The Syndicate

Mongoose wrote:

Lizzy wrote:

Mongoose wrote:I've been enjoying phoenix pearls. But mother of pearl, it's not cheap.

I've been quite curious about that, but I'm not a big fan of jasmine in my tea. :\ I could ask for a sample next time though...

I would pair it with a nice fruity rooibos then. It definitely cuts through the zing of the jasmine. So I brew half pearls and half rooibos tropica (from Teavana) usually. It's also nice iced.

D: Rooibos tropica! Sounds like my Sonne Afrikas, which I'm pretty much out of. I don't know why my brain seems to freeze when it comes to blends. It does the same thing when it comes to cocktails. I guess I'm used to pretty good quality stuff which is good on its own, and mixing it would be blasphemous. Butt, I'm seriously considering getting a sample of phoenix pearls k and perhaps even mixing it with some rooibos.

I still don't know what type of Chinese green tea I bought, but if it's steeped just right, it's amazing. It has dried pineapple, mango, orange blossom and rose petals. <3

Mongoose wrote:I've been enjoying phoenix pearls. But mother of pearl, it's not cheap.

I've been quite curious about that, but I'm not a big fan of jasmine in my tea. :\ I could ask for a sample next time though...

It could be called monkey diarrhea. It's still absolutely delicious (the tea, I mean).

A Person wrote:

insertnamehere wrote:Well, lookie here at all of these snot-nosed prim n' proper types with their "Doolung" and "Rudy-O" tea? Why can't they drink Lipton Black Tea, the drink of America? No sugar, sweetener is for pussies. And if you even mention milk, they're gonna be scraping bits of your ass off of the Big Wall of China, or whatever the hell it's called.



Seriously though, reading this thread makes me feel ashamed at my amateur level of tea appreciation. I still use tea bags, yes, I ashamed of myself too. Every time I try and delve deeper into the world of tea, I read about infusions, blends, mixtures, concoctions, and all sorts of witchcraft that makes me feel intimidated and inadequate.

The secret to appreciating tea more is to drink more

Ture.

About two years ago, I was drinking Lipton bagged green tea and thought I was such a tea enthusiast. Truth be told, it was quite a novelty to drink green tea for pleasure and not herbal stuff that you pick and dry yourself for medicinal purposes. But then I went to Poland and tried some loose leaf green tea with various flavours, which I would still have with lemon and sugar because I couldn't stand the taste. In time I discovered two tea shops and started trying stuff from there. I'm still learning, btw, especially when it has to do with the brewing temperature. I only have an electric kettle that boils the water to 100C, so I have to guess the correct-ish temperature when I try to steep green tea or oolong and then try to figure out how long I'm supposed to let that steep. You get used to it in time, and before you know it you become a tea snob yourself. But that's because it can be so delicious. ;D Your tea conversations will be something like:
I got some tea.
Really? What kind?
Oolong.
Really? What kind?
Dong ding.
Really? Where from?
Uhm... Taiwan.
Cool. Where from?
Errr... the high mountains...
Nice. Where from?
Oh sod off!

I'll be spending a fair amount tomorrow on some Aloe Vera & Echinacea Rooibos and something green, but I don't know what yet. Tea preferably...

Cherry rooibos, 2nd infusion. And a golden delicious apple.

Awww. This is excellent quality k.

Nois! About to 2nd infusion.

... cherry rooibos.

Bump!

So I tried a sample of Earl Grey Lady Blue from Demmers Teehaus today, which I think it's their equivalent of Twinings' Lady Grey, and it was fairly decent. Still doesn't beat the ol' Earl.

Also, my 2nd flush Darjeeling tastes the same as the autumn flush.

On the other hand, the milky oolong from Demmer's is absolutely superb.

I think with a good quality tea you'd have just the right amount of EG flavouring to make this delicious.

nutella wrote:So my awesome friend made an awesome suggestion. Hot chocolate with Earl Grey. It is so good.

:O This I must try when I can get my hands on some nice quality EG.

A Person wrote:I broke down and tried one of the oolongs, I started with the pouchong. It had been ages since I'd tasted oolong and it was pure bliss :3

A Person wrote:

Lizzy wrote:

A Person wrote:

Lizzy wrote:You're a ture Finn... or Swede.

