This thread is for discussing teas, tisanes, and other herbal infusions.

info: types of tea, where to get tea, how to brew tea
https://rentry.org/teageneral

previous thread: >>21422033

My Bitterleaf order came in

>>21453546
cool smokebombs, are you a starting out as a ninja?

>>21453598
You better believe it slick.

>>21453546
>old ass tree
>ninja smoke nades
>Medusa art on package
>bureau alice collab
What is this shit?

>>21453620
It's kinda like this.

>>21453620
Good vibes is what that shit is.
>>21453546
>>21453738
Hell yeah. Nowhere near enough Bitterleaf discussion in this general. I want to hear reviews

>>21453781
It looks like stuff you would buy at an urban artisan bazaar in the basement of a YMCA.

>>21453793
Puerh tea needs a modern, Western aesthetic to explore. Those two Chinese aesthetics, pre-bust CNNP wrappers with stamps, and post-bust Dayi-, FTM-likes have become stale. I have a lot of respect for what Yunnan Sourcing, white2tea, Crimson Lotus, Bitter Leaf, and Kuura Tea are doing. Not to sound dramatic, I think it's visionary and the direction the market will continue to trend in Europe and North America. So long as the difficult to distinguish and decipher Chinese wrappers persist, puerh consumption won't increase.
>>21449544
It's the big and little things being done that will bring that wave.

>>21453825
For better or worse, I think tea pets will be the thing that leads to wider adoption of Puer in the West. Crimson Lotus is the only one that understands this?

A distinctive and appealing aesthetic is obviously also important. White2tea is playful, but a bit too abstract for mass appeal. Kuura is amazing with it's particular retro-futurism, but it can be a little harsh or austere? Yunnan Sourcing has done a good job with its art, anti-AI scolds be damned, but it kind of all blurs together because they offer so many teas, and certain themes or motifs are repeated again and again?

I was ordering some groceries from a local vendor, and they had these rose stamens at a nice discount. Grabbed two bags (114g ea) so I could experiment a little. No idea if they'll be good, but I'm gonna give it a shot inside my gaiwan tonight. I usually don't mess much with tisanes, but I figured it'd be fun. I'll write some notes and share them later tonight.

>>21453450 (OP)
>Tisanes

You're not going to stop that, are you?
Kindly kill yourself, you weeb faggot cunt.

>>21453903
the word is French surprisingly

>buy a teapot for the first time
>figure I can drink half of it hot then let the rest cool down and drink it iced
>get a mug of hot tea and go sit down to drink it
>leave the teapot lid partially open so it will cool quicker
>take my time with the hot tea, drink it slowly like I normally would
>mess around online, have a fap session, really take my time waiting for the teapot to cool
>go back to check on the teapot
>it's still hot
oh...

Wrote some notes about a session with the rose stamens. I can't take great pictures here, but I'll post them anyway.
____
3g/190F/12s

Dry stamen aroma presents with delicate, sweet rose florals in clear display. What I identify as a pollen quality is plainly discernible...and for some reason, it reminds me a tad of butter. It's a 'thick' aroma without being offensively pungent. Wet stamen aroma ramps up a surprising savoriness, between that buttery pollen note and something a touch more herbaceous.

Medium thickness, medium-high astringency, little to no bitterness.

The expected rose notes come through nicely both on the palate as well as in the retronasal aroma, lingering well. I was unsure if any potentially delicate qualities would be squashed if I infused at too high of a temperature or infused for too long. I was surprised to discover after experimenting with infusing around 200-205F for over a minute that an appealing, somewhat...'musky' scent arose from the wet stamens, and the sweet floral aroma was boosted. Still no real bitterness, but the astringency is notable, and does linger in the back of my throat a bit.

In spite of that, I found the session to be thoroughly enjoyable. It developed in aroma quite well infusion by infusion, and had decent endurance overall. If I was to do this again, I'd add more grams of stamens and push the infusions a little harder from the beginning.

Here's a bonus dry stamen picture.

>>21454407
gay

I'll be receiving my Yeoontea order today!
Only took 9 days of shipping, fastest shipping from Asia I've had so far.

>>21454450
Nice, what did you buy? I liked all the stuff I got from him.

>>21454452
>2009 Menghai Purple Ripe Pu-erh (7342H)
>Best Taste Ripe
>2009 Years Raw Pu-erh Cluster Tea
>2008 DaYi 7542 Raw Pu-erh Tea (Batch 802)
wanted two ripes and two raws. no full cakes, just 100 gram samples. unfortunately couldn't get more than 400 grams, as that results in 40$ shipping

>>21454407
It looks the whole bud rather than just the stamen?
Still interesting, I've had poor results drinking infusion of random flowers but the rose sounds good

>>21453853
>I think tea pets will be the thing that leads to wider adoption of Puer in the West.
How so? Tea is a drink; a commodity. Westerners drink coffee just by pressing a button on a machine, without even thinking twice about it; tea won't match coffee unless it becomes equally ingrained.
What does having a figurine next to the teacup, let alone the whole thing with pouring water over the pet and everywhere else (requiring a special tray or may for the procedure), help with the average normgroid's perception and adoption of tea? On the contrary, I think it just makes it seem more esoteric, foreign, and exotic. Which can be interesting, but isn't particularly conductive to mass adoption.

Even shit like boba tea, despite being overdesigned to fuck, ultimately boil down to something you can order at a coffee shop with zero effort. And it's a fad anyway. Tea will be popular when it's a routine drink, and the overwhelming majority of people cannot be bothered with ceremony for the routine.

>>21453903
What's wrong? They make up like 5% of the discussion at best, and there's no other better place for them, so why not include them in the general.

>>21454402
I drink tea while working and frequently let it cool. You're not getting "iced" tea, at best you're getting room temperature tea, which is frankly mediocre if you ask me.
Also remember that heat transfer is proportional to the temperature gradient, so the less hot your tea becomes, the slower it cools - it's quickly going to stop being scalding but it's going to spend a very long time being various degrees of lukewarm before it finally cools to room temperature. A teapot is also usually going to be a much better insulator than a cup, because the opening is much smaller (even with the lid entirely off) and often the walls are thicker too.

Warm and lukewarm tea is alright. I drink it when I need to finish my cup to brew a new one, but I don't see why you'd intentionally create it. If you really want iced tea, either drop some ice cubes in it or buy that chink gizmo someone linked a few threads ago (the one that you freeze in the freezer and then it chills your drink without diluting it).

>>21454522
Well, when I say iced tea, what I meant was that I assumed the tea would be "cool" or "not warm" after a while, and then I could put some ice in a glass and pour the tea in and it would become cold easily without melting the ice like crazy (if I put hot tea directly on ice) and watering it down a lot. I didn't think the tea would become cold by letting it sit.

>>21454523
Fair.
Air exposure matters a lot. Use a wide cup - i.e. a teacup rather than a coffee mug, for example. The pot is the opposite of that, and trying to keep tea warm as long as possible is a feature.

>>21454527
Yeah I guess if I want iced tea I'll just have to pour the tea into something else to cool, which I can deal with. Anyway, I'd been using an infuser basket so I was only making one cup at a time before. I might actually like just having a larger quantity of hot tea anyway. I don't always have time to drink that much but when I do I think it will work out pretty well.

