What would you tell your novice self about tea

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Bok
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Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:50 am

ChihuahuaTea wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 10:58 pm
I mean, hot water is hot water, no?
Is it? I don't think so...
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Baisao
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Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:16 am

@John_B, spot on summary!

@ChihuahuaTea, no, water is not all the same. Some will lock up flavor while others will enhance it. Some will give a light sensation while others may have a thick sensation.
John_B
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Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:01 am

that water subject is pretty complicated, and never really gets resolved in discussions. the general idea is that some mineral content helps a final extracted tea feel pleasant, and probably even helps with the extraction process. then particulars are hard to pin down.

total dissolved solids is just one factor, the total amount of mineral in the water. intuitively water with almost no mineral content would be better, but most people claim the opposite is true, and then also that too much of some minerals can be a problem. one friend (/ contact) claimed to have researched this related to coffee and tea, in a university setting, just not to the degree that it resulted in a final paper we could read. his take is that there is a sweet spot for levels of calcium and magnesium in particular, and that these both help with extraction of other positive compounds, what makes the tea pleasant.

in terms of anecdotal input opinions are all over the place, but there are lot of pleasant stories about special spring water versions. some people claim that one type of exceptional water is perfect for most tea types, and others say that you need to adjust water type in relation to tea type. I've experimented some on results, doing side by side tastings using more than one type of water, and it really makes a difference. but per those results (just two trial rounds) if one type seems a lot better in early rounds it might not work out as well in later rounds. I wasn't necessarily expecting that finding but it kind of makes sense, that you can't extract a different set of compounds than is actually in the tea, so removing some positive range a little faster would only make early rounds better, then later rounds wouldn't be as good.

as far as flaws in water go high levels of calcium compounds, hard water, is said to throw off positive results. it can even cause a film to appear on the top of a brewed tea, binding with some compounds to make a "tea scum." then very high total dissolved solids, unusually high total levels of all minerals, might also be a concern, or very low levels could also be.
DailyTX
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Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:48 am

ChihuahuaTea wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 10:58 pm
DailyTX wrote:
Sat Apr 30, 2022 1:50 pm
LeoFox
Did you have a lot of negative experience on shou?

2 advices from people who drink tea much longer than I do are buy less tea and sample more. As for pots, look more and buy less. Hope that helps ;)
I don’t understand the pot issue.
Pros?
Cons?

I mean, hot water is hot water, no?
@ChihuahuaTea
Teapot is also another journey. Instead of accumulate mediocre teapots early on aka tuition fee, it's better to buy less teapots and select the higher quality in terms of materials and craftsmanship regardless of the type of teapots you chose. Looking back at hindsight, I probably bought half dozen of yixing/zisha teapots on my first year getting into yixing ware. It took me about 2 years before I bought my first tokoname kyusu. So far, I only own 2 Tokoname teapots, and I am pretty content :lol:
blkgreymon
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Sat Jul 16, 2022 12:05 pm

While still a novice, here are what I would tell myself if I were to begin drinking tea:
  • A sample size is a good introduction but you will need several tastings to get some a decent understanding of the tea and its complexities.
  • Teaware is very addicting. You'll make excuses to buy more.
  • Water and its temperature when you steep is important especially with green teas.
  • Experiment with temperature. I've done some cold brewing with some greens and it has helped me like some teas more.
  • It is okay to not like teas but keep tasting them and finish them.
  • Read a lot on this forum lol.
  • Your tastes are different from others and that is okay.
Thank you all for participating in this thread. I loved reading everyones post
Alan123
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Sat Jul 23, 2022 9:54 am

Do not drink tea at night
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Bok
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Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:52 pm

Alan123 wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 9:54 am
Do not drink tea at night
Why is that? Sleepless? For me I found this to be a matter of habit. I can tolerate much more tea if I keep drinking it at night.
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Baisao
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Sat Jul 23, 2022 10:10 pm

Bok wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:52 pm
Alan123 wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 9:54 am
Do not drink tea at night
Why is that? Sleepless? For me I found this to be a matter of habit. I can tolerate much more tea if I keep drinking it at night.
I can drink greens, oolongs, whites, and heicha and go immediately to sleep. But young sheng or an Indian black will keep me up worse than coffee ever has.
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Balthazar
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Sun Jul 24, 2022 12:31 am

At the danger of derailing the thread, there is a difference between being able to go to sleep and having good quality sleep.

