Oct 17th, '08, 20:14
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by auggy » Oct 17th, '08, 20:14
Pentox wrote:I'm not so sure I would recommend a dragonwell. Personally if I started on dragonwell I probably would have sworn off of tea. Dragonwell gives me a light headache when I drink it for some reason. I've tried numerous ones and they all have the same effect. The same goes for TKY in the land of oolongs.
I'm so glad you posted this. TKY is no problem for me, but some greens (both Chinese and Japanese) seem to give me a headache after I drink them. It usually isn't a horrid headache, so most of the time I ignore it, but what on earth causes it? Any clue?
Oh, and I guess since I posted on this thread, I could say something related to the initial post, too! Den's sampler is a good one as is Adagio's green sampler. Both are good, easy ways to get into greens. And they are teas that are pretty friendly so you don't have to worry about your intro to greens being ruined by a picky tea.
Oct 17th, '08, 23:10
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by Vulture » Oct 17th, '08, 23:10
Trioxin wrote:I agree with Chip. The Adagio sampler might be a good start. Don't forget though to pick up a cheap digital thermometer. Temperature is key when brewing greens.
I am going to be ordering the utiliTEA kettle from adagio soon which has temperature settings. That should be good enough for that.
Oct 17th, '08, 23:56
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by auggy » Oct 17th, '08, 23:56
For some of the fancier greens, especially gyokuro, you will need a thermometer since (if I remember correctly) that kettle doesn't have a 140/130-ish setting, yes?
I actually picked up a digital thermometer from Amazon. DH steals it to cook steaks, too.
Oct 18th, '08, 00:38
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by Chip » Oct 18th, '08, 00:38
96.84% of gringos require a geeky digital thermometer from time to time. 68.35% require one all the time. For Japanese greens, I use one each time. I use the utilTEA but boil each time, then use the hot water to preheat the pot and cups, which also cools the water.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Oct 18th, '08, 01:19
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by Vulture » Oct 18th, '08, 01:19
Chip wrote:96.84% of gringos require a geeky digital thermometer from time to time. 68.35% require one all the time. For Japanese greens, I use one each time. I use the utilTEA but boil each time, then use the hot water to preheat the pot and cups, which also cools the water.
At that point I might as well boil it in a regular pot then do the same
Oct 18th, '08, 01:25
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Location: France
by olivierco » Oct 18th, '08, 01:25
Vulture wrote:
At that point I might as well boil it in a regular pot then do the same
Yes, you don't need any kettle.
I quite often boil water in a sauce pan and let it cool in a yusamashi:
Oct 18th, '08, 01:28
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by Victoria » Oct 18th, '08, 01:28
But the utilTEA is way cooler and it has an auto shut off. And you can use it at your desk or gongfu table. And think of the points!
Oct 18th, '08, 01:29
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by Salsero » Oct 18th, '08, 01:29
olivierco wrote: I quite often boil water in a sauce pan and let it cool in a yusamashi
Nice yusamashi. How do you plug it in?
What are the repeated design elements? They look like little figs or something. Very attractive piece.
Oct 18th, '08, 01:36
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by olivierco » Oct 18th, '08, 01:36
It is from a so called "sencha set" I bought on ebay. Due to its little size, I use it mostly for gyokuro but also sometimes for sencha brewed at lower temperatures.
I don't know exactly what the design elements are. I guess chamekke could tell.
Oct 18th, '08, 02:09
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by Salsero » Oct 18th, '08, 02:09
olivierco wrote:It is from a so called "sencha set" I bought on ebay.
Wow, that set is stunning! I wish I had the patience to cruise ebay for great stuff like that. Well, at least someone in the family got it! That's almost as good.
Oct 18th, '08, 02:19
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Location: Cinnamon King of San Diego, Ca
by Vulture » Oct 18th, '08, 02:19
Right now I am waiting on my bday to hit so I can make other people buy my tea for once. But I will add the green sampler from adagio's to my wish list.
Oct 18th, '08, 11:18
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by edkrueger » Oct 18th, '08, 11:18
Wesli wrote:Start with LongJing aka DragonWell.
I just left that off because the good ones are expensive and the cheap are pretty bad.
Oct 18th, '08, 15:39
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by Maitre_Tea » Oct 18th, '08, 15:39
I usually don't like green teas, but these two Chinese greens have always had a place in my teapot: Huangshan Maofeng and Bilouchoun (sp?)
They have a very distinct nutty aroma that contrasts nicely with its delicate flavor.
Oct 22nd, '08, 08:35
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by Vulture » Oct 22nd, '08, 08:35
Tried the Gunpowder from adagio. It was good but even better with a little bit of honey. It was a little light on the flavor though it might have been the brewing process not the tea.
Waiting on a couple things before I put my order in for the green sampler.
Oct 23rd, '08, 15:49
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by kikkuman » Oct 23rd, '08, 15:49
Cinnamon Kitty wrote:Den's Green Tea kit! It's all of $3, no shipping and the money gets reimbursed if you make another order from them. It comes with a decent sencha and some genmaicha, a tea bag of each, some paper filters to brew in, and a lot of interesting information on green tea.
Highly recommend this! If you're serious about green tea, no reason to pass this up. It's basically a free trial if you choose to order from them in the future... and you probably will anyways
