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Any one else confused by all the grades of tea? My first question is... what is the difference between Orange Pekoe and CTC? The tea i am drinking now says it is orange pekoe, but it looks like the little balls i associate with CTC.

I'm hoping someone here can direct me to a wholesale source for those metal tea caddies. The ones I'm thinking of seem very traditional to me - they're metal with both and outer and inner cap and sort of look like old metal milk vessels. Sorry if my description is lost in translation. I've searched Google for metal tea caddy but haven't had much luck. I'm looking for a source where I can buy a dozen of them. Thanks!

Why is 'Western' style brewing (of tea) so called? It seems likely that in the tea-producing countries (India, China, Sri Lanka.....), most people would use this method, rather than the labor- and equipment-intensive 'gong fu' style. A brief internet search was not enlightening.

I'm trying to figure out what is a good, practical kit for traveling with my own tea. For me this means being able to make at least a pint of tea to carry with me in my backpack for drinking through the day when in meetings etc, where the teas provided, if any are at all, are usually exactly the sort of english breakfast teas I dislike. I love my little electric kettle that I use at work, but it's a one liter size, and I can't find any that are much smaller than that. I'd really like to have a one pint size, and I've seen some electric mugs but those mostly seem to heat rather than boil the water. I also have used an immersion heater coil plus a pyrex measuring cup, but the dedicated electric kettles are quicker and faster. I have a lovely inexpensive glass teapot with built-in strainer at the spout, so no need for an infuser. And a small tupperware or ziploc bag can hold a few days' worth of one tea. What I want is a small kit like a toiletries kit that will hold this stuff, protect the glass teapot from airport baggage gorillas, and live in the suitcase at all times, ready to add tea and go.

The Cultured Cup is providing 10 mg samples for another Tea Tasting Discussion. This time a tea blend they have developed for iced tea. Their Yin Yang blend incudes Japanese green tea, Chinese black tea, orange, pineapple, safflower & strawberries. The Cultured Cup has provided four samples of 10 grams each, and I will mail three of them to the eG Society members participating in this tasting. While the tasting is open to all members who have posted at least ten substantive posts in the Coffee and Tea forum, preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Friday, August 14th to those who have not yet participated in any of the last two tastings. As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion. So, please PM me now for details if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion. As I have mentioned in other topics, I have known Kyle Stewart, co-owner of The Cultured Cup, for some time now, having bought tea from his shop for many years, at least 10 years I believe it is. And for the past three years or so Kyle has been instrumental to my tea education through the T-Bar Club at The Cultured Cup. Kyle attended the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas recently and completed his three years of training with the Speciality Tea Institute to become the first certified tea specialist in Texas. I have had many pleasant times with Kyle and his staff, trading teas and sharing new tea discoveries. More than just a tea merchant I happen to buy tea from, Kyle is a culinary friend as well as a tea friend - the wonderful tea pairings at Sharon Hage's York Street restaurant and a shared interest in Asian food.

Allright, so I'm engaged in a couple of topics where teas are being tasted...click and click. In a fantastic gesture of both his time and expense, Richard Kilgore, one of our volunteer managers, has been acquiring and sending out samples of various high-end teas to members who respond (like I did) with the promise that they'll taste the teas and report back. The way these fancy teas are brewed requires a fair amount of work as well as a fair amount of equipment. Take a look at Richard's topic Show Us Your Teaware, and you'll see what I mean. No doubt tea can be brewed on a shoestring, as can coffee, and you'll still have a mighty fine cup. After all, tea got Bogey and Hepburn down the river, after she poured the Gordon's overboard. As far as my coffee ware goes, trust me, I'm obsessive - as can be seen in this topic started by Mr. Kinsey. Teaware - not so much. I have 2 of those little cute pots and they each hold about a cup of water when full - or, in tea terms, 250ml. To brew a great cup of coffee, I can put water on to boil, get my whole coffee rig set up, weigh out and grind my beans, and have a great 6 -8 oz. cuppa coffee in under 5 minutes 99.9% of the time. If I've preheated Silvia, I can have a great espresso 90% of the time in a minute. Of course, in both cases, excellent fresh coffee is of the utmost importance. But tea? What a pain. Constantly reheating the water (or heating fresh water even), taking it's temperature, timing things, swirling stuff - and all for like a 2 oz. sip of tea? That a lot of times doesn't even come out great. Additionally, it's about 1,000,000 degrees here the last couple of days (so I may be a little cranky) and who wants to spend the afternoon brewing shots of hot tea? I know, I know, people in hot countries drink tea because it cools them off. All over the world, they're drinking hot tea to cool off. Me, I just want air conditioning and an iced coffee. Shaken, frothy and so refreshing. Or a great iced tea. Am I the only one?