Caffeine recudes the amount of deep sleep one gets (see the "third reason" here, it's discussed more comprehensively in his book "Why We Sleep" which is an enlightening but also terrifying read). Much like alcohol does (which, ironically, some people use to help them fall asleep). This is the main reason why I have more or less completely stopped drinking the latter (hard to enjoy that glass of single malt in the morning...)

Though I wouldn't recomend anyone worrying too much about consuming their favorite beverages after a certian time if they themselves feel no bad effects from this. Becoming too neurotic about this is probably more dangerous than not getting 100% optimal sleep every night.
Bourder
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Tue Jun 13, 2023 12:56 pm

My wisdom for today is: sample and don't be greedy for brew volume. Otherwise, you might have to drink a lot of tea you don't really like. The second cup is often enough, the seventh needn't be drunk.
GaoShan
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Tue Jun 13, 2023 6:50 pm

Bourder wrote:
Tue Jun 13, 2023 12:56 pm
My wisdom for today is: sample and don't be greedy for brew volume. Otherwise, you might have to drink a lot of tea you don't really like. The second cup is often enough, the seventh needn't be drunk.
I agree with buying a sample whenever possible, even though it's more trouble for vendors. It's sad to realize you have 50 or 100 g minus a single session's worth of tea you don't like. I also finish bad tea sessions unless they're truly awful.
oeroe
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Tue Jun 13, 2023 10:39 pm

An interesting question.

My first cakes, my first tong, my first yixing do all fall into the category of "tuition", but I have to say, I regret none of them. Each of those meant committing and daring more than I had dared before, and "be more bold, make more mistakes" would probably be my advice to the past oeroe. My first cakes weren't that great, but one learns more of a tea when there's enough of it around to actually drink it. With those lessons, I was able to learn more from later samples, and later cakes were generally better.

Another "be more bold" for me would be trips to Asia. There were years before my first Taiwan trip when I thought about it, but ultimately I didn't dare enough. I felt I needed to know enough to be able to do good tea shopping, and have enough loose money for that as well. While in retrospect getting there earlier, even if on a shoestring budget, I could have known better what to expect later.

Another lesson for past me, "enjoy". I spent a lot of time thinking about brewing, trying to analyse taste, see if found all the notes etc, while these days I think largely wasted a lot of time overthinking. Which is a better way to use one's time, enjoying this cupful, or thinking about how the next cupful should be brewed differently? No to say there isn't a space for analysis too, but I knowing me I say I definitely would benefit from spending less time in that space.
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klepto
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Thu Jun 15, 2023 3:38 pm

The first thing I would tell myself is to focus on just a few teas, gain some experience and then slowly try other teas.
I would also tell myself to ignore most of the BS a vendor might throw up on their website. You can only assess tea quality with experience but don't be obsessive over tea quality. In my life I might never have the very best of the best teas available. Enjoy the ride more.. Those quiet times just sipping tea smiling for no reason is wonderful.
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Bok
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Thu Jun 15, 2023 7:38 pm

klepto wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2023 3:38 pm
The first thing I would tell myself is to focus on just a few teas, gain some experience and then slowly try other teas.
I would also tell myself to ignore most of the BS a vendor might throw up on their website. You can only assess tea quality with experience but don't be obsessive over tea quality. In my life I might never have the very best of the best teas available. Enjoy the ride more.. Those quiet times just sipping tea smiling for no reason is wonderful.
+1 Very good advice
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Baiyun
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Thu Jun 15, 2023 9:00 pm

"On Pai Chang there are three secrets; 'drink tea,' 'take care,' and 'rest.'
If you still try to think any more about them, I know you are still not through."


(From the Blue Cliff Record, commentary on case 65).
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