Tea Resources, Info & Discussion - What's in your cup?

I chuckle to myself every time I see another person drinking Chocolateberry Earl Grey. Are you drinking it?

Yup! Totally yummy!	9.5%	[ 6 ]
I have some, but it's a "sometimes" tea. I can't drink it often.	1.6%	[ 1 ]
I've tried it, but it's not really my favorite.	1.6%	[ 1 ]
I've been meaning to try it.	11.1%	[ 7 ]
That doesn't even sound good.	20.6%	[ 13 ]
What is this Chocolateberry Earl Grey of which you speak?	52.4%	[ 33 ]
I'm just here for the gold	3.2%	[ 2 ]
Total Votes:			[ 63 ]

[Tevokkia]

Tea Resources, Info & Discussion
Share your favorites, what you've been drinking, tips & tricks, facts, new products, or questions

Hangout thread: Tea Party Hangout: Grab a cup!

Tea being the second most-consumed beverage in the world (second only to water), it only makes sense that there should be a topic about it.

There are many varieties of tea (or things we just call 'tea' because it's easier):

Black tea: the tea has been fully oxidized. These teas have a stronger, potentially more bitter flavor, more caffeine, and less antioxidants than green tea. The dark color of the tea comes from tannins.
Oolong tea: the tea has been roasted less than black tea and oxidized anywhere from 20-80%. Many oolongs have a nuttier flavor.
Pu-erh: (there are a few variations on the spelling and pronunciation of this word) the tea is a form of oolong, having been fermented slightly and pressed into bricks, balls, or other shapes. It is considered a compressed tea.
Yellow tea: the leaves are steamed to remove the grassy taste characteristic of green tea, but have not been oxidized.
Green tea: the tea leaves are dried but not oxidized, preventing large quantities of caffeine from forming and leaving the antioxidants intact. It's generally considered to the be the healthiest tea.
White tea: the tea is much like green tea, but has been oxidized slightly, less than 8%.
Red "tea": isn't actually tea, as it doesn't come from the tea plant. It actually comes from the rooibos bush. Red tea has a very earthy flavor and no caffeine.
Herbal "tea": also isn't actually tea- they're more accurately called "herbal infusions" or "tisanes." These come in many varieties, from many plants and blends.

Of course, this doesn't even go into the many kinds of tea that make up each major category, or the different ways to prepare tea, or fun teas like Bubble Tea.

....so. Tell me. What's your favorite variety of tea? Do you have a favorite brand? Maybe a favorite tea shop? What's the craziest kind of tea you've drank? Discuss tea facts, tea-making tips, tea recipes, or any other tea-related thing you can think up!

News:

12/11/10: Since I've gotten too busy lately to do regular social media roundups or even to generate new educational content for the thread, I'm going to start cycling the polls a lot more frequently with open-ended questions. Hopefully this will help generate discussion beyond "this is my favorite tea" and "this is what I drank/bought today" among regulars, newcomers, and visitors alike.

9/7/10: Started doing an (almost) daily roundup of all the best quotes and links from Twitter's tea community. Check the next post for archives.

8/22/10: First post of Tea 101 went up. Had to chop the history lesson up because I was only on the Tang dynasty and it was looking like it was getting too long to be a single post.

8/12/10: Added additional sites and articles to the newly-organized second post. Also realized that even though I took a screen shot of the old poll, I forgot to save the dumb thing. Oops. Also, changed the primary name of the thread to reflect its having become an information hub.

Tea 101

I'll be writing up educational posts and linking the main ones here (other useful posts linked in post 2). Unless otherwise stated, information is super-condensed from The Story of Tea by Mary Lou and Robert Heiss (usually 5-10 pages per post) and links to various Wikipedia pages.

