Thread: Tea anyone ??!!

I still like a good ol builders tea on a chilly or rainy day myself. There is a such thing as good bag tea. And bag tea works good for builders style anyway. So as we say here in the states or (did back in the 70's) "If it feels good,do it !"[/QUOTE]

I don't disagree about bag teas, just sometimes how it is prepared.

Well guys....I am officially giving away my french press pot to one of the resident couples where I work. If I really need a cup of Joe that bad,I'll either go to a coffee shop or get some Instant. But I really have decided that I am a tea man to my very soul. Most times black with sugar sometimes strong ,black tea with milk and sugar and some times fruity or cold.When it's curry it's chai and when it's asian food it's green or Oolong or Jasmine. But i know I prefer my tea black and black with sugar and in my glass(as opposed to china). Yep...stickin to my guns,dug my trench and fortified my ramparts. Notified the press and called for takeout...er...yeah...so tea man I am . What about dunking a dohnut with no joe ? Ya can do the same with tea and more.....Good ol friend tea. Always there,always true.Complete I am with tea scone and jam. With roast or toast I will boast. With sandwich or egg no need to beg. Oolong or black ,I just kick back enjoy a snack and...good ol friend tea.

I'm going out shortly but here's something for you before I leave:

I just received this package from Yuuki-Cha today:



2013 shincha matcha—from left to right (highest to lowest quality); Uji matcha Shiun (koicha (thick matcha) grade), Uji matcha Tori (koicha or usucha (thin matcha) grade), Uji matcha Sakimidori (usucha grade), Uji matcha Kaze (usucha grade).

These are 10g packets and it's worth noting that each are of a higher quality than the Yuukimidori that I buy regularly.

I have already opened a packet of the Sakimidori and will post on that (along with the masala chai) later tonight.

Southern Sweet Tea is my addiction. I love it!

Hokay, I'm going to start with the masala chai, here. I have no idea what the image limit on a single post is, so if I stick to five, here come four posts on how I like to prepare masala chai.

Keep in mind that this is what I like; should anyone attempt to use this post as a reference for their own escapades, feel free to add or remove whatever you like (or don't like).

EDIT: Be aware that I'm making one (large) mug of tea, here. If you want more, I'm sure you can work out what to do—the maths isn't hard.

So without further ado:



Take a small pan and put some cinnamon in it...




...then put some whole black peppercorns in.




And some cloves.




And some cardamom. Now I like to use black cardamom because it gives a really nice smokey flavour and I find that four works great for me. You could use white cardamom pods, too, and if it were me, I'd double the amount I use.




I like to stick a knob of ginger in. A lot of traditional recipes I've seen use ginger but I don't think it's essential. I've learnt that if you don't grate it, at least chop it really finely otherwise it won't make much difference to the flavour. Make sure you use enough, too, or you still won't be able to taste it.

Next post coming up in about 10 mins.

Onwards and upwards!




Tea. I'm currently using this packet of inexpensive loose-leaf yunnan. Basically, use anything that's got a good strong flavour, either bagged or loose. I've really enjoyed the flavour of this and wouldn't dissuade you from trying it. Just as long as you don't waste money on anything too high-quality and delicate or you won't taste a thing. Except milk. Lots of milk. You might as well drink a cup of milk if you do that.




Tea leaves for those that like photos of tea leaves. I know I do.




Back on track—add your tea to the pan! I like two scoops (that's not actually a teaspoon; it's a bit bigger). If I were using bags, I'd find two particularly full ones.




This bit kind of takes experimentation to work out your personal taste but I like to use half a cup of water. If you use too much milk, I find that it can get surprisingly bland. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, I don't know.




Add your water to the pan and put it over the heat. Make sure you have a spoon at hand, or something, at this point. Things will start to burn onto the pan if you don't stir it.

Still with me? Paying attention? Good because you need to be for this bit:




Once you've put the pan on the heat, wait for it to boil but don't let it burn (you could but you'd only have to wash it up later).




