CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Non-Audio Stuff => Food and Drink => Topic started by: BlackenedPlague on February 04, 2013, 09:30:40 PM
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(http://i.imgur.com/k9GbZSa.jpg)
Anyone for oolong?
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I'll post my Oolong shit when I get home.
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SWEARING IS OK HERE? :)p5 I FEEL A LOT BETTER ALREADY
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As long as it's used in a mature way and not blatantly vulgar. A splash of tongue in cheek goes a long way while inappropriate overuse reduces impact. Like CAPS. Plus try to stick to relevant topics in threads, like Tea.
On that note, I prefer Jasmine, Lotus, Earl Grey w/ Bergamot, and Darjeeling.
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Understood but it would hardly seem necessary to make a thread for one single Q&A.
So where do you all get your stuff from? Right now I use Adagio primarily but am looking into Upton for cheaper keemun. $12 for "english breakfast" keemun is pretty outrageous when Upton sells keemun from the same province for $6.80. Now given I don't know if they are the exact same but we'll soon see, about to order.
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As long as it's used in a mature way and not blatantly vulgar. A splash of tongue in cheek goes a long way while inappropriate overuse reduces impact. Like CAPS. Plus try to stick to relevant topics in threads, like Tea.
On that note, I prefer Jasmine, Lotus, Earl Grey w/ Bergamot, and Darjeeling.
Specifying earl grey w/bergamot is redundant, as by definition bergamot oil must be included to be called earl grey
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Yes, tea labels like life can be redundant. Like when people ask if you have been to The Alhambra (literally The The Hambra)? Or it depends on which way you read 'w/ Bergamot'. As in Earl Grey w/ Bergamot must be 'w/ Bergomot' to be considered Earl Grey. Though repetitive, not incorrect as in the previous example of redundancy. Or does it mean a different proportion of Bergamot than would be considered the norm? Hell, what happens to you when you hear someone say 'white tea'?
(http://www.swansonvitamins.com/en_US/images/ItemImages_SW/images_Xl/TOT002_Xl.jpg)
(http://www.meijer.com/assets/product_images/styles/xlarge/1001029_072310001237_A_400.jpg)
(http://www.swansonvitamins.com/en_US/images/ItemImages_SW/images_Xl/STH005_Xl.jpg)
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My favorite Jasmine is Yin Hao, and the one I drink the most. I'll dip into Ti Kuan Yin for some Oolong sometimes. I generally prefer the floral perfumey teas, so I don't do Earl Grey or English Breakfast much.
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Speaking of redundancy, it's a pet peeve of mine when people say "chai tea." Chai is tea. Chai means tea.
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Speaking of redundancy, it's a pet peeve of mine when people say "chai tea." Chai is tea. Chai means tea.
I love chai tea!!!
Seriously though...I didn't know that.
You learn something new everyday.
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I like Chamomile and Thai tea.
I like the flavor of Chamomile, and it brings me some good memories as well.
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Southern Sweet Tea is good too, especially w/ Bourbon or even Vodka.
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I love a good green tea, traditionally made or in packets(Pokka). Yes, I like my tea packed too, not very fussy.
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My favorite tea is definitely a genmaicha green tea.
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chai (that specific chinese/japanese tea) here!
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chayyyyyyyyyyyyy. Pureeeeeeeeeeee. Vedge Cutlet.
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Tay is where Tea comes from. Southern dialect.
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Speaking of redundancy, it's a pet peeve of mine when people say "chai tea." Chai is tea. Chai means tea.
That being said Chai is an indian blend with tea, herbs and spices, often drank with creme and sweetened.
So if you were to go to a tea shop and ask for ceylon chai the person behind the counter would most likely go "wtf"?
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No mention of Tarik? One of the most pleasant warm drinks when eating a spicy meal...
