Alternative teas. who digs them?

lee_baby_simms

I gotta admit i love certain varieties. My ex got me into it them a few years back as a substitute for coffee and i havent looked back.
Blackberry and nettle flavour was one that didnt do much for me but i'm
now kicking back with a camomile and spiced apple which is perfect before hittin the hay.

Anyone know where you can get a really good green/jasmine tea?

The twinings stuff is all i can get at eurospar.

simu

lee_baby_simms wrote:

Anyone know where you can get a really good green/jasmine tea?

The twinings stuff is all i can get at eurospar.

I got nice jasmine green tea in an Amnesty International shop recently. They also have good selections in health stores.

Shabadu

Best Jasmine tea comes in the amber-gold boxes they sell in most Oriental Emporiums. I couldn't live without the stuff.

meditraitor

lee_baby_simms wrote:

Anyone know where you can get a really good green/jasmine tea?

The twinings stuff is all i can get at eurospar.

Just having a cup now, does the trick nicely

Gilgamesh

it allways depends on the grade tea you want.
you can get crap good and uniqu teas, just to narrow down the types, it is allways a matter how much, drinking good quality tea is worth to you.
just pmed to your question, but hey, somone called me the tea man, so let me know if you need something special ( sorry for the pimping)

oh yeah, and have to say my favourite at the moment is, white tea, cost a buck or two but is worth it, has a nice, slightly cramy taste to it and is quite delicate, less caffeine in than black or green teas aswell

lee_baby_simms

just came across these interesting tips on brewing green tea:

http://www.o-cha.com/brew.htm


anyone here make it like that?
it looks pretty damn good. very green.

simu

Gilgamesh wrote:

oh yeah, and have to say my favourite at the moment is, white tea, cost a buck or two but is worth it, has a nice, slightly cramy taste to it and is quite delicate, less caffeine in than black or green teas aswell

What is that? Black and green tea come from the same plant but black is left to ferment for longer afaik but what is white tea?

Gilgamesh

lee_baby_simms wrote:

just came across these interesting tips on brewing green tea:

http://www.o-cha.com/brew.htm


anyone here make it like that?
it looks pretty damn good. very green.

the brewing method is actually the only recommended way to make green tea, personally I don't do the 80%/20% mixture as it is a bit too scientific.
I would recommend to boil the water normally, poor it into the pot/cup and leave it there for between 5 to 7 minutes before putting the leaves into it.
green tea is extremely vital that it doesn't stay in the water longer than 2 to 3 minutes (depending on the grade of green tea) as it will become very bitter.
Allthough, if you are having problems with your stomach, than the bitter green tea can be very soothing, but hard to drink.

I have only seen that Japanese green is the only tea, that can actually bring up that colour as on that site, at least that intense, but is quite hard to get over here, am trying to import some at the moment, but there is only limited amounts worldwide, as the tea fields aren't as big as, say, indonesia, and the demand for the Jap tea, is very high .

Gilgamesh

simu wrote:

What is that? Black and green tea come from the same plant but black is left to ferment for longer afaik but what is white tea?

White Tea is very lightly oxidized and have very, very little caffeine.
The leaves and buds grown for white tea are actually picked the day before the shoots open which is attributed to the delicate nature and subtle qualities of white teas.

sorry for the quote from a supplier but I couldn't have explained it any better.
the funny things about white tea leaves, and a way to check their quality is by looking and actually stroking the leaf.

White leaves have a type of fur coating, which stays present if the fermentation and oxidisation was done properly, as it is hardly touched by any actual processing and only hand picked to keep the quality of the leaves.
It has a very unique taste, but personally I have found it can be too delicate for some people to actually taste, mainly smokers have problems from my experience. As the climate requirements and care of the leaves is a higher standard than normal teas, it is also produced in smaller quantities worldwide, which is why you won't find Bewley's or twinnings or other bigger companies selling it, as you can guess the price of it is higher aswell

simu

Sounds good though - I'll look out for it!

Gilgamesh

you could also PM me if you want

simu

Why? Could you send me white tea by PM?

You're allowed name shops that sell tea here!

Gilgamesh

simu wrote:

Why? Could you send me white tea by PM?

You're allowed name shops that sell tea here!

could PM you a picture, hehe

you're allowed to name shops, but not pimp your own business,
at least I tihnk that is the correct terms here.
anyway, am in the tea business and can supply teas including white teas.
Don't do the cheap crappy stuff, but only high grade teas
So if you are interested in buying tea, you can always pm me and I will give you a list and the current prices

catspring

i always liked the idea of drinking other kinds of tea but any of the ones i tried were always really bitter, but i've actually started drinking this stuff called ruibos/ redbush tea lately. you can get it in holland and barrat health shops. it's just tea bags but they are really nice, not bitter like other kinds i've tasted. a friend of mine had some great green tea but i forgot to get the brand name etc.
the ruibos tea i have is slightly lemony which is quite refreshing.

though, i have to say that it is hard to beat good old lyon's green label

Gilgamesh

only tea that get's bitter is the green tea. depending on the quality, you should never leave green tea in the water for more than 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how many leaves you put in the cup or pot

Rooibos tea is quite a nice tea, originated from Afrika it is sometimes defined as a 'Red' tea, due to it's colour when brewed.
you don't normally get it as a pure tea, but mostly infused with other tases.

if you wan't to try something reallt unusual, then try smoked tea, smells like ash, and drinks like smokey bacon crisps, has a kind of love/hate relationship.