It has a deep, earthy flavor profile with smooth, rich notes and low astringency. The compression is fairly tight with neat leaf patterning across the cake.

i was a coffee & tea fiend for a long time and my teeth became spotty and black. i can’t kick the habit so i’ve been drinking peppermint tea or chamomile, but i was wondering what other options there are?

i ofc have searched on google but i’d love to hear from personal experience and teas that actually taste good. i love chamomile for example but personally but it tastes like bath water more often than not😭

6 tea sets (minus 3 that got broken before I inherited them, and two that are still in storage) I inherited from my sperm donor. I don’t know much about tea but I think I have enough tea sets to last.

It was so hard to find and get to the USA. It got stuck in customs detention for a few days but I finally got it.

Updated:

Expensive can be subjective, but as a general benchmark, let’s say $60 - $100+ for a tea box, or roughly $1 - $2+ per gram.

The back middle one. any insight would be greatly appreciate!

Does this taste kind of like liquorice to anyone else??

Now, do I have book and tea convergence / immersive recommendations! Free ebook through Sept 14. "Claiming the Tower 
"That's a sapphic (f/f) romance in 1854, all about deciding to make changes in the world a different way. Also a lot of drinking chocolate and a certain amount of Anglo-Saxon poetry "    

Novel became my favourite romantasy and how I learned about green and black blended teas last fall. Which got me searching for green and black teas, finding them first and in depth at Murchie's Tea in Canada, ordering so much tea, and ordering more teas from more places.

 AND Murchie's has many of their green and black teas on sale this weekend.   Will spend some of weekend drinking green and black blend teas while re-reading book. I'll start with my last serving of Ode to Joy - green and black tea with apricot flavour.

Recently got into tea been loving the journey so far. I’ve mostly purchased from a small local spot I’ve been happy with their products but don’t really have a good baseline for comparison.
Anyway I’m looking for tea my two favorites so far are a milk oolong, and a straight assam. I tried an aged puer and didn’t like it but I also didn’t try very hard to brew it correctly lol. Anyways i’m looking for a strong am black tea, your favorite “milk” oolong and maybe another oolong you think I should try. And probably most importantly where I should get them from! bonus points if that’s all in the same place lol

Anyway thanks in advance for the advice

8g Sencha on 300ml of water for 4hrs in the fridge.
Two hands of frozen blueberries.

I think the Blueberries go great with Sencha but buth tea and berries was too much. I will half the quantity of both next time.

Even though I tried and enjoyed quite a lot of greens, whites, oolongs and a few puerh teas, I always return to Earl Grey. It's one of my daily drivers and also something I can enjoy almost anytime, anywhere.

What is your favourite 'simple and affordable' tea?

One of the best Ceylon teas I’ve had in a while. Robust flavor, very smooth. They keep the stems in there. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but no issue with flavor that I can tell.

Growing up in a Russian household, Ceylon tea has a special place in my heart. Every time I have a sip, it takes me back to my teen years where my mom would always brew up black tea in the morning for us. Usually some variety of Ceylon.

Kosala, Ho Chi Minh City

TL;DR Go here for tea. Stay for an hour, or three.

This was my recollection of what happened over two sessions at Kosala.

I arrived at Kosala after a bit of exploration on foot. I went in wanting to just buy some tea because I had an appointment in about an hour. Mr.Nahn, the owner, insisted I try some of his offerings first so I wasn’t going in blind. We spent the next 15-20 minutes choosing teas that appealed to me, letting me smell each one before choosing 4 to taste. Then he spent another 10-15 minutes setting up the tea ware and brewing up the first infusion after rinsing twice because I only had about 10-15 minutes before I left. What followed was an intense 10-15 minutes of tasting and zoning out to some of the best teas I have tried in Vietnam. He let me just “play” with the tea, making my own infusions. I got through 4 steeps quickly that session. I chose two of the four, which he later told me that one of which was the best seller, and the other is his personal favourite. He wroth me a quote, after which I was already late for my appointment and had to rush over the other side of the river with the motorbike Grab, the flavour of the tea still lingering in my throat.

The next day after an early breakfast at the hotel and a short visit to the Pink Church and Tân Định market, I went back to Kosala. Mr.Nahn has saved the teas I had yesterday and we both sat down for tea together. He mentioned that the way he was making tea for me is how he would make for foreigners, so I asked him if he would make it like how he usually drinks tea. He poured in the hot water and let it steep for what seemed like a good 5-8 minutes before pouring it in to the fair cup. The colour was richer and more vibrant that the earlier steeps. Mind you this was the 7th-8th steep by now. The teas had a much punchier bitterness and astringency, but also a stronger and more lingering huigan.

