• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Tea |OT| Oh, tea.

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JosiahB

Member
Just received an order from Maiko Tea. I got:

Gyokuro Higashiyama + Sencha Kyo no Tsuyu + Karigane Ikkyu no Sato
Maccha Matsu no Midori (40g tin, x2)
Konbu (Kelp) tea
Maccha "Uji no Sato" (40g bag)
Konacha "Gyokuro ko" (This is leftovers from processing Gyokuro or Sencha. Served at Sushi restaurants. Heard it had a strong flavor, and it was cheap, so I figured I'd try it.)
Kisen Chasen Unge

I've tried both Matcha, the Konacha, and the Konbu Cha. I must say, for the sale price, the Matsu no Midori Matcha is great. The only other similarly priced Matcha I've tried is O-Cha's Matcha "Kiri no Mori", but I like the Matsu no Midori more (on sale, it's also a decent bit cheaper than O-Cha's per gram, and comes in an absolutely beautiful reusable tin).

The Uji no Sato I mainly got because I wanted a cheap Matcha that I can add to cold water for some instant green tea at work (just add a few grams to a bottle of water and shake, tastes great).

As for the Konbu Tea... Well, I kind of knew what it would taste like before I got it (salty, more like soup stock that tea), but I was still caught pretty off-guard when I took the first sip. It reminded me of sea water, maybe somewhat less salty. I... Think I could get used to it; I have with other tea. When I first tried it, I couldn't stand tea without sugar, even Sencha. I will say, it would make some great soup (and I've read that it's commonly used in cooking, so I'll probably try that).

I should also say that the packaging for everything was awesome; so beautiful, boxes, tins, wrapping paper, everything. I'll try to get some pictures up sometime.
 
J

JosiahB

Member
Easystride said:
Shincha tea up for preorder on O-Cha. I got the Chiran & Yukata Midori. Use coupon code shincha4fb coupon code for 10% off.

http://www.o-cha.com/shincha/
Click to expand...

I plan to get the same, plus the "Aoi" Shincha (I actually prefer Asamushi, but both of the ones they offer are so expensive, I have to settle for just one). By the way, I haven't ordered Shincha from O-Cha before; will I be charged when I place the order, or when it ships?
 
E

Easystride

Member
JosiahB said:
I plan to get the same, plus the "Aoi" Shincha (I actually prefer Asamushi, but both of the ones they offer are so expensive, I have to settle for just one). By the way, I haven't ordered Shincha from O-Cha before; will I be charged when I place the order, or when it ships?
Click to expand...

It looks like the money has been taken out of my Paypal account already. Oh well.
 
J

JosiahB

Member
Easystride said:
It looks like the money has been taken out of my Paypal account already. Oh well.
Click to expand...

Well, I went ahead and ordered anyway (still think it's stupid that they charge right away). Went with the Yutaka Midori, the Chiran, and the Kirameki (instead of the "Aoi").
 
T

thcsquad

Member
Calling all Morningbuses and Quebecois:

In the OT you mention montreal being a great place for tea snobbery. I'm about to get on a plane to montreal. Where are your must-visit tea shops there?
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
thcsquad said:
Calling all Morningbuses and Quebecois:

In the OT you mention montreal being a great place for tea snobbery. I'm about to get on a plane to montreal. Where are your must-visit tea shops there?
Click to expand...
Enjoy saying tisane without looking ridiculous!

I like Davids Teas (it's not quite as exotic anymore as they've expanded into the US, but I stand by my assessment that it is the Teavana concept done properly). There is a very, very similar chain located in the underground called Cesar's' which is worth checking out.

I think Camellia Sinensis tea house is also worth visiting as it is pretty legit.

Otherwise, enjoy being able to get decent tea at restaurants!

(Also go get some bagels at St. Viateurs and some bubble tea anywhere.)
 
M

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
YiF3D.png


Guayaki Yerba Mate - Free Shipping on orders over $50.00 and an additional 20% off until Midnight tonight with coupon code: earthy.

Coincidentally, I was running low on my mate supply, so I decided to give Guayaki a shot as they offer a lot of different varieties. They're a bit more expensive than my usual Mate Factor and I got less of my standard yerba mate from them, so I imagine I'll be reordering from Mate Factor pretty soon, too.
 