I'm just curious. Have you made any changes in your tea brewing and drinking this year? Teas that are new to you? New brewing equipment? New tea cups? New brewing techniques? Pictures welcome!

Bill Waddington at Tea Source has contributed an Okayati Estate Darjeeling 1st Flush for this Tea Tasting discussion. He provided 10 gram samples for me and three more eG Society members. Each sample is enough to make about four cups of first infusion tea. The three free samples are available to members who 1) will do at least two brewing sessions from the sample, 2) will report on their experience and participate in the discussion, and 3) who have previously posted at least ten (10) substantive posts (questions, answers, comments that add to discussions) in the Coffee and Tea forum. Preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Tuesday August 11, 2009 to those who have not participated in the last two tastings. As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion, whether or not you receive a sample. So, please PM me now if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion.

futanashi kyusu futa = lid nashi = without/with no kyusu = teapot Dan at Yuuki-cha.com thinks I may have the first lidless kyusu in North America, and maybe outside of Japan. I had emailed Dan about a nice, inexpensive kyusu (side-handle) teapot, asking for some detail on it, which he provided. Then I explained that I was looking for a teapot to use for roasty Japanese green teas like hojicha, so that the flavor did not create a problem for the unglazed pots I use for sencha. He thought that was a good idea, but said that he uses a lidless kyusu for hojicha and genmaicha. I had never heard or seen such a tea pot, so he trudged through a long series of somewhat skeptical emails from me. He had received one of these a while ago as a sample, but could not figure out what to do with it. The manufacturer apparently presents them as good for Japanese green teas in general, which seemed doubtful. Then one day he brewed genmaicha in it, and it filled the air with the aroma. Now it's all he uses for hojicha and genmaicha. It's not on the Yuuki-cha website yet, so he sent photos, and I had more questions and he sent another photo clarifying the appearance. Since the futanashi kyusu was even cheaper than the one I was originally interested in, and a sale was going on, I had Dan ship one with another kyusu I had ordered. When the open kyusu arrived he had included a complimentary bag of a very aromatic organic hojicha for it's first brew, so I tried it out that evening. Standing in front of the kyusu while the tea was brewing was a different experience...the aroma filled the air. I had brewed another aromatic hojicha in a glazed kyusu with the lid off a couple of times after Dan told me about this open, lidless design, but it trapped the aroma largely. I had to stick my nose within two inches of the lid opening to get much aroma. But the open kyusu design lets the aroma waft into the saurrounding air. Dan says in smaller Japanese rooms the aroma literally fills the room. Here are links to the photos of this kyusu, used with permission. Several views of the open kyusu. And since those photos really did not show the complexity of the glaze well, here's the follow up photo Dan sent in order to clarify the unusual drip glaze with a smooth surface on top and a rougher texture about halfway down the body. Now to try some genmaicha in it soon.

Just curious...do you have a favorite teapot? What makes it special?

In the Barley Tea topic, torakris mentioned Korean Roasted Corn Tea: I was shopping at the local Super H-Mart yesterday and picked up a bag of the roasted corn. I chose the Soong Yung Tea brand (I guess that's the brand) after asking a woman who waited on me in the fast food kiosk. She said it was the best one with the best flavor. So, now that I have a bag of it, how do I make it?

In another topic, v. gautam posted an aside reagarding stevia. Anyone else have this experience?

eG Society member Greg Glancy at Norbutea.com is contributing 10 gram samples of a new Taiwan Alishan High Mountain Oolong from the recent spring harvest 2009. Greg has provided four samples of 10 grams each, and I will mail three of them to the eG Society members participating in this tasting and discussion. While the tasting is open to all members who have posted at least ten substantive posts in the Coffee and Tea forum, preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Friday, July 31st to those who have not participated in the last two tastings. Preference will also be given to those who will brew this tea gong fu (with skill) style in a gaiwan. ("Substantive posts" simply means "contributed something to the discussions".) As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion. So, please PM me now for details if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion. Here's more information on this special Oolong tea from the Norbutea.com website. I have known Greg for several years. A presentation he gave on a trip through the tea markets and farms of China fed my growing interest in learning more about fine teas. Since then Greg has become a tea friend and we drink tea together and trade teas and tea stories from time to time.