>>21454529
Based. I never understood the point of iced tea

>>21454536
I grew up in the south so I've been drinking it basically my entire life. That being said it was what we call "sweet tea" meaning iced tea bags like Luzianne made by the gallon with lots of sugar. I don't drink that anymore, but I'd still like to have tea with a meal sometimes, and my brain just associates that with cold tea. Getting into drinking hot tea was actually the thing that was weird for me.

>>21453546
I never see bitterleaf discussed for some reason. Will you review that cheap yiwu cake?

old nigga tree 2008 og raw ass pu'er

>>21454523
I tend to brew it with half as much water then dump over ice so it dilutes back to roughly the right strength

>>21454731
That's a good idea, I need to try that

>>21454738
Works pretty well though it's a bit "ice expensive"

>>21454452
>>21454450
>>21454461
Here it is!
No freebies and full VAT. But I'll gladly try the Best Taste Ripe today.

Good discussion, no webms. Great looking thread chaps. Hope your brews are tasty and refreshing.

>>21453546
Do you have some stuff from popular vendors to compare it to?
I was looking at their website a few times but always went with FL/vietsun instead, so it would be an interesting comparison.

>>21454961
first impressions on the Best Taste are certainly similar to liu bao I've had before. beetrooty, earthy, smooth, more creaminess. though there is a bitter medicinal note that I don't recognize. maybe that's the ginseng people talk about?

Post your favorite terroirs.
Ill start, mines Naka. Good Naka tastes like wuyi and dan cong with a strong puer base. you get a very nice minerality, High floral notes and good bitterness but the catch is that Naka tea usually doesn't last longer than 5 steeps in my experience. I see Farmer leaf selling a Naka cake that claims to be pretty punchy i'm gonna order a sample and test out. Gonna get a few cakes to age if it checks all the right marks.

>>21455453
what are your favorite Naka teas? I've only had the Chen Sheng Hao one.

Yunnan Black Gold Bi Luo Chun Black tea from Yunnan Sourcing.

Astringent, Vegetal, Yunnan Black tea with slight hints of sweet potato and burnt caramel. Tea is a somewhat bitter and astringent even in shorter steeps and leaves my mouth dry. Flavors do not linger long and are fleeting. Overall not my favorite Yunnan black tea but can work as a good daily drinker brewed grampa style. 6.3/10

>>21455467
That is (or maybe was) my go-to for brewing and sticking in the fridge on hot Summer days.

>>21455462
I get bitterleafs sample set from all their puers every year and the Naka always comes out on top. Been eyeing the Chen Shen Hao one, how is it? Yunnan Sourcing also has a Naka cake im eyeing. W2T has one too but its going for like 900 dollars.

>>21455483
Ya I can see it being a good cold summer drink even with a bit a sugar.

White 2 Tea Nightlife.

Very light and floral white tea. Very sweet with taste of honeydew, peach and a thick viscous texture. Oversteeping brings out some slight bitterness and a very thick texture. Would make a for a great summer drink cold or hot.
8.4/10

White 2 Tea Pinedarts

Tastes like a cigarette that has been steeping in water with some lapsang souchong smokeyness. No Sweet notes at all. My least favorite of the smoked w2t teas I sampled. Get this if that sounds appealing to you. W2T's description is spot on.
2.3 / 10

White 2 Tea Northern Grown

My favorite from the smoked w2t samples.
perfectly smokey with semi sweet low toned jackfruit and mango note with a nice raw puer astringent mouth feel thats not over powering. Their smoked puer seems kinda gimmicky but this one is pretty enjoyable. I liked it more than their premium Edge of Badlands smoked raw.
7.2/10

>>21455543
>>21455588
Have you had their Firebat? I got a sample of it once, and it was really weird. I distinctly remember an aroma that was just straight-up BBQ chips.

Where can I buy good tea in SKorea?
This country sucks ASS

>>21456306
there is korean green tea, right?

>>21455518
>Been eyeing the Chen Shen Hao one, how is it?
sweet, fragrant, fruity, mineralic, some coffee bitterness. good energy.
it's really nice tea. I'm sure there are fancier ones, but it's not that expensive

>>21455453
>Farmer leaf selling a Naka cake that claims to be pretty punchy
I received a Naka sample in one of my orders. It was quite different than your usual Fa Zhan He, Bang Wai, Huey Wa etc. I recall it being quite bitter but not bad overall. If you are a Lao Man E fanboy the Naka is a must try.

>>21455529
which year are you trying?
>>21455588
better than Boat Captain?

Just cold brewed some ripe, its actually not that bad

Hey t-boyz ~~~
What`s a good tea to start the morning? I got tired of anything green tea. Any ideas?

>>21456899
Dianhong.

Hey guys give me your best recommendations for a few blacks and maybe a few oolongs you like, for grandpa brewing
I don't have particularly strong preferences, though my dad does like darjeeling in particular so I'll pick up some of that somewhere as well, but I want some variety for myself

>>21456935
Teahome.com has great cheap roasted taiwanese oolong, if you can be arsed to navigate that site using browser translation

I can recommend the cheap jin jun mei and jiuqu hong mei on kingteamall for black teas. Their cheap wuyi oolong also seems like pretty good value.

>>21456942
Oh neat, I wanted to pick up some liu baos on KTM so that's convenient in one order
>teahome.com
I could probably be arsed to navigate it if I knew what to look for, but the thing is I have analysis paralysis with all the choices

If it gets too hot for tea, remember to try carbonated cold infused. CO2 sourness pairs really well with tannins/astringency. Don't overcoldbrew greens: they get too bitter.

>>21453825
>So long as the difficult to distinguish and decipher Chinese wrappers persist, puerh consumption won't increase
Which Chinese tea farmers would need as younger generations switch to coffee and coffee pays better than tea. Thankfully for us tea enjoyers, their government has forbidden cutting tea trees to keep traditions. Farmers cannot just replace tea by coffee, it has to grow of new land. Was nice to hear about puer and Yunnan on the radio.

>>21456948
if you want specific reccs:
>https://www.teahome.com/product/upteah/
the one that's 355 yuan for 150 grams is "legend of tung ting / lao dongding", one of their specialties as they are located in the traditional dong ding production region. it is more roasted and a bit more oxidized than most modern dong ding and marketed as "old school 80s style"
>https://www.teahome.com/product/ao202700/
selected alishan jin xuan (roasted) for 400 yuan. this is a bit greener and more subtle in flavor than the dong ding, but with a similar level of roast

I hear their roasted shan lin xi is also really good. and the red oolong is a good cheapie, not as complex but very sweet highly oxidized oolong

>>21456997
>their government has forbidden cutting tea trees to keep traditions
Ah, but this only came about after the puerh boom and bust in '06, '07. During that time, older trees which produced less material, were pollarded or cut down entirely and replaced with terrace tea clones. Going back further, there were plenty of tea forests that were razed and replaced with rice farms during hard times. This goes back as far as 50s and 60s, too.

Fortunately, in the last 20 years or so, forest tea has become sacred and protected. I hope that trend continues, but I wanted to make the point that it's a pretty recent development.

