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[morningbus]

So how concerning is pesticide use with tea? Especially since most if it comes from China, which doesn't have the greatest laws when it comes to pollution and pesticide use.

I am starting to think organic tea is the only healthy way to enjoy tea.

The problem here is that if you don't trust China and their laws, why are you trusting an independent, accountable-to-nearly-no-one, China-based certifier? Getting guaranteed organic tea from anywhere oversees is difficult.

If you're concerned, consider buying American grown tea from South Carolina, Hawaii, or Washington State.

 

[Quixzlizx]

I just ordered this. I needed an infuser for some loose pomegranate white tea I picked up at the Grand Central Market this week, so I figured I'd order some more tea to get up to a $25 super saver order. Seems like it'll also be good for iced tea.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

It may be snowing like a madman outside, but at my desk things are already leaning considerably more toward spring. Ordered the David's Perfect Infuser after being tired of little bits getting stuck in the mesh ball (seriously, I love you Sweet Dreams but fuck off with getting the fennel stuck in the mesh) and a pack of Coco-Lemon Thai as a little gift to myself. Not only is the Infuser the greatest thing on the planet, but the tea is damn good too. I was expecting it to be a little more sweet like the lime gelato but the coconut and lemon flavors were much more subtle. The tea liquor was creamy as well, I easily imagined myself enjoying a coconut creme pie with garnishings of lemon slices on the side. I highly suggest grabbing both.

Didn't perk me up as much due to the lower caffeine content but it did warm up my otherwise brittle and frozen day. Might gather up what's left of my masala chai and the choco-chili chai and brew it all up as this is hopefully the last snow day for us for a long while.

 

[Quixzlizx]

My Davidson's Herbal Cranberry Orange came in yesterday. It wasn't bad, although I wasn't blown away either. It seemed about as good as decent herbal tea bags, although getting a pound for $13 and change makes it cheaper.

 

[HiResDes]

Just got my new tea in:

 

[morningbus]

Finally got to check out a David's Tea in Boston a couple weeks ago. They're the same as their Canadian counterparts, thankfully. The sales staff was friendly, fairly knowledgeable, and very relaxed. They had the same stock and blends of tea, too, including some of their very patriotically Canadian blends.

Definitely suggest checking them out when you're in the area.

 

[Arsenic Yellow]

Finally got to check out a David's Tea in Boston a couple weeks ago. They're the same as their Canadian counterparts, thankfully. The sales staff was friendly, fairly knowledgeable, and very relaxed. They had the same stock and blends of tea, too, including some of their very patriotically Canadian blends.

Definitely suggest checking them out when you're in the area.

Check out Tealuxe in Cambridge. Best tea I've had in New England. I also love the fact that they keep all of their teas in apothecary cabinets. I recommend their peach/orange or almond rooibos, creme de earl, and their Coconut royal tea. They also have the best peppermint tea I've ever had. Soooo good

 

[Chris R]

Switched over to tea full time off coffee to try and reduce my caffeine intake. Loving my green teas, so I'm wondering what the local shop has in store for me when I check them out later this week. Lipton green tea is serviceable, and Bigelow is better, but I'm betting the fresh loose stuff they have will be top notch. Just hope it doesn't cost too much!

 

[morningbus]

Check out Tealuxe in Cambridge. Best tea I've had in New England. I also love the fact that they keep all of their teas in apothecary cabinets. I recommend their peach/orange or almond rooibos, creme de earl, and their Coconut royal tea. They also have the best peppermint tea I've ever had. Soooo good

Oh, I've been! I especially like when they do the frozen rooibos drinks in the summer time.

Sad that their Newbury Street location shut down though, it was nice having service as an option.

 

[Snuggles]

I'm interested in exploring the world of tea. Been fuckin wif some matcha recently, it's great with soy milk and heaps of sugar but with anything else the taste can be a bit offputting. Any rec's? I still have a lot of it left.

 

[leroidys]

I'm interested in exploring the world of tea. Been fuckin wif some matcha recently, it's great with soy milk and heaps of sugar but with anything else the taste can be a bit offputting. Any rec's? I still have a lot of it left.

