Discussion Tea Thread

[Jammin]

A good way to gauge water tempurature is to watch the steam and water. At sea level.

160-170 - Vapor appears at the spout of the kettle.
170-180 - A small amount of steam appears above the spout in short bursts.
180-190 - A steady column of steam and bubbles should start forming.
190-200 - Large amount of steam and bubbles should start reaching the surface.
200-212 - Full Boil

The only real experience I have with Japanese tea is with a green tea called Gyokuro. You'll be able to tell if it's that by looking at the leaves. It looks very distinct, green needles, and you can see it on the Adago page if you want to compare.

---------- Post added at 05:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:50 PM ----------

Also another decaf option would be Decaf Ceylon. I've heard the difference between the decaf and regular is minimal and Ceylon is a great tea. And I would say by far the best ice teas.

 

[kannazuki]

I usually go for 72º-ish or higher (C), going by the steaming kettle, by letting it cool. In a day or two, I'll try using water that's close but hasn't boiled yet, maybe boiled in a pot just to see if it tastes different from the kettle, once poured into my teapot.

*edit*
Actually, my favourite Earl Grey has a decaf version! I doubt I'll find it locally but I hope to get some at some point...

 

[Haya-san]

This may sound strange, but it's been a habit of mine to drink coffee in the morning, green tea in the late morning and black tea in the afternoon (Assam and Ceylon are my favorites). I don't like to add milk to my coffee or tea and usually prefer my teas unflavored, though, I'm partial to mint-flavored green tea. I recently got hooked on chocolate tea that I like to indulge myself with in the weekends. I usually go for teabags because I'm too lazy to make a pot (they still taste good enough for me)

 

[Kiki]

Tea is one of my favorite drinks. There are three kinds of drinks I really like, I call them "The Trinity" haha. They are milk, coffee, and tea, in no order.

I usually buy Taiwanese tea. It's my favorite. Here it's called bubble tea, because there are things called pearls/bubbles you will find inside of the plastic cup. It's served in a plastic cup and we can sip it with a straw. I like the pearls, because they are so chewy.

 

[Reebi]

Orange Pekoe for me. Mint if my stomach is upset. What do you think @upsurge?

Edit:

I love going to this store: www.teavana.com

I only bought their ready-to-drink tea such as their Earl Grey Latte, but I hope to buy actual tea leaves from there once I finish what I have at home. I enjoy tasting the samples and taking in the scent of various tea flavours.

I prefer David's Tea. Teabot is very good and a neat invention. You get to pick the strength, blend, and temperature