Thread #21905356
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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-pastebin
Previous thread: >>21877097
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>>21905356
Another from my yuge tea order from Awazon. Golden bud.
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am this anon >>21894657
I'm drinking the first one in my picture today. Sorry im not a connoisseur like some of you to be able to describe wet leaves perfectly but somehow both of the ones in my picture taste the same. the chunpin is the one with that really nice taste for me (and not pictured). the close one is the first one. it tastes like daiyi's normal cheap puerh but with a hint of that taste i like. I'm glad i tried them both. maybe my opinion will change with time as i drink through more of the cakes. I definitely don't dislike them so i consider it a success but at double the price of the one i like i don't see myself rebuying either. the first one in the picture might be a possible rebuy if i come to like it but the original that made me love their tea, the chunpin (not pictured) is still my preference. i do like that type of smoky richness with the hint of fruity undertone that this one has but it's not as strong. i think it will be my go for gifting samples though.
I wish i could explain this 'fruity taste' i like. it almost tastes the black currant ricolas without the menthol? That type of complex 'fruitiness'
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>>21905375
>>21905889
I've always thought Awazon could double their Western retail revenue if they'd just take some good photos.
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>>21905889
It has a nice taste as well. Reminded me of tomato or dough.
>>21905960
I thought the same. See picrel. You get a better product for your money, but it doesn't draw people in the same way. Besides the presentation, they could at least use a better camera.
>>21906060
I think they do wholesale on the Chinese market and this is just a side thing.
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>>21904700
>Just looked it up, cursorily, cheaper than I thought for light weights, so maybe the expense will be the tea after all.
Yea rates from UK to my country are not expensive, and that cost is on me anyways. We could also do a tea swap if you like, I have ~250g left of FL 2023 Huey Wa Sheng, which I wount finish.
Do you have a preferred private communication channel?
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>>21906568
>>21906592
I don't know if there's something special I'm supposed to do, or if you just grind them up and throw them in.
Is it as simple as just adding the things you want?
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>>21906599
I've never tried it so maybe another anon can answer better, but spiced tea as a concept is not new and you should be able to look up recipes. Like indian spiced chai for example.
I expect it boils down to some variation on throwing them in, yes.
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>>21906460
>>21906454
Sure.
Oder14@protonmail.com
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>>21906603
Cool. I'll send you a mail with a variation of the pic to verify it's me and then we can do the deal.
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>>21906612
>>21906637
Anon who complained here, yes they sent the full price invoice. DHL did remove the invoice/duty charge so I didn't have to pay any tax (like I thought) and I got the package within the original timeframe.
But yeah the invoice was the full price that I paid.
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>>21906690
All aged oolongs except for the Shan Li Xi "Old School" charcoal roasted.
The aged oolongs were expensive so I didn't look around their shop for anything else because I didn't want to spend any more money. The shanlixi just happened to catch my eye and sound potentially good.
I'll post my thoughts about the aged oolongs plus comparisons to a couple other aged oolongs I got from other sources in a few weeks after I give them a chance to acclimate
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>>21906684
I hope the full invoice senders lose their flip flops on their way back from the beach, mfs.
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>>21906599
Don't bother with actual spices for Thai tea, it'll taste different from the bubble tea you had, more like a bad masala chai. Get a Thai tea mix like pic related.
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For all the well-drunk anons, where does Kenyan tea stand in comparison to the Asian stuff? All I've every had was Kenyan tea on account of being born and raised here. I've had Indian masala tea while I was there and it was pretty good tbdesu but the tea flavour took a back seat to the spices in my opinion. It tasted bland otherwise.
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>>21906892
You put the tea in the fridge. Or freezer, to preference.
Apparently some iced tea is cold brewed. I have no idea what the difference is between just making normal tea and letting it cool down (I don't drink iced tea), check some recipes o algo.
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>>21906808
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>>21906855
I haven't had that much Kenyan tea, but I think it's comparable to Indian. Mostly simple black tea, but probably good and nice value if you can get it fresh locally.
No one can really approach the far east in the huge variety and refinement of tea, they've had thousands of years of obsessing over this stuff. But I'm sure it's easy to get solid black tea in Kenya
India and African countries are much newer players in the tea sphere and they are trying to find their own upmarket varieties, but it's still quite experimental and we'll see what sticks. I know there are some white teas being made in Kenya nowadays, those could be interesting to try.
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>>21906652
I emailed you back. I'm telling you here just in case it never went through.
>>21906855
Kenyan is all Assamica I think. CTC tea (teabag tea) is nearly all Assamica, and Africa is a huge source of it. Chinese tea (sinensis) tends to be 'lighter' in comparison, sweeter and more floral, but they grow all varieties.
