tea anyone?

[I_miss_lily]

There should be a tea house that sells loose leaf tea in most major cities. I have one down the street from my house where I can buy from something like 200 different varieties. This includes Matcha and a few types of yerba mate.

[bangbangbang]

where does one buy yerba mate? i'm really interested in trying it now. ddml any local places? or online is good too

Try going to your local natural/organic foods store. Guayaki is widely available: http://www.guayaki.com/

[mlproject]

you can get guayaki at any whole foods or wild oats. at first i couldn't get into mate, but now i drink it every single day. amazing stuff.

how is matcha different from green tea? is it made from green tea?

[bangbangbang]

Matcha is green tea powder. A bamboo whisk is used to mix it into water. Kinda pricey too, for a small tin.

You may also bake with it, and make smoothies, shakes, etc...

[englandmj7]

where does one buy yerba mate? i'm really interested in trying it now. ddml any local places? or online is good too

Whole Foods carries it.

On a side note, we have a chain called 'Teavana' here in the Bay who has a pretty large selection of loose teas. I wouldn't know anything about their quality though. Anyone been there?

[mlproject]

does it end up tasting like green tea? what are its benefits? kinda sounds like green tea conentrate.

i've had it in smoothies before, but didn't realize it was a drink on its own.

[englandmj7]

Matcha is green tea powder. A bamboo whisk is used to mix it into water. Kinda pricey too, for a small tin.

You may also bake with it, and make smoothies, shakes, etc...

You can get a pretty good matcha powder mix at Trader Joe's for $3.59 for a small tub. Bought some last week..........tastes great.

does it end up tasting like green tea? what are its benefits? kinda sounds like green tea conentrate.

i've had it in smoothies before, but didn't realize it was a drink on its own.

I usually drink it with warm milk (apologies if this offends tea conoisseurs :eek:). You can get a Green Matcha Latte at Starbucks that uses the powder with milk as well.

[bangbangbang]

I usually drink it with warm milk (apologies if this offends tea conoisseurs :eek:). You can get a Green Matcha Latte at Starbucks that uses the powder with milk as well.

:eek:That's blasphemous! Ok, I admit, sometimes I'll mix matcha with sweetened condensed milk+water for a treat.

The matcha latte/frap/crap at $b is awful. I'm not sure if they use the Tazo mix for every matcha drink, but there's a nasty melon syrup in it.

Matcha+water, do it. It's delicious.

[mizanation]

hi mlproject. about matcha, when it's made the japanese way, it's very frothy. you get more nutrients and vitamins out of the tea because you ingest the non-water soluble stuff in the leaf. when made traditionally, the tea tastes very strong--for some it might be a little too much. you really get the taste of the tea when you drink matcha. thus, it requires very high quality tea.

matcha is the tea that they use in the japanese tea ceremony. if you watched karate kid 2 where daniel-san drinks tea with his girl, that's the tea ceremony. interestingly, there is no history of japanese tea ceremony in okinawa where the movie takes place. okinawa has it's own traditional culture that doesn't include the mainland japanese tea ceremony.

matcha is also the tea that they are drinking in the last samurai. there is a scene where that really kickass samurai dude (not tom cruise) is preparing matcha the traditional way.

the japanese tea ceremony is a beautiful art that takes a lifetime of study. the preparation and serving of matcha is central to this art.

*EDIT* one way i like looking at it is, matcha is like the espresso of tea. it's strong, made in high concentrations, drank liesurely and has a creme on top.

unfortunately, in japan, not many people drink matcha anymore. most people drink sencha, or other water-infused tea.

[englandmj7]

:eek:That's blasphemous! Ok, I admit, sometimes I'll mix matcha with sweetened condensed milk+water for a treat.

The matcha latte/frap/crap at $b is awful. I'm not sure if they use the Tazo mix for every matcha drink, but there's a nasty melon syrup in it.

Matcha+water, do it. It's delicious.

It actually is just hot milk with two teaspoons of matcha powder in it. I watched em' make it. No weird syrups and the powder looked legit. Tasted like other ones I've had too. For $3.00, however, it is a rip-off.