A (Really) Brief History of Tea: part 1 - Page 24

[Tevokkia]

I've jacked this post from myself for something more useful. I'll be continuously adding to this as I do the research and find more stuff. Note (8/22/10): Oh gods, I am so behind on this! I've got 17 tabs open with stuff to add. sweatdrop

Interesting Articles and References

Direct Links to Things Posted in This Thread

There are a lot of single-post tea facts on the first two pages.
Article on tea history: This post, page 12
Some suggested brewing times and temperatures: This post, page 12
Nice tidbit of info on Bohea oolong via Aiko Afriel: Page 20
Directory of tea-related publications: Page 21
Link to site on catnip herbal tisane via JahxZ: Page 22
Link to blog post on recipes for flavored teas via JahxZ: Page 22
Interesting Tea people to follow in Twitter: Page 24

Resources Hosted Elsewhere

Free Tea E-Books at the Google E-bookstore
A whole site dedicated to Oolong tea: The Oolong Tea
A whole site dedicated to Yellow tea: Yellow Tea Guide
Wikipedia (lots of links in there to related articles, including specific types, history, and culture) : Tea
British Standard Institute BS 6008: A long-winded official document on how a proper cup of British tea is to be prepared.
The Color of Tea: Lots of articles, info, reviews, and gift ideas.
Everyone's Tea: They sell Japanese style tea ware, but much of their site is dedicated to education and resources.
Atlanta Tea Examiner: Four pages of miscellaneous tea-related articles by Althea DeBrule.
Best Tea Talk: Info and recipes for different tea drinks ... written from a particularly crunchy point of view.
Fun Alliance Mini Tea Site (Chinese Tea and Family Members): Make of this what you will. It does have some things for sale and is affiliated with Chinese Tea 101, which is infinitely more useful.
Tea Muse: Monthly tea newsletter by Adiago Tea with a variety of articles.
Tea Guy Speaks: Blog with a range of articles, ranging from the super silly to seriously useful.
Longjing Dragonwell Tea in Hangzhou, China: Article on Dragonwell tea, with links to other articles below.
Red Circle Tea: Tea Aficionados Who Travel Through China: Sort of a travel/tea blog about different tea farms, growing provinces, etc.
Buzzle: Tea: A collection of articles.
Tea Guide: A worldwide directory of tea shops and tea rooms.

Text Articles

Because I retrieved these from a database, I could not link them from their original source, but have copied them and put them up on Gaia on a mule's journal (so as not to clutter my own).

*Punit R. Bhatt, Kajal B. Pandya, Navin R. Sheth.Camellia Sinensis: The Medicinal Beverage: A Review. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research. Jul/Aug 2010. Vol. 3, Iss. 2; pg. 6. ~~Very technical article on the medicinal properties of tea. Best read by science majors.
*Duncan Mavin. Wealth of Knowledge: How to Drink Tea Like a Tea Store Owner. The Asian Wall Street Journal. June 29, 2009; Pg. 10. ~~Interview with a tea store owner; has a few interesting bits.
*Michael Tortorello. This Tea Tastes Like My Yard. New York Times. July 22, 2010; Pg. D1. ~~Backyard herbal teas. Should come with the disclaimer: do not (necessarily) try this at home.

PDF Articles

Because I retrieved these from a database, I could not link them from their original source, but have saved them and hosted them for your reading pleasure. Click this link to access the folder to download them or the individual links below to read them online.

*Marguerite Dorian. Confessions of a Tea Drinker. Gastronomica; Winter 2002; Vol. 2, Iss. 1; Page 63. ~~More of a history/travel/memoir article than facts and research.
*Andrea Jonas. Pronounced "Eye" With a "Ch" in Front. Gastronomica; Winter 2008; Vol. 8, Iss. 1; Page 92. ~~Travel-type article on Chai in India.
*Mark Morton. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Teapot. Gastronomica; Fall 2004; Vol. 4, Iss. 4; Page 6. ~~Facts and etymology related to tea.

