New to loose teas, need some advice!

[MrVoila]

Hey all. Shopping around for some very basic beginner teaware, but there are so many options! I've been drinking tea out of bags (I'm sorry to those who think this is blasphemy ), and I really want to progress to loose. When I say I need some advice, I'm talking very basic. Specific makes/models of kettles and tea pots and cups etc. are appreciated, but for everyone's sanity and ease of aid, I just would like a few questions answered.

1) For someone just starting, I obviously don't want to spend hundreds of dollars. I am looking at electric kettles at the moment and a teapot called a Kyuusu. Wondering what a good type and material is for a kettle, as well as size if important. For the tea pot, a recommended material would be helpful as well as any specifics if applicable. I'm considering stainless steel and glass at the moment (I know there are better materials, but I plan to upgrade later after I have had my training wheels taken off).

2) Recommendations on cups would be appreciated, but I'm mostly concerned with kettle and pot right now.

3) I've been checking out Adagio teas, and it all looks great! Any recommendations for a tea type to get started with (black, green, etc?). I'm thinking black b/c I've read on these boards that the others may be too subtle to really appreciate for me.

I have a feeling that this type of post is quite common, and I'm sorry if it is. The problem is that your forums are so populous, the search function turns up too much information! FAQs would be awesome, but I know those take up a lot of time and are very subjective.
So again, thanks for your time! I look forward to absorbing the communities knowledge on the subject!

[debunix]

Welcome!

I'd recommend starting with an oolong tea, and some sampler packs--Adagio seems to have some very good sampler setups. I recommend starting with oolong because most oolongs tolerate a greater range of time & temperatures for infusions without the risks of bitterness from poorly brewed green, black, or young/sheng puerh teas. Sample, sample, sample, and don't buy more than 100g/4 oz/1/4 lb of any tea at time, because your tastes may evolve pretty quickly.

I started with some cheap glass pots, and still use them often--very handy for nearly all teas, easy to find, easy to replace when my beginner fingers fumbled and dropped them. Cheap porcelain gaiwans are also great beginner ware: both these and glass have the advantage of not carrying flavors over from one tea to another. Kyusus come in inexpensive, sturdy, versatile glazed forms that also make great beginner pots, but may be a little harder to find.

Wait a bit to see what type of teas and type of brewing you like to do before investing in really nice pots: if you start enjoying your tea brewed gongfu style, that cute little 300mL pot you buy today may become a giant white elephant. If you find gongfu insufferably tedious, that precious fantastic little yixing pot will likewise sit on the shelf.

[tingjunkie]

I'd recommend a 8-16oz porcelain, glazed ceramic, or glass teapot with a built-in filter behind the spout. Not too thick-walled. You want to stay away from unglazed ceramics like many (not all) kyusu and all Yixing pots because they will hold on to aromas and flavors. Glazed kyusu are an excellent brewing device for beginners though. Stay away from cast iron pots too. They retain too much heat, and can wreck greens and lighter teas.

If you are really just starting out with loose leaf, then sampler packs are the way to go. Adagio and Harney & Sons are both reputable online stores for the basics which carry a broad range of teas. Once you find a particular region or type of tea that you love, and have the basics of brewing down, then seek out higher end vendors to see what you've been missing.

Take vendors brewing instructions with a grain of salt, and experiment on your own. And ditch the milk and sugar!

Have fun!

EDIT- And as for cups, go into any Goodwill and buy a nice vintage thin porcelain teacup (or a few). Can't beat thin antique porcelain in my opinion. You may want to think about a small pitcher to use as well. That way, you won't have tea sitting in the pot overbrewing while you work on your first cup. The teapots with removable baskets are second rate if you ask me.

[iannon]

+1 to Debunix's post...and welcome from me as well.
I was going to say as he said..get a bunch of samplers! the dragon Oolong sampler for instance..for Blacks perhaps the Raja Sampler. and perhaps if you want to try some greens the Shanghai Sampler..I would actually go for the emperor sampler in the greens but that's a bit pricer.
I see you mentioned stainless steel for a teapot? or did you really mean kettle? Tea pot I would stick with ceramic/porcelain or glass. I would not get a cast iron teapot.

Edited to +1 Ting's post too..since it slipped in before mine

[tingjunkie]

One particular teapot which is often recommended to beginners around here is this one. Small-ish size at 9oz. Durable. Fine mesh filter. Low price. Can handle any tea you throw at it. The downside is that leaf particles can get stuck in the mesh when cleaning. You can just wait for them to dry and then shake them out, but that style mesh filter does bother some folks. All up to you.

[iannon]

One particular teapot which is often recommended to beginners around here is this one. Small-ish size at 9oz. Durable. Fine mesh filter. Low price. Can handle any tea you throw at it. The downside is that leaf particles can get stuck in the mesh when cleaning. You can just wait for them to dry and then shake them out, but that style mesh filter does bother some folks. All up to you.

I agree and was going to actually recommend one of those as well if you wanted to purchase a pot outside of Adagio. My first kyusu was of that style and I found that filter works well for any tea..and cleaning didnt bother me much. Hot water swished around worked fine to get the stuck leaves out for me. sometimes water in through the spout to get off any "clingers"

[tea.and.peace]

I'm fairly new to loose leaf tea as well. I've been drinking it for a few months now. I had the pleasure of a friend help with my introduction, and I had access to a store in person to buy my starter set.

Do you want to brew in more of a traditional style? I would suggest starting with a oolong tea. Like a high mountain taiwan tea as this would be the lightest, but it really will depend on what your looking for. In the early stages you just have to view it as a experiment.

In my opinion a porcelain gaiwan is a good all around brewing vessel. It's glazed so you can brew any tea in it. Till you figure out what you like. My first mistake was I bought too large of a gaiwan for my own serving. For me a 120ml gaiwan is a great size for my own use. A gaiwan around 200ml ish seems to work well for 2-4 people.

I'd also suggest a pouring vessel that would be larger then whatever size gaiwan you get. You have the tea in the gaiwan for infusions then pour into the pouring vessel. Some want a strainer on top of the pouring vessel.

Then a few cups of course.

I purchased a electric kettle to heat my water. It is nice cause you can make your tea away from the kitchen. https://www.imperialtea.com/Steel-Elect ... P211.htmlp New to tea I'm pleased with it.

A micro fiber towel is great for water overflow rather then a expensive tea overflow tray.

I'm not sure where you are located, or if you have a in person store access to tea ware? If you needed to buy tea ware online. If your state side you will have some options within our own borders. Just ask more questions when you know what direction you would like to steer in.