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Yo Bus when are you opening up your tea bar?
I want to order me some of that.
I want to order me some of that.
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Tea |OT| Oh, tea.
- Thread starter morningbus
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I don't know if these guys ship to the US, but if you're in Canada, they are *awesome*.
http://camellia-sinensis.com/
Basically, these guys are insane. David's Tea is nice (there's a bunch of retail locations here in Montreal) but the problem I find with them is they have a lot of flavored teas from their own blends. While that's not bad in itself, the problem is that they have very few "pure" tea types (at least in retail stores, I haven't seen their online store), while Camellia Sinensis actually pretty much only carries pure teas.
Going into their stores in Montreal is an experience. They *will* brew it for you, in front of you, so you can taste it. They will heartily recommend a lot of interesting stuff.
There's this story about how the guy who started Camellia Sinensis managed to get into big reserves of super high quality teas. Basically, he went to a large tea market in China. What they do is normally the market is open to importers everywhere, but they only show their shittiest teas there because they figure foreigners don't know good tea from bad tea.
The guy went there, saw all that shitty tea, and said "I want to see the good stuff. What you have in the back." He had to insist because they kept saying there was no such thing, but he went on and on, and they issued him a challenge.
They would brew tea, and he would have to identify a bunch of different teas to prove that he knows what he's talking about. He accepted, and passed with flying colors, impressing all those guys, so he's now one of the few foreigners who is allowed to import from their "good" stock.
http://camellia-sinensis.com/
Basically, these guys are insane. David's Tea is nice (there's a bunch of retail locations here in Montreal) but the problem I find with them is they have a lot of flavored teas from their own blends. While that's not bad in itself, the problem is that they have very few "pure" tea types (at least in retail stores, I haven't seen their online store), while Camellia Sinensis actually pretty much only carries pure teas.
Going into their stores in Montreal is an experience. They *will* brew it for you, in front of you, so you can taste it. They will heartily recommend a lot of interesting stuff.
There's this story about how the guy who started Camellia Sinensis managed to get into big reserves of super high quality teas. Basically, he went to a large tea market in China. What they do is normally the market is open to importers everywhere, but they only show their shittiest teas there because they figure foreigners don't know good tea from bad tea.
The guy went there, saw all that shitty tea, and said "I want to see the good stuff. What you have in the back." He had to insist because they kept saying there was no such thing, but he went on and on, and they issued him a challenge.
They would brew tea, and he would have to identify a bunch of different teas to prove that he knows what he's talking about. He accepted, and passed with flying colors, impressing all those guys, so he's now one of the few foreigners who is allowed to import from their "good" stock.
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Man, it's sad how much fantasy work I've put into the idea of a tea place. My original idea was a Tea Pub, where we'd borrow the aesthetics and attitude of a local pub.
My current idea is a combination Burrito/Tea joint. No one else thinks this is a good idea.
Yeah, absolutely have to rep for Camellia Sinesis Tea House. Last time I was in there, the woman there was telling me about the trips they take to China to secure the tea. Crazy, totally legit stuff. I ended up getting some excellent Bai Mu Dan and a few herb teas native to Quebec. A really great tea place and a must visit if you're in Montreal.
Your story reminds me of an interesting tea documentary I saw a few years back. It's called "All in this Tea" (Amazon Streaming, hard to find on DVD) and it follows the guy who founded Silk Road Tea Company. He was one of the first Americans to go to China and try and deal directly with the farmers. He had been scammed before with Chinese factory tea, so he would literally inspect the product then immediately grab the sack they were using for demonstration purposes. Otherwise they'd stick him with garbage.
That sounds amazing
I'd requote your stuff, but the problem I talked about with David's Tea is *exactly* that.
I bought some of their stuff the last time I went there. It's filled with almonds and bunch of other stuff, and very little actual tea leaves. They make you smell it and stuff but it's a huge marketing scam because they just basically make you smell the stuff that smells super floral but you don't actually smell the tea, which is just... weird.
