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[upandaway]

So some tea came in the mail today and turns out I bought enough from the store to get a membership card (10% off lifetime). They gave me this book for free along with the card:

It is ridiculously in-depth. It has all sorts of crazy information about tea plantations, ceremonies, history, culture, I don't even know. 130 pages of tea in that tiny font.

Makes me feel kinda bad that I'll never read this stuff. They put so much effort into it. In a glance I saw like 5 maps full of landmarks.

 

[nakedsushi]

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out.

In general, if I'm planning on brewing and drinking hot non-tea beverages, should I plan on getting a separate thermos and french press, or is that only an issue with that particular thermos you suggested?

Maybe it's just this thermos. I noticed the smell really adhered to the plastic/rubber parts and I had to soak them in a vinegar solution to get them to lose the coffee smell.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

I already have a French press, electric kettle, and mugs, but I still feel like asking for some tea-related items for Christmas. Are there any high end online tea stores that I could ask for a gift card from?

 

[Train of Midnight]

Maybe get a nice cast iron or ceramic teapot? For display, guests, classiness, etc.

Others in this thread would probably have better ideas where to get good ones than me.

 

[leroidys]

So some tea came in the mail today and turns out I bought enough from the store to get a membership card (10% off lifetime). They gave me this book for free along with the card:



It is ridiculously in-depth. It has all sorts of crazy information about tea plantations, ceremonies, history, culture, I don't even know. 130 pages of tea in that tiny font.

Makes me feel kinda bad that I'll never read this stuff. They put so much effort into it. In a glance I saw like 5 maps full of landmarks.

I'll paypal you some money for shipping if you want to get rid of it?

 

[upandaway]

I'll paypal you some money for shipping if you want to get rid of it?

PM!

 

[Dice]

I heard these guys have good stuff, anyone know? http://us.kusmitea.com/

I need to get a variety pack or something because I know what kind of flavor I'm looking for, I just don't know what it's called. I don't like flowery stuff like jasmine, or mint stuff, or spice... I like... tea-like stuff... maybe sometimes with a touch of non-citrus fruit. I wish I knew what the tea I like was.

Are there some good variety packs from quality vendors? I could ask for christmas or something.

 

[thcsquad]

A lot of online stores sell samplers. Adagio is one. They have premade samplers and you can get any tea in 'sample size', so you can make your own samplers.

We might be able to help you with the tea you're looking for though. Can you describe it? At the very least, was it black, green, white, or something else?

 

[TheExodu5]

Bought a bunch of David's Tea over the weekend. A friend of mine works there and she gave me a 40% off coupon for the day. Movie Night (green tea, popcorn, apple) is incredible.

 

[morningbus]

Hey GAF, wondering if you could help me with some tea searching.

I'm looking to get a variety of teas for my girlfriend, who has grown a sizable collection of teas. Most are from Adagio and Tea gschwendner, so I'm looking to find something that's not from those sources, which seems to be PLENTY. She likes the following:

-Genmaicha (or any other toasted rice type types of teas)
-Almond flavors (not the toasted type, but the sweet smooth type of flavor).
-Green teas (we have a lot of flavored ones, and some almond flavored sencha like http://steepster.com/teas/teagschwendner/7336-sencha-claus[1] )
-Coconut
-A lot of rooibos. Her favorite is probably the rooibos almond by adagio.
(oh, and she's not a huge fan of fruit teas)

I know that doesn't really narrow down a lot, but I'm looking to get one from every listed category. I've looked at David's Tea for the time being, and have noted the organic buttered rum, genmai hojicha, and dragon pearls.

Does anyone have comments about the teas I've listed, or have any suggestions?

From David's: I've had and like the buttered rum; I also really liked the lime gellato (green tea), oh, canada (rooibos) and honey bee (yerba mate).

Some suggestions following your list above:
Coconut - Harney & Sons Bangkok: http://www.harney.com/bangkok-loose-4-oz-tin.html
Genmaicha - Harney & Sons Matcha iri Genmaicha (genmaicha coated in matcha powder): http://www.harney.com/matcha-iri-genmaicha.html
Rooibos: Try a green rooibos from Adagio.

I already have a French press, electric kettle, and mugs, but I still feel like asking for some tea-related items for Christmas. Are there any high end online tea stores that I could ask for a gift card from?

If you want high end, go Samovar: http://shop.samovarlife.com/Gift-Certificate-to-Samovar-Tea-Lounge-Online-p/gft.htm

I'd also suggest Harney & Sons, but they're not that high end.