>>21457038
As far as I understand, a ton of tea-related knowledge, tradition, farms and trees were lost in the 20th century anyway, which is tragic but also nothing can be done about it except preserve what we still do have now going forward.

tea tasting is a psyop and fad, change my mind
barely flavored warm water is not infact worth more than pennies, under any condition

>>21457052
add more leaves so it's not just barely flavored

>>21457052
>change my mind
Okay.
>barely flavored warm water
This is absolutely not how we're drinking tea.

>>21457052
Westerners emulating modern Chinese tea culture is a fad, tea itself isn't.

>>21449036
Update: I was able to acquire boba tea. I live in a small town where that isn't much of anything, so there are a few nearby cities I go to when I need to do shopping other than groceries. Anyway, I was driving around one of them (a good ways away from the last place) and saw another boba tea shop. I got an unsweetened milk tea with boba in it. Due to the lack of sugar I was able to taste the tea better, it was just generic black tea like you'd get in a normal restaurant, so nothing special at all. Sucking up the boba things through the big straw and chewing on them was kind of entertaining so I can see why young people would like this. Beyond that I don't really see the point and think I'm probably too old for this. I might go back to the other place at some point since their base drink was better I think, but maybe not. I don't know if it's really worth the money.

>>21457052
>t. untrained palate (*assuming adequate tea brewing*)
Poor soul. Do wines taste all the same to you? Can you even identify flavors outside of salt, sugar sour and bitter?

>>21457038
>>21457046
China modern history is indeed quite bumpy. As a side note, their cultural propaganda is amazing: there's no such thing as ancient traditional Chinese medicine/healthcare. Things have been evolving since forever, yet it's claimed as unified and stable. Lol.

>>21457107
Tea from coffee shops is almost never worth paying for, only if you're with some company that decided to go to a coffee shop and you want to buy a drink but don't want coffee. There's no reason to ever go to a coffee shop specifically to order tea.

>I don't really see the point and think I'm probably too old for this
You must understand that coffee culture is all about additives - milk, frothy milk, special milk, syrups, flavourings, etc. And people who go to a coffee shop regularly anyway might find it fun to order something unusual or fancy just for a break from the routine. Boba tea is just that - an unusual drink that you'd get just for the heck of it. It's not amazing but it might be something you get instead of a caramel latte or some shit.

If you're used to brewing tea at home, like I said, there's zero point in going to normie coffee shops.

>>21457136
To clarify, these weren't coffee shops. Both places only had "Tea" in their name (one specifically styled itself as a "Taiwanese tea house") and their menus were primarily different kinds of tea, along with some various dessert items. I don't think they served coffee at all unless I missed it.

>>21457165
Interesting. I've never seen a tea house worth its salt here unless it was really a niche speciality thing, and I'm surprised there'd be something as normie as a boba tea in what sounds like an actual tea shop serving actual teas. Maybe they're making sure to cater to some normies too rather than just being purely tea enthusiast focused.

>>21457172
Well don't let the name fool you too much. These were places like Dunkin Donuts but focused on boba tea, though they did have other sorts of tea available. One of them had no seats and you could only make to-go orders, everything is served in a plastic cup, etc. So these aren't proper tea houses even though the business is focused on tea.

>>21457194
>everything is served in a plastic cup
>everything
What the fuck, did they only have iced teas or something

>>21457199
I didn't examine the menus too thoroughly since they were boba tea places and that's what I was intending to try, but I did see Earl Grey, Assam, and some other things on the menu. Honestly I'm not sure.

Anyway, there is one other type of tea business near me, which is a British style tea house. You have to make reservations and they have dress codes and shit. I mainly drink western style tea but I doubt I'll ever be going there.

>>21457202
British afternoon tea/high tea is quite nice but the main draw is usually the pastries and cakes, the teas are normally going to be a decent selection (better than in some normie shop) but nothing exotic either, not really worth going just for the tea.

>green tea with gunpowder
Is this actually good, or a waste of 4.59 zloty?

>>21457221
Kup sobie jakąś czarną albo wydaj więcej na dobrą zieloną. Te z supermarketów są nieświeże i niesmaczne.

>>21457199
This is the type of menu these places have (random image I got off Google)

>>21457231
I'd be buying it online from the supplier, the only reason I know about this brand is because I found one box of the zielona z pigwa in the bargain bin at the grocery and scanned it with Yandex Translate

>>21457107
>>21457202
This is what a good boba shop could look like.

>>21457302
Man I really fucking hate this new chance app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU88iVD8yUA

>>21457250
Gunpowder can be okay, but flavored Polish brand gunpowder is pretty sussy.

>See this in the public park

wat do

>>21457666
promptly spill spaghetti in her gaiwan

>>21453781
>I want to hear reviews
Would love to, but I'm not sure I have the vocabulary yet? Still somewhat new to this puer stuff.

>>21454520
>What does having a figurine next to the teacup [...] help with the average normgroid's perception and adoption of tea?
It's what sparks that initial investigation. The novelty catches the eye, and makes the curious desire to know more. Also, normoids are willing to adopt alien practices. Look at reading manga backwards. If anything, the exoticism increases the appeal.

>>21454689
>I never see bitterleaf discussed for some reason. Will you review that cheap yiwu cake?
I'll try to post something more substantial later, but after tried it twice, I can say that I really like it.
I like Bitterleaf a lot, if only because of how well they package everything. Their goods are basically mangle-proof.

>>21455062
>Do you have some stuff from popular vendors to compare it to?
I've tried about a dozen Kuura puers. This is the first time I branch off into a different company. Initial impression is good. Similar, but different. Not very helpful, I know.

>>21455518
>I get bitterleafs sample set from all their puers every year and the Naka
The Naka is one of the three I've tried. Thus far, I like it less than Year of Snake. Still very good, but the floral notes do nothing for me. Will need to try again under better conditions.

>>21455453
>Good Naka tastes like wuyi and dan cong with a strong puer base. you get a very nice minerality
I also tried the Bitterleaf Rock Solid 2025 Spring Bangdong Raw Puer. Very good. Also very mineraly.

>>21458050
>I'm not sure I have the vocabulary yet
That's just fine anon. Let it rip with whatever comes to mind. This is a good place to practice. Take a photo too.

>>21456899
assam black is the king of the morning

>>21458050
>I've tried about a dozen Kuura puers
I don't think anyone here buys from Kuura either. Oh well.

>>21456899
Breakfast tea exists for this exact purpose
Though lately I've taken the liubao pill and I drink a cup of dirt every morning (and every afternoon and evening)

>>21454961
getting a strong "earth after it rains" flavor on these 2009 raw clusters

>>21458391
we've had a few people buy from Kuura but yeah, not that much discussion

Can someone link the orange box liu bao that's supposedly the strongest one around? I thought it was on kingteamall but I can't find it now

>>21458615
https://kingteamall.com/en-pl/collections/dark-tea/products/2020-sanhe-liu-bao-cha-liubao-tea-1st-grade-loose-leaf-100g-tin-boxed-liu-pao-tea-dark-tea-wuzhou-guangxi

This one? It's popular in this thread. But it's not really "the strongest one around", it's got some of that aged beetroot but is not pure beetroot juice, it's more balanced.

