There's just no other channel on youtube creating cool content like this... thanks for these videos Don. Let's keep learning everything there is to learn about Tea. A true master, is an eternal student.
When he described the flavor as “freshly shaved pencils “ I may have hurt myself laughing! Then a look came across his face like “what did I just say??” Don is the best. Love this stuff.
I really do love bud and bud-heavy teas. I’ve got plenty with and plenty without, and the sweetness and smoothness of the buds always hit the spot. Nice to learn about all the various aspects of them.
Honestly this video was very insightful when it comes to the chemistry. I love the science behind all that goes into tea and you do a great job sharing that so thank you!
Awesome video as always, Don. I really enjoy firing up the kettle on the weekends when you post new videos! If I could make a request, would you consider doing a video on proper tea storage, especially for long periods of time for teas like puerh. You've already pointed out in other videos that certain teas are best enjoyed within a year, but it would be really helpful to know which teas are suitable for the long haul and how to keep them fresh, especially as someone with a budding collection. :) Thanks Don!
Yunan black tea with +50% buds is the first tea I got tea high from. This was my gateway tea :). Only after this I understood why tea deserves all the effort that's put into it. Why it can be worth that much. And why some diplomats drink tea during important negotiations. I hope to purchase this tea from Mei Leaf (both leaf and buds of Yunan black) as soon as it proves possible!
I have tried for the first time Dian Hong golden snails, looks like it's all buds and I'm very surprised with this black tea, because it's unlike any black tea I drunk, which would be well a lot cheaper stuff. I like ceylon blacks for brewing strong but not too heavy, golden buds are definitely way lower, in general strength to anything else I drunk. I'm actually surprised that this is still a black tea because it's so gentle and still with plenty of flavour. I like it quite a bit but damn is it expensive... I appreciate though the care and labour that goes into making those teas.
Yunnan black is one of my favs. hope you get more in stock soon! also, definitely agreed with your complaint about most bud teas. the first silver needle tea I had was so BORING (probably the reason that White Peony was the first tea that captured me). granted, part of this was because I was not brewing it properly, but it's definitely important to select bud teas with that extra punch. ordinarily I brew mine for several minutes even when brewing gong fu (maybe 2 min for black and as much as 4 min for whites).
I remember loving bud teas back in the day. I lost my treasured gong fu pot during a move and stopped drinking tea. Now I want to get back into it. I just need to decide what direction to go.
Hi, I found many sources saying that tea buds contain a lot of cafein and catechins, too. Is that true or are they ignoring the difference between bud (contain mostly theanin) and young leaves (contain a high level of catechins and cafein)? Also, as tea buds contains mostly thianin, does it mean that teas made of buds only might not have as much health benefits associated with catechins/polyphenols as teas made of bud and one or two leaves?
Thanks for all the great topics you cover! I have a question about bud teas. One of the people I follow online who is a serious puerh drinker made the statement that bud teas in cakes will not age. The context was talking about 50(!!!)year old puehrs. Is this the case in your experience? Do you have any theories why this might be so? Thanks for consideration.
Hi Don, second time in the new place: did you change rooms/move home, or what happened? I‘m getting really distracted by the very busy background and the vivid colors. 😱😱😱 Don‘t worry, I like your videos all the same. I miss the painting over your head from your living room, though... felt cozy there. I know you cannot block that room forever with film equipment - this one feels like an artificial studio- both in lighting and sound. You kicked us out? 😅😅😅👩🏻🌾😉
Don, do you ever think you'd stock a smaller gaiwan? With teas that have 8 or 9 infusions, that makes for a lot of tea in a 100ml gaiwan, and leaves don't seem to taste as good the next day (and I have watched that video of yours). Also, I love watching your videos on Saturday morning. If only there were more, haha
I would like you (as an expert) to explain tea colours. The tea is just one (green) I mean the plant. Than English and western people used to classify different teas (black, purple, White) and as is it not clear for me ...and as in China and yunnan seems they don’t give colour to different teas. I want ask u if u can explain your point into this. As you claim black tea of yunnan. I think a Chinese would never call it Black, Anyway I ask you as I want know more and I think your knowledge can help me
Timothy Williams lol 😂 I think its just a bit of grunge and cool from hipster language... Celine is an artist and Don a former DJ and sound artist. They are not very straight laced nor orthodox about their teas, and that‘s just my cup of tea
Fascinating! Thank you for explaining the pricing, as a consumer it can be misleading to think that more expensive teas generally euqal better quality. As someone relatively new to gong fu style and higher graded tea, I think I will leave bud teas for a later point in my tea journey, as there are so many other tea varieties out there I haven't tried yet, that are often less expensive and, as you said, not at all worse in quality compared to bud tea. :)
Mei Leaf Would love to try that. I was contemplating planting a few seeds and see how it goes. I reckon I'd have to use a greenhouse as I live in Ireland. Have you tried planting tea yourself?
