TEAch me
November 21, 2024 11:22 AM Subscribe
Hello, it is dreary outside and I want to indulge myself by upgrading my tea time. I have a kettle with temperature control and I have a variety of tea bags from the grocery store and nice mugs that suit me. What's the next stage or two of being a hobbyist tea drinker? Loose leaf tea? A sophisticated brewing technique? Some knowledge to make me appreciate it more? Teach me! Snowflakes inside.
To expand congenially, a few years ago I upped my coffee intake and enjoyed the process of swapping from k-cups to a french press and grinding my own beans. I am sophisticated enough to know I should probably be weighing things and timing things and generally being scientific about it, but I can't be bothered.
For tea, I buy a pack of whatever bags from the store and drink a cup or two of black tea in the morning and early afternoon, and then swap over to herbals and chamomile in the evening. My kettle has buttons to heat the water to the appropriate temperature for those different types, so I follow that, but then I leave the tea bags in the entire time I'm drinking because does it really make a difference?
I want to:
1. Learn about the different tiers of tea I can buy + equipment upgrades
2. Get better at making tea
3. Understand the things that aficionados notice about tea that us novices may miss
I appreciate any and all suggestions, even if they veer from those lanes!
To expand congenially, a few years ago I upped my coffee intake and enjoyed the process of swapping from k-cups to a french press and grinding my own beans. I am sophisticated enough to know I should probably be weighing things and timing things and generally being scientific about it, but I can't be bothered.
For tea, I buy a pack of whatever bags from the store and drink a cup or two of black tea in the morning and early afternoon, and then swap over to herbals and chamomile in the evening. My kettle has buttons to heat the water to the appropriate temperature for those different types, so I follow that, but then I leave the tea bags in the entire time I'm drinking because does it really make a difference?
I want to:
1. Learn about the different tiers of tea I can buy + equipment upgrades
2. Get better at making tea
3. Understand the things that aficionados notice about tea that us novices may miss
I appreciate any and all suggestions, even if they veer from those lanes!
Maté for the win. That would be Ilex paraguariensis, a shrub related to holly that is rich in caffeine and consumed in prodigious quantities in South America. Your thermostated kettle will come into its own. Coffee is best brewed off-the-boil at 88-93°C. Whereas tea needs to have hotter (> 95°C) water to extract its different cocktail of chemicals. They say that maté needs an even lower temperature of about 82°C.
As for Camellia sinensis tea: whatever bags are to tea what Old Red Biddy is to wine.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:54 AM on November 21
As for Camellia sinensis tea: whatever bags are to tea what Old Red Biddy is to wine.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:54 AM on November 21
I am a very lazy tea drinker, but I am careful not to oversteep black or green tea. To me, the taste is obvious and gets worse the longer it brews. Herbals don't get that taste and so I will leave the bag in and even rebrew it again with the next bag sometimes.
I did start following some tea drinkers on some socials and found that I am never going to be that precious about tea. In anything, I think it is important to be as fussy as you need to be and no more. I don't care if my tea goes a bit cool. I use a variety of sweeteners and even use nondairy creamer at work because it can sit in my desk drawer for a long time.
I like a cast iron tetsubin for brewing loose tea, even though technically they are for heating water. Mine came with a basket and a lid that makes it easy. I inherited a ceramic one with no basket and I am not sure how it is supposed to be used. I have a couple other devices for loose tea, but most are really small and hard to clean. I don't think I get the benefit of loose tea if I am just shoving it into a tiny sieve.
Last thing, those plastic pyramid tea bags are probably a source of microplastics and so I do cut them open a brew loosely instead of putting them into hot water.
posted by soelo at 11:56 AM on November 21 [3 favorites]
I did start following some tea drinkers on some socials and found that I am never going to be that precious about tea. In anything, I think it is important to be as fussy as you need to be and no more. I don't care if my tea goes a bit cool. I use a variety of sweeteners and even use nondairy creamer at work because it can sit in my desk drawer for a long time.
I like a cast iron tetsubin for brewing loose tea, even though technically they are for heating water. Mine came with a basket and a lid that makes it easy. I inherited a ceramic one with no basket and I am not sure how it is supposed to be used. I have a couple other devices for loose tea, but most are really small and hard to clean. I don't think I get the benefit of loose tea if I am just shoving it into a tiny sieve.