C

Cse

Banned
Is tea from Japan safe to drink? I know the Fukushima incident made a few people apprehensive about ordering Japanese products.

I drink matcha, which involves consuming the entire tea leaf - as such, levels of radioactivity that would be deemed "acceptbale" for standard green tea would be ingested in higher amounts with matcha.

There is some matcha from Japan I want to try, but I'm not sure if its entirely safe yet.
 
T

thespot84

Member
Cse said:
Is tea from Japan safe to drink? I know the Fukushima incident made a few people apprehensive about ordering Japanese products.

I drink matcha, which involves consuming the entire tea leaf - as such, levels of radioactivity that would be deemed "acceptbale" for standard green tea would be ingested in higher amounts with matcha.

There is some matcha from Japan I want to try, but I'm not sure if its entirely safe yet.
Click to expand...

I'd put my money on it you'd get more radioactivity from a banana than you would from any japanese tea
 
T

thcsquad

Member
morningbus said:
Enjoy saying tisane without looking ridiculous!

I like Davids Teas (it's not quite as exotic anymore as they've expanded into the US, but I stand by my assessment that it is the Teavana concept done properly). There is a very, very similar chain located in the underground called Cesar's' which is worth checking out.

I think Camellia Sinensis tea house is also worth visiting as it is pretty legit.

Otherwise, enjoy being able to get decent tea at restaurants!

(Also go get some bagels at St. Viateurs and some bubble tea anywhere.)
Click to expand...

Late update, but I ended up going to Camellia Sinensis and picking up some Nilgiri and Dong Shan. Great stuff, so far. Since it's a 'plant', I ended up declaring it in customs just to be safe; travelling abroad is new to me, so I decided to let the agent think I was a silly timewaster rather than leave anything to chance.

Besides the phenomenal bagels, St. Viateurs had a good tea selection. The whole package was good enough that it was the only establishment I patronized twice.

I never did say tisane, mostly because I never ordered one. Though it was cool seeing that word used on menus.
 
T

thcsquad

Member
Allow me to gush about some new tea brands that I've been enjoying recently:

1. On my trip to Montreal (see above post) I visited a tea shop called Camellia Sinensis. Their tea is phenomenal, and they sell online as well:
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea
Here are the specific ones that I bought, both reasonably priced:
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea/green/dong-shan
http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea/black/nilgiri-coonoor

2. Kilogram Tea. I recently moved back to my hometown of Chicago, and there are a lot of Intelligentsia Coffees around here. What does this have to do with tea? Well, their tea by itself as actually very good. I was surprised by the quality the first time I was in one and ordered tea for the hell of it. They're in the process of spinning it off into Kilogram Tea, and you can order it online. You have to deal with a little bit of pretentiousness (tasting notes more prominent than the name of the tea?), but it's good stuff and some of it is actually reasonable priced. In fact, I've only had the reasonably priced stuff, and the pretensiousness means that they have the balls to use the word 'Tisane', which is rare for American cafes. Anyway, besides the online store stop by an Intelligentsia if you're in Chicago, NY, or LA, even if coffee doesn't interest you.

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/products/tea
 
S

Snkfanatic

Banned
I am big fan Ginseng Oolong I usaully order from here

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/ginsengoolong.html

Anyone like this tea as well? Have a favorite?

Got hooked on it after my roommate brought back a tin of it from China. They stopped at a local tea shop and tried a lot of different teas. This was his favorite, sadly the tea shop doesn't have a site we could find but this tea I linked is as close as we have found to what he brought back.
 
E

Egnirys

Member
One of my friends has that tea maker and she loves it. it makes enough tea for her and her husband to enjoy however, it was a wedding gift. She has said herself that she would have never purchased it herself because it's overpriced.
 
