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I think I am about to enter my tea/tisane nerd phase. Got some good suggestions from our herbal tea topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/119376-herbal-teastisanes-what-are-your-favorites/?hl=%2Btisane I noticed the post on Serious Eats about Steven Smith the guy who started both Stash and Tazo and now has another tea company.- http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/08/steven-smith-interview-tea.html?ref=excerpt_readmore Some sound quite appealing. Has anyone tried them ad if you have tried Stash or Tazo or the new company and how would they compare?

I'm just wondering if I could add phosphoric acid to home brewed tea. Has anyone tried it? I am trying to cut sugar out but can't stand plain tea or tea with lemon. I am a soft drink junkie but think its the tartness I like about them.

Hi all, I'm looking at starting a new coffee/tea bar and I could really do with your help! I want to focus on a large variety of high quality tea, instead of focussing on coffees, like most other places do. Having said that, I love coffee too and will also be serving the usual americano, cappuccino etc. Tea is the second most popular drink (after water) in terms of amount consumed per day, yet costa and starbucks etc serve much more coffee than tea. What I would like to know is what would make you buy a tea (or derivative of tea) drink, or what's wrong with tea? Thanks!

Well, so now, you have one of the best qualities of tea from an of the best suppliers possible. Will you loosely store it in a cupboard full of spices or maybe the refrigerate (you think that is a great idea?). You may be wrong. Here are some tips for proper tea storage: · First and foremost, never buy tea in bulk unless you are the shopkeeper or a whole seller. If you are a family unit and want to buy tea for yourself or for your family, restrict yourselves to smaller quantities. This will ensure freshness and retainment of aroma · Many of us think that if we keep stuff in the refrigerator, it will be fresh and intact! But tea will prove you wrong. The last place you want to store your tea is in the fridge. This is because a typical fridge has many food items inside and tea can absorb all sorts of flavors and aroma. Also, the moisture inside the fridge is really bad for the freshness of the tea · If at all you are buying from a tea supplier in your area, make sure he/she has stirred the tea properly in an airtight container on a dark shelf. This is because light and air is bad things for the tea. It loses its aroma and freshness · At all times, keep it away from moisture other than actually brewing it. Tea leaves tend to absorb the moisture quickly and it will spoil the taste and the texture Just make sure you take good care of your tea so that you can enjoy it to the fullest!

So, I took the plunge into "real" espresso machines and ordered a brand new Silvia V3. On the prodding of Sam Kinsey, I'm also going to buy a PID for it. However, the question is WHICH PID kit to get. The two cottage companies that offer them are PIDKits.com and PIDsilvia.com. Both of these are side mounts, but one uses the Watlow PID (more expensive, but supposedly higher quality devices) and the other uses Auber PIDs. Auber Instruments also offers its own PID kit now as well. However, the Auber PID kit is an undermount near the steamer wand and the espresso spout and I'm not crazy about that So far, I haven't gotten either of these cottage businesses to answer emails. I guess whoever eventually gets back to me will get my bussiness, but I would rather know about some other choices if I have any.

I've been a fan of the bancha and hojicha at Norbu for some time, but it appears that Greg isn't carrying them any more. Are there other options out there to recommend? I particularly like the roastier, woodsier varieties. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask - does everyone here use a timer for brewing? and if so, do you have any recommendations for good, convenient timers? I always seem to get my tea bitter...

I love lapsang souchong tea. And I am always on the look-out for a better brew. I know Zhi Tea makes a nice one. Does anyone else know of a really good one?

A lot of websites include, or are devoted to information about tea. I am not talking about sites that sell tea, just sites that deliver information about this wonderful subject. I like http://asiarecipe.com/china.html This site has a lot of info about chinese food and culture in general, but I love it for the tea stuff. So, what is your favorite site for tea info?

Now that my favorite local tea retailer has closed (RIP Cultured Cup in Preston Center), I need a new source for getting good tea. I know there are many good on-line sources, but I am wondering what the king of on-line retailers has available. Why Amazon? Well, I have Prime membership. And I am traveling every week. I can place my orders in such a way that ensures that they arrive on a specific day of the week when I'll be home (i.e. Friday). I may not be able to get that flexibility with other retailers. So, is Amazon selling any Prime eligible teas worth buying? I am looking for loose tea. Black. I pretty much drink it just in the mornings for breakfast.