>>21458623
Is this "orange box"? I keep seeing "CNNP orange box" mentioned (e.g. >>21357320, >>21394328), that listing doesn't seem to indicate anything orange. I'm not saying it's not that, I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing
I want earthy, not necessarily pure beetroot, just fresh loam in my cup

>>21458444
Nice tea for the morning, doesn't upset my empty stomach. What you been drinking?

>>21458631
That's the one I refer to as orange box.

>>21458631
Yes, that is the orange box. I think its popularity ITT is mostly because it was one of the first modern higher quality liu bao productions added to KTM. And it has a decent bit of factory aging. They have since added way more liu bao, it's possible some of it is even better.

It won't blow your mind, but if you like liu bao you will not be disappointed, it has a good balance of aged earthy and sweet er vanilla / nutty flavors. Though the yeeon teas I'm drinking through now are probably even more loamy.

>>21458648
>What you been drinking?
Some leftover 21031 sanhe. It's the last I've got and I need to stock up some more.

>>21458648
>>21458649
Okay, good to know, because I've already had some actually. It was good, for some reason I thought there was just some mythical even better box.
>yeeon teas I'm drinking through now are probably even more loamy
Gib?

>>21458653
>for some reason I thought there was just some mythical even better box
There are a few more famous and expensive ones, such as the Worker's Stadium and Black Box.

>Gib
https://yeeonteaco.com/products/2009-raw-puerh-cluster-tea?_pos=2&_sid=53da2ac33&_ss=r
Had this one in the morning, tastes like earth after the rain and beetroot, very strongly so. The other teas I've had from them were also very aged and earthy in a similar way.

>>21458668
Have you tried the 2001 Yi Wu clusters?
If so, how'd they taste?

>>21458681
Haven't tried them, just trying out the 2009 clusters, best taste ripe and purple mark ripe so far. I also eagerly await trying the 7542 2008 sample, though I should probably let it rest a bit.

I've got two questions. First, which dayi should I buy? I probably don't need both, but I don't know if I should get the younger or older one (or a different year entirely).
Second, which sanhe liubao? I don't need both, but I don't know what the difference is gonna be between the 0222 brick and the chen nian bing cake.

Also tell me if I'm being retarded on anything else

>>21458749
I've had that 2022 7562 brick. it was good. but the price for the older 7572 cake is also good, and that is considered the "benchmark" Dayi ripe. probably doesn't matter much which one you pick.

I've had both of those black teas and they were both pretty good. I would probably also try that CNNP Tan yang gong fu they added recently. I've had two versions of that tea and they were both excellent. this factory version is much cheaper, so I wonder how it stacks up

>>21458785
>probably doesn't matter much which one you pick.
Thanks anon, I might as well grab the 2016 one to try it then.

>I've had both of those black teas and they were both pretty good
>I would probably also try that CNNP Tan yang gong fu they added recently
Nice, thanks for the rec anon. For ten bucks I'll grab a tin.
Is the souchong black actually smoky by the way? Sorry for being retarded - I'm not a fan of lapsang souchong, but I'm not sure if souchong itself is just the normal tea, or if it's also smoked or naturally smoky. I assumed souchong was just the type of tea and lapsang was physically smoked tea, but KTM's blurb says souchongs in general are smoky.

>>21458797
the jin jun mei definitely should not be smoky. many of KTM's descriptions are written by AI and not too trustworthy

>>21458802
Oh neat. I'll bump it to 100g then, thanks anon.

How many gallons of tea is it safe for me to drink per day?

>>21458802
Take me back

>>21458840
yeah, I used to laugh at the "tea flavor and aged tea flavor in the throat. totally an easily acceptable tea" Engrish descriptions, but they were much preferable to the AI word salad they use nowadays

>>21458829
about three fiddy galleons. look up what constitutes a tea (drink, not dry material).

Today I realized you're supposed to read the ever present 'zhōng' more like 'choong'. Wtf is this transliteration.

Has anyone tried this?

>>21458868
I forgot the image.

>>21430475
Get autumnal stuff.

Cha Qi junky here. Had this organic duck shit and it struck the gong.
Clearly gotta try all the fancy dancongs now. How'd I do?

>>21458905
forgot image

legend of Tung Ting is smelling beautiful today
so much cinnamon and burnt cookies

>>21458907
>organic duck shit aroma

>>21458490
petrichor is the name you're looking for.

>>21458984
*wafts it under xir nose*
actually it's just floral and fruity and all that. just the strain name. legends say it was to keep neighbors out of bro's stash. seems anti-cap to me

>>21458988
Maybe, but there's also this strong mineral and soily quality. It all adds up to a very realistic wet earth flavor. It's accompanied by some walnuts, no astringency and a very thick body unlike what I expect from raw puerh. I guess that's how it is with HK stored raws.

Also surprised at how many steeps I'm getting out of these. I used quite a lot of leaf, but wasn't expecting to get like 10-15 steeps from this cheapo tea. They're all so dark too.

Where does /ck/ buy its indian teas?

>>21458992
sounds like the rock in rock wuyi teas. stone flavor. like sucking on a rock, like beckett.

>>21458991
>actually it's just floral and fruity and all that.
What if that's what duck shit smells like? Have you ever smelled duck shit?

>>21459012
sure. i've been around ponds with geese and ducks. it doesn't smell like that. that's more of a green dung smell, sort of a spoiled milk and algae scent. not pleasant at all.

I ordered the quicheteas Factory Favorites: Quarter Cake Sampler. Will report back when it gets here.

>>21458988
>>21458992
There's also geosmin.

>>21459046
nice, I've been eyeing that store. next time I buy semiaged raws, it will probably be from them

>>21458994
The supermarket.

>>21459143
My supermarket doesn't carry darjeelings

>The taste is mellow and slightly sweet, with a smooth and slippery sensation

arr rook same, has anyone here sampled these to compare or are these very similar anyways because it's just average factory tea?
I'm composing my first order from chang and I'm looking to keep the total cost low to find out if the package will even make it through customs.

>>21459370
Should be basically the same, right?

>>21459370
take the 2014. 2014 good year.

>>21459370
2012 was a good year

>>21459398
>>21459404
you're busting my balls. 2015 has the prettiest box and 2014 has the most classy wrapper. maybe I can ask Taishunhe to rewrap the 2012 edition for me.

>>21459412
If you're goin by wrapper its 2012 > 2015 > 2014

alright, now to see if I even like pu-erh.

>>21459196
I'd say this driver should be vey concerned about having to hit the brakes suddenly so as to not run over a kid dashing out into the road after it's ball but I've seen enough Liveleak to know braking for pedestrians is entirely optional.

>>21459495
the ripes are all popular classics. I haven't had that Jincha, might be a bit more challenging for a newbie but we'll see. Xiaguan raws can be love or hate, as they tend to be strong flavored and smoky. but age definitely helps a lot

>>21459526
>strong flavored and smoky
that sounds great. my palate is fucked from smoking, so I prefer the more intense/funky aromas in general. I'll report back once the tea arrives.