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Like coffee, I've never understood the draw to hot tea. When you make it you have to wait many minutes before it's cooled enough to not burn your mouth, and then the flavor doesn't seem very strong. It's not too difficult to tell the difference between teas, but they are all weak and bland, IMO. About the only thing I'll drink like that is hot chocolate and occasionally cider. Even then I have to stop the water kettle well before it starts whistling or I have to wait 10-15 minutes to take my first sip. Coffee certainly has a strong flavor but it's always turned me off because IMO it stinks.
These days I drink only water with occasional hot chocolate when I'm feeling cold. I can tolerate iced tea, even sweet iced tea (though sometimes it's so sweet it makes me gag), but hot tea just feels like a waste of money.
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Tea is for the subtle palate and mild impact. If you are comparing hot tea to hot chocolate and cider, yeah, it's not for you. I take it your one of those that prefers chocolate to vanilla. Go figure that most Asians, who prefer tea, also tend toward vanilla over chocolate unlike their European coffee/cacao based counterparts. I find tea is more for the contemplative introspective experience where coffee is geared towards 'amping' you up on caffeine. You can reflect on the steam, the shape of the leaves (like a jasmine blossom) and purity of the ingredients. That's why you'll never find Geishas performing a one hour coffee ceremony built around a Dunkin Donuts styrofoam cup filled with black sludge. I almost look at premium gourmet coffee as an exercise in Anax modding coffee to make it palatable. Most coffee that's consumed seems to be of the Beats by Dre variety IME.
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I've performed ceremonies built around Dunkin Donuts coffee. And possibly other substances...
Anyway. I'm a major tea fanatic. I love flowery oolongs, but my main preference is for greens with vegetable notes. Last really nice green tea I had was Gu Zhu Zi Sun. It was exquisite!
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I'll take homemade chai over any other kind of tea if its available.
THat said, there are a few tea houses in portland, (3 of them founded by an Indian no less) that are quite amazing. Some of he Japanese teas are interesting to say the least. And they are all presened in the way they are supposed to be presented which is quite the trip. The decor sets the mood as well, very relaxing.
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Tea is for the subtle palate and mild impact. If you are comparing hot tea to hot chocolate and cider, yeah, it's not for you. I take it your one of those that prefers chocolate to vanilla. Go figure that most Asians, who prefer tea, also tend toward vanilla over chocolate unlike their European coffee/cacao based counterparts. I find tea is more for the contemplative introspective experience where coffee is geared towards 'amping' you up on caffeine. You can reflect on the steam, the shape of the leaves (like a jasmine blossom) and purity of the ingredients. That's why you'll never find Geishas performing a one hour coffee ceremony built around a Dunkin Donuts styrofoam cup filled with black sludge. I almost look at premium gourmet coffee as an exercise in Anax modding coffee to make it palatable. Most coffee that's consumed seems to be of the Beats by Dre variety IME.
Try African black tea with honey, almost as strong as a decent americano.
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AL-WAZAH TEA FTW
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rlMqrPuTL.jpg)
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Earl Grey has always been comfort tea for me. Occasionally a cup of some strong green shit.
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Like most Indians, I can't do without a decent morning chai.I love whatever's made at home - Ginger, elaichi, masala,green,Daarjiling, Assamese or Kashmiri tea(no clear favorites).
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No mention of Tarik? One of the most pleasant warm drinks when eating a spicy meal...
Hell yeah! Tarik is my favorite drink to got with a plate of piping hot prata/murtabak/chicken briyani. I forgot to mention the Teh(black tea with condensed milk) in SG which is my favourite, there are 2 variations which I order.
Teh-bing which is essentially tea with ice.
Teh-c-gao-siew-dai-puah-siew which is warm(not hot), thick tea with evaporated milk and less sugar. I order it whenever I feel a little childish, I was scolded once for it.
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Had very nice Iron Buddha (Ti Kuan Yin which is oolong tea) from mainland China while I was in Hong Kong, amazing fragrant and after taste.