If you prepare it carefully it's really good assuming it's fresh. Shouldn't need to add anything to it IMO.

You can use it for baking though if you just want to get rid of it. Brownies, cakes, ice cream, etc.

 

[upandaway]

This is getting a bit crazy. I went to the store to buy some more tea after I ran out and it turns out they now have monthly/quarterly/something newspaper things:

This one seems to be about chinese tea. It's pretty neat.

 

[sharkmuncher]

Question:
I got this pack of tea from my old boss from China. I was wondering what kind of tea it is (I think either green or Oolong) and do I just steep it in the cellophane bag that is in the orange bag, or put in in a tea ball like I did. Thanks

 

[Shadow780]

It's Tie Guan Yin (Iron Goddess) tea, a type of Chinese Oolong.

 

[bob page]

Any tea deals going on right now? Gotta stock up for spring/summer.

 

[morningbus]

Hey guys, the 1 year anniversary of the tea thread is approaching and it's time to celebrate the nice little thing we've got going here. The thread was originally posted a year ago this Friday (4/12), but I want to give the regulars in here a heads up and something special:

On Friday I'll post details for a contest open to everyone. I'll also contact a mod to have the title changed to highlight the contest. It'll run for 1 week from the anniversary date (4/12 to 4/19) and, again, will be open to everyone.

Now, for you regulars: starting after this post, I'm running a special contest that will last until this Friday (4/12), when the details for the general contest are posted. This contest is only for people who've posted in this thread before this post.

The prize is $25.00 to your choice of these online tea retailers: Adagio, Harney & Sons and Upton Tea. The gift card will be sent digitally.

To enter, just post a new reply in this thread quoting your very first post in this thread.

If you win, your only obligation will be to post what you've ordered and give a quick little review of one of the teas you get. I can't enforce this, but be cool man.

Good luck!

 

[flippedb]

G'ah! I should have posted instead of just subscribing.

I'm tempted on getting a french press. Good for Coffee and Tea, it seems.

 

[morningbus]

Question:
I got this pack of tea from my old boss from China. I was wondering what kind of tea it is (I think either green or Oolong) and do I just steep it in the cellophane bag that is in the orange bag, or put in in a tea ball like I did. Thanks

Keep brewing it in your tea ball.

Any tea deals going on right now? Gotta stock up for spring/summer.

None at the moment really, but some should be coming soon. I follow a bunch of tea companies on twitter (it's about the only thing I use it for now) and the only promotion currently running is Lupicia's Private Sale: http://www.lupiciausa.com/Private_Sale_s/1160.htm

I like their stuff, but they never give me what I need: cheaper shipping.

G'ah! I should have posted instead of just subscribing.

I'm tempted on getting a french press. Good for Coffee and Tea, it seems.

Don't worry, the contest coming up on Friday is open to everyone (and there will be two winners). It won't require you to do anything excessive to enter either.

Definitely snag a french press (if you have an Ikea nearby, small ones are about $12 and large ones are about $20). They're really great and you can do more with them than just brewing coffee or tea, too.

 

[Easystride]

I love Adagio's black mango tea. It is only $19 dollars for a 16 oz. bag. It taste quite similar to Caribou's black mango tea, and it is so much better than Trader Joes black mango tea bags.

Ah, there's my first post in this thread, on page 3. I don't even drink flavored tea anymore, though. Now I am all about Ceylon and Irish Breakfast tea.

 

[Collete]

Huh, didn't know this OT existed!

Glad I found it, but I never get a chance to try loose leaf tea.
Should probably think of getting some nice green tea.

I drink green tea with lemon by Bigelow, the only one that I can drink like water, heh.

Still drink this tea on a regular basis when I get the chance.

 

[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.

First post in this thread, kinda surprised it took me so long to say something in here since I'd been a member of the forum for the better chunk of a year by the time I made that.

 

[JosiahB]

G'ah! I should have posted instead of just subscribing.

I'm tempted on getting a french press. Good for Coffee and Tea, it seems.