Man, it's sad how much fantasy work I've put into the idea of a tea place. My original idea was a Tea Pub, where we'd borrow the aesthetics and attitude of a local pub.
My current idea is a combination Burrito/Tea joint. No one else thinks this is a good idea.
Yeah, absolutely have to rep for Camellia Sinesis Tea House. Last time I was in there, the woman there was telling me about the trips they take to China to secure the tea. Crazy, totally legit stuff. I ended up getting some excellent Bai Mu Dan and a few herb teas native to Quebec. A really great tea place and a must visit if you're in Montreal.
Your story reminds me of an interesting tea documentary I saw a few years back. It's called "All in this Tea" (Amazon Streaming, hard to find on DVD) and it follows the guy who founded Silk Road Tea Company. He was one of the first Americans to go to China and try and deal directly with the farmers. He had been scammed before with Chinese factory tea, so he would literally inspect the product then immediately grab the sack they were using for demonstration purposes. Otherwise they'd stick him with garbage.
the part in this doc. when he talks to herzog and gets a wonderful herzog quote about how he can taste the struggle of the workers is awesome.
les blank directed it and while it's interesting, his early works like burden of dreams, always for pleasure are some of the finest documentary works ever made.
Easystride
Member
Never heard of that site before this thread. I've primarily ordered from Adagio since I got into loose leaf tea. I may have to check them out next time I need more tea. I mostly drink black teas, so I'll have to browse their selection.
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
Any Green Tea brands a noob can enjoy? Had some from the brand my gurl uses, and it tasted like grass.
Took me a week to get used to the taste. Now I can't do without my morning cup.
Duane Cunningham
Member
Okay, here's my new afternoon setup as of today.
There's no reason ordering from Adagio over Upton...unless you hate saving money or something. Quality is about the same yet Upton is a much better value. Plus, they restock more often.
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
If I ever actually do it, you guys will hear about it first.
Yeah, David's Tea does suffer from the same kind of filler problem that Teavana has. However, in my experience, David's Tea isn't quite as bad. The Fruit Mate blend I got from there was mainly mate, whereas the contemporary from Teavana (the one pictured) literally had maybe, 2 teaspoons of mate per 4 oz portion. It was crazy.
Yes, brew the tea hot then pour it into a cup filled to the top with ice. Stir, and it will be ice cold. It's important that you have a somewhat large glass. Beer glasses work perfectly, but basically anything over a 10oz capacity will work.
Green yerba mate for the lemonade combo. Though roasted mate makes a delicious iced tea by itself with just a taste of honey.
Glad I could help! We'll get you on loose-leaf soon.
I love Upton. If it's within your price range, try a sample of Black Ikumi, a black tea from Japan. (I'll admit, it's not necessarily my favorite black tea, but it is unique tasting and comes from a part of the world that typically does not export any of the small quantity of black tea it produces). Another suggestion for a black tea would be one from the Nilgiri region of India. Great for drinking hot or icing down.
Do you need to be able to buy it in a grocery store, pre-bagged? If so, I like Mighty Leaf or Stash. If not, I usually go Harney & Sons or Upton for my green tea.
Totally. I love it plain or done as a drink called London Fog (double strength earl grey + steam/frothed milk from an espresso machine + 1 shot of vanilla syrup).
I also enjoy it iced and mixed with some lavender lemonade. Who wants a picture of that? Tough, 'cause you're getting it anyway:
Martha Stewart ain't got shit on me.
Love it. Classy as all fuck.
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Besides the precise temperature, ease of use, speed, and efficiency, there's no difference. Hot water is hot water. Be careful with water in the microwave though, don't just put it on the 5 minute setting and walk away or something, as there's a slim chance it could become superheated.
Prototype-03
Member
I laughed at an article on how water can get "flat." My mind couldn't comprehend on how H2O can go flat.
edit: They wanted you to buy their kettle.