Otherwise Longjing (green tea) and Jasmine are the ones that I have everyday, several times a day.
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Like most Indians, I can't do without a decent morning chai.
I'll take homemade chai over any other kind of tea if its available.
Yep, yep.
That being said Chai is an indian blend with tea, herbs and spices, often drank with creme and sweetened.
Creme? This is news to me. Also, don't they drink chai in Sri Lanka? I always had the impression that culture between Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka was fairly homogeneous.
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Yeah, that crème thing is news to me too. Sounds 'white'. :))
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OK, here's the real stuff.
The first is a Oolong on the green side. (Ti Guam Yim is on the darker side usually.)
The second is an aged Pu-Erh in loose form. I actually prefer the brick variety (and no, not the shit that says NUMI or Republic of Tea on the brick)
The third is the Oolong infused in the teapot with my kitty porcelain cup. I drank most of it, but we can see how the leaves massively expand.
Sorry no green tea. My family in Taiwan won't get that for me because they think only Commies drink green tea. No seriously, they are really weird about stuff like that - I think their concern is pesticides and trace elements of cesium, etc. (BTW, the Japanese green tea is very different from the "Commie" green tea.)
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The second is an aged Pu-Erh in loose form. I actually prefer the brick variety (and no, not the shit that says NUMI or Republic of Tea on the brick)
EEEWWWWW Hong Kongers quite like it, I hate it.
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I know. The best Pu-Erh is from HK. I call it the "stinky foot in rainforest" tea.
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I hate it. :(
And don't worry, I'm trying to get a revolution thing happening in Hong Kong, so you can call it colonial tea instead of commie tea.
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Pu-erh is definitely I'm still in progress to liking. Just had a couple glasses of sleeping dragon green tea and it really doesn't wow me like the gunpowder does
So far ti kuan yin and adagio's ear grey bravo are my favorites. OH HELL have any of you tried Lapsang Souchong? A week or so ago I bought a tin from some corner asian market and when I brought it home and opened it, I thought it was a mistake. The damned leaves smelled like barbecue! The tea itself was like liquid smoke..... Makes pu-erh seem like blooming tea
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I'm trying really hard to not post a pic of Camphor Tea smoked Duck.
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Giving the tea thing another go. Let it fully boil and poured into a smaller cup than I normally use. I think I've figured out my problem with tea. Like salt it seems tea needs sugar (IMO) to show it's flavor. Drinking some earl gray atm with about 2-3 times the sugar than I've used in the past (total of a full teaspoon, where I had just tossed in a dash of it before). It actually tastes good. Still don't care for the waiting to take the first sips, but we'll see.
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Cool of you to try again! You can also use honey. Certain teas like the blossoms rolled into little balls taste better after a second steeping.
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Re: waiting to take the first sip -- I had a Punjabi roommate in college that would make us chai all the time. He would have to drink it within like 5 minutes straight from the boil. He found it utterly appalling that the other roommates and I would have to wait 10 minutes or so before it's cool enough to safely drink. So yeah -- waiting is optional.
+1 on the honey. I like honey with the "toasty" teas like English Breakfast.
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If I drank the full cup in less than 5 minutes I would have no taste buds left. They would be burned off. I'll try the honey when I go to the store again as I have none atm!
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Reminds me of my Dad, he'd take a fresh cup of coffee from the drip machine and place it in the microwave immediately to "heat it up"! Crazy. :&
Re: waiting to take the first sip -- I had a Punjabi roommate in college that would make us chai all the time. He would have to drink it within like 5 minutes straight from the boil. He found it utterly appalling that the other roommates and I would have to wait 10 minutes or so before it's cool enough to safely drink. So yeah -- waiting is optional.
+1 on the honey. I like honey with the "toasty" teas like English Breakfast.
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If I drank the full cup in less than 5 minutes I would have no taste buds left. They would be burned off. I'll try the honey when I go to the store again as I have none atm!
