Hello everyone,
I am completely new to the world of tea. I first came into contact with it at the beginning of this year when I began to explore green tea in more depth during my trip to Japan. Of course, I couldn't resist bringing a few varieties of green tea home with me.
When I stood in the kitchen to prepare my first cup of tea, I thought to myself: there must be an app that can tell me the right temperature and brewing time for my new teas. Unfortunately, I only found a few very old apps, most of which were extremely unclear and often impractical.
And then I had an idea: I've been interested in programming and app development for a long time. As luck would have it, I wasn't very busy at the time. So I saw it as a challenge: I wanted to program a good tea timer app. What started as a simple pastime quickly turned into a very intensive hobby. During development, I realized that I lacked in-depth knowledge about teas. So I went to the local tea merchants here in Lucerne (Switzerland). I showed them a beta version, which was met with great interest.
During our conversations, the strengths, and weaknesses of the beta version immediately became apparent, and I received valuable feedback for the now completed version. Along with the feedback, I also brought home my first high-quality oolong and pu-erh teas.
I enjoy my morning teas and am excited to see where my journey will take me next. I am also looking forward to further feedback on my new app. It is now available in the iOS App Store under the name “Steep Timer”. I am happy to provide promo codes. Just get in touch with me.
Best regards from Lucerne
Martin
Introduce Yourself
-
Léon
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:00 am
- Location: South East of the Netherlands, in between Belgium and Germany
Hi Martin,
You could also just prepare the tea and drink it when you feel like it. You could also prepare the tea without any technology.
For me tea is freedom. No clock, no thermometer.
Nothing at all to worry about. (Exception: the quality of the tea).
You could also just prepare the tea and drink it when you feel like it. You could also prepare the tea without any technology.
For me tea is freedom. No clock, no thermometer.
Nothing at all to worry about. (Exception: the quality of the tea).
Hello,
I am excited to have found this forum. I've enjoyed tea, specifically green, for a long time. I have recently begun to research the interactions of clay pots with tea and found this site during my research. Perhaps some of you with some experience in this may like to suggest your favorite potter/kiln or clay and the tea you enjoy it with.
Looking forward to learning more
I am excited to have found this forum. I've enjoyed tea, specifically green, for a long time. I have recently begun to research the interactions of clay pots with tea and found this site during my research. Perhaps some of you with some experience in this may like to suggest your favorite potter/kiln or clay and the tea you enjoy it with.
Looking forward to learning more
steeping parameters could have many variables which are hard to convey in some app as a preset thing. Apart of they type of the tea , there is a factor like size of the leaves ( you would have to make some optical recognition feature ) , depth of fermentation / oxidation ( not always visible by optics ) , in puerh tea also the storage ( that one can very vary and hard to determine / set in some analogical scale ) and last but not least, the quality of the leaf it self ( higher quality leave , in many cases, can hold longer times without getting astringent..etc. ) which I'm not sure how to put this in some app like a scaled variable to calculate with.martinl wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 12:30 pmHello everyone,
I am completely new to the world of tea. I first came into contact with it at the beginning of this year when I began to explore green tea in more depth during my trip to Japan. Of course, I couldn't resist bringing a few varieties of green tea home with me.
When I stood in the kitchen to prepare my first cup of tea, I thought to myself: there must be an app that can tell me the right temperature and brewing time for my new teas. Unfortunately, I only found a few very old apps, most of which were extremely unclear and often impractical.
And then I had an idea: I've been interested in programming and app development for a long time. As luck would have it, I wasn't very busy at the time. So I saw it as a challenge: I wanted to program a good tea timer app. What started as a simple pastime quickly turned into a very intensive hobby. During development, I realized that I lacked in-depth knowledge about teas. So I went to the local tea merchants here in Lucerne (Switzerland). I showed them a beta version, which was met with great interest.
During our conversations, the strengths, and weaknesses of the beta version immediately became apparent, and I received valuable feedback for the now completed version. Along with the feedback, I also brought home my first high-quality oolong and pu-erh teas.
I enjoy my morning teas and am excited to see where my journey will take me next. I am also looking forward to further feedback on my new app. It is now available in the iOS App Store under the name “Steep Timer”. I am happy to provide promo codes. Just get in touch with me.
Best regards from Lucerne
Martin
Let alone the fact , that your preset parameters don't have to resonate with other tea drinkers preference. Like some people like very dark coffee like shu puerh some people not.
So it might be working for some specific tea like JP green, I don't know. For sure not on Chinese tea though.