I am visiting North Jersey from South Florida for the Holidays. I viewed this show for the first time today on veria living- first show was on green tea and second on white- also included in each episode emonstration, history and recipes

So I've been brewing a lot of green tea in a pyrex measuring cup and straining it out into my mug (my tokoname kyusu is en route). I've been using measured amounts of tea and water, and precise timing. Until a couple weeks ago, I never did this, I just threw tea in a pot or in a strainer inserted in my mug, waited a minute for water to cool down a bit, then splashed water in. With the more measured approach, I've noticed that the leaves hold on to a LOT of the water. This never seemed to be an issue when brewing with a strainer directly in the mug. I'd say from 200ml of water put in, about 150ml came out only, just 75%. So if the instructions for the tea say add 4g leaves for 200ml water, would you add more than 200ml and the same amount of tea to get 200ml of final product, or would you add more of both?

Tonight I went to a Japanese restaurant. At their bar was a container holding a very interesting looking tea. The owner said that this was called Romance Tea. We tried it and we really enjoyed it. Although I can't say exactly what is in the blend, there are rose buds and violets. It definitely had floral notes in the taste but I also tasted notes of honey. On my way out I asked the owner about the tea and she said that I will not be able to find this tea anywhere. I asked, "even online", and she said that she doesn't think so. She said that they get this tea directly from Taiwan. I'm not even sure if the proper name of this is Romance Tea or if this is a rough translation. Has anyone ever heard of this? If so, any one know a supplier? Or, can you suggest a tea that may be similar? Again, I'm not sure of the entire blend, but there were clearly rose buds and violet. Maybe some lavender. It had a light floral taste. Appreciate your help. Thanks very much.

I just saw Richard Kilgore's latest tea tasting thread, where he asks tasters to brew in a gaiwan or kyusu vs a Western-style teapot. I pretty much only use Western-style teapots or brew directly in the mug (I have a gaiwan but I find it a pain for every day use). How do different vessels affect the tea differently? I would imagine as long as the water can be kept hot while brewing, it's all basically the same. Anyone care to explain?

I have one of those Russell Hobbs electric kettles. I fill it part way with water, run it until it boils, and pour some of the water into a mug for tea. When I go to boil more water, I pour out the remaining water, refill the kettle, and go again. Several other people I know, by contrast, leave the water in the kettle and boil it again. I somehow feel that reboiled water is going to be somehow inferior. Is this completely in my imagination or is it for real?

Coffee and tea has both been my favorite beverages over the many years. However, I still prefer the classic taste of tea, and I never fail to drink at least 3 cups of tea a day! I'm also aware that tea is a much healthier option to coffee. (Not Really Entirely Sure Of How Coffee Is Healthy, perhaps anyone can comment about this?) I enjoy drinking mainly green tea such as Matcha, or Longjing Green Tea. However, i truly enjoy the unique taste of rooibos tea as well. What about you? Do you prefer drinking coffee or tea?

So, like many people I've been trying to get better at producing the right kind of pourable "latte art" milk foam over the years. This has involved such refinements as installing a three-hole steam tip on my Rancilio Silvia and switching from the "standard" 20 ounce milk pitcher to a much smaller 12 ounce milk pitcher. Both had a notable impact on my ability to consistently produce high quality milk foam. But still, perhaps depending on the quality, age and fat content of the milk I used, I wasn't able to get the creamy pourable microfoamed milk I wanted. Until now. One day I was making cappuccino for myself and Mrs. slkinsey and realized we were out of clean demitasse spoons. And I figured that since we would ordinarily put a touch of sugar into the cup, why not add the sugar to the pitcher and steam it in to the milk. Well, this made a tremendous difference. The milk foam was the best I've made. I've continued this practice, and the consistency and quality of my milk foam has increased greatly. Anyone try this? Observe this? Have any ideas why this might be so?

So at some Yemeni cafes here that I've gone to, the drink of choice seems to be a big glass of strong, very sweet, very milky tea - almost like masala chai without the spices, but thicker in mouthfeel. I'm guessing low-grade tea is boiled and then evaporated milk and sugar are added, or even condensed milk. Has anyone had this? It's kind of nice when it gets cold out.

