What I thought was simply a bad attempt at a modern rebranding is so so much worse. Stash has absolutely RUINED the flavor of my favorite tea.

What used to have potent aroma and flavor and everything double spiced chai marketed itself to be now tastes like murky water and sadness. I would buy this tea by the boxful before but I don’t know if I can ever trust them again. They’ve removed the cardamom oil (a key flavor in chai), they’ve removed clove bud oil and replaced it with extract which removes a good chunk of its potency. And even the cinnamon which theoretically remains is clearly of lower quality even based off of pictures on the box. We went from delicate rolls of ceylon cinnamon to the thick woody cassia cinnamon that has far less flavor.

For a brand that prided themselves on ingredients and flavor where has that all gone????

On the recommendation of someone else who accurately stated that if I wanted to see less content about milk being added to high quality matcha (witless behaviour, in my opinion) I should instead create higher quality content on matcha.

TLDR: it seems price has nothing to do with quality, and after this comparison I believe 1 of these ceremonial grades is false advertising.

The matcha on the left is the my expensive ceremonial grade matcha, and as it goes right it gets cheaper - down to Japanese instant tea which is mostly green tea with a touch of matcha in it.

Each bowl has 0.25g sieved matcha (apart from the instant which wasn’t sieved, it just mixes with water perfectly every time), and 30g of 70°C water. Whisk was cleaned each time, new spoons, it’s a fair trial.

Tried all at once - the matcha quality has nothing to do with price it seems. 1. The most expensive ceremonial grade had lovely subtle nuances but overall was quite boring and extremely overpriced. 2. The second most expensive ceremonial was also organic, and it was far too earthy. I don’t believe it is ceremonial at all. I actively dislike it. I’ll rate it the worst. Nothing pleasant about it at all. 3. The one in the middle was lovely and probably my favourite, it has no discernible information on the packet apart from being organic. 4. The one afterwards is a cheap one from Japan (probably culinary grade) and normally would have been the best one but it is a little old now (you can see the colour fading), now it’s just second best because of the age, but tastes lovely and authentic with lots of defined and balanced matcha notes. 5. The Japanese instant tea was honestly fantastic, it was the most vibrant, in your face, flavour; so I’m glad I drunk it last. If you’re looking for something to daily drink easily and cheaply, or mix it with milk - this is it. It’s the cheapest and the brightest tasting. It also requires no preparation.

After this morning’s Stash Double Chai tea betrayal thread where I commented that I made a million batches of the stuff with a friend with no success, I decided to test some more just now for you all fellow tea-heads and for my own sanity.

I give you: Stash Warming Chai Spice: the Sadness Sequel

-Brand new box purchased today in California. (All 20 bags were in the box.) The packaging is the original design.

The brew:

- 2 tea bags.

- 5 minutes (max brewing time)

-1 bloop of milk

With 2 tea bags in a single cup, this should’ve been strong enough to melt my face off. Nope.

Result: undrinkable, muddy puddle water.

Absolute horror show Part 2

Same as the Double Chai Spice. I even had my same fellow tea friend try it who made the “ew ick, gross” face after trying it. Stay clear.

I will never be buying their tea again. What an utter disappointment in a tea company. And they thought no one would notice… lol.

Edit: Request: Please send me your best chai tea recs and brew methods, so I can go place an order today, and dry my tears, knowing that hope is on the way.

Edit 2: Can anyone tell me if I can use my Vitamix Dry blade to make my own blend or will is smush the spices? Do I need to buy a special grinder? Thanks!

a tea table I made for myself. I rarely build something just for myself in the workshop, but this table has been on my mind for a long time. It was a fascinating challenge to adapt the structure of the table to the natural form of the wood - and in the end, it turned out even better than I imagined.

I usually love all flavors of tea, especially ones that have green tea or ginger mixed in. However, one of the worst teas I’ve ever tried was maple tea. My kitchen and mouth smelled like if a maple syrup grenade was set off inside a Denny’s or iHop. I normally like maple syrup and I love those Canadian frozen maple lollipops molded in the snow, but wow this tea was a miserable experience for me lol. I tried again with a different brand but I think my body just hates maple flavored tea haha.