I believe there are many apps, the Tea Pal comes into mi mind ( not sure if they have steeping function there ) .
The scales, stop watch and thermometer you are going to use probably first year, maybe less , then just will brew the tea without any thinking like you did before with tea bags and such.
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Philologus
- New user
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2025 9:25 pm
- Location: North Florida
Hello,
Thank you for allowing me to join you. I humbly seek your guidance to learn as much as possible about the world of tea. I submit these answers to your questions.
How long have you been drinking tea?
about 50 years
What kind of tea do you drink?
traditional tea (Camellia sinensis) in most any form except flavored teas with a few notable exceptions
How do you prepare your tea?
it depends on what kind but I have,
cast iron pots
gaiwan
fine bone china
glazed porcelein
glassware
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
no specific topic but I am always looking for more knowledge and recommendations for methods and sources
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
My grandmother had traveled to England and talked about their tea rituals. About the same time as a teen I began reading The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings. In the Hobbit particularly having tea was a prominent topic which appealed to me. I mostly always drank loose tea and black tea with milk and sugar was where I started. Along the way I discovered high mountain tea, Darjeeling at first, then almost by accident I came across some fine tea from Nepal, specifically Antu Valley and Sri Antu. I was of course shocked by the price at first but once I had tasted it I would gladly pay even more IF it was available. That was the real beginning to my tea journey. After that I was all about the high mountain teas for a long time. Then I discovered oolong, Ti quan yin at first and then branched out to more varieties. Republic of Tea helped with my learning as they had more information about the different varieties, recommendations, water temps etc. I had now been seeking knowledge about tea for several years and thought I knew a lot about it. But after reading through ROT's book Tea-Chings I decided to try green tea again. I had not liked it before but found that I had been brewing it with water that was too hot for too long. After that I added one more thing to my like list, This was when I decided to let go of what I thought I knew and really listen. Since then I have discovered more varieties, among them, keemun, bohea, matcha and other Japanese greens, Hojicha, pu erh, etc. I have indeed learned much over the years but the more I learn (about this and many other pursuits) the less I feel I know. As Socrates said, "The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing." Probably largely due to geography tea means iced, normally sweet, pretty well exclusively. I am normally alone in my interest and pretty well always the "tea guy," in every room. This all brings me here. I come holding nothing in my hand and humbly seek to learn everything I can.
What is your location?
North Florida
Thank you for allowing me to join you. I humbly seek your guidance to learn as much as possible about the world of tea. I submit these answers to your questions.
How long have you been drinking tea?
about 50 years
What kind of tea do you drink?
traditional tea (Camellia sinensis) in most any form except flavored teas with a few notable exceptions
How do you prepare your tea?
it depends on what kind but I have,
cast iron pots
gaiwan
fine bone china
glazed porcelein
glassware
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
no specific topic but I am always looking for more knowledge and recommendations for methods and sources
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
My grandmother had traveled to England and talked about their tea rituals. About the same time as a teen I began reading The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings. In the Hobbit particularly having tea was a prominent topic which appealed to me. I mostly always drank loose tea and black tea with milk and sugar was where I started. Along the way I discovered high mountain tea, Darjeeling at first, then almost by accident I came across some fine tea from Nepal, specifically Antu Valley and Sri Antu. I was of course shocked by the price at first but once I had tasted it I would gladly pay even more IF it was available. That was the real beginning to my tea journey. After that I was all about the high mountain teas for a long time. Then I discovered oolong, Ti quan yin at first and then branched out to more varieties. Republic of Tea helped with my learning as they had more information about the different varieties, recommendations, water temps etc. I had now been seeking knowledge about tea for several years and thought I knew a lot about it. But after reading through ROT's book Tea-Chings I decided to try green tea again. I had not liked it before but found that I had been brewing it with water that was too hot for too long. After that I added one more thing to my like list, This was when I decided to let go of what I thought I knew and really listen. Since then I have discovered more varieties, among them, keemun, bohea, matcha and other Japanese greens, Hojicha, pu erh, etc. I have indeed learned much over the years but the more I learn (about this and many other pursuits) the less I feel I know. As Socrates said, "The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing." Probably largely due to geography tea means iced, normally sweet, pretty well exclusively. I am normally alone in my interest and pretty well always the "tea guy," in every room. This all brings me here. I come holding nothing in my hand and humbly seek to learn everything I can.
What is your location?
North Florida
Welcome!