T

teepo

Member
the Tea Masters Blog has finally launched a simple on-line store front which is a massive improvement from the previous system where you had to request for a price list via e-mail. the site is also celebrating its 10 year anniversary so you might receive free active bamboo charcoal along with a free postcard and tea sample with your order.

the best part is that Stephane Erler, the owner, writes detailed blog posts on all the different types of teas that he offers and often times he'll even take you on a tour of the farms which harvested and prepared the teas. in a sense, his selection is heavily curated around what he likes.

it's a little on the pricer side but if you're a fan of Taiwanese tea, especially high mountain oolongs, it doesn't get any more premieum than this. here's more information on the owner, blog and site that the TeaDB podcast put together
 
N

Necrovex

Member
So I have finally gotten back into drinking tea. I have forgotten how fantastic tea can be. Going to stick to David's Tea for my delicious leaves. I am currently using an electric kettle and a normal teapot for all my brewing. It has been a smashing experience.

I have a question about the Butterfly Jasmine, why is it so pricy?

I also decided to invest in a French Press. I better not be disappointed. And god, I just spent $54 at David's Tea. My bank account is weeping.
 
M

Mr.Swag

Banned
Just made my first tea from my just received ingenuiTEA.


Delicious

I ordered the imgenuiTEA itself, a black tea sampler, a yerba mate sampler, and a couple ounces of gunpowder.

Had some Earl Grey Bravo and it was goddamn great. Goodbye coffee, I have a new beverage.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
As a coffee guy, I've never really checked out the thread. I just wanted to say that I've seen it a number of times, and the title is my absolute favorite on GAF.

Carry on.
 
A

Arsenic Yellow

Member
Necrovex said:
So I have finally gotten back into drinking tea. I have forgotten how fantastic tea can be. Going to stick to David's Tea for my delicious leaves. I am currently using an electric kettle and a normal teapot for all my brewing. It has been a smashing experience.

I have a question about the Butterfly Jasmine, why is it so pricy?

I also decided to invest in a French Press. I better not be disappointed. And god, I just spent $54 at David's Tea. My bank account is weeping.
Click to expand...
Each one is hand rolled into the specific shape. I prefer dragon pearls as it's cheaper and pretty much the same. Got 50grams for free with my David's reward card so I'm picking up some gyokuro from them this weekend. The best thing is whenever they have free tea promos, you can pick out their most expensive ones.

Also morningbus, I'm still enjoying the Bangkok tea you sent me :) it's probably become one of my favorite teas.
 
L

Ludovico

Member
I've made it about a month without having coffee in the morning (inconvenient to make that early with a grinder, plus I can't afford to have my stomach turned that early), but have been drinking way too many soft drinks.

So I've decided to pull the mini-Bodum french press out of storage and start making loose leaf tea in the classroom. Currently using some Tazo black tea satchels, but I really want to branch out and see what's out there.

Any recommendations for a large starter/sampler pack, preferably offered through Amazon?

Currently looking at this.
 
P

phantomspiker

Member
Ludovico said:
I've made it about a month without having coffee in the morning (inconvenient to make that early with a grinder, plus I can't afford to have my stomach turned that early), but have been drinking way too many soft drinks.

So I've decided to pull the mini-Bodum french press out of storage and start making loose leaf tea in the classroom. Currently using some Tazo black tea satchels, but I really want to branch out and see what's out there.

Any recommendations for a large starter/sampler pack, preferably offered through Amazon?

Currently looking at this.
Click to expand...

Can't speak for the quality, but there is a lot of variety there...probably worth checking out. All of the variety packs I know of are limited to one type of tea.
 
T

Train of Midnight

Banned
Ludovico said:
I've made it about a month without having coffee in the morning (inconvenient to make that early with a grinder, plus I can't afford to have my stomach turned that early), but have been drinking way too many soft drinks.

So I've decided to pull the mini-Bodum french press out of storage and start making loose leaf tea in the classroom. Currently using some Tazo black tea satchels, but I really want to branch out and see what's out there.

Any recommendations for a large starter/sampler pack, preferably offered through Amazon?

Currently looking at this.
Click to expand...

Trust me, I love the convenience of Amazon more than anybody, but have you checked to see if there are any tea shops in your area? It's much better to be able to go to a place and smell around, plus you'll usually find much fresher and wider selections of quality.
 
