Anyone really into drinking Tea?

[Troy Stark]

It does seem that we have some Da Hong Pao (Red Robe) mafia in this thread

Indeed! Its almost like the people who post here enjoy "the best" life has to offer.

[Troy Stark]

Speaking of red robe, has anyone ever had "The Red Robe," i.e. tea from the mother plants? I think all tea labeled red robe is supposed to be from bushes grown in the province that were propagated from the mother plants, but who knows if that ends up being true...

[Tom G l a s g o w]

Herbal drinks = not tea
Flavored teas = gross

Aside from that, I enjoy most teas and what I drink will depend on my mood. I lean toward high-quality loose leaf teas. Love walking into asian tea shops and tasting gongfu style.

Particular favorites include oolong (esp: red robe), aged pu'er (we have a 20 year that is divine), jasmine pearls, and any spring tea I can get my hands on.

Flavored coffee is gross but I'll admit to loving a good Earl Greay.

The chemical taste of flavored coffee is awful. A local shop “specializes” in flavored coffees. I bought some filters from there in a moment of desperation, I threw them out after the first use.

[Alan Huang]

Speaking of red robe, has anyone ever had "The Red Robe," i.e. tea from the mother plants? I think all tea labeled red robe is supposed to be from bushes grown in the province that were propagated from the mother plants, but who knows if that ends up being true...

My understanding is that there are only single digit bushes of the original "mother plants" left and they are so rare that the tea produced from those mother plants is given to government official or someone extremely important. You can't even buy it with money.

However, there are a lot of different varietal of the Da Hong Pao (over 100), including RouGui, ShuiXian, QinChai (direct translation from Chinese words), with quite a different flavor profile.

If it's labeled Da Hong Pao, very likely no one really knows what varietal is (i.e. could be mixed). However, if it has a label of a specific varietal, very likely it's more pure and come from a plot of land with single varietal of Da Hong Pao planted. The caveat is that there are a lot of fake tea and labeling in China... Some merchants even pass off FengHuangDanCong (direct translation; literally means single bush of phoenix) as Da Hong Pao. You can tell by the intensity, flavor and smokiness of the tea.

The thing with Da Hong Pao is that there is no labeling of specific plot of land, except producer. Similar to Burgundy wine, you just have to know and get it from a trusted source.

My favourite varietal is the RouGui (literally mean cinnamon) with explosive fragrance and aroma of cinnamon, cream, dried herbs and fruits, and silky oak, followed by extremely long length of floral note and hint of sweetness. It's very addictive and you can drink it anytime of the day/night.

[Troy Stark]

Alan, great post. Thanks for all the excellent info you've offered in this thread.

One last question. Since we all don't have relatives in the tea trade do you have any suggestions for places the rest of us can source authentic Da Hong Pao, etc?

[Jim Friedman]

https://www.mariagefreres.com/UK/2-robe ... T2310.html

I have been ordering tea from here since last year. Their selection is incredible so I thought I would test them. Is this it?

[Alan Huang]

Alan, great post. Thanks for all the excellent info you've offered in this thread.

One last question. Since we all don't have relatives in the tea trade do you have any suggestions for places the rest of us can source authentic Da Hong Pao, etc?

I have to admit... I usually don't walk into a tea shop and when I do, I typically go to the ones in Vancouver where there is no online sale.

I would be more than happy to do a tea tasting with anyone who is interested in tea (in the West coast areas). Also would love to learn more about tea from India as well!

[Mike Grammer]

I've *never* had a Da Hong Pao that smells or tastes like the RouGui you cite---that sounds uber-wow. I do have a trusted source here in Toronto that I convinced to source in some fairly decent-quality DHP. If I'm in NYC, I tend to try to visit Radiance and get some from them.

[Mark B]

I hate to admit knowing next to nothing about the various types of teas. As my curiosity grows, I think I'm going to start learning a whole lot more about it in the coming years. As of right now, I drink a few cups a week. I usually just microwave a mug of water for a few minutes and then steep a bag of Trader Joe's herbal, white, or green tea until it has cooled to drinking temperature.

Outside of casual sipping, I'd really like to dig deeper into its (plausible) abilities to boost the immune system, clear the mind, and relieve stress. How much is rumored and how much is rooted in actual science and fact, I don't know. All I know is it's the second-most consumed beverage, next to water, on the planet, and that it's historical significance, especially in eastern societies, runs deep.