If you're at home or in a situation where you're able to do it, try using a second cup. Pour a small portion of the tea into it at a time. This will allow you to drink it sooner, and personally I also find it makes it easier to taste the subtleties of flavor.
I guess I take it for granted, as I use a tea set or a gaiwan most of the time, and that kind of thing facilitates smaller more controlled portions.
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OK so far:
Earl Grey - Good
Redcurrant - Great
English Breakfast - Yuck
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OK so far:
Earl Grey - Good
Redcurrant - Great
English Breakfast - Yuck
http://www.adagio.com/flavors/index.html?SID=e3da9e83f104f6189652533cd96bc4a8
I'm curious as to what brands you had in each of those? Blends often vary greatly from brand-to-brand. For example, Twinnings loose earl grey is really delicate while Teavana's bulk earl grey is super saturated in bergamot giving it an unpleasant oily aftertaste
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Twinnings for Earl Grey and blackcurrant
Essentia for English Breakfast (stuff left over from when my sister visited last year)
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Please give english breakfast another try, this time get twinnings. Loose leaf would be best but if you choose to get the bags then alright.
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Does anyone find Tazo remotely palatable? I'd rather boil my socks. I simply don't get Tazo or how it could be so widely distributed by Starcrack.
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Does anyone find Tazo remotely palatable? I'd rather boil my socks. I simply don't get Tazo or how it could be so widely distributed by Starcrack.
Same thing as Apple products.
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Please explain that one. How are Starbucks endorsed Teas and Apple consumer products comparable?
popcorn
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Please explain that one. How are Starbucks endorsed Teas and Apple consumer products comparable?
popcorn
Blind consumerism. "_____ owns it so it must be TOTL!"
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Does anyone find Tazo remotely palatable? I'd rather boil my socks. I simply don't get Tazo or how it could be so widely distributed by Starcrack.
Ohhh, now I know where my uncle in Taiwan ships all the little oolong tea bits that fall on the floor.
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I hope your uncle gets a decent pay. The hyped prices for a decent drink at Starbucks are even high compared to beverage prices in Amsterdam, I'm not kidding here...
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How is Stash tea? It was on sale at the store so I picked up a couple boxes for cheap. Got Orange Spice (black) and a green tea sampler including Chai Green, Fusion Breakfast, Fusion Green and White, Ginger Peach, Moroccan Mint, Organic Premium Green, Pomegrantate Raspberry, Premium Green and Decaf Premium Green. Just made a cup of the Orange Spice and wow it makes my whole room smell awesome. It's still cooling a bit before I take a sip.
Edit: So that Stash Orange Spice was good. Think I might have liked the Blackcurrant Twinnings better, but both were fine.
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Snagged a bag of Twinnings Jasmine Green from a co-worker today. It's.. weird. Not bad, just odd. First green tea so not sure if it's the green or the jasmine. I do like that the tea taste isn't as hard as the teas I have been drinking so far. I guess that's the green?
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Jasmine tea is often more delicate and floral. Typically a green tea (or white/black) infused w/ the scent of Jasmine blossoms.
Green tea is often more robust and earthy tasting by comparison but not as in your face as other hearty teas. Green tea tends to settle on middle and back of your palate where Jasmine sort of evaporates off the palate more cleanly sometimes leaving a slight bitterness on the tip of your tongue.
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Trying one from that sampler pack. This is the Fusion Green and White. Sort of bland, but very smooth, not hard at all. Easy to drink. Think I might have let it brew too long. I let it go for near 3 minutes. The package said 2-3 minutes.
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I just got a gift of Tie Guan Yin, and it's just ever so delicate and floral. One of the better ones I've tasted so far. One thing that Tie Guan Yin drinkers might want to note is that the tea leaves should not be steeped too long or the tannin just ruins the taste of the tea...i.e. the tea should be light yellow in color, no darker
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Noted. Do you know where the tie guan yin (or ti kuan yin) came from?
