Tea

[fcgamer | 4,729]

There's blacks and whites, and for those looking for something a bit more exotic, there are the oolongs. Looking for something out of this world? Perhaps green is suited for you. For those not in the know, what I'm talking about is the wonderful world of tea!

Honestly, I've always been a coffee guy, though I've found the traditional tea-brewing methods to be fascinating. My appreciation for tea has began to grow though, and I've recently been learning about the various types of teas and have been exploring the more subtle points of this fantastic drink.

Last Monday I went up to the famous Alishan region of Taiwan, where some visiting friends and I had the opportunity to taste a wide variety of Taiwan's finest (green and oolong) teas. Then on Thursday we had gone to the tea-growing region around Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan, in the search for a rare indigenous wild tea. Unlike Alishan, Sun Moon Lake is best known for their fine black teas. In either of these regions, one can use the same batch of leaves for at least six to eight pours, before the leaves have to be swapped out for something else.

I now have a huge surplus of tea leaves in my apartment, and I look forward to brewing them up in the upcoming weeks. I've got a few clay pots, as well as a few tea pets, but I don't have a terribly extravagant setup. Perhaps that's what I'll focus on once I move to a new residence next year.

Anyways, does anyone else here enjoy brewing tea? What do you like to drink? Do you prefer clay pots or porcelain ones? Let's discuss!

 

 

[spacepup | 2,405]

Good to see another person interested in the subject  

I guess it's not something I discuss much, but I love and am fascinated with the world of tea, and I've tried so many different kinds I couldn't even keep up with them all or share a list.

I've discovered all sorts of lovely teas - and that's the beauty of it.  A lot of people think about "tea" and associate it with one or two particular things, but there is a huge world out there full of TONS of different types, with a plethora of flavors, aromas, and benefits, and so much to explore and enjoy.

For example, several years ago I discovered Rooibos (sometimes called red) tea and fell in love because (a) it is caffeine free, and has a bit of a unique flavor profile to it that I really like.

I absolutely LOVE chai, and have tried so many different kinds.  I also enjoy making my own chai on the stove, and it's just so much more magical and delicious than a bagged chai tea you might get at the store.

^ This is one I made a while back where I was highlighting the method I use.  You lightly toast the spices in the pot first, before adding the tea and water/milk/alternative, and let that simmer for a while, and it just creates so much more depth of flavor for the tea.  It's a bit more work, but the result is so worth it!

Turmeric tea or some variant of 'golden milk' is another one I absolutely love, especially if I'm not feeling well.

I also love Matcha in its many forms, and make that almost daily or every other day at work.

I could go on forever, but yes, I absolutely love all sorts of teas and it's absolutely lovely!

 

[AirVillain | 490]

Holy shit.... now this is some SERIOUS tea talk!!

Haha... while this goes far being my scope of knowledge, I can appreciate it. 

I love tea, myself, but I'm pretty specific about it. I ONLY like Orange Pekoe. Drinking cup #2 right now. 

Boring, I know... but my Mom is English and growing up I thought "tea" WAS Orange Pekoe tea. I didn't know other types existed.

Like.... as an adult ppl would ask me what kind of tea I wanted and I was like "ummm.... I don't know.... just.... tea?"

Hahaha, all these different types of teas had never even entered into my knowledge of existence. 

I'm not a big fan of other types myself, but I like some. Green Tea I enjoy sometimes. 

Mostly just boring Orange Pekoe. 

[Estil | 1,265]

I always have Kroger sweet tea (in the gallon jugs) with my meals!  And it is sooooo kawaii whenever kitty comes over and drinks from it!  But even more adorable is whenever he slowly reaches with his wittle mitten, dips it in the tea and licks it off his wittle fingers!!  If that's not off the charts kawaii I don't know what is!

Edited July 9, 2023 by Estil

[Estil | 1,265]

On 4/9/2023 at 8:40 AM, AirVillain said:

Like.... as an adult ppl would ask me what kind of tea I wanted and I was like "ummm.... I don't know.... just.... tea?"

Just like the first time I tried a Starbucks...they practically looked at me like I was from Mars.  I think there was even a Ziggy comic about this subject way back when...

