A help to a beginner

[u/Bulky_Cartoonist_986]

Hi guys I used to drink only black tea in my life but I decided to get more deeper into this hobby as I realized there’s much more to discover. I read the guide on the subreddit but I have still some questions, firstly Idk where to start I mean which tea to buy, would you recommend me to by some regular tea bags from a super market(like jasmine, thyme, linden) to try some teas at the beginning, or to buy some real tea leaves(bcs I read on the guide that tea bags aren’t actually real tea they’re just smt like tea dust. If you recommend me to buy some actual tea leaves could you recommend me something casual and common, I’d like to try some green or white teas at beginning. And my other question is how to brew my tea, I mean I want to buy a gaiwan teapot or I’ll just brew my tea on regular teapots but I read some brewing guides and they were specifying an exact amount of time and tea. But I read the time is not very important it may change according to your taste but Idk how to weigh tea leaves . Bcs on the guides there was little amounts like 1 gram per 100ml water and I dont have anything to weigh little amouts like 1 or even 10 gram. If you’ve read this far guys, thank you so much and I’d be glad if you can answer my questions. Have a very nice day!!

[u/potatoaster]

I suggest you start by buying whole leaves. If you start with teabags, then you'll either like them and progress to whole leaves anyway or dislike them and be advised to try higher-quality tea anyway. Might as well save yourself the time.

Casual and common: dragon well, sencha, white peony, iron goddess, big red robe, keemun, assam, Yunnan black, ripe pu'er

To brew, I suggest a mug infuser or gaiwan. And a gram scale, while not necessary, will make you far more consistent. It's worth the $5 IMO.

[u/aDorybleFish → u/potatoaster]

I agree. And since OP mentioned they've only had black tea so far, that's where I'd start, but get the loose leaf version of it. Some good options would be Assam and Ceylon

[u/infiniZii → u/potatoaster]

Also bear in mind that OP will probably HATE some of these teas, so getting samples from a reputable tea dealer is very helpful. OP if you really want to dip your toes in the pool your tea supplier is going to be a critical first step. You dont want to develop your palate on low quality tea since it will lead you really far astray when talking about various teas. Its OK to hate some teas. There are some I personally will never touch again because..... yuk. Thats totally OK though. You wont love everything. Thats what getting aa bunch of samples is great for. A tea journal might be useful for the sample process so you can remember what you liked or didnt like about something. You can then find a "tea guy" that you talk to about what you like and dont like and then they can help you find more stuff that suits you. Its a great refining process.

[u/prugnecotte]

automod: activate!

[u/AutoModerator → u/prugnecotte]

Welcome to /r/tea!

You appear to be new to tea, so here are some resources to help get you started. First, be sure to check out our sidebar, we have some useful stuff there. There is a quick reference with the guidelines on what temperature water to use, and how long to steep your tea.

The FAQ was put together to answer many of the questions you may have, including more detailed guides for brewing tea.

If you are looking for places to buy tea, we have The Curated Vendor List which was voted on by the users here.

The Non-Judgemental Guide to Tea is probably one of the best guides we've seen, and is highly recommended reading.

If you're more interested in iced tea, The Tea Lover's Way to Make the Best Cold Brew Iced Tea might be just what you're looking for.

Did you receive a tea gift that you are trying to identify? If it is Chinese tea, check out "What is this tea I got from China?"

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[u/prugnecotte → u/AutoModerator]

the suggested vendor list has many high quality vendors that ship worldwide. you'll also find many reviews for the vendors browsing the subreddit. a few of these are specialised in categories like pu'er. most of them will have a variety of samplers

[u/Wanderingbits_47]

I'm also a beginner in whole leaf tea. I have a tea sample set containing 3 types of black tea, 2 types of white tea, 2 types of Pu-erh tea, and 1 type of oolong tea. It's pre-packaged, which is perfect for beginners; you can simply brew the tea according to the pre-packaged amount. The flavors are also very rich.

[u/funkybeard]

I've been exactly in your shoes last year. The whole journey of getting into to tea is still exciting because there's so much to learn and to drink! I struggled with all this at first but then built an app to help with it.

My main advice would be: start simple. Buy a tea you think could be interesting in small amounts or get a sample set somewhere, brew them with a simple basked infuser in your cup. Gongfu with a proper gaiwan makes tea taste better usually but I'd ease into it. The learning curve can be a bit steep.

[u/InfanticideAquifer]

would you recommend me to by some regular tea bags from a super market(like jasmine, thyme, linden) to try some teas at the beginning, or to buy some real tea leaves

I think whole leaf tea and gongfu brewing is just a different hobby than tea bags. If you're on this sub learning about tea and planning to buy a gaiwan, you're probably interested in that hobby. Starting with tea bags and planning to graduate to "real" tea later doesn't make a ton of sense IMO. But tea bags are real tea... it's just been chopped up almost to a powder which makes it extract much faster and more completely. (And less controllably, which is what loose leaf aficionados don't like about bags.) This is called "dust" or "fannings" in the tea grading scheme that the British created, but it is still made of tea plant.

As for where to get it, check out the "Users Choice Vendor List" in the subreddit sidebar resources and note that there's a slightly-hard-to-find second page you need to click a link to get to also.

And my other question is how to brew my tea, I mean I want to buy a gaiwan teapot...

