Tea Blog For All Levels!

mcrdotcom

Hey all,

I run an Irish tea blog, aimed at all levels of tea drinker. The idea is to open up the greater diverse world of tea to Irish people who perhaps didn't realise there was something past Lyons, Barry's and Robert Roberts!

Whole leaf teas from all over the world reviewed every week, along with topical pieces on all matters of tea, from cups to pots, brewing styles to drinking settings, there is bound to be something to interest you!

For now, there are a few reviews and such, but it is growing every week, and the more support it gets, the more it grows!

I would be interested in hearing peoples ideas, suggestions and comments, how many people enjoy whole leaf tea from China, Taiwan and Japan? Have you ever tried oolong, pu'er, green, red and white tea? Did you know within each type there are many sub types of all different flavour profiles?

I would love to know how much you know and want to know about tea! If you want a link to the blog, PM me, but the point of this thread is to discuss any aspect of tea you find interesting!

So to start, what are your favourite teas?

Mod snip

lokii

Hi mcrdotcom,
Delighted to hear that I am no longer the only Irish tea blogger!
I hadn’t come across your site before but will mark it for reading from now on.
Very best of luck with it.

Gran Hermano

mcrdotcom, welcome to the Coffee & Tea forum.
Posting for the purpose of promoting your blog is against the rules.
We would be delighted to see you around the forum and engaging in the same manner as other posters.

mcrdotcom

Gran Hermano wrote: »

mcrdotcom, welcome to the Coffee & Tea forum.
Posting for the purpose of promoting your blog is against the rules.
We would be delighted to see you around the forum and engaging in the same manner as other posters.

Apologies, I've been on boards for a few years and I have posted blog posts on other sections of the forum without issue, so I didn't realise.

Won't happen again!

gucci

I have to admit, up until recently I was a self-confessed coffee addict, but now I am starting to spend more and more of my hard earned on tea also! (Mostly because I feel I need to lay off the caffeine a little!)

For someone with perhaps a slightly more developed tea taste, how would you compare using tea bag Vs going with loose tea? Is it as far apart as instant and ground/properly extracted coffee?

So far my favourites are Darleeling, particularly second flush which has a nicer deeper smell and flavour (which I generally make from loose tea) I do find a vast difference in taste between this and the tea bag variety of darleejling tea, but then again, I think the loose tea I have is a much higher quality so its possible that there are better tea bag varieties out there.

I also like some of the fruitier hibiscus teas, but it wouldn’t be an everyday type drink like Darjeeling.

mcrdotcom

gucci wrote: »

I have to admit, up until recently I was a self-confessed coffee addict, but now I am starting to spend more and more of my hard earned on tea also! (Mostly because I feel I need to lay off the caffeine a little!)

For someone with perhaps a slightly more developed tea taste, how would you compare using tea bag Vs going with loose tea? Is it as far apart as instant and ground/properly extracted coffee?

So far my favourites are Darleeling, particularly second flush which has a nicer deeper smell and flavour (which I generally make from loose tea) I do find a vast difference in taste between this and the tea bag variety of darleejling tea, but then again, I think the loose tea I have is a much higher quality so its possible that there are better tea bag varieties out there.

I also like some of the fruitier hibiscus teas, but it wouldn’t be an everyday type drink like Darjeeling.

Hey there!

Yes, there is a big difference between loose leaf and tea bag varieties.

Firstly, most tea bags (especially supermarket varieties) are made from
"dust and fannings", basically the broken leaves left at the end of your bag of loose leaf. Black teas are often machine processed in SriLanka and Kenya and places like that for tea bags and loose leaf, and are essentially made into fannings!

Secondly, even if you order, say from Adagio teas, where you can actually get teabags made up with the whole leaf in them, just like the loose leaf you buy, the leaves have no room for expansion, and the surface area in contact with the water is decreased and so your tea will lose out, and you won't get the value for your money really!

A final thing to consider is freshness. God only knows how long those teabags have been sitting around since the leaves were picked! Tea is always nicest when fresh (unless it's an aged tea or a high roasted variety) so, commercial tea bags probably don't offer the best choice!

I'm no tea snob however, and I drink Lyons tea and such regularly, but if you want a nice tasting whole leaf tea of good quality, go for loose leaf Try to avoid those ball type strainers that act as tea bags, for the same reasons as above! A tea pot and a cup strainer are best

Having said all that, tea is personal, and as above, I won't stop drinking Lyons tea with milk because I still enjoy it, so if you enjoy the taste of a Darjeeling tea bag, then have some on stand by for when you want a cuppa in a hurry

Hope that helps!

Gran Hermano

These chaps are worth looking at for tea http://shop.waterlootea.com

I also like the stump teapots
http://bailiescoffee.com/productdetails/119/for-life-stump-teapot-free-delivery.aspx

gucci

Yes we have a pair of the stump teapots at home,they are a good design for both aesthetics and brewing!

I pretty much figured teabags were made from the dregs of what's out there,you can tell just based on price,never mind what it tastes like. Growing up my house and my grandmothers never had teabags at all so Ive always been a fan of loosey goosey!

I always try to have a chat with this man anytime I am in London and visit Borough market
http://www.tea2you.co.uk/

He is a good character and literally could sell tea to China! (it was him that explained the difference between the tea harvests and favours to me)


PS Barrys tea ftw!

donnacha

mcrdotcom wrote: »

Hey there!

A final thing to consider is freshness. God only knows how long those teabags have been sitting around since the leaves were picked! Tea is always nicest when fresh (unless it's an aged tea or a high roasted variety) so, commercial tea bags probably don't offer the best choice!

Can you recommend anywhere in Dublin that would sell fresh loose tea? I have a stump tea pot that needs to get some more action. I have an open mind in terms of flavours - though as a starting point my favourite of the supermarket stuff would be Barrys Loose Leaf Classic Blend.

donnacha

Gran Hermano wrote: »

These chaps are worth looking at for tea http://shop.waterlootea.com

Noooo .... they have tea subscriptions :pac:

PPC

donnacha wrote: »

Can you recommend anywhere in Dublin that would sell fresh loose tea? I have a stump tea pot that needs to get some more action. I have an open mind in terms of flavours - though as a starting point my favourite of the supermarket stuff would be Barrys Loose Leaf Classic Blend.

http://www.palaisdesthes.com/ on Wicklow st have a great selection.
I normally drink http://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/montagne-bleue-632.html or http://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/the-des-alizes-566.html

Fallon & Byrne also carry Waterloo teas, their Assam is a fantastic alternative to Lyons or Barrys.

gucci

Obviously its a bit far to go for a cup of tea, but when i lived in Melbourne i used to frequent these places alot, there was 3 or 4 of them in the city.

http://www.t2tea.com/

Amazing shops,worth checking out for anyone living down there

lokii

donnacha wrote: »

Can you recommend anywhere in Dublin that would sell fresh loose tea? I have a stump tea pot that needs to get some more action. I have an open mind in terms of flavours - though as a starting point my favourite of the supermarket stuff would be Barrys Loose Leaf Classic Blend.

Hi there,
For fresh loose tea in Dublin, House of Tea is a good place to start. They moved out to Rathmines a few years ago. Bit of a trek from city centre but good quality and reasonable price.
Palais des Thes on Wicklow street is very good too but more expensive.
There a new(ish) place called Oolong Flower Power near Stephens green. I haven't been so can't comment on the quality.