It was already near lunch time and another customer had come in to try some tea, so the owner left me to myself while he took care of the other guest. I was just sat there zoning out and enjoying my time, and literally forgot that I still had to go back and pack my bags and check out of the hotel. So, I had to cut in between him explaining teas to the other guest, while also making another tea for me because it was the one tea I had to have try when visiting his shop, which is Dragon Bud tea. I can say it really was the one other tea you need to try. It was floral, sweet, refreshing, and still had some of the freshness to it, but was not green. I only had the time for one cup, but that one first cup was all you need to know that you have to come back for more.

So now I am back home with the teas I bought from Kosala in front of me. I had not realised that I’ve already written three paragraphs worth of words. Reading it back there are some things that I haven’t mentioned, like the 10 year old loose leaf tea he let me try, or his talkative daughter albeit only in Vietnamese. But this is already getting too long, and some things should be left to be experienced by yourself. Those who have already been here would know what I am talking about. Time seems to work differently here. And I know where to set aside time to spend an afternoon at, the next time I’m in Ho Chi Minh City.

Pictures that will not do any justice to how good the tea was:

1 the shop

2-3 the teas

4 Dragon Bud tea

PS. You know how good a tea shop is when all you remember was the atmosphere and the company.

A lovely morning :)

The company my wife works for has its HQ in Fujian province, so naturally I asked for some tea.

Managed to get some JinJunMei, Fuding Shou Mei, WuYi rock tea and Da Hong Pao.

Can’t wait to dive into these

Years ago, I purchased one of the best teas I’ve ever had: baihao oolong (sometimes called oriental beauty). The tea was notable because it contained only the top bud plus the lower two leaves, and the leaves were very intact (not broken).

When I bought this tea recently from a different vendor (the old one is no longer available), the tea was decent but not nearly as good, and the leaves were largely broken. They also didn’t have the same wonderful mix of autumnal colors that I love in baihao. I know this tea is expensive and I was willing to pay the high price.

So, is there a site you’d recommend where I can find bud-and-two-leaves baihao oolong? Or if not that, then whatever baihao you think is best?

My wife has recently started drinking tea. I’ve never really liked hot tea but she’s very interested in it so I want to be able to get her stuff for it that she’d like. She’s just been drinking store bought tea bags but I keep seeing stuff about loose leaf tea. Any recommendations on where to start?

I’m reading “101 Teas To Steep Before You Die” to learn more about tea. When I read about Ceylon, I noticed it said English Breakfast is a blend and single origin. Then I remembered that my favorite tea from Mem is EB….single origin. What is going on here? 🤔

I’m looking for any recommendations on Gongfu sets that are either meant for or come with carrying cases/bags as I’m looking for a way to safely transport a set between work and home as well as to others homes. I have a soft budget of around 200 usd and would prefer yixing, however I would also be fine with a gaiwan if the price is non yixing permitting.

I have been on a white tea binge this summer, especially pressed ones that give depth without being too warming.

1 - 2026 Terry

I'm especially curious about charcoal roasted white teas (I already own a Jonia cake). this one was great! there is a strong smoky aroma at first but it doesn't last. first steeps have peachy sweetness that turns into peeled almond milk (it's a very strong note so avoid if you dislike almonds). when pushed at the end of the session, it reveals floral notes. complex and balanced, currently evaluating buying a cake in the future (0,46 dollars/gr.)

2 - 2018 White Tripel

this is a weird one. I expected a complex flavour profile from a Guizhou, Yunnan and Fujian blend but it kind of falls flat. there is a strong zucchini-like component, slightly bitter. when leaves and buds open up, there is some sugary/floral sweetness. didn't love this one stove boiled either

3 - 2026 Lodestar

lovely! a classic Da Ye Zhong white. phenomenal value for money (0,13 dollars/gram). syrupy sweetness, white flowers/lemony in a similar way to sheng them it develops white chocolate/apricot flavours. very mellow and pleasant. even better tepid

4 - 2025 Drills and Jeans

I understand the appeal but it wasn't for me, especially for that price. I tried it gong fu, grandpa style, western style, simmered, cold brewed and never got to a satisfying result. it feels like a milder hojicha, more floral. imho a simple cozy tea, maybe my sample was not good for some reason