Tea Tantrum
Thread started by
godmode at 05.19.10 - 6:05 pm
For weeks now, I've been on a world mission to try all types of teas.
What kind of tea do you like? Any suggestions?
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Hot: Celestital seasonings "Original" tea. (yes original is the "flavor"), Peach tea from any brand
Cold: Passion Fruit Tea, Arizona Sweet Iced Tea or McDonalds Sweet Iced tea is pretty fucking good too!
Gizzard05.19.10 - 6:17 pm
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i love earl grey, pur-eh and Ti-Kwan-Yin oolong, green tea dragon pearls and sencha Ti-Kwan-Yin, red tea from kenya and tanzania. i suggest trying Ti-Kwan-Yin oolong and sencha green tea and if you can find it tanzanian red tea.
mechazawa05.19.10 - 6:24 pm
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green tea dragon pearls and sencha Ti-Kwan-Yin should read as dragon pearl and sencha green tea . proofreading fail.
mechazawa05.19.10 - 6:25 pm
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you're drinking the "folgers" of teas :'(
earl grey, organic chai black and green tea, darjeeling black tea, jasmine green tea pearls, lung ching green tea, lemon ginger green tea, yerba mate, and my all time favorite genmaicha!
coldcut responding to a
comment by Gizzard
05.19.10 - 6:42 pm
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hey, i like what i like.... plus he said "all types of teas" which i'm guessing includes my "foldger"-esque recommendations.
and yes, lemon ginger green tea IS way yummy!
Gizzard responding to a
comment by coldcut
05.19.10 - 6:48 pm
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oh my god how could i forget kombucha!
coldcut05.19.10 - 7:55 pm
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celestial seasonings "original"... C'MON! that's like saying "sleepytime" tea is your favorite.
coldcut responding to a
comment by Gizzard
05.19.10 - 7:56 pm
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It's not MR if you can't find something to fight about! :P
ps... eye ♥ u, now go ride your bike!
Gizzard responding to a
comment by coldcut
05.19.10 - 7:59 pm
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hahaha! so true.
where were you last friday?!?
coldcut responding to a
comment by Gizzard
05.19.10 - 8:03 pm
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sucking at life :( ima hit you up on fb....
Gizzard responding to a
comment by coldcut
05.19.10 - 8:07 pm
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check out Wing Hop Fung's tea counter (upstairs) on Broadway in Chinatown (also in Monterey Park). Myriad varieties (& prices) of loose leaf teas there. White tea reigns for me, but I know they have a lot of green and probably red teas.
they also have those buds that bloom into flowers in your tea cup when you brew them (both white & green tea, I think).
champagne05.19.10 - 8:13 pm
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I recently ordered tung ting charcoal roasted oolong tea and I love it.
I like mixing hibiscus flowers with Japanese green mint tea in a press pot.
Roasted brown rice tea (not mixed with green tea) is another favourite of mine.
Kakihara05.19.10 - 9:18 pm
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from where did you order the roasted oolong?
mechazawa responding to a
comment by Kakihara
05.19.10 - 9:19 pm
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Last time I went to the tea kiosk at the Farmers market at the grove they had some amazing teas and a really cute girl dishing them out.
I also like the Chado tea room by the bev center for an EXHAUSTIVE collection of teas organized by region.
Byt if you wanna get DIY i suggest making your own chai.
Its Simple!
ingredients vary but you can use
black pepper
cardamon
ginger
clove
nutmeg
cinnamon
I prefer to use the whole versions and mash them up with a mortar and pestle
then throw em in to a pot with 50/50 milk and water (vegan mils work fine too)
bring to a boil, then add some Indian Tea (or any black tea)
cook for about 5 or 10 mins on a low boil.
then pour the whole mess into a strainer to take out all the bits of stuff.
Last step is to sweeten to taste.
I'm not huge on sweet stuff but it is important to sweeten because it neutralizes the bitter of the tea and makes the other flavors sing.
This was on my todo list for about 3 years, and when I finally got around to it i was surprised how easy and rewarding it is.
mmmmmm
trickmilla05.19.10 - 9:35 pm
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Was that Chai you made homemade??? So good!
imachynna responding to a
comment by trickmilla
05.19.10 - 9:46 pm
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i thought you quit?
coldcut responding to a
comment by shotgunBOOMBOOM
05.19.10 - 10:18 pm
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the ingredients that trickmilla listed is considered masala. the stuff i get is listed tea masala because the other is used for cooking. their could be other spices in the masala.
mechazawa05.19.10 - 10:22 pm
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Red Blossom Tea Company (in SF) has a very nice selection of formosa oolong tea but I usually walk to China Town for all the other stuff.
Kakihara responding to a
comment by mechazawa
05.19.10 - 10:34 pm
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I think yerba mate is the best stuff ever, especially done in the traditional style with the "gourd" and bombilla. For traditional style mate, I really think the cheap stuff in the kilogram bags (Rosamonte, Nobleza Gaucha, Cruz de Malta, etc.) is tastier than the socially responsible organic stuff that they sell at Trader Joes at like 10 times the price/lb. It's a dilemma, this one.
