rosehips, but those are more complicated to process.)
I wish I did but no, I don't like roasted tea. I knew I disliked roasted oolong. I can't stand the roasted rice in genmaicha. And now I know I don't like hojicha. It's over, keep enjoying roasted teas without me, lads.
>>21981298Roast is so comfy to me.Are you into the mega green oolongs?
>>21981298Same for me but with puerh. I wanted to be a tea snob, I really did. And I've tried many different ones, even the highly recommended ones from FL, but goddamn it's all so incredibly bad tasting and smelling, stomach-turning-ly bad.
>>21981794>puerh>bad tasting and smelling,Have you been drinking ripe?
>>21981859He's probably not a lesbian so musty fish leaves might be as appealing to him as they are to puerh lesbians.
>>21980407>>21980410I don't know much about coffee but as far as tea is concerned, I did mention that premium teabags exist and are pretty decent, if you're happy with the 10x markup. Sounds like bags are even more like instant coffee than I originally thought.
>>21980862I think it's just that you wouldn't have syrup unless you're already into cocktails, and I guess the overlap isn't huge. Also while I've never bought any, I'm guessing a bottle like this is going to be noticeably more expensive than just normal sugar in an equivalent amount."Premium sugar" in tea isn't really a thing because most people who drink "premium" tea (and do e.g. gognfu brewing) don't add sugar, and most people who add sugar are just drinking tea as a mindless daily drink perhaps even from a teabag, so the overlap of people who add sugar and who would also consider some fancy premium option instead of just plain sugar is also probably pretty smallAnd you are located in the overlap of those two small overlaps
Hello, everyone…hello tea heads
i'm a chemist going into tea/coffee researchwhat should i knowwhy are you guys obsessed with this super processed stuff
>>21982125>why are you guys obsessed with this super processed stuffI drink tea for the ritualistic aspect. To slow down, get out of my head, and connect to my bodily senses. I've also used it as a lead-up to meditation. Ultimatelu, it's both pleasurable and relaxing to put time aside to drink tea and savor its unique qualities. It's one of my only respites.
>>21982125for hundreds of years people just drank loose leaf tea in the 1990s some faggot realized tea could age if stored correctly for a few decades kicking off the puerrh boomwhite people got gaslit into buying aged tea cakes that has to be brewed with a complicated gongfu method that literally nobody in china doesnowadays people claim certain tea cakes will turn you into goku
>>21981794>even the highly recommended ones from FL, but goddamn it's all so incredibly bad tasting and smellingWay to out yourself as being full of shit. Literally noone ever said FZH(the most popular noob recommendation)smells bad
>>21981709>Are you into the mega green oolongs?Yep, kind of. My favorite is probably baozhong. >>21981794I really wanted to be into raw pu er/sheng. I can stomach bitterness and taste fruit notes but alas, there's something my body register as toxic material in it. I can't enjoy any raw or maocha. I still have to try really old aged sheng but I'm not paying premium for that gamble.
>>21982125>tea/coffee chemistry researchCare to be more specific?
hungover, drinking Xiao Fa tuoa welcome respite after a night of bourbon and guinness
>>21979203could be ok for factory ripe and heicha, things that don't require good storage or sourcing
>>21980122I liked boat captain, but I haven't had the other smoked white2tea productions. I think they just did a new one too. Maybe I should try it
>>21980823this is a really good value liu bao I bought recently: https://kingteamall.com/en-pl/collections/dark-tea/products/2024-cnnp-liu-bao-ye-yun-bin-lang-xiang-liubao-wild-flavor-areca-fragrance-loose-leaf-dark-tea-wuzhou-guangxi?variant=44367987048678much more enjoyable for me than any cheap white2tea ripe, maybe aside from lumber slut
>>21982125Tea tastes good. Simple as.
>>21982125if you want an autistic rabbithole to research, you could try to research body feel / cha qi in teaI don't think there is a consensus on what kind of substances cause some teas to "hit different" for some people, aside from l-theanine. there is clearly a lot of bullshit and mysticism around it in Chinese tea culture, but there must also be a chemical explanation
>>21982354>I still have to try really old aged sheng but I'm not paying premium for that gamble(semi)aged sheng doesn't have to be very expensivethis is probably the best value site for aged sheng nowadays, the downside is they don't have samples: https://quicheteas.com/collections/taishunhe-shipping/Sheng
Anyone here bought from Sweetest Dew or One River Tea?I want some good white and green tea and I hear those stores are known for that. Any white or Chinese green tea recs?
