tea

[michaelskar]

I ahve been exploring teas lately. I made a nice order from specialteas...a great Assam, green, oolong, and a black tea. they were all quite nice (and you can order sample-sized amounts for like 2 dollars, so you can try a bunch).

I would have to say that the Rishi Oolong is my current favorite...I never knew how good oolong teas were!

In general, I find the effects of tea are quite different than those of coffee. I know they have less caffeine, but they seem to react differently in general (not just potency). Hard to describe...but very nice.

 

[Scotto]

Bitterness should certainly not be an issue with most higher-end teas, especially greens. Pay attention to water temperature - the less oxidized the tea, the cooler the water needs to be. Black teas can take boiling water, but most greens should be more like 180 degrees. Just get the water steaming and you should be ok.

 

[DaveF]

Thanks, Scotto; another variable that I had been monitoring but not terribly closely. At home I use a little "hot shot" water heater that heats up single cups of water very quickly, and for green teas I stick a thermo-pen in the water and start dispensing when the temp hits 160 (it climbs to about 175 by the time I am done dispensing, so it probably averages in the high 160s for the whole cup). For black teas I let the thing heat up all the way, at which point the water is just starting to boil nicely. The hot shot doesn't really allow for true rolling boils, as it cuts out just as the water gets going.

However, at work I am at the mercy of the water cooler/heater device. I have no idea what temp that kicks out water at, but I should bring my thermo-pen in to see. I drink most of my green tea at work, so if the water here is too hot that might explain the bitterness. Although I should say, I am not very experienced with describing flavors and I'm not sure that "bitter" is the right word. Certainly the tea has a strong flavor that is neither sweet nor sour, so I'm not sure what other word applies.

BTW, got my big tea order in yesterday from specialteas, and I noticed two things: 1) My first order (Fine Tea sampler) all came in resealable foil-lined bags, but for this order most of the bags are not resealable (Green Tea sampler, Oolong sampler, Best Seller sampler). I will have to come up with a way to store them on my own, I guess. 2) As I sorted out the 18(!) bags of tea that shipped in the box, I came to the conclusion I may have overbought just a bit...

 

[Roman414]

Pick up an airtight tea container or two...Specialteas sells those too. If you get a square one you can just drop the sample packs into it after you open them. Then reach in and grab one when you want it.

 

[DaveF]

Tried the Temple of Heaven Gunpowder green tea yesterday, and a nice second flush Darjeeling this morning. The green tea was pretty intense...smoky and almost peppery, but very good. The Darjeeling I am enjoying right now and it is absolutely terrific...very mellow and flavorful, and probably the most "drinkable" tea I've tried yet. If I were going to start a tea newbie off in the world of fine teas, this would likely be the tea I would recommend. I can't wait to see how it tastes iced.