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Hi All, I'm an espresso freak but my wife loves tea, jasmine in particular. Are there any places online that sell tea that could be given as a gift, maybe packaged in a nice box or something? Thanks for any advice? Joe PS They need to be in bags. Loose tea is not her thing:)

I love my son's baby sitter, really I do. She works really hard with him, stimulates him to no end and has him keeping up with kids twice his age. She does great things for us too; she does the laundry, she tidies up, and when she's run out of things to do during his nap, she creates new projects for herself. Yesterday, she scrubbed my tea pot. My beloved tea pot that I've been seasoning for 5 years. 5 years. I didn't know if I would notice a difference, or if the value of seasoning was all in my head, but suddenly my $2 an ounce Ceylon tastes like it cost $2 an ounce. All of the depth of flavor is gone. So, I'm wondering, does anyone has any tips for speeding the reseasoning process? Help. Please.

article here from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (registration req'd) Your opinions? Will you drink more coffee based upon these new findings?

I am looking for a high quality Japanese cast-iron teapot. I would like to get one of a good quality… something that is well made with good quality enameling. Can anyone point me to a good manufacturer? Any retailers known to carry good quality cast-iron teapots? What should I look for? Anything I should avoid? What about prices? Thank you, $50.00

I don't know what started me thinking along this line. But, I started today. I have two questions about press-pots that really cooked my noodle, and I think I have one of them answered (but not very satisfactorily). 1: Why do we press press-pots instead of lifting? 2: Why aren't there press-pots with finer filters? Here's the deal that makes me think it's worth my time to worry about. I really like press-pot coffee. The flavor is top-notch, but I don't have the scratch to spend on a grinder to do it justice. So I end up with more sludge than I can handle. Question 2 would address that. Also, in previous press-pots, I've noticed blow-outs from pressing too hard, etc. Lifting, depending on how speedily done, could take care of that. The ancillaries are that I work in an engineering college, and I think it would be really slick to take a couple independent study credits, and design, build, and possibly market/patent a different kind of press pot. So, I'm curious, why do we press pots of coffee the way we do? And, second, if you could change a press-pot, how would you change it and why?

The production of delicious oolong tea requires time-honored tradition and outstanding craftsmanship. Tea leaves are picked on the morning of a clear day. They should be picked in units consisting of one bud and three leaves and exposed to the sun. This is the first stage. The second stage is to dry them indoors to promote fermentation. The most crucial part in the production of oolong tea is when to stop fermentation. As oolong tea is fermented to some extent, it is called semi-fermented tea. Experience is required to identify the best time to stop the fermentation, which is when the leaves are 30% red and 70% green. After this, they are rubbed repeatedly to generate good flavor, aroma, and texture. Then they are dried using charcoal. At the final stage, a tea master grades the quality according to the flavor and characteristics of each batch. Here is some of the simple photos about the processing (Only some simple steps by photos, for actual processing is much more complex for tea masters to control the temperature and fermentation.) 1. Tea leaves avaiable in the season: 2. Pick up tea leaves in units of one bud and three leaves: 3.To exposure tea leaves in the sum for first fermentation: 4.Dry tea leaves indoors to promote fermentation: 5.To rub repeatedly in the circle bamboon (Yao Qing in Chinese) to generate good flavor, aroma, and texture and continuous fermentation: 6.To fry the tea leaves in the pan after fermentation is ok: 7.To wrap the tea leaves in the bags to round. 8.To wrap the tea leaves in the bags by machine 9.To break up the tea leaves after wrap finished and the form is round. 10.To dry the leaves by Charcoal and judge the grade.

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidized tea, occupying the middle ground between green and black teas. Combining the best qualities of green tea and black tea, Oolong Tea is not only as clear and fragrant as GreenTea, but also as fresh and strong as Black Tea. If you drink Oolong tea, the natural aroma may linger in your mouth and make your throat comfortable. Anxi Ti Kuan Yin is one of the most famous and typical one among all the Oolong tea. With the new Autumn tea, here I show you how Ti Kuan Yin looks step by step by brewing with Gaiwan teapot. Preparation: The best warter for making Ti Kuan Yin is well water which is very naturl to better taste the aroma. Water should be brought to a boil and transferred to some kind of portable stove to keep it on the edge of boiling. The teapot(Mostly for Ti Kuan Yin, Gaiwan is used) should be clean ready for making tea on the drip tray. The cups and aroma cylinders (the latter only if present) should be also placed face-up on the drip tray. Here is high quality tea tea looks before brewing: Brewings: First round: The first round of brewing begins with filling the Gaiwan full of near-boiling water. The Gaiwan is filled to the brim and excess foam and tea leaves are simply swept aside by the lid before placing it firmly on top. A little extra hot water poured over the top helps keep the temperature high. The tea is brewed for approximately one minute and then quickly transferred to the serving pot to mix it evenly, avoiding uneven flavour from cup to cup. A narrow, metal filter can be used to catch fine particles that would spoil the flavour of the tea. The tea leaf looks after 1st brewing:

Nestea Ice It's a very...interesting...web site on the new product. I thought about posting this in the Soda Pop section but figured it should go here. There's supposed to be an ingredient in it that creates a cooling sensation in your mouth. Anyone see this product in their area?

