The Tea Thread

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by Smitty, Jan 18, 2016.

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  1. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    The coffee snobs have their thread, but where's the love for camellia sinensis?

    Today it's cold as shit outside, so I'm drinking some Zhen Shan Xiao Zhong from Verdant Tea. I'm using my black tea yixing, though I can't post pictures because my Nexus 5 camera has decided to stop working.
     
  2. Cryptowolf

    Cryptowolf Repping Chi Town - Friend

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    I'm always up for tea conversation. I favor Oolong, though I drink a little bit of everything.

    My preparation method depends on my mood and time. Prep ranges from a Bodum pot for weekday mornings to a yixing or hohin for weekends.

    This morning was a tasty Iron Goddess of Mercy from Mandala Tea.
     
  3. Gravity

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    I enjoy my Chai Latte tea. Easy to make and very delicious.

    [​IMG]
     
  4. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    I love roasted green tea. First had it in Japan and found one here that tastes very close[​IMG] :
    Yama Moto Yama Roasted Green Tea
     
  5. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    I make a cup of Darjeeling from Rishi Tea every morning at work. Pretty acceptable.
     
  6. IndySpeed

    IndySpeed Friend

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    I like Oolong too. Particularly Republic of Tea Milk Oolong that has a hint of Orchid in its scent.
     
  7. IndySpeed

    IndySpeed Friend

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    I probably have a couple dozen Republic of Tea cans in my pantry. Anything from Chocolate, Stawberry Chocolate, Hot Apple Cider, Blueberry, Apricot, Oolong, and etc. to just a basic mint tea. I also just use Luzianne for sun tea, and sometimes I drink a basic black tea from Red Rose. Due to my medical situation, I can't consume hardly any sugar or alcohol. So, I basically drink water and tea. I love the smell of Coffee, but I really can't get into its taste.
     
  8. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    @fraggler - That looks like a houjicha, Yamamotoyama is a pretty solid company to get reasonably priced tea from.

    I have a bunch of Oolongs, though I'm particularly partial to Wuyi Shan rock Oolongs. Though the holy grail for me was I have a small sample of a Taiwanese Orchid Oolong that Verdant Tea sold when it was a wordpress blog with a paypal plugin. I've been chasing a tea like that for literally 4 years after David told me he couldn't get more, I've been completely unsuccessful.
     
  9. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast Tea: 80 tea bags for three dollars. It's not as good as Barry's Gold but it's better than Barry's Breakfast and Twinnings.
     
  10. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Twinnings is one step above Tetly tea, and that's not really anything to be proud of. Trader Joe's is a good bargain, I honestly prefer if some of the peach-flavored dancong stuff people charge me $6 for a pot of. Looking at you P.F. Chang's, your teas suck.
     
  11. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Anyone know about teas that don't come from India or China?
     
  12. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    I drink plenty of Japanese teas, just that's more of a summer thing for me. Except for Genmaicha, that's a good winter tea.
     
  13. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    My Hoji Cha is Japanese, too. Warms the soul during winter.

    I am a big fan of Rooibos tea that comes from the red bush in South Africa.

    I am also a fan of this "tea" from the Tatra mountains between Poland and Slovakia as well:
    l:[​IMG]
     
  14. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Tatratea is good? I've been curious, but they don't carry it in the liquor stores here, so I've never had it. I'm sure my Slovak ancestors would approve regardless.
     
  15. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    It is a little sweeter than I normally prefer, but a splash of water helps. Otherwise, a very nice break from normal liquors. There was a great ethnic supermarket near me in the burbs that had a strong Polish and Slovak inventory, but sadly a Mariano's opened up and drove them out of business. Haven't seen Tatratea anywhere else since.
     
  16. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    That sucks. I could really use some right now, as snowmagedon bears down on me...
     
  17. New Reformation

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    Ever try Bewley's Irish Breakfast? I import direct from Ireland and think it is a fantastic tea. I am brewing their loose leaf stuff though, so I can't say exactly what the bags taste like.

    BTW what kind of hardware are y'all using?

    I have a brown betty for my English/Irish teas.
     
  18. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    I've got a brew basket, 5 yixings, two gaiwans, and a bunch of tiny Chinese style cups. I had a Japanese teapot for brewing miscellaneous teas, but it was destroyed by a cat pushing it off a counter.
     
  19. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    I am happy toasting my own mochi rice, what tea should I pair it with? I love the nutty taste of genmaicha.
     
  20. Cryptowolf

    Cryptowolf Repping Chi Town - Friend

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    My wife's cats have destroyed one crystal high ball glass, two yixing tea pots, and several tea cups. I'm convinced they don't want me to be happy.

    As far as tea is concerned, I've been on a pu'er kick recently since I can throw the leaves in a tumbler and enjoy all morning without worrying about over-steeping.
     

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