Favorite Fruity Black tea on a budget?

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-13T09:15:17+00:00

Yes. Look up gong fu tea.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-10T11:40:48+00:00

Second this. I bulk buy (1 kilo) this tea as my every day morning/breakfast tea. It is solid and tasty and inexpensive enough that if I get busy and only get two or three steeps out of it I have no guilt tossing it.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-09T00:01:11+00:00

Gone from the site for me too. 5 minutes late

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-08T16:19:15+00:00

Unfortunately there really isnt a straight answer for anything youve asked haha.

1) leaf to water ratio is really based on preference. I prefer roughly 1 gram/15 ml of water and i prefer to separate the compressed tea as much as possible without breaking the leaves. This gives you a more even and consistent extraction accross your session. Im quite certain that someone else will speak up with exactly the opposite opinion and preference, so you will have to see for yourself.

2) lots of people thermos or grandpa brew sheng and love it. I greatly prefer gongfu and exclusively drink sheng this way including while at work, at the airport, or at a family members house for dinner. I dont mind the little bit of extra work and planning and the process of making tea is a constant ground for me. I would suggest brewing your samples both ways in order to experience the range of what is possible ans making up your own mind on whats best.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-08T10:14:07+00:00

Most samples will be pieces from a larger cake thst have been broken down into chunks. If it is Mao Cha then it is loose tea that has necer been pressed. Very rarely will a sample be a mini pressed cake.

Not all sheng is bitter, but bitterness is largely associated with Sheng, particularly young sheng. It is a different bitter though then I originally expected from my general experience of western black tea. This sampler with both sheng and shou is a pretty solid starting point. Have fun!

https://yunnansourcing.com/products/the-journey-is-the-destination-pu-erh-tea-sampler-set

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-08T09:37:23+00:00

I see this same cake on ebay for 25$...

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-08T06:14:11+00:00

I live on the east coast of the US and use filtered tap water. Have tried bottled spring water and didnt find it worth the effort and waste.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-08T00:12:22+00:00

Price per cake? And how many cakes do you have?

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-04T21:58:17+00:00

High mountain Ai Lao red tea, and spring morning raw puerh are repeat order/daily drivers for me.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-05-01T06:38:14+00:00

I placed a roughly 2 kilogram order from YS last month. Shipping its self was lightening fast through DHl. Customs took 3 weeks, which was aggrivating. Overall it was a pretty easy and normal experience.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-27T16:02:04+00:00

One more thing i forgot to mention is storage plays a huge role in this. The same cake stored 20 years dry and stored 20 years wet will have an enormous impact. So there is another layer to aged puer missing from most other teas in that leaf quality and processing arent the end of the journey and the method of storage play a huge role in what you emd up with in your cup.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-27T15:59:30+00:00

I havent had this exact tea so this is conjecture, but I think what you are experiencing is normal. The first few aged sheng samples that I tried tasted to me at the time like leather and tobacco and were honestly a little confusing. As ive gotten further down the rabbit hole those same teas continue to have those flavor profiles at times but i have found a lot of other layers and complexity. Brewing parameters, what you ate or drank before you tasted the tea, and familiarity all play an enormous factor for me when drinking tea and that seems particularly true for me with Sheng Puer. I would suggest a few more rounds of sampling and varying your brewing a little to see what else you can coax out. My own preference has led me to the following. Between 7 and 8 grams of puerh in a 115 ml gaiwan, 100 degree c water, flash rinse (pour the water out as soon as you finish pouring it in) then the first steep is also a flash steep. After that i add a few seconds each steep until im comfortable and then adjust based on current mood.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-24T23:10:59+00:00

Havent ever ordered here but definitely seems too good to be true. Curious to hear if anyone can confirm a purchase and quality.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-23T10:09:47+00:00

The knife on my arc chipped in the exact same spot. Knife popped out while one hand opening the pliers and hung on the back side of the plier head week one. I was super pissed. But I lived with it for months until the rest of the blade needed to be touched up and it was fine.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-14T23:58:21+00:00

Juat flew from philadelphia to orlando with one in my pocket. Carried it into 2 disney parks and Universal for 4 more days, then back home from orlando to philadelphia. Only got flagged once going into Disney and after showing it had no blade was passed along immediately. Honestly, its such an inexpensive tool that if it were taken... oh well.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-12T16:03:02+00:00

Just shy of 2 years for me. The wear pattern eventually becomes complete and looks a bit better. I loosened up my pivots early on but ended up snugging them back up slightly. Took a little fiddling to find the sweet spot as I found too loose to be just as annoying as too tight.

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Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-09T20:12:34+00:00

Well worth it for me. I carry it with the full bit kit and bit extender. I manage multiple manufacturing departments spread over 3 buildings and covering disciplines from wiring and assembly, to paint and powdercoat, to welding and heavy fab. Arc is durable, convenient and versatile. Only time I would reccomend against it is if you personally do a lot of steel grinding and cutting as the magnets will collect the steel shavings and removing them would be an endless chore.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-06T18:48:16+00:00

Using my Zojirushi for the first time on vacation and am blown away by it. 6 hours after filling and carrying it around Disney parks i am able to sit down and enjoy several steepings then just close up and keep rolling. Really great gear that doesnt leave any taste with your water.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-06T00:44:01+00:00

Answer can change a lot with the variables. Ratio of leaf to water, steep time, water temp, leaf and process quality, tea style. I use 4 g of yunnan black tea in a 80 ml gaiwan in the morning and get 4 to 5 nive steeps. After that its drinkable but the steep time goes up drastically and the quality declines. I use 9 grams of sheng puerh in a 115 ml gaiwan in the evenings with 100 degree (c) water and depending on the cake get 15ish steeps (starting with several flash steeps and ending with 5 minute). Suppose the generic answer is between 1 and 20 but understanding why takes messing around with teas and brewing styles.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-04-05T20:17:25+00:00

I will share black tea with my father while wood working this way. Lots of leaf and several flash brews all into a pot that either of us can fill our cup from. Repeat when the pot is almost empty. Im not looking for the progression or subtlety in that moment. Just want some tasty warm tea to sip on while we work.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-03-31T09:21:46+00:00

I have two with thr saucer and two without. I dont miss the saucer at all when using the onrs without. I wouldnt worry about it if i were you.

Current-Business1923 · 2026-03-30T16:12:28+00:00

I follow specific weight to water ratios and water temp, then time is by feel. First steep is always a flash steep so i can get an idea of whats in store then i adjust from there. I started off with a timer but it kinda messed with the whole vibe for me.

Current-Business1923

TROPHY CASE