Need a Tea Mentor
So … I have started with black teas. I received a ton of sample packs I purchased from Rare Tea Republic today and most of them were black teas – although so far the first two I have brewed I would not call a traditional black. I have added tasting notes on both. I am not going to promise not to stray from black now and then for a change of pace but for the most part I will stick to learning about black teas for now. :)
I Looooooove pure black teas. It is definitely my favourite of the major groupings. I particularly like chinese blacks, though I’ve never done any organized or in depth tasting. I just drink what I like, and hopefully like what I buy! : ) Upton Teas might be a good place for you to consider, since they carry a riduclous number of pure teas.
Thank you for that – I have not found them yet doing my own looking around – I will go check them out :)
Good choice to start with black Teas!
btw, I haven’t ordered from them yet, but I’ve heard lot’s of good things about Upton Teas.
The way I see it, starting with Indian black/Chinese red Teas (although they are commonly grouped together, I personally like to differentiate between the two) has a number of advantages regarding what I consider to be three basic things that can really help you brew up a good cup of—in this case—Indian black/Chinese red tea:
1) Steeping temperatures: basically at boiling. I haven’t personally found any Indian black/Chinese red Tea that has been unforgiving on this (for many green teas though, watch out here!). If it’s a under boiling (or if you don’t heat the pot first, for example) the only consequence is that it may not taste as strong as it could if the water were hotter.
2) Steeping times: 2 – 5 minutes, depending on how many steepings you want to get out of them. Although you can over-steep them, the consequences—the tea may taste a little bitter, which some like—are not as dire (with a few possible exceptions, like Darjeelings, which can ‘bolt’) as when, for example, you over-steep a green tea (which can yield a very off-putting astringent taste).
3) Measurements: about a rounded teaspoon of dry tea per cup of water. Green, white, yellow, oolong, and pu-erh can vary widely in how much volume is needed per cup (some really leafy Teas call for 2 table spoons per cup, and some bud only Teas less than a tea spoon).
Aside from those three brewing basics, Indian black/Chinese red teas are great because there are a wide variety of them available, and they tend to be the least expensive of any of the classes of true Teas. And, I have yet to ‘meet’ one that I didn’t like (I can’t say that about any other class of tea, other than Yellow).
I hope you enjoy the journey, and I look forward to your continued participation out here on Steepster! : – )
Thank you so much – I have found of those three tips the measuring to be the most challenging. For instance I was brewing a silver needle last night – no not black tea but I had four teas yesterday and wanted a change of pace. Anyway these needles … oh wow to get an accurate teaspoon was near impossible! They don’t exactly FIT into the tea spoon! What does one do in that case? I ended up eyeballing it and it turned out good but I have no way of knowing if it turned out as good as it could have.
That’s great that you are trying silver needles; btw that is considered to be the only true white tea.
Good question on how to know how much is enough. You may not want to hear this, but accurate measuring comes with experience. At first you will probably want to use some kind of measuring tool (like a teaspoon and tablespoon) to measure as accurately as possible, and later it may be easier to eyeball it (although I still use measuring spoons, I can get an idea—after having made pot, after pot, after pot of Tea over the last year—of how much tea I need in my pot somewhat by eyeballing it). I can also get an idea after the first steeping by seeing how much ‘hydrated’ tea is in my pot (not matter what class of tea it is, it will all pretty much look the same one it’s fully hydrated). Today I had the same issue—you apparently had—with a green tea that has a very flat shape, and so, as with your silver needles, it made it very difficult to measure, and I consequently used too little Tea. Not a big deal, it was still tasty, and I adjusted my water volume down a little on the remaining steepings (or sometimes I’ll simply add more tea for the remaining steepings)
I don’t think there’s any easy solution to measuring Teas that have unusual configurations, unless, that is, you can get a scale that is accurate to the gram (an ideal ratio of dry tea to cup of water, btw, is purported to be 2-3 grams per cup of water). I haven’t looked for one of these, but they must exist, and I wouldn’t mind getting one myself.
So when it comes down to it, experience is the best teacher, as over time you will discover how much is best for each particular tea. Of course you may be thinking, “Yeah, thanks a lot! That helps a ton when you only have a sample!” I understand. That’s where that scale could really come in handy!
Good luck, and keep at it! And remember, you may get flat tea, weird tasting tea, or even horrible tasting tea, but the more you do it, the more of the awesome stuff you’ll encounter. So, in the end it’s all a necessary part of the journey! : – )
WOO HOOO I actually DO have one of those measuring devices that does ounces, grams, etc! We use it for hookah tobacco lol another hobby of ours. Just having some green tea tobacco now with our green tea TEA…yes I know smoking is bad for you – but we quit cigs this way three years ago and not one side effect of smoking since. :) Basically no tar whatsoever and tiny little nicotine count – alas this is the tea forum LOL – yes we have one of those and THANK YOU SO MUCH for telling me the proper gram to water ratio! This will be wonderful info to have!
