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Yes! I've been meaning to write up a huge "how to get into tea drinking" post here, and it would of course be all about loose leaf
What are your top teas? Bracketing puer (since that's a world unto itself), I love high mountain dan cong oolongs and wuyi oolongs most of all. Dragonwell is great in the summers, and I make a dope cold brew jasmine tea with some lemon. Starting to get into tieguanyins but haven't tried that many.
im actually pretty new to tea myself, which is part of why i appreciate a good "how to get started" post. I've not tried any puer yet, but so far I'm a big fan of oolongs as well. lighter oolongs more than darker ones, but not a strong preference there, and im not experienced enough to really give detailed reviews beyond that.
I still need to try cold brewing as well! i think id like it from what ive heard, but im still experimenting
Ah, well welcome to the tea world! A big and scary place. Tbh the best way to get started is to order a fuck ton of samples of different large tent types of tea and just explore what you like. If you like light oolongs, mayhe try some white tea? I'm personally not a huge fan, but people rave about white tea as a light tea. I'd try milk oolong too-that stuff is crazy cool. Don't know much about non-Chinese tea varietals either, but I do like hojicha (Japanese).
I enjoy white tea blends. White tea is light enough that fruit flavors can really come through and are quite pleasant without being as sugary as juice or something similar. That said as far as I can tell this is generally a lower grade tea. Been toying with the idea of growing my own and seeing if I like creating my own blends.
Tbh the best way to get started is to order a fuck ton of samples of different large tent types of tea and just explore what you like.
Yeah that's the plan, currently waiting on one sampler to come in from China so it could be a while lol
mayhe try some white tea?
I definitely will! Any recommendations for specific ones to try?
’d try milk oolong too-that stuff is crazy cool.
I've heard it recommended before, so it's coming in that sampler I'm waiting on
I'm sure I'll be talking about tea more here as my journey continues, so stay tuned. <3
Unfortunately don't have any white tea recommendations. I've tried some samples but didn't fall in love with anything. Good luck on your journey comrade!
Try this out: Get some Ceylon tea or another strong black tea, add whole cardamom pods, cloves, and bits of cinnamon stick, steep for eight minutes or so then add just a touch of milk. It's great stuff
Try this one, too: jasmine green tea, coarsely ground cinnamon, cloves, dried orange peel, and a tiiiiiiiny pinch of chili pepper. Steep for 4 minutes. It tastes great hot, but it's even better if you ice it overnight and add a little sugar or sweetener.
If you want to get real nasty with it, just put the loose tea in the hot (85-95C) water, wait 3 minutes, and strain it through a colander into a pre warmed mug (fill with boiling water and dump it out before putting in tea).
In my wet brain, I have a theory that 50-75% of what we pay for is convenience and packaging. Example: beans are 75 cents a can, or 75 cents a pound, dry.
Yunnan Sourcing is pretty great. Huge selection, all sourced directly from Yunnan province in China.
Puer is a dark, terrifying hole that will suck up all your money, so be warned. I personally love it but it's almost like a drug. Yunnan is a great general vendor, and some of their puer is fantastic, but my favorite puer-specific dealers are KuuraCorp and White2Tea. Some of the best puer (both ripe and raw) are from those vendors.
I was going to suggest https://www.melange-tea.com but they have gone out-of-business.
Hell yeah, especially because you can get multiple infusions out of the same leaves, instead of using multiple tea bags in a row. I recommend getting a temperature controlled electric kettle if you dont already. The right temperature can have a biiig effect
And with the theanine content, the buzz is so much less jittery than with coffee
The other fun thing about tea balls is you can blend your own tea! Throw in a few leaves of spearmint, fresh or dried, with a ball of green tea to make Mint Green, which is especially refreshing when iced on a hot day. Have fun experimenting!