 

[Kokonoe]

Oh, this is actually some nice information. Unsweetened tea is my go to drink for when I'm not drinking water.

 

[FLUXCapacitor]

So my wife is wanting to get into loose leaf teas and she wants a teapot for Christmas. Does anyone have any recommendations that are a reasonable price?

 

[Head of Vengarl]

If you want high end, go Samovar: http://shop.samovarlife.com/Gift-Certificate-to-Samovar-Tea-Lounge-Online-p/gft.htm

I'd also suggest Harney & Sons, but they're not that high end.

Thanks for the link, but holy shit at those prices! You weren't kidding about high end. 4 ounces of Early Grey for $21? Those tea leaves better be from the garden of Eden or something.

I think I'll stick with Harney & Sons. You already recommended me some of their teas so I know what I want.

 

[Dice]

After much reading, it would seem Chinese black teas are what I'm after.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Made a few orders to have some nicer tea around the house for the holidays, and this thread is partially to thank! Went with both Adagio and Harney & Sons, the latter of which I had previously enjoyed with their "China Flower" blend.

The Spiced Mate was very strong and spicy upfront, the aroma overrode the scented air fresheners in the living room. Flavor was light on the tongue but a kicker on the tastebuds. It was also quite the asskicker in terms of caffeine content - I drank a cup at 3PM and found myself still unable to settle in for the night near 4AM. And I drink coffee on a daily basis! The Masala Chai didn't quite stick with me at first, brewing it in water and then adding dairy and honey after did not make for a particularly potent chai experience. Everything was a little too subdued for my taste. However, I found that brewing in properly prepared hot milk allowed for the spices and the tea to open up fully. I felt warm and cozy for hours afterwards. The best chai I've had yet.

I've been really excited to get this, I'd long forgotten Harney & Sons after an aunt gifted me their "China Flower" a few years back. The aroma is straight from heaven, and the flavor doesn't force one thing in particular over the others - there's a perfect balance of black tea, cinnamon, vanilla and citrus. Also included in my shipment were two extra sachets of different flavors to try, which was a very pleasant surprise to see when I opened the shipment this morning!

<3 TeaGAF for getting me back into teas that aren't the usual supermarket fare.

 

[StarCreator]

This is what I have sitting on my work desk right now:

Big fan of jasmine green tea, but I haven't looked too much into finding higher quality teas. Most of my tea drinking these days is at work, so I mostly stick to tea bags since jasmine green tea oversteeps really easily and it doesn't require dedicated hardware to remove the tea leaves this way.

In college I used to just brew half a teapot of loose leaves and drink it all really fast before it turned bitter. Tasted way better than any bagged jasmine I've tried.

 

[LadyRiven]

Made a few orders to have some nicer tea around the house for the holidays, and this thread is partially to thank! Went with both Adagio and Harney & Sons, the latter of which I had previously enjoyed with their "China Flower" blend.



The Spiced Mate was very strong and spicy upfront, the aroma overrode the scented air fresheners in the living room. Flavor was light on the tongue but a kicker on the tastebuds. It was also quite the asskicker in terms of caffeine content - I drank a cup at 3PM and found myself still unable to settle in for the night near 4AM. And I drink coffee on a daily basis! The Masala Chai didn't quite stick with me at first, brewing it in water and then adding dairy and honey after did not make for a particularly potent chai experience. Everything was a little too subdued for my taste. However, I found that brewing in properly prepared hot milk allowed for the spices and the tea to open up fully. I felt warm and cozy for hours afterwards. The best chai I've had yet.



I've been really excited to get this, I'd long forgotten Harney & Sons after an aunt gifted me their "China Flower" a few years back. The aroma is straight from heaven, and the flavor doesn't force one thing in particular over the others - there's a perfect balance of black tea, cinnamon, vanilla and citrus. Also included in my shipment were two extra sachets of different flavors to try, which was a very pleasant surprise to see when I opened the shipment this morning!

<3 TeaGAF for getting me back into teas that aren't the usual supermarket fare.

I have a coupon to buy one get one free on Harney and Sons at Barnes and Noble. They have two different types of holiday teas and I wanted to get one of each, but the second one only comes in a box set, as far as I can tell. (That one comes in a White tin.) What do you think of the Holiday blend in the red tin?

 

[GusBus]

So my wife is wanting to get into loose leaf teas and she wants a teapot for Christmas. Does anyone have any recommendations that are a reasonable price?