India (as we think of it) never grew tea until we introduced it. Neither did Africa, so in terms of range and quality nowhere compares to China. They usually have a few good teas, but the overall variety and quality is worse e.g. Japan has matcha and its gyokuro, and something of a seaweed taste to its greens, but that's about it. The rest of the stuff is not notable.
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>>21906855
>born and raised here
In Kenya? Neat.
I've had a few loose Kenyan (and Malawian) white teas that were quite nice; they were slightly inferior to Chinese white teas at their price range, but very different and well worth having sometimes to spice up the tea-drinking rotation. If memory serves they've all come to me through What-Cha, a vendor that's big on sourcing from all over; idk how representative WC's (heh) selections are of what's grown there. What I wasn't crazy about was the Kenyan purple tea I tried, but there was only one of those and it was years ago; I'd give that style another shot. All in all I'm thrilled to see African tea become an increasingly serious player, and look forward to what Kenya can produce in ten or twenty years.
I adore Kenyan coffee and have every confidence in the country's terroir; it's more a matter of the people learning to master the crop, which they will (as an American I've held some negative feelings towards China's presence in Africa over the years, but if great tea is the consequence, maybe I've been wrong), and the tea plants themselves; the prospect of them being left semi-wild somewhere over there to grow as they please is a nice one. Are they local styles you'd highly recommend we try? I haven't had a good Kenyan black tea but I'm sure they're out there... and if there are Kenyan herbal teas or traditional tea-drinks, feel free to share those too.
>It tasted bland otherwise
A lot of Indian tea is like that, sadly- intended just to be part of the chorus, never the soloist. Darjeeling is better, and it's a diverse category, but in all honesty I like the African teas I've tasted more than any Indian tea. Japanese, Korean etc. styles are too different from the Kenyans I've known to compare.
cheers, anon
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>>21907118
cont.
The Kenyan teas I talked about were all higher-end products; most of what's grown is cheap black for teabags, but we all know that already and most of us never drink that stuff. Most of it probably ends up blended in with leaves from South Asia anyway so rating it on its own seems pointless.
Any ginsengchads here? Where do I start with the true shit? I'm well acquainted with some of the imposters, like eleutero ("Siberian ginseng") and jiaogulan ("Southern ginseng"). Is the Wisconsin-grown stuff as good as others? Do you brew it just like other tisanes, or does it need special treatment? I want those ancient gains.
Also, for years now my nice sheng has been stuffed in a big plastic bin with a few ancient humidity packs- what's a cheap way to upgrade to a real pumidor for healthier, happier cha?
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>>21907239
It originated in China, and the state controlled production to avoid a repeat of the silkworm episode (which contributed to Arabs getting banned for a few centuries).
In the 1850s, a Scot managed to sneak the tea plant out and began cultivation in India.
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>>21907247
Oh, neat, looks like I was mistaken
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>>21906931
>I wouldn't give my dog Kenyan tea.
Dogs are allergic to caffeine anon.
>>21906944
Makes sense why Kenyan tea would be low down the tea ladder. I haven't tried the white tea, but there is green tea here and I'm really not a fan of it.
>>21907102
I'll look into getting some Japanese stuff and see how I like it then.
>>21907118
Thanks for the effortpost. Coffee isn't popular here which is quite funny. Most people just drink black tea. The none-black tea I've tried here fell flat in my opinion so I've just stuck to black. Maybe the tea will get better in future but like I've said above I'll look into acquiring some Japanese stuff and experience the good stuff. Cheers.
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rate my haul
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who would´ve thought that finding a another wet storage besides yee on tea would be so fucking hard
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>>21908037
When I looked into it a while back it definitely seemed like more of a hassle than western facing vendors, but it didn't seem that bad. Just use a translator to find what you want, and then copy/paste the link into a buying agent and follow their instructions.
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>>21908033
Yeeon is the only dedicated wet storage store I'm aware of. Other vendors will occasionally stock something though.
One possibility is just buying very old tea. Wet storage used to be very popular, so a tea from the 90s or 80s most likely went through it at some point.
Another possibility is liu bao, a lot of old liu bao is around and cheap for how old it is. And newer factory productions are often also wet stored for a few years.
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>>21906855
Far as I'm aware:
1. Kenyan tea is not popular or renown like chinese or japanese tea
2. the climate is generally warm, so leaves grow bigger faster
3. there's not the level of expertise required to grow and process tea well like there is in china
So the quality of the leaves is most likely as high as almost anywhere else, but the end product is typically low to mid quality black tea and comparable to the average black from Sri-Lanka or India.
>>21906892
I put a pitcher in the fridge with water and low quality black tea leaves, leave it for some 24h stirring occasionally, then strain the leaves out, add sugar and lemon, and that's it.