Is profit the reason that some "Pure Bud" teas arrive with one or two leaves opened? I expected a bud tea like the one you demonstrated, but each sprig had a leaf, sometimes two.
It's ok if the leaves reveal themselves when brewed but Pure Bud tea should arrive as complete buds (of course a few leaves here and there are possible).
Don, what is your take on tightly vs loosely pressed puerh cakes? I like loose cakes because the leaves don't break that much and it makes tea less astringent. But surely some cakes like your pudding announcer are very tightly pressed for a reason. Why?
We prefer relatively loosely pressed cakes and I think that even stone pressed 100g cakes are inevitably much tighter than we would ideally want which is why we are pressing all our 2018 PuErh in 200g or 357g. The ageing is affected by the looseness of the cake with theoretically more anaerobic ageing with tighter cakes, so a compromise is preferable.
That’s why I have issues with pudding announcer! Thanks for the explanation! I thought it was too bitter- but never thought about tightness of the cake for the reason I get so much broken bits
Don I'm a person on a budget and I would like to get into gong fu brewing can you recommend any brands (besides your own as the Gong fu guru II is out of stock) that make good gong fu sets.
Try dry pour with just a pretty plastic serving tray and an extra waste water bowl. Cheap can also be very pretty- go to the second hand or antique shop. :) Re-function any western tableware you like. Works like a charm
There's just no other channel on youtube creating cool content like this... thanks for these videos Don. Let's keep learning everything there is to learn about Tea. A true master, is an eternal student.
When he described the flavor as “freshly shaved pencils “ I may have hurt myself laughing! Then a look came across his face like “what did I just say??” Don is the best. Love this stuff.
Best and clearest explanation of leaf and bud tea, including the taste differentiation!
I really do love bud and bud-heavy teas. I’ve got plenty with and plenty without, and the sweetness and smoothness of the buds always hit the spot. Nice to learn about all the various aspects of them.
I love your new background! Totally love the colour of that couch!!!
Honestly this video was very insightful when it comes to the chemistry. I love the science behind all that goes into tea and you do a great job sharing that so thank you!
Awesome video as always, Don. I really enjoy firing up the kettle on the weekends when you post new videos! If I could make a request, would you consider doing a video on proper tea storage, especially for long periods of time for teas like puerh. You've already pointed out in other videos that certain teas are best enjoyed within a year, but it would be really helpful to know which teas are suitable for the long haul and how to keep them fresh, especially as someone with a budding collection. :) Thanks Don!
Yunan black tea with +50% buds is the first tea I got tea high from. This was my gateway tea :). Only after this I understood why tea deserves all the effort that's put into it. Why it can be worth that much. And why some diplomats drink tea during important negotiations. I hope to purchase this tea from Mei Leaf (both leaf and buds of Yunan black) as soon as it proves possible!
I have tried for the first time Dian Hong golden snails, looks like it's all buds and I'm very surprised with this black tea, because it's unlike any black tea I drunk, which would be well a lot cheaper stuff. I like ceylon blacks for brewing strong but not too heavy, golden buds are definitely way lower, in general strength to anything else I drunk.
I'm actually surprised that this is still a black tea because it's so gentle and still with plenty of flavour.
I like it quite a bit but damn is it expensive... I appreciate though the care and labour that goes into making those teas.
Yunnan black is one of my favs. hope you get more in stock soon!
also, definitely agreed with your complaint about most bud teas. the first silver needle tea I had was so BORING (probably the reason that White Peony was the first tea that captured me). granted, part of this was because I was not brewing it properly, but it's definitely important to select bud teas with that extra punch. ordinarily I brew mine for several minutes even when brewing gong fu (maybe 2 min for black and as much as 4 min for whites).
I remember loving bud teas back in the day. I lost my treasured gong fu pot during a move and stopped drinking tea. Now I want to get back into it. I just need to decide what direction to go.
"I like big buds and I can not lie" ...sorry ;)
Never apologise for such a quality reference ;)
Mei Leaf got Black (and Oolong, and Puerh...)
Can always rely on you Martin to get in on the pun action.
works quite nicely with this "keep tea gangster" theme which has been going that last several months
wonderful... dropping some real knowledge!
So tempted to hand pick some of my Yunnan Black and give this a go...
i appreciate the weed joke in the beginning
I find your videos so helpful.
Hi, I found many sources saying that tea buds contain a lot of cafein and catechins, too. Is that true or are they ignoring the difference between bud (contain mostly theanin) and young leaves (contain a high level of catechins and cafein)?
Also, as tea buds contains mostly thianin, does it mean that teas made of buds only might not have as much health benefits associated with catechins/polyphenols as teas made of bud and one or two leaves?
Why do you wash the tea first? Is that necessary with all teas? Independent of price/quality?