This Youtube video seemed like a great jumping-off point:

[Alan Eden]

Well first thing is get a kettle, nobody microwaves tea !!!

Second thing is get a nice teapot, only yobs and peasants use teabags when they are doing serious tea drinking

Learn the art of pot warming, steeping and when to use milk and sweetener

[Jay Miller]

Well first thing is get a kettle, nobody microwaves tea !!!

Second thing is get a nice teapot, only yobs and peasants use teabags when they are doing serious tea drinking

Learn the art of pot warming, steeping and when to use milk and sweetener

Isn't the answer to milk "only if you're British"?

[Mark B]

Well first thing is get a kettle, nobody microwaves tea !!!

Second thing is get a nice teapot, only yobs and peasants use teabags when they are doing serious tea drinking

Learn the art of pot warming, steeping and when to use milk and sweetener

Isn't the answer to milk "only if you're British"?

Not British, but Earl Grey with a splash of cream is an awesome morning alternative when you're not feeling coffee.

[Betty C]

My daily go-to is organic English Breakfast with a heaping spoon of dried goji berries. When I'm feeling fancy I will whisk some matcha powder with soy milk.

[Russell Faulkner]

Yeah the answer to milk and sweetener is never.

I like greener Oolongs, mostly from Taiwan. I buy via Postcard Teas in London and usually have 2-3 on the go.

[Mark B]

My daily go-to is organic English Breakfast with a heaping spoon of dried goji berries. When I'm feeling fancy I will whisk some matcha powder with soy milk.

Sounds awesome. I should really explore matcha more, but it's so damn expensive. Well, at least the higher grade stuff is.

[Mark B]

Yeah the answer to milk and sweetener is never.

I like greener Oolongs, mostly from Taiwan. I buy via Postcard Teas in London and usually have 2-3 on the go.

Sounds really cool. The video said Oolongs are a very broad class of tea ranging anywhere from 10% oxidation to 85%. Do you know approximately where yours fall? Or any brands and/or names to look for? TIA

[Mark B]

Also, something that caught my attention was the claim that some teas from 500+ year old trees possess psychoactive properties. This would make sense in a religious/spiritual context. Hate to say I know knowing beyond that. If anyone has experience with this kind of stuff, I'm all ears.

[Russell Faulkner]

Mark, check out Postcard teas website. It has a lot of background but it’s unlikely you can buy the same tea in the US.

Of course they will deliver (well they do to me...)

Worth bearing in mind that you get 3-6 cups from the same leaves, so it may appear expensive but on a ‘per cup’ basis, all but the most expensive teas are reasonably priced.

[Mark B]

Mark, check out Postcard teas website. It has a lot of background but it’s unlikely you can buy the same tea in the US.

Of course they will deliver (well they do to me...)

Worth bearing in mind that you get 3-6 cups from the same leaves, so it may appear expensive but on a ‘per cup’ basis, all but the most expensive teas are reasonably priced.

Good to know. Thanks!

[Jim Friedman]

I tried the French Breakfast tea at this store and I'm a believer.
Their other teas have been very good too.
https://www.mariagefreres.com/UK/welcome.html

[Betty C]

Mark, check out Postcard teas website. It has a lot of background but it’s unlikely you can buy the same tea in the US.

Of course they will deliver (well they do to me...)

Worth bearing in mind that you get 3-6 cups from the same leaves, so it may appear expensive but on a ‘per cup’ basis, all but the most expensive teas are reasonably priced.

Good to know. Thanks!

A famous kind of Taiwanese tea is gaoshan oolong. Gaoshan translates to high mountain because the teas are grown on mountains there. I happen to have a surplus thanks to generous family members from Taiwan. If you're interested in trying some before you drop $$$ on it, you can send me a PM with your address and I'd be happy to mail you enough for a cup or two. The catch is that I couldn't tell you what type it is because I can't read Chinese.

[Alan Eden]

Its interesting, everything is fancy this fancy that, oolong, matcha etc etc

A whole country of people was raised on PG tips with a splash of milk and heaven forbid some white tate & lyle sugar, its wonder were not all dead. Try this before dismissing it out of sight, i know its not cool or fancy but if you just take it for what it is then it is a cheap easy wonderful drink.

I know ill get mocked by all the fancy pants but thats OK

[Alan Eden]

Yeah the answer to milk and sweetener is never.

I like greener Oolongs, mostly from Taiwan. I buy via Postcard Teas in London and usually have 2-3 on the go.