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Hey man, sometimes I leave a glass of water out overnight and when I check on it in the morning it's hydrogen. That's just science.
Prototype-03
Member
RangersFan
Member
Splash Wave
Member
Has anyone else made the switch from regular coffee consumption to tea? I'm currently in the process, and just having two cups of black tea with green in the afternoon is pretty rough. When should I expect to start getting used to this?
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Another favorite of mine that's technically an "herbal" tea (more like a grain tea, I suppose):
Refresco de Avena (Tropical oat tea)
Incredibly refreshing on a hot day. Recipe follows, from Alton Brown:
Some small changes I make: I use 1/4 cup honey + 1/4 cup white cane sugar in place of the piloncillio sugar. If you want to make the authentic version, use some demerara sugar. I always leave the cardamom seeds out. I also never bother with the lime peel during steeping. The juice is good enough.
It depends on how much coffee you drank before, but you should get over your caffeine addiction in about 4 to 7 days. The first few days are the worst.
Refresco de Avena (Tropical oat tea)
Incredibly refreshing on a hot day. Recipe follows, from Alton Brown:
Some small changes I make: I use 1/4 cup honey + 1/4 cup white cane sugar in place of the piloncillio sugar. If you want to make the authentic version, use some demerara sugar. I always leave the cardamom seeds out. I also never bother with the lime peel during steeping. The juice is good enough.
It depends on how much coffee you drank before, but you should get over your caffeine addiction in about 4 to 7 days. The first few days are the worst.
Splash Wave
Member
That's a relief; this isn't very fun.
And seeing as how this is a tea thread, I figured I'd share the best job I ever had: a very "chic" tea shop (a bit too chic for the town in which it was located) that went out of business before long. The owners put way too much money into it, as the cafe had over 60 teas that they sourced themselves (I think) and stocked high-end tea ware that no one ever bought. Anyway, the cafe was almost always empty, so I got paid to sit around and drink incredible tea all day. RIP.
And seeing as how this is a tea thread, I figured I'd share the best job I ever had: a very "chic" tea shop (a bit too chic for the town in which it was located) that went out of business before long. The owners put way too much money into it, as the cafe had over 60 teas that they sourced themselves (I think) and stocked high-end tea ware that no one ever bought. Anyway, the cafe was almost always empty, so I got paid to sit around and drink incredible tea all day. RIP.
I did a couple years ago because more than one cup a day wrecks my stomach. I usually do 1 cup of coffee in th AM and 3 cups of green tea throughout the afternoon. Took a couple weeks but I like the combo.
Splash Wave
Member
This is almost exactly what I was doing as well, but I figured if I was already down to 1 cup, then replacing that with tea shouldn't be entirely difficult. It's weird, too, because I have two cups of black tea in the morning (17 ounces, two tea bags) which I can't imagine contains much less caffeine than one mug of coffee does (though I make it pretty strong).
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Damn, that sounds awesome. That's basically my fantasy job.
It depends on the kind of coffee you were drinking. Your average medium roast coffee has between 80 and 120mg of caffeine. The two cups of tea you drink in the morning could potentially only equal half of the amount of caffeine in your coffee (about 45 - 50 mg per cup in bagged tea, usually). If you want something a little stronger caffeine-wise, try Yerba Mate out. It tastes like strong green tea and has about 85mg of caffeine per serving. You can find it in bags in most grocery stores' organic sections under the brand name Guayaki.
Splash Wave
Member
Much obliged. I may actually just go to Trader Joe's and get their 80-pack of Irish Breakfast tea purely because I think I need something as strong as possible in the morning (and I love tea with milk, so don't know if Yerba Mate is the best fit for me). I'll find something more refined for the afternoon. Any loose leaf green tea recommendations that stay tasty if left in the water? I don't think my Muji teapot has a removable strainer (though I'll find out when I visit my parents this weekend).
