Tea ... who likes it?

Grarea

Grarea

Forum Plod
Well, the elderflower tea is definitely way better than I have had in tea bags years ago.

I tend to find these things a bit weak and watery so I will try to adjust my brain.

Next on the list is Rooibos.
I tried it, then left the leaves wet for a few hours then went back.
Not bad.

I did a rounded teaspoon per cup and brewed for ten minutes for both.

Next i need to pile it in and do for shorter.
Going to try a cup of gaba oolong in the morning though.
 
Grarea

Grarea

Forum Plod
ok, i am a bit confused.
The other day, I went to make a GABA oolong.
I really don't know the basics.

Should I weigh it really?
A teaspoon varies quite a lot doesn't it?

So, this oolong, right?
I thought i would do two teaspoons as I think i like it quite strong.
IMG_20201201_193832.jpg
I put 80 degree water on it in just a glass jug.
The pack suggests 80 degrees and 2-3 minutes.
So I did that. But after three minutes, it still looked the same and had hardly coloured the water.
So, I was a bit short on time, so i popped it in a saucepan and heated the water to 80 and then left it another three i think.
I was thinking that maybe it needed to be at 80 for longer or something.

Well, I was a bit surprised to find this when I came back.
IMG_20201201_194007.jpg
That is a LOT of leaves.
:)

How am I meant to treat this?
Is it good or bad once it has opened up?
I take it i should only use a small amount as it is condensed tea leaves?
 
pjgh

pjgh

Forum GOD!
It's for this reason @Grarea that I like to use a large cup-sized infuser. Whatever tea I'm dealing with, I like to give it a generous teaspoon (so, more like a dessert spoon), pour on water and pull the infuser out after a 30 or so seconds, dropping back in if it looks a bit pale. I'm not in favour of steeping for a long time as I always find it ends up with a stewed taste and often more bitter than I like it. I prefer the freshness of more leaves and a quick dip.

It will come with experience.

With my method, I get to enjoy a cup of tea. I get to enjoy a second steep and make any corrections. I get to remember that and so I know the next time.

It will come with experience.

... and yes, balled up Oolong always catches me out as I invariably put miles too much tea in the infuser at the beginning to find an infuser full of shredded cabbage billowing out of the top after a couple of steeps. With that much tea ending up in the infuser, there's little room for water for third and ongoing steeps, so I get a mere half cup.

Did I say it will come with experience?

What you've seen here is normal. You found that the instructions didn't work out as expected and so went of piste to correct the situation. It's just tea and water - get the right combination of tea, temperature and time, and you'll have a smashing cuppa. I tend to go by ear now and actually have no idea what the temperature is: starting to boil, about to boil, boiling, rolling boil all have different purposes.

Have a ramekin alongside and split that tea into two - brew half, enjoy and when it's gone, brew the other half.

Regarding the tea being open - the Chinese say this is a good thing and will often discard the first brew (sloshing it over their tea friend - an ornamental animal you share your tea with). There's a phrase that talks of "the agony of the tea" which is when it starts to unfurl. If you were to read some tea guides, you'll often read that the second and subsequent steeps are the ones that you get a true idea of the tea - the first is a bit brash. Some will develop a completely different character by the fourth or fifth steeps - raw Puerh, for example.

It's a fresh world of wonder! Jump on in ... there are no mistakes, only unexpected learning opportunities. Again, it's just tea, temperature and time. It will come with experience :)
 
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Grarea

Grarea

Forum Plod
Nice one, thanks.
I kind of assumed similar but it is nice to have some reassurance.
As fun as random slopping tea and water about is, it is nice to have some pointers too.

I was amazed to find half a tree in there :)

I also tried the matcha which is an easier animal to play with.
So far, I am finding that they all taste like tea :)

But I think i am doing too long.
I shall try for shorter.
I shall also have another pop with the same oolong leaves.
They have sat wet in the fridge for a couple of days now.

So far, I am sort of realising that I might not actually like tea.
I shall persevere though as until I have tried various ways, I won't know.

It reminds me of carrots.
For decades I tried to convince myself that i could like carrots.
I tried just getting used to them. Introducing them in small portions.
I then tried growing my own as all home grown veg is way nicer.
I tried small ones, round ones, various colour ones.
Eventually I had to give up when I realised that my home grown ones just tasted too 'carrotty'.

These teas taste VERY much of tea so far.
 
Rowlers

Rowlers

Massive Member
Staff member
Black tea is much more palatable with a shorter brew, 2 teaspoons with a brew time of 3 mins, plenty of flavour with less of the bitterness... Oh and the large cup size diffuser is MUCH better than the golf ball thingy.
 
pjgh

pjgh

Forum GOD!
Well, they are teas ...

... you know, like all beers taste kinda beery (apart from the ones that deliberately taste of sour cherries or banana).