I also came to explore teas from a base of Ti Quan Yin....I started with the one brand recommended by a Chinese friend of my father's, Sea Dyke TKY in the red tin, that was quite tough to find in the 80s but got easier over time....and then suddenly it disappeared from all my local shops in the early oughts, and out of necessity I started to explore. One of the great joys of finding tea forums was discovering that I different infusion parameters and better quality teas meant less bitterness....and less need for dilution or additives to cover up the bitterness.
I also discovered the joy of chilled teas a couple of years ago, starting with sparkling sencha using bottled carbonated water, and eventually getting my own CO2 system to fizz the water. I've written about my adventures with sparkling chilled teas [urlhttps://www.teaforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1 ... ing+sencha]here[/url]. I hope you find it interesting.
I also came to explore teas from a base of Ti Quan Yin....I started with the one brand recommended by a Chinese friend of my father's, Sea Dyke TKY in the red tin, that was quite tough to find in the 80s but got easier over time....and then suddenly it disappeared from all my local shops in the early oughts, and out of necessity I started to explore. One of the great joys of finding tea forums was discovering that I different infusion parameters and better quality teas meant less bitterness....and less need for dilution or additives to cover up the bitterness.
I also discovered the joy of chilled teas a couple of years ago, starting with sparkling sencha using bottled carbonated water, and eventually getting my own CO2 system to fizz the water. I've written about my adventures with sparkling chilled teas [urlhttps://www.teaforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1 ... ing+sencha]here[/url]. I hope you find it interesting.
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aurioo ceramic
- New user
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2025 1:32 am
- Contact:
How long have you been drinking tea?
10 years or more.
What kind of tea do you drink?
I drink a lot of tea, though I rarely go for fruit or milk tea. In summer, I love Longjing and floral teas; in winter, I turn to black tea, Wuyi rock tea, or white tea. Sometimes, I even infuse tea into my homemade drinks or cocktails.
How do you prepare your tea?
There are many ways to brew tea. Most of the time, I use a gaiwan, which is very convenient, especially since I usually drink tea alone — I don’t need large or complicated tea sets.
I have quite a few tea sets, mostly Chinese or Japanese style, and I especially enjoy collecting teapots and tea bowls. I rarely use Western-style afternoon tea sets, unless I have friends over. Of course, I have some for work purposes, but the gaiwan remains my favorite.
I also love coffee, and sometimes, for convenience, I even use coffee equipment to brew tea — it actually works quite well.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I enjoy studying the origins of tea and the craftsmanship behind teaware — especially the making of teaware. I already know quite a lot about the history of tea, so I don’t really need to study that much anymore.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
This has a lot to do with my lifestyle and work. I enjoy a well-designed and high-quality way of living. I’ve spent many years living in China, and even studied teaware making at the Ceramic University in Jingdezhen. I believe tea is a very healthy and enduring beverage — whenever I drink tea while working, it helps me stay clear-minded and calm.
10 years or more.
What kind of tea do you drink?
I drink a lot of tea, though I rarely go for fruit or milk tea. In summer, I love Longjing and floral teas; in winter, I turn to black tea, Wuyi rock tea, or white tea. Sometimes, I even infuse tea into my homemade drinks or cocktails.
How do you prepare your tea?
There are many ways to brew tea. Most of the time, I use a gaiwan, which is very convenient, especially since I usually drink tea alone — I don’t need large or complicated tea sets.
I have quite a few tea sets, mostly Chinese or Japanese style, and I especially enjoy collecting teapots and tea bowls. I rarely use Western-style afternoon tea sets, unless I have friends over. Of course, I have some for work purposes, but the gaiwan remains my favorite.
I also love coffee, and sometimes, for convenience, I even use coffee equipment to brew tea — it actually works quite well.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I enjoy studying the origins of tea and the craftsmanship behind teaware — especially the making of teaware. I already know quite a lot about the history of tea, so I don’t really need to study that much anymore.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
This has a lot to do with my lifestyle and work. I enjoy a well-designed and high-quality way of living. I’ve spent many years living in China, and even studied teaware making at the Ceramic University in Jingdezhen. I believe tea is a very healthy and enduring beverage — whenever I drink tea while working, it helps me stay clear-minded and calm.
welcome! It's a bit quiet here at the moment, but just ask some questions and you will find out we wake up to help answer.
I also have seasonal preferences in my teas... and just lately I have shifted to cold weather teas (more deep roasted oolong and Puerh, less light roast too along, but still always preferring Japanese teas for breakfast) and hot brew instead of cold sparkling teas.