Now yes you can get those measuring things in many places -amazon is the best and don’t spend over 20.00 on one. USD that is. You really don’t need anything fancy and they all work quite well for measuring light things like this.
I was very lucky that my first try with the needles worked out perfectly. It was the BEST tea I have ever had YET. :)
Oh and I just wanted to add…I LOVE your profile! So much info and the way you do your ratings is helpful! I don’t think I can PM you so wanted to let you know here.
I’m glad things seem to be going you way, tea-wise, anyway! I would love to have one of those scales. I plan to check them out on Amazon, sometime.
I have read in a number of places that the best gram per water ratio has been ‘scientifically tested’, so-to-speak, by the US gov’t. If I had a link I would provide it, but that ratio—2-3 grams dry tea per 6-8 OZ cup of water—is in most, if not all, of the tea books I have read. More than three grams is not ‘bad’, btw, just more expensive (although there may be an issue with there not being enough space for the tea leaves to move around in).
I am glad the silver needles worked out for you, and that you liked them. I’ve only had them a few times, and I have enjoyed them every time. By the way, in general you can get many steepings out of white teas, IF you start with short steeping times, like 2 minutes, and then add a minute for each add’l steeping. I have been able to get at least four good steepings out of the silver needles I have had using this method.
And thank you for your kind words. I started following you so you are free to PM me if you wish.
I’m looking forward to reading your reviews!
That is extremely helpful as I want to get as many steepings out of my white needles that I can as I won’t be able to order them again anytime soon.
I had not thought of reducing the steep time first brew then moving up. Excellent info and thank you so much.
Thank you for following me as well.
Yes my reviews are already maturing (lack of better term) I still see others reviews however, like your own and see where I can provide more information such as I am not so consistent in mentioning the color of the liquor. I am not going to worry about that though, I shall evolve over time. :)
Again, thank you for all the very helpful and educational information.
Love this place! Great people here.
I am glad you found the information helpful. If you like reading, I highly recommend getting your hands on as many books about tea as possible, as I did not too long ago (I have two sitting at my desk right now). That’s where I got almost all of my information, initially at least. Now I am experiencing much of what I have read, first hand, and I’m working on cultivating some of the finer details (like how best to do something, rather than focusing simply on the basics). It’s a good place to be.
I scoured my library, went to many bookstores in town, and even spent lots of time surfing the web for anything I could get my hands on (more than once I spent over seven hours at a sitting). It was intense, but I learned a lot. I cannot recommend any book more than Heiss and Hiess’ book, The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. They have most of what I have read elsewhere in that one book. I also like Spoonvonstup’s suggestion to find others to share your passion with as well. I am fortunate that my wife appreciates much of what the Tea world has to offer. And I showcase my teas to others every chance I can get (which, sadly, isn’t often).
I still consider myself very inexperienced when it comes to ferreting out—and giving words to—all of the different aromas and flavors a tea has to offer. Still, I am very recently learning to value my own unique perspective. In my judgement, regardless of how skilled you are at description, THAT is what others will appreciate most in your reviews: your own perspective. So, as much as possible, I invite you to open yourself up to the Tea you have in your hand, and—by being bold in writing your reviews—tell us EXACTLY and HONESTLY what you find in your encounters with that wonderful thing we all know and love!
Wow! All the advice on here has been amazing. I’m very new to tea as well, just took an interest in it about a month ago. I’m glad to see that the Steepster community is so helpful! All of your links and suggestions have been great.
And Azzrian, I’m glad to know I’m not the only newbie on here! I was feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the different options and didn’t know where to start. Thanks for starting this thread!
Thank you so much for this discussion – I love it! I have been drinking tea for years, but only one kind – black tea with milk and sugar (Yorkshire Gold and PG Tips are my favorites!). I’ve only recently started to try and get into other varieties.
One of my favorite ways to try new teas is to go to tea rooms! I love to get afternoon tea and then order pots of teas that I am not familiar with. It’s also a wonderful activity for a weekend with friends!
Other than that, I’ve been trying to read a ton of these discussion boards here and on TeaChat as well and then sample, sample, sample as much as you can!!!
:) Me too! We are headed to Lawrence now to go to that bubble tea place that also has loose leaf. Looking forward to it – will rate when I get back! :) Sip on!