Ha, same here. Oh well, I'll definitely enter in the contest for everyone! (And contribute to the thread more often. Obviously a contest was a good idea. ;P)

As for the french press, I've never actually used one for tea (mine's pretty big, and I usually only brew tea for myself), but I've used it for coffee and I love it for that. If you get a smaller one, or brew large amounts of tea, getting one would be a great idea.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

I had the chance to try out the Honeydew Mate from DAVIDs a few days ago and forgot to mention it's one of the few of theirs I don't think I like at all. Tasted like bubblegum all the way down, not a pleasant experience.

 

[bob page]

Subscribed.

Loose tea is the drink of champions.

My first post^

Also, anyone have experience with milk oolong? I was thinking of running by David's Tea tomorrow to pick some up.

 

[MisterLuffy]

I always look forward to drinking Lipton tea when my mom makes it. My mom used to add mint in my tea which was and probably is really good, but now it's just tea with sugar or without. I want to try other teas, what's your recommendation?

 

[Smiley90]

This thread exists? awesome.

Recently found an amazing Earl Grey Cream (loose leaf, of course), so happy with it.

What teas do you guys add sugar/cream/milk to? I tend to drink ALL my teas without anything added, except sometimes Earl Grey with milk&sugar, if I feel like it. But I don't wanna ruin the flavour, even if it leaves some teas slightly bitter.

 

[Kuroyume]

I must really suck at making tea. i began to make it recently and it just tastes like bad water to me. I want to give it flavor but I want the 0 calories too.

 

[ameratsu]

Just recently tried pu-erh for the first time. Subsequently bought a sample pack from a chinese website along with a simple porcelain gaiwan.

I adore the samples I've tried so far. I have some more samples coming from a different vendor. Should hold me over until first-flush sencha becomes available in about a month.

 

[Mascot]

Heads up, British tea lovers: Victoria Wood's Nice Cup Of Tea is on BBC1/BBC1 HD this Wednesday & Thursday, 9pm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rx1wx

Comedy legend Victoria Wood travels the globe to explore Britain's love affair with tea in a two-part special on the little plant that changed the world.

From the back streets of Kolkata to the mega city of Shanghai, Victoria reveals how the cozy cuppa united east and west, triggered wars and helped us win them. Along the way she peeks into a fascinating world of chai wallahs, opium smokers, Assam tea pickers and grumpy elephants. She asks: how did this strange exotic leaf become such an important part of British life?

What is it about tea we love so much, and how did we all end up hooked? Put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea with Victoria Wood.

Edit: first post quote for the tea contest:

I've been drinking strong teabag PG Tips half a dozen times a day for several decades, and loving it. After reading this thread I'm starting to think I've been fooling myself and doing it all wrong..!

The thought of using my cafetière to make loose-leaf tea is intriguing though. It's been used exclusively for making coffee up until now, and it never even occurred to me that it could be used to make tea.

 

[morningbus]

This thread exists? awesome.

Recently found an amazing Earl Grey Cream (loose leaf, of course), so happy with it.

What teas do you guys add sugar/cream/milk to? I tend to drink ALL my teas without anything added, except sometimes Earl Grey with milk&sugar, if I feel like it. But I don't wanna ruin the flavour, even if it leaves some teas slightly bitter.

I usually only add milk to chais. I'll add a little bit of honey or sugar to strong black teas like irish breakfast.

I don't really care for milk anyway, which probably explains why I rarely use it.

I must really suck at making tea. i began to make it recently and it just tastes like bad water to me. I want to give it flavor but I want the 0 calories too.

What brand/type of tea are you brewing? How are you heating the water and to what temperature? How long are you steeping it for?

Heads up, British tea lovers: Victoria Wood's Nice Cup Of Tea is on BBC1/BBC1 HD this Wednesday & Thursday, 9pm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rx1wx

Sounds interesting. Too bad BBC America will never show it.

 

[Mascot]

Sounds interesting. Too bad BBC America will never show it.

That's a shame. Victoria Wood is great. Can you watch it on iPlayer?