I also have seasonal preferences in my teas... and just lately I have shifted to cold weather teas (more deep roasted oolong and Puerh, less light roast too along, but still always preferring Japanese teas for breakfast) and hot brew instead of cold sparkling teas.
welcome!
I come from Yunnan, China, and I have been drinking tea since my middle school years. I enjoy tea in many ways, including using teapots, cups, cold brew, iced drip, and even coffee makers. I work in tea production and research, and I have my own tea garden. Every year, I spend two weeks visiting various tea gardens across China to study their unique tea cultivation methods and processing techniques. I have an in-depth understanding of Chinese tea and am happy to share insights and my personal perspectives on the reality of China’s tea industry
How long have you been drinking tea?
It's been about 8 years.
What kind of tea do you drink?
I drink Biluochun and Yixing black tea. I especially love the aroma of Biluochun!
How do you prepare your tea?
I use a Yixing teapot to brew tea at home. When I go out, I have a special teacup for brewing tea.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I'm very interested in Longjing tea. Its grading system is quite unique!
I've recently become quite interested in tea frying and hope to have the opportunity to try it someday.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
My father loved drinking tea, and because of him, I developed a love for tea and collecting Yixing teapots from a young age!
What is your location?
Hong Kong, China
It's been about 8 years.
What kind of tea do you drink?
I drink Biluochun and Yixing black tea. I especially love the aroma of Biluochun!
How do you prepare your tea?
I use a Yixing teapot to brew tea at home. When I go out, I have a special teacup for brewing tea.
What tea knowledge are you interested in exploring right now?
I'm very interested in Longjing tea. Its grading system is quite unique!
I've recently become quite interested in tea frying and hope to have the opportunity to try it someday.
What factors lead you to delve into the world of tea, and what is keeping you there?
My father loved drinking tea, and because of him, I developed a love for tea and collecting Yixing teapots from a young age!
What is your location?
Hong Kong, China
What is your opinion of a glass cup that's capable of travel? Ideally it would be something like a travel mug with a lid but I've not seen one like that.
If there are any Food safe and biodegradable 3D printer filaments would that work in the long-term in terms of reliability, please let me know!
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WildflowerFarm
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2026 4:20 pm
- Location: Boston
- Contact:
Hello, technically, my name is Amanda. Wildflower Farm, is the name of the small old fashioned 5ish acre homestead farm I live on in Massachusetts. I live here with my spouse, goats, chickens, my dog Pikku if you are Suomi (Finnish,) you know this word Pikku. Pikku is a great dane 125 lbs. The joke should be pretty apparent.
My life is all about this little cozy piece of ground I call home. The woods where I forage all kinds of yumminess and medicine, the barn yard, the swimming hole, and edible gardens. We are pretty much off grid for the vast most part. We do choose to stay on with our electricity because we are solar powered and our excess can benefit our community. Beyond that.... Septic tank, well, propane delivered for greenhouse. Wood stove heating... Permaculture gardens, dairy from goats out back that are currently expanding like little round balloons due to pregnancy. Eggs from chickens... Currently, a lot of what we eat comes out of the greenhouse as Massachusetts (The Bay State) is dare I say, "wicked" cold? Yes I do dare. too cold for the outdoor garden. So we focus on the food we stored during the on season, the stuff we canned, and dehydrated, and otherwise preserved. So life can be a bit busy, as it is a lot of work. There is no convenience here. My only means of transit is a horse that is 16.3 hands high at the shoulder. For horse people.... I am 5'1 and a half. Yes, we get mocked because we look ridiculous and I am frequently told I would be better off on a smaller pony. I don't care. He and I are just fine together. Even if we do look ridiculous together.
I came out here, to live as I do because before this we lived in Europe for many years. When I returned home, something had changed with the food. Everything I ate sent me to the hospital. It was horrible. I couldn't breathe.... Then to the allergist, who finally told me I am allergic to the off label chemicals. I was gonna go home in despair order a pizza and call it a life. But my spouse, decided we would come live here and that I would produce our food. So, that is what I do now. It wasn't easy to get use to. But after some time here living a bit differently I have come to love it.
I went to school for 3 very different things, first music and archaeology, and later herbalism. In my own spare time I study self sufficiency living, environmentalism, ecology, environmental farming methods for small farming operations.