I enjoy floral teas for variety, but find a lot of the commercially available blends are too strong--for example, I usually cut rishi's peach blossom white tea about 1:2 with a nice white or yellow tea to get a pleasingly floral but not cloying brew--or start with poorer quality base teas, so have been adding flowers myself. For example, while reading up on the pouchong tea I recently rediscovered in the back of my cupboard, I encountered several times a note that it is often drunk with the addition of rose. So, when I bought some more of it, I asked about adding rose, and got a bag of little dried rose buds. I added about 8 of them to the amount of tea that I steeped 3 times to fill my quart thermos (about 1 tablespoon of large loose leaves), and was disappointed to find no real difference in the flavor. I've also tried to work with some dried osmanthus flowers, which are often called 'orchid flowers' when used to flavor teas, and not been very satisfied with the results when trying to reproduce a nice 'orchid oolong' tea I was given as a gift. Simply adding flowers or petals until the flavor seems right isn't working so well, and I'm wondering: are the flowers I have too old/worn out to add flavor? Do the rose buds need to be separated into rose petals? Do the flowers change the best brewing temperatures? Are resteepings drawing undesireable flavor from the petals? Are there ways to tell, without opening the bag/jar/box/can, whether the flowers are likely to have much flavor to give?

Are there any decent quality loose (or a good quality bagged) tea with added caffeine? I'm a fan of (should I admit this here? I'm new to this section of eGullet...) Celestial Seasons Fast Lane and Morning Thunder black teas. I like tea better than coffee, and I like the more subtle energy boost. I like the Fast Lane, but I'd like something better quality, something I can get loose, or just other options in general. Are there any good ones? What would you recommend?

I'm pretty new to the world of drinking quality hot tea. Until very recently, all of my experience has been at home. In restaurants, the only tea I was ordering was iced tea. I recently returned from Las Vegas where I obviously had a large number of meals in restaurants. While there, I actually ordered tea once for myself and also observed what happened when others at the table ordered tea. What I experienced seems to indicate that tea as a beverage is done as an afterthought. Outside of the dim sum place we went to, it was always done with a pot of hot water and a teabag. Sure, it may have been a good tea bag, but it was still a tea bag. And you were on your own to actually brew it. Is there any hope out there? Any growing trend going on that hasn't made it to Las Vegas where tea service in restaurants is given a bit more thought. I suppose there are some places there doing it well, but I wasn't at them.

I was going through the checkout line at a Sprouts grocery store recently and noticed that the person in front of me had only two products in her basket. Two bags of potato chips and about 40 bottles of "organic black tea". At a dollar a 16 ounce bottle. Looked like a party in the making. Certainly convenient - it's "organic" and convenient - just toss it in the trash or recycle the glass or plastic. But how hard is it to make iced tea? $40 would buy the 160 - 180 grams of a good quality tea leaf needed and have money left over. And few if any of the bottled teas are made of anything but the lower grades of tea. So, my bias is not subtle. But what do you think of bottled teas?

There are now many tea merchants on the internet. Some have B&M tea shops; some have their own sites; some are on eBay. Their websites differ considerably in the range of teas and tea-things they offer and how they are presented. Some English language sites are based in the tea producing countries and more are based in tea importing countries. So, I am curious about what everyone's experiences have been and what your preferences are. Do you prefer ordering from merchants in your country or from those overseas? Or after buying on-line have you decided you prefer a B&M shop? What kind of informational content about their tea and other products do you like to see on their sites? What do you expect in terms of shipping times and customer service? I have my own take on this, but I'll wait a few days to add my 2 cents.