>>21459495
Xiaguan ripes are better than their raws until you shell out more cash for better cakes, imo. Xiao Fa is my favorite big factory budget tea. Can't speak to the brick, but v93 is solid too. Slight woody note. I swear sometimes it dries my throat.

Is matcha from amazon okay to get?

>>21459735
Are you looking at Amazon, because of price, or for some other reason?

>>21459773
Price I guess. I'm tired of drinking Black Gold Bi Luo Chun and coffee. I was wondering if the 2 lb bulk matcha was okay or if it doesn't taste too great or what. I like to have something nice to drink in the morning and sometimes at noon. I don't know if there's something wrong with the bulk matcha or if it's not actually tea or what.

>>21459495
It tastes like old leaves in the fall mixed with smoky fish

What's sencha taste like?

>>21459785
Cheap matcha is usually pretty bad.

>>21459785
you won't get through 2 lb before it stales. That stuff is sold for mixing. If you're mixing with syrups or whatever it'll be fine, otherwise no.

I only got into loose leaf tea recently so this is just a post about "pleb" tea, so feel free to disregard. Anyway, I have a few teas from Harney & Sons and Republic of Tea (I also ordered a few things from Adagio). Anyway, I have Harney & Son's Earl Grey and RoT's Earl Greyer, and I did notice a physical difference in the leaves. The Harney Earl Grey has some small leaves but also lots of stuff similar to what you'd see in a tea bag, almost sediment-like; on the other hand the RoT is almost entirely small leaves, and after being steeped they actually look like little leaves you can unfurl. The taste doesn't seem drastically different, the RoT might be a bit better but it's hard to say without brewing both side by side and comparing them directly. Anyway, I thought that was interesting. Thanks for reading my blog.

>>21458980
Where did you order from? I got Lao Dong Ding from teahome in march and it had some toasted bread, some spice and maybe a little herbal notes in the aroma, but it wasn't as distinctive as burnt cookies and cinnamon. Maybe I got the wrong version?

>>21459926
grass, seaweed, vegetal. some sweetness and fruity notes are possible

>>21460432
nah it's the same tea. just got this aroma today, usually it's not as vivid

I put on some coldbrew for of Uji Miyabi Sencha from O-Cha. I did 20g of tea for 2L of water. Let's see how this turns out. Does anyone here cold brew sencha? If so, what ratios do you typically use?
>>21460451
Some other anon, here. You can also get nice buttery notes. There's also seaweed and nori, too. Sometimes, you get an oceanic note. Other times, it's like a meadow.
>>21460423
I wouldn't necessarily consider Harney and Sons to be "pleb" tea. They've got some decent offerings. I liked their Paris. When done right, it's a poor mans Marco Polo from Mariage Freres.

>>21454961
First session with the 2008 7542. This is my first 7542. Not too bitter, but very strong on caffeine and on the stomach, I need to take a break in the session.
The storage is clearly different than the other Yeeon teas I have, basically tastes like natural storage in comparison with no beetroot or earth.

tea bros...
All shipments of FDA-regulated products, regardless of quantity and value are subject to the same regulatory requirements and may pose risks to health, safety, and security. Effective immediately, all FDA-regulated products must be submitted to the FDA for review. All prior communications exempting certain low-value FDA-regulated products are rescinded.

CSMS #94-001260 and CSMS #17-000388 stated that certain FDA-regulated products, if eligible for the de minimis exemption, could be released by CBP without FDA review. However, technological capabilities of both the trade and the FDA have advanced significantly. This allows FDA to review all electronically transmitted FDA-regulated products offered for import, regardless of shipment quantity and value, to facilitate legitimate trade and prevent the importation of violative products.

As a reminder, Prior Notice (PN) requirements must still be met on all food and feed shipments, regardless of value or quantity; unless otherwise exempt from PN requirements under 21 CFR 1.277(b).

I don't care for a gaiwan. It insists upon itself.
Give me a good yixing teapot or any properly sized one for the job and it's just a better experience.

>>21460588
You can pour much faster out of a gaiwan vs a teapot if you want to do really short steeps
And gaiwans are much easier to clean

But I do use my yixing pots probably 70% of the time anyways, they're just nice to use.

>>21460562
So, no more tea?

>>21460627
How many ml are your pots?
I love my first teapot, but it feels too big for everyday use at 120 ml. My 80 ml gaiwan has become my standard...

Yeeon Best Taste ripe after a big bowl of chicken soup with potatoes!

>>21460822
Sounds delicious. What notes are you getting?

>>21460822
Nice, it's a favourite of mine for after/during meals
Nice teaware also

>>21460824
beetroot, creamy vanilla, woody, earthy, herbal spicy
I'll be drinking this and the purple mark from Yeeon for a while. first impressions were the purple mark had a more interesting mouthfeel, but this is also a pleasing daily drinker. I wonder which one I'll prefer after I'm done with the bags I got.

>>21460860
damn that sounds tasty. i oughta pick some of that up.

>>21460835
thanks! definitely seems like a tea designed to be a palate cleanser with meals

>>21460423
Tea noobs always welcome.
>>21460562
>>21460734
Fuck it. It won't matter until it does.
>>21460588
>neolithic tools insist upon themselves
It's like the perfect brewing vessel.
>>21460822
Eating right and drinking right. Still love that teapot.

>>21460975
I hope nothing really changes. I just got into puerh too.
all my asian skincare friends are panicked and buying what's left of stock already in the states

Alright I finally got to open up my packet of Gyokuro Premium, and I got to say this is an entirely different beast from what I was used to with their shincha. Felt a lot richer, I definitely don't need as many leaves as I did for a preferred strength for my cup. Very refreshing, very pleasant. Will definitely just get this next time instead of messing about.

>>21461100
There is a worm in your tea

>>21460562
sites like fullchea sometimes mark tea cakes as table plates on the packages so it might be circumventable through that if it becomes an issue

>>21461100
Jesus. That looks like kale.

>>21461100
anon, did you know that you can actually eat gyokuro leaves? The japs also pour soy sauce over them, and it tastes quite good.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for some nice-looking affordable gaiwans that aren't poisoned with lead or some shit like that?

>>21461264
>that aren't poisoned with lead
Don't you want the authentic Chinese experience?

>>21460423
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_leaf_grading

>>21461277
You can do that just by pouring your tea out on the table, no need for heavy metal poisoning unless you're doing some autistic re-enactment

>>21460749
The one I use for aged sheng is 100ml because they're expensive and brew for 10+ steeps, but the rest are 120-160ml and I like that size. I know that's too big for most people but I like to drink a lot of tea I guess

>>21461264
Dunno, just use the cheapest ones on Aliexpress and throw them away if they taste like blood.

>>21461189
nta but somehow it never occured to me even though I imagined it'd taste well in a salad, I might actually try it the next time I have gyokuro
>>21461264
I personally use a japanese made houbin, it's convenient and I trust the japs wouldn't poison me

>Chifir (Russian: чифи́pь, romanized: čifir', or alternatively, чифи́p (čifir)) is an exceptionally strong tea, associated with and brewed in Soviet and post-Soviet detention facilities such as gulags and prisons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifir

Imagine drinking prison tea

Just tried my first Yiwu tea. Good mouthfeel. Smelled amazing. The taste was very subtle though. Also, I feel like I exhausted the tea with seven steepings, which is lower than expected. Not cake worthy for me....