[theirontoupee | 44]

Black and jasmine teas are my go to... preferably iced

[fcgamer | 4,729]

4 hours ago, Estil said:

I always have Kroger sweet tea (in the gallon jugs) with my meals!  And it is sooooo kawaii whenever kitty comes over and drinks from it!  But even more adorable is whenever he slowly reaches with his wittle mitten, dips it in the tea and licks it off his wittle fingers!!  If that's not off the charts kawaii I don't know what is!

Just be careful if it is caffeineted, as cats really shouldn't have caffeine.

[Tanooki | 4,939]

4 hours ago, Estil said:

I always have Kroger sweet tea (in the gallon jugs) with my meals!  And it is sooooo kawaii whenever kitty comes over and drinks from it!  But even more adorable is whenever he slowly reaches with his wittle mitten, dips it in the tea and licks it off his wittle fingers!!  If that's not off the charts kawaii I don't know what is!

Cute until you realize what's in cat feces and those paws tend to touch it repeatedly as it buries its turds in the box before getting thirsty.   And what dave said too, caffeine bad for kitty.

[fcgamer | 4,729]

19 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

Cute until you realize what's in cat feces and those paws tend to touch it repeatedly as it buries its turds in the box before getting thirsty.   And what dave said too, caffeine bad for kitty.

Fun fact: dogs love to eat cat shit.

[Estil | 1,265]

5 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Cute until you realize what's in cat feces and those paws tend to touch it repeatedly as it buries its turds in the box before getting thirsty.   And what dave said too, caffeine bad for kitty.

But...but...but it looks soooooo cute...   As well as whenever kitty helps himself to some of my food!  Like whenever I have Little Caesars Extra Moist Bestest Pepperoni, he loves to lick the tops of the pepperonis!

PS: The tea is decaf.

[Estil | 1,265]

5 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Fun fact: dogs love to eat cat shit.

I thought dogs love trucks?  

 

[AirVillain | 490]

On 7/9/2023 at 5:45 AM, Estil said:

Just like the first time I tried a Starbucks...they practically looked at me like I was from Mars.  I think there was even a Ziggy comic about this subject way back when...

Yeah no doubt. 

I just want a damn normal tea. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by AirVillain

[spacepup | 2,405]

When I was a child, I wasn't exposed to other types of tea, so the only thing I knew about 'tea' was that it was black tea that either came sweet or unsweet.  I simply wasn't aware of all the other types.  

It would be kind of like growing up in a world where the only thing you knew about 'soda' was plain Coca-Cola.  Never being exposed to all the other soda beverages out there.  But the other ones taste nothing like Coca-Cola.  

As I got older, I learned about so many different varieties and flavors, that are *completely* different from the standard black tea.  And now, I rarely rarely ever just drink black tea.  The more I've explored different types, the more I've built a greater appreciation and love for tea in its many forms.  

Matcha tastes very different from turmeric tea, which tastes very different from chai, which tastes very different from an herbal tisane.  I don't love every single type of tea, but there are some that I absolutely LOVE now, that I would never have enjoyed had I not branched out to try the many different kinds.

It's a wonderful world of flavor out there, with so much to try, and usually very inexpensive relatively speaking.  I don't expect everyone to try all these things, but much like every cup of coffee or every bite of 'apple' is not exactly the same, the same applies to tea in all its glorious forms!

[Estil | 1,265]

33 minutes ago, spacepup said:

It would be kind of like growing up in a world where the only thing you knew about 'soda' was plain Coca-Cola.  Never being exposed to all the other soda beverages out there.  But the other ones taste nothing like Coca-Cola. 

Yes!  It drives me CRAZY that in the part of the country where I live people often generically refer to any soda as a "Coke".  Hey, I'm in the (Diet) Pepsi Generation!!  I remember in college I corrected someone on that while I was holding a Pepsi and soon afterwards I found Coke cans and a Coke box duct taped in front of my dorm room!!  

I mean those of you who drive Ford trucks, for example, wouldn't like it if someone said "Hey, nice Chevy!"  Or vice versa.

[fcgamer | 4,729]

On 7/13/2023 at 10:12 PM, spacepup said:

As I got older, I learned about so many different varieties and flavors, that are *completely* different from the standard black tea.  And now, I rarely rarely ever just drink black tea.  The more I've explored different types, the more I've built a greater appreciation and love for tea in its many forms.  