 

[morningbus]

That's a shame. Victoria Wood is great. Can you watch it on iPlayer?

No, I don't think they've opened up iplayer for people outside England.

I think a browser extension called Hola Unblocker can get around that, though. I'll have to give it a try.

 

[StarCreator]

This was my first post... I think ._. I'm actually on my way to pick up more Jasmine whole-leaf teabags from TenRen right now!

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

http://i.imgur.com/5AGzt.jpg

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.

 

[Train of Midnight]

Just tried Jasmine Green tea for the first time. Blech. Tastes like perfume.

Still don't like Jasmine, lol.

Cool contest, Bus!

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Alright, so the DAVIDs spring collection is not a total bust - the Coconut Oolong is downright divine. First whiff was of some hearty cookies, like Samoas with the coconut hint. Every sip is pretty awesome and refreshing as oolong does well. Gonna order a tin of that next time around I think. The Daydreamer was pretty good too, all mango and barely any tea flavor. Might order some of that to set out in pitchers during the upcoming family reunion.

 

[Egnirys]

If anyone is interested, Lupicia has happy bags. I went to their store and bought a $60 bag which contained 12 loose leaf teas, 1 loose leaf tea in a limited edition tin, and 1 bag of 10 tea bags. I didn't mind not knowing what teas I would receive, but I'm very pleased that I got a fair assortment of green, black, and oolong teas.

I'm lucky to have two Lupicia stores near me, I really like their teas and it makes a difference to go into a physical store and see what I like or what the person working there would recommend vs. buying online. I still have a few Harney & Sons teas that I love and I wish it wasn't such a trip to visit David's.

I recently got the Timolino Travel Mug at David's Tea in SF and it's amazing. The first day using it, I managed to burn my mouth because an hour past brewing, my tea was still hot.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

I must really suck at making tea. i began to make it recently and it just tastes like bad water to me. I want to give it flavor but I want the 0 calories too.

It could be the quality of the tea or you're not using enough? Hmm.. Try adding something like xylitol if you want to keep the 0 calories. It even has the added benefit of being good for your teeth. However, I mostly drink tea without adding anything unless I am making a pitcher of herbal or black tea. My girlfriend and I made a delicious pitcher of cinnamon plum tea using a box of loose leaf tea a friend gave me from a company she is the buyer for. It's so good.

 

[MarkusRJR]

I'm a huge tea drinker (drink two small pots a day, one in the morning and one at night) and I got a bunch of money for my birthday. Since I really don't need anything (games, phone, movies, etc) apart from a tea pot (mine broke a day or two ago) and putting it towards bills/loan would be rude, I was thinking about getting this automatic tea maker I saw at my local Teavana. I googled around and it has good reviews, but I decided to ask GAF since they usually are more honest with things. Is it worth it for someone who drinks it regularly?

Also, what are some good kinds of tea leaves for when I potentially purchase it?

 

[ameratsu]

I'm a huge tea drinker (drink two small pots a day, one in the morning and one at night) and I got a bunch of money for my birthday. Since I really don't need anything (games, phone, movies, etc) apart from a tea pot (mine broke a day or two ago) and putting it towards bills/loan would be rude, I was thinking about getting this automatic tea maker I saw at my local Teavana. I googled around and it has good reviews, but I decided to ask GAF since they usually are more honest with things. Is it worth it for someone who drinks it regularly?

Also, what are some good kinds of tea leaves for when I potentially purchase it?

What kind of teas do you drink now? Anything you don't like?

That automatic tea maker looks really good and has great reviews. You could also consider a water boiler, as it would be much cheaper than the linked breville, giving you more money for tea.

