What is the most exotic or weirdest tea you've tried?

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Well its not really tea…but fermented mares milk called “kumis” Its really common in Central Asia and parts of Russia, it has a sweet, grassy and sour profile.

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Teaotic said

Good thread to resurrect!

For me, weirdest tea was definitely some puerh, i tried a few recommended varieties, and just could not get into it…

My hat is definitely off to all the Pu-erh connoisseurs out there, I am impressed by those who cultivate a taste for that stuff, it’s out of my league ;)

And prior to trying Pu, I thought lapsang souchang was advanced ;)

Pu-Erh at first maybe off-beat, but If you love rich deep tasting and really full bodies teas, this type of tea is for you if you choose. It takes time getting used to, but the best part of it all it can take up so much flavors and dish out when brewed repeatedly. There can be 15!(yes) 15 infusion each ranging from seconds down to ten minutes or more(when flat). Each flavor profile can range from camphor, notes of mint, chocolate, to a smoky leather flavor at the 5 min to ten minute mark. Its a tea that has multi-personality disorder suffice to say, but the tea is quite lovely and worth trying a bit more maybe you will learn to love lapsang suchong. I choose this day any day than Kumis…that stuff was a little funky to my taste but its all good.

For those who have difficulty with either pu-erh or lapsang souchong, I would recommend a quick rinse before infusion. I find that both teas are much more palatable after a quick 15 second rinse.

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Ninavampi said

Coca leaf tea! In Quito, Ecuador the altitude makes there be much less oxygen in the air and that tends to make people visiting get terrible rounds of altitudes sickness. The indigenous people would chew on the Coca Leaf, but, being a drug and all, modern society frowns strongly upon this practice. Now, we give visitors coca leaf tea, which has no hallucinogenic properties but still helps out a lot with altitude sickness. Coca leaf tea is also known as Mate here in Ecuador, though it is different from the mate which most people think of (Uruguayan or Argentinian).

smartkitty said

What does it taste like? I’m curious about that. My dad had some when he visited a few years back, but he’s terrible at descriptions.

Ninavampi said

hmmm… Tough question… It is a bit like matein the sense that it has a bitter kick to it and a bit of hay-flavor to it. It is usually served super sweet, and I have only had it that way. I am going to assume that plain it must be just as bitter as matte.

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I’ve had some really crazy teas. China has a rich history of herbal medicines and treatments. My family, being from China, has forced crazy teas down my throat when I was sick. I cannot even describe how vile and disgusting some of this stuff is. And I have no idea what the heck is in it. They’re not especially bitter or anything. Just plain gross. So when I say a tea tastes “medicinal,” I’m saying it reminds me of the nightmarish liquid that I had to swallow as a youth. To this day, I try to hide my colds from my mom at any cost.

That said, there’s actually a tea commonly drunk in China called “cooling tea.” I’m not even going to try to spell it the way it sounds. With some sweetener, it’s not too horrible. It’s a bit bitter, but not worse than coffee. It’s supposed to dispel “heatiness” from your body. Traditional Chinese medicine believes, among other things, that sickness is caused by an imbalance of heat and cool in your body. THere’s cooling food and warming foods. The “cooling tea” is good for when you are consuming “heaty” foods, like shellfish or ginger. Cooling foods also include melons and gai lan (leafy vegetable).

what types of herbs were used in the tea?

I have no idea. Nasty herbs. Ugh.

Kuding tea maybe “cooling Tea” :)

Okay, so i looked it up. It’s more like this:

http://www.topchinatravel.com/china-food-restaurant/traditional-herb-tea.htm

So it seems to be a southern China thing. My dad drinks it for fun.

Thats cool, I’d try it ;)

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mbanu said

Kombucha with a very ambitious base-culture. Green tea with a taste of white wine vinegar, cloves, and just a hint of Camembert.

Itsyknits said

woah. sounds amazing!! Ha, I’d love to try it.

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Bonnie said

Mate de coca in Huarez, Peru at almost 10,000 ft. Went in one day from sea level (Lima) by bus to 15,000 feet at the highest with my girl cousins to Huarez which is the capital of the State of Ancash and close to the equator…so warm but high. Anyway, at the hotel you order the tea which is just a pot of hot water with a coca leaves shoved in…let it steep…drink it and go to sleep. Next morning your heart should have converted to the altitude and you should not be feeling like you are running a race.

I personally I love the oxygen bottles supplied in those hotels.

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Kombucha!!!!! omg

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Um pina colada tea…

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pixel said

17 years ago while honeymooning in Jamaica I was served an after dinner tea (a British style black tea) laced with “magic mushrooms”. Pleasant earthy flavor and pleasant sensory experience.

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AllanK said

The strangest tea I’ve drank has to be Luo Han Guo or Monk Fruit tea. It is a strange herbal tea. When I brewed it I thought I was drinking beef broth. That is what it tasted like. Sounded good, monk fruit but tasted weird.

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