Im gathering your a Southern UK woosie who would not understand us council house kids drinking our PG tips

[Mark B]

Yeah the answer to milk and sweetener is never.

I like greener Oolongs, mostly from Taiwan. I buy via Postcard Teas in London and usually have 2-3 on the go.

Im gathering your a Southern UK woosie who would not understand us council house kids drinking our PG tips

Anyone else in the dark on "PG tips?"

[Mark B]

Mark, check out Postcard teas website. It has a lot of background but it’s unlikely you can buy the same tea in the US.

Of course they will deliver (well they do to me...)

Worth bearing in mind that you get 3-6 cups from the same leaves, so it may appear expensive but on a ‘per cup’ basis, all but the most expensive teas are reasonably priced.

Good to know. Thanks!

A famous kind of Taiwanese tea is gaoshan oolong. Gaoshan translates to high mountain because the teas are grown on mountains there. I happen to have a surplus thanks to generous family members from Taiwan. If you're interested in trying some before you drop $$$ on it, you can send me a PM with your address and I'd be happy to mail you enough for a cup or two. The catch is that I couldn't tell you what type it is because I can't read Chinese.

Gonna pass for now, but thanks so much for the generous offer!

[Betty C]

Gonna pass for now, but thanks so much for the generous offer!

Any time!

[Betty C]

Its interesting, everything is fancy this fancy that, oolong, matcha etc etc

A whole country of people was raised on PG tips with a splash of milk and heaven forbid some white tate & lyle sugar, its wonder were not all dead. Try this before dismissing it out of sight, i know its not cool or fancy but if you just take it for what it is then it is a cheap easy wonderful drink.

I know ill get mocked by all the fancy pants but thats OK

Is this in response to Russell's comment about never using milk and sweeteners? Or are you calling me "fancy pants" too?

[Jay Miller]

Yeah the answer to milk and sweetener is never.

I like greener Oolongs, mostly from Taiwan. I buy via Postcard Teas in London and usually have 2-3 on the go.

Im gathering your a Southern UK woosie who would not understand us council house kids drinking our PG tips

Anyone else in the dark on "PG tips?"

I had to google though I was correct in my guess that it was a brand.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PG_Tips

[Alan Eden]

PG tips are the Heinz ketchup of teas

[Jason Hagen]

Check this.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20984

Jason

[Russell Faulkner]

Discussing PG Tips here is the equivalent of discussing whatever the cheapest, mass produced wine available in the US is.

Go for it if that interests you but save the reverse snobbism it’s boring.

[Alan Eden]

Discussing PG Tips here is the equivalent of discussing whatever the cheapest, mass produced wine available in the US is.

Go for it if that interests you but save the reverse snobbism it’s boring.

Thats a ridiculous comparison.

Your saying that just because something is popular it cant be good, its not reverse snobbism at all. How many people still enjoy simple food and drink from the early years upto say 25 when generally people start exploring more speciality items. I love a USDA prime rib eye, yet still enjoy the cheap British sausage, I love artisan bread served fresh with a compote butter and aged cheddar but also still love a cheap sandwich bread toasted with baked beans. I love a fine Belgian trippel beer but you cant beat a great pint of Guinness. There are dozens of things like these.

So its not reverse snobbism its the belief that to enjoy the finer things in life you need the basics first. Nobody started wine drinking with first growths, everyone ( unless your stupid wealthy ) starts with $5 wines and works up.

Maybe your lucky and were born into wealth but most people are not.

[Russell Faulkner]

Go ahead and start some threads on Kraft cheese, twinkies, Bud light and Mars bars.

[Russell Faulkner]

Here is a current everyday favourite, https://www.postcardteas.com/site/product/baozhong/

Works out about $0.25 a (very large in my case) cup. For an (effectively) organic product grown and roasted by a single individual teamaster in Taiwan.

[Mark R]

The website "The English Tea Store" has pretty good deals on large bags of loose-leaf (the stuff in tea bags is not considered the best part of the leaf - more like the leftover bits). They also have sampler packs, where you can try a large variety of teas, sometimes collected into 'themes', without making a major commitment to any one flavor or variety. My go-to is the "Earl Grey Cream" which I just enjoyed this morning with a homemade scone.