>>21964386>just buy in bulk bro you will save money
>>21980122>>21982570So I just tried Camphire. This tasted just like a ripe but with a bit of nuttiness, with the smoke coming through more when steeped longer. Overall, between those I tried, I would recommend firebat to anons who want a smoked tea. Bonus: I got a slipstitch mini roasted white tea ball with this order. very similar to the other white teas overall, if a bit 'meatier' and thicker but still with a vegetal quality, but not so light or floral. Smoother, less bitterness, more depth to the flavour, but different enough that there's a place for the other whites flavourwise. Overall a good white, but at 34 cents/25p a gram Awazon's 2p a gram suddenly starts tasting a lot better.
>>21982631Is that a new gong dao bei? Cool shape.>>21982639I buy in bulk then sell to friends, family, and coworkers on the side.
Question on Western Brewing.I add x grams of leaves in my basket and steep it for 3 minutes. Do I add as much water as I’m going to drink or should I just fill up the pot? Also, should I remove the basket between steeps or can I leave it in the water?
>>21983056>Do I add as much water as I’m going to drink or should I just fill up the pot?You can partially fill the teapot, but it's kind of a pain to eyeball. Generally it's easier to have a teapot that's the size you want, or if you want to brew one serving do it in a mug with a basket. Dealer's choice though>should I remove the basket between steeps or can I leave it in the water?Confusing question, if you don't remove the tea, the steep never finished and you are doing grandpa style essentially.
>>21983056It's a function of grams of leaves per liter of water. Strong tea needs 5g/l, weak tea something like 12g/l. Say you only want to brew half a liter you divide that number by two. Did you ever adapt a cooking recipe to a smaller or bigger portion in your life by any chance?
>>21982935>Is that a new gong dao bei? Cool shape.thanks. it's actually the bottom part of a drip coffee maker I had around but barely used and forgot about. apparently perfect for a gong dao bei
>>21964408It's dense and dryIt's not like it'll go bad and be undrinkable Hell its probably so dense if you stored it in suboptimal conditions you just need to shave off the exterior
>>21982583Seems nice for a newer batch. The tins look pretty too. What kind of notes are you getting? Shame I get atrocious shipping fees from KTM even compared to other sites like Chawangshop or Yeeon. There's a newer site anons recommended last year, can't remember, but they had a lot of Xiaguan shou and I think some heicha at lower prices.>much more enjoyable for me than any cheap white2tea ripe, maybe aside from lumber slutYeah, most of them were just not worth the cost. However, I think W2T's sheng is not too shabby, at least the annual Snoozefest releases. Some of their smoky stuff is interesting too. I distinctly remember Firebat smelling like BBQ chips, lmao. I 100% echo the 'food' note another anon mentioned: >>21980122Haven't had Boat Captain, but my experience with Firebat mirrors yours. "BBQ chips" lingers in my head even now.
>>21983056>or should I just fill up the pot?fill the pot>Also, should I remove the basket between steeps or can I leave it in the water?depends on the leaf, broken up leaf will get bitter if you over brew, more whole leaf or chinese is made so it shouldn't get bitter. perpetual brewing is far more common in china than gongfu brewing, just add more water once the pot is 1/3 empty. also play by how you like it, all teas react differently and you might love strong bitter tea or hate it, at worse you'll lose some time and few grams of leafif you do remove it you can rebrew those leaves for 4min or 5 ect and keep going until you get flavourless water
>>21983299>What kind of notes are you gettingclassic liu bao notes, nutty, nice balance. has some beetroot and aged flavor already, I guess the 4 years of factory aging are very intense aging. tastes very similar to the orange box, but this one is cheaperI can do a session with it tomorrow if you want more details>There's a newer site anons recommended last year, can't remember, but they had a lot of Xiaguan shou and I think some heicha at lower pricesyou mean Quicheteas maybe? they don't have much heicha though
>>21983337>you mean Quicheteas maybe?Yeah, thanks, that's the one. Shame they don't have much heicha, but I'd like to order from them someday. Their Xiaguan offerings looked very appealing for the price at least.>I can do a session with it tomorrow if you want more detailsAs you like. I don't see people talking about liu bao notes all that often. It's my favorite tea. Just need to get more.
>>21982583>only 5 year old leavesI don't trust it
Has anyone tried this one: https://quicheteas.com/products/1980s-liu-baoI like the one from KTM, but unfortunately without a sample I don't really wanna gamble on 300g all at once
>>21983557Yeah I have it, it's pretty good. idk what one from ktm you're referring to, but I think it's better than (or at least as good as) the CNNP orange box one from them.If you or anybody else is interested I can try them side by side on Wednesday and post my thoughts.