It's not literally iced tea because there's no ice but if it's right out of the fridge it's cold enough for me.
>>21907102
>>21907239
>chinese tea (sinensis)
Camellia sinensis var. assamica is called that way because it was first described by a soldier/mercenary who found it in Assam, but it originated in the south of China and to this day it's the most common variety of tea that grows in Yunnan, with which the overwhelming majority of pu-erh is made.
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is the Love sheng one good for someone whos mainly into ripes? I love the paper so much.
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>>21908033
Have you had a look at the rentry links? There's several HK stores nobody has tried there, might be your best option if you really aren't satisfied with YoT or factory liu bao
>>21908194
It's just a wrapper anon. KTM sell small samples
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>tfw the cake its coming to an end and the notes just start to change
>>21908231
i really prefer cakes than loose pur erh, the gong fu sessions tend to go more smooth and i have more control.
>>21908223
i will give it a try for sure, though i love YoT i need a wet storage that helps me with the invoice pricing.
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>>21908231
its easier for storage, ageing and shipping on their end. i find it an inconvenience breaking up cakes and a down right piss off annoyance breaking up bricks(they never give excess paper for re-wrapping and they're more compressed)
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>>21907962
I love buying lots of cheap cakes and bricks, stacking them up, and larping as a big time tea merchant. It seems like you're taking the other approach, of actually spending money.
>>21908020
>2kg Bo Jun ripe
>$1059.96
>ripe
>$0.53/g
>ripe
Kek what the fuck
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Gonna purchase some more yerba mate
Thinking Kurupi, Rosamonte. Could do Fede Rico again. Or Indega seleccion especial, that one had a unique earthiness that I haven't seen in other mate. Probably it's the extra long seasoning.
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Wanna try heicha for the first time, starting with fu. Are there any particular features or brands I should look out for? My next big order of other stuff will be from KTM, but I'm open to other shops too.
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>>21909050
I tried almost all of the fu bricks from KTM
>>21824251
The best two imo are
2015 Jingwei "Jing Dian Fu Cha"
2010 XiangYi "Jun Xin"
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New (to me) things I'm gonna try:
>High-oxidation Taiwan oolong
>Wuyis
>Fu
>Funky fresh shou
>Old-ass sheng
>>21909077
Do you think I'll lose out on a lot by getting picrel instead? I'm not looking for the best, just an intro, mind.
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>>21909147
>Do you think I'll lose out on a lot by getting picrel instead? I'm not looking for the best, just an intro, mind.
Yeah, most of them are pretty mediocre and not really worth drinking imo, that one included. I tried a few different years of it and none were very good. Most of the fu bricks I tried were not very good, but the good ones are pretty nice.
I would say it's worth it to get 100g of the 2018 JingWei Fu Tea "Qin Ling Zhi Dian" for a few bucks more than the 200g of the baishaxi, it'll actually be enjoyable to drink (assuming you like fu).
Or the 2019 Mojun Fu Cha "1368" from Yunnan Sourcing would be a good intro, it's a mini 200g brick for $17
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>>21909147
swap out the Jia Ji for a 2008 Xi Zi (happy) tuo or 2006 Gold Ribbon
the 2005 Jia Ji I got from KingTeaMall was a little underaged and harsh for my tastes
could also be worth grabbing factory wuyi oolongs now that KTM carries them, Sea Dyke or Wuyi Star
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>>21909750
for pu-erh cakes, you can separate them into three categories
>ripe (shu) pu-erh
dark, thick, smooth fermented tea. earthy. flavors range from dark chocolate and woody to cookie dough and creamy, with a funky fermented element
>young raw (sheng) pu-erh
tastes like a strong green tea, but usually more fruity. can be bitter and tart
>aged raw (sheng) pu-erh
kind of in-between the two. darker, woody flavors as a result of aging, the tea gets darker with age
the one in the picture is an aged raw puerh
if you want to buy one and don't mind shipping from China, I recommend this website, they have good prices and quality: https://quicheteas.com/collections/community-favorites
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>>21909968
That's too small, but the idea is good. This is the vastly superior version. This is from Adagio, where I got my first one. I found an identical, unbranded generic on some shop years ago. Both work fine after 7+ years, but they are stained. Rather than being on a delicate little switch you press down when you're done brewing, you set the whole thing on top of your mug and it all filters down neatly into your mug. You can use whatever tea you want, it's easy to rinse, and it's seriously durable. I have taken the lid off and on hundreds of times.
I didn't think I would love mine as much as I did but it was my daily driver at the office. Knowing there are knockoffs out there, don't buy those and get this instead.
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>>21909968
I use pic related and I enjoy having a very easy life with it.