I just got into loose leaf as well and I went with the the Adagio ingenuiTEA. French press like system that does a great job for cheap. It's got my vote.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FPN8TK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[leroidys]

I just got into loose leaf as well and I went with the the Adagio ingenuiTEA. French press like system that does a great job for cheap. It's got my vote.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FPN8TK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Yeah that thing is pretty cool but DO NOT USE FLAVORED TEA WITH IT. It will make everything taste like your berry rooibus or whatever. I generally prefer not to use plastic or mesh anything for tea for this reason.

 

[morningbus]

I just got into loose leaf as well and I went with the the Adagio ingenuiTEA. French press like system that does a great job for cheap. It's got my vote.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FPN8TK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Yeah that thing is pretty cool but DO NOT USE FLAVORED TEA WITH IT. It will make everything taste like your berry rooibus or whatever. I generally prefer not to use plastic or mesh anything for tea for this reason.

I'd also suggest against it, too. I used one as my primary tea maker for a little under a year and, after that much daily use, the mechanism that stops the flow of water broke. After the second time of returning to the kitchen and finding my tea on the floor and counter, I switched to the french press.

They're nice devices, but their proprietary nature (I couldn't order replacement parts to fix the mechanism) makes it hard for me to recommend.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

I have a coupon to buy one get one free on Harney and Sons at Barnes and Noble. They have two different types of holiday teas and I wanted to get one of each, but the second one only comes in a box set, as far as I can tell. (That one comes in a White tin.) What do you think of the Holiday blend in the red tin?

A few days late, but the Holiday blend in the red tin has become a fast favorite. It's a little temperamental but the flavors are delicious and well balanced. The spice doesn't overpower the tea and the vanilla and almond flavors serve it well. Just smelling the tin as I open it kicks my brain into overdrive. I'm really loving it, and i'll probably be ordering an extra tin to keep around for just after the holidays. Thinking about ordering a tin of the White Christmas as well to see how that tastes. You can order both online separately in Tagalong (6 bag tins), 20 count tins and a 30 count for the red holiday tea. Don't know about Barns & Noble's selection, it'd be weird if the white tea was only available as part of a package deal. Lemme know what you think if you grab it, or whatever you end up grabbing!

 

[cousins]

Can someone give me recommendations for:

Jasmine Tea
Maté
Chai
Earl Grey

Thanks ya'll.

 

[braves01]

Can someone give me recommendations for:

Jasmine Tea
Maté
Chai
Earl Grey

Thanks ya'll.

Can't speak to the others, but Ahmad and Twinings are my favorite Earl Grey brands.

 

[morningbus]

Can someone give me recommendations for:

Jasmine Tea
Maté
Chai
Earl Grey

Thanks ya'll.

Mate: I like Matefactor's Fresh Green. If you don't want to make an order especially for it, just grab it from whoever you're buying something else from (with the exception of Adagio -- I don't like the smoke flavor of theirs). You may be able to find Guayaki yerba mate in your local grocery store's organic section, too.

Chai: (if ordering from matefactor, definitely check out their mate chai. Love it.) I recently tried Adagio's Thai Chai and really, really liked it.

Earl Grey: Also really, really enjoyed the Earl Grey Supreme I ordered recently from Harney & Sons.

I strongly advise you try everything in sample sizes, too. It really helps in discovering the quality of a particular retailer's teas.

 

[Macam]

Just stumbled onto the thread and just wanted to pass along a huge thanks to everyone for all the information, advice, and experiences. I've been meaning to dive deep into tea for some time and now have a good reference point.

 

[-KRS-]

I was almost out of the white silver needle that I bought this summer, so I stopped by my local tea shop to get some more as well as some new teas. I bought three teas this time, the silver needle and two other teas that were recommended by the shop keeper. Here's a picture:

I'm not sure what they're called, but here's what it says on the sticker the shop keeper put on them:

• Left: Yun Nan Dian Hong - A black tea made mostly from the same buds that silver needle tea is also made from with a hint of honey and tobacco. According to the shop keeper he is the only one that sells it in Sweden.
• Middle: Li Li Xian Kuan Yin - An unflavored green tea that I don't know much about. It has a lot of taste. Somewhat earthy and nutty.
• Right: Yin Zeng (Silver Needle) - The expensive white tea. Nothing mysterious for most people in here I reccon.

