The alcoholic tea thread

67 Replies
Rasseru said

Lol, a couple of days later and some of these already smell wrong. Pungent and off-putting..
So I don’t think it’s a magic formula

Different teas infuse at different rates.. I would think the puer doesn’t need as much time as a TGY

Rasseru said

yeah totally, the aged and shou are dark black liquid already :D

they dont smell right though, all of them.

So ive started three more, Jade Oolong based.

Rasseru said

Ok, well I tried the worst smelling one, which happened to be the MiLan Dancong and it was just wronnnnngggggggg

All the oversteeped flavour that you can get from Oolong like this was extracted, very weird tasting.

funny enough the aftertaste isnt so bad now, minutes later, but during drinking the taste and aroma might turn some peoples stomachs

Very noble of you to use yourself as a guinea pig. Godspeed. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for you.

Rasseru said

Haha I was just going to say this I feel like im a frontier man boldy going forth were no steepsterite has gone before..

I tried the rest..

Shou, was just a bit blech, had extracted some of the aroma but wasnt right

younge sheng.. SUPER bitter. yechehchech not bad in a cocktail but drying and tart and bitter. had some with apple juice and tasted like bitter cardboard

I think green oolong, maybe white tea or something a bit more delicate and ones you can oversteep are the answer. Unless you are really careful. You have to use ones that you can leave in a gaiwan and they are alright after a bit too long.

The ‘qi’ is good though :D:D

Rasseru said

havent got round to trying the aged but I dont hold much hope lmao.

I’ll wait a few days, the jade oolong ones will be good im pretty sure

Rasseru said

it pretty weird, because a cocktail I can get some of the good sheng characteristics, but I dont think it will be for 99% of the population unless you can drink sheng already.

It extracts some of the flavour but not others. Hard to imagine without tasting it

I can imagine the Qi with the alcohol. Qi already feels like some sort of pain killer to me. (I’ve injured myself way more than I’d like to admit!) I swear they’re mixing opium in there.
Is the caffeine soluble in the alcohol?

I just googled it. Apparently caffeine is more soluble in alcohol than water. You’re making the distinguished version of red bull and vodka! A whole lot better tasting, I’m sure.
When I was in Japan, they really liked mixing oolong with sochu out in the hills. It tasted pretty good, but they weren’t dissolving it. Just a mixed drink.
I think a good scotch could work with some black teas. The question is, do I want to risk ruining good single malt in the name of science?

Rasseru said

WOAH>… WAIT A SEC

aged sheng works

I can taste the aged thing and nice with apple juice …

wooooooop

Rasseru said

OK guys… and girls

aged sheng is totally a thing with fruit juice, probably in rum too

really nice. just not the young stuff

recap + 100% amazing aged Sheng amazing

Login or sign up to post a message.

How’s the next day… Any hangover!?

Rasseru said

well the other night I went out with my friends and we drank other drinks also so i couldnt tell you, had a thick head anyway. depends whatever vodka you use.. I used smirnoff.

these new ones im leaving for a week but they already smell a bit wrong hahahaha

elena-z said

Try Absolute next time. Advice from a Russian :))

AllanK said

I doubt that switching to Absolute will prevent a hangover.

elena-z said

At least it tastes better :)

Rasseru said

Ok boss, absolute next time

I actually don’t feel that bad.. It’s drank with a lot of water, and having water on hand is always a good idea with alcohol.. Even better if you can remember to drink some before you sleep (advice from a bartender)

Login or sign up to post a message.

elena-z said

Embarrassed to say that I don’t have any vodka on hand right now… But I’m starting a batch of Tie Guan Yin as soon as I get some!

Rasseru said

We also need to know a good source of cheap tgy because I’ve just used premium tgy from Yunnan sourcing and I’d rather some cheaper stuff in foil from somewhere else

Login or sign up to post a message.

@Rasseru, I’m kind of following your thread and wondering this. Are you using the same leaf to alcohol ratio each time? Are you tasting each batch on a daily basis or letting them just ‘do their thing?’ What I am getting is that you are making tea tinctures and my feeling is that you should use the tincture to flavor your alcohol. If that is not clear, what I am saying is make a Tie Guan Yin tincture (small amount) and then add that, dropper by dropper, to a pint or litre of vodka until you have achieved the taste you want. Sort of like flavoring whipped cream with vanilla or a drink with bitters.