>>21909050
pls dont post this shitty iceberg ever again
>>21908198
post some reviews
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>>21909774
I have tried several shous and I would have described none of them as "dark" or "earthy". I don't normally bother with gongfu so I don't have detailed tasting notes, but all of them tasted very similar and I would call them all pretty light. Smooth sounds about right.
I've only had a couple of aged shengs and I know they can vary wildly, but of those I've had at least one was definitely earthy and thick. If I had to compare any puerh to good aged liubao it'd be aged sheng.
So while I don't have a lot of experience with puerh, I'm very surprised at this categorisation of shou as "thick and earthy" and aged ripe as "in-between" when my experience has been the complete opposite.
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>>21910098
>I have tried several shous and I would have described none of them as "dark" or "earthy". I don't normally bother with gongfu
With higher leaf to water ratios like you would use for gongfu, shou is typically dark and earthy
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>>21909170
>>21909396
Thanks for the recs, guys. This is what I ended up going with.
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>>21910126
>>21910130
I have indeed tried brewing them super strong too and yeah obviously they were strong, but any tea would be if you use enough leaves. Still not earthy no matter what I tried.
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Had this earlier, it was delicious.
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>>21910136
>>21910176
Actually I misread, it's just the tuo. Don't buy just the tuo! It's so cheap there's no excuse.
The biggest problem I see with most posted carts is that they aren't big enough. You're buying good shit from China. Buy a year's worth. Might not even be possible next year who knows.
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>>21910195
I've spent the last year or so clearing my collection of impulse-buys that I didn't end up caring about. So far, no XG has hit the mark for me, but I'll start buying sleeves and tuos if one eventually does.
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>>21908198
>>21910045
>post some reviews
bai cha / huangya / yunwu cloud mist all have this creaminess to them i like a lot
moli longzhu jasmine pearl is top tier refreshing
sanxia is a pretty decent standard green tea
havent got around to trying others yet
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Can tea help us cope?
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>>21911397
I've never done it but I've seen anons post pics of their setup. The actual brewing is not particularly tedious, especially if you already know the tea you're using well enough that you don't need to sit there with a scale and a stopwatch but can just freehand it. The main annoyance is having access to hot water, which probably involves setting up a small kettle at your desk, and how utterly autistic you will look to all your coworkers regularly refilling your kettle and boiling water at your desk near your laptop and autistically pouring and repouring weird teas like a wannabe sinoboo.
People will tell you "be a chad and don't care what people think!" but there are certain things which are just objectively socially autistic, and the workplace is a location where you're actually vulnerable to what people think. So before doing that you have to actually make sure you either are well liked enough around the office that people will just think it's interesting and quirky rather than weird, or that you don't mind people think it's weird.
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>>21911397
>>21911400
Yeah its possible. I got a magnetic switch activated brewer from Mei Leaf which works really well for a compact setup. I bring water in from home and have a temp adjustable electric kettle. The whole setup cost about 45$.
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>>21911405
>>21911407
Yeah basically, imagine dirt mixed with dark barley malt. It's not unpleasant
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>>21911397
>>21911424
i am once again shilling for thermos brewing
it just werks
just dont use too much tea, i use like a teaspoon of tea with around 1.5L of water, otherwise it would be bitter from long steeping it. after something like 30mins its probably got all the flavor out and you can remove the leaves
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>>21911549
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King of hk milk tea
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>>21911752
>add 4 tablespoons of evaporated milk to cup
>add hot tea until desired strength
>stir
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>>21911772
> I noticed my supermarket has small tins of evaporate milk lately
>lately
This sounds so wierd. Supermarkets always had it. The hk milk tea is brewed (boiled) very strongly and that is why it stands up to evaporated milk. Just finished one cup, want to make another one but I only made 750ml of tea..
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>>21911775
>Supermarkets always had it.
I mean I only noticed the small ones lately. I don't like too much sweet stuff so I didn't really want a bigger can hanging around
Sounds nice for an occasional drink though, maybe it'd also be good for chai
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>>21905356
I just discovered putting 'Herbs d'Provence' in chicken noodle soup about a year ago. I guess it's basically the french equivalent of 'italian seasoning'.
So I read the ingredients - lavender is the one I didn't recognize.
Spice mixes are gay so I bought just a container of lavender. Yep that's the magic spice.. Nice to know, but I'll never use THAT much lavender. But it is pretty with the purple flower budz.
I read you can make it into tea. So I do. It's kinda brownish purple because of the buds..
I made some and then another time I offered some to my daughter.
She put honey and lemon juice in it.
WOW! The lemon juice turned it PINK! The stuff is like Ph indicator solution. Coool trick adding the lemon juice.
I added those things to my tea too. It turned pink. Now that's how I drink Lavender tea