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Anybody have a recommendation for a strong but non-bitter tea?

cryptical wrote:Anybody have a recommendation for a strong but non-bitter tea?

It's all in the brewing technique. if it's overly bitter it's been over steeped or brewed at the wrong temperature.

we brew our tea in a pan over the gas, have done all our lives, boil it from cold with the bag in, and so does most of my family but recently learned that most people from outside my culture dont do that (i've had this conversation with quite a few people and they all acted like it was unheard of! surely not?), so when i decided recently to try new teas and the instructions on packets and leaflets and from people said to pour boiling water over it and let it sit, a technique i hate for regular PG tips stuff (i call it the "white man's tea", (no racist)), the stuff (earl grey, a bunch of other airy light things) it was refreshing but not strong enough, i even let the bag sit in the cup while i drank. So i bought some stronger stuff that was recommended to me, assam and oolong, and brewed it in the same way and it was strong and flavourful but had a really bitter after taste.

How would you recommend preparing these?

cryptical wrote:we brew our tea in a pan over the gas, have done all our lives, boil it from cold with the bag in, and so does most of my family but recently learned that most people from outside my culture dont do that (i've had this conversation with quite a few people and they all acted like it was unheard of! surely not?), so when i decided recently to try new teas and the instructions on packets and leaflets and from people said to pour boiling water over it and let it sit, a technique i hate for regular PG tips stuff (i call it the "white man's tea", (no racist)), the stuff (earl grey, a bunch of other airy light things) it was refreshing but not strong enough, i even let the bag sit in the cup while i drank. So i bought some stronger stuff that was recommended to me, assam and oolong, and brewed it in the same way and it was strong and flavourful but had a really bitter after taste.

How would you recommend preparing these?

Both Oolong and Assam should be brewed with just boiled water. With the Oolong i would first flush the tea. This is a process which opens up the leaves and allows the full flavour to come through. So you pour a little boiling water over the tea let sit for a few seconds and remove the water from the teapot. i sometimes do this twice before brewing the tea that i will drink. Once you have flushed the tea fill the pot and let sit for between 3-5 minutes (i can't be more specific as it depends on the type of Ooolong you are using) Pour your tea and remove all water from the pot, don't let your tea stew as it's a waste. Good Oolong can be brewed up to 10 times.

With the Assam i would follow the same process but only re brew 2-3 times. Black tea loses it's flavour much more quickly.

The above post assumes that you are using loose tea rather than bags. if you are using bags then give up and buy some proper tea.

If you want to buy some seriously good tea i recommend this website http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/cat ... zAodhSMAxw

thanks for the advice yeah i am using bags at the moment (laugh at me tea hipsters) but i'm definitely interested in getting some loose leaf, only time i've dealt with that was/is making milky kashmiri/ sabas chai (best), cheers for the link, will see if i can find a shop here or a UK based retailer too.

Ninjas have been drinking crazy amounts of tea during afterparties lol. All thanks to kochari!

Haha I just dont get drinking at 5-6am, just end up feeling rough later. Where as tea or even coffe is awesome at anytime. Bonus for being hot and refreshing!

kay wrote:Ninjas have been drinking crazy amounts of tea during afterparties lol. All thanks to kochari!

Least I could do
I am the Teaboy of the Universe. I'm always here when you need me

Hojicha is good for being non-bitter, I think. It`s a Japanese thing but if you buy the Chinese Gunpowder brand loose tea, or any low-grade leaf green tea, you can roast in a wide pan on high for 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring and tossing. I prefer it to normal bancha for it`s smoky, complex flavour.

I actually just bought .5kg of Assam today, actually. I`ve been missing black tea...

i like rooibos and peppermint.

test recordings wrote:Hojicha is good for being non-bitter, I think. It`s a Japanese thing but if you buy the Chinese Gunpowder brand loose tea, or any low-grade leaf green tea, you can roast in a wide pan on high for 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring and tossing. I prefer it to normal bancha for it`s smoky, complex flavour.

I actually just bought .5kg of Assam today, actually. I`ve been missing black tea...

So that's how they make Hojicha. Thanks i've been stuck with a shitload of shite Gunpowder for a while and was considering getting rid of it. Shall try a brew tomorrow.

jameshk wrote:Yes dom! completely forgot about the assam!

All about assam. And Yorkshire Tea.

baron_von_carlton wrote:

test recordings wrote:Hojicha is good for being non-bitter, I think. It`s a Japanese thing but if you buy the Chinese Gunpowder brand loose tea, or any low-grade leaf green tea, you can roast in a wide pan on high for 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring and tossing. I prefer it to normal bancha for it`s smoky, complex flavour.

I actually just bought .5kg of Assam today, actually. I`ve been missing black tea...

So that's how they make Hojicha. Thanks i've been stuck with a shitload of shite Gunpowder for a while and was considering getting rid of it. Shall try a brew tomorrow.

As soon as it smells a bit burnt get it the fuck off the stove though. I slightly over-singed the last batch I made because `it wasn`t quite 2-3 minutes yet`

Some serious connoisseurs in this thread, booths english breakfast is probably my favourite atm.

test recordings wrote:

baron_von_carlton wrote:

test recordings wrote:Hojicha is good for being non-bitter, I think. It`s a Japanese thing but if you buy the Chinese Gunpowder brand loose tea, or any low-grade leaf green tea, you can roast in a wide pan on high for 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring and tossing. I prefer it to normal bancha for it`s smoky, complex flavour.

I actually just bought .5kg of Assam today, actually. I`ve been missing black tea...

So that's how they make Hojicha. Thanks i've been stuck with a shitload of shite Gunpowder for a while and was considering getting rid of it. Shall try a brew tomorrow.

As soon as it smells a bit burnt get it the fuck off the stove though. I slightly over-singed the last batch I made because `it wasn`t quite 2-3 minutes yet`

Yes i singed a little of it. but overall it tastes just like the Hojicha i used to buy. Absolutely brilliant tip Sir. Thanks a lot

No problem! Easy, isn`t it? You can buy it ready-made but I like to make it myself as I like it...

Twinings earl grey.

test recordings wrote:Hojicha is good for being non-bitter, I think. It`s a Japanese thing but if you buy the Chinese Gunpowder brand loose tea, or any low-grade leaf green tea, you can roast in a wide pan on high for 2-3 minutes with continuous stirring and tossing. I prefer it to normal bancha for it`s smoky, complex flavour.

I actually just bought .5kg of Assam today, actually. I`ve been missing black tea...

thanks for the info, definitely gonna look it!

gunpowder tastes great. Wtf you guys on about?

SCope13 wrote:gunpowder tastes great. Wtf you guys on about?

How to make it taste different, everyone has their preferences. I actually prefer standard gunpowder to budget Japanese bancha (good Japanese bancha is another story; it has a different flavour).