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Tea |OT| Oh, tea.

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E

EvilKatarn

Member
I'm gonna have to try using a french press tomorrow.

I've been using this thing for the last six months and I've only gotten mixed results.

QUOq4Qs.jpg
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I always make sure the cup is warm, the water has cooled a bit after boiling and I use about one teaspoon of tea. Sometimes it comes out amazing and sometimes it feels like I'm wasting tea. How annoying.
 
S

Sickbean

Member
morningbus said:
They work well and as advertised, so no fear buying there. I used one for the better part of a year and it worked well for just about every kind of tea I threw at it (only gourd-grade yerba mate clogged the filter).

Having said that, over time, the mechanism that controls the release of the liquid became unreliable. After my third time cleaning up a mess from the contents spilling out, I decided to retire it. I've been using a french press since, and it's what I recommend to just about everyone.

A french press has a few advantages: it's non-proprietary, so replacement parts are cheap and readily available; larger capacity presses are pretty cheap compared to gravity pots like the ingenunitea; and lastly, the construction of a press is usually glass and metal, which I personally prefer to the plastic construction of most gravity pots.

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Much appreciated - sounds like it'll keep me going till I find something more permanent.
 
M

mu cephei

Member
Cyan said:
French presses are usually for coffee, right? How do they work for tea?
Click to expand...

morningbus said:
Really, really well (and better than teapots in my opinion).

I'll quote myself from earlier: "French presses are better than teapots in basically every way: it gives your loose-leaf tea room to brew, it can do a half cup of tea just as easily as it can do 4 (or 8, depending on size), they are very easy to clean, and they effortlessly separate the brewed tea leaf from the brewed tea liquid."

The only shortcoming they have is that it's hard to keep brewed tea in a french press. The water will always be in contact with the leaves, so it will continue to brew if not separated. As ridiculous as it sounds, if I'm making tea for a crowd, I'll brew it in a french press and pour it off into a teapot for serving.
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Here I was imagining French Presses were something like those old tennis racquet presses, or some sort of complex printing press thing, and all along it's just a cafetiere! It took these two posts next to each other to make me realise. I have a cafetiere so I can try this.
 
S

Sickbean

Member
mu cephei said:
Here I was imagining French Presses were something like those old tennis racquet presses, or some sort of complex printing press thing, and all along it's just a cafetiere! It took these two posts next to each other to make me realise. I have a cafetiere so I can try this.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it might be worth pointing out that French Presses are more usually referred to as cafetiere's in the UK and Europe.

John Lewis sell Bodum ones, which are really nice.
 
BizzyBum

BizzyBum

Member
What would be a good french press to buy? I don't need a large one since I will be using it only for myself.

I plan to get Matcha since I've heard amazing things about it, but I also looking for suggestions on a good black tea. I heard black tea is high in tannins (which kill yeast and bad bacteria).

Thanks for any help!
 
T

thcsquad

Member
BizzyBum said:
What would be a good french press to buy? I don't need a large one since I will be using it only for myself.
Click to expand...

I've used a Bodum Chambord and liked it, though it's in storage as part of a cross-country move and I may buy something different next just to try it out.

Mine is the 8-cup version but there's also a cheaper 3-cup version that might fit your needs better. I can't speak to other Bodum styles (eg Brazil) or other brands. French presses are pretty simple, so it's probably tough to buy a bad one.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
I'm finding that certain types of loose leaf brews up more bitter than the bagged. A lot of the bitter liquid created during brewing actually get trapped in the bag. So I've been bagging up some of my loose anyway. I'm sure I could play around with temps and brew time but I don't always have full control over those factors.

For example:

51vM6gzbvxL.jpg
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It's a quality brand of flavorful tea, but if I steep it for more than a minute I regret it. With the bag I get more leeway. Anyone else having a similar experience?
 
U

upandaway

Member
SapientWolf said:
I'm finding that certain types of loose leaf brews up more bitter than the bagged. A lot of the bitter liquid created during brewing actually get trapped in the bag. So I've been bagging up some of my loose anyway. I'm sure I could play around with temps and brew time but I don't always have full control over those factors.

For example:



It's a quality brand of flavorful tea, but if I steep it for more than a minute I regret it. With the bag I get more leeway. Anyone else having a similar experience?
Click to expand...
To me bagged tea is almost always more bitter. I think you should play with the temps and brew time (and the amount of tea you put in), just for curiosity's sake.
 