On a side note, I was making this Trader Joe's matcha last night, and I read the directions wrong and added 3 HEAPING tablespoons of the powder to 6 ounces of milk. I tried to tell myself it wasn't right and that I should stop drinking but finished half the cup before pouring the almost solid creation down the drain. It makes me sick when I think about it and I don't know when I will be able to enjoy a cup again............shit.

[bangbangbang]

A little matcha goes a long way. Easy england.

[englandmj7]

A little matcha goes a long way. Easy england.

........

[xcoldricex]

ok, we need to create a tea drinker's buying service! maybe winq or someone in china can hook some of us up with chinese teas...

any rec's for some good matcha?

[mizanation]

hmm. i could probably help out with japanese teas. one of my japanese friends is a tea expert and has a japanese tea blog.

[mwrenchd]

A little matcha goes a long way. Easy england.

No joke. When my wife was living in Japan, she was taking tea ceremony lessons, so had lots of matcha around. I was caffeine-fiending one evening and couldn't find good coffee so I made a huge cup of matcha -- way, way too strong. Ended up barfing for a few hours that night. ugh.

[bangbangbang]

Yeah, you guys must use matcha sparingly. I'm looking forward to summer, and making matcha ice cream.

But damn eng, 3 HEAPING tbsps of matcha to 6 oz of milk? That's how much ovaltine I put in one serving.

[Analyst]

I love ovaltine. Drink that shit hot or cold. There's even ovaltine tablets as candy here. Yum.

[Tisswat]

The star anise tea, is a little like the Babaocha I mentioned in a previous post. Similar, in that they are both mix of leaves and spices, like a Chai, although I much preferred the taste of the Thieme's to any Babaocha I've had.

If you want me to pickup some Thieme's and send it overseas, I'd be happy to. Just let me know. That goes for all of you fellow SFers.

@ringring, if you want to eat truly native amongst the locals, there's other places to go. The restaurants I mentioned will offer good food made with typical Dutch ingredients, but I reckon you will not see many locals there. Let me know if you need more pointers, or just post a question in superjetset so I will pick it up from there.

[ringring]

Thanks for the Thiemes offer, that's very kind. I have a few kilos of various teas to sup through first but if I get desperate, I'll let you know.

As far as eating like a local goes - yes, I'm interested. Thanks again.

[mizanation]

sorry to go off topic but ringring, look at the size your e-peen! it's massive!

ok, back to tea.

[xcoldricex]

i might take you up on the Thieme's offer and mizzy's offer for japan

by the way... i hear pu-erh helps with the size of your e-peen

[bangbangbang]

ringring has a reprurection.

What tea?

Ok, onto tea, does anyone make their own chai?

[mizanation]

my wife makes a mean chai. she uses ginger, green cardomoms, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk. oh and brown sugar from okinawa.

[iced tea]

thai ice tea plz.

[mswill_i_am]

k well i've always wanted to get into tea cause it just sounds cozy and yummy but i never know what kind to get or what to put in it or nething...so i never get it...any ideas?

[mlproject]

nice. i'm going to grab some matcha tomorrow.

you say the tea ceremony is a lifetime sort of thing. is this kind of like sushi chefs? that kind of artistry? why does it take a lifetime? it doesn't seem that hard to mix up a drink... what does the ceremony symbolize or commemorate?

[Analyst]

k well i've always wanted to get into tea cause it just sounds cozy and yummy but i never know what kind to get or what to put in it or nething...so i never get it...any ideas?

As for getting into tea, the best way is to try as many different teas as possible and start noticing the differences in scent and subtle changes in taste and flavors. All teas, outside of tisanes (herbal infusions of fruit or herbs, like chamomile), come from the camellia sinesis plant and are characterized based on the degree oxidation (fermentation) that occurs. Applying heat to tea leaves at various oxidation stages will denature the responsible enzymes and give you the four basic tea types:

Black Tea is usually allowed to fully oxidize and is the strongest tea in terms of caffeine and flavor. Most English breakfast teas originate from a black tea such as Keemun or Assam (India) base and are served with sugar and milk. Earl Gray, which gets its unique taste from the added citrus-y bergamot oil, also falls into this camp. My favorite is the Lapsang Souchong (China) which has a unique Smokey flavor and smell that comes from burning pine needles used during the drying process. Black tea is brewed with boiling water.

