Hello! Austinite here!

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Oct 22nd, '13, 13:59
Posts: 2
Joined: Oct 21st, '13, 17:20

Hello! Austinite here!

by ATorrentofRain » Oct 22nd, '13, 13:59

Hello from Austin!

How long have you been drinking tea?
1-2 years

What was your first Tea?
I think it was a generic bagged green tea

What is your favorite Tea currently?
Probably my silver needle or the pomegranate green tea(loose leaf <3)

What is your next purchase?
Maybe an oolong of some sort, dunno. I mostly drink it for the health benefits so I'd have to do some more research.

Where is your favorite spot to brew up?
Cold brew! In the fridge!

I drink quite a bit of tea(2-3 quarts of cold brewed white tea) daily. I don't usually hot brew tea simply because I don't have the time.

A couple questions. Do you think my 2-3 quarts of (silver needle) white tea is going to be bad? I don't really drink it for the taste, but rather the health benefits. I usually put about a tbsp in the quart jar and let it brew for 12-24 hours.

Thanks everyone! Also, is this a strict tea only forum or do you discuss tisane as well?

-ATorrentofRain

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Oct 23rd, '13, 09:47
Posts: 230
Joined: Sep 5th, '13, 00:35
Location: Ireland

Hello! Austinite here!

by mcrdotcom » Oct 23rd, '13, 09:47

Welcome! :)

2-3 quarts of cold brewed tea is no harm at all I would imagine, especially white tea. Caffeine content wouldn't be high in white tea comparatively, and 3 quarts of water isn't at all bad for you.

There is a section on tisanes in the forum :)

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Oct 23rd, '13, 16:11
Posts: 470
Joined: Jan 23rd, '07, 14:50
Location: Philadelphia
Contact: Evan Draper

Re: Hello! Austinite here!

by Evan Draper » Oct 23rd, '13, 16:11

The beneficial health claims of tea are numerous but not necessarily strongly substantiated. A lot of that has to do with the large variance in tea's efficacy, depending on variety, terroir, processing, freshness, etc etc. So a good rule of thumb is "the healthiest tea is the one you're going to drink the most."

And one tablespoon of silver needle (or 2-3 for that matter) is not very much at all. I don't have any on hand, but I'm estimating 2, 3 grams per tablespoon? If I've only had 6 grams of tea it's a dull day indeed. But what do you mean by "bad"? Silver needle DOES have comparatively high caffeine, as tea goes, but again you are not drinking much. Everyone's caffeine metabolism is different, but in general caffeine is not an unhealthy substance when taken in moderation, and it provides very real boosts to mental alertness/processing for which it's famous. And your tea to water ratio is so low that you definitely don't have to worry about urine oxalates. Of course, when it comes to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, we usually have very little idea what we're getting.

Oct 24th, '13, 12:10
Posts: 2
Joined: Oct 21st, '13, 17:20

Re: Hello! Austinite here!

by ATorrentofRain » Oct 24th, '13, 12:10

Thanks guys! And while I agree that benefits aren't strongly substantiated I figure that if tea wasn't beneficial the Chinese would have a larger range of plants they brew. For them to pick one species of plant as medicinal drink for thousands of years indicates that there's probably something good there(besides taste, though Occam would say that's probably just it).

And yea, the silver needle I use has this description from the site so you experts can give it a look:

"An exclusive blend of 1st Flush, single bud grades of Fuding Da Hao from Fujian, combined with Mengku Da Yeh and Menghai Da Yeh buds from Yunnan. Our Silver Needle Premium is very unique due to our blend of smooth, umami teas from Fujian and fruity, rich teas from Yunnan. Silver Needle has a smooth nectar like body with a subtle sweet flavor and fruity aroma, and is our most popular white tea. It is best brewed using a generous amount of tealeaves, and by steeping one serving multiple times."

Also, I usually throw it in a coffee grinder until its pretty fine since I figure surface area has quite a bit to do with how much of the (essential properties?) are drawn into the water.

And by "bad" I mean skeletal flourosis and other things(not really sure if there are any). Though I do use RO water so a tiny bit of flouride naturally in the leaves shouldn't be too bad. As for caffeine, well it doesn't really affect me. Depending on the day I'll drink no caffeine ory up to 3 pots of strongly brewed coffee all the way up until 15 minutes before bed. Never given me any trouble except maybe a BM at an inopportune time :lol:

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Dec 3rd, '13, 18:37
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Re: Hello! Austinite here!

by Chip » Dec 3rd, '13, 18:37

Welcome to our Tea Forum, ATorrentofRain!

Enjoy your TeaExperiences with us, and yes we welcome 'all' tea drinkers to share with us.

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