What herbal tea are you drinking today?

[daidokorocha]

Drank cassia seed tea. Close to coffee flavor. Don't like it. Bought it feeling guilty for sampling many teas twice at the same shop & rejecting all of them. 150 grams was only 100 NTD (about US$3). Search on computer shows several possible benefits, but I would rather take "medicine" in a pill.

I'm buying some from Hankook tomorrow probably, as they are having a 15% off sale and I am purchasing some tea from them. I decided to tack that on to my order. I have been drinking coffee lately thanks to living in Japan where I found the coffee to be pleasant.

As for herbal teas, I haven't really been drinking any lately... here and there some lemon ginger tea. ginger-licorice blend, and also a chamomile-licorice thing. Also, a plum blossom blend with green tea here and there. No too often though am I drinking herbal these days sadly.

[ethan]

I have tried cassia seed after that. I do like it now. I use a bit less seed. A few times now it has been what I have made when I did not know what to select from my stash of "real" teas. Several infusions from a level teaspoon in a small pot. Soothing & unique, like coffee but not exactly.

[daidokorocha]

I have tried cassia seed after that. I do like it now. I use a bit less seed. A few times now it has been what I have made when I did not know what to select from my stash of "real" teas. Several infusions from a level teaspoon in a small pot. Soothing & unique, like coffee but not exactly.

Could you tell me more about how you brew it? Temperature, time, water amount, etc. I often have that same problem of not knowing what to take from my tea drawer... the pains of having too many choices on your hands. I am actually having this dilemma as me speak. Too bad I don't have the Cassia seeds yet.

[ethan]

dai..., I put a level teaspoon of the cassia seeds into 4 - 5 oz. of boiling water. I use a gaiwan or glazed teapot. Steep for 1 - 3 minutes, that is, not carefully. Get a few good infusions often spread over 2 days. (I like it but it is not interesting enough for more than 2 rounds in a day.) I did a couple of very quick infusions w/ cooler water & did not get a strong flavor, more like a light barley tea.

[daidokorocha]

dai..., I put a level teaspoon of the cassia seeds into 4 - 5 oz. of boiling water. I use a gaiwan or glazed teapot. Steep for 1 - 3 minutes, that is, not carefully. Get a few good infusions often spread over 2 days. (I like it but it is not interesting enough for more than 2 rounds in a day.) I did a couple of very quick infusions w/ cooler water & did not get a strong flavor, more like a light barley tea.

Thanks. Sounds like it isn't fussy to brew at all. Herbals really shouldn't be, after all. Interesting that you used a gaiwan for the purpose and re-steep it. I don't know that I ever do that with herbals, really. This is probably because I tend to just throw them in a pot and walk away for 10-15 minutes. Light barley tea doesn't sound too bad, but might as well buy barley tea at that point (which reminds me!). Have you tried cold-brewing it at all? I imagine it might come out with the same light barley tea flavor that way too, though.

[PlanetYerbaMate]

I'll be on the road for a couple hours with some 'Del Cebador' yerba in the gourd.

Del Cebador is delicious. I love the taste. Reminds me of Traditional Brazilian Mate the most. But I think its an Uruguayan Mate right

[PlanetYerbaMate]

I've only ever tried yerba mate as Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder, where it's combined with black tea. I remember it fondly for powering through all-nighters in college, and carrying a 12-oz jar with three teabags to get me through one memorable physics final. I remember that tea as very earthy, and that it didn't get bitter like the handful of other black teas I'd tried at that time. But it didn't make me want to try mate for mate's sake.

It is definitely an energy boosting tea. You got to try pure mate though, get a gourd and bombilla and give it a try. Its definitely has an earthy taste, but there are many recipes and ways to drink mate that can change the taste in a variety of ways: sweet, citrus & more. here is write-up on Mate's taste profile, and some ways to improve the taste based on your personal preferences: http://www.planetyerbamate.com/yerba-ma ... n-legends/

I hope you give Mate another chance!

[kuánglóng]

I'll be on the road for a couple hours with some 'Del Cebador' yerba in the gourd.