Last thing, those plastic pyramid tea bags are probably a source of microplastics and so I do cut them open a brew loosely instead of putting them into hot water.
posted by soelo at 11:56 AM on November 21 [3 favorites]
If you actually like the intensity of overbrewed tea, I'd recommend looking into Yunnan blacks and pu-ehr (proper pu-ehr that comes in cake form). Also the Russian brewing method where you steep the essence (very concentrated tea) and mix it with extra hot water - samovar optional, a kettle is completely fine. There are so many national ways of tea to try. One of my favourites is black tea brewed with both water and milk, I think that one originated in Taiwan.
Of all things I'd recommend Courtney Milan's newsletter, which always starts with the exploration of a new tea. She tends towards Chinese gong fu cha style.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:21 PM on November 21
Of all things I'd recommend Courtney Milan's newsletter, which always starts with the exploration of a new tea. She tends towards Chinese gong fu cha style.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:21 PM on November 21
I actually came in here to recommend Courtney Milan's newsletter, too.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:23 PM on November 21
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:23 PM on November 21
I moved from bagged to loose leaf and have enjoyed the switch. The tea flavor is more nuanced and interesting and I don’t need as much (or any depending on the tea) sugar or cream to make it drinkable.
My set up is just an electric kettle with temperature presets and a tea infuser basket or ball. I use a corded version of this kettle, but there are a ton of options out there.
I am fond of Friday Afternoon Tea for their variety of fun and approachable teas. They also have a blog with some useful information for those looking to up their tea game.
posted by Maeve at 12:28 PM on November 21
My set up is just an electric kettle with temperature presets and a tea infuser basket or ball. I use a corded version of this kettle, but there are a ton of options out there.
I am fond of Friday Afternoon Tea for their variety of fun and approachable teas. They also have a blog with some useful information for those looking to up their tea game.
posted by Maeve at 12:28 PM on November 21
definitely try loose leaf tea -- i like teasource, particularly for herbal teas. i drink 1-3 cups of their rooibos most days.
i was surprised by how much stronger high-quality loose leaf chamomile is than bagged; the first time i had it, i felt like i'd taken half a benzo. it REALLY knocked me out.
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 1:40 PM on November 21
i was surprised by how much stronger high-quality loose leaf chamomile is than bagged; the first time i had it, i felt like i'd taken half a benzo. it REALLY knocked me out.
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 1:40 PM on November 21
Oh right - for herbals try making your own, especially fresh in the growing season. I grow mint and its relative lemon balm, chamomile is also easy to grow, and a stroll in the countryside can produce a lot of other interesting options depending on your area. Look things up in a reliable source (NOT any kind of AI if you value your liver) and if you like it, gather more and dry it in bunches hanging upside down in a shady place. In Eastern Europe I love yarrow tea, nettle and raspberry leaf.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 2:10 PM on November 21 [2 favorites]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 2:10 PM on November 21 [2 favorites]
My friend Chris goes deep on tea on his Instagram and always has good recommendations. https://www.instagram.com/ckylum/
In general, seconding what others are saying here about gong fu style. You can get a simple sets for not too much and it adds some ritual to your tea time, especially since you're brewing small amounts repeatedly. Pu'ehrs are much more than just dark teas -- raw ones can be green or even purple. The Tao of Tea has some good small bricks for reasonable prices https://taooftea.com/
Oh! and aged teas. They're usually more expensive, but they can be incredible. Red Blossom is spendy but great https://redblossomtea.com/
posted by PikeMatchbox at 2:59 PM on November 21
In general, seconding what others are saying here about gong fu style. You can get a simple sets for not too much and it adds some ritual to your tea time, especially since you're brewing small amounts repeatedly. Pu'ehrs are much more than just dark teas -- raw ones can be green or even purple. The Tao of Tea has some good small bricks for reasonable prices https://taooftea.com/
Oh! and aged teas. They're usually more expensive, but they can be incredible. Red Blossom is spendy but great https://redblossomtea.com/
posted by PikeMatchbox at 2:59 PM on November 21
I think the white2tea tea club is the best thing ever and a fantastic deal and every month you get a selection of very interesting Chinese teas with a lot of information. They specialize in pu-erh but the club will send fresh greens in season and all sorts of different teas at different qualities. One of my favorite months in the last year was one variety of tea in a very high grade, mid-level, and low grade, so you could have a tasting and experience the difference.
