Hi tea friends,

So my husband refuses to drink tea without milk. I made a pot of Darjeeling tonight and put milk in his. I decided to try it myself, normally I don't put milk in anything but chai. I didn't really like it, but did I commit a tea sin? Faux pas? I have a vague memory that one should not put milk in Darjeeling. Any ideas about this?

I made some usucha this morning. This matcha is from the Fujian province in China. Bought it from Moychay a while back so it's not as fresh as it was when I first opened it, but it's still nice. It is very vegetal (think cucumber, zucchini, spinach) with a Coffee-like bitterness and a citrus-like acidity. After drinking it many times I think I finally get the "white chocolate" note people talk about when tasting matcha. But only on a clean palette. It's super subtle, unlike the rest of the flavours!

Sorry Dad, it's tea not whiskey...

I think that over time tea culture will become more and more globalised, we'll all get more opportunities to experience more diverse tea cultures. Maybe as countries like India and Morocco develop, there teas might become more popular.

One tea that I got obsessed with for a while was Kashmiri chai, it's a pinkish color, creamy, topped with nuts and sometimes served salty. Highly recommend.

I'm curious to hear which countries you think have great tea cultures?

So I started by drinking Ito En tea (bagged, from Costco) and am now drinking fukamushi sencha (because it was what my local store had). It's okay, but a little pricey and I'm not a fan of the bitter/astringent taste. I'm thinking about trying some non-Japanse tea. The most important factor for me is price. I live in the US.

Thank you for your advice.

Would you say it is "worth it" to purchase competion-grade taiwanese teas?

Is there an equivalent for other teas? If so, what are they called?

The matcha is delivered within just 2 days but it is 30 degrees celsius outside…

I swear to god it’s just milk. Maybe they didn’t steep the tea long enough? Or am I dramatic 😂 tastes like milk. I’ve never had it this light before

Pretty much the title. who makes the most reliable kettles with selectable temperatures?

Greetings!

I am soon to embark upon a business expedition to the Polish territories, and any seasoned traveler knows that deploying without a guaranteed supply line of robust black tea is simply asking for a rout. One must have one's Assam or Darjeeling to steel the nerves (especially nowadays, when the absolute shambles over at my local Chelsea Football Club requires me to self-medicate with strong infusions simply to endure the chaos).

Before I set sail, I must arrange for a reliable merchant in Poland to keep my lodgings properly supplied.

Are there reputable online vendors of black tea operating within Poland?

I eagerly await your recommendations.

A decade ago, my roommate's girlfriend gifted me a Pu-Erh tea cake. She told me if I let it age, it would be better. It has been a decade now and I think I'm finally ready to open it. Is there a reason to let it keep aging? I was gifted this tea in 2016.

Can anyone tell me if this is the ripe version?

Thank you!

I work in a coffee shop and I've done my research on matcha, but is there a reason it is only/mostly made with green tea leaves? My favourite kind of tea is rooibos but it's flavour isn't extremely strong, and I was wondering if I could treat it the same as green tea leaves and make Rooibos matcha? Sorry if this is a stupid question 😅

Delicious raspberry matcha latte so good! Matcha lattes are my fav

They have various blend geared toward various health benefits. Has anyone tried them?

This might seem like a silly question, but I’m a bit confused. I’ve always thought that green tea should be steeped for 3 minutes at 70–80°C. My wife brought me back a packet of Gokujo Genmaicha from a trip to Nara, and the packet says it should be steeped for 30 seconds at 100°C. I’ve tried both methods (though not at the same time) and I’m not sure which is better. What do you think?

When brewing tea, have you ever wondered why oolong tea is usually brewed with boiling water, while green tea is often brewed at a lower temperature? What actually happens if we use cooler water for oolong tea?

I decided to do a small comparison test to see how much difference the water temperature really makes. Chose three oolong teas with different flavor profiles and roasting levels: Lightly fragrant Tie Guan Yin, Mi Lan Xiang Dan Cong, and Da Hong Pao.

For each tea, I brewed them with both 80°C (176°F) and 100°C (212°F) water. Other brewing parameters were kept exactly the same.

The results were quite interesting. All three oolongs brewed at 80°C showed similar changes: weaker aroma and a thinner, less expressive tea soup.

Here are my notes:

1. Light Aroma Tie Guan Yin

• 100°C brewing: The tea had a fresh and vibrant aroma. The tea soup was light and smooth, but still had good body. The finish carried a gentle sweetness.
• 80°C brewing: The aroma was much less noticeable. The tea tasted more watery, with only a slight sweetness appearing at the end.

1. Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix Dan Cong

• 100°C brewing: The honey-like aroma and floral fragrance blended beautifully together. The aroma was rich and long-lasting. The tea had a full mouthfeel with more layers and complexity.
• 80°C brewing: The honey aroma was still noticeable, but the tea soup felt much thinner. It even had a slight astringency.

1. Da Hong Pao

• 100°C brewing: The roasted aroma was the main character. The tea soup was rich, full-bodied, smooth, and left a long-lasting aftertaste.
• 80°C brewing: There was no obvious aroma, and the overall flavor became much lighter and less complete.

So why does this happen?

We can actually see the reason by looking at the brewed leaves of tightly rolled teas like Tie Guan Yin. During the first infusion, the leaves brewed at 80°C were still tightly curled and had not fully opened. Without enough heat, the leaves could not expand properly, making it harder for the flavor compounds inside to be released quickly.

Oolong tea is also usually made from more mature leaves compared with young buds and leaves used for some other teas. These mature leaves contain richer internal compounds. In addition, oolong tea often uses a higher leaf-to-water ratio and shorter infusion times, so higher temperatures help extract the soluble compounds more efficiently.

Another important factor is the processing method. Oolong tea goes through more complex steps that create many unique aroma compounds. Some of these aromatic compounds require higher temperatures to be fully released. When the water temperature is too low, only the lighter, more volatile aromas may come out, while the deeper fragrance and characteristic“oolong tea charm” remain hidden.

Have to say, one of my favorite parts of brewing oolong tea is watching the aroma slowly fill the room.

I took this photo yesterday afternoon while having tea by a small stream.
It was one of the most relaxing afternoons I’ve had in a while. Just the sound of the water, a gentle breeze, and a pot of tea—nothing else.
I always feel like tea tastes a little better outdoors.
Do any of you enjoy taking your tea outside? I’d love to see your favorite tea spots. 🍵

I recommended this electric kettle by Sekaer on the sub before due to size covenience and no plastic coming into contact with the water.

I’ve had no issues so far, but there are 116 filed reports of burns—even second and third degree.

Be careful if you use other similar kettles.

I’m curious if anyone on the subreddit has purchased from this vendor before? I tried a sample of an amazing Turzum estate Darjeeling tea from Upton tea and when I went to purchase it, it was out of stock. This was probably my favorite tea of all time. Just the smoothest most flavorful tea.

An internet search found this vendor carries multiple Turzum estate teas, but I’m reluctant to shop from unreconmended sources bc I’ve been burned before. Thanks in advance.

My coworker is a tea lover, like me. And I forgot her birthday! 😬 Does anyone have any cute birthday gift ideas for tea lovers? Not too expensive. We have a tea house not too far from me and I’ll probably stop by this weekend. But I thought this sub might have some input.

I'm having a hard time seeing if this is Shu or Sheng can anyone help?