Easystride
Member
Thanks for the suggestions. I may have to spring on that Japanese tea when I get my next paycheck, and I'll probably go with the 100g packet for $27. Maybe it will be a good tea to enjoy while rewatching some Ozu films
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Some people do put milk into their green yerba mate (roasted mate takes milk very, very, well). It's not traditional, certainly, but you can prepare it like a latte. I've even packed mate into my espresso machine, brewed shots, and prepared a bunch of different coffee-style drinks.
As for a green tea recommendation: nothing that could hold up to extended steeping times really comes to mind. Have you considered an oolong? Those usually can take extra steeping (and are absolutely wonderful to boot).
Thanks for the suggestions. I may have to spring on that Japanese tea when I get my next paycheck, and I'll probably go with the 100g packet for $27. Maybe it will be a good tea to enjoy while rewatching some Ozu films
Be careful: 100g is a lot of tea if you don't end up liking it. It's one of the most acidic black teas I've had. It's worth just trying the sample first, then ordering the big lot.
Prototype-03
Member
How are the tins from Upton Tea? I have 2 from Teavana (which are nice, but expensive) and want to see if anyone knows how they compare.
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Which teas are you looking at on Upton? The black plug top? That design works really well.
I don't drink alcohol, but I can give you some tips.
Tea Flavored Vodka + Lemonade = John Daily (the alcoholic version of an Arnold Palmer).
You can make your own tea infused vodka by putting the appropriate amount of tea into a container filled with vodka and steeping overnight in the fridge. Strain back into the bottle in the morning. Alos, pick one type of black tea (don't be tempted to just get rid of all the odd bits you might have lying around) and sweeten if you'd like.
You could reasonably do the same with basically any tea and any alcohol. So give it a shot with what you have on hand.
Prototype-03
Member
I was just looking at the teas and they give you an option to buy a bag or a tin for some more money. Are those no good?
So I recently picked up the Bodum Personal Tea Infuser (link). I also ordered some Green Yerba Mate from MateFactor based on this thread. I've never done loose-leaf tea before so I was excited to try it. I gave it a first run last night and it worked fine, but the infuser let a lot of loose tea leaves through. I actually shook the infuser just a bit while it was steeping and a lot got through then. I tried it again without disturbing it and it was better but a bunch still went through.
It wasn't really a problem until I got to the end of the cup and there was a bunch of tea matter in the bottom of the cup. Not very tasty, but not a big deal. Is this a common thing or should I look at getting another infuser?
It wasn't really a problem until I got to the end of the cup and there was a bunch of tea matter in the bottom of the cup. Not very tasty, but not a big deal. Is this a common thing or should I look at getting another infuser?
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Oh, sorry, I thought you were looking at Upton's selection of tea tins, not tea-already-in-tins. I'm not sure what tins they use exactly (as I already have enough storage and usually buy the bags), but I think it is those black plug tins I mentioned earlier.
If you're getting a relatively small amount, the bags they send you tea in are good enough, I think.
Sorry to hear about the trouble you've been having. I don't have experience with that specific bodum infuser, so I can't say for sure, but it's probably a combination of things. If a significant amount of yerba mate is getting through the infuser's holes, it is probably designed more for full-leaf loose leaf, not the finer-cut teas like mate (or possibly even finer black teas like C.T.C.). The infuser will probably work well for most other teas you throw at it.
For what it's worth, I switched away from in-cup infusers for basically the same reason. Too much stuff at the bottom (and even the sides) of the cup. If you want to keep going with an in-cup infuser, the best filter I found is by Finum (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS/?tag=neogaf0e-20). Otherwise, may I suggest...
Uh, you know. I suggest that thing I use.
How are you liking the mate, by the way?
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Oh nice...A Tea topic! I love me some good loose leaf, but I have an issue. Let's see if GAF can help!
First, I need to buy a good (affordable) electric kettle. How important is it to get one with adjustable temperatures? I know various teas require different steeping temperatures...