I soooo wish there were more tea rooms around the area! There used to be 2 within an hour or so of me and they both went out of business and now there is just one that I know of that is relatively new. I agree – trying new teas with tasty treats and good friends is an excellent way to expose yourself to new teas and you have none of the risk of buying a large amount of something you might not like.
I am in Kansas City. I know that’s a fair piece from Topeka unless you have another reason to go there…but, that said, Crown Center has an excellent tea shop – Shang Tea. He is reviewed here on Steepster as well. Shang really, really, really knows his stuff about white teas and teas in general. He will take the time to sit with you, brew different kinds of whites for you to taste (and sometimes the blacks, which are called reds there and are made from white tea) and explain a lot about teas for you. He’s a fabulous resource.
If you were to make the trip to KC, there is also Tea Drops in Westport neighborhood that sells loose leaf of a decent quality.
Teahouse & Coffeepot is down Westport way as well and they have good loose leaf and do a tea service that is very tasty with savories and sweets but you have to reserve 24 hrs in advance I think.
Phoenix Herb near the Plaza sells loose leaf. They are very nice people but I can’t really speak much to the quality of their tea. I had coworkers who loved their green teas though.
Oh, and the Tea Market in Brookside neighborhood. The owner has a degree in tea from somewhere and she does a lot of traveling and learning about teas. They have good quality loose leaf teas, generally have a couple to taste in the shop on the weekends and if you look at their website they have classes. Every so often she does free classes on tea basics for folks who have never been to any of her classes before.
Shoot me a message if you like. Maybe we can meet up sometime if you head KC way. I’d be happy to take you on a tea tour. :)
Nicole – I would absolutely go to KC for this experience! I will make plans to do so after next pay day! Thank you SO much!!!
Just got back from Lawrence – went to House of Cha. Nice but tiny spec of a place that was jam packed with people. I will do a place review later after I get my second wind.
As for tea – I had a milk matcha which would have been a bubble tea except they were out of Bobba which did not please my daughter at all.
I purchased to bring home some Dong Ding Oolong and two very small Pu ‘er tablets lol or whatever you call them. The oolong was a little under 9.00 for 50g and the Pu’er was 2.99 per tab. I have no info on the Pu’er – what kind, etc as again, they were far too busy to ask them anything. Also the kid who rung me up had never sold the Pu’er before and had to ask someone else how to ring it into the register, so I really don’t think he would have known.
Still was nice to check out a new place. They had some really great prices on some tea wear but small selection as the place itself is tiny. They had some herbs you could buy, lavender, comfrey, chamomile, etc and about 10 teas to choose from to purchase to take home. The teas ran from 8.00 per 50g to 28.00 per 50g!
Actually I’d be happy to do a tea tour for any one in the area who wants to get together and be led around to the places I know. Maybe you know places I don’t! Would be nice to find more local sources…
I can’t speak to sourcing or anything else at most of these places – only Shang – and I am far from an expert. I just know what I like and where I’ve been able to find it. :)
Nicole – lets for sure try to find a good time for both of us! I am thinking next month though as this month I had dental work – have more dental work coming, both son and myself going to dermatologist, bought a generator – you name it the expense has hit this month lol. Will send you a PM about getting together.
Thank You Azzrian, & everyone else you are all very helpful to newbies. I came in looking for a post like yours to help me You listed everything I was thinking. I never thought of getting samples and from reading everyone’s comments that’s what I am doing now. making a wish list and ordering tomorrow
I too am new to tea. I am pleasantly surprised by the reaction of this community in your quest for tea knowledge. I learned quite a bit just reading every thing. Thank you all. :D
So I am an impatient person when I am excited about something. Its my nature. I found myself here with a zillion sample sized bags of teas and a few random small tea tins and even a few full sized bags, some of which I love but few, some of which I like but probably will not seek out again, and some which I don’t care for that will be given away, swapped etc along with ones I do love of course.
I was thinking, one day I will have my favorites, full sized, in pretty tins but that feels so far away, even though I have only been drinking loose leaf for a few months total and really only a couple of weeks non stop.
So I decided, and this is for the other newbies out there as maybe it is a good idea for them too. To have a nice basket of my favorites. I mean I have my tea logs, notes, etc but by placing the specific ones I LOVE in one place, I can easily refer to them, and when I am ready, really ready to order those beautiful tins and have my permanent stash, I will know exactly where to go to make those orders.
Sure, its not rocket science and probably not the first one to think of this but hey I know I am looking for any little ideas others have so thought I would also share.
:)
Excellent idea! Whenever I get samples and find one that I really like (and want more of), I have a big YES box that I put the sample in. It’s also really fun to go through the YES box every couple of months to remind myself of the good things I drank but that I forgot about for whatever reason. It’s like a treasure box.
very good advice!
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