E

Egnirys

Member
SapientWolf said:
I'm finding that certain types of loose leaf brews up more bitter than the bagged. A lot of the bitter liquid created during brewing actually get trapped in the bag. So I've been bagging up some of my loose anyway. I'm sure I could play around with temps and brew time but I don't always have full control over those factors.

It's a quality brand of flavorful tea, but if I steep it for more than a minute I regret it. With the bag I get more leeway. Anyone else having a similar experience?
Click to expand...
It sounds like the loose leaf tea is over brewing if it's coming out very bitter. Having better control over the water temperature will definitely help fix it, but if bags are working for you then keep on using them. There's no wrong way to brew tea if it works for that person in my opinion.

Last night I received my Black Friday / Cyber Monday order from Adagio where I ordered a few Doctor Who and Sherlock fan blends. I think I'm turning into a chai person because I really enjoyed the Amy Pond tea I got which has cranberry, orange and vanilla rooibos chai. In October I purchased 4 oz of Pumpkin Chai from Davids Tea and both of these have become my favorites. Does anyone have other chai recommendations? I may take a closer look at Adagio's selection.
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
bababouille said:
It's probably been asked a lot already but does anyone have tricks for brewing matcha? I can't ever seem to get it right :'(
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What's your setup look like currently? Do you have a matcha whisk and scoop, for example?

Collete said:
Wait?!
Tea GAF is now moved back in OT?! :eek:
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was always a temporary thing. We got a month back in off-topic to try and get some more people in here, but we're back in OT so we don't upset the delicate ecosystem of Neogaf.

Make sure you guys and gals subscribe to the thread!
 
E

Egnirys

Member
FYI Harney has an 20% off your entire order promotion from Dec 11-13. Use code RED13 at checkout.

I recently discovered there is a shop near me that sells Mariage Frères Tea so I'm thinking of trying them out. Hopefully they have just the loose leaf because the tin is where they gouge you.
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
phantomspiker said:
aaaand we're back in OT?

Anyways, I asked for one of these and some tea samplers from Adagio for Christmas.

I'm pretty excited.
Click to expand...

That's the kettle I have. It's a great workhorse and has worked perfectly for me since I bought it back in January of 2009. I posted a handy guide to the approximate temperatures a while back:

morningbus said:
Went ahead and tested the kettle out (got to use my fancy infrared spot thermometer, too).

ibhlvD4YHJOQqa.jpg


(It's not clear in this photo, but there are clearly defined white "tick" marks between each color. 6 white tick marks between zero and green, 8 between green and orange).

Lowest possible position: 140 degrees. 1 cup of water brought to this temperature in approximately 35 seconds.

Green position: 170 degrees. 1 cup/55 seconds.

Middle position between green and orange: 185 degrees. 1 cup/1 minutes

Orange position: approximately 200 degrees. 1 cup/1 minute, 5 seconds. 2 cups/2 minutes, 5 seconds.

Obviously not super scientific, as I'm measuring the surface temperature of the water, but it is usually close enough within 5 degrees, usually towards the hotter side.

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
 
P

phantomspiker

Member
morningbus said:
That's the kettle I have. It's a great workhorse and has worked perfectly for me since I bought it back in January of 2009. I posted a handy guide to the approximate temperatures a while back:
Click to expand...

That'll definitely come in handy!

thcsquad said:
Looks good! My sister let me borrow her electric kettle last week and my life has been changed. Water heated up in 4 minutes instead of 14 on the stove.
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Yeah, I'm getting tired of waiting on my stove top kettle.
 
Collete

Collete

Member
I feel bad that my french press is now just a "tea beaker". (because it looks like a beaker...because it is a beaker technically)

I found scraping the tea leaves out of the french press was tedious work, so now I'm using the beaker and an individual strainer to work with my tea.
It's fine, it's easier to clean out now, but I feel like I lost my tea aristocracy now that I use a dollar strainer doing the job.
Such is life.
 
T

thcsquad

Member
Collete said:
I feel bad that my french press is now just a "tea beaker". (because it looks like a beaker...because it is a beaker technically)

I found scraping the tea leaves out of the french press was tedious work, so now I'm using the beaker and an individual strainer to work with my tea.
It's fine, it's easier to clean out now, but I feel like I lost my tea aristocracy now that I use a dollar strainer doing the job.
Such is life.
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You mean you just hold one of these over your cup and pour from the open french press? Not a bad idea.

925511586104p
 
J

JosiahB

Member
Just a heads up, Rishi Tea (www.rishi-tea.com), has free shipping on any order until tomorrow night.