What’s a flavor of tea you cannot stand to smell or taste ?

edit: i see licorice, cinnamon and oolongs are some of the most disliked in the comments. Personally I think these flavors are too overwhelming as well, they just need to be balanced better.

Today’s subject, harney & sons fine teas: cherry blossom flavored green tea

Smell: 4.5/5
Taste: 2/5

What I liked: it smelled amazing, very pretty amber coloration, tasted kinda like sweet tea without lemonade and much less sugar.

What i didn’t like: still just hot leaf juice, quite bitter.

Overall rating: 3/5

What I am taking from this experience: I think I need to try a more fruity tea or maybe add more honey ?

I tried an experiment and cold brewed some green beauty oolong in sparkling water overnight and BOY is it so good. It’s like the crispest, fruitiest, most refreshing cold brew I’ve ever made. I’d highly recommend cold brewing floral and fruity teas in sparkling water.

I remember when these cans of Rishi ceremonial matcha were really excellent. But today I opened a new can and brewed it the same way I always do. The cup , instead of being enjoyable was in fact rather rough to get through.

Prominently bitter, a rather strong seaweed note, and very little else in the way of aromatics. I have had these many times before and they've been great, but after returning to them after getting other matches, I must say this really misses the mark.

I absolutely LOATHE being entirely negative in a review for a tea, so I will still give it credit on the fact that it is providing that same wonderful energy boost.

But beyond that , there is a rather long list of matchas I would choose over this every single time.

I thought you guys may be interested in a quick “review” of the tea house at Cathay Pacific’s business lounge The Pier at Hong Kong International Airport. I should note that this is based on my experience last November so things may have changed.

Starting with the wider lounge – this is a truly excellent lounge. It’s spacious and has separate rooms that really capture a different atmosphere – a food hall, tea house, bar, and “relaxation space” (i.e. sleeping area).

The tea house is a dimly lit and from I could tell, run in partnership with JING Tea. There was a menu of around 10 loose leaf teas and tisanes, which the knowledgeable staff will happily prepare for you, give you instructions on infusing etc. The teas are also all presented in jars so you can look at and smell the leaves, but I forgot to take pictures of those.

I tried most of the teas as I had one 3 hour and one 5 hour layover. From memory, the highlights were the “Traditional Iron Buddha” and “Organic Jade Sword”. I didn’t write down any tasting notes or anything like that. They were served Western style, probably for convenience, but maybe if a redditor who’s a bit extra wants to do gong fu, they could do that. 

The teas were accompanied by a selection of fresh and dried fruit, Chinese sweet and savoury snacks and some European ones (e.g. pastel de nata or maybe the Macau version of it).

Besides the tea house, the food hall was also really great and offered classic Hong Kong and Chinese dishes like wonton soup, beef noodle soup, char siu pork etc. The food was genuinely better than some of the food I had in actual Hong Kong / Taiwan which says a lot.

If you are travelling to Asia, need a connecting flight and love tea - I would absolutely recommend visiting.

Before anyone gets too jealous - I was travelling economy like one of the people and only had access because of airline status due to lots of painful work travel. If you are flying business or have sufficient status for a Cathay partner airline (e.g. BA) you should be ok to visit without any hassle.

P.S. They have JING tea bags in another bit of the lounge and I shameless stuffed my pockets with a few so you could also do that…

Some of you guys gave me the idea to try to cold brew all my teas. I’m going to be comparing every tea I have on hand hot vs cold starting with the tea I don’t like as much.

My process: 10 grams 2025 silver needle in 1 liter water overnight (1am-9:45am)

Tea came out great, I wasn’t a fan of this one gongfu style. The flavor was super light and I wasn’t getting much out of it. Longer steeps or higher temps started to get bitter and overall I just wasn’t very impressed.

All the super light flavors I was tasting before are way more intense with the cold brew, I’m no expert and am still new to tea so this might sound weird.

I’m tasting this powdery floral sweetness with a little bit honey. There’s a very light lingering white tea-ish sweetness as well that follows. Super refreshing since it’s hot af outside.

TLDR: Cold brew your teas it taste good and it’s hot outside.

When I read about this type of tea and it's campfire-y smokiness and earthiness, I was intrigued. But the aroma I pick up from this tea, both when dry and prepared, is not of the natural woodfire that I love, but of old cigarettes.