Other Fun Tea Things

My Collection of My Favorite Tea Art on DevArt: I just figured out I could share my collection folder. >.<
Teas Up! A Tea Time Quiz: This is from the website of a British TV station. The quiz is VERY British (and I did badly), but there are a lot of fun facts!
Tea Fun Blog: This is mostly photos, but they're very nice photos.
12 Cool Products for Tea Lovers: Some of these are totally cute and/or crazy.
Clever and Creative Tea Packaging: These are just as much fun as the products above.
Steepster: This is a social networking site that revolves completely around tea. (If you join, add me- same username as here. ^.^)
Tea Hacker: Ever been to Life Hacker? That. Only with tea. Quirky articles and tips on how to make your life better with tea.

(Almost) Daily Twitter Roundup

9/8 * 9/8 * 9/9-10 * 9/11 * 9/12-14 * 9/15 * 9/16 * 9/17 * 9/18

Cooking With Tea

TeaChef: Every recipe has tea as an ingredient
Tea Eggs: Page 12- recipe, photos, and review ... Aiko Afriel made some, too!: Page 13
Full Size Versions of My Tea Cooking Photos on Photobucket
Genmai Cha Stuffed Mushrooms and Genmai Cha Salmon on Page 15
Cooking With Tea and Tea Treats: Recipes and suggestions for substituting tea for other ingredients in your favorite recipes.
Cooking With Tea by Diana Rosen: Short article with a menu for a meal wherein every dish includes tea as an ingredient.
The Essence of Emeril: Cooking With Tea: Even Mr. BAM! cooks with tea ... at least in one episode. Here are the recipes.
Tea Dusted Chicken, Tea Fried Chicken, and Earl Grey Fritters: Page 31- I totally made this recipe up, and it is delicious.

Online Tea Retailers with Lots of Great Info

Some of these tea retailers also offer samples, below.

Adiago Tea * Teatulia * Republic of Tea * Teavana * The Tao of Tea * Arbor Teas * Generation Tea * Tea Spring * Wissotzky Tea * Numi Organic Tea * The Fragrant Leaf * Ten Ren's Tea * Amazing Green Tea * Teas, etc.

Samples!

There are a lot of companies that will send you samples of their tea, so if there is something you want to try without making a big commitment, this is the way to go. List courtesy Aiko Afriel. smile

Companies that offer free samples (you pay shipping)

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/freeoffers.html - You can only choose one so choose carefully
http://www.chadschai.com/teas.html - Sample info here
http://www.designatea.com/freesamples.php - Design your own tea samples!
http://www.denstea.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=377_386
http://www.aurateas.com/ - Follow on Facebook for free tea samples announced at the beginning of each month
http://www.republicoftea.com/ - Request a catalog and get a free tea sample with each monthly mailing
http://www.lifeinteacup.com/tea-samples - Free samples as well as sampler sets you pay for
http://www.shantitea.ca/Free-Stuff--18.html

Companies that sell samples & sample sets

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/teasampler.html - Samplers for just about any variety of tea you can think of
http://www.adagio.com/ - Click on the tea cups in the header to see the sampler set for that variety
http://www.redleaftea.com/samplers/
http://www.culinaryteas.com/Tea_Samplers.html - You can also browse through the teas and choose samples that way
http://www.oldwilmingtontea.com/ - Most teas are available in generous sample sizes
http://www.goldenmoontea.com/Tea_Sample_Sets_C28.cfm
http://www.blueraventea.com/tea_samples.html
http://www.thenecessiteas.com/store/index.php - Samples of most teas can be found here
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp - Samplers can be found here or you can browse through the teas and choose samples that way
http://www.teaspring.com/ - They aren't labeled as samples but the 25gram size amounts to the same thing
http://www.silkroadteas.com/servlet/the-template/samplers/Page
http://www.praisetea.com/ - You can browse through the teas and choose samples that way
http://www.strandtea.com/shop/shop-for-teas/tea-samplers/cat_23.html

[redd sky]

i dont really like tea or coffee.
dident know it could be so complex xd

[Tevokkia]

That's actually my simplifying it a lot so the first post wouldn't be TOO tl:dr. There's enough about it to write several books on, really.

