New to Steepster
So I am new to steepster and although I drink a lot of tea I would still consider myself a newbie.
I tend to drink a lot of flavoured teas but I would like to learn to appreciate good quality tea. I like black teas and oolongs (my favourite is Quangzhou Milk Oolong from David’s) but I find many of the black teas that I try too bitter. I usually have to add milk. I am not a fan of green teas but I think I may not be steeping it properly.
I recently ordered Golden Orchid and North Winds from Whispering Pines since they are highly rated. I am waiting for my order to arrive.
Any advice on where I should start would be appreciated. When I look at the choices, I find it very confusing.
Thanks
Welcome! Sample lots as your taste will progress and grow over time. If you delve into puerh at any time we have a good active thread on that and that would probably be my strong point. I don’t drink much else but if you look around you will see many with your same tastes. Most people share and swap so you can try before you buy. (:
Follow lots of people, read their reviews and save any that sound appealing to your wishlist (future shopping list).
Hello, and welcome to Steepster!
I agree with the suggestions of other to follow lots of people: look for people with similar tastes to you (it’s a great way to find new companies that fit your tastes) or who are knowledgeable on tea types you wish to learn more about – it’s amazing how much you’ll soak up just by reading their reviews.
If you can, do swaps/trades with people: the more you try the more your palette will develop and then more you’ll learn about your personal tastes! Look for companies that do samples; it’s so much better to try small amounts of many different teas than to commit to large amounts of a few – especially because your tastes WILL change to more you try stuff.
As for the black tea thing; you may be over leafing or over steeping. I’d experiment with trying the tea with a shorter steep time or with using less leaf. Possibly by doing both!Play around until you find something you like, and if all else fails – just move on. You can’t love ’em all.
Welcome aboard! Sample sizes are your friend!
A fun experiment to try is drinking a variey of brands of the same tea side by side – the differences can be fsscinating. Another is playing with steeping parameters – a single tea can vary immensely with different times, temps, and leaf to water ratios.
Thanks everyone. A lot of great advice. I am excited to try new teas and experiment with them.
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