HI everyone: i am a chinesebusineman about the tea,i am very interesting about people'habit to drink tea.of course different tea has different function,but people'habit is also important.so, can you tell me what colour tea do you like,can you tell me the reason? i'll be appreciated if you can reply. thank you here is china best daughter's ring

My son recently returned from China and brought back some wonderfully scented tea from The Bell Tower Tea House. Unfortunately since the package is in Chinese, I am uncertain of the specific variety. It is, however, of the "gunpowder" style. I have never had this kind of tea before let alone brewed any. How much should one use and what would be the best method for brewing and then storing this tea? I will add some photos shortly.

To really make oolong tea is a kind of demonstrative performance, it let the drinkers understand the steeping technique of the Oolong tea Specially the famous tea Oolong tea, the swells process is extremely fastidious,it is a kind of tasting tea art which melts the traditional technique and the modern, has the local favour ,what it transmits is tea road spirits: such as Pure, elegant,and ritual,unite. Pure:Tea pure, the pure heart of tea host, melting the tea friend to be pure, are tea foundation. Elegant:Steep tea carefully, the rhyme exquisite body, the elegant tea bureau which show the flow of the tea skill. Ritual:Think of the nature, respect to the tea farmer, treat the tea customer honestly and friendly, that is the tea Germany for tea host. Unite:It is harmony between the person, the tea and the natural, belongs to the love of soul tea skill ,it is "road" for tea skill! Following the dissemination of Pure, simple and elegant tea skill, bama tea road will inspire the people to move towards a higher level life boundary. The white crane bathes (Washes the cup): And enhances the tea set temperature with the boiling water cleaning the cup. Oolong fall into the palace(Falls the tea): According to tea/water 1:20 proportions put the tea, may act according to individual hobby the tea shade suitable fluctuation tea quality. Hang the pot rinse tallness(making tea):Operates the canteen to enhance breaks in the tea set. The spring freezes faces:(blows froth)scrape off floats with tea lid. The Duke Guan patrols the city(pour tea):Soak for one to 3 minutes, then pour into various cups in turn. Hanxin counts soliders: Pour the tea until a little, then drip into each cup by drops to be even. Enjoy the color and smell the fragrance (look at tea):View the tea color in the cup, smell the fragrance of the tea. Sip the manna(to drink tea):First smell its fragrance, latter tastes its taste, sip while smell, drink thinly with the shallow cup.

Well, it has happened again. We went to Amsterdam, had amazing coffee everyday, even good on the plane and now I'm back again and my coffee is just not as good. I love the coffee we had in Amsterdam. I've also had really good coffee in Provence, Italy (of course), and Switzerland. Although the styles were all different, they were all similar in terms of not being bitter, overroasted, and too hot. They were instead rich, flavorful, and incredibably aromatic. Why, oh why, can't I get this effect at home? At home I have a Grind and Brew, a percolater, and a Krups espresso maker. Should I pick up a French press? I use filtered water. I buy quality beans of medium roast and store them in airtight containers, purchasing only what I can use in a week. My espresso maker by far makes the best coffee but it is still not exactly what I am searching for. I live near Boston and am willing to travel into the city for beans. I've tried Peets, Polcari's (better), Star-yucks, and a bunch of other types from Whole Foods. We've dumped so many bags, I think my husband is going to clobber me! What do I need to do to get a great cup of coffee at home?

Coffee, coffee everywhere but none you'd like to drink. On a recent trip across the USA which started in New York City, went on to Newport, RI then over to Chicago and fianlly on to the left coast to San Diego it became patently obvious that you just can't get a decent coffee in at least 4 States. That celestial chain would have to rank amongst the worst culprit serving a beverage closer to the water left over after washing a stack of very dirty dishes in a lot of water (not that I've ever drunk any but it smells the same). Little wonder it's common to add sickly sweet syrups - anything to hide the taste. I tried brewed, espresso, cappuccino, filtered, regular, double and triple shots - all undrinkable for someone who comes from a coffee culture. Here in Australia we seem to have discovered what the Americans still don't know. You don't just burn the beans for flavor. You can't cook the bejeesus out of the aromatics and expect to end up with any taste you'd enjoy. What I will do next time I'm in the US is go to a roasting establishment, teach them when to stop roasting and introduce the coffee drinkers of America to the rich, deep noted taste of a wider range of aromatics than you can expect from near ashen beans. Good coffee is meant to be enjoyed. You stop. Sit down. Take in the complexity of flavors. Notice the chocolate notes. The toasty roasted characters with their hint of bitterness. There's a fullness of mouth-feel, almost a creamy texture which adds to the satisfaction of drinking coffee. It is certainly missing from the thin, lacklustre swampwater and what Americans call caufee. No wonder they buy it in a rush and swallow it while dashing to work or a meeting or just because life's always in a hurry. I suppose it's also recommended to drink and drive because if you spill some, you don't have to drink as much.

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.

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

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?

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.

Is there a consensus among serious tea people as to whether decaffeinated tea (actual decaf tea, as opposed to herbal infusions) can be legit?

So what's the difference? I have a couple of specimens of each here and mostly it just seems like the Irish breakfast is stronger. Is there an official position?

I know there are many who believe that using tea bags at all is horrible, but assuming there is sufficient evidence for the existence of good tea bags what's the harm in using them twice? That has been the procedure around every household I've live in: save the bag in a little dish, add more hot water later.

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.

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?