This Tea Tasting Discussion features an Indian black tea, a Nilgiri, Glendale Estate, Handmade. Bill Waddington at teasource.com is providing free 10 gram samples for me and three more eG Society members. Each sample is enough to make about four cups of first infusion tea. This is an impressive tea I first ordered last year from Tea Source. I have since ordered more, unusual for me since I typically prefer to explore many teas, an ounce at a time. Here is some background information from the Teasource site: The three free samples are available to members who 1) will do at least two brewing sessions from the sample, 2) will report on their experience and participate in the discussion, and 3) who have previously posted at least ten (10) substantive posts (questions, answers, comments that add to discussions) in the Coffee and Tea forum. Preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Thursday July 16, 2009 to those who have not participated in the last two tastings. As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion, whether or not you receive a sample. So, please PM me now if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion.

I had a recent impromptu trip to San Francisco for the weekend and found myself eating breakfast in a rather nice cafe. Great pastries, and a selection of the most frou frou fruity teas I have ever seen. The closest to a tea I would want for breakfast was the earl grey. They made it to my surprise from water from the steamer on the espresso machine.... what a brilliant idea! the water was hot enough! Much more than when it is made with water from the coffee machine which is just too cold. I found myself really enjoying it. IT was a great earl Grey, with the black tea strong enough to shine through the bergamot. I came home and got some earl grey leaves.... bleagh. perfumey and no taste of tea. Any one got some good recommendations for a robust earl grey? And i posted it here because that is what i am drinking this morning. weak earl grey. Help me please

eG Society member Kyle Stewart at The Cultured Cup is contributing three Japanese green teas for tastings here in the Coffee & Tea forum. This, the second one, is a Houjicha Select. Kyle has provided four samples of 10 grams each, and I will mail three of them to the eG Society members participating in this tasting. While the tasting is open to all members who have posted at least ten substantive posts in the Coffee and Tea forum, preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Wednesday, June 24th to those who have not yet participated in any of the last three tastings. As always, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion. So, please PM me now for details if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion. Here is a little information on Houjicha from The Cultured Cup: As I have mentioned in other topics, I have known Kyle Stewart for some time now, having bought tea from his shop for many years, at least 10 years I believe it is. And for the past three years or so Kyle has been instrumental to my tea education through the T-Bar Club at The Cultured Cup. Kyle attended the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas recently and completed his three years of training with the Speciality Tea Institute to become the first certified tea specialist in Texas. I have had many pleasant times with Kyle and his staff, trading teas and sharing new tea discoveries. More than just a tea merchant I happen to buy tea from, Kyle is a culinary friend as well as a tea friend - the wonderful tea pairings at Sharon Hage's York Street restaurant and a shared interest in Asian food.

http://teamasters.blogspot.com/ Stéphane Erler the pics r beautiful- i have not ordered any tea from him as yet jpr54_ aka joanne r.

I have been drinking a ti kwan yin for a while and started brewing it in a pot heated with hot water, etc, and then went to a large mug/cup also heated beforehand..and then transfering to my drinking cup.. .While rooting around in the kitchen I found a mug that was about 20 0z. It is a stainless steel"thermos" style thing. I found that I could pour the hot water over the TKY, in the mug, and let it brew for the alotted time with almost no temp change, and then put a mesh basket in the top of it and pour the resulting liquid into my drinking cup...The leaves stayed in the "thermos" thing and were re steeped as needed... This saved much time heating the pot or cup to maintain temps... Just thought I would mention this in case someone else had one of these "thermos type mugs around.... Bud

The next Tea Tasting Discussion features an Indian black tea, an Assam Sree Sibari Estate . Bill Waddington at teasource.com is providing free 10 gram samples for three eG Society members and me. Each sample is enough to make about four cups of first infusion tea. I thought of Tea Source for a Tea Tasting Discussion due to two stunning Indian teas I ordered last year. Here is some background information from the Teasource site: The tasting is open to all members who have posted at least ten (10) substantive posts in the Coffee and Tea forum, and preference will be given until midnight (EDST) Monday June 1, 2009 to those who have not yet participated in any of the three previous tastings. As always, everyone is welcome to participate in the discussion, whether or not you receive a sample. So, please PM me now if you would like to receive one of the the free samples and participate in the tasting and discussion.

I'm working on iced tea recipes for my (hopefully) soon to be cafe/restaurant. I want to have brewed iced tea and offer flavoured syrups to be added by the customer. The main problem is that the syrup doesn't absorb well into the cold liquid. It's ok but the clumps left on the spoon are not enticing. I don't want to sweeten when the tea is hot because I want the customer to have control over flavour (let's say lemon, strawberry etc.) AND sweetness. Any thoughts?