DIY: How to Make Your Own Herbal Tinctures
Design

by Catherine Winter-Hebert

In addition to serving as drinkable herbal delights, tinctures can be effective remedies for a variety of health issues and can also boost your immune system. Many herbs and flowers are now ready to be harvested, so read on to learn more about tinctures, and how you can make your own at home.
A tincture is a type of herbal preparation in which the alkaloids, glycosides, minerals, and essential oils of a plant are extracted into a solvent. The liquids that are most often used as solvents are high-proof alcohols such as vodka or brandy, or occasionally apple cider vinegar or even vegetable glycerin. The latter are sometimes used for children’s preparations, or by those who abstain from alcohol of any kind, but they’re not as effective at drawing the medicinal components from the plants.

In terms of efficacy, a single dose of a tincture has the same effect as a cup of herbal tea: it’s just concentrated, and absorbed more easily into your body via the alcohol (or other solvent). Some of these tinctures have medicinal properties, while others may have nutritional benefits.

What you’ll need:

High-proof alcohol (at least 80 proof). If you’re in the United States and have access to Everclear, use that. Otherwise, vodka or brandy works well. Alternative to alcohol if necessary: high quality apple cider vinegar. Organic, if you can find it. An herb of your choice: fresh or dried A pint jar (16oz) with a tight-fitting lid Small, dark glass bottles for storing the tinctures. Cobalt or amber glass are great, and should have tight-fitting screw-on or snap-down lids. A fine strainer Fine cheesecloth or muslin A bowl or glass measuring cup with a spout A small funnel

It’s incredibly easy to make your own tinctures: you literally just need to soak plant matter in a menstruum (solvent) for a few weeks so all of its “good stuff” can be absorbed into the liquid. While vodka is usually the best choice, you can use brandy instead. Remember that regardless of the that alcohol is chosen, it has to be at least 80-proof (namely, 40 percent alcohol) to prevent any mildewing of the plant material in the bottle. 100-proof (50 percent alcohol) is better, if you can get your hands on it. This high-proof alcohol acts as a preservative, and if you store your tinctures in a cool, dark place, they can have a shelf life of 7-10 years.

If you’re using fresh herbs, chop them up a bit or bruise them with a mortar and pestle. You’ll be putting enough of the fresh herb to fill your jar about 3/4 full, but don’t pack it in too tightly: it should fill the jar well, but be loose enough to move around. The reason you should leave a bit of head room in the jar is that you need to cover the plant matter completely with the alcohol—no part of the plants should be exposed to the air. You’ll fill the jar with alcohol to the spot where the lid ring begins, and then screw the lid on tightly.

For dried herbs, you’ll fill your pint jar halfway, and then fill with alcohol the same way you did with fresh plants. The reason you have to use less dry root than fresh is that the vodka/brandy/etc. will partially re-constitute the plant matter, causing it to swell up: you need to leave some room for this to happen. Be sure to stir the dried root well to ensure that it absorbs the liquid.

Generally, the ratio of fresh herbs to alcohol is 1:2 (so 1 part plant to 2 parts alcohol), and the ratio of dried herbs to alcohol is 1:4 or 1: 5, but there will always be exceptions to this: be sure to do thorough research on the herb you’ll be tincturing before you begin so you have a good idea of what the required ratio is.

Label your jars and date them, and then let them steep in a cool, dark, dry place. During the first week, give the jar a little shake every day to swish the alcohol around the plant matter and move it around a little bit. You’ll then let it just sit in that cupboard (or other appropriate place of your choosing) for another 5 weeks, so it’ll steep for 6 weeks in total.

After it has steeped for several weeks, line a fine-mesh strainer with a layer or two of muslin or cheesecloth, and then hold that over your bowl or measuring cup. Pour the tincture over the cloth so that it strains well, pressing gently on the herbs to squeeze out the liquid. You can even gather the sides of the cloth and twist it to really squish out every last drop. Compost the used plant matter, and wash out the cloth to be used again another time.

Now, you’ll use the funnel to decant the tincture into your little glass bottles (preferably the kind with droppers), filling them close to the top. Label each bottle with the herb used, as well as the date decanted, and then store them away from direct sunlight.