Hello everyone! First post here, and I think there's no better first post than one about something very close to my heart: Iraqi-style tea. Growing up half-Iraqi meant a lot of tea in my house, for Iraqis are truly obsessed with the stuff. While I grew up drinking all kinds of tea, and still do, the style associated with Iraq in particular is an extension of the Russian-Turkish-Iranian samovar-brewed tea, in which a tea concentrate (in Russian zavarka, in Arabic no idea) is brewed in a teapot and slowly steamed on top of either the boiler of a samovar, or a kettle on which the teapot sits. Iraq is the only Arab country to brew tea like this, likely an impact of centuries of Ottoman and Persian influence; however, Iraqis drink tea far stronger than Turks and especially Iranians - the tea in Turkey comes close, but the Iraqi stuff is truly powerful. To make it, Ceylon tea is preferred - I'm constantly trying new brands but so far my favorite is Alwazah FBOP1, available at many Middle Eastern shops. An inordinate amount of tea is put in the pot (I put about 6 tablespoons for a full teapot that holds about 700-800 ml), and I then place the pot on top of the opening of the kettle to heat up as the water in the kettle comes to the boil. When the water has boiled, pour some into the kettle, give it a stir then place it back on top of the kettle (which should still have a lot of water in it). Put the kettle to medium-low heat, so that the water simmers and produces steam, which will heat the teapot. Let the tea brew for at least 15 minutes, the longer the better. After 15 or so minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea to be, fill a small glass anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 full with tea concentrate, and top off with simmering water. When more than half full especially, the tea is drunk very sweet, as sugar is needed to balance the intense taste of the tea. Traditionally, you would serve your guest as follows: put the tea glass on a saucer, put sugar (two teaspoons at least, though I find this exceptionally sweet) in the glass first, then pour tea concentrate and top off with hot water. Then place a small teaspoon into the tea, but do not stir to dissolve the sugar - at this point give everything to your guest for him or her to stir and enjoy. When made properly, with the right glassware, it should look something like this: When served at an Iraqi restaurant or teahouse, the tea will be a few shades darker, and will come with a thick layer of un-dissolved sugar at the bottom, and of course will have the spoon sticking in the tea. People that have been to Turkey or had tea at Turkish restaurants may notice a similarity, and the two styles are identical except for the increased strength of the Iraqi style, and the fact that Turkish tea is served with sugar cubes on the side. When I write that the stuff is strong, I'm not kidding - it's like the tea equivalent of espresso, and two of those glasses at full strength (filled 2/3 of the way or not more) have me wired as much as a couple shots. Great stuff! Edit: I forgot to say, if you don't have a samovar or a kettle that will accommodate a teapot placed on top, you can heat the teapot on EXTREMELY low heat on your stove. This is sort of what teahouses in Iraq seem to do (based on pictures), and it actually simmers the tea, which lends to the atomic strength that Iraqi teahouse tea is famous for

Japanese Pan-fired teas? Japanese Oolongs? Really? Japanese Kamairicha tea - what's that? Miyazaki - where's that? Patience Grasshopper, all will be revealed. Dan at yuuki-cha.com is providing three fascinating organic Japanese teas for this Tea Tasting & Discussion. The featured teas are grown in Miyazaki on the island of Kyushu, one of the traditional pan-firing regions of Japan. Organic Miyazaki Oolong Tea Kuchinashi Organic Miyazaki Kamairicha Sakimidori Organic Miyazaki Kamairicha Okumidori More details soon on each of these rare Japanese teas in the next three posts. How This Tea Tasting & Discussion Works Sets of the samples will go to up to three eG members active in the forums: if you have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past 12 months, OR if you have at least 10 posts in the Coffee & Tea Forum, and are interested in receiving the free samples and participating in this TT&D, please read on (this post and the three following soon) and then PM me. The free 10 g samples are available to members who 1) will do at least one brewing session with each of the three teas, and 2) will begin to report on their experience within one week of receiving the sample and participate actively in the discussion with the other tasters and other members. These teas may be brewed 1) in a gaiwan, or preferably 2) in a Japanese side-handle teapot. Please avoid brewing in a mug or western style teapot - it just will not be the same. Preference will be given to eGullet Society members who have never received tea samples and participated in a Tea Tasting & Discussion, and who have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past year or 10 in the Coffee & Tea Forum. This preference will last five days, until Midnight, Thursday, September 29, 2011 (US Eastern). If that sounds like you, please PM me ASAP. As always, everyone who does not receive a sample is welcome and encouraged to participate in the discussion.