Next is the Oolong tea, in which oxidation is stopped somewhere between the black tea and green tea. In my opinion, oolongs have the most variation and complexity in flavor and fragrance, usually hinting of a roasted taste of a black tea but with much more of a grassy, organic flavor of a green tea. Also, oolong teas are never mixed with milk and are brewed slightly below boiling temperature. They are also generally more expensive than other teas. The most famous oolong is probably Ti Kwan Yin, the Iron Goddess of Mercy, which has a very woody roasted fragrance. I went through a period where I was drinking Ti Kwan Yin everyday trying to find that right mix of steeping time, temperature and amount. I never got the hang of enjoying oolong teas gung fu style, since the coordination of washing the leaves, brewing the first infusion and using the aroma cup always left my tea cold or I would run out of water too soon or the tea was too bitter. There's truly an art to this preparation process.

Green teas are only lightly oxidized and retain grassy, slightly vegetative flavors. Green teas are never mixed with milk and must be prepared below boiling to prevent too bitter tastes. Japanese teas that have been mentioned in previous posts, such as sencha or matcha, are green teas used in Japanese Tea Ceremonies or to make green tea ice green. Gen Ma Cha contains roasted rice and sometimes popcorn to give it a toasty-grassy flavor. Moroccan Mint tea is a green tea infused with spearmint and is served hot in small teaglasses with a few spoons of sugar. Some green teas are enjoyed over multiple infusions. At a Chinese tea house outside of Beijing, I ordered some Jasmine Pearl green tea which are tightly rolled into small "pearls" which unfold once hot water is poured into the Chinese gaiwan (covered cup). Hot water is then continuely added to the unfolded pearls and steeped for longer periods to enjoy the jasmine tea.

White teas are the least oxidized and most delicate teas, which are plucked from young growth buds and leaves. They are the lowest in caffeine content, the most mild in flavor and must be prepared with non-boiling water. Because of the reduced processing involved, some say that white teas retain the most medicinal qualities compared to other teas. I've only had the Yinzhen Silver Needle, which was a little too mild for my taste. Others may appreciate its subtle hints.

There are so many different black teas, oolongs, green teas and white teas out there. Most tea houses are pretty friendly so feel free to ask the proprietor to let you smell the tea right out of the box or container before ordering. Try everything or make it a point to order a different tea each time. I used to spend hours at the tea house experimenting with various steeping times and infusions in Yixing Clay pots or Japanese cast iron pots. The more you drink tea and savor its scent/smells/tastes/flavors, the more it will grow on you. Sorry for the long discourse but I love tea!

[Tisswat]

i might take you up on the Thieme's offer and mizzy's offer for japan

Sure, just send me a PM.

[seraphim]

As for getting into tea, the best way is to try as many different teas as possible and start noticing the differences in scent and subtle changes in taste and flavors. All teas, outside of tisanes (herbal infusions of fruit or herbs, like chamomile), come from the camellia sinesis plant and are characterized based on the degree oxidation (fermentation) that occurs. Applying heat to tea leaves at various oxidation stages will denature the responsible enzymes and give you the four basic tea types:

yadayadaetcetc

Sorry for the long discourse but I love tea!

I don't know who you are, but this post makes me love you

[rhythmandsound]

you can get guayaki at any whole foods or wild oats. at first i couldn't get into mate, but now i drink it every single day. amazing stuff.

peep it!:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=5663&highlight=yerba

yerba mate is the best. whether at work or home i'm basically constantly hittin' this. about to get some Taragui going at the moment. Rosamonte and Cruz De Malta are my other favorite brands. you can find the stuff at HEB and Fiesta supermarkets here in Houston...not hard to find the Taragui starter kits (with gourd and bombilla, the only way to go) here either.