As far as making the tea, you can put the loose leaves in a ball-type strainer, but I just use a Bodum press-pot, like you use for coffee. I use (and break) these so much that I bought 4 to keep in the closet last black friday (I think Target had them for like $10 each, but $30 is closer to normal price). Bonus of the press pot: you can make amazing cold brew coffee in it - just put coffee grounds, cold water and brown sugar in it, keep it on the counter overnight, then slowly press it the next morning for some high-concentrate caffeine octane: https://food52.com/recipes/2018-magical-coffee

[Russell Faulkner]

I use something like this.

Quantity of tea, steeping time and number of infusions are all important aspects.

[Betty C]

Anyway...back to Mark's original post. If the goal is to drink tea for the health benefits, skip the milk & sugar.

Why? Well to get to the bottom of this issue, last week I spent an afternoon at the Fifth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, where I picked the brains of lots of researchers.

Turns out, there seems to be a consensus about one thing: Milk proteins can bind with the beneficial plant compounds known as flavonols in tea. (You may have heard these compounds referred to by specific names such as catechins.) And, according to some scientists, the binding may make it tough for the body to absorb the flavonols and get the health benefits.

Read more here.

[Siun o'Connell]

English breakfast drinker here as my daily 3 cups ... with cream.

I do enjoy finer teas at times and am quite fond of Kusmi tea's Tchai. They are a historic brand and have some very interesting offerings. They sell a wellness tea sampler at a reasonable cost if you want to experiment - https://us-en.kusmitea.com/wellness-tea ... tment.html


PS - the Bloomingdale's Home store at least used to carry the Kusmi teas - since you're in Chicago. you might want to check.

Also, some of us were going to do a tea tasting - never got around to it but there was a good shop for doing that: https://www.adagio.com/stores/il_chicago.html (see the list on that page of planned tastings.

And here are more options - the first sounds interesting -https://specialtyteaalliance.org/world- ... icago-tea/

And of course Vanilla patisserie serves very good tea with their pastries in their little cafe room/

[Mark B]

English breakfast drinker here as my daily 3 cups ... with cream.

I do enjoy finer teas at times and am quite fond of Kusmi tea's Tchai. They are a historic brand and have some very interesting offerings. They sell a wellness tea sampler at a reasonable cost if you want to experiment - https://us-en.kusmitea.com/wellness-tea ... tment.html


PS - the Bloomingdale's Home store at least used to carry the Kusmi teas - since you're in Chicago. you might want to check.

Also, some of us were going to do a tea tasting - never got around to it but there was a good shop for doing that: https://www.adagio.com/stores/il_chicago.html (see the list on that page of planned tastings.

And here are more options - the first sounds interesting -https://specialtyteaalliance.org/world- ... icago-tea/

And of course Vanilla patisserie serves very good tea with their pastries in their little cafe room/

Thanks for all the info, Siun. I'll look into these!

[Mark B]

Also, this may sound a bit crazy to most, but it's piqued my interest. Taken from Reddit, the idea is infusing catnip into tea as a night cap for enhancing your sleep. Curious to know if anyone besides this Reddit user has tried it.

"I like to steep Catnip in my nightly tea for a a drowsy effect as I read myself to sleep. It is part of the mint family and has mild psychoactive effects in humans. It grows like a weed so I have plenty of it around the house. It tastes like a strong pungent mint. If you like savory flavors, this will be right up your alley since I feel it is a combination of both savory and mint, a very interesting combination.
I also like Chamomile and Hibiscus tea since they also have a relaxing effect but those don't grow as easily so I have to buy these. I use this as my base for steeping dried Catnip in if i'm feeling like I need some help getting to sleep.
Hibiscus is actually used as a naturual flavoring for many processed drinks and foods as it tastes almost exactly like a fruit punch juice, more closely to Cranberries.
I keep dried Hibiscus stored in mason jars that I will make tea from by itself. It has its on psychoactive effect as well, albeit mild as most teas are.
My favorite tea for reading is an Oolong or Earl Grey tea, however not psychoactive they still contains tons of antioxidant like most teas do.
Thought this old paper had some interesting statements as well. I can attest to seeing mild visuals when I have tea and try to sleep but nothing more or less significant as pressing your thumbs into your closed eye to produce Phosphenes but without actually having to use pressure. I wouldn't put high hopes of having an "experience" but the effects are noticeable enough to be pleasant and help me sleep."

[Mark B]

Does anyone have experience with this stuff? It appears to be the zenith of quality tea. The prices they command are mind-blowing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Hong_Pao

[Mark Y]

Does anyone have experience with this stuff? It appears to be the zenith of quality tea. The prices they command are mind-blowing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Hong_Pao

Yah. Good DHP is Greatness. Problem is there are different levels of it. And some label fraud etc.