Now the next thing I have an issue with is my water. I don't think the tap water is good by me, so I can't tell if it's the water or my brewing process that makes my tea taste a bit off. I don't know if they're bitter or "dry" or something, but they never seem to have much real flavor. There's a Teavana nearish me, so that's typically where I go for my teas. The stuff they have out to sample (and the few glasses of tea I've purchased from them) taste SO much better than what I make.
Any tips or starting points to start figuring out what I'm screwing up and how to get better at making a good glass of tea?
First, I need to buy a good (affordable) electric kettle. How important is it to get one with adjustable temperatures? I know various teas require different steeping temperatures...
Now the next thing I have an issue with is my water. I don't think the tap water is good by me, so I can't tell if it's the water or my brewing process that makes my tea taste a bit off. I don't know if they're bitter or "dry" or something, but they never seem to have much real flavor. There's a Teavana nearish me, so that's typically where I go for my teas. The stuff they have out to sample (and the few glasses of tea I've purchased from them) taste SO much better than what I make.
Any tips or starting points to start figuring out what I'm screwing up and how to get better at making a good glass of tea?
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
I'd say an electric kettle isn't the most important thing in the world - especially if your taste in tea only extends as far as black and herbals. But they are something that emotionally pays off the first time you make a cup of tea with it. The correct temperature is crucial to making great tea.
If you're on a budget, you have a few options:
People have recommended this kettle by Pino for $77.00. It is one of the few kettles that lets you manually select the exact temperature you want.
Adagio makes two kettles, their newest one being the Varietea for $80. It has preset buttons on the base for all the most popular types of tea.
I have this kettle from Adagio. It uses a dial to set the temperature. It's less precise than the other two kettles, but in this case the temperatures are definitely close enough (Yes, I put a digital thermometer in there to make sure - I'm that kind of crazy).
You can also go for a more low-tech, non electric option like the PerfectTemp from Cuisinart for $49 (select Stainless Steel color). This goes on top of your stovetop and works like any other kettle. The nice feature here is that it has a built in temperature gauge, so you can more easily control the temperature. It is the cheapest option here, but it puts back a lot of work on your shoulders. For the sake of 20 dollars, or so, go electric.
Water is another important factor, too. Is there any kind off taste to your water when you drink it from the tap? You may not notice it like that, so try brewing tea using your tap water and some bottled water and see if you can taste the difference. If you can notice the difference, you may want to consider invest in some sort of water purifier or conditioner. Try the bottled water thing first before buying any more equipment, though.
Lastly, your best bets at getting the best cup of tea at home is to basically get kind of anal about it. The basic guideline to ratios is 1 teaspoon of tea per 8oz cup of water with steeping times varying between varieties of tea and varying again between teas within those varieties. However, you should experiment to find what matches your specific tastes. I find that I usually use 2 teaspoons of any herbal tea to produce a strong enough cup. With other teas I may need to use 1.5 teaspoons. I usually never go below the 1 teaspoon, though.
Make sure you're using the correct amount of water, too. Grab a 1 cup measuring cup fill it to the brim and dump it into your usual cup, just to see how much water you actually need to use.
Lastly, Teavana's samples are usually sweetened with their rock sugar. You can try buying that and using it at home, or even going online and getting something similar for much cheaper. I like using honey as my sweetener of choice, personally.
If you're on a budget, you have a few options:
People have recommended this kettle by Pino for $77.00. It is one of the few kettles that lets you manually select the exact temperature you want.
Adagio makes two kettles, their newest one being the Varietea for $80. It has preset buttons on the base for all the most popular types of tea.
I have this kettle from Adagio. It uses a dial to set the temperature. It's less precise than the other two kettles, but in this case the temperatures are definitely close enough (Yes, I put a digital thermometer in there to make sure - I'm that kind of crazy).
You can also go for a more low-tech, non electric option like the PerfectTemp from Cuisinart for $49 (select Stainless Steel color). This goes on top of your stovetop and works like any other kettle. The nice feature here is that it has a built in temperature gauge, so you can more easily control the temperature. It is the cheapest option here, but it puts back a lot of work on your shoulders. For the sake of 20 dollars, or so, go electric.
