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~~Lord Larehip~~ · 09-13-2013, 09:38 AM

I drink tea all day everyday. Most of the time it's green but black and oolong is also quite good. I don't drink white tea much. My favorite is genmaicha--brown rice green tea. But sencha will do quite nicely. And Chinese green tea is outstanding. I also like the Korean teas like daejak. As for black, I prefer lapsang souchong which is roasted over a fire so it has a smoky flavor. I like my tea straight--no sweeteners, no flavorings and f-uck chai. Also, it must be loose--no bags. Tea leaves need to expand in hot water and a bag restricts that so you don't get the full tea flavor. And f-uck the Brits and their milk. Milk does not belong in tea. Finally, ALWAYS re-steep your tea. The caffeine comes out in the first cup, after you re-steep, there's still plenty of flavor but the caffeine is mostly leeched out so you can drink 3 or 4 cups with minimal caffeine. Black teas can't be re-steeped as often as green--maybe twice and then it gets nasty weak. Black teas need to be black but green tea should actually be weak. It should barely color the water. You can re-steep the same batch all day. I've had people complain that their green tea comes out goopy. Because you're using too much, ya dope! It should NEVER be goopy. If it looks like an asparagus piss, you overdid it. Takes practice to make the perfect cup of tea.

Another great tea is matcha. It's powdered tea that the Japanaese use for their tea ceremony called cha-no-you. It's made from pulverized tea leaves so you don't steep it--you can't. You just dump it in a cup then pour the water. As you pour, you have to whip the tea into a froth using a bamboo whisk. You can buy this stuff off the internet and I think Teavana sells them. In fact, Teavana is a good place to get tea and tea accessories. A proper cup of matcha is divine. It's the color of emerald or green jade with a taste to match. There is nothing else like it. But you have to make it right!!

What about tea balls? Don't fill a tea ball more than half way. The leaves must expand to give the full flavor. If you're jamming the tea ball with leaves, you're going to get a half-assed cup of tea. Never more than halfway--somewhat less, really.

Lastly, the water--always use boiling water. Some will tell you to use different temps for the different teas--horseballs! Boiling water--always.

09-13-2013, 09:38 AM	#13 (permalink)
~~Lord Larehip~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 899	I drink tea all day everyday. Most of the time it's green but black and oolong is also quite good. I don't drink white tea much. My favorite is genmaicha--brown rice green tea. But sencha will do quite nicely. And Chinese green tea is outstanding. I also like the Korean teas like daejak. As for black, I prefer lapsang souchong which is roasted over a fire so it has a smoky flavor. I like my tea straight--no sweeteners, no flavorings and f-uck chai. Also, it must be loose--no bags. Tea leaves need to expand in hot water and a bag restricts that so you don't get the full tea flavor. And f-uck the Brits and their milk. Milk does not belong in tea. Finally, ALWAYS re-steep your tea. The caffeine comes out in the first cup, after you re-steep, there's still plenty of flavor but the caffeine is mostly leeched out so you can drink 3 or 4 cups with minimal caffeine. Black teas can't be re-steeped as often as green--maybe twice and then it gets nasty weak. Black teas need to be black but green tea should actually be weak. It should barely color the water. You can re-steep the same batch all day. I've had people complain that their green tea comes out goopy. Because you're using too much, ya dope! It should NEVER be goopy. If it looks like an asparagus piss, you overdid it. Takes practice to make the perfect cup of tea. Another great tea is matcha. It's powdered tea that the Japanaese use for their tea ceremony called cha-no-you. It's made from pulverized tea leaves so you don't steep it--you can't. You just dump it in a cup then pour the water. As you pour, you have to whip the tea into a froth using a bamboo whisk. You can buy this stuff off the internet and I think Teavana sells them. In fact, Teavana is a good place to get tea and tea accessories. A proper cup of matcha is divine. It's the color of emerald or green jade with a taste to match. There is nothing else like it. But you have to make it right!! What about tea balls? Don't fill a tea ball more than half way. The leaves must expand to give the full flavor. If you're jamming the tea ball with leaves, you're going to get a half-assed cup of tea. Never more than halfway--somewhat less, really. Lastly, the water--always use boiling water. Some will tell you to use different temps for the different teas--horseballs! Boiling water--always.