L

Ludovico

Member
phantomspiker said:
Can't speak for the quality, but there is a lot of variety there...probably worth checking out. All of the variety packs I know of are limited to one type of tea.
Click to expand...

Train of Midnight said:
Trust me, I love the convenience of Amazon more than anybody, but have you checked to see if there are any tea shops in your area? It's much better to be able to go to a place and smell around, plus you'll usually find much fresher and wider selections of quality.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm positive there are plenty of good places where I live that I could buy. I just want to have a little background knowledge on the types and my preferences before I get taken advantage of by a salesperson :/.
Also, time is a big factor for me, but I might head out Saturday morning and look around.

About tea leaves - Is expiration a thing? My local coffee place sells roasted coffee and also sells tea, but they only date the coffee. Also, I heard you can re-steep certain types of tea, but how do I store it between servings (or is it just within the same day and not one to the next)?
 
Z

zorlaczerohero

Banned
English tea drinker living in Australia checking in, got excited seeing the OT, then saw this on the first page.

P1040322.jpg


What sort of heathen puts milk in after the tea? Milk first, then tea, never make it in the cup, always use a teapot, preferably heated whilst brewing.

Tea in Australia is pretty much shite, except it's easier to get good Chinese/Japanese blends than it is in the UK. My Mum sends me boxes of Yorkshire Tea from Yorkshire to keep me going, even the Yorkshire Tea sold over here is not great, it's some evil brew made in Dubai or something. But if you're after an every day cuppa then get online and seek out Yorkshire Tea, the best 'common' tea there is. Tried getting along with Barrys Tea which is Irish, because you can buy it here, but it's muck, plain and simple. Anyone in Australia know of a good local brand that's strong and tasty I'd appreciate the input!
 
P

phantomspiker

Member
Ludovico said:
Yeah, I'm positive there are plenty of good places where I live that I could buy. I just want to have a little background knowledge on the types and my preferences before I get taken advantage of by a salesperson :/.
Also, time is a big factor for me, but I might head out Saturday morning and look around.

About tea leaves - Is expiration a thing? My local coffee place sells roasted coffee and also sells tea, but they only date the coffee. Also, I heard you can re-steep certain types of tea, but how do I store it between servings (or is it just within the same day and not one to the next)?
Click to expand...

I live in Oklahoma, the only tea shop that I'm aware of is a Teavana :(.

I've seen some best buy dates that usually last a couple of years, not sure if tea actually "goes bad" though. Re-steeping really depends on a few different factors, quality of the tea, steep times, and the amount of tea used. I usually re-steep immediately after I finish my first cup, so I don't really know what to tell you there.
 
T

Train of Midnight

Banned
Ludovico said:
About tea leaves - Is expiration a thing? My local coffee place sells roasted coffee and also sells tea, but they only date the coffee.
Click to expand...

When storing tea, as long as you've got it in an air-tight container, away from sunlight and moisture, you can usually keep your teas for about 2 years without any noticeable loss of flavor.
 
N

nakedsushi

Member
Ludovico said:
About tea leaves - Is expiration a thing? My local coffee place sells roasted coffee and also sells tea, but they only date the coffee. Also, I heard you can re-steep certain types of tea, but how do I store it between servings (or is it just within the same day and not one to the next)?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is. Tea is still a 'live' substance, so should be stored accordingly. It gets pretty complicated if you want to drink 'fresh' tea.

Green tea expires the quickest because it's the 'freshest'. Green tea should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry, place. Some people store it in the fridge.

Tea that has been oxidized (most black teas like oolong) or aged (old puerh) has a longer shelf life because of the oxidization process.

My guess is the coffee place does not date tea because most of the western world is not that picky about drinking old tea, which makes sense. A coffee shop is mostly knowledgeable about coffee, not tea.

As far as re-steeping tea, that is completely reasonable with tea leaves as long as you don't do too long of a steep. The first steep should NOT be over a minute. Usually the 2nd or 3rd steeping is the strongest steep, since the 1st steeping only really serves as warming and opening the leaves. As the steeps increase, the steep time should increase.
 