Haha, jacking my own post again to use for something else. Post what's in your cupboard and I'll add it here, then link to reviews as you post them. I may be a little slow about going back and linking reviews that have already been posted, though, considering I have 80+ pages to dig through looking for them.

In-Thread Reviews:

Tevokkia

Teavana Lavender Dreams
Teavana Copper Knot Hongcha
Teavana Gyokuro Imperial
Allegro Jasmine Fragrant Cloud
Adagio ThinkGeek Exclusive Zombie Blood Orange
Adagio ThinkGeek Exclusive Pirate Chai
Adagio ThinkGeek Exclusive Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Adago ThinkGeek Exclusive Timmy's 1UP Jasmine Green
Sencha: Uji, Kyoto (The brand name is in Japanese and I couldn't read it)- General Impression: p89
Bigelow Red Raspberry
Bigelow Decaf Earl Grey
Bigelow Chamomile
Bigelow Orange Spice
Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey - General Impression: p89
Tea Forte Chamomile Citron
Tea Forte Earl Grey
Tea Forte Green Mango Peach
Tea Forte Forte Breakfast
Tea Forte Ginger Lemongrass
My Cup of Tea Pure Green
IKEA Organic Te Med Blabarssmak
Numi Sweet Meadows Chamomile Lemon Myrtle
Numi Simply Mint
Numi Monkey King Jasmine Green
Numi Moonlight Spice Orange Spice White
Numi Morning Rise
Numi Aged Earl Grey
Golden Sails Lichee Black
Golden Sails Jasmine
Tazo Whole Leaf Orange Blossom
Tazo Whole Leaf Earl Grey
Tazo Whole Leaf Joy
Tazo Cucumber White
Archer Farms Chocolateberry Earl Grey - Mini Review p83
Red Rose
Tzenso Decaf Black
Harney & Sons Winter White Earl Grey
Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset
Harney & Sons Chinese Flower
Harney & Sons English Breakfast
Hedley's Orange Spice
Republic of Tea Lapsang Suchong
Republic of Tea Ginger Peach
First Colony Darjeeling
Ancient Nectars Wild Mountain Tea
Ancient Nectars Wil Mountain Sage
Frontier Natural Co-op Jasmine Dragon Pearls
Frontier Natural Co-op Sencha
Frontier Natural Co-op Bancha
Frontier Natural Co-op Almond Blossom Oolong
Special Gunpowder (I don't have all of the package anymore)
Primula Flowering Tea
Twinings Loose Leaf Earl Grey
Twinings Earl Grey
Genmai-cha (another mystery brand)
Tea Francais Summer Breeze
Tea Francaise Cinnamon Orange Spice
Tao of Tea Sencha Kyoto

Monochromatic Lunacy

Black:
Ginger Peach (Red Leaf Tea)
Strawberry (Enjoying Tea)
Earl Grey De La Creme (Red Leaf Tea)
Vanilla Chai (Bigelow)
Green:
Sleepytime (Celestial Seasonings)
Green Chai x4 (The Foxs Glove, Kind Herbs, Design a Tea, Wild Harvest)
Goji Berry (Stash)
Fukamushi Sencha (Maeda-En)
Genmaicha (Red Leaf Tea)
Hojicha (The Foxs Glove)
Sencha (Takaokaya)
Sakura Sencha (I don't know the brand)
Cherry Rose Sencha (SereneTeaz)
Roobios:
Chocolate Chai (Red Leaf Tea)
Provence Roobios (SereneTeaz)
Other:
Ume Kombucha (Uji-En)
Matcha Latte Mix (Maxim)

[Love in a Thunderstorm]

My favorite tea is "Blackberry Sage" by Republic of Tea. I even use "Blackberry Sage" as my username pretty much everywhere on the internet (it's my original name here. Different account.). I looooooves me some blackberry sage.