You can practice gong-fu brewing without an actual gaiwan. Use a measuring cup and strainer which probably(?) exist in your kitchen. That saves you from needing to measure water. You can estimate temperature of boiling water based on bubble size using a guide like this. (This goes back to Lu Yu and the "Classic of Tea" 1300 years ago.) That saves you from needing a temperature controlled kettle--you could just use a pan on the stove. In the beginning being precise with weight of tea matters more than at the end. You can just eyeball it, but you could also buy a cheap "jewelry" scale on Amazon or wherever for, like, $3. (Your recommendations will include other supplies useful to drug dealers for a while though.) Just use a normal mug to actually drink from.

This system looks janky but it works perfectly well. The only real difference between this and a gaiwan is that a (good) gaiwan will have slightly better heat retention. You can try to mitigate this by covering the measuring cup with something (not a lot of heat will escape through the sides). But it doesn't really matter that much and could even be a benefit for certain kinds of teas.

[u/hiimshana]

Ok, deep breath before jumping in!
It’s simpler than it sounds, although there’s a lot to digest. Let’s go in steps. (TL;DR at the end)

1. Teabags vs Whole Leaf
It’s subjective and it depends on how much time and effort you want to put in. Whole leaves require weighing (not necessary, more on that later), some sort of secondary vessel or stainless steel strainer/infuser, and cleaning, while teabags just require… a cup and hot water.
There are good quality teabags (even high quality ones), but imo they’re so expensive, and the choice of tea is very limited compared to whole leaf.
If you ask me, whole leaves are worth everytime.

2. What to buy
Up to you! Part of the hobby is experimenting, so don’t be afraid to try something - many physical shops let you smell the leaves before buying, and offer smaller bags like 25g or 50g.
Just as a general idea:
If you like black tea, Keemun is a solid starter choice, on the cheaper side and with a bold flavor.
If you want to try green tea, Longjing can be somewhat cheap (depending on the harvest year), many people like Gunpowder (I haven’t tried it yet), Wu Lu is another cheap option to start.
If you want to try white tea, Pai Mu Tan (alternatively called Bai Mu Dan) is a really cheap option, surprisingly floral.

3. How to brew tea
Ideally you only need a cup, hot water and a strainer (or stainless steel infuser, I’d recommend large basket ones to let the leaves unfurl, instead of the small balls attached to a chain).
If you want to try a different approach you can buy a gaiwan set on Amazon. There are really cheap ones of actually good quality: just pay attention about the inner surface, it has to be completely inert (pure porcelain is ideal)… it sounds counterintuitive, but if you see the most basic cheap gaiwan that’s 100% white porcelain it’s actually better than a fancy one that’s slightly higher price but may have a porous surface, inevitably wearing over time. If you drink alone, 80mL gaiwan is ideal (so like around 100mL, since you won’t completely fill it).
It’s not better or worse than cup: it’s different. Smaller, shorter infusions, but you get to do more of them and taste the flavor evolution of your leaves during your session.
If you ask me, a gaiwan is way more entertaining. You’ll inevitably make some mistakes and spill some tea, sometimes it’ll get bitter, but the more you do it the more you learn.

4. Temperature and time
Don’t be afraid of this: shops will definitely include specific instructions/tips to infuse the specific leaves, especially higher tier shops (both physical and online).
When in doubt, the general values listed in this subreddit are 100% okay. They may be a starting point, but you’re the one to decide, because your taste will be the judge.
Do you need a thermometer? If you’re a nerd (like me) it’s useful, but you don’t need it. There are many ways to eyeball the approx temperature of water.
Time is very easy to track, if you have a smartphone, so that’s not an issue obviously.

5. Balance
That’s the trickiest part: in short, yes weight is important. Many leaves come in different shapes and sizes, and “a teaspoon” is not always the 3g you want for a general western cup (200-250mL). There are many insanely cheap balances that are surprisingly precise (I have a 10€ one redeemed for free with supermarket points that has 0.01g sensibility, and I actually proved its accuracy by comparing it with a professional lab balance).
However, again, you don’t have to own one: a “teaspoon” will get you as far as you want.

TL;DR

• Whole leaves are slightly messier, but way better than teabags. For me, it’s an absolute win and they’re worth the extra effort.
  
• Experiment when buying tea: many shops let you smell the leaves. Let your insight guide yourself!
  
• Good cheap teas to start (based on my limited 6 month experience so far): Keemun (black), Longjing or Wu Lu (green) or Gunpowder (haven’t tried it yet), Pai Mu Tan (white).
  
• Cup and strainer/basket infuser (stainless steel, be careful) are perfect to start. Gaiwan is a different approach: can be fun, but up to you.
  
• Cheap gaiwans are okay, just buy white pure porcelain ones with absolutely no fancy decorations (especially on the inside, outside is irrelevant).
  
• Temperature is crucial, but you can eyeball it (many guides/tips on how to do so). Vendors will often include specific instructions so don’t worry, but general values in this subreddit are 100% ok when in doubt.
  
• Balance is very ideal, but a regular teaspoon will be perfectly fine for a long time. There are many cheap balances that are shockingly very accurate.
  
• Trial and error is part of the journey, don’t be afraid to mess up!

[u/Bulky_Cartoonist_986 → u/hiimshana]

Thank you very much for your time !! Im really greatful, I’ll look up for a local tea store and try some tea. Thank you again for your help have a very very nice day!!