What's steeping? A tea thread

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I have these two sitting in my cart:

https://www.harney.com/products/organic-earl-grey?variant=35000702918
https://www.harney.com/products/osmanthus-oolong?variant=51262019718
Any thoughts? I know it is very subjective. Just trying to do a toe-dip just now so the Earl Grey is a little safe.

The Oolong will be a good toe in the water of Chinese style teas. There’s a huge world of variety even within a single type (like Oolong as an example). The Earl Grey looks like a solid crowd pleaser (and a lovely flavouring for a panna cotta if you want a fancy dessert).

There are some lovely tea cups to supplement your new found hobby. It wouldn’t be KKF without enabling an upsell…..

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

What are some good choices for afternoon/evening teas? Low/no caffeine. I'm assuming that is artificially done so maybe just supermarket stuff?

 

[ethompson]

Pulled out a puerh cakes today to go with a loooong day of bevel sharpening - 2007 YiPinTang Yi Wu Zhi Chun. Not high end really, kinda aged-ish. But tasty with good body and sweetness to go with the fruits and earthy flavors.

 

[M1k3]

What are some good choices for afternoon/evening teas? Low/no caffeine. I'm assuming that is artificially done so maybe just supermarket stuff?

I'm no tea connoisseur whatsoever, but, I like the Tazo teas.

 

[blkgreymon]

What are some good choices for afternoon/evening teas? Low/no caffeine. I'm assuming that is artificially done so maybe just supermarket stuff?

Try Jasmine, Hibiscus, chrysanthemum or houjicha. Houchija is a little bit odd because it is green tea but due to the roasting process it has low amounts of caffeine. The rest of the teas have low to no amounts of caffeine

Koicha (Thick Matcha) today. Burst of umami with a hint of nuttiness and tartness

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

What are some good choices for afternoon/evening teas? Low/no caffeine. I'm assuming that is artificially done so maybe just supermarket stuff?

It really depends on how strong a flavour you prefer…
White tea will have have the lowest naturally occurring caffeine levels, but the flavours are quite delicate.
Decaffeinated teas are usually flavoured in more European styles. My wife loves a decaf earl grey for an afternoon tea.
Herbals and roobios will have no caffeine, but they don’t have the characteristic “tea” flavours. I’m not a fan of roobios, but I like chamomile as a herbal (another mild flavoured one), and my wife likes a peppermint tea (stronger flavoured but still not “tea”) before bed.
I’d suggest trying a few to see what types of flavours you’re enjoying?

 

[jedy617]

For me, chamomile, tazo passion, or celestial seasonings lemon zinger

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

It really depends on how strong a flavour you prefer…
White tea will have have the lowest naturally occurring caffeine levels, but the flavours are quite delicate.
Decaffeinated teas are usually flavoured in more European styles. My wife loves a decaf earl grey for an afternoon tea.
Herbals and roobios will have no caffeine, but they don’t have the characteristic “tea” flavours. I’m not a fan of roobios, but I like chamomile as a herbal (another mild flavoured one), and my wife likes a peppermint tea (stronger flavoured but still not “tea”) before bed.
I’d suggest trying a few to see what types of flavours you’re enjoying?

Thanks. I have a couple bagged, no-caffeine teas that I like so I'll stick with those for a while. I guess the other part is experimenting with different teas and steeps to see what the caffeine impact is on me.

 

[jedy617]

Forgot to mention..talked about them in the espresso thread, but happy mug has some great tea at really really reasonable prices. Their chamomile is much better than anything you can get in a bag. Whole flowers.

https://happymugcoffee.com/collections/tea

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Forgot to mention..talked about them in the espresso thread, but happy mug has some great tea at really really reasonable prices. Their chamomile is much better than anything you can get in a bag. Whole flowers.

https://happymugcoffee.com/collections/tea

Thanks. I did like the stuff at What-Cha but with shipping it got expensive kinda quick.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Thanks. I have a couple bagged, no-caffeine teas that I like so I'll stick with those for a while. I guess the other part is experimenting with different teas and steeps to see what the caffeine impact is on me.

Yeah true. You don’t want to be wired all night…. Unless that’s what you’re going for, I guess

If you’ve never tried hojicha (as suggested by @blkgreymon above), definitely try it, it is caffeinated but it’s very different to a traditional tea flavour (you’ll either like it or hate it - I love it, and gen mai cha). Over here you can get hojicha bags in most Asian grocers.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Turns out there's a little tea shop not far from my work:

https://tastesandtea.com/
I think they may have merged (or moved and expanded) with the oil/vinegar shop that I've been to a couple times. It was just down the road from this but doesn't look to be there.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Turns out there's a little tea shop not far from my work:

https://tastesandtea.com/
I think they may have merged (or moved and expanded) with the oil/vinegar shop that I've been to a couple times. It was just down the road from this but doesn't look to be there.

That joint looks good, you can pick up a Mango and Chipotle BBQ sauce with your tea.
Of the low caffeine ones, these are the ones that I’d buy (take that with a grain of salt):
https://tastesandtea.com/product/chamomile/https://tastesandtea.com/product/earl-grey-decaf/https://tastesandtea.com/product/sencha-decaf/

 

[M1k3]

For me, chamomile, tazo passion, or celestial seasonings lemon zinger

Tazo passion is oh so good!

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

 

[dhruan]

PG Tips, fancy, I know… Got on that kick since my new position, it comes with more frequent visits to the UK branch/office, and hotel rooms around there seem to always be stocked with bags of PG Tips so I started having that instead of coffee in the morning.

It is actually great since it helped me cut down on coffee (drank like 5-6 mugs of strong coffee every day, waaaaaay too much).

I do like other kinds of tea, namely, Lady Grey, Earl Grey, various white teas, jasmin tea, etc.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

We drink a lot of tea. Right now some Taiwanese green tea. We did get vs a new tea kettle.

 

[Shein]

What are some good choices for afternoon/evening teas? Low/no caffeine. I'm assuming that is artificially done so maybe just supermarket stuff?

Try the Harney Soba tea. It’s a buckwheat tea that has a nutty flavor and naturally decaffeinated. That and Chamomile are my favorite decaf teas. I prefer the naturally decaffeinated teas to the processed ones.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

Today is special. So….pu’er tea time! My mom gave me two pucks she had for decades. I remember them in a huge glass jar as a tiny kid. She said her mom had them. Mom was a saver. Me? Nope. This is my second puck/disc.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

Hey. what do we know about a Tea-Coozy? knowing me, I may just stick a clean BEANIE over the pot.

right now?

 

[boomchakabowwow]

Mixing some chrysanthemum flower into tea this morning.