Funny story behind it, too. When I was younger my mom owned a coffee shop and we carried RoT and one day I saw that the label on blackberry sage said "tea for wisdom" so I thought drinking it would make me smart. I've been drinking it for over 10 years now and I don't think it's made me any smarter. haha.

Other than that, my favorite teas are usually herbal infusions mixed with black tea, like chai, or strawberry boba!

[RazielSnack]

I'll usually drink whatever. At school, I tend to go with a mint tea or a berry tea. At home, we've got a lot of different kinds hanging around, so I'll just make a pitcher of whatever, drain it over three-to-four days, then make something different. Right now, I've got Lipton Bavarian Berry Tea in the fridge. As far as strength goes, the stronger the better. whee

[Akirinoka]

Lightly seeped green tea. Nothing can beat that light sweet flavor. One of my roommates also makes the best sweet tea. But if I'm able, I love to get a huge glass of vanilla chai...oh so good.

[Tevokkia]

Love in a Thunderstorm

My favorite tea is "Blackberry Sage" by Republic of Tea. I even use "Blackberry Sage" as my username pretty much everywhere on the internet (it's my original name here. Different account.). I looooooves me some blackberry sage.

I like that flavor, too. I also really like their "Tea of Inquiry", which is actually just a Genmaicha tea (green tea with toasted brown rice- traditionally served to visiting friends in Japan).

RazielSnack

At home, we've got a lot of different kinds hanging around, so I'll just make a pitcher of whatever, drain it over three-to-four days, then make something different.

I did that yesterday, only I just made pots of tea and drank them up in an hour or two. I ended up having a pot of orange spice tea, a pot of Jasmine black tea, and then a pot of buckwheat tea. It was one of those days.

Akirinoka

One of my roommates also makes the best sweet tea.

My brother actually makes really good sweet tea. When he was in the Army, all the Southern guys would come around wanting some and he'd make them do his chores for him. >.<

[RazielSnack]

Tevokkia

Akirinoka

One of my roommates also makes the best sweet tea.

My brother actually makes really good sweet tea. When he was in the Army, all the Southern guys would come around wanting some and he'd make them do his chores for him. >.<

Lol, that sounds amazing. I need to see if my guyfriend in the Marines can use his epic Maine powers for something. blaugh

[Tevokkia]

RazielSnack

Tevokkia

Akirinoka

One of my roommates also makes the best sweet tea.

My brother actually makes really good sweet tea. When he was in the Army, all the Southern guys would come around wanting some and he'd make them do his chores for him. >.<

Lol, that sounds amazing. I need to see if my guyfriend in the Marines can use his epic Maine powers for something. blaugh

What makes it even funnier is that we're not even from the South. We're from Oregon. We NEVER had sweet tea growing up!

[Tevokkia]

Random tea-making tip: For best flavor, always brew tea with a lid on the container you are using.

[Tevokkia]

Tea fact!

Black tea is commonly enjoyed with butter whisked into it in Pakistan, Tibet, and other parts of South Asia.

[Tevokkia]

Tea fact!

Matcha is powdered green tea. It is used in Japanese tea ceremony. To make it, you use a bamboo whisk to mix it with the water rather than steeping it.

(A sweetened version of matcha is also used in Starbucks Green Tea Lattes and Green Tea Frappuccinos)

[xAzurestormx]

Well, when I can get tea ( I am extremely embarrassed of doing anything I like to do around anyone I know IRL.) I usually take it with milk and honey, and just use whatever is on hand... I don't really know my favorites... I just know the green tea I try to make always come out a bit bitter and tasteless. so I like berry teas more right now. ( am I the only guy in this forum!? D: )

[Blade_Noir]

Arnold Palmers: Tea and lemonade, usually.
Otherwise, I never drink tea, haha.