I do enjoy the control the gooseneck provides.

I’ve even dabbled making pour over tea with it. I have a fancy clay filter with fine holes that steeps some broken teas just right.

Looks vibrant and tasty!

I’m happy with the pour rate of my kettle. I do mainly single serving gong fu tea, but I’m happy with it for larger uses.

You have this one? https://www.mi.com/global/product/xiaomi-electric-kettle-2/

When muted it won’t make noise for any functions.

https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Gooseneck-Temperature-Aiheal-Stainless/dp/B0B1MLVMY5/

I too enjoy the unsmoked ones. I don’t tolerate the smoke very well.

https://www.arborteas.com/organic-holy-basil-tulsi.html

… cooling in the mouth and wonderfully spicy. Think of it as a blend of flavors including mint, lemons, basil, chamomile, cardamom, rosemary, and nutmeg …

Wow, that’s a powerful profile from a single plant! I’ll keep it in mind next time I order.

Thanks for the info!

I found a ben shan at Yunnan Sourcing. I’ll add it to my sample list.

Gyokuro, Xi Hu Long Jing, & Taiping Hou Kui - I see you like fresh vegetal notes. These can be pricey. 🥲

Harney and Sons Paris - I haven’t tried too many flavored teas, but this sounds like an interesting blend of flavors!

Thanks for the recs!

Interesting, so you add a little east Frisian to other blacks? I’ve had that feeling with some teas before. Blending on your own can be be fun.

Do you have a source/website of matcha that you would recommend? I have only tried matcha a couple times, of varying quality.

Yunnan Sourcing has low-to-mid price options and seems to have a reliable enough quality. They do have many types and styles available as samples, so I would recommend them for random sampling.

Is this from Harney & Sons? Chinese golden black tea is always a tasty and fulfilling choice!

Looks like a very popular tea from T2Tea. Thanks for sharing!

That’s a tough question. It depends on how much you can spend and what you are looking for.

I recommend samples, that way you can try many types of tea without too much money or commitment. You can try a single tea from each tea type and explore from there.

Yunnan Sourcing website does many samples. That’s just my go to, but I know there are many other sites others would recommend. For more black tea blends, like your English breakfast, try Upton Tea Imports.

But if want even less of a commitment than that, try just spending more for your tea from the store than you usually do. Price does equal quality for most teas you’ll buy. Trying whole leaf tea will get you higher quality teas as well.

Interesting! I’ve only tried a few of the more widely available bottled teas, which I don’t care for, but this looks like something I’d like to give a try. Thanks for recommending!

Agreed. I wish those first 3 steeps kept going. But I do still enjoy the journey.

Don’t feel bad. If you enjoy your tea, then it’s a good tea!

English breakfast is always a safe bet. Where do you buy the golden oolong? Is that tea in a bottle? That’s what I found when I searched.

😄 You were drinking the good stuff to start. Gotta balance tastes with your wallet now. 🥲

I do enjoy the experience of a good Dan Cong. I just wish they resteeped more times, so the vivid taste experience doesn’t end so soon. 😋