New to the proper way of tea

[mantal]

hi im new to the right way of making tea and after an hour or so of looking around on google about how to properly prepare a pot of tea. i was looking for advice from those who are experienced in the task. any pointers or suggestions are welcomed. im completely new to this, have nothing no teapot, tea leaves, and have never even had a correct cup of tea.
please help.

[tortoise]

Welcome,

There are many "proper" ways to make tea, not just one. Don't get in a hurry. Just do a little research online, decide on something you'd like to try and give it a go. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

[Proinsias]

If you're completely new to this I would recommend having a look a Adagio's site, linked on the top right of this page. Pick up some samples you like the look of and a teapot/brewing device that takes your fancy. If you're in the US you can get an ingenuiTEA teapot and some tea samples for $19.

Maybe a nice cup too, why not.

It's really very easy to get the hang of, pour hot water on leaves, pour back off.

Welcome to Teachat, and enjoy your foray into the world of tea!

Any questions, ask away

[TwoPynts]

As the others mentioned, there are many proper ways of brewing tea. Some improper ways can work well even.

It depends highly on what you have to brew with and what tea you are brewing. I found into in these forums and in the classes to be invaluable.

http://www.teaclass.com/

[debunix]

I have a device very similar to the ingenuitea, and use it often, even with my really fancy teas. All you need to add to that is a mug and some tea, to get started. Then start brewing some tea!

If you're really starting from scratch, try some sample packs of different types of teas, and see what you like. Avoid buying more than an ounce or two of any one tea at first.

Check here and other places for brewing suggestions--skip the discussions of the effects of this kind of clay or that kind of filtration on the finished tea, and just look at times, temps, and quantities of tea. How much tea in how large a volume of water? How long do they brew it for? That should give you good ideas for getting started.

And since many teas can be infused multiple times, you can brew up one infusion, taste it, and if it wasn't quite right, try to make he next infusions shorter or longer or hotter or cooler till you get something you like better.

[Krabbenhueter]

Verry nice.

Good ideas.

But the second for me was to find an very good teashop.
I can sit there and enjoy fresh brewed tee. And the owner of the shop tells me many things about tea and the way to prepare it.

Krabbenhueter

[Victoria]

I agree the ingenuiTEA is a great way to start for a beginner.

$19 and 4 samples is a great deal. You can then check out other samples too. The first thing to do is get the ingenuiTEA, then figure out which kind a of tea you like best. Once you figure out the type of tea you like best, we can help you further refine other ways to brew it a little later on. Don't rush and buy too much stuff.

[Chip]

Welcome to TeaChat Mantal. I am hoping to see you around TeaChat. Please share what is in your cup on TeaDay.

Enjoy your TeaJourney.

[auhckw]

hi im new to the right way of making tea and after an hour or so of looking around on google about how to properly prepare a pot of tea. i was looking for advice from those who are experienced in the task. any pointers or suggestions are welcomed. im completely new to this, have nothing no teapot, tea leaves, and have never even had a correct cup of tea.
please help.

Try google/seach this forum/research and find some answers to these questions...

What is difference between Teapot Vs Gaiwan?

What kind of material for your pots? Glass, Porcelain, Yixing, Celadon, Clay? What is glazed and non glazed? What is porous?

How do you open/season a Yixing teapot?

What is the reason for having 1 'clay' pot for 1 kind of tea? Why should you not mix tea in the same 'clay' pot?

Sizes of cups makes a different in the feeling of taste, which cup size / material do you like?

Is your water source right for tea? You may sometime experience, drinking the same tea at X location may be better than Y location.

There are many kinds of tea categories and it has sub categories. You need to explore and sample them to find out which kind of tea you prefer and this differs from 1 person to another. You can start with Oolong, Jap green tea, Chinese green tea, Ripe Puerh, Raw Puerh, etc etc

Diff tea has diff brewing method/parameters. What Tea to Water ratio? What water temperature? How long to soak?

Good luck hunting for answer

[laura99]

Welcome Mantal. Another vote for Adagio's ingenuiTEA. If you decide to go for it, be sure to order from the gift's page so you can get a free sampler pack along with it.

I have expanded my teaware but still use this (or one like it from another company) every day.

Trying samples and getting info from the web (this site is great!) is the best way to go.

[Krabbenhueter]

Try google/seach this forum/research and find some answers to these questions...

... Good luck hunting for answer

hello auhckw

The questions are very interesting.
I want to hunting for answer too.

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=14065

Krabbenhueter