While you were waiting, you should have measured out half a cup of milk. Again, play around with your milk to water ratio to see what you like. Don't try anything stupid like 1/2 water and 3/4 milk because how the hell are you gonna fit that into a single cup again? Exactly...idiot.




Also, sugar. You want plenty. I use three teaspoons (yes, real teaspoons this time). You might want more or you might want less.




You can add the milk and sugar once the tea starts to boil. You could probably add the sugar earlier, too. I don't, though.




Again, keep stirring and wait for the tea to boil up again...

Nearly there now.




Turn the heat down when it starts to boil and let the tea simmer for about 5 minutes or so (keep stirring it, unless you like milk skin on your tea). If you let the milk boil over, you'll only have to clean it up.




After about 5 minutes, your tea should be a nice orangey kind of colour. Admittedly my pre- and post-5-minute pictures look very similar, but usually it can go from being very palely milky to a rich orange in that time.




Get your tea strainer. You have got one, right?




And pour your tea into the mug. Difficult to get good light for this photo—sorry.




Finally, a picture of the leftovers because you know how I like those. (Throw these away.)


And that is it, ladies but mostly gentlemen! Masala chai. I hope you enjoy(ed) both my posts and your tea. If anyone wants to correct anything or suggest different ways of making it then reply away!

I feel like a massive post-hog tonight but this is something I particularly wanted to share—my freshly opened packet of 2013 Uji matcha shincha sakimidori.

First, I'd just like to say that I was probably being a little on the optimistic side when I was trying to estimate how much 10g of matcha might be. Suffice it to say that 10g doesn't go very far—maybe four bowls for the usucha grades...possibly two for the koicha grades. I only intended to buy enough to sample a few of this year's harvest but still, it's what you might call a very expensive sample pack.

Anyway, let's quit the jibber-jabber, eh? This is what you're here to see:










The first thing that I noticed, as soon as I opened the packet, was the bright, vibrant green of the tea.

For those not experienced in matcha, generally the greener the tea, the higher the quality. Low quality matcha tends to be more yellowy-brown and tastes awful—stay away from it. Spending the money on a better matcha is well well worth it.

I always thought that my regularly bought yuukimidori matcha was a nice bright green (and it is, I suppose) but this is something else! I'm really keen to see the colour of the Shiun matcha now, as that's the highest grade koicha matcha that Yuuki-Cha were selling.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. The tea smelled good it the packet—a kind of marine fragrance as is common with matcha, but very fresh. It whisked up well (I'm waiting on the delivery of two new chasen (matcha whisks) but I just had to try this out anyway) and the taste was amazing.

It's quite bitter, in some ways more so than the yuukimidori, but it's also very sweet, if that makes sense? Usually the bitterness seems to come mostly from the froth but the sweetness was a flavour of the tea itself. Very light tasting and refreshing.

Very pleased with this and I'm now wondering which of these matcha (if any) will be made available to buy throughout the year.

I may do another post on this one when I get my chasen. I'll get photos of the correct amount of water to use, too, as I know that can be one of the most common mistakes made in matcha preparation.

Got a new package today, and ofc I could not wait to try it

Jia Ji Tuo Cha - Menghai Dayi 2009 puerh sheng

I brewed this tea in my new yixing pot. I am quite happy with it.


An unwrapped tuo with a few to spare


Broke off today's sample, 8-10 grams


Heating the pot with boiled water, inside and out


The new pot steeping my tea


My first cuppa

Color: Straw colored at first, changing into a light cognac color in later steepings
Odor: Tobacco and forest, ferns, moss and mushrooms, with a faint hint of something floral-grassy-something. I can't quite place it.
Taste: Bright and light for a puerh, with decent astringency. This tea seems to crave flash infusions or the bitterness rapidly grows. The aftertaste is pleasant and lasting, with just a hint of sweetness. I am glad I got a few tuos of this tea, I think it will grow with some ageing and it will be interesting to see how it develops. At the moment, I do find it a bit on the young side.