Hello from Springfield, Mo

I wrote a really long advice to tea beginners post not long ago I’ll mention again (even though that must get old, scanning past self-promotion links). The trick for getting into tea seems to be the range of sub-themes to tackle at one time: brewing, with gear related to that, learning about types, sorting out your own preference, investigating sourcing.

It’s normal for someone to pick up something in passing and get sucked in, but trying to ramp it all up at once could seem daunting. Everyone would keep mentioning a type that would be good, but different types, and the one piece of gear you should have, but again different devices, water kettles here so far, and a scale, onto a filter, gaiwan, infuser, etc. If you search “tea” in instagram it might seem like people collect gear more than they ever get around to drinking tea.

You really should try green tea, black tea (different types), light rolled oolong (Chinese TKY and / or Taiwanese versions, or wuyi yancha (a roasted Chinese oolong), and then others will be pushing for pu’er (sheng and shou), or even white tea. Try to take it bit by bit. Maybe keep the volume limited until you really know what you like, and try to get your mind around how much expense would be too much, and plan how to stay within that and still cover plenty of ground. Ordering samples can help, but if you only have enough tea to brew 2 or 3 times you might not really figure out brewing parameters before it’s gone.

It’s nothing to worry about but it is easy to come by bad versions of teas, so you might tick through what you like and don’t like for a long round of experiments, and then be surprised that the list of types related to both statuses changes over time. Preferences can shift too; it’s normal for people to start on floral or fruity blends, then ease into basic plain teas, and swing towards a more sophisticated plain type direction later, which could cover lots of themes. One type of experience curve might be typical but people could experience opposite versions. One person might drift through that cycle then later love the earthiness and complexity of shou pu’er, and someone else might stumble across that initially and like it then. And a third might never. Good luck with your own path.

http://teaintheancientworld.blogspot.com/2017/09/advice-to-beginners-about-tea.html

Hi Edward!
First off I’d like to thank you for your service!!

Welcome to this site!!

Today I am sitting in the Travelers house trying Sencha Green Tea and a Matcha. Still too hot to sip though.

Went to https://queencityteaco.com it has been here 2years or so and I just found out it was a 5 min walk from my house, sadly they are out of Oolong tea for a week or two due to suppliers.
I picked up a tea ball called a English Muffin tea infuser and a bottom draining tea brewer that fills your cup when you sit it on top of the cup. I picked 3 green teas but still researching best temp and steep times before I try brewing and ruin a good tea.

I searched for best Electronic tea kettles for multi preset and custom temps and was surprised that in the first pages of google results were no tea based sites at all just home, kitchen, consumer reports…. are electric tea kettles taboo among tea connoisseurs?

Thank you all for the replies, I am sorry I have not replied sooner but was on mini vacation and cam home this week to learn my last and oldest Brother passed away so it has been a rough few days.

I still have not gotten a electronic temperature controlled kettle because I am trying to decide between a lower priced one that has several presets vs a very pricy one that has several presets AND a way to set any temp you want.

I now have about 8 different green teas (still looking for Oolong varieties to sample but the Queen City Tea company https://queencityteaco.com is out of Oolong (My current favorite) waiting for shipments. I am actually at Travelers House Coffee & Tea http://www.travellershousecoffee.com enjoying a Oolong: Ti Kuan Yin and wondering what other Oolong teas I would get to compare.
I have not tried any of my teas yet as I am concerned about proper temperature and steeping times so waiting till I decide on the proper electronic kettle.

Again thank you all for your replies so far I look forward to my journey once I unscramble my mind and get what I need to do this right.

I am trying to find words to describe my new sensations I feel on my tongue when drinking the Oolong tea Ti Kuan Yin my tongue is not numb or tingly but there is a chemical reaction to the tea I can not yet describe. It is also so far my favorite tea and I am still amazed How much I enjoy it with out adding sweetener. I only last month started enjoying tea with out sugar.

Edward,
I am sure you’ve got plenty of good advice already and I will only add this:
While it can be fun to dive into the minutia of tea-ware (I am certainly guilty of having way more tea-ware than I need) and brewing techniques, it is important to remember it’s really about the tea.

Very little gear is actually required. What IS required is tea, water and attention. Drop some tea in a mug and add hot water, this is referred to as grandpa brewing. Drink until there’s about 1/3 left and add more water. Everything else is optional. Drink widely and allow your palate to develop.

Best of luck.

Sorry I have not been around but dealing with a death in the family and the last 2.5 weeks Shingles OH JOY! BUT I am writing to say I finally bought an electric tea kettle the Cuisinart CPK-17 https://www.cuisinart.com/products/tea_kettles/cpk-17/
I can start making teas at home at more proper temperatures and start learning more about the types of teas available.

So so to hear about your diabetes diagnosis. Tea has many health benefits.
As far as loose leaf teas if you venture into flavored teas/dessert you will want to watch the ingredients closely as many companies add cane sugar and or other sweeteners that aren’t so friendly to diabetics. Stevia is usually okay though.

Licorice Root Tea: is naturally very sweet and is known to lower your blood sugar and pressure.
Green Tea is another one to try.
You mentioned black tea which you may want to explore more.
I would also explore Oolong teas some more.