Also, I've been meaning to ask you morningbus, but what ratio of leaf to water do you use when brewing Yerba Mate in a French press? And how long do you brew it for? I've had some that I picked up a while back, and didn't really care for; I figured I'd give it another go. (And I noticed that a local natural foods store sells the Matefactor brand, and I wanted to try it. Only after I finish the stuff I have though.)


Collete said:
Yup same ones!
Maybe I have a cheap french press though.
This is the one I got by the way: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00654PGA4/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are all french presses a pain to clean out of?
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What exactly is hard to clean about it? I have one of a different brand, but same size (this one), and it's quite easy to clean. I've found French presses to be easy to clean, in general actually.
 
T

thcsquad

Member
Any Chicagoans in TeaGAF? I recently moved back to my hometown from Boston and I want to see what is good here. So far, I know that Adagio has their only brick and mortar locations here and that there is a local chain called Argo Tea that has some good stuff both for serving and to buy in looseleaf form. Any other places?
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
JosiahB said:
Also, I've been meaning to ask you morningbus, but what ratio of leaf to water do you use when brewing Yerba Mate in a French press? And how long do you brew it for? I've had some that I picked up a while back, and didn't really care for; I figured I'd give it another go. (And I noticed that a local natural foods store sells the Matefactor brand, and I wanted to try it. Only after I finish the stuff I have though.)
Click to expand...

My personal taste is on the stronger side, so I brew 3 teaspoons per cup for 8 to 10 minutes (though when I make it in the morning, it brews for 15 minutes or more).

For people just trying it for the first time, I'd go with 2 teaspoons per cup, brewed for 8 minutes using the same temperature water as oolong. If you can't control the temperature, splash some cold water on top of the leaves to help prevent scalding.

Lastly, I do have to say that the style of mate is important, too. I dont really care for the dominant style of mate from Argentina, for example, because it has a smoky flavor. I vastly prefer the Brazilian style, which is fresh, green, and usually air dried. Don't force yourself through the bag if you don't like it and try a different brand.
 
Collete

Collete

Member
I'm thinking of buying matcha tea to drink but also to actually make chocolates out of.
Do you guys have any go to brands for matcha?
I'm browsing amazon a little and come across these few items:

http://www.amazon.com/Ryu-Mei-Japanese-Standard-G25-100PR/dp/B008XW3NAQ/ref=pd_ybh_5
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008OFIIN4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3G0VQBONMGRW8&coliid=I1FLXDEVD0UVKK
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007A0PWG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3G0VQBONMGRW8&coliid=I1EC6MDKABJRXI

Thoughts/recommendations? I want to try actually to get the most bang out of my buck (I don't really want to spend 50$ for an ounce of matcha, is what I mean.)

JosiahB said:
What exactly is hard to clean about it? I have one of a different brand, but same size (this one), and it's quite easy to clean. I've found French presses to be easy to clean, in general actually.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm really lazy about taking the tea out of the French press at the bottom and the presser thing as well. I'm a frequent tea drinker so it's kinda of a pain to keep washing it every time I want to drink a new tea.
 
J

JosiahB

Member
morningbus said:
My personal taste is on the stronger side, so I brew 3 teaspoons per cup for 8 to 10 minutes (though when I make it in the morning, it brews for 15 minutes or more).

For people just trying it for the first time, I'd go with 2 teaspoons per cup, brewed for 8 minutes using the same temperature water as oolong. If you can't control the temperature, splash some cold water on top of the leaves to help prevent scalding.

Lastly, I do have to say that the style of mate is important, too. I dont really care for the dominant style of mate from Argentina, for example, because it has a smoky flavor. I vastly prefer the Brazilian style, which is fresh, green, and usually air dried. Don't force yourself through the bag if you don't like it and try a different brand.
Click to expand...

Well, I tried brewing it like you said, and I'm actually kind of surprised but I liked it much more. Guess I was using to much Mate before (was using like 3 tablespoons for the same amount of water, with a much shorter brew time). Thanks for the advice!

Oh, and the brand I have is this one. It's unsmoked, but it's still from Argentina. Says on the package (from the Amazon link, I don't have the original packaging anymore), that it's dried with warm air, and aged "for at least nine months".


Collete said:
I'm thinking of buying matcha tea to drink but also to actually make chocolates out of.
Do you guys have any go to brands for matcha?
I'm browsing amazon a little and come across these few items:

http://www.amazon.com/Ryu-Mei-Japanese-Standard-G25-100PR/dp/B008XW3NAQ/ref=pd_ybh_5
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008OFIIN4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3G0VQBONMGRW8&coliid=I1FLXDEVD0UVKK
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007A0PWG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3G0VQBONMGRW8&coliid=I1EC6MDKABJRXI

Thoughts/recommendations? I want to try actually to get the most bang out of my buck (I don't really want to spend 50$ for an ounce of matcha, is what I mean.).
Click to expand...