Technically, aside from a wild indigenous tea local to Taiwan, all true teas come from one plant, namely Camellia sinensis. The others aren't actually tea, just in the same way that mead isn't actually a wine or cider a beer, despite often being grouped together.

What denotes a tea as a black, green, oolong, white, yellow, etc tea is based on production, level of oxidation and drying, etc. From my understanding, matcha tastes as it does as the powder actually contains the ground up leaves, rather than just steeping leaves in hot water, though I could be wrong.

Black teas are going to be heavily oxidized, though make no mistake, there is a huge range of different flavors in black teas.

I recommend you try Ruby Red 18. It will blow your mind away, with the cooling effect at the end. It could be described almost as a menthol feeling, but not like a menthol cigarette. Ruby Red 18 is just quite unlike any black teas ice had before, and the remains I used for ices tea, which was also phenomenal.

 

[fcgamer | 4,729]

Also, I should add, I have nothing against other brewed beverages. I'm hoping to procure some fine mate in a few months, and I really enjoy rooibos - it's just that these aren't technically teas.

[spacepup | 2,405]

I understand the technical commonality of 'tea' mostly stemming from the same plant.  But in terms of practical use, I conventionally refer to them as different 'teas' because it's just easier.  I often call herbal tea "tea" and I've had some semantics-focused people harp on me "it's not technically tea" and I'm like yea yea, I know hah.   The same as how rooibos isn't Camellia Sinensis, but I still call it tea just because it's easier.  I fell in love with rooibos a few years ago because I was trying to consume less caffeine, and rooibos is caffeine free.  You might also try Green Rooibos (it's just rooibos that isn't oxidized / is processed differently), but I still prefer red.  I've made chai with it (red) and it works decently well.

You are correct that matcha is basically just ground up green tea, which makes it much more concentrated.  It is usually made from a high quality / high-grade green tea (if you get a non-cheapy one).  I know matcha has become sorta 'trendy' these days, but I actually think it's really good and lives up to the hype.  I often prefer matcha to a standard green steeped tea.

 

[spacepup | 2,405]

I was just reading about Ruby 18, it definitely sounds interesting.  That is not one I've tried before - I will give it a shot and see how I like it.  Thanks for the recommendation, it sounds very unique.

[fcgamer | 4,729]

17 minutes ago, spacepup said:

I understand the technical commonality of 'tea' mostly stemming from the same plant.  But in terms of practical use, I conventionally refer to them as different 'teas' because it's just easier.  I often call herbal tea "tea" and I've had some semantics-focused people harp on me "it's not technically tea" and I'm like yea yea, I know hah.   The same as how rooibos isn't Camellia Sinensis, but I still call it tea just because it's easier.  I fell in love with rooibos a few years ago because I was trying to consume less caffeine, and rooibos is caffeine free.  You might also try Green Rooibos (it's just rooibos that isn't oxidized / is processed differently), but I still prefer red.  I've made chai with it (red) and it works decently well.

Yeah I quite like rooibos, I've never seen the "green" variety before though, but that's great to know about, thanks for mentioning it.

I tried recommending rooibos to a friend who's mother loves tea, but can't drink it due to caffeine and serious heart problems. I even bought some but they were all less than impressed, needless to say it was the first time I realized that in such circles, classifying herbal drinks as tea was a huge no-no.

Yeah anyways though be sure to let me know what you think if you do get and try that Ruby 18 tea. Also, on Alishan there's a ton of nice high mountain green and oolong teas if that's your thing, with many being able to withstand 6-8 infusions each time! I really recommend it and mention it just because only a small portion of teas from here are actually exported, so many people are unfamiliar with it compared to tea from regions such as Sri Lanka or wherever.

 

[spacepup | 2,405]

I received my Ruby 18 already from a company called Mountain Tea Company which I read a few reviews about, indicating they believe the sourcing is legitimate from Taiwan.  I also got a roasted dark oolong.  I'll try it out soon and share my thoughts!  It was expensive, but I love trying new teas.

https://www.mountaintea.com/products/ruby-18-black-tea-2oz

My latest obsession is soba-cha or roasted buckwheat tea (not really a "tea" blah blah, but you get the idea).  It is so yummy!  It's like genmaicha but without the green tea.  Very unique flavor profile and I am absolutely loving it.  It has a toasty, nutty kinda flavor, almost savory, but then also has a decent amount of sweetness to it.  I LOVE it.