I am also like, sophisticated enough to be into some esoteric teas but not terribly precious about brewing precisely or having extremely fancy equipment. I have a kyusu I got at a thrift store for my Japanese greens and otherwise a cheap gaiwan and some large mesh strainers. I love “grandpa style” which is what Internet tea people call just having loose leaves in your cup and topping off the water when it gets low. The world of tea is vast and you only need to do what you want.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 6:54 PM on November 21 [1 favorite]
I am also like, sophisticated enough to be into some esoteric teas but not terribly precious about brewing precisely or having extremely fancy equipment. I have a kyusu I got at a thrift store for my Japanese greens and otherwise a cheap gaiwan and some large mesh strainers. I love “grandpa style” which is what Internet tea people call just having loose leaves in your cup and topping off the water when it gets low. The world of tea is vast and you only need to do what you want.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 6:54 PM on November 21 [1 favorite]
I'm at best a tea dilettante. However, I always have a few loose leaf teas on hand for when I want them, generally one black, one green, and a Darjeeling. But I do pay attention to temperature and timing. Too long or too hot can go wrong, in my experience. Carefully steeping the same leaves multiple times results in a very different experience than just steeping them once for too long. It's fun to experiment, but heed time and temperature when you start playing around.
posted by mollweide at 7:06 PM on November 21
posted by mollweide at 7:06 PM on November 21
A one cup tea strainer like this one (just the one I found which looks similar to mine) is excellent for loose leaf tea without messing around with teapots.
posted by freethefeet at 7:43 PM on November 21 [2 favorites]
posted by freethefeet at 7:43 PM on November 21 [2 favorites]
Something you may wanna know about Chinese teas is that they benefit from being brewed multiple times in a row, the first 'wash' is just to allow the leaves to rehydrate and bloom. (I'm guessing teas from other Asian countries are similar but I'm not informed!) And yes, I'm a big fan of the grandpa style myself!
posted by yueliang at 10:43 PM on November 21 [1 favorite]
posted by yueliang at 10:43 PM on November 21 [1 favorite]
I've been getting a monthly box from tearunners this year and have been really pleased with the variety.
posted by Dotty at 6:04 AM on November 22
posted by Dotty at 6:04 AM on November 22
I am a very lazy tea drinker, but I am careful not to oversteep black or green tea. To me, the taste is obvious and gets worse the longer it brews.
This is pretty variable by tea. Oversteeping green is unpleasant for almost every green tea I've drunk, and darjeeling is lovely but steep it too long or too hot and it turns into a tannic hell-brew. Those are extremely brew-time-sensitive teas. Workhorse Indian teas, like Assam, are somewhat more forgiving, but you still want to eventually stop steeping them or they will become bitter. Finally, in my experience Chinese black teas, however, are not particularly sensitive to overbrewing: lapsang souchong and pu'erh are very tolerant of a good long steep without becoming gross (pu'erh will become hellaciously strong, though).
posted by jackbishop at 8:11 AM on November 22
This is pretty variable by tea. Oversteeping green is unpleasant for almost every green tea I've drunk, and darjeeling is lovely but steep it too long or too hot and it turns into a tannic hell-brew. Those are extremely brew-time-sensitive teas. Workhorse Indian teas, like Assam, are somewhat more forgiving, but you still want to eventually stop steeping them or they will become bitter. Finally, in my experience Chinese black teas, however, are not particularly sensitive to overbrewing: lapsang souchong and pu'erh are very tolerant of a good long steep without becoming gross (pu'erh will become hellaciously strong, though).
posted by jackbishop at 8:11 AM on November 22
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I have this one-cup infuser from August Uncommon and it's wonderful for brewing loose leaf tea and way easier to clean than any of the tea balls I've tried in the past. Highly recommend it or a tea steeper like it.
If you want to get fancy/precise, get a nice scale (like this one from Hario, that you could also use for weighing coffee beans) that lets you accurately measure the very small amounts of tea you need for a single cup.
You could also look into blooming teas, where the tea leaves are wrapped into a tight ball and bloom in your cup. I would go with a double-wall borosilicate glass cup for them so you can see the magic happen!
posted by burntflowers at 11:49 AM on November 21 [6 favorites]