Del Cebador is delicious. I love the taste. Reminds me of Traditional Brazilian Mate the most. But I think its an Uruguayan Mate right

Nope, it's Brazilian mate - trust your senses I love this yerba, one of my alltime favorites.
Since you like El Cebador - two other old favorites of mine are La Merced 'Barbacuá' and 'De monte', two argentinian yerbas. 'Barbacuá' is a traditionally smoked yerba, something for the Lapsang Souchong afficionados like me and 'De monte' has been harvested in selected mountainous areas - very tasty stuff. They're slightly more expensive but I wouldn't want to miss them.

Just in case someone's looking for something with more herbs - you might want to try 'Cachamate - con mezcla de hierbas', the pink/rosé package. I never met anyone who didn't like it.

[daidokorocha]

I had a long session with jiaogulan yesterday. This is also known as gynostemma. Anyhow, people say to either infuse it or make a decoction with it and I went with infusion. Also, people say boiling water... but I went with 175 and below. I started off with a really quick steeping time and increased it as non-regular increments. The stuff I got didn't come loose but rather is in a ball of 10 grams. This is one of the main reasons I didn't do boiling water because my pot is small and people recommend 1 gram per 8 oz. The other reason is I generally like to be more delicate to my teas while brewing. I know this isn't a tea but...

At any rate, the flavor was good. It started off with a really light, lasting sweetness that reminded me somewhat of ama-cha, or hydrangea leaf that. The flavor continued to evolve with the sweetness being ever-present in differing strengths. After a few infusions it started to remind me of Lu Shan Yun Wu, or Cloud and Fog/Mist green. My fiancee claimed it tasted bready, leaning toward the Portuguese castela. Soon, I came to get a fleeting sense of mintiness. I have heard that it gives off a minty taste, and I imagine if I did higher temperatures and longer steeps this might come out immediately. This mintiness gave us both a cool, tingling sensation near the back of the palate and a cool sensation in the chest. I continued drinking this for quite some time and even put it away and came back to it later with 200 degree water. It was still pleasant, but I think it may have been on its last legs without lengthier steeps.

Very lovely pale sea green color throughout the whole session. Will definitely do again.

[jayinhk]

I had a long session with jiaogulan yesterday. This is also known as gynostemma. Anyhow, people say to either infuse it or make a decoction with it and I went with infusion. Also, people say boiling water... but I went with 175 and below. I started off with a really quick steeping time and increased it as non-regular increments. The stuff I got didn't come loose but rather is in a ball of 10 grams. This is one of the main reasons I didn't do boiling water because my pot is small and people recommend 1 gram per 8 oz. The other reason is I generally like to be more delicate to my teas while brewing. I know this isn't a tea but...

At any rate, the flavor was good. It started off with a really light, lasting sweetness that reminded me somewhat of ama-cha, or hydrangea leaf that. The flavor continued to evolve with the sweetness being ever-present in differing strengths. After a few infusions it started to remind me of Lu Shan Yun Wu, or Cloud and Fog/Mist green. My fiancee claimed it tasted bready, leaning toward the Portuguese castela. Soon, I came to get a fleeting sense of mintiness. I have heard that it gives off a minty taste, and I imagine if I did higher temperatures and longer steeps this might come out immediately. This mintiness gave us both a cool, tingling sensation near the back of the palate and a cool sensation in the chest. I continued drinking this for quite some time and even put it away and came back to it later with 200 degree water. It was still pleasant, but I think it may have been on its last legs without lengthier steeps.

Very lovely pale sea green color throughout the whole session. Will definitely do again.

Gongfu style prep might work too (flash infusions with boiling water). Jiaogulan is incredible for you. I have a very good grade of loose jiaogulan kicking around, but haven't had any in over a year! One of my friends says it helped him lower his blood sugar from diabetic to pre-diabetic levels.

[daidokorocha]

I had a long session with jiaogulan yesterday. This is also known as gynostemma. Anyhow, people say to either infuse it or make a decoction with it and I went with infusion. Also, people say boiling water... but I went with 175 and below. I started off with a really quick steeping time and increased it as non-regular increments. The stuff I got didn't come loose but rather is in a ball of 10 grams. This is one of the main reasons I didn't do boiling water because my pot is small and people recommend 1 gram per 8 oz. The other reason is I generally like to be more delicate to my teas while brewing. I know this isn't a tea but...