Jing and Sebastian at jingteashop.com recommend leaving a small amount of tea in your gaiwan as a "root" for the next infusion when brewing Chinese green tea. Anyone else do this? I have tried it, but not done a side-by-side comparison, and think there may be a mild intensification of flavor. It certainly does not seem to cause any bitterness. How about leaving a root in a glass when brewing "gradpa style"? Thoughts? Experiences?

Just curious about which tea merchants you have used this year so far, and any others you plan on using the rest of the year. I'll be buying mostly from some of my dependable standbys (theculturedcup.com, houdefineteas.com, jingteashop.com, norbutea.com, teasource.com, yuuki-cha.com and yunnansourcing.com.), but I'll probably try two or three additional tea merchants. I have stuck with the above ones for similar reasons and individually distinctive reasons that I'll get into in a post a little later. So what tea merchants are you using this year...and why.

Any thoughts on the new 2011 Spring teas from around the world? The only ones I have tried have been those from China and Taiwan at norbutea.com. Greg did a tasting for me in order to select another set of teas for a later Tea Tasting & Discussion. By the end of the day my taste buds were blurring, so I can't provide a thorough review of each of those teas, but there are a few that were particularly memorable because they were against type. The 2011 Shade Grown Anxi Tie Guan Yin stood out due to the intensified flavor from using a shade growing technique common in Japan for gyokuro. Another was a Taiwanese White Oolong, that is a tea using a cultivar that is typically used in Taiwan to produce Oolongs, but in this case processed like a white tea. Also the 2011 Dan Cong Hong Cha, using a cultivar used in making the well-known Fenghuang Dan Cong Oolongs, but here processed as a black tea. Most of the teas we sampled were interesting, but not processed against the norms. The 2011 Jade Dragon Green Tea, for example, was similar to the 2010 (which many people liked a great deal, but I thought was only okay), but I actually liked the 2011 much better. I am behind on trying Japanese green teas, but plan to order some before too long. Anyone else tried any new 2011 Spring teas? Black/red, Oolong, White, Green? Whatever? Anything to recommend?

Kyle Stewart, co-owner of The Cultured Cup, has contributed samples of two interesting red/black teas for this Tea Tasting & Discussion. The first is a Nepal Chiyabari Estate Black, and the second is a Yunnan Golden Tips. Sets of the samples will go to up to three eG members active in the forums: if you have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past 12 months, or if you have at least 10 posts in the Coffee & Tea Forum, and are interested in receiving the free samples and participating in this TT&D, please read on (this post and the three following soon) and then PM me. These teas may be brewed 1) "western style" using a small teapot or infuser cup, 2) in a gaiwan, or 3) in a Yixing. Please, avoid tea balls like the plague. The free 10 g samples are available to members who 1) will do at least one brewing session with each of the two teas, and 2) will report on their experience within one week of receiving the sample and participate actively in the discussion. Preference will be given to eGullet Society members who have never received tea samples and participated in a Tea Tasting & Discussion, and who have at least 50 posts anywhere in the eG Forums in the past year or 10 in the Coffee & Tea Forum. This preference will last one week, until midnight June 3, 2011 (US Eastern). If that sounds like you, please PM me ASAP. As always, everyone who does not receive a sample is welcome and encouraged to participate in the 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. For the past five years or so Kyle has been instrumental to my tea education through the T-Bar Club at The Cultured Cup. And I have reciprocated by doing presentations on Yixing tea pots and on Japanese Wabi-Sabi style teaware for the T-Bar Club. Kyle completed his three years of training with the Speciality Tea Institute in 2009 to become the first Certified Tea Specialist in Texas and one of a few in the world. 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 former York Street restaurant and a shared interest in Asian food.

Hi, I purchased some tea recently from either Walmart or another small grocery store. I think it was the best tea I have ever had but can't for the life of me remember what brand it is. I was hoping someone here could help identify the brand. Description: It is a decaffeinated tea. I have one of the tea bags tags and on it it says on one side, "Orange Pekoe and Pekoe Cut Black TEA" in green letters with a white background. On the other side it says " Decaffeinated Tea" and has a picture of a tea/coffee cup with a backwards looking "S" representing steam coming out of the cup also in green with white background. Does anyone have any idea what brand this is? It would sure be helpful is someone knows what this is. I LOVE this Tea! Thank you... PS. I can take a photo of it if needed.