I honestly doubt that that first Amazon link is genuine matcha; you're getting a LOT of "matcha" for the money. It's probably powdered sencha, or something similar. Powdered sencha isn't bad, it's just more commonly used in food (and would be more bitter to drink than authentic matcha). The other two look fine. (I can't really recommend further; I don't drink much matcha.)


Collete said:
I guess I'm really lazy about taking the tea out of the French press at the bottom and the presser thing as well. I'm a frequent tea drinker so it's kinda of a pain to keep washing it every time I want to drink a new tea.
Click to expand...

If you really want something easier to clean, I guess you could get a Japanese teapot. Something like this maybe. You'll still have to remove the tea leaves, but they wont get stuck in the filter. Your only other option is something with a removable filter, and in that case the tea leaves aren't usually in contact with all of the water.

I drink sencha, not much else, so I brew with this almost exclusively. I've tried sencha in a French press, but it just doesn't compare. It's unglazed, so I just use sencha, and only wash it with water (no soap). I can't think of a more simple was to brew sencha (if you like sencha, of course).
 
B

bowery

Member
ohhhhhhh subbed, got a nice tea pot from ikea this past summer and started making only loose leaf tea and havent looked back ever since,

wegmans has a pretty solid selection of loose leaf, so far my favorites have been their darjeeling and uji gyokuro
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Just got so many new teas, if you want to ask how any of them are just ask...I just had the Chorange and it is one of the best teas I've ever had, at home or anywhere:

kdD7Hro.jpg
 
T

thcsquad

Member
HiResDes said:
Just got so many new teas, if you want to ask how any of them are just ask...I just had the Chorange and it is one of the best teas I've ever had, at home or anywhere:
Click to expand...

What's that one with the dude's face? One of the Adagio Doctor Who blends?

edit: Oh yeah, the 9 makes sense now. The 9th doctor.
 
S

Shadow780

Member
Hate to be a tea snob but just tried Davidson's sencha on amazon and ugh it tastes bad ;_; I guess you get what you pay for.

Are there any websites that sell quality bulk Japanese green tea on the cheap?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
J

JosiahB

Member
Shadow780 said:
Hate to be a tea snob but just tried Davidson's sencha on amazon and ugh it tastes bad ;_; I guess you get what you pay for.

Are there any websites that sell quality bulk Japanese green tea on the cheap?
Click to expand...

This sencha is great, for a very reasonable price (they have quite a few reasonably priced sencha, take a look). You will have to deal with shipping from Japan though; if you choose airmail it takes like 7-12 days with no tracking, but I've yet to have an issue with receiving my order. The shipping price for airmail is pretty good too, about $6 for two 100 gram packs of tea.
 
S

Shadow780

Member
JosiahB said:
This sencha is great, for a very reasonable price (they have quite a few reasonably priced sencha, take a look). You will have to deal with shipping from Japan though; if you choose airmail it takes like 7-12 days with no shipping, but I've yet to have an issue with receiving my order. The shipping price for airmail is pretty good too, about $6 for two 100 gram packs of tea.
Click to expand...

Woah this is great, bookmarked thanks!
 
J

JosiahB

Member
Shadow780 said:
Woah this is great, bookmarked thanks!
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No problem. In case you're interested, a couple other sites I've ordered sencha from are: O-cha.com, and Maiko.ne.jp.

O-Cha doesn't have as many lower-priced sencha as Yuuki-Cha, but they do have their "Daily Sencha". I haven't tried it yet, but it's in the fridge, and I'm almost finished with the sencha I'm drinking now, so I'll try it soon. They have the same shipping options as Yuuki Cha.

As for Maiko, they have some very cheap sencha (from Japan), but I really wouldn't recommend their lowest priced ones. I've only made one order from them, and I tried the three lowest priced sencha. I didn't care for the 675 yen one, and the 1,080 yen was ok. The the one that cost 1,350 yen I really liked a lot though (if I ordered again, I wouldn't order the two cheapest ones). Again, same shipping options.

(By the way, in my first post, I mean to say "no tracking", not "no shipping" :p)
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
I don't know how it happened, but we're back in Off-topic.

I'm just going to chalk this one up to a power hungry mod gone rogue. You're beautiful, whoever you are.

 
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