I drink a lot of tea. But I have a problem. It is spilling everywhere because I cook it in a pot rather than a kettle. This issue is what brings me here. Due to the off gridness and the environmental nature of my life, I don't have a gas or electric stove. I don't have that other weird kind of stove either. I have a Magee Grand, constructed in 1895 from cast iron. Inside is a firebox, under which there is an ash collection box of sorts, then on the other side of the stove there is a giant water tankard, which is located on the other side of the baking oven. On top of the stove, are 6 "burners" made of flat round pieces of metal original to the stove. They sit over the fire box and between it and the water tank. As an herbalist, all kinds of herbal tea is constantly being made and consumed. Much of it produced in the garden, hung to dry and then used loose leaf. So, I love tea. Always have. It started with my mum, who used to have a tradition of having a cup with me every night before bed when I was about 3. We still have tea together when she comes to visit the farm. But even when she isn't here I am always drinking it. But the problem of making it in a pot is getting annoying and making a mess. So I am here. I want to kind a nice kettle that will work well and long term on my Magee. I could use suggestions towards that end if anyone has any. I was thinking a copper pot would be nice. I love antiques but it needs to actually be functional and safe for use, as it is not really intended as simply a display piece. So if you have any ideas for me about what might work on my archaic wood stove, please let me know.
Other things to know..... I have eclectic taste in music, my favorite color is blue, and chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies on earth especially when made with self milled flour.
My life is all about this little cozy piece of ground I call home. The woods where I forage all kinds of yumminess and medicine, the barn yard, the swimming hole, and edible gardens. We are pretty much off grid for the vast most part. We do choose to stay on with our electricity because we are solar powered and our excess can benefit our community. Beyond that.... Septic tank, well, propane delivered for greenhouse. Wood stove heating... Permaculture gardens, dairy from goats out back that are currently expanding like little round balloons due to pregnancy. Eggs from chickens... Currently, a lot of what we eat comes out of the greenhouse as Massachusetts (The Bay State) is dare I say, "wicked" cold? Yes I do dare. too cold for the outdoor garden. So we focus on the food we stored during the on season, the stuff we canned, and dehydrated, and otherwise preserved. So life can be a bit busy, as it is a lot of work. There is no convenience here. My only means of transit is a horse that is 16.3 hands high at the shoulder. For horse people.... I am 5'1 and a half. Yes, we get mocked because we look ridiculous and I am frequently told I would be better off on a smaller pony. I don't care. He and I are just fine together. Even if we do look ridiculous together.
I came out here, to live as I do because before this we lived in Europe for many years. When I returned home, something had changed with the food. Everything I ate sent me to the hospital. It was horrible. I couldn't breathe.... Then to the allergist, who finally told me I am allergic to the off label chemicals. I was gonna go home in despair order a pizza and call it a life. But my spouse, decided we would come live here and that I would produce our food. So, that is what I do now. It wasn't easy to get use to. But after some time here living a bit differently I have come to love it.
I went to school for 3 very different things, first music and archaeology, and later herbalism. In my own spare time I study self sufficiency living, environmentalism, ecology, environmental farming methods for small farming operations.
I drink a lot of tea. But I have a problem. It is spilling everywhere because I cook it in a pot rather than a kettle. This issue is what brings me here. Due to the off gridness and the environmental nature of my life, I don't have a gas or electric stove. I don't have that other weird kind of stove either. I have a Magee Grand, constructed in 1895 from cast iron. Inside is a firebox, under which there is an ash collection box of sorts, then on the other side of the stove there is a giant water tankard, which is located on the other side of the baking oven. On top of the stove, are 6 "burners" made of flat round pieces of metal original to the stove. They sit over the fire box and between it and the water tank. As an herbalist, all kinds of herbal tea is constantly being made and consumed. Much of it produced in the garden, hung to dry and then used loose leaf. So, I love tea. Always have. It started with my mum, who used to have a tradition of having a cup with me every night before bed when I was about 3. We still have tea together when she comes to visit the farm. But even when she isn't here I am always drinking it. But the problem of making it in a pot is getting annoying and making a mess. So I am here. I want to kind a nice kettle that will work well and long term on my Magee. I could use suggestions towards that end if anyone has any. I was thinking a copper pot would be nice. I love antiques but it needs to actually be functional and safe for use, as it is not really intended as simply a display piece. So if you have any ideas for me about what might work on my archaic wood stove, please let me know.
Other things to know..... I have eclectic taste in music, my favorite color is blue, and chocolate chip cookies are the best cookies on earth especially when made with self milled flour.