I wanted to introduce myself and thank everyone for providing such an interesting and fun message board. I have already found some really interesting threads and this seems like a very cool place to learn about tea.
I am a technology geek and most of my interests revolve around gadgets and consuming entertainment from the internet and books. I have always tended to drink pretty much constantly all day long. I was a milk drinking fiend as a child, and by the time I was in college and first started working, I was averaging 4+ liters of Mountain Dew each day. I eventually kicked that habit and replaced it with Coffee and flavored waters.
A few years ago I switched over to "Dynasty Chinese Restaurant Tea" teabags from an online vendor. I liked it but it was only somewhat close to what I was really looking for, which was to replicate the tea found in local Chinese restaurants. It took quite a long time but I eventually got tired of that and for the past six months or so have been mixing in other types of teabags.
I have been curious about loose tea pretty much right from when I found the bagged teas online. I assumed loose tea would be a hassle to deal with and that it couldn't really be that different from the bagged tea. I had not really looked into it yet so I had no idea how wrong I was. I basically wrote off loose tea on incorrect assumptions.
This past weekend I was starting to run low on my bagged tea once again and was getting ready to go online to place an order. I was having one of those relaxing Saturdays where you stay in and do whatever you feel like. I decided that before I ordered the bagged tea, I would find some info about other types of tea and perhaps find something new to add to the order.
I am sure most of you already know this, but there is an amazing amount of information about tea out there! I started to feel a bit overwhelmed but one thing that became clear was that I had made a mistake to have written off loose tea so quickly. The level of derision for bagged tea and praise for loose tea really surprised me. After I started learning about stale old tea dust vs fresh whole leaf tea I started to think there might be something to that.
The thing that drove it home for me was when I first learned that White, Black, Oolong, and Green tea all came from the same plant...that blew my mind. I figured if they could get that kind of diversity out of one tree...I probably WAS missing out on something. I was determined to learn more. There were a few "ah ha" moments reading up on the subject, one notable moment was learning that steeping black tea too long adds bitterness. I had noticed the effect but had not associated it with the cause.
I actually started to get a bit hesitant about actually trying loose tea. I started wondering if it might prove to be a bit of a tease and end up being difficult to add it to my routine in a viable way. The damage was done though, I had learned enough to know I had to try it and then figure out some method to integrate brewing loose tea into my daily life minimizing the annoyances.
I got some great suggestions in the teaware forum and wound up ordering a 4 liter Zoji boiler/warmer and Adagio's IngenuiTEA teapot. It came with a sampler that included the 'Earl Grey Bravo' from Adagio.
I made a cup of that, and to say that I enjoyed it would not do the experience justice. I was expecting it to be subtly better than the various teabag versions of earl grey I had tried in the past. There was no subtle about it though, it was a shockingly superior result. I had no idea how much I would end up preferring it. It opened my eyes in a way that is difficult to put words too. It pretty much made an instant convert out of me.
After I got past the wonder of the first 3-4 cups I found myself regretting that I had wasted so much time with inferior tea, especially since there was no good reason! I had my brother over to share the experience and he was as floored as I was by how noticeably better the loose tea earl grey was.
I was never a big fan of Green tea based drinks in the past, but I was anxious to try the green tea sample and see how different that tasted from what I had disliked in the past. I knew from my research that I had to mind the temperature. I wasn't sure how to do that though. The zoji has temperature settings, but it takes a long time for the water to cool to the right temperature in that.
That showcased a need for some kind of pitcher to hold the water and let it cool prior to adding to the IngenuiTEA teapot. I attempted to use my mug, but after making a huge mess decided that wasn't a good long term solution.
I eventually got it sorted out enough to make some green tea, taking care to get the temp to 175 and then to brew it for 3 mins. In the end I still did not like it, but it was much better than past experiences with green tea. I suspect I am just not a fan of the green tea's, but I am still looking forward to trying some other types and seeing what I think of them before I write myself down as not being a green tea fan.
I did make a newbie mistake. I went a bit crazy ordering sample packs and then single samples of various tea types that sounded interesting. I probably should have ordered less all at once to make sure they are all fresh when I get to them. I won't let it be a problem, but in hindsight I would have started slower. lol.
I am totally on board now though, no going back to tea bags for me! I am hooked, though I still have a few minor items to resolve. I have not yet found a good way to clear the spent leaves from the ingenuiTea. I can do it with no problem at a sink, but I still hope to find a good way at my tea station area that doesn't have a sink or drain. I also have yet to learn if spent tea in the waste basket will be an odor problem, smell good, or be a non-issue. Little things like that are the next stop on my tea journey.
I also want to find a really sold mug to use with the IngenuiTea, my current giant mugs are too wide rimmed to use with it. Thankfully I thought ahead and got a glass mug from adagio when I placed the original order, but I dropped it in the sink and have a crack starting in the handle. It should last till I find an indestructible replacement though.
I am really excited to work my way through the different teas and to learn more about tea in general. The history of tea is really fascinating! I am starting to ramble and this is already a long post so I should stop here. Thanks again and I look forward to getting to know you all.
I'm in the same boat, just getting started and bought a bunch of samples. Didn't realize how much tea it would actually be! But it all seems to be vacuum packed nicely, I suspect it'll hold up pretty well. I'm just keeping myself to 2 or 3 open bags at a time.