>>21461100
What size teapot should I get for gyokuro? I see two Shiboridashi of the same design, one is 60 ml and the other is 100 ml.

>looking for interesting earl grey's
recommendations? im tired of the standard fare

>>21461574

I think I've seen this video before...

>>21461577

>seven steepings

Seems a bit excessive

>>21461660
Nevermind, I bought a 60 ml

>>21455453
minerality of naka is especially strong which i love, only ever had it from farmerleaf though
>>21456848
what ratio of leaf to water did you use and how long? ive done like everything but shou cold before.

>>21436457
Found a real obscure teacentric vid from the guy who makes my water concentrates. Might be worth the hour listen if you're actually interested in water chemistry. He goes into the process of carbonating then decarbonating the water to force calcium carbonate into solution(apparently spurred on by the teasecrets blog guy) around 16 min in.
https://youtu.be/9qyoiX7lpJU

bros how do i heat up water for drinking tea while outdoors? a thermos of hot water runs out too fast

>>21462105
You can get slightly larger thermoses, should be good enough for a single session for a single person.

If you are near civilization, you can usually get your thermos refilled at a Starbucks, or so I hear.

>>21462105
You can gradually heat a Thermos to about 98 degrees by cramming it.

>>21462105
I use one of these when I go camping

>>21461923
I'm not necessarily interested in the chemistry. I want to keep it simple and low maintenance.

>>21462235
Start at 26 minutes then. Its a very good listen but heres a shitty paraphrasing of a few minutes.
>With tea(due to the relative surface area) you need a constant amount of buffer that won't really change from tea to tea UNLESS its an uncommonly heavy roast/matcha
>If you have TOO LITTLE buffer you'll need to drop temp to avoid bringing out excess harshness every steep
>If you have TOO MUCH buffer you're fucked, everything is just going to be flat/muted/bland as buffer will reduce "the intensity of waters interaction with tea"
>Water optimized for light roast coffee generally does well with (non roasty) tea

After listening to this and knowing you wanting to keep it simple and low maintenance you might try the concentrate he makes for Aviary. Comes with a separate bottle of buffer drops so you've got a little bit of wiggle room. Significantly cheaper than his glacial/spring profiles at 30c/L. I'll probably toss a bottle of this on my next order just to have it around.
https://empiricalwater.com/products/aviary-coffee-water
https://empiricalwater.com/pages/mineral-composition

anyone else get the scent of roasted/boiled, salted peanut shells from nicer oolongs?

>>21462302
Alright anon. I appreciate the effortposting. I will get to it tomorrow.

New FL releases. I was expecting more budget releases desu, its not like everyone has $140 to drop on a cake.

>>21462626
Yeah, I was also expecting more cheapies. The Meng Noy and 2025 fa zhan he are the only cheaper cakes that were added...
I'll pick up some Menghai tea, but might wait around for a sale. Either the Banpen, Meng Noy or LME Autumn.

>>21462626
anyone tried this Meng Noy from previous years?

>>21460471
The tea is brewed.
So far, getting nice gentle cucumber notes. Almost something minty-like. It's nice and thick - almost jelly-like.

>>21462626
I wonder if Miyun might be a good budget pick this time. It's only 45$ this time.

Popped a pitcher of mate in the fridge overnight and I don't think I want to go back to hot mate ever again.

I'm in cleveland ohio with an excess of grocery stores around me. I have memberships to BJs and Sam's Club as well and I for the life of me can't find loose leaf tea. The only option is going to chinatown but I'd feel weird going over there and parking like that one time I went to the Indian grocer

>>21463663
I don't live in as large of a city as you, but the only place where I could find any was in one of those smaller snooty grocery stores that focus on organic food and shit, and they had only a tiny selection. Try seeing if there are any dedicated tea shops around you, I guess. Otherwise just order online, that's what most people do I think.

>>21463677
>>21463663
Wtf i can go to my local aldi (300m from me) or practically any store and buy loose leaf tea its all from sri lanka but still

>>21463621
Yeah it brews really well cold. Interestingly enough I find it much more relaxing when cold brewed, usually it's stimulating. I guess you get less caffeine and more of the other stuff when cold brewing

>>21463709
I checked Aldi's website and the one near me doesn't list any loose leaf tea (I searched for that as well as just "tea")

>>21463663
Go to chinatown, you can find some cool cheap tea there sometimes

>>21463663
You'll probably only find it at those ethnic grocers. Just buy online if you want good stuff.

>>21463663
>>21463746
try the drugstore. at least in my joint, they offer a selection of the more 'fancy' tea varieties.
luckily for cheap assam, I can just visit my local supermarket.

>look into types of oolong tea
>duck shit
>ding dong
>dong fang
>fo sho

>>21461684
>Seems a bit excessive
The best teas can handle 15+ infusions.

>>21463810
dan congs are the weed strains of the tea world

>>21463810
Meanwhile puerh names be like:
>2005 late January thick paper traditional characters FT8653-3+1 Xiaguan Pine Crane 501 (slightly humid but not very humid Taiwan natural storage)
or
>Spring 2025 Ran Dom Shiit Houl Slightly Biggish but Not That Big Trees

>>21463925
zoz

>>21463810
It's pretty hilarious. My brother asked what kind of tea I was drinking so I showed him the site and all we did was laugh at how silly it sounds in English. After that I watched him chug jasmine tea like it was beer. I really appreciate this general thread, I still have the Black Gold Bi Luo Chun you anons recommended a few years ago to me.

I like steam

I was worried my new teapot would be too small for dragonballs--it's 95 ml--but they fit perfectly. It might brew a bit stronger, because of the tea to water ratio, but that's fine. The ball filter has generous holes, and the pour speed is a fast 3 seconds, which I like. I haven't encountered any clogging problems (because of the way a dragonball expands?), and it's been super easy to clean. All in all, I'm really loving this thing, and might make it my dedicated 'tea ball' pot. It also makes me want to try more teapots with side-handles.

>>21464506
Actually, the pour speed probably has more to do with the spout than the ball filter. Ignore that part of my post.

>>21464506
That is a fat fuckin spout. Nice handle

>>21464497
I can tell when it's going to rain by the steam from my tea.

Any mohei enjoyers here?
I wonder what it's like.

>>21464718
it does sound good from the description. but I think I also saw someone say it's similar to bangwai small trees, which I thought was boring

>decide to try tea
>spend like $400 on a full tea set and a few varieties of loose leaf from China
>make some tea according to the instructions
>…
>tastes like nothing
>maybe I fucked up, try again
>…
>nothing
>try again with hotter water, more tea leaves, all the different varieties, longer steep times, cold, etc
>…
>still fucking nothing
This was a few years ago
What the fuck happened? I just don’t get it

>>21464951
Get a mug, a $15 infuser basket, and some loose leaf earl grey from a normal western tea store, there you go

>>21464951
weird. a variety of teas you say? which teas, from whence? all from the same store?

>>21464951
where did you buy from? and what varieties of tea?

>>21464957
>>21464958
Yunnan sourcing. I don’t remember what exactly I got but I got a few varieties of green, white, and black loose leaf.

