Tea

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Relevant:

[Old Black Man]

Ha, I was about to say green tea is my go to.

[RAPEMAN]

I drink mainly masala chai when drinking actual tea, mint when drinking herbal. I do drink a few other herbal teas in the cold season but peppermint us my favorite.

Ha, I was about to say green tea is my go to.

For some reason I'm more prone to acid reflex with green tea than black.

[rabidtictac]

I like peppermint tea but I've been trying to get back to drinking actual tea rather than tisanes. I need to go to the shops near me and get an idea what kind of loose leaf is available, because the local grocery stores I buy food at don't stock *any* loose leaf. We do have a fair number of asian groceries, and that's probably where I'm going to find some.

I have some "royal phoenix oolong" loose leaf but it tastes pretty weak. I haven't yet found any (bag or loose) Oolongs on the same level as what the chinese restaurants around here serve. No matter how long I brew or how much I use, I just can't get a deep, rich flavor from the oolongs I have tried.

I'm planning to get some Assam and Keemun black teas to try.

Not sure what kind of sweetening agent is best to retain the original flavor profile of the tea. At present, I can't really drink pure tea without anything. I've always drank tea with some kind of sweetener, from childhood. Tasting the tea without anything is fine (it's how I know the stuff I have is way too weak) but sitting down with a giant mug, no. I've tried Stevia and Stevia just makes the entire tea taste of Stevia. Which is not unpleasant... But it may as well be hot water for all the tea adds in that case. Honey is nice. Sugar, no thanks. Assparticlesarelame seems to add sweetness without changing the flavor much, but it's a packet of fake chemicals... Never really tried milk.

I don't have a gaiwan right now, just a little tea sieve thing I can pop the loose leaf into before hanging it on top of my teacup. It's about as convenient as a teabag. Cleaning is very easy too.

[Le Redditeur]

I'm a lemon and orange tea sipper, love me those citric flavours.

Do you mean tea brewed from lemon and orange, or a tea flavored with those things? Forgive my autism-I'm not sure whether you mean a black flavored tea or an herbal tea.

Brewed from lemon and orange leaves and the fruits, yeah. It's much better than just favored tea - although lemon-flavored black tea is also good.

[Old Black Man]

I drink mainly masala chai when drinking actual tea, mint when drinking herbal. I do drink a few other herbal teas in the cold season but peppermint us my favorite.

Ha, I was about to say green tea is my go to.

For some reason I'm more prone to acid reflex with green tea than black.

Acid reflux sucks, when I was trying to drink more tea I learned that rose hip has more acidic content than other teas or even soda.

[Kugelfisch]

I don't have a gaiwan right now, just a little tea sieve thing I can pop the loose leaf into before hanging it on top of my teacup. It's about as convenient as a teabag. Cleaning is very easy too.

Get a gaiwan then. Also get a thermometer, if you don't have an electric kettle that you can set the temperature with.
You should find both at tea online shops, which would be the opportunity to pick up some tea along the way.

Most of those shops, the good ones anyway, will offer sample collections.
Brewing gong fu, large amount of tea in a small vessel, will absolutely solve the issue of the flavour not being bold enough. There's a reason it's the recommended way for most teas.

If you insist on sweeteners, just use sugar. Brown or cane sugar, if you want to.
But really, if your issue is bitterness, you're brewing at too high of a temperature most likely.

Pu-ehr has a very unusual taste. Earthy and mineral. But it's never bitter or astringent. At all. No matter what you do. Boiling hot water, steeping it for seconds to hours, it doesn't matter.
The one I have just gets a bit weaker in the earthy notes and shifts to peach. I get 20 cups out of a portion and just let the last steep over night when I'm well done for the day. The next day you'll have a still fairly intense but not at all bitter or astringent cup.
So if bitterness is the issue, give Pu-ehr a try.

[rabidtictac]

I don't have a gaiwan right now, just a little tea sieve thing I can pop the loose leaf into before hanging it on top of my teacup. It's about as convenient as a teabag. Cleaning is very easy too.

Get a gaiwan then. Also get a thermometer, if you don't have an electric kettle that you can set the temperature with.
You should find both at tea online shops, which would be the opportunity to pick up some tea along the way.

Most of those shops, the good ones anyway, will offer sample collections.
Brewing gong fu, large amount of tea in a small vessel, will absolutely solve the issue of the flavour not being bold enough. There's a reason it's the recommended way for most teas.

If you insist on sweeteners, just use sugar. Brown or cane sugar, if you want to.
But really, if your issue is bitterness, you're brewing at too high of a temperature most likely.

Pu-ehr has a very unusual taste. Earthy and mineral. But it's never bitter or astringent. At all. No matter what you do. Boiling hot water, steeping it for seconds to hours, it doesn't matter.
The one I have just gets a bit weaker in the earthy notes and shifts to peach. I get 20 cups out of a portion and just let the last steep over night when I'm well done for the day. The next day you'll have a still fairly intense but not at all bitter or astringent cup.
So if bitterness is the issue, give Pu-ehr a try.

Is there any preferred material for teapot or gaiwan? Other than the special clay they use for Oolongs. I do know about that.

I've tried pu-erh tea and the flavor was just too... Light? Too delicate? Now granted, I was drinking a tea bag. So that could have been the problem in itself. But it reminded me of drinking Green Tea and just not really getting much from the experience. I like a rich, dark flavor in tea, just as with beer.

I have a great electric kettle that makes brewing at the recommended temperatures really easy.

I discovered that the local hipster overpriced grocery store near here (you'd know exactly which one if I said the name) does carry loose leaf. Only a couple brands, but they do have some. Mainstream grocery stores, as I've said, just don't carry it. America is all about coffee. It's a total coffee culture. The coffee section of any store always includes fresh ground as well as whole beans, and many varieties of each. But for tea, most of the space is given over to Lipton's Tea Dust.

[RAPEMAN]

America is all about coffee. It's a total coffee culture.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

The greatest tragedy in British history.