Water is another important factor, too. Is there any kind off taste to your water when you drink it from the tap? You may not notice it like that, so try brewing tea using your tap water and some bottled water and see if you can taste the difference. If you can notice the difference, you may want to consider invest in some sort of water purifier or conditioner. Try the bottled water thing first before buying any more equipment, though.
Lastly, your best bets at getting the best cup of tea at home is to basically get kind of anal about it. The basic guideline to ratios is 1 teaspoon of tea per 8oz cup of water with steeping times varying between varieties of tea and varying again between teas within those varieties. However, you should experiment to find what matches your specific tastes. I find that I usually use 2 teaspoons of any herbal tea to produce a strong enough cup. With other teas I may need to use 1.5 teaspoons. I usually never go below the 1 teaspoon, though.
Make sure you're using the correct amount of water, too. Grab a 1 cup measuring cup fill it to the brim and dump it into your usual cup, just to see how much water you actually need to use.
Lastly, Teavana's samples are usually sweetened with their rock sugar. You can try buying that and using it at home, or even going online and getting something similar for much cheaper. I like using honey as my sweetener of choice, personally.
nicoga3000
Saint Nic
Morningbus - thanks for the writeup. I'm a fan of whites, blacks, and greens. I can do a few reds, but herbal teas (at least hot herbal teas) don't do it for me. Iced is another story.
I don't drink my tap water here, so I may just have to invest in bottled water to start. It's still very affordable when you consider all options, and Kroger sells 24-36 packs of water for dirt cheap.
Electric is the only way I would ever go - it just makes more sense to me.
Now regarding various teas and steep times and such...I saw the suggestions in the OP, but is there another good reference to read up on to make sure I can NOT screw up? I like to have things to read and understand. Teavana gives you quantity, steep time, and temperature suggestions with all of their teas. Are these reliable?
I have a Pear Luna (flavored White) that suggests 1.5 tsp, 175F, 2 min steep. I've done all of this (within a few degrees on the water), and it just doesn't taste right to me. Are the instructions off, or should I adjust tea quantity? It frustrates me because, like I said, I really love the teas when they brew them...I just can't replicate it. D:
As for sweetening, does honey alter the flavor anymore than a rock sugar would? I will probably try both, but I just want to know the basic opinion on one vs the other.
I don't drink my tap water here, so I may just have to invest in bottled water to start. It's still very affordable when you consider all options, and Kroger sells 24-36 packs of water for dirt cheap.
Electric is the only way I would ever go - it just makes more sense to me.
Now regarding various teas and steep times and such...I saw the suggestions in the OP, but is there another good reference to read up on to make sure I can NOT screw up?
I like to have things to read and understand. Teavana gives you quantity, steep time, and temperature suggestions with all of their teas. Are these reliable? I have a Pear Luna (flavored White) that suggests 1.5 tsp, 175F, 2 min steep. I've done all of this (within a few degrees on the water), and it just doesn't taste right to me. Are the instructions off, or should I adjust tea quantity? It frustrates me because, like I said, I really love the teas when they brew them...I just can't replicate it. D:
As for sweetening, does honey alter the flavor anymore than a rock sugar would? I will probably try both, but I just want to know the basic opinion on one vs the other.
Yup. I'm not embarrassed to say that Star Trek: The Next Generation prompted my interest to try it, and I loved it ever since. That and plain ol' normal black tea are all I need. I grew up drinking my black ta with a bit of milk in it, but my tastes changed. I was gifted some wonderful Earl Grey green tea for Christmas, and man that was delicious. I usually don't enjoy the after taste of greens, but that was an exception. I use to be more adventurous when it came to trying teas, but not so much in recent years.
When I was little, I use to collect the little figurines from the Red Rose tea boxes along with my mom. It was a great and inexpensive way to get into collecting. I have no idea if they still have them...