The black one is really good. It instantly became my favorite black tea. The green one is also good but I didn't think it was anything really special considering the price. And the white tea is good quality silver needle tea. If anyone knows more about these teas, in general or these specific ones, I'd love to hear.
Oh and I also bought a tea pot/infuser for one by Sama Doyo at the same place. It's really great. I think it's exactly one like this:

I feel extremely lucky to have such a great tea shop with such exclusive teas near me. The owner is really knowledgeble and friendly as well. And they have over 450 different teas. I just love going there, but it always ends up very expensive.

 

[Aadil]

These are a few pictures from the tea place I recently visited, drank thousand year old Pu'er from the only tree of its kind remaining, learnt a shit load about tea, and basically dined with the masters. It was such a delicate tea it was unbelievable, full of flavour yet it packed no punch, I can't really describe it.

Teacher Wu Ying tea plate, he didnt want to be in any of the pictures:

Different Pu'er teas, with the cup of that fine stuff that we had.

Teacher Wu's Calligraphy, he did this with a traditional Chinese calligraphy pen and it took him one month, up close you can see the texture and each individual hair of the tiger, plus it was done from memory and not with a photo.

Our friend Eva in her tea shop, she also has loads of different teas and refuses to drink anything thats mass produced or made in a factory, they both travel to Yunnan province to get their tea.

Here is a video of Master Wu doing Tai Chi, it was an absolute honour to be drinking tea with this guy, he's old now, but still firm and on point, knows pretty much everything about tea and can tell what he's drinking and where its from.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTI4NTg0NDU2.html

 

[nakedsushi]

These are a few pictures from the tea place I recently visited, drank thousand year old Pu'er from the only tree of its kind remaining, learnt a shit load about tea, and basically dined with the masters. It was such a delicate tea it was unbelievable, full of flavour yet it packed no punch, I can't really describe it.

Teacher Wu Ying tea plate, he didnt want to be in any of the pictures:...

Wow one thousand year old Pu? That's interesting because it seems to me like the more aged a pu is, the stronger it tastes, but not as sharp or astringent as the young stuff. I had some 1980s, 70s, and I think a 60s one that still were pretty flavorful. I wouldn't describe it as delicate, but definitely more mellow than the cooked stuff.

Did he have any special pots reserved for pu? I bet they're well seasoned!

Also, did they call it a tea plate? I usually call that thing a tea tray, or in Chinese, a tea ocean (cha hai) since it's where all the water flows into.

 

[HylianTom]

I know that there are plenty of better teas out there, but when cold weather finally arrived down here recently, I sent a whole list of friends & relatives six-packs of Stash Green & White Fusion tea (via Amazon). With the exception of Dad, who I got hooked two years ago, the recipients were all new to anything beyond Lipton/Tetley/etc.

The responses have been very entertaining, hehe..

 

[SolarPowered]

I've recently graduated from regular supermarket twinning tins(Earl Grey was great, but the gunpowder not so much) to some standard South African Roobios and I got my first ever taste of Silver Needle White tea. The Roobios was absolutely delicious and I love the smell. The White tea was... certainly a very unique tasting tea. The color of the silver needle tea was beautiful though. Thanks to this thread I decided to use Adagio for a few more purchases and I'm waiting on my Peach Ooolong, Moonlight Earl Grey and a Chamomile sample. What do you guys usually use to sweeten your teas? I've been using some standard Agave.

I might ask about which teas work best with milk down the road, but I'm enjoying them best with just a tablespoon of Agave for now. Once the whole routine tea preparation becomes natural I'll go even further and explore Green tea. The gunpowder style from twinnings just never sat right with me. I think I might be more of a black tea lover.

 

[Aadil]

Wow one thousand year old Pu? That's interesting because it seems to me like the more aged a pu is, the stronger it tastes, but not as sharp or astringent as the young stuff. I had some 1980s, 70s, and I think a 60s one that still were pretty flavorful. I wouldn't describe it as delicate, but definitely more mellow than the cooked stuff.

Did he have any special pots reserved for pu? I bet they're well seasoned!

Also, did they call it a tea plate? I usually call that thing a tea tray, or in Chinese, a tea ocean (cha hai) since it's where all the water flows into.

Its from a tree that is 1800 years old.
Your definetley right about the way its strong as its aged but this was just another level. I dont think I'll ever have that opportunity again.

Both the 'master' and our friend Eva have pots and stuff just for tea and keep them really well maintained, like once I went to her shop and she didnt serve tea because the shop next door was doing maintenance.