I’m no expert but I do know this. Imagine the vastness that is wine knowledge/world. There’s an equal vastness of tea knowledge/world.
From soil. tea growing. Variety. Terrior. Service. Temp/equipment etc. it’s nuts if u go deep on it.


Kinda like saying I wanna learn about wine.
I heard Grand cru burgundy is good. Is it?

[Mark B]

Does anyone have experience with this stuff? It appears to be the zenith of quality tea. The prices they command are mind-blowing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Hong_Pao

Yah. Good DHP is Greatness. Problem is there are different levels of it. And some label fraud etc.

I’m no expert but I do know this. Imagine the vastness that is wine knowledge/world. There’s an equal vastness of tea knowledge/world.
From soil. tea growing. Variety. Terrior. Service. Temp/equipment etc. it’s nuts if u go deep on it.


Kinda like saying I wanna learn about wine.
I heard Grand cru burgundy is good. Is it?

Seems spot-on. At least a tea habit won’t financially ruin me the way Burgundy does.

[Mark Y]

Does anyone have experience with this stuff? It appears to be the zenith of quality tea. The prices they command are mind-blowing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Hong_Pao

Yah. Good DHP is Greatness. Problem is there are different levels of it. And some label fraud etc.

I’m no expert but I do know this. Imagine the vastness that is wine knowledge/world. There’s an equal vastness of tea knowledge/world.
From soil. tea growing. Variety. Terrior. Service. Temp/equipment etc. it’s nuts if u go deep on it.


Kinda like saying I wanna learn about wine.
I heard Grand cru burgundy is good. Is it?

Seems spot-on. At least a tea habit won’t financially ruin me the way Burgundy does.

Oh you just haven’t gone deep enough yet.
I’ve heard people paying thousands for discs of pu’er hahaha

[Mark R]

Yah. Good DHP is Greatness. Problem is there are different levels of it. And some label fraud etc.

I’m no expert but I do know this. Imagine the vastness that is wine knowledge/world. There’s an equal vastness of tea knowledge/world.
From soil. tea growing. Variety. Terrior. Service. Temp/equipment etc. it’s nuts if u go deep on it.


Kinda like saying I wanna learn about wine.
I heard Grand cru burgundy is good. Is it?

Seems spot-on. At least a tea habit won’t financially ruin me the way Burgundy does.

Oh you just haven’t gone deep enough yet.
I’ve heard people paying thousands for discs of pu’er hahaha

Tea seems to be a drink that attracts people named Mark (and with a "K" no less! Astounding! - we are a dying breed).

[Jason Hagen]

I have been drinking the Ironbush Honey Oolong from Floating Leaves. Really nice rich earthy flavors with light aromas of honey.

Also, the Floating Leaves House Oolong black tea with a little bit of milk. A great breakfast tea.

Jason

[Mark B]

Seems spot-on. At least a tea habit won’t financially ruin me the way Burgundy does.

Oh you just haven’t gone deep enough yet.
I’ve heard people paying thousands for discs of pu’er hahaha

Tea seems to be a drink that attracts people named Mark (and with a "K" no less! Astounding! - we are a dying breed).

Mark³

[Mark B]

Oh you just haven’t gone deep enough yet.
I’ve heard people paying thousands for discs of pu’er hahaha

Tea seems to be a drink that attracts people named Mark (and with a "K" no less! Astounding! - we are a dying breed).

Mark³

Edit: just realized Mark cubed is technically four Marks...

[Mark B]

Tea seems to be a drink that attracts people named Mark (and with a "K" no less! Astounding! - we are a dying breed).

Mark³

Edit: just realized Mark cubed is technically four Marks...

2nd edit: then realized the number "1" cubed is still "1". I think I broke my brain. Honestly, I have no idea what Mark cubed would be. Oh well, guess we may never know. Sorry for the thread drift.

[asnitow]

Mark,

Here in town, Tea Gschwendner, is a very nice shop with 2 locations - Gold Coast and Lincoln Park. RareTea Cellar also has great stuff, which is what many CHI restaurants serve. No retail store you can walk in, but they deliver/ship.

Some good online shops to order from include:

In Pursuit of Tea
Spirit Tea.
Hibiki-An ships direct from Japan.
Ippodo has an NYC store which will ship for Japanese as well.
For Oolong, te-nyc specializes in Taiwan oolongs that are very good.

Happy hunting...