When I was really into tea, like ordering the stuff online and everything, I was a big fan of both the Kashmiri chai (lots of cardamom, with a little mint and pepper) and masala chai (a more standard cinnamon, ginger, etc. combo) from Tealuxe. They've got a few really good variations on Earl Grey, too.
If you're looking for more unusual stuff, I'd recommend Kukecha, which is made from the twigs of the tea plant. It has this kind of woody oolong flavor that's really unique.
Pu erh, especially with chrysanthemum, is also pretty amazing. The earthiness of the pu erh by itself could be sort of offputting if you're not expecting it (seriously, it tastes like you're drinking some unusually flavorful dirt scooped up off the forest floor), but throw some chrysanthemum in there, and it's perfect.
Coca tea is also good, but illegal in the US. No comment.
Ginger lime and honey is easy to make and amazingly tasty. I guess it's not really "tea" in the technical sense, but neither is half the stuff I've recommended here, so...
Also, with most teas, you get what you pay for (with the notable exception of mate, as I mentioned earlier). The higher grades of the same type of tea are sometimes an entirely different animal, er... vegetable, or whatever.
nathansnider05.20.10 - 2:38 am
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I once drove from San Diego to Vancouver powered almost entirely on Mate bags thrown into large water bottles.
A sharp even high with no jitters and no sugar crash. I drove from SD to Seattle in 2 days then went out for dinner and a beer. Thats the shit.
@Chynna ... yeah you caught me in my Chai phase ... i need to bring it back.
trickmilla responding to a
comment by nathansnider
05.20.10 - 3:24 am
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The earthiness of the pu erh by itself could be sort of offputting if you're not expecting it (seriously, it tastes like you're drinking some unusually flavorful dirt scooped up off the forest floor), but throw some chrysanthemum in there, and it's perfect.
OK, I have to try this.
PC responding to a
comment by nathansnider
05.20.10 - 3:33 am
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Ordered some Grand Shou Pu Erh (1997 - because you know, I can totally taste the difference! ha) and it is amazing. Thanks for the little review, really loving this tea.
Kakihara responding to a
comment by nathansnider
07.19.10 - 4:48 pm
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I personally don't go for foo-foo coffee or tea.
I like it dark, rich and strong.
Try Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast Tea. $3 buys 50 bags. It's very strong and delicious!
Creative Thing07.19.10 - 5:27 pm
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I really like Russian Caravan tea. It is one of the smoked teas and has a heavy, earthy taste to it.
Morrocan Mint is also very good and has a lighter flavor than smoked teas.
geezer07.19.10 - 5:28 pm
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My friend's wife brought back some German red leaf with vanilla. I think they revoke my Man Card or whatever for drinking it but it's the best tea I've ever had.
The only other stuff I drink has already been mentioned.
If you can get into a legit Japanese tea ceremony, or find someone who knows how to prepare Japanese green tea the for-srs authentic way, you will have mind == blown. They make green tea into this drink that has the consistency of cream, but without adding any dairy (or dairy substitutes or anything like that). Very hard to find. Had to go to Japan to get it done right.
outerspace07.19.10 - 6:15 pm
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OK, I have to try this.
...and I did. So good. And I was coming from the opposite angle from the one Nathan assumed; I was expecting the earthiness and ended up being surprised at the sweetness and mushroominess (it's a word now!) of it.
Thanks, Nathan, for the recommendation.
And thank you, Kakihara, for the sample. I am your #1 fan.
PC07.20.10 - 3:42 pm
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A bit of shameless self-promotion:
The Passage of a Few People Through a Rather Brief Moment in Time will be having a
spot of tea this week. If you would like to join us, or if you have some tea you would like to share, then by all means, please do.
nathansnider09.15.10 - 12:40 pm
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@nathansnider:
I noticed! How did that go??
godmode responding to a
comment by nathansnider
09.17.10 - 2:45 pm
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PG TIPS
wit sum suga and milk mmmhhhhmmmmmm
imachynna09.17.10 - 3:24 pm
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I still think mc d's sweet ice t is yumtastic... but since this last weeks passage i am in LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE with the black lychee tea. omfg fantastic! thanks kakihara! :)
Gizzard09.17.10 - 3:30 pm
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Chai with milk and honey MMMMMMMMM
godmode responding to a
comment by Gizzard
09.17.10 - 3:41 pm
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plum oolang. it really has that kick and makes your head spin a little.
aksendz responding to a
comment by Gizzard
09.17.10 - 4:54 pm
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It went great! We stopped at islands in
Los Feliz,
Chinatown and
Pico-Union.
Since Kakihara's bike was on the way to New York, she brought a stove and kettle and tea supplies to each stop in her car. We had Black Lychee tea, Tung Ting Oolong, Persian tea, Kukicha and Lapsang Souchong. Also some [redacted] tea from Peru.
Skeletonkey brought homemade biscuits. Gizzard brought homemade scones. Other people brought other food items. Everything went off without a hitch. It was great.
nathansnider responding to a
comment by godmode
09.17.10 - 5:20 pm
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