Please keep in mind that people react to tinctures in different ways, and what works well for one person might not work well for another.

Rasseru said

I’m sorta just making a tea version of sloe gin…

Luckily the tgy was a complete success so just using that as a baseline

I’ve now tried 7.5g tgy in 250ml vodka to see if it’s enough flavour after a week to keep the cost down

Rasseru said

The original idea was a tincture like this to add to ice cream but having tea cocktails has just proven to be very fun.

I am surprised at how nice the 10 year old sheng was!

The huigan is still working 9 hours later lol

Cwyn said

The quote here is correct on methods for tincture. Keep in mind, tinctures are meant to be super strong infusions and taken by eye dropper in water. If high quality ingredients are used, 10-40 drops is the dose. The effects are meant to be subtle and tonic, not a beverage. The tincture won’t taste good, that is not the point of it. I’d be interested in an assessment of the tincture used in tonic dosing as opposed to a beverage.

Login or sign up to post a message.

The most important thing, then, is that you are having fun. Especially fun with tea and alcohol! :-D

Login or sign up to post a message.

elena-z said

All right, oolong vodka, batch #1 was started earlier today! I used 12g (leftover) rather green TGY per 300ml (10oz) Absolute. The tea was a good quality one, nut it sat without refrigeration since December, so it wasn’t all that good anymore.
I’m also considering making a small-ish batch with some nice ShanLinXi, maybe only 5 g per 50ml. I need to find a suitable container though.
I actually make flavoured vodkas all the time, but I usually use fruit (sour cherry, black currant, apricot, strawberry, peach – you need good quality in season fruit though). But tea? Never occurred to me. Super excited!
I’ll report after a week!

Rasseru said

haha awesome! I just found a source of really cheap bottles in the UK, about 30p each for small ones and £1 for larger ones so I am going to make some more this weekend :D

remember to give them a shake every day

elena-z said

I’m not as elegant as you Russ, I’m using canning jars :) I have plenty of those!

Rasseru said

Hows it coming along, has the liquid turned illuminous green yet? :D

probably good by this weekend, as far as just using a shot with some fizzy water, but as Cwyn says we could also be making tincture or stronger flavourings – vanilla essence takes a few months, I read that somewhere

elena-z said

Wait what? Mine turned brown…kinda cognac color..
I’m going to try it tonight!

Rasseru said

How did it turn out?

elena-z said

Well…not my favorite, but I’m going to try other teas anyways :)

Rasseru said

Hmm I wonder what happened.. Mine was really nice! & I just used a free sample pouch from somewhere. I wish I could remember which company it was now

What was wrong with yours? Mine was fragrant and sweet with just soda water. But I am a massive fan of TGY

Login or sign up to post a message.

hawkband1 said

I’ve tried tgy and it was really good.

Yesterday, I used a black tea (Lupicia’s Sakurambo). I only let it infused about 24hrs cause it was getting really dark. By itself, it tastes like that cherry medicine. In a vodka tonic, it adds an interesting cherry note.

Thanks for the inspiration. ;)

Rasseru said

Oolberry and Peachy Elixir #9 from LP are also really good

Login or sign up to post a message.

Kaylee said

Oh my goodness, Kaylee-what utter deliciousness these look to be! Thanks for the link.

Login or sign up to post a message.

TeaLife.HK said

Here in Hong Kong, blended Scotch is mixed with sweetened green tea at karaoke places—I wrinkled my nose up the first time I tried it, but it really isn’t bad.

There’s a store here that specializes in armagnac and pu erh. Strange combination, I thought, but the store looks incredible. I’ve only looked through the glass at the display (fancy)!

Rum and black tea go together swimmingly, and there’s a long history of drinking them together in England. Delicious!

In Taiwan, I’ve drank gaoshan while taking shots of 116 proof kaoliang. Not recommended. Kaoliang burns! :o

Login or sign up to post a message.

I’ve not tried tea cocktails, which gets pretty far from my range of preference since I hardly drink alcohol now, but this seems to be a good standard reference worth a look, on both standard mixing and providing input on infusing using alcohol:

http://www.worldoftea.org/tea-cocktails/

Login or sign up to post a message.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.