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Yunling Tea (Apparently from ChongQing province?)
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Copy paste from a different place, but I wrote it.
Okay I got a black tea sampler from Twinnings today so I'll give a run-down of them. It should be mentioned that all of these are obvious orange pekoe/pekoe cut black teabags, the disappointing standard.
In order of tasting
Lady Grey: Has a pretty decent taste in all honesty, the lemon peel blends with the orange peel and bergamot to create this delightful citrus flavor that even for a shitty bag tea full of dust/fannings, it is worth the price. I am currently working on a blend on the Adagio site but because it is a fixed 3oz for $10, you can't honestly expect me to rapid trial and error.
Earl Grey: LG without the lemon peel, tastes watered-down like crazy. Not worth the price.
Irish Breakfast: The EXACT same blend as Red Rose. Red Rose is cheaper, get that.
English Breakfast: Slightly different than the IB, not nearly as aggressive. Don't bother
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Anyone ever tried those chocolate teas? Looks like a blend of black tea that they put chocolate powder and dried chocolate bits in it.
I just came from some yuppie tea place on Burlingame (David's Tea) and they were really pushing the chocolate teas. Not sure how I feel about it, but I just got a small pack of chocolate mate' tea just for shits and giggles. (hopefully this pic doesn't get me banned from this thread)
Folks there were friendly as hell though.
(http://i46.tinypic.com/mlia0n.jpg)
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So have you ever had bitter tea? Either the 'organic' tiny bright green leaves or the black 'nail' looking rolled leaf?
After drinking it EVERYTHING tastes delicious… :)
JJ
OK, here's the real stuff.
The first is a Oolong on the green side. (Ti Guam Yim is on the darker side usually.)
The second is an aged Pu-Erh in loose form. I actually prefer the brick variety (and no, not the shit that says NUMI or Republic of Tea on the brick)
The third is the Oolong infused in the teapot with my kitty porcelain cup. I drank most of it, but we can see how the leaves massively expand.
Sorry no green tea. My family in Taiwan won't get that for me because they think only Commies drink green tea. No seriously, they are really weird about stuff like that - I think their concern is pesticides and trace elements of cesium, etc. (BTW, the Japanese green tea is very different from the "Commie" green tea.)
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:D I actually like david's tea, they got a lot of fruity stuff that isn't necessarily tealeaves or such but it's still nice. have only tried one of their chocolate teas but didn't really like it, was too bitter/watery. not a nice combination in my opinion.
I really like their "tea" Bear Trap, which is nicely sweet and tart and lots of berry flavour. but it seems that their actual teas are not the best price/quality - though not too surprising considering most of their products are blends of teas and various flavourings.
friend of mine has a really good barley tea I believe it was? has a nice aftertaste of chocolate. almost milky. but forgot the name of it. chinese I believe. anyone know what it might be?
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So have you ever had bitter tea? Either the 'organic' tiny bright green leaves or the black 'nail' looking rolled leaf?
After drinking it EVERYTHING tastes delicious… :)
JJ
This stuff?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Kudingcha.jpg/275px-Kudingcha.jpg)
It's called Kuding tea and it's very bitter, and I happen to like the taste. p:3
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are black pepper or ginger counted? i usually prepare it when i have sore throat / dry cough though. apparently, it works as a medicine as well xD
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Ginger + Lemongras tea (add honey to taste). Good way to boost metabolism, decent remedy too
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use to drink lot of white tea before every morning but not much now. i don't wake up to coffee or tea anymore. just water.
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yeah those are them I call 'the nails'. And while I don't drink it often I too like the 'taste'.
But my favorite is Bai Hau (sp?). I haven't found any of the really good stuff for well over 10 years now. It is a 'blow your mind' kind of tea when available and made 'properly'.
JJ
So have you ever had bitter tea? Either the 'organic' tiny bright green leaves or the black 'nail' looking rolled leaf?