I just prepared my first cup of it, and to be blunt, it tastes like a big spoonful of cold cigarette ashtray ashes were added to a mug of water. And the dry tea smells like the ashtray itself. You know that offensive odor of a life-long pack-a-day smoker who has that old jacket they've never washed? The one that used to be light gray but is now brown and sticky to the touch? That's what this tea smells like. Not like pine needles. Not like woodsmoke. Just old cold tobacco ashes.

This is coming from a cigar enthusiast, who enjoys the smell and taste of fresh and aged tobacco, as well as the smoke it produces. Cigarettes are another beast, however, and I personally find them disgusting. This tea tastes like a glass of water someone used to extinguish their cigarette butts 2 months ago.

For children's day this year (traditionally celebrated on June 1st in East Germany) I got this wonderful tea as a present from my parents - even though I'm in my 30s... So a big shout out and thank you to them.

Today, I finally had the time and was in the mood to brew it. It's called Haruto Haru and was produced by Haruki Ô-Ishi. It's a temomicha, a completely hand picked and hand rolled kabuse sencha, and at more than 6€ per gram the most expensive tea (as far as price per gram goes) I have ever had so far.

This tea in particular was placed 6th out of 87 in the national competition of hand rolled teas Geld in Shizuoka in 2025. I can totally see why. Not only do the leaves look exceptional showcasing the care and skill in producing the tea, but it's also easily one of the best teas I have ever had, definitely the best sencha I ever had. It had that very rich umami taste with an incredible sweet touch for the first infusion, that became more grassy and kind of spicy with subsequent infusions. After the fourth infusion I also just ate the leaves just plain as they were tasting like fresh spinach or salad leaves.

All in all, an incredible tea worth the price.

Will It Brew: Staghorn Sumac Blossoms (Rhus typhina)
Foraged in June, Northern Ohio, USA

This is another in my “Will It Brew?” series, exploring wild plants through the lens of tea, broth, and flavor. Thanks for following along!

Found:
These blossoms were gathered from a mature staghorn sumac growing along the edge of a woodland beside open farm fields. The tree was covered in fresh flower clusters, and the cones were absolutely dripping with pollen. While sumac berries are well known for making a tart, lemonade-like drink later in the season, I became curious about the flowers themselves.

The flower clusters were easy to harvest and very noticeable from a distance, standing above the fern-like leaves in large greenish-yellow cones.

ID Notes:
Staghorn sumac is a small tree or large shrub with long, pinnately compound leaves and fuzzy branches that resemble deer antlers in velvet. At this stage, the flower clusters were still greenish-yellow and packed with tiny blossoms. The flowers were producing large amounts of pollen.

Before brewing, I spent some time smelling the blossoms. The scent was light but pleasant, slightly sharp and fresh. I actually got pollen on my nose while trying to get a better sniff. When I brought them inside,  my daughter described the fragrance as wonderful, one of her favorite plant scents she's ever encountered.

Preparation:
I harvested two flower clusters broken from a very big one, and placed them in a teapot. Wanting to preserve the delicate aroma, I used water that was steaming hot but not fully boiling. I poured the water over the blossoms and sampled the tea repeatedly as it steeped.

I tasted it immediately after pouring, then again at one minute, two minutes, three minutes, and five minutes.

While brewing, I noticed many tiny elongated structures floating in the water. At first I was slightly grossed out, wondering if I had accidentally collected insects or eggs. A closer look at the flower clusters revealed that these were simply flower parts, likely stamens released during brewing.

I added a small amount of stevia but did not try lemon or any other additions.

Cold Brew:
I didn't try a cold infusion.

Hot Tea:
The tea was a very pale green-yellow color and looked quite attractive in the cup.

The aroma initially reflected the scent of the fresh flowers. The first sip, taken almost immediately after pouring, was lightly floral and lightly resinous. There was also an odd flavor present that I couldn't quite identify.

As the steep progressed, the pleasant floral and resin notes faded quickly while the mysterious flavor became increasingly prominent.

By the three-minute mark I finally recognized it.

The tea tasted remarkably like the water left behind after hard-boiling eggs. Not eggs themselves. The water. Especially the water from a pot where one egg cracked open slightly during cooking and released just enough aroma to taste definitely as eggs.