Thanks for all the great topics you cover! I have a question about bud teas. One of the people I follow online who is a serious puerh drinker made the statement that bud teas in cakes will not age. The context was talking about 50(!!!)year old puehrs. Is this the case in your experience? Do you have any theories why this might be so? Thanks for consideration.
I really enjoy your videos. Very informative.
Hi Don, second time in the new place: did you change rooms/move home, or what happened? I‘m getting really distracted by the very busy background and the vivid colors. 😱😱😱 Don‘t worry, I like your videos all the same. I miss the painting over your head from your living room, though... felt cozy there. I know you cannot block that room forever with film equipment - this one feels like an artificial studio- both in lighting and sound. You kicked us out? 😅😅😅👩🏻🌾😉
Don, do you ever think you'd stock a smaller gaiwan? With teas that have 8 or 9 infusions, that makes for a lot of tea in a 100ml gaiwan, and leaves don't seem to taste as good the next day (and I have watched that video of yours).
Also, I love watching your videos on Saturday morning. If only there were more, haha
Our white Gaiwans are actually around 80ml which I think is a great size for solo brewing.
I am planning to visit you guys at Camden this year!
can the buds look kind of like asparagus tips? Usually the buds in my tea is just pointy leaves, but have seen some bud tea that looks like asparagus
Why the bud black tea turns to golden colour... Any chemical reason..
I would like you (as an expert) to explain tea colours. The tea is just one (green) I mean the plant. Than English and western people used to classify different teas (black, purple, White) and as is it not clear for me ...and as in China and yunnan seems they don’t give colour to different teas. I want ask u if u can explain your point into this. As you claim black tea of yunnan. I think a Chinese would never call it Black, Anyway I ask you as I want know more and I think your knowledge can help me
I've always been confused about rinsing bud tea. Don't you loose some of the best downy hair thickness by rinsing it away on the first go?
My favorite is Silver Bud Ya Bao
I love your videos, but I'm having trouble understanding what is "gangsta" about tea. Might anyone enlighten me? Is it the family aspect of it?
Timothy Williams lol 😂 I think its just a bit of grunge and cool from hipster language... Celine is an artist and Don a former DJ and sound artist. They are not very straight laced nor orthodox about their teas, and that‘s just my cup of tea
I think I get it. I guess it doesn't really matter what the original intent is anyway. It can mean whatever I want it to mean in my mind.
Im a happy subscriber!!
Thank you man.
Fascinating! Thank you for explaining the pricing, as a consumer it can be misleading to think that more expensive teas generally euqal better quality. As someone relatively new to gong fu style and higher graded tea, I think I will leave bud teas for a later point in my tea journey, as there are so many other tea varieties out there I haven't tried yet, that are often less expensive and, as you said, not at all worse in quality compared to bud tea. :)
Meera Reed there no reason avoiding buds if you can afford- just to taste and see if you like it.
Don, can fresh tea leaves be brewed and drunk without prior processing?
Theoretically yes and it does taste quite nice and fresh but processed tea is much richer and more interesting in flavour.
Mei Leaf Would love to try that. I was contemplating planting a few seeds and see how it goes. I reckon I'd have to use a greenhouse as I live in Ireland. Have you tried planting tea yourself?
Before I started ordering from you, I never realized how much "butt tea" I already had in my life...
Great video
Is profit the reason that some "Pure Bud" teas arrive with one or two leaves opened? I expected a bud tea like the one you demonstrated, but each sprig had a leaf, sometimes two.
It's ok if the leaves reveal themselves when brewed but Pure Bud tea should arrive as complete buds (of course a few leaves here and there are possible).
Then I have a couple of teas to cross off my list because the leaves were evident in the dry product. Thank you for your quick response!
I would suggest using a strainer not made of metal
Don, what is your take on tightly vs loosely pressed puerh cakes? I like loose cakes because the leaves don't break that much and it makes tea less astringent. But surely some cakes like your pudding announcer are very tightly pressed for a reason. Why?
We prefer relatively loosely pressed cakes and I think that even stone pressed 100g cakes are inevitably much tighter than we would ideally want which is why we are pressing all our 2018 PuErh in 200g or 357g. The ageing is affected by the looseness of the cake with theoretically more anaerobic ageing with tighter cakes, so a compromise is preferable.
That’s why I have issues with pudding announcer! Thanks for the explanation! I thought it was too bitter- but never thought about tightness of the cake for the reason I get so much broken bits
Don I'm a person on a budget and I would like to get into gong fu brewing can you recommend any brands (besides your own as the Gong fu guru II is out of stock) that make good gong fu sets.
You can mix and match teaware from us and others but the key is to get a water tray or teaboat - we have others coming.
Thanks I really appreciate it :) !
Try dry pour with just a pretty plastic serving tray and an extra waste water bowl. Cheap can also be very pretty- go to the second hand or antique shop. :) Re-function any western tableware you like. Works like a charm
I love going to antique or second hand shop's after i discovered true tea, one can really find treasures there
I’ve got the other bud tea
first?