The Tea Thread

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by Smitty, Jan 18, 2016.

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  1. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    The pesticides and pollution is a major concern, especially from mainland China.
    Some of the stories are not very confidence instilling.
    Oil from the tractors leaking on the freshly cut tea leaves is but one example.

    But it seems to apply mostly (not always) to the 'tea as commodity' part of the tea business.
    Taiwan, occupying a more high end part of the tea business, seems to have less of this problem.

    JJ
     
  2. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    Black tea and earl grey FTW

    I roll with this. Haven't tried the other stuff out there

    [​IMG]
     
  3. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Okay, I'm a believer in po cha/tibetan butter tea.

    I've decided kerrygold grass fed butter is the only way to go given what I can get in the area. Also, Clover whole milk is better than any half and half. Salts don't make much of a difference and I've found most salts to be interchangeable.

    Finding the perfect pu-erh is going to be a challenge though. I have a few aged choices from mandala and white lotus, but I feel like I haven't found the right one yet. Any recommendations?
     
  4. cizx

    cizx Friend

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    Post an end to end recipe. I'm going to try this.
     
  5. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    What type of Pu Erh (Green or Dark), are you looking for?

    And as one possibility, look at the Pu Erh from the tea store I mentioned above.
    http://www.seattlebesttea.com/

    JJ
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2016
  6. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Alright, I've got a Pouchong and a Da Yu Ling on order, along iwth a new Yixing for Taiwan oolongs. If they get it out at a reasonable time today, I might have it on saturday.
     
  7. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Does anyone have experience with hard water tea blends?
     
  8. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    The Da Yu Ling from Seattles best tea store (if you got from there) is a mighty fine tea, I have several canisters and it is one of my favorites. :thumb

    As for hard water tea…
    I've never heard of any tea like that.
    It doesn't mean someone won't market something like that but I'd be weary in any case.
    The reason is…

    There are several 'factors' in making good to great tea and 2nd on the list, before the tea pot or even the brewing techniques is good water.
    IOW if the tea itself (which is 1st on the list) or the water isn't of good to great quality the resulting tea is going to be a direct reflection in these 'limitations'.

    I recommend using at least bottled or filtered water if you want 'satisfactory' results.

    As the saying goes, for great tea, use great water and great tea leaves.

    JJ
     
  9. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Get a Britta filter and use that to filter water before making tea. Makes a huge difference in water quality at my apartment, and I'm pretty sure you get water from the same source.

    @johnjen - I got the teas from Red Blossom Tea in San Francisco, since I was ordering some other things from them (one of the cheapest trays, a replacement puerh pick, and another yixing).
     
  10. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    Which Yi Xing?

    My tray is like 11x17 and it was the smallest I could find at the time.

    And I never got in the habit of using a pick for my Pu Erh, as it was just WAY to messy.
    So I just crumble the cake inside a 'large' canister and then shake out the loose stuff into the lid and crunch it a bit more if need be before either taking a pinch or pouring into the pot or using a scoop etc.

    Have you found a 'Really Good' set of tongs?
    Tongs are the most useful tool, especially around a tea table…

    JJ
     
  11. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    My tray is much smaller, 9 x 5, the yixing is a large 270ml yellow one that is no longer listed on their website. I have some super-compacted cakes, and a pick or knife is essential. I don't have tongs, I've been unhappy with the last pair and threw them out a few months ago. Any recommendations on that front?
     
  12. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    Ah yes those highly compressed Pu Erh cakes.
    Kinda like those fat little 'buttons' they sell…

    As for tongs, I have a 'custom made' set right now but the few I've seen that are/were available in stores were rather poorly made.
    I had hoped the situation would have improved, but I guess not.

    I did have a really nice set before a friend made up the custom tongs I now use.
    So when our dog chewed up that original set I went looking for a decent replacement set but nothing ever showed up, until my friend made up a very few sets.

    Most of the ones I've seen are almost useless, as in the contact patch when closed doesn't actually pinch the leaves at the tip.

    I had hoped that by now someone had come up with a decent set of tongs…

    JJ
     
  13. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    I'll have to check if David at Verdant Tea can hook me up with something good, he moved to China to be closer to the farmers he works with.
     
    • Agreed, ditto, +1 Agreed, ditto, +1 x 1
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  14. Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln New

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    My daily brew is Teavana Green teabags (provided at work) or Oolong. Also Peet's had a really good loose leaf Gunpowder organic, but sadly they don't carry that any more.

    On special occasion, I have some Pu-erh stash from my last trip to Shenzhen. Bought it at a tea shop there, where it was cut off a large cake. Expensive.

    On other occasions, it's Japanese ceremonial grade Domatcha Matcha. Whipped to a frothy top, it's very good to sip.
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2016
  15. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    This pouchong is great! Brewed with ~160 degree water, quick steep in a mostly-unseasoned yixing, but the flavor is profound. Floral, sweet hay, and it has the famed Formosa Oolong mouthfeel/aftertaste. Despite the somewhat delicate taste, the flavor coats your mouth and sticks around for a good 90 seconds before fading. The sweetness declines with each steep, but it's still a very impressive tea. Also, the color is like a fine Gyokuro, a pale but vibrant green. I can't wait to try the Da Yu Ling tomorrow.
     
  16. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    Might I make a suggestion?

    Try increasing the temp and shortening the steep time and/or using less tea.
    I have found that the flavors will be enhanced as you close in on 200ºF

    The tell tale sign of 'going too far' is the flavor will get 'hard' or sharp when to much tea is used, steeped to long, or to much temperature is applied.
    I have been using 200ºF for quite a while and have adjusted the amount of tea and steep times to 'compensate' and the added nuances of tastes are quite lovely.

    Just a thought!

    JJ
     
  17. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    I've got plenty to experiment with, I'll certainly give it a shot.
     
  18. obsidyen

    obsidyen New

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    Yes, Ahmad Tea is very good but hard to find in Istanbul. I buy Ahmad Tea when I can find it, but when I can't, I buy Twinings Earl Grey. It's great as well, albeit more expensive than Ahmad Tea.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I've never been fond of perfume in my tea, not even Bergamot.
     
  20. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Decided to indulge a bit, pulled out a Bengcha of 2006 Mt. Bulong sheng puerh. 6 grams in my yixing, 15 seconds, 200 degree water. No wash, because YOLO. Initially a mild astringency, a medicinal herb flavor that I know bothers a log of new puerh drinker, and followed by a slight bitterness with the semi-mineral mouthfeel of some puerhs. Strange tea, the flavors are familiar but the way they fit together is different. It's kinda hard to describe.

    Second pour, 8 second steep, same temp water. Astringent, followed by mildly sweet medicinal. Think of cocktail medicinal bitters with some molasses, but watered way down. The aftertaste is a bit more bitter now, but still much more palatable than most young shengs. It's also a little bit sour now that it cooled down a bit, which is highly unusual for any tea. I think this would be popular with some of the hardcore sheng guys, but few others.

    3rd pour, same parameters as second, turned out too week. Light astringency and medicinal flavors, little else. It really needs a 10-15 second steep next time.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2016

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