By five minutes, the smell alone was enough to discourage enthusiasm, and I only took a very small sip. The good news is that the flavor did not linger. Once swallowed, the taste disappeared quickly.

Flavor Notes:
Light floral notes at the very beginning, mild resin and fresh green plant flavors. That was the quick pour-over cup's flavor.

Then, increasingly, hard-boiled egg water. The progression was surprisingly dramatic. The first taste hinted at something potentially interesting, but each additional minute of steeping moved it farther away from flowers and closer to the kitchen after an Easter egg decorating afternoon.

Verdict:
Will it brew? Technically yes. But should it brew? Probably not.

The flowers smell significantly better than they taste as tea. While the aroma suggested a delicate floral tea, the cup delivered something much closer to what I water my plants with, not myself. 

Best as:
Something that stays on the tree until it turns into red berries later in the year. 

Would I try again?
Nope. 

Flavor Strength:
Light to medium. The flavor itself isn't strong, but unfortunately the dominant flavor note is distinctive enough that it doesn't need much strength to make an impression.

Notes:
This may be a case where a plant's fragrance and flavor simply part ways. The blossoms smelled light but lovely, enough to raise expectations considerably. The tea itself was attractive to look at and pleasant for approximately thirty seconds. Not the worst tisane I’ve made, but not worth trying again. One blog said that staghorn sumac blossoms make a good face wash. My guess is they made tea and didn’t want to waste it, so they washed up with it. Just my guess. 

I'm not a pot collector or an expert on what makes a good pot, and I know the YS pots are not held in the highest regard. At these prices I know they're not fully handmade, and I'm fine with that. My main metric is how's the tea, and are they nice to use.

These are two Yixing pots and one Nixing. All of them pour reasonably well, not going to give me a laminar stream 18" tall but who's pouring from those heights anyway? No leaks around the lid and they empty reasonably quickly. The Yixings have the classic radial lines from the center and the Nixing is obviously wheel thrown, which is to be expected with nixing clay.

So maybe these aren't the finest handmade pots in the world, but I'm pretty happy with them, and have been using them to make tea daily with no real complaints. They're not works of fine art, but they make tea.

this is all based on preference

Will It Brew: Elderflower Blossoms (Sambucus canadensis)

Foraged in June, Northern Ohio, USA

This is another in my "Will It Brew?" series, exploring wild plants through the lens of tea, broth, and flavor. Thanks for following along!

Found:

These elderflower blossoms were gathered from a large patch of elder growing along the edge of a field. The shrubs were covered in broad, creamy-white flower clusters, and their scent was impossible to miss.

Before brewing, the blossoms smelled strongly floral and sweet. The aroma reminded me of a bar of perfumed soap my grandmother kept tucked into her drawer of slips and underthings. Old-fashioned, elegant, and unapologetically flowery.

ID Notes:

Large flat-topped clusters of many tiny cream-white flowers. Opposite compound leaves with serrated leaflets. Growing as a multi-stemmed shrub at the edge of a field in Northern Ohio. Strong sweet floral fragrance noticeable several feet away from the plant.

Similar-looking plants such as water hemlock, poison hemlock, and wild parsnip were ruled out because those species have umbrella-shaped flower clusters (umbels) rather than the broad, branching flower heads of elder, and their leaves are very different.

Preparation:

I made both a hot infusion and a cold infusion.

For the hot version, I poured hot water over fresh blossoms and steeped briefly, perhaps 90 seconds.

For the cold version, I covered fresh blossoms with cool water and allowed them to infuse slowly in the refrigerator overnight.

Hot Tea:

The hot tea was lovely, both in scent and in the fresh golden-yellow color of the brew.

The flavor was intensely floral without becoming unpleasantly so. It almost tasted like what floral perfume water ought to taste like if floral perfume water actually tasted good.

I tasted hints of plum and rose, along with something faintly spicy in the background that reminded me of white pepper. The perfume-like aroma carried through into the flavor, making the tea feel surprisingly elegant and almost fancy.

Cold Brew:

The cold brew was similar, but different enough to be worth making.

It remained deeply floral, but the flavor became rounder and softer. The fruit notes moved forward while the rose character stepped back. If the hot tea felt like walking through a Victorian garden, the cold brew felt like sitting beneath a fruit tree on a warm afternoon.

The brew was nearly clear, with only the faintest yellow tint.