U

upandaway

Member
I learned from experience that keeping tea in the closet, with the climate around here, makes the tea last maybe ~4-6 months before going bad... so I'm thinking about moving it to the fridge. Anything I should know about that in terms of containers or anything? Would the freezer work too?
 
S

StarCreator

Member
It's been a while... so a combination of things (including finally seeing one in action, and the fact I still haven't tried any of the tea from the tea swap two years ago - probably undrinkable at this point D:) have convinced me that I need a French press. Have the recommendations changed since the last time this was brought up?
 
P

phantomspiker

Member
StarCreator said:
It's been a while... so a combination of things (including finally seeing one in action, and the fact I still haven't tried any of the tea from the tea swap two years ago - probably undrinkable at this point D:) have convinced me that I need a French press. Have the recommendations changed since the last time this was brought up?
Click to expand...

Nope, I think Bodum presses are considered the best.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
zorlaczerohero said:
English tea drinker living in Australia checking in, got excited seeing the OT, then saw this on the first page.

P1040322.jpg


What sort of heathen puts milk in after the tea? Milk first, then tea, never make it in the cup, always use a teapot, preferably heated whilst brewing.

Tea in Australia is pretty much shite, except it's easier to get good Chinese/Japanese blends than it is in the UK. My Mum sends me boxes of Yorkshire Tea from Yorkshire to keep me going, even the Yorkshire Tea sold over here is not great, it's some evil brew made in Dubai or something. But if you're after an every day cuppa then get online and seek out Yorkshire Tea, the best 'common' tea there is. Tried getting along with Barrys Tea which is Irish, because you can buy it here, but it's muck, plain and simple. Anyone in Australia know of a good local brand that's strong and tasty I'd appreciate the input!
Click to expand...

I froth mine so it always goes to the top anyway
 
H

HiResDes

Member
I got some new teas in recently,that I've been loving, not pictured are the Thai Chai from TeaTable (avoid, it doesn't taste as good as their others whatsoever) and a Grapefruit Oolong (I can't find it for the life of me lol)
RCW4r8P.jpg



Today I made a Pu'erh Spice tea with a buttered rum froth and a little brown sugar, definitely can only add a little otherwise it gets a bit cloying.

TOYDIAY.jpg
CavdSMb.jpg
 
M

Mascot

Member
This might be of use to someone here (UK only, I think?).

The Sage by Heston Blumenthal Tea Maker is half price on Amazon right now until 3pm today. £100 down from £200.

Link here.
 
R

Red Liquorice

Member
zorlaczerohero said:
What sort of heathen puts milk in after the tea? Milk first, then tea, never make it in the cup, always use a teapot, preferably heated whilst brewing.
Click to expand...
I put it in after because I can taste the difference, and also I can regulate how milky it is better if you put it in afterwards - kind of particular about having strong tea but also quite milky. Most people make it weak as piss then only put a splash of milk in if you ask for it strong.
 
O

Out of Working Order

Member
HiResDes said:
I got some new teas in recently,that I've been loving, not pictured are the Thai Chai from TeaTable (avoid, it doesn't taste as good as their others whatsoever) and a Grapefruit Oolong (I can't find it for the life of me lol)
RCW4r8P.jpg



Today I made a Pu'erh Spice tea with a buttered rum froth and a little brown sugar, definitely can only add a little otherwise it gets a bit cloying.

TOYDIAY.jpg
CavdSMb.jpg
Click to expand...

That Pu'erh Tea looks tasty.

I recently tried a whole bunch of teas from Tea Palace, but I didn't really enjoy them as they were too watery. I also don't like drinking water when it's warm or hot. I've tried iced tea and wasn't overly struck with it.

Chai tea, however, made with milk, is very nice. Are there any others along those lines that I may also like given the above information?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Recommend me some good mocktails or N/A beers
12
799
jufonuk replied
Tekken 8: IGN Has Released the First Hands on Preview
Analysis
11
2K
KrisB replied
  • Poll
How do you prepare your coffee or tea?
2
88
4K
INC replied
Council Estate glory days were INSANE
2
60
3K
cormack12 replied
RLTTP: Banjo-Kazooie Grunty’s Revenge
RTTP
3
683
Gaiff replied
Top Bottom