~Tea~

[TeaDidikai]

Calixti

Good to know if I ever decide to give oolong another try. I'm not a huge fan of the ones I have tried, and tend to prefer blacks, mild greens, and rooibos over oolong and white tea.

I ran into a beautiful Milk Oolong. The flavor is so creamy it's amazing.

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Yeah, that makes sense, though I've noticed that my older teas tend to take longer, while my very fresh ones take very little time.

Not only is the age a factor, but the actual quality of tea. See, high quality tea is rolled in a way that minimizes exposed edges in order to prevent oxidization. The less surface area that leeches the nature of the leaf into the air, the more quickly it gives up it's essence in water.  

[whiporwill-o]

TeaDidikai

They ended up brewing it too long, too strong and adding things like sugar and cream. This became the European way to serve tea.

i bought some looseleaf green tea with jasmine, i did the 30 sec. thing, it just tasted like, well, hot water. did i do something wrong?

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It's less about a quantity of water and more about a ratio.

ratio, yeah, thats what i meant sweatdrop
i kinda like mine a bit strong 3nodding



thanks for all the help heart  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

it just tasted like, well, hot water. did i do something wrong?

What was your ratio and the temp of the water?  

[whiporwill-o]

TeaDidikai

whiporwill-o

it just tasted like, well, hot water. did i do something wrong?

What was your ratio and the temp of the water?

1 tsp to 8oz
almost boiling, but not, i dont have a thermometer to check sweatdrop  

[TeaDidikai]

whiporwill-o

1 tsp to 8oz
almost boiling, but not, i dont have a thermometer to check sweatdrop

How pliable are the leaves? What was the brand name and you should get a thermometer. If nothing else, when doing roasts it's useful.  

[whiporwill-o]

TeaDidikai

whiporwill-o

1 tsp to 8oz
almost boiling, but not, i dont have a thermometer to check sweatdrop

How pliable are the leaves? What was the brand name and you should get a thermometer. If nothing else, when doing roasts it's useful.

leaves are very crisp, but don't really crumble.

its archer farms, i think, its the target brand. yes i know, shame on me, but it's all i could fine in these parts, remember i'm in drinkable syrup capital of the world.

and i do need a thermometer, but i'm poor crying  

[Collowrath]

TeaDidikai

whiporwill-o

1 tsp to 8oz
almost boiling, but not, i dont have a thermometer to check sweatdrop

How pliable are the leaves? What was the brand name and you should get a thermometer. If nothing else, when doing roasts it's useful.

I'm just finding so many uses for my new instant thermometer. Probably one of my favorite kitchen tools, aside from tongs and my hands.  

[patch99329]

whiporwill-o

i bought some looseleaf green tea with jasmine, i did the 30 sec. thing, it just tasted like, well, hot water. did i do something wrong?

:

I get this too, especially with jasmine. I love my tea as strong as possible (again with the brit thing).
I've cut my brewing time down to about a minute, and less for greens. With my jasmine I use double the usual serving amount.

@tea- I use roughly 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea, for roughly a pint of water. How is that on the ratio scale?  

[TeaDidikai]

Folks who want to be knocked over with the flavor of tea should add a quarter of a teaspoon of leaves at a time and test the flavor of the brew until they like what they get.  

[Calixti]

TeaDidikai

Folks who want to be knocked over with the flavor of tea should add a quarter of a teaspoon of leaves at a time and test the flavor of the brew until they like what they get.

I'm too lazy to do that. Luckily, it doesn't take long to figure out how much tea I need for a good, strong cup.

In related news, I may be slowly turning my father on to loose leaf. Last time he visited, he was blown away by the tea I made him, and he's asked me to bring my Earl Grey when I visit for my birthday because it's so much better than the bagged stuff Mum buys. heart  

[Ainwyn]

whiporwill-o

i bought some looseleaf green tea with jasmine, i did the 30 sec. thing, it just tasted like, well, hot water. did i do something wrong?

I just found some loose leaf jasmine my sister got me for Christmas (it's a local brand) and did the 30 second thing... it was amazing! I've always loved green tea with jasmine any way, but this has created new love!

And to image, on the bag it said 3 minutes!!!!! I don't think that I ever steeped my tea that long and always get made at my friends who just keep the tea bags in while they drink *cringes*  

[TeaDidikai]

I picked up some more of my favorite Black when I was in Seattle last. heart  

[IH_Zero]

So, what sort of teas would you recommend for a good introduction to loose leaf teas? I've been looking into them for a while now, but the selection is rather daunting, to say the least. I prefer more milder tastes, generally, and have never been big on black teas.  

[TeaDidikai]

AngryRobotsInc.

So, what sort of teas would you recommend for a good introduction to loose leaf teas? I've been looking into them for a while now, but the selection is rather daunting, to say the least. I prefer more milder tastes, generally, and have never been big on black teas.

I'd do a mellow green, maybe a High Mountain Green.

If you can get a hold of that White Darjeeling, that would be good too.  

[IH_Zero]

TeaDidikai

I'd do a mellow green, maybe a High Mountain Green.

If you can get a hold of that White Darjeeling, that would be good too.

Thanks. I'll have to keep that in mind when I get around to doing some shopping. I'll probably start with green teas, as I've generally preferred those over other things.

I do think my issue with black teas is that most of what I've had is of the crap variety, though.