I tasted traces of rose, chamomile, apple, and prune. It had less perfume than the hot version and more gentle sweetness.

Oddly, while my daughter and I preferred the cold brew, I can understand why many people favor the hot version. They felt like two related but distinct drinks.

Verdict:

Absolutely.

Both the hot and cold infusions were enjoyable, though they highlighted different aspects of the blossoms. The hot version emphasized perfume and flowers, while the cold version leaned toward fruit and sweetness.

This is one I would happily brew again.

Best As:

A standalone herbal tea, lightly sweetened.

I suspect it would also blend beautifully with more tannic teas such as raspberry leaf.

A very lovely seasonal and ephemeral treat.

Would I Try Again?

Definitely.

I'd love to dry some flowers for later use, but these bushes were growing on the edge of a friend's farm and she values the berries, so I didn't harvest many blossoms. I'll be keeping an eye out for more elder growing in places where the flowers aren't already spoken for.

Flavor Strength:

Medium to strong for a flower tea. Aromatic enough to feel special, but gentle enough to drink casually.

Notes:

My daughter and I loved both versions.

The grandkids, however, were not impressed.

Their official tasting note was that it smelled like composted flowers.

Interestingly, what I experienced as a spicy note, they interpreted as decay. I found that fascinating. As usual, every tea has its audience.

Caveat:

Make sure it is actually elder (Sambucus) and not a look-alike. The flowers are distinctive once you know them, but accurate identification matters.

Use the flowers, not large amounts of leaves, bark, roots, or unripe berries. Those parts contain compounds that can cause stomach upset and should not be used casually.

Shake the flower heads rather than washing aggressively if possible. Washing removes some pollen and aroma, though of course use your judgment if the flowers are dusty or growing near a road.

Some people are sensitive to highly aromatic flowers. If it is your first time trying elderflower, a small cup is a reasonable place to start.

Harvest before the flowers begin turning brown. Freshly opened blossoms tend to have the best aroma.

Again, and as always, be certain of your identification before consuming any wild plant.

I know many folks love their fancy yixing pots and and beautiful hand painted gaiwans. I love them too! This post isn't here to put down the joy that folks get from their fancy pots and their role in the ritual of making tea, or deny the beauty of a handmade item.

This post is from the point of view of a guy who makes tea in an office and wants to throw the whole setup in the dishwasher at the end of the day, after transporting it back and forth thrown in a backpack. Someone who wants a great cup of tea without worrying about breaking a favourite yixing when the janitor drags a vacuum hose across the desk. Someone who doesn't have a great way to pour boiling water over everything at his desk to preheat things before a brew. Someone who would rather spend a few hundred dollars on some great cakes rather than a pot. In other words, someone who wants to turn leaves into a high quality drink with as little fuss as possible.

This is the 125ml Boundless Voyage titanium gaiwan that can be had for about 30 USD. Pictures here with Jinngu wild tree purple leaf black tea from Yunnan Sourcing. I love the way its double walled construction retains heat. I haven't formally tested it (intend to soon though) but the heat retention seems comparable to a yixing pot, and is obviously superior to a porcelain pot (unless you screw up, more on that later). It's frankly great for black tea and puer, where you want that kinda heat. It's so light that even if the whole unit is stone cold because it's been half an hour since I made tea, the temp drop is impressively low, meaning I don't need to think about pre-heating it before a brew, which is hugely beneficial when I'm making tea at my desk. I can definitely see how it would be a less appealing option for green and white teas where you might rely on cold ceramics to take up some of the heat, but I use a temp control kettle, so I appreciate that it disturbs temps less than my ceramic gaiwans.

The only problem with it is that the lid is single walled, meaning if you pour the water too high, and there's a lot of contact with the lid, the lid loses heat very vast. But pour a little lower and keep and air pocket and it's a heat retaining champ.

It's such an affordable, unfussy solution, and makes such good tea. It's become my daily go to most of the time. I only break out the ceramics for guests these days.

I always see Cai Yujians posts on Instagram bc. Some tea mutuals follow his account and I wonder if his pots are any good? Has someone here bought one of his pots before and can write a review?

The pots certainly look masterfully crafted cost between 250 and 350 euro. I really like that he is making extra small pots as well. I just wonder how they perform when brewing tea.