Here are a few websites I use for ordering loose leaf tea. If you live in the US, you will have more options than I do! Good luck.

www.o-cha.com (Ships from Japan. Japanese green tea and accessories)
www.yunnansourcing.com (ships from China. Chinese teas and accessories, very good prices. www.yunnansourcing.us ships from the US but has fewer products)
www.teavivre.com (Free shipping from China >$30. They offer most (all?) of their teas in sample quantities; currently out of their pu-erh sample pack. Some nice accessories as well)
www.denstea.com (Ships from California. Japanese green tea and accessories. Really like their Sakura Sencha)

 

[Egnirys]

I'm a huge tea drinker (drink two small pots a day, one in the morning and one at night) and I got a bunch of money for my birthday. Since I really don't need anything (games, phone, movies, etc) apart from a tea pot (mine broke a day or two ago) and putting it towards bills/loan would be rude, I was thinking about getting this automatic tea maker I saw at my local Teavana. I googled around and it has good reviews, but I decided to ask GAF since they usually are more honest with things. Is it worth it for someone who drinks it regularly?

I have a friend who owns this and she loves it. She and her husband drink tea a lot, so it makes enough for two heavy tea drinkers. However, if it's just for you I would think it's a bit overkill and like someone else suggested, I would invest in a good electric kettle and save the money. But if you feel like you drink that much tea it may be worth it. If something like buying a good electric kettle interests you, I'm personally looking at this kettle.

 

[Iph]

Trying two new tea blends from a local tea shop. Really enjoying them.

Monk's Blend: Luxury Ceylon black tea, Calendula petals, Sunflower petals
Arabian Mint: Peppermint, spearmint, ginger pieces, cactus flower, pussywillow blossoms

I'm a big fan of mint tea so really loving the arabian mint. :d

 

[Mascot]

So nobody checked out the Victoria Wood tea history docs on BBC1? I thought they were pretty good.

 

[morningbus]

Last call for any tea thread regulars to get in on the contest. I'll be putting up the public contest later this evening.

 

[HiResDes]

You don't like TheTeaTable's offerings?

.

 

[morningbus]

It's been 1 year of the Tea |OT| and it's time to celebrate a little!

This last week we ran a contest to award one of the regulars of the tea thread a prize of $25 to one of three online tea retailers. I'm happy to announce that the winner of that contest is... Oomikami! Congrats. I'll be in touch shortly to award you your prize.

So it's finally the thread's aniversitea (god I am so clever) and what good would it be if we didn't try to get a few more people into the fold. So, without much fanfare:

The Public Anniversary Tea Giveaway!

The prizes:
2nd Place: $25.00 to Adagio.com.
1st. Place: $50.00 dollars to Upton Tea.

How to enter: This contest is open to everyone on GAF. To enter, simply post in this thread with this image: http://i6.minus.com/iWrlCe8K8OIwV.png, the name of your favorite tea, and why you like it so much.

Example entry:

Yerba Mate: shit is like crack cocaine, bro.

This contest will run for 1 week (from 4/12 to 4/19). You may only enter once. If you win, your only obligation will be to post what you've ordered and give a quick little review of one of the teas you get. I can't enforce this, but be cool man.

While the contest is geared towards Americans, appropriate accommodations will be made for people in other parts of the world. However, if the effort to award the prize proves too great, I do reserve the right to select someone in an easier-to-service area.

Good luck!

 

[morningbus]

Thanks for the title change, Cyan!

 

[Cyan]

Sweet, I'm in!

Favorite tea is Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast. Tasty, good strength without being overpowering, and it's cheap too. I buy it by the box and drink it constantly at work.

 

[Empty]

this is very nice of you.

my favourite tea is sainsbury's red label blended tea bags. i'm not a tea expert or anything but i can't get enough of it, it's really flavourful without being overpowering and it doesn't cost too much so i can have all the cups i want without feeling guilty.

 

[anonymous_abc]

Thanks morningbusfor the thread and all the info in and about it!

Clipper Fair Trade Black Tea Blend: Keeps me fueld all day at work, not too strong not too weak, just right and fair trade
Imported from the UK every time I go there

Sainsbury's red label is good too Empty

 

[gbooster]

Thanks for the sweepstakes!

My favorite is the organic Silver Needle from Teavivre.

It's delicious! A very light tea with floral notes. It gets better each steep too. The 2nd and 3rd steeps are progressively sweeter. I can sometimes get up to 5 steeps from it.

http://www.teavivre.com/organic-silver-needle-white-tea/