After drinking it EVERYTHING tastes delicious… :)
JJ
This stuff?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Kudingcha.jpg/275px-Kudingcha.jpg)
It's called Kuding tea and it's very bitter, and I happen to like the taste. p:3
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you guys ever heard of botanical spirit? site i go to for ummmmm...for my special teas just to say but, they have tons of other fresh herbs. i like the maca a lot especially for weight training purposes. i tried yohimbe too but when i first tried yohimbe i had major cold sweats and nausea. thought i was dying or something. i didn't know it was a type of natural MAOI inhibitor(you can't eat certain things containing tyamine i think it's called. like cheese,dairy,pork,beef and so forth). after i adapted though and no more side-effects yohimbe can be badass for strength training.
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Can I sneak a little Iced Tea in here...
(http://www.play-mag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ice-t-photo-ice-t-.jpg)
No, seriously, is this Tejava stuff as good as all the hype??
(http://www.tejava.com/images/img5.png)
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Looks bloody decent to be honest.
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what are you talking about? that tea has to be fly. look at ma home boy. he's wearing a M mutha-frinkin benz chain! you know dat right there is some serious brew. also can't discredit the shades. your racist if you do.
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For the record, my brother Ice-T has no affiliation or endorsement deal with Tejava..... Yet. ;)
what are you talking about? that tea has to be fly. look at ma home boy. he's wearing a M mutha-frinkin benz chain! you know dat right there is some serious brew. also can't discredit the shades. your racist if you do.
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what are you talking about? that tea has to be fly. look at ma home boy. he's wearing a M mutha-frinkin benz chain! you know dat right there is some serious brew. also can't discredit the shades. your racist if you do.
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/mfw-production/image_post/1/medium/96.png)
Just looked at the bottle again, it looks like a 40oz.
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(http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac26/RexAeterna/20130315_165203800x600.png)
here's some special ceremony tea i brewed couple days ago. i brewed it for over 12 hours(let stay simmering where it reached no boil. used double stainless steal pots to ensure heat stay concentrated on bottom and to prevent boiling).
tea consisted of:
B. cappi(Cielo)
psychotria viridis
tiny bit of Mapacho(Nicotiana rustica/Sacred Tobacco)
haven't drank any yet but probably give it a first go tonight.
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Ceremonial tea for St. Paddys!? Woot!
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Ceremonial tea for St. Paddys!? Woot!
holy poop! i forgot it was saint paddys soon. in that case yup. maybe i'll meet a leprechaun.
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12 hours of tea-brewing O_o
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12 hours of tea-brewing O_o
That must be some strong tea...
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I’d go with Jasmine or Darjeeling.
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Oh! Need to make my two recos here.
Lupicia consistently makes nice teas. Treat yourself at least once to Lupicia's Yame Province (Hoshino Village) Gyokuro Shincha (https://usa.lupicia.com/category/select/cid/312/pid/9373). Special area makes the best of this variety and special tea. So this is a growing method and an appellation-thing.
Only the very top leaves are picked on a certain day and they build a shade canopy over the leaves so that they are protected from getting astringent flavors. Amazingly round, buttery tea liquor...without the super-vegetal green tea "just mowed the lawn and dumped the grass" thing.
There is a special preparation (reduced temperature, long duration, barely any water) that I tried to the letter but did not like as much as just prepping it the way I would do any regular green tea. You can see videos of them making the canopies and instructions on making Gyokuro the "right" way if you are interested. Plenty online.
My other recommendation is Drunken Princess Oolong Tea from Mountain View Tea Village. Info is in the attached pic. More of a floral, lighter oolong. For those who like jasmine teas, I think you would dig this oolong.
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No love for Tie Guan Yin?
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No love for Tie Guan Yin?
Tie Guan Yin needs an entire thread all to itself.
I'm personally more of a Wuyi guy, but a good Tie Guan Yin is a great way to enjoy an afternoon.