>>21464960
perhaps your package was hit by a gamma deflavinating ray. quite common when going across the ocean, but usually the containers have barriers. occasionally there are moonshot rays which compromise entire shipments of tuna, or just a few parcels of tea.
you might also be some sort of statistical anomaly that simply can't experience teas, and must be promptly dissected (after execution) to ensure we can isolate and destroy the genes responsible for this dire mutation.
if i were you, i'd make happy lip smacks and portray jollity whenever sipping the leaf water, lest you're discovered.
do you brush your teeth often?

>>21464951
It's probably the water you were using, I'd try some bottled water and see if that makes a difference.

>>21464951
your body's PH is probably off balance. Does your diet consist of lime chili takis and fast food? start off by first letting the tea rest for a few days so the bacteria in the tea calm down and acclimate then go for a few days of eating normal healthy food and brush your teeth.

>>21464960
>>21464951
sounds like you were born to be a pu-erh drinker, not to drink bland greens and whites
you need bitterness, smoke, intense mouthfeel.

>>21465083
LAPSANG SOUCHONG
boy i love that shit. my first beloved tea. don't love it as i did then, but boy howdy. if you can't taste that, i reckon ya nosetongue is busted

can you SMELL anything of the teas? if so, describe these smells with as much detail as you can. also do this for some other food or drink, taste and smell it and describe it so we can get a baseline of your sensorium, then we can try to develop your sense of taste over time through experiential therapy.

>>21453450 (OP)
greetings from /mu/
my family was recently gifted pic related
it's good
can you guys help me write a parody of the Rocky song with lyrics about brewing tea?
I'll record vocals and guitar and post Vocaroo

>>21464506
>generous holes

>>21464955
I use a mug + infuser for the fancy oolongs as well.

Found some straw in my Yeeon purple mark ripe!

are there any supermarket brands of matcha that are alright?

>>21465317
It's over

>>21463835
>>21461684
Steep count is meaningless without specifying the amout of tea and water used.
I mostly do 10g tea and get 1l of total over 7-8 steeps (so around 120ml per steep).
You could also do fewer 200ml steeps and end up with the same amount of brew.
Intensity of tea varies of course. You can brew strong af Kenian CTC black with 5g/liter. A cheap green tea might require 2-3x the leaf material for the same amount of brew.

>>21461574
Go for it, pussy.
Also half that wiki entry is made up.

>>21465603
I've done 14 steepings with one of these. Most good teas can do at least 8, before the taste starts going away.

>The official successor to our classic Warrior gaiwans, these handmade pieces retain the same unique, flared shape as the original. Made from 100% Jianshui zitao (purple clay), these gaiwans feature thin walls and a fast pour.

>These gaiwans hold approximately 80ml (+/- 5ml) of liquid when filled to where the lid meets the body, making them great for solo or duo brewing.

>>21465678
Oh, and that's with 4.5 grams of tea.

>threads are always nothing but fermented/chink teas
where are the japchads?

>>21465787
I like jap greens, but they don't seem as interesting to talk about

>>21465130
It's a little soulless, but this is exactly what LLMs do best.

>>21465603
>tfw no samovar

I love the 2016 Mengku Gong Ting ripe, I think this is my favourite ripe that's cheap enough to drink every day. $30 at fullchea is a steal if you ask me.
Anyone tried any other Mengku ripes you thought were a banger?
>inb4 bo jun
Though I'm googling it and wondering if the gong ting and bo jun series are the only ones Mengku produce on a regular basis.

>>21465990
That one is absolutely on my list.

I had a Mengku Rongshi ripe a few years ago. A little 150 gram cake called Jin Jiang. I wouldn't call it a banger but it was a pleasant cake. Woody notes like a forest, but aged from 2005 and really smoothed out. I haven't seen many mini-cakes from big factories.

>>21466014
Not a bad price for that over at KTM. I'll grab some next time I'm ordering, definitely worth a try for some good woody notes, thanks anon.

>>21457250
waste of money because I assume shipping

if shipping is free then buy it for the hell of it as a joke
I don't recognize the brand and I doubt it'll be good

dragonteahouse.biz is still workin fine, eh? what's the latest procedure?

>>21461187
>>21461189
I remembered to just try eating some. Flavor is neutral, which makes sense as you essentially blanched it. Reminds me of spinach. You could probably do some goofy ass recipes with this if you were of the mind.

new purchases from chinatown

>>21465787
drinking an autumn sencha from Shizuoka
it's okay, though I wish I were drinking fermented chink teas instead

>promotes salivation
>good salivation
what do engrish puerh descriptions mean by this?

>Banpen Spring 2025 - 75$
>Lao Man E Autumn 2025 - 48$
>Meng Noy Spring 2025 - 60$
Which of these southern Menghai raws should I get from FarmerLeaf?

WHO GOTS DA BES WULONG

>>21467267
Teahome.com

>>21466829
Non astringent.

>>21466829
makes you salivate as opposed to giving a dry mouth or scratchy throat

>>21466829
It's like when you're going to spit in your girlfriend's mouth, and you have to take a few seconds to get a good glob of spit accumulated, but this makes it faster

>>21465317
I found a dried up booger in a w2t sample.

>>21465787
I've been greatly enjoying the hibiki-an Greens.
They've recently been shilling Tencha, that is Matcha before its ground up. I have so much tea sitting around I can't justify another order at the moment but if it were earlier in the year I would have happily tossed some in.
Always next year I suppose.

>>21468502
Straight to hell

damn this 7542 is so caffeinated. I'll have to take a break in the session
getting a lot of menthol on the wet leaf aroma

any recommendation for good matcha in europe?
something not too luxurious, im gonna make matcha lattes

>>21468992
Probably doesn't matter much what you use for matcha lattes. Just make sure it's made in Japan and organic.

>>21469008
thank you very much!

>>21468824
Was pretty tempted by that but ended up passing. Did/would you get the cake?

>>21469225
no, I just got a 50g sample
I've done two sessions so far
it's nice, but not something I would pay 100$ for a cake of, personally. though I am glad I finally sampled this recipe
tastes less aged than other Yeeon teas, it has a bit of the beetroot storage notes in the first brews but not so much later on. maybe it would benefit from 5 more years, it still has some astringency

it's clearly higher quality than the cheap semiaged Xiaguan tuos I've been drinking, but not quite worth 4x the price for me so far.

the 2009 raw clusters are very enjoyable though. nutty with a deep earthiness, lots of minerals, very thick and smooth. leaves a long aftertaste of mineralic earth. good longevity too.
might be because it's the first truly dank HK trad stored raw I've had, but I am impressed by the chunks

>>21469286
Yeah might need a bit more time on it then. The 8582 I have from quiche seems "just right", though its quite a bit drier than yeeon.
Those clusters sound right up my alley, very tempting

>>21465787
Recently, I bought three teas from O-cha.
I got the Kaoru Matcha, Uji Miyabi Sencha, and Sae Midori Kabusecha.
The Kaoru matcha is quite nice. Mainly getting sweetness, umami, and a creamy earthiness.
As for the Uji Miyabi Sencha, it mostly tastes sweet - like green sweetness. Not quite grassy, nor seaweedy - simply green. It's hard to put my finger on it.
The Kabusecha has gentle umami. I'm getting seaweedy-like flavors.