What's your thoughts on using thermo pots like this? Also should you boil first and then drop the temperature or do you think just heating to ~190F is good? I don't always hit the "reboil" button when I add more water.
Prototype-03
Member
Just ordered from Upton for the first time. Used Adagio before but I don't mind trying out new places. Also got some samples of Pu-Erh for the first time.
edit: I have also gotten a tin box for mah gunpowder green tea. Will let you guys know if it's sturdy.
edit: I have also gotten a tin box for mah gunpowder green tea. Will let you guys know if it's sturdy.
Prototype-03
Member
Welcome to the dark side. You will not want those packets ever again (unless they are high quality -- they do exist).
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
I had made this banner back at the start of the thread, but I've found that a lot of tea companies aren't running promotions like they used to. Still, I'll post whatever I find around the internet in this thread, using this image to grab your attention.
Samovar: 10% off your order from now until Earth Day (Sunday, April 22nd) with coupon code "community."
Now regarding various teas and steep times and such...I saw the suggestions in the OP, but is there another good reference to read up on to make sure I can NOT screw up?
I have a Pear Luna (flavored White) that suggests 1.5 tsp, 175F, 2 min steep. I've done all of this (within a few degrees on the water), and it just doesn't taste right to me. Are the instructions off, or should I adjust tea quantity? It frustrates me because, like I said, I really love the teas when they brew them...I just can't replicate it. D:
As for sweetening, does honey alter the flavor anymore than a rock sugar would? I will probably try both, but I just want to know the basic opinion on one vs the other.
The rough outline I have in the OP is more or less sufficient for most stuff you'll encounter. While sometimes the directions that come with tea can be a little off, they're usually good enough to trust. Adagio actually called themselves out on this a while back when they discovered that they had been giving people bad directions in regards to many of their teas, like listing some herbals as getting less than boiling and steeping for way shorter times. For the record they've gone and fixed those problems, so good on them.
However, I've found that Teavana is typically the most "off" with their instructions. Last time I checked, all their green rooibos and green yerba mate blends had you use boiling water (where you should basically use the temperature of green tea).
Try this the next time you make some of that Pear Luna: Grab a teaspoon (not a measurement teaspoon, just the kind you would eat with), do 2 teaspoons of tea, use about 170 degree water (use the bottled water for now), and steep for 4 minutes. If that improves the taste, but it's still not there yet, you can experiment with increasing the brew time all the way up to 7 minutes on the high end.
I find that honey doesn't add too many flavors in the final product, but you can usually taste it in the tea. I think it's worth trying, as it is very complimentary.
You know, I don't have much experience with thermopots. They're usually a bit more expensive than kettles, but the one you linked there is in the same ballpark and has good reviews. Hot water is hot water and if that system appeals, then it's absolutely a good choice. When heating to temperatures other than boiling, I would just set it the the desired temperature of the tea you're brewing (no boiling first, then dropping down). So long as the thermopot is good at keeping the standing temperature at the correct temperature, I doubt you'd have to reboil.
Awesome. I'd love you hear about your experience with Upton when your stuff comes.
Great to hear! What stuff did you try?
As for the multiple cups thing... you know, I hear french presses have certain advantages.
Thanks for the tips. I may give that filter a shot. I have tried the filter with more full-leaf stuff and it works fine. I guess the mate is just ground a bit too fine for it.
I enjoyed the green yerba although I'd like to try their darker roast next. The smallest size of loose you can order is quite large though. This one will keep me going a while. I dig it most with a little sweetener (Truvia) and a small dash of heavy cream.
To be honest though it's been supplanted by a couple teas I found on spiceandtea.com posted on page 4. I ordered the Kyoto Green Rice Tea which is one of the few teas I've found I enjoy totally unsweetened. And I got a packet of the Coconut Oolong which is amazing. Love them both, although they get pricey.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Celestial is absolutely incredible. Ahmad is just bold and awesome.
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