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[Tenaciousmo]

The longer you brew, more tannins (bitter flavor) steep into the tea. This is true whether your tea is top-quality or garbage.

Ultimately, it's a preference. If you are brewing your tea for minutes at a time and you enjoy the results, don't feel like you need to adjust. I recommend shorter brew times because it's a near-foolproof way to avoid bitterness in the final brew, that's all.

so i should brew like for 90 sec, stop for a little, start again ?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

so i should brew like for 90 sec, stop for a little, start again ?

No need to brew and stop, brew and stop. You're brewing a total of 30s (maybe less, maybe more depending on how much leaf you've put in there) and then stopping. On your second brew, you increase that time by about 10 - 20s. On your third brew, add another 20 - 30s, and so forth.

There isn't an exact science to it, nor does there need to be. The technique is aimed at delivering a strong-tasting tea without the bitterness of a long steep.

 

[Tenaciousmo]

Asking because they legit all have that brew time on it

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Asking because they legit all have that brew time on it

Yeah I know. A lot of vendors suggest long brew times. Notice how it recommends only a teaspoon or two of leaf, though. You're not gonna get a lot of re-brews out of that.

 

[EviLore]

Found a modern guide to tea brewing:

 

[Tenaciousmo]

every god damned steps triggered me...

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I haven't bought tea in about 2 years. My stash is full of stuff that can be aged, and was usually bought at .5kg or more per brick/basket/whatever. With economic / political stuff going on in China and in Hong Kong, I'm not confident I'll be able to buy any high-fired rock oolong from there, either.

Taiwanese tea continues to catch up (and surpass) traditional chinese tea from the mainland. I'm thinking when I restock in fall, I'll do it all from Taiwan, a bunch of charcoal fired/aged taiwanese oolongs, some cheap alishan daily drinker, and some nice tai cha #18.

 

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I've dropped the metal wire stuff for the disposable bags. They have a lot of room for the tea leaves and are easier to use.

Unfortunately, the quarantine wiped out many of the local tea shops that carry loose leaf. I don't want to go the Amazon route, so I'm going to have to find a new hookup.

 

[Phase]

I haven't bought tea in about 2 years. My stash is full of stuff that can be aged, and was usually bought at .5kg or more per brick/basket/whatever. With economic / political stuff going on in China and in Hong Kong, I'm not confident I'll be able to buy any high-fired rock oolong from there, either.

Taiwanese tea continues to catch up (and surpass) traditional chinese tea from the mainland. I'm thinking when I restock in fall, I'll do it all from Taiwan, a bunch of charcoal fired/aged taiwanese oolongs, some cheap alishan daily drinker, and some nice tai cha #18.

Are there any specific places you purchase from? I've been looking to find a good source and would definitely like to check out Taiwan's.

 

[Kamina]

If it wasnt so shit hot at the moment i’d love to have some Pu-Erh.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Are there any specific places you purchase from? I've been looking to find a good source and would definitely like to check out Taiwan's.

There are some listed in the OP, but I'd go with eco-cha.com or with mountaintea.com. They are Taiwan-specific vendors with good prices.

 

[Kazza]

If it wasnt so shit hot at the moment i’d love to have some Pu-Erh.

Anyone else brew a big pot of tea, and then put it in the fridge and drink it cold over the proceeding couple of days? I showed my Chinese teacher during an online lesson yesterday and she was absolutely disgusted by my barbaric behaviour . I think it tastes fine, and is a nice, healthy alternative to reaching for a cold beer etc during the hot summer (or even regular iced tea, which is normally full of sugar)

 

[Kamina]

Anyone else brew a big pot of tea, and then put it in the fridge and drink it cold over the proceeding couple of days? I showed my Chinese teacher during an online lesson yesterday and she was absolutely disgusted by my barbaric behaviour . I think it tastes fine, and is a nice, healthy alternative to reaching for a cold beer etc during the hot summer (or even regular iced tea, which is normally full of sugar)

Lol, definitely not with my expensive Pu-Erh, but regular black or green tee chilled is actually a healthy alternative to other cold beverages.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Wow, it never even crossed my mind that there would be someone so knowledgeable about tea, excellent thread Dun

Tea for healing, and mental clarity, immune support, and overall recovery is interesting. I always figure though, that you would have to drink like 32 oz at least to get the affects you're hoping for. I know you'd have to drink like 8 cups to get an adequate amount of L-Theanine, the amount you could expect to take as a supplement

I usually drown mine in like 40-60 drops of stevia. I seriously do not understand how some can only use 2-4 drops and think it tastes sweet; I need like three droppers worth of liquid stevia to consider it good to drink. And I always leave the tea bags in longer than I probably should

Which brands do you recommend the most for overall healing and wellness if you've tried any that you think works well?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Wow, it never even crossed my mind that there would be someone so knowledgeable about tea, excellent thread Dun

Tea for healing, and mental clarity, immune support, and overall recovery is interesting. I always figure though, that you would have to drink like 32 oz at least to get the affects you're hoping for. I know you'd have to drink like 8 cups to get an adequate amount of L-Theanine, the amount you could expect to take as a supplement

I usually drown mine in like 40-60 drops of stevia. I seriously do not understand how some can only use 2-4 drops and think it tastes sweet; I need like three droppers worth of liquid stevia to consider it good to drink. And I always leave the tea bags in longer than I probably should

Which brands do you recommend the most for overall healing and wellness if you've tried any that you think works well?

Browse yunnansourcing.com. I don't recommend a specific brand and there is too much disinformation out there about the healing properties of tea for me to really guide you there. My daily drinker is usually something dark like a roasted oolong or hei cha. Hei cha can almost always be bought in larger bings or baskets. If the goal is "what beverage can I drink daily, for a long period of time, without the ingredients spoiling?" I would go for a hei cha or a dark roasted oolong /black.

The L-theanine in tea varies from plant to plant, as well as the GABA, caffeine, and catechin levels (these all interact w L-theanine). Generally speaking you get the most antioxidants from young white tea, young green tea, and young oolongs picked that season. The Japanese developed a method of making high-GABA tea (it is labeled as such). Fresh green/white should be consumed within 12 months (yes, 100% of all those boxed green tea bags are stale) unless you plan to age the white tea yourself.

Dark/aged tea have a somewhat different profile of antioxidants but are still beneficial in that regard. Hei cha (fermented tea) is known to have a healthy effect on gut bacteria in addition to the antioxidants, which isn't the case with other teas.

I hope that points you in the right direction, brother.

 

[Cutty Flam]

DunDunDunpachi thanks for the tips and info
i think it's a great idea to drink tea regularly to take the edge off as well as to stave off hunger, it's very effective in that way

 

[down 2 orth]

Great thread! Just want to point out that in Asia, tea tourism is a thing, and it's a great way to save money on tea. Last August I bought a massive bag of sheng pu'er in the slums of Kunming for less than ten bucks. I've been drinking it at least once a week, and I still have a lot left. Even though it hasn't aged for so long, it still tastes great. Also, while I was there, this guy suggested that I try doing a kind of "half-half" by brewing half a portion of sheng pu'er with half a portion of shou pu'er. As heterodox as it sounds, IT TASTES GREAT. Highly recommended.

My top teas:

1) Shou pu'er
2) Taiwanese high mountain
3) Taiwanese Baozhong
4) Da hong pao or Keemun black tea
5) Any decent Japanese green tea/sencha