Recommendations for newbie

[AbcTea]

hi, im new to this forum and tea in general, looking for some advice from more seasoned drinkers

Edit:

figured i would edit this in case any other newbs are lurking around

if your looking to get into teas i would say try multiple types (ie:black,white,green,oolong,) rather than variations of the same type to see what you like, then expand from there; so far i prefer black strongly with white being tolerable ( hate green )

from what ive seen steeping/amounts are fairly subjective. as far as steeping goes i would suggest cutting it shorter if you are not sure/happy with results. for amount i would say go with more if your not sure/happy with results. (increase/decrease depending on taste preference)

think that's all i have for now. especially appreciated input of Teaisme
thnx

[Chip]

Welcome to the forum.

A simple solution is to try whole leaf tea samplers from a vendor like our host, Adagio. They offer samplers in just about every category.

Here are some black ones ...

http://www.adagio.com/black/black_sampl ... b4060b6250

http://www.adagio.com/black/black_chine ... b4060b6250

http://www.adagio.com/black/black_savan ... b4060b6250

You can truly enjoy a healthful cup of tea. You may find that you begin to drink it out of enjoyment first!

[teaisme]

green tea sampler at dens tea
why not its pretty much free...

http://www.denstea.com/bnew-to-dens-tea ... 7_386.html

The Greens will give you that caffeine and energy you need, the houjicha will be that relaxing gentle drink when you don't need to be wired.

im not sure if im just unlucky or that cheap teas or all teas just taste bad?

if thats the case i guess im fine with it ...

It really doesn't have to be like that

ps. there is no herbal that retains the health benefits of tea

[AbcTea]

you guys didnt do much to narrow it down... in fact you did the exact opposite... i think i might hate you



but on a more serious note, i guess ill check out some reviews or something and stop buying bagged teas

[Chip]

... well we did get you out of the supermarket aisle which does narrow it down by weeding out the junk teas. And have hopefully opened up the world of loose leaf for you. For most of us, tea enjoyment is about variety ... so I would not expect us to limit your choices ... quite the contrary

The samplers are a great way for "newbs" to discover their own pathway based upon taste and aroma, etc.

And the TeaJourney begins ... perhaps? Let us know how you make out.

BTW, there will be an OTTI Japanese green tea tasting posted on Thursday here: http://www.teachat.com/viewforum.php?f=66

[AbcTea]

appreciate the suggestion, seems like a good way to sample .. the teas in that round are a little more expensive. im really looking for some everyday teas that i can consume 3-5 times daily without breaking the bank. ill probably take the earlier advice and order some samples from one of those online stores.

[rdl]

i don't usually recommend Lipton because i don't think they are the most conscientiousness producers, but their Lipton Darjeeling Tea (Green Label) is a nice product (better than the other teas you listed).
certainly not the best quality but it's a nice tea to drink all day. make sure the box shows an unexpired best used before date. this tea is surprisingly fresh.
roasted barley "tea" is also a nice choice for when you don't want to drink tea.

[teaisme]

genmaicha and houjicha

These are good everyday drinking green teas that won't break the bank.
Vendors abound, but I recommend you chose one from japan, or at least one that is based in japan but has locations/shipping in the US. Check out teavendor guide in this forum. Prices range roughly 200g for $15-20.

As for a good black tea...I would patiently wait until jingteashop restocks the everyday organic keemun. Very good value there.
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-red-tea-keemun-top.cfm

If you can't wait, then this one is also good, and just a couple bucks more.
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea- ... a-yxhc.cfm

They also have the everyday tea section give that a look.

[AbcTea]

really appreciate the suggestions i picked up samplers of
Houjicha
Gun powder
Irish breakfast
Fujian boroque

the "genmaicha" was out i got it from adagio because they have sampler sizes and are also the host of this forum??

if none of these work out ill try the lipton you suggested or the 'stash' brand green tea

for single cups what size infuser is common? apparently the 1.5'' can be a little too small to let the tea expand? but the 3'' is for pots rather than cups? is a 2'' appropriate or stick with 1.5''?

[Chip]

Yes, Adagio is the host of this forum.

The infuser should be as big as possible, as long as it fits into your cup (if you are brewing in a cup). The infuser obviously has to fit into the opening of whatever you are using for a brew vessel.

[AbcTea]

ok thankyou i think ill stick with the 2'' then

[AbcTea]

tried three of the teas, so far the irish breakfast tasted like a better version of the black teas ive had.. not a huge improvement but noticeably more taste/less bitter. tried the houjicha and it was so horrible tasted like a weird type of woody, not sure how that tea is so popular? drinking the gunpowder now and thank god its not as horrible as the houjicha, so far im not a fan of the green teas.

[MIKE_B]

Maybe you just don't like tea.
If you are not ready to give up yet, I'd suggest trying an oolong or two.
Also, read up on brewing methods. Maybe you need to adjust your steeping times or leaf amounts to suit your taste.

[AbcTea]

i think ill just use very little leaf/short steep if i try them again, was very hard to stomach the green teas. do all greens taste like that?

i prefer the Irish breakfast to the supermarket "british breakfast".. strongly, are there any other teas that have the same duller darker taste like that?

[teaisme]

just don't draw too many concrete conclusions about a type of tea or tea in general with your limited experiences. Maybe too early to judge?

Sometimes something as simple as changing your water source or finding a kettle that is actually suitable can make a huge difference in how a tea will turn out. To see if its your water you can try to cold brew your gunpowder for 6ish hrs in the fridge with some dasani or aquafina bottled water. Taste that and compare it to how it tasted when you brewed hot. If it tastes pretty similar then it might not be your water. If it tastes almost like a totally different tea, or has very pronounced notes you did not detect before then it could very well be a water issue. I think it is pretty important to figure this out first before you go on wasting money on tea that has no chance of turning out good because water is sub par to begin with.

Also vendors quality varies a lot. Adagio is not the best example out there imo, sorry. Like I said before, better to get from an overseas vendor that has been proven reliable and doesn't mark up too much. Many US vendor sites with tons of different teas don't do a very good job sourcing since they often source from a middleman's middleman. What you end up with is decent/mediocre tea at an affordable but inflated price (again imo).

But alas, people go for what is easy, well marketed, and familiar. A shame with so much good stuff that is out there for the same price.

Hope you find something you like