 

[RH | 4,921]

On 7/9/2023 at 5:45 AM, Estil said:

Just like the first time I tried a Starbucks...they practically looked at me like I was from Mars.  I think there was even a Ziggy comic about this subject way back when...

I'm not a fan of Starbucks and I never have been.  Any time I have to go to one for a coffee, I order the same thing and I refuse to change--"a medium cup of black coffee".  My curmudgeon ways refuse to allow them to change my personal "culture" of giving drink sizes stupid names like "venti".

Anyway, regarding tea I have nothing against it and I can find some flavors like Orange Pekoe to be enjoyable.  Regardless, every time I drink a warm tea, I find myself thinking it's not bad, but I'd rather be drinking a coffee. (Note, I drink about 2x pots of coffee a day, so yeah, I guess you could say I'm addicted to the stuff.)

Also, semi-amusing story.  I was born and raised in the South so, of course at my home, my grand parents and aunt and uncle's homes there was always a gallon of "sweet tea" in the fridge.  It was a staple and I grew up on the stuff.  Sweet tea wasn't in the drink dispensers when I moved to college, so I stopped drinking it and never really got back into it when I moved away to my own place after school.  My wife also grew up in the South, but her family never made sweet tea and she had never tried it so we came into marriage as non-sweet tea drinkers.

However, shortly after we were married my wife tried it at my Mom and Dad's home.  Now, if we stop by a fast food joint like Bojangles, that's the drink she's going to order.  I think the words that were first uttered after she tried it the first time were "holy cow, this is amazing!"  She never started making it at home, but I think she drew that boundary so we wouldn't have copious amounts of sugar water in our home.  But yeah, if we were prone to drink sugar drinks, I'm positive we'd have a gallon in our fridge right now.

[Hammerfestus | 3,860]

I don’t particularly like hot tea.  Iced Tea is the way.  Unsweetened only.  I can drink an entire pitcher by myself.  
 

The only thing I have to contribute is

if you add this to some hot wine it makes a solid lazy man’s version of Glühwein 

[fcgamer | 4,729]

1 hour ago, spacepup said:

I received my Ruby 18 already from a company called Mountain Tea Company which I read a few reviews about, indicating they believe the sourcing is legitimate from Taiwan.  I also got a roasted dark oolong.  I'll try it out soon and share my thoughts!  It was expensive, but I love trying new teas.

https://www.mountaintea.com/products/ruby-18-black-tea-2oz

My latest obsession is soba-cha or roasted buckwheat tea (not really a "tea" blah blah, but you get the idea).  It is so yummy!  It's like genmaicha but without the green tea.  Very unique flavor profile and I am absolutely loving it.  It has a toasty, nutty kinda flavor, almost savory, but then also has a decent amount of sweetness to it.  I LOVE it.

 

That's amazing! Definitely follow the instructions for brewing (I don't know how often you brew using leaves), heat the pot and glasses first, then open the leaves, then brew the first infusion blah blah blah. Definitely post some picks dude as I'm sure others would love to see it, as well as me. :)

[Tanooki | 4,939]

I looked up that Mountain Tea Company, I vaguely remember ordering something from them years ago (decade?) and I checked their about us.  Wushe Mountain, Nantou, Taiwan and they've been around since 1977.

I've never brewed full leaves, shredded, bagged, or detached flower buds even, but I have a solid tea pot with the metal strainer inside to go whatever way you want with it.

[PII | 1,886]

I've never had a tea (or herbal infusion) that I didn't like.

I tend to like mine with cream, but not always.

On two occasions I've had a nice electric teapot: there's a base that plugs into the socket and the kettle sits on that and you just fill it up, flip a switch and a literal minute later you've got piping hot water for tea.  ADVICE: if you get one, make sure everyone you live with understands that it is an electric tea kettle or some doofus is bound to set the kettle with it's plastic bottom on the stove top burner crank the burner to the max and then walk out of the room for 20 minutes.  Next thing you know you're home is filled with burning plastic smoke and someone then has to cough up dough for fumigation.