the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

What kind of tea do you like, if any?

Never liked it, but tried to switch from coffee years ago, and started liking it. Mainly seems like “vegetable juice” for health.

Very “woo woo”, I noticed if I drink a large quantity of green tea, the “energy flow” is easier, stronger, etc. Doesn’t happen with black tea or coffee, so it doesn’t seem to be mainly the caffeine.

Trying ashwaghanda for purported benefits.

Yarrow flower with licorice root is really tasty. I have a few cups a week and poultice the leftover for whenever I get a cut or a cracked callous.

We have huge patches of wild yarrow in our back yard every summer. I use mainly the leaves as an astringent in my beers and gruits. It really compliments the flavor of my bread beer, and it tempers the heat in my horseradish+ginger gruit.

oh wow, I had to look that up on wikipedia:

A. millefolium was used as in traditional medicine, possibly due to its astringent effects.[2] Yarrow and its North American varieties were traditionally used by many Native American nations.[47] The Navajo historically considered it a "life medicine" and chewed the plant for toothaches and used its infusions for earaches. The Miwok in California used the plant as an analgesic and head cold remedy.[47] Native American nations used the plant for healing cuts and abrasions, for relief of ear-aches, and throat infections, and for an eye-wash.[48] Common yarrow was used by Plains indigenous peoples to reduce pain or fever and aid sleep.

how did you know it would work on a cut?

it's amazing what ancient people knew about plants. yet not really surprising, I suppose.

Lapsang Souchang
...as far as I'm concerned

Strange wrote:Lapsang Souchang
...as far as I'm concerned

Had to look that up. Marketing blurb:

This is one of our strongest teas, think bridge abutments or skyscraper foundations. This is our most pungent tea - one that has been known to cause co-workers to enquire where the fire is.

The black tea is redolent of three distinct flavors at once — the black tea base, a hint of longyan (Dragon Eye, a Chinese tree fruit similar to lychee) and the pinewood smoke which is the tea’s most defining element.

Sounds strong!

Tom wrote:Raw pu-erh from Yunnan is what I’m drinking now, but I’m adaptable and curious when it comes to wandering the world of cha. I’ve enjoyed tea since childhood, growing up around tea plantations in south India.

This sounds like some childhood stories we need to hear.

I guess you’re not Indian but grew up in India?

Are you saying your family was involved in tea?

Ok any case, it seems we have some experts on this topic.

Love tea. In the States, I drink mostly tea I buy from Mix (former poster here). Mostly high mountain oolong from small producers. In Japan, lots of various green teas. Not a fan of black or red teas, although my wife loves them.

I also get confused when people start talking about herbal drinks. Tea is a specific plant. Herbal tea is not tea.

Tom wrote:Raw pu-erh from Yunnan is what I’m drinking now,

Yunnan pu’er is about the only type of tea I drink.

Once again, semantics can be a hang up, namely the definition and usage of words.

In Chinese/Oriental Medicine, herbal formulas or combos composed of harder ingredients such as dried roots, rhizomes, seeds, etc, are normally prepared as simmer cooked decoctions, since they need to be gently boiled to extract their medicinal and nutritional agents and properties.

By comparison, more delicate ingredients such as dried flowers, leaves, and fruit bodies are generally prepared by infusion, simply pouring boiling water over them and then allowing them to steep for a few minutes.

Since drinking teas are typically prepared by infusion, herbal preparations which are infused can also be considered teas, hence the term herbal tea.

If anyone here wants to learn real chi gung get someone to teach you real Chinese tea ceremony
But don’t get into the trap I did having it take up the bulk of your day

wayne hansen wrote:If anyone here wants to learn real chi gung get someone to teach you real Chinese tea ceremony
But don’t get into the trap I did having it take up the bulk of your day

I made reference to a story about that sort of thing the other day.
https://www.storynory.com/the-samurai-a ... ea-master/

Very enjoyable tale.

I should say by tea I mean tea or herbal tea.

Edit: also, if you order online, what are your favorite stores? Link?

everything wrote:Very enjoyable tale.

I should say by tea I mean tea or herbal tea.

Edit: also, if you order online, what are your favorite stores? Link?

Same questions. Apparently at reasonable prices, San Francisco Herb Co. has Lapsang Souchong Tea, Pu-erh Small Leaf Tea, Yarrow flower, licorice root, Tieguanyin Oolong Tea, etc. Any opinions on SF Herb Co, etc.?

marvin8 wrote: Any opinions on SF Herb Co, etc.?

Have no idea. But Pu'er tea should be made into compact cakes. Loose weight will be more expensive compared to the amount of tea in the cakes and it will dry up really fast and lose taste. So if you want to buy pu'er, I would recommend this one: https://www.sfherb.com/Pu-erh-Tuo-Cha-M ... _p_88.html

I like the somewhat sweet taste of high mountain green tea, but it's not the most legendary green tea of taiwan. There's another kind which literally tastes like honey which I have not been able to find for a long time.

I might try this 'pu erh' tea you mention. I had a brick of it as a gift a while ago though but I think I stored it improperly.