I don't know what kind of tea I should have now...
(first world tea problems)

What kinds do you currently have qm.

Not all the kinds you do now... Wut do you recommend though?:A

I'd recommend a green tea if you have it.

I still have some Lord Nelson with lemon and vanilla, butt do nut want. :\

A Person wrote:

Lizzy wrote:You're a ture Finn... or Swede.

I don't know what kind of tea I should have now...
(first world tea problems)

What kinds do you currently have qm.

Not all the kinds you do now... Wut do you recommend though?:A

You're a ture Finn... or Swede.

I don't know what kind of tea I should have now...
(first world tea problems)

Polish rose white tea is yummier.

Mongoose wrote:I kinda live like a boy so probably not an ideal housemate. I like things clean but not necessarily tidy. I have lots of "Artist's Clutter." But I can't abide a dirty bathroom.

I am drinking leftover iced tea. I left a lime wedge in it overnight so it tastes super citrusy.

I love them clean, but I suppose I'm not the tidiest individual out there either. My desk at the moment is a complete and utter mess.

I just finished drinking some ice tea, too, but it's the crappy bottled Lipton kind. It's my only caffeine source at this hour.

I LOVE HORSIESSSSSSS k
And that would indeed be cool because: 1. Matt is my ideal flat/housemate; 2. the idea of having the wombat deal with two clean freaks is very entertaining.

*tea
this is (or used to be) the tea thread k

omg i don't know exactly what that would imply, butt for now i kinda love you in an intellectual way k

i wouldn't mind some expensive finnish matcha either, ifyouknowwhatimean.
But until then, St John's wort.

wtf ewwwww dats gross k butt possibly queit helayth

Vompatti wrote:

A Person wrote:

Lizzy wrote:

A Person wrote:But you kill every plant you touch k

ture butt since i'm such a brilliant superviviesor this will nut be the case k

ture, you'd probably have to handle the whole operation.

I cxan handlýe a thign or two, if yo know what i mwan!; ()

oepratin or non-orepatino realted q.m.

A Person wrote:But you kill every plant you touch k

ture butt since i'm such a brilliant superviviesor this will nut be the case k

:OOO omgoi htat sums up my dream joeb so nlicey. ^__^

We could also figure out how to properly grow those poppies (for ikebana purposes k) while we are living off the Finnish government.

Oh! ohhhh! yeah! sure! I can do that too. yeah...

Omg I haven't tried smoking it yet, butt will let you know once I've done it k. Also, I picked up mine from the mountains k, butt I suspect it might grow on Atlantean balconies if looked after properly. :O:OOOo

I keep meaning to try to make some iced tea, but something is keeping me back for some reason.

Also, it's really frustrating when you know you have a pretty decent collection of English porn (read tea ) and you have to resume yourself to St John's wort infusions for medicinal purposes.

I got some Lord Nelson Morello Cherry pyramid tea bags from Greece. Very tasty, but it's miles away from the Wildkirsche from Julius Meinl.

I also had Twinings Earl Grey this morning, but I would have preferred Darjeeling Gold. Why is my life like this?

Mongoosey, your iced green tea sounds quite delicious. I might try to make some when I get back, although I have to be careful not to get a sore throat.

Bea, since you like the fruity flavoured bagged tea, I would suggest to start from there with the loose leaves as well. Go for the ones that have dried fruits and/or flowers: green, black, white, oolong. It's a great way to make a specific flavour your are not acquainted with more bearable at first. It's how I got into gunpowder: tried some that had dried sour cherries and almonds, pu-erh (which I was not a big fan of at first) with mango and papaya, flamingo oolong and so on. And while ordering from the internet might be the only way to acquire some types of tea, I would recommend going to the local tea shop and smelling the thing before purchasing it.

A Person wrote:Oolong tea is surely the best thing mankind has invented.

ture-er words have never been written k, although there should be a milk in there somewhere

Bea, before I can make suggestions for loose leaf, what kind of bagged tea do you prefer?

Also, HUZZAH TEA THREAD!