Yeah, it's tea. Brew it, drink it. Try others and buy more of what you like. Nice alternative to water :)
 
pjgh

pjgh

Forum GOD!
Rowlers said:
Black tea is much more palatable with a shorter brew, 2 teaspoons with a brew time of 3 mins, plenty of flavour with less of the bitterness... Oh and the large cup size diffuser is MUCH better than the golf ball thingy.
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Good man! Yeah, more space, more tea, less time ... multiple steeps.
 
Grarea

Grarea

Forum Plod
I was beginning to get the idea when the instructions for rooibos were:
On the website it suggests 5-10 minutes.
On the bag, 8-10 minutes.
On the sticker at the top of the bag 2-3 minutes.

:D
 
pjgh

pjgh

Forum GOD!
Rowlers said:
I'll have to try the multiple steeps, I've just been chucking it the bin after one...
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Think of it like shaving ... (no, really)

You pop a fresh blade into your Progress. You can do a single pass on 10 (lots of tea and short duration) or many passes on 1 (less tea, longer duration). Afterwards, you can throw the blade away or you can go on for more shaves with it - exactly how many depends upon the person: 2, 3, 5, 7 more. Know that the first shave with a blade is not always the best and many will mellow through that shave and become all they can be on the second. Which blade is personal - even your favourite might not suit your particular mood at the time and you (through experience) fancy something else. You've read all the guides and sought all the advice, but nobody can actually tell YOU how to shave and in the end it's just popping a blade into a razor snd running it around your face.
 
Grarea

Grarea

Forum Plod
I have had a few goes with this same half a cabbage that I have.
It is definitely more pleasant with a shorter brew.

It seems to make me a bit nauseous though lol.
On the plus side, my son loves the fourth steep of the oolong.
 
D

Deleted member 2936

Guest
pjgh said:
We've had the coffee threads ...

Tea. Who likes it?

I've drunk tea for years but never really though about what exactly it is that I'm drinking. I drink Yorkshire Tea - you know, Betty's & Taylors.

Most recently, and I don't quite know what it was, I started looking at tea and decided to try to understand it and gain a connoisseur palate. I ordered in a quality Assam and a Lapsang Souchong. I've since ordered in a couple of more rare black teas.

I'm beginning ...

What tea do you like? What gear do you have? Got any tips (hehe :D)?

Me? I like black tea. Assam is about as light as I'll go, with a real preference for the smokier ones. I'm hoping my purchases of Rose Congou, Bohea & Lui Bao will be good. I'll "do" Ceylon, but it'll need to be strong and with milk rather than dark. I seem to miss the light florals. I do with whisky, I do with attars, I do with EDTs, I do with beers - it's all about deep, dark and smoke for me. So, good tea with milk ... really quality tea on its own. Earl Grey? Puh!

What are you into? Who do you buy from? Got any really good ones from somewhere?
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chai aka tea lol 👊

i'm a big tea and coffee fan, i have love for both of them,
being from asian/african background we have usual english tea as well as indian tea

for english tea i love typhoo and yorkshire tea bags, dont like pg, tetley etc

i have to be honest ive never tried loose tea, i want to but silly as it sounds i dont know how too

dont know if you guys have ever been but if you want to try out half decent cooked indian tea check out the shop 'chaiwala'
it originally started with a shop in leicester but theyve got about 3-4 in birmingham alone and when i say theyre busy i mean most the time theyre busy
theres actually many around england not sure about the whole of the uk though
this is theyre website https://www.chaiiwala.co.uk/ you can check there for yourself if one is nearby

they do karak chai which basically means well cooked tea and karak coffee again means well cooked coffee which is very popular

also on a side note if you fancy a desi (desi is a term known as asian) breakfast you should try it out

any of you tried 'kashmiri tea' also known as 'pink tea'?#
it basically originates from kashmir and its a pink colour it has nuts and pistachios put on it too
but you dont need to put nuts and pistachios on if you suffer from allergies obviously

this kashmiri tea is amazing tbh but its not easy to make even some asians struggle to make it lol

vid of kashmiri tea below
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RITeUvHYMzw


then theres also masala (spicey) tea
vid of masala tea below
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f70zqr8ELnE&ab_channel=HebbarsKitchen


not a tea but ive been having golden milk recently its basically turmeric tea, it has many benefits to it and i find it to be soothing
and its what my mrs and mum gives me when im ill, it helps you sleep and relax too
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzEtbiSvAeo&ab_channel=RajshriFood


on the subject of loose tea when i used to go to the local mosque (im talking about a fair few years ago)
one of the brothers used to make amazing green tea with loose tea bags,
i got no idea how he made it but we used to just sit after prayers and have a nice tea,
its like you praying which is a spiritual thing then youre having tea to sooth your body from the physical tiredness its surrela feeling tbh

anyways thats some food for thought
 
D

Deleted member 2936

Guest
@pjgh ohh yea forgot to mention theres even a new shop recently opened up here in brum next to this chaiwala shop (btw chai wala means the tea guy lol,m sorry forgot to mention this in the previous post) anyways yea the new shop is called chaiology (chai just means tea) whenever me and the mrs have popped in the morning its been rammed, no where to sit

imo these tea/coffee joints are smashing it even in this current economy
 
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