>>21469391
I'll also note that I got a nice clear buzz from the sencha - very heady and relaxing. Calming and focusing.

I enjoyed what I got from O-cha, but I prefer Yuuki-cha. Next year, I am probably going to order from Ippodo Tea or something like that.

>>21469376
which year of 8582 did you get from Quiche? I heard that recipe is usually ready to drink faster than 7542
the clusters are my first trad storage raw, but they remind me of the Changtai Yiwu Ji Pin 2005 cake I got from KTM a bit. obviously much earthier and thicker, but similarly very mellow and smooth aged raw. might have a bit more strength than that cake, I'll have to compare

>>21469391
I remember enjoying the Saemidori Sencha and Chiran from O-cha the most. Yutaka Midori and Aoi Sencha were slightly worse and Organic Saemidori was the weakest, quite bland.
I feel like maybe they're best at Fukamushi teas?

>>21469421
I have the 2010.
>ready to drink faster than 7542
Ah didn't know that. That's a shame the 2006 7542s are sold out, the 2010s quiche has probably aren't ready yet then

The quiche factory quarter set I got is going to be here soon. Which tea out of it should I try first?
>2010 Dayi 7542 - (Batch 001)
>2008 Dayi 8582 - (Batch 801)
>2005 Xiaguan T8653 Iron Cake - (February Batch)
>2003 'King of Brown Changtai' - (Single Stamp, No Barcode)

>>21469477
Very nice. If you'd report back on how your 7542 is I'd appeciate it.
I'd grab some of that changtai first, pretty interesting

>>21469488
Will do, anon.

>>21469465
>aren't ready
At what point would a tea be considered ready?

>>21465787
I bought my first Japanese tea this month, yame gyokuro from o-cha. It's so green! I've never seen tea this green. All the Chinese green teas I've had were yellow liquid and the leaves weren't this vivid green either. Also, the shiboridashi was really interesting to use. The first steep was sort of yellow and the next several steeps were green.

>>21469536
Does depend on your taste, but I usually think not too much bitterness and not much astringency, developed some good semi-aged/fully-aged flavours whichever you're looking for

>>21469536
for the classic factory sheng pu-erh recipes, I would say at least around 15 years? it depends a lot on the tea and the storage conditions (the more humid, the faster the tea ages). and on your personal taste of course

>>21469555
yeah Japanese green teas can be really vividly green, almost like some sort of smoothie or energy drink

>>21459735
Naomi first spring and encha ceremonial are both good. The ones that are cheaper than this while still claiming ceremonial are more like culinary+ or latte quality.

>>21469584
Seems kind of evil.

>>21470124
jap teas are mutants anyway, vaguely etiolated by shading techniques, they may as well be diseased pygmies. china respects their tea plants comparatively. they let timing do the work. japan, who had plenty of seaweed, managed to turn their tea into seaweed too. fuckin gatorate slurpers.

>>21470172
>japan, who had plenty of seaweed, managed to turn their tea into seaweed too.
fucking kek, you're not wrong

>>21470172
>>21470234
I really have to say how fucking baffling it was the first time I drank high shelf Japanese teas and I got a full blast of fish.
It's kind of fucking crazy how they do that shit.

>>21470172
>japan, who had plenty of seaweed, managed to turn their tea into seaweed too
lol, true. I've always thought that was funny too.
>>21470330
That's the coolest thing about tea imo. There are so many vastly different flavors and aromas that can be coaxed out of only one ingredient (camellia sinensis leaves) with different terrior, processing, and aging.

>>21470383
yeah, the versatility of it, and it's not even the only plant which has had this sort of treatment. i know the parallels are myriad but holy shit is it a lot like weed. from the fruity to the savory, to the variation of effects (if you're a cha qi chad), the similarity in cultural treatment and adoration is uncanny.
something tells me we're only still on the threshold of what can and will be done with plants, and i'm excited to be there to berry my nose all up in therr

>>21470172
the japs are simply umamimaxxing every aspect of their cuisine, including tea
also, sencha is not shaded and still tastes like seaweed half the time

Why not just soak actual seaweed and drink that if it tastes like seaweed anyway,

>>21470172
Somebody had to say it.

I might me somewhat paranoid but I feel like my opened tea cakes and the still closed ones are getting pretty dry whith the central european air.
Even though it's summer and by winter the moisture in the air will drop even more.
I'm thinking about either buying a humidor for my modest tea collection or simply fashioning a case with cedarwood myself and slapping a moisturizer inside since I'm not too bad with woodworking.

Humidor for you cakes y/n?

>>21470756
>seaweed: :|
>seaweed, camellia sinensis: :O

>>21470777
I know many people use broken coolers or fridges as a puerh humidor (pumidor)
If you're not planning to age anything you'd probably be fine with just mylar bags stored in some wardrobe

>>21470756
It's not the only flavour in jap greens. They are also sweet, grassy, vegetal, even fruity and tart

>>21470784
Mix seaweed and hibiscus then wala

ok, best price to quality ratio for oolong? best vendors? how does w2t's oolong/yancha compare to say, bitterleaf or onerivertea?

>>21470791
>best price to quality ratio for oolong
For Taiwanese oolongs the consensus here is teahome. The legend of tung ting is really nice.
I don't think the yancha I got from w2t is very good compared to old ways tea. I've never bought from the other two.
If I remember right, some anons have said good things about kingteamall having decent cheaper yancha, but I haven't tried it yet.

>>21470791
yeah, I can second teahome.com. Taiwanese market prices + straight from producer is hard to beat for value

>>21470806
>I don't think the yancha I got from w2t is very good compared to old ways tea
any reccs from old ways tea on the budget side?

>>21470806
how funny you should say that, before reading this i just got on the bimonthly club for old ways tea. if w2t is not as good as old ways tea it's gotta be insane. well that's exciting.

as to taiwanese teas i'm more of a china origin tea guy. i haven't had a taiwanese oolong that served the purpose i need tea for.

in any case, thank you for the information, thank you very much.
>>21470819
thank you as well. i'll have to break down and get a good set of taiwan samples eventually.

>>21453450 (OP)
Finally found some loose chamomile that wasn't retardedly priced.
It's the only herbal "tea" I drink because
>It tastes good
>I got a nervous condition that causes near constant shakes and it lessens the intensity of those shakes when brewed strong

>>21470828
hey, i know you've probably thought of this already, but why not grow your own chamomile? you can even find specific varietals that are perennial for your growing zone!

>>21470825
>as to taiwanese teas i'm more of a china origin tea guy. i haven't had a taiwanese oolong that served the purpose i need tea for.
teahome specializes more in roasted taiwanese oolong. they are not as dark as wuyi, but if you like roasted, they are a good option

>>21470850
so far i've preferred light roasts and varying levels of oxidization. the wuyis i got from a w2t monthly box were all very similar to one another, but largely, it wasn't a roastfest. i'm sure there'll be darker stuff than i can handle, but i'll have to try the trad triple roast eventually. anyone listen to the onerivertea dude's podcast?

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>>21471018
>>21471018
>>21471018