At any rate, the flavor was good. It started off with a really light, lasting sweetness that reminded me somewhat of ama-cha, or hydrangea leaf that. The flavor continued to evolve with the sweetness being ever-present in differing strengths. After a few infusions it started to remind me of Lu Shan Yun Wu, or Cloud and Fog/Mist green. My fiancee claimed it tasted bready, leaning toward the Portuguese castela. Soon, I came to get a fleeting sense of mintiness. I have heard that it gives off a minty taste, and I imagine if I did higher temperatures and longer steeps this might come out immediately. This mintiness gave us both a cool, tingling sensation near the back of the palate and a cool sensation in the chest. I continued drinking this for quite some time and even put it away and came back to it later with 200 degree water. It was still pleasant, but I think it may have been on its last legs without lengthier steeps.

Very lovely pale sea green color throughout the whole session. Will definitely do again.

Gongfu style prep might work too (flash infusions with boiling water). Jiaogulan is incredible for you. I have a very good grade of loose jiaogulan kicking around, but haven't had any in over a year! One of my friends says it helped him lower his blood sugar from diabetic to pre-diabetic levels.

It is more or less what I was doing minus the boiling water. I am planning on doing the same set up but with closer to boiling water and seeing how that goes. I have heard that it is great for one's cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. How often/how much did your friend drink in order to see those results?

[jayinhk]

I had a long session with jiaogulan yesterday. This is also known as gynostemma. Anyhow, people say to either infuse it or make a decoction with it and I went with infusion. Also, people say boiling water... but I went with 175 and below. I started off with a really quick steeping time and increased it as non-regular increments. The stuff I got didn't come loose but rather is in a ball of 10 grams. This is one of the main reasons I didn't do boiling water because my pot is small and people recommend 1 gram per 8 oz. The other reason is I generally like to be more delicate to my teas while brewing. I know this isn't a tea but...

At any rate, the flavor was good. It started off with a really light, lasting sweetness that reminded me somewhat of ama-cha, or hydrangea leaf that. The flavor continued to evolve with the sweetness being ever-present in differing strengths. After a few infusions it started to remind me of Lu Shan Yun Wu, or Cloud and Fog/Mist green. My fiancee claimed it tasted bready, leaning toward the Portuguese castela. Soon, I came to get a fleeting sense of mintiness. I have heard that it gives off a minty taste, and I imagine if I did higher temperatures and longer steeps this might come out immediately. This mintiness gave us both a cool, tingling sensation near the back of the palate and a cool sensation in the chest. I continued drinking this for quite some time and even put it away and came back to it later with 200 degree water. It was still pleasant, but I think it may have been on its last legs without lengthier steeps.

Very lovely pale sea green color throughout the whole session. Will definitely do again.

Gongfu style prep might work too (flash infusions with boiling water). Jiaogulan is incredible for you. I have a very good grade of loose jiaogulan kicking around, but haven't had any in over a year! One of my friends says it helped him lower his blood sugar from diabetic to pre-diabetic levels.

It is more or less what I was doing minus the boiling water. I am planning on doing the same set up but with closer to boiling water and seeing how that goes. I have heard that it is great for one's cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. How often/how much did your friend drink in order to see those results?

I don't know the specifics, but I'll ask him. He dropped a bunch of weight when he found out (he was around 240-250 lbs at 5'9 and really into lifting weights, but with a high bodyfat percentage). Looked like a different guy after all the weight loss. His wife is in med school and they had just had a child, so he was definitely motivated to get his health figured out!

I used it once a day--maybe five grams per session.

I use an Indian ayurvedic preparation that incorporates something similar to jiaogulan in it, so I have less incentive to consume jiaogulan now, but it has all kinds of benefits. I use a few different plants and plant extracts every day (gingko biloba, fenugreek seed, cinnamon, ashwagandha, echinacea) and IMO jiaogulan is definitely worth drinking for health benefits alone.

[kuánglóng]

Just finished a long Canarias session, switched gourds and am drinking Cachamate rosa now.
It's too darn hot to even think about sheng pu or Darjeelings but these mixed yerbas just fit the bill.

[kuánglóng]

After a long tea session with a buddy last night it's back to the gourd and some 'Del Cebador'.

[Groucho]

Canarias.

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