Teas

I've always been a big fan of tea and I enjoy exploring with new blends and recipes. Some are super simple and some are really complicated!

Favourite Teas

There are some tea types that I'm a big fan of, and you should definitely try yourself!

Starting Out

If you're interested in getting into tea, I recommend getting a proper set of a teapot, four teacups and saucers, and a creamer. For more eastern teas, substitute with tea bowls, a gaiwan (lidded bowl for brewing), and a bamboo whisk if needed. Have some classic tea leaves and some herbal teas to play around with.
There's no need to shell out too much at first; look for tea leaves that aren't too broken and aren't too old (younger leaves are more expensive).
However, these are just suggestions. If cheap teas make you happy and you're not very willing to spend more, stick with them! Whoever makes you feel stupid for that is a pretentious jerk.

Loose Pointers for Tea Quality

Note that tea grade is not very important for my brews, but adding particularly low-end ingredients will sour the tea. Matcha in particular can make or break the drink. Spring, latte-quality matcha is ideal.
Do not use culinary matcha. It is referred to as culinary because it can only be used as flavouring in dishes, and will taste horrible.
Similarly, do not use tea from bags unless from a small company you trust, or your brew will likely not match the intended flavour. Tea sold in bags is often the absolute lowest quality, called "dust".
Generally, look for whole tea leaves; for oolong, only use rolled leaves, and for matcha, look for a bright, aromatic powder, and buy only from reputable brands or cooperatives.

Of course, never use bottled water unless you have to, because the unusual flavour will make the tea unpalatable for most; if you drink that water frequently, though, you might get away with it.

Here are some of my tea blends!

Floral Tea

This is a tea filled to the brim with assorted flowers!

For a full teapot, it calls for:

Brew for about five minutes.
Feel free to play around with the brewing times and ingredients! Halve the ingredients for a gaiwan or zisha pot.
designed to be brewed about six times.
May be served with milk, but may taste more subtle than intended.

Earl Grey Spiced Up

This is how I like to make my earl grey!

Brew for a few minutes and have fun with the ingredients!
As this is a western-style tea, it is advisable to use a small French press.
I am curious what would happen if you used a gaiwan, though.

Fruity Splash

This is a nice fruit tea you can drink when you want a sweet drink without all the sugar.

For a teapot, it needs:

Brew for a few minutes or shake vigorously if you're brave.
Ideally, would be made in a french press.
To be served with milk, or scaled down for straight tea. Froth the milk for an interesting texture!

Assorted tea combinations

These are some very simple teas you can play around with that are rather difficult to ruin.

Experiment and add to these. Try adding milk, use different brewing times, even put a few together! There's no limit to what you can do, and explore to your heart's content.
If you're not feeling too explorative, though, you can just drink them on their own like me. Have them all without milk except those including black tea.

"I don't know what to make!"

This is what I drink when I have no idea what I want.

For a teapot, it needs:

Brew for a few minutes or shake vigorously if you're brave.
This tea works very well with a gaiwan.
Scale up ingredients if to be drank with milk.