I called it a tea plate at the time I couldnt think of any decent synonyms!!
The little dude at the bottom left though was epic, pour tea over him and it comes out his knob. Even the old Master Wu was laughing at it with us...

 

[Nemo]

Black tea with plenty of milk and sugar, have it every morning (and sometimes evening) in a big ass cup

 

[leroidys]

Speaking of big ass cups, when I was living with my parents for a while two years ago, I found that my Dad's beer stein makes a fantastic GIANT tea mug. It was mug shaped, no lid.

 

[Arsenic Yellow]

The best tea house I've been to has to be Tealuxe, located in Cambridge,MA. They are always very friendly, every time I go to Boston (at least once a month), I try to make a trip there and stock up on tea. I have quite a collection of their tea now. You can order from their website: http://www.tealuxe.com/
Some of my favorite teas they have:

Organic Peppermint: I often drink peppermint tea after a meal to help with digestion, I've tried SO many brands, both bagged and loose. Tealuxe has THE BEST peppermint tea I've ever had. It's so delicious warm and cold.​

Royal Coconut (Oolong): A bit expensive, but this is one of the most unique teas I've ever had. Such an amazingly delicious tea, just bought it to give as christmas gifts to friends. I'd advise anyone to try it at least once.
​

Almond Rooibus


​

Vanilla Jasmine​

Of course, I could list a ton more of my favorites. Another one I love is their Green Tea "Gunpowder" but those are my four favorites at the moment. If you're within driving distance right now, I'd say stop by and get an Apple Chaider. It's absolutely amazing, probably the best "apple cider" drink I've had.


As far as Teavana goes, I've never been a big fan. Every time I've gone to one, their workers have had a bit of an attitude. I currently have a can of their Imperial White blueberry tea that I really like, but it wasnt worth the price.

Speaking of big ass cups, when I was living with my parents for a while two years ago, I found that my Dad's beer stein makes a fantastic GIANT tea mug. It was mug shaped, no lid.

Speaking of cups, I picked up two of these this week for xmas (one for me and one for my boyfriend):
Bodum tea for one

 

[Nemo]

Speaking of big ass cups, when I was living with my parents for a while two years ago, I found that my Dad's beer stein makes a fantastic GIANT tea mug. It was mug shaped, no lid.

I say cup but this is what I really use

http://i.imgur.com/G3M5C.png

It works amazingly well if you can believe it. I even often drink from the opening from which you are supposed to pour. I only use this jug for drinking tea, got it for a buck and a half. No doubt it was one of the best purchases of my life

 

[hom3land]

So as a Teavana employee, I was looking to try some of the online retailers. Really like the pricing on the tea table website, and the free samples of course. I enjoy a Spice Mandarin Oloong and our Strawberry blooming white tea that we carry, though don't see anything that similar on their website. I was going to order their Cinimon orange black tea and was looking for suggestions for some samplers to add. Only thing I really don't care for is floral and Japanese green tea (unless they don't surprisingly taste like seaweed i.e. gokuyro imperial)

 

[HiResDes]

So as a Teavana employee, I was looking to try some of the online retailers. Really like the pricing on the tea table website, and the free samples of course. I enjoy a Spice Mandarin Oloong and our Strawberry blooming white tea that we carry, though don't see anything that similar on their website. I was going to order their Cinimon orange black tea and was looking for suggestions for some samplers to add. Only thing I really don't care for is floral and Japanese green tea (unless they don't surprisingly taste like seaweed i.e. gokuyro imperial)

My favorites from The Tea Table are:

Yorkshire Gold (Very bold, but smooth, fantastic breakfast tea)
Windsor Castle (Slightly less bold, some hints of eastern flavors, another great breakfast tea)
Russian Earl Grey + Earl Grey Cream (I mix them together)
Masala Chai (Brew really strong)
Chocolate Cream Tea (When I wanna get weird)
Buckingham Palace Garden Tea (Strong evening tea, which I use for a second wind)
Keemum Natural Panda (Another evening tea, has a smokey/oakey flavor
Darjeeling Margaret's Hope 2nd Flush (Late-Evening tea, less bold then the others, soothing)
Yunnan Imperial (A great, cheap alternative to Golden Monkey)
The bourbon/vanilla black tea is also pretty gold, but tastes a little weak IMO.

...I'm more of a fan of bold, yet simple flavor profiles so you might find my pics a bit boring.