>>21983583>idk what one from ktm you're referring toThis one: https://kingteamall.com/en-pl/products/80s-wuzhou-liu-baoliubao-a-grade-850g-loose-leaf-dark-tea-guangxi-provinceInterestingly they're almost the same price per gram. But on KTM you can get a small basket, while quiche has 30kg baskets and only sells repacked portions.>better than (or at least as good as) the CNNP orange box oneThat's actually my opinion on the KTM 80's one too actually.
>>21983595>This oneAh, yeah I've never had that one.I've had a couple of other old liubaos around that age, and they never really blow me away. They don't seem to get a whole lot of benefit or change out of multiple decades aging the way sheng does. They are considerably better/more interesting if you boil them rather than gongfu them though, imo.
>>21983607>boil themI do everything grandpa style at 100*C, and I enjoy it quite a bit. I will say that I've never had a liubao "blow me away" but of all the ones I've had, I can divide them into basically three categories: good and flavourful, tastes bad or bad because flavourless. CNNP orange box, CNNP black box and KTM 80s are all in the good and tasty category. That's all I want out of my daily work tea.The tea being 40+ years old, and not any more expensive than a CNNP from this decade, is honestly a neat novelty that I enjoy, hence why I'm interested in these.If I was confident in my storage and jews hadn't invented shipping costs, I'd consider importing the 30kg quiche basket... I'll probably go for the KTM one though for the aesthetics.
>>21983268I just meant that it's an art piece whose primary purpose is probably flexing on poors and/or money laundering and that it is never intended to be consumed.
>>21965499Steel. The fact that I bought a useless lump of metal weighs me down, whereas good tea lifts me up.
>>21983619>>21983595I heard some doubts as to the actual age of these cheap 80s liu baos. It's a difficult thing to ascertain
>>21984309I will continue to be gullible.
>>21984309It's nice tea and doesn't taste too fresh which is all you need really. Although I'm inclined to believe Tai Shun He's dates
>>21979511the appeal of normie tea is primarily artificial flavors, and the leaves are some bitter trash and there just for the caffeine. I mean, the flavors can be a kind of aromatherapy, but it's kind of crude stimulation inside the matrix, where as high end tea is more like touching grass.
>>21984489>Tai Shun He's datesqrd
>>21984545Tai Sun He is the taiwanese store Quicheteas resells from, they are basically a limited western storefront with small markup
Speaking of reselling from china, anyone have any luck with doing that? I know that it's hard to compete with the established american/european teahouses, but undercutting them should be easy with their heavily inflated prices.Will I get killed by the teahouse mafia?
>>21984625pretty sure a lot of western stores are already taobao resellers, like Jessie and whatnotthe biggest undercutting is done by the Quiche guy, but he has some sort of deal with Tai Sun He to resell their stuff in bulk. but I kind of doubt he makes much money on it, I can't imagine the profit margins are high on his buisness
>>21984625Yes. Started a business doing it. Not exactly making much cash yet but I've got the LLC and everything. Lots of local interest. If I can do it, you can do it. There's lots of room for businesses selling good tea the USA. You don't even need to undercut.
Redpill me on tea. I've had tea before and its just a beverage and looks like some pseud stuff in here but I'm open minded enough to hear what I've obviously not understanding. If it matters i'm typically a water and sometimes juice as far as my normal beverages.
>>21985488Buy a few different kinds that sound good from vendors in the rentry and then drink it.
>>21984625You mean importing and then selling from a western warehouse?I'd be worried about a lot of fuckery with customs as well as FDA (or EU counterpart) compliant labelling. If you are selling food items on a business scale without expiration date, nutritional facts etc I think you can get f'ed in the a real quick.These things will keep you busy and I believe that is where a lot of markup of the other vendors is going.
>>21985488Tea is cool, it tastes good and there is a lot of variety in flavor. Buy from a good vendor. Don't be afraid to go Chinese because they have the biggest selection of high quality tea
>buy half a dozen fu samples based on fu anon's recs>ktm order arrives>I don't remember which ones are which>whenever I'm brewing, I'm not at the computer to look up on warosu>whenever I'm at the computer either forget to look it up or I don't remember which ones I've bought anyway>keep putting off drinking the fu "until I figure it out"I have a bunch of mystery fu and the key is right there in the archives, yet I remain ignorant
>>21982593I'm not chemist, but I accredit theobromine for this. Chocolate can give me same kind of fuzzies that tea does.
New:>>21986042>>21986042
>>21985947theobromine's just one methyl group away from caffeine. it has similar stimulating effects and bitterness but it's in coffee and tea at much lower levels
>>21985488Put leaves in hot water, tastes goodChinks have been doing this for a thousand years (or a few) and so there's a dozen variations of fermented, moldy, smoked, roasted, sun-dried, flash-fried or whatever the fuck leaves, all of which have different tastes when you actually brew themWater is based, I only really drink water or tea (and juice for breakfast)