 

[upandaway]

So I decided to settle my battle with citrus/rose tea once and for all and took the most ridiculously flowery+fruity tea I could find (the description says it's 3% tea, hahaha what!?), put two thirds of what I'd normally put, for two thirds of the time, with a third more water, and...

...It tastes really good. This is creepy. I was only kidding when I did this. My only problem was that it was too strong all along? How nefarious.

 

[HiResDes]

See that's exactly what I don't like

 

[upandaway]

See that's exactly what I don't like

That description is just silly! I don't even know how that's called tea :lol

With how much I tamed it though, it turned out to be pretty subtle in taste so it was fine. I'm scared to know what will happen if I give it the full treatment.

 

[HiResDes]

Also that seems ridiculously priced

 

[upandaway]

Don't buy from that store because they jack up the prices outside of Europe (near me that particular one costs ~$9, but I got it as a sample). Dunno why, but you guys deserve it for all the other stores you have.

 

[Labombadog]

I always enjoyed a good tea from time to time but I am trying to get a bit more into it. I do want to buy a decent french press tea maker. I tried to look one in this thread but got lazy after searching 3 pages.

Any suggestions?

Edit:

Just ordered some tea from Adagio.

black dragon pearls sample
mango 3oz
peach oolong 2oz
masala chai 3oz

 

[StarCreator]

Any suggestions for good Jasmine tea bags? My supply of my previous post has now run out. I figure I'll probably just stop by the Taiwanese grocery in the next week or two to see what's available.

This is what's on my desk today:

It's not bad, but I miss my Jasmine already.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

My mom hooked it up this Christmas with a bunch of Harney & Sons teas! I've never had anything from H&S before, so I am very excited. She got me mostly green tea, but some white, black, and oolong (yuck) included as well:

I love how they rate their teas and put some basic information on the side of the tins. The other side has steeping instructions.

 

[hom3land]

Just a fyi theres a big sale at teavana. Really good tras are at 75% off including golden monkey,gyokuro genmaicha, and macha. Many more would assume they will be running out before the weekend is done

 

[thcsquad]

The best tea house I've been to has to be Tealuxe, located in Cambridge,MA. They are always very friendly, every time I go to Boston (at least once a month), I try to make a trip there and stock up on tea. I have quite a collection of their tea now. You can order from their website: http://www.tealuxe.com/
Some of my favorite teas they have:

Organic Peppermint: I often drink peppermint tea after a meal to help with digestion, I've tried SO many brands, both bagged and loose. Tealuxe has THE BEST peppermint tea I've ever had. It's so delicious warm and cold.​

Hear, hear! I live in Somerville and get all of my tea (besides specialized stuff like matcha, and whatever gifts people give me) from there. Monk's Blend, Golden Monkey, and Red Bush Rooibos are a few of my favorites from there. I'll have to check out the peppermint tea, and probably the almond rooibos. I know I want a flavored rooibos but I'm not sure what flavor.

I just wish that balcony was open for seating.

 

[Emperor Bohe]

I have a mesh style tea infuser. any tips? does the amount of tea and water I put matter? or is it just the time that matters?

i've been using tea bags my whole life, help me gaf =( right now I just have david's tea bags... is it worth taking it out of the bag and putting it in the infuser?

 

[morningbus]

I have a mesh style tea infuser. any tips? does the amount of tea and water I put matter? or is it just the time that matters?

i've been using tea bags my whole life, help me gaf =( right now I just have david's tea bags... is it worth taking it out of the bag and putting it in the infuser?

Tips with a mesh infuser:

1) Make sure the water is coming in contact with the tea in the infuser. If using a teapot, you may need to brew a certain minimum amount of tea to get a proper infusion (i.e., the water level is too low and only infusing from the bottom-most leaves.

2) For most non-herbal teas, increased brew time will only lead to increased bitterness. If you would like a stronger cup, always use more tea.

To your last concern: If your tea already comes in tea bags, don't worry. Keep using the tea bags, as it probably won't benefit from having more room to brew. Buy loose leaf tea to use with your equipment.

 

[hom3land]

As a teavana employee, I love Starbucks already. Everyone got a free 1lb of tea, which I'm pretty sure came from starbucks as they do that for their employees. Usually, even with the discount we get its still abit too expensive for me. Finally get to have a nice stash of (Golden Mokey (black tea), Golden Jade (chinesse green tea), jasmine oolong) at home. Hope it becomes a montly thing =)