Tea

A little bit of everything. Go to a shop in your town and try some greens, oolongs, blacks, whites, etc (Sencha, tie guan yin, moonlight white, etc). Get some 15g samples and try them. If you like one, explore that subvariety more, learn what you do and don't like, then try to get some better quality tea.

I personally love oolongs, matcha/greens, and white tea, but still really enjoy a nice puer.

If I had to rank tea I would say:

1. oolong
2. green
3. white
4. puer
5. black

This will depend a lot on the style that you enjoy, but there are a couple commonalities in the methods.

You will need a matcha set and a sieve that you will shake the matcha through to make sure there are no clumps.

1. Heat water in a pot or kettle
2. Add hot water to your teapot or mug to pre-heat it, dump after a few seconds
3. Add appropriate amount of tea to your infuser, place in teapot or mug
4. When water reaches desired temperature, pour over tea infuser
5. Time your tea, then dunk infuser a couple times and remove
6. Most leaves can handle a second infusion

Done in a gaiwan (lidded cup) or small teapot, typically 75ml to 150ml.

1. Pre-heat your gaiwan or teapot with hot water, dump after a few seconds
2. Place leaves in vessel
3. Add water at correct temperature
4. First couple infusions: 5-30 seconds depending on tea type
5. With puer and oolong, do initial 10-20 second brew and discard (removes dust/debris)
6. Pour into cup
7. Experiment with different infusion times - processing affects brewing speed dramatically

Great for summer and brings out different flavor profiles in teas.

All tea comes from very similar plants of the Camellia sinensis species. Over centuries, people have selected and crossed different bushes to get tastier leaves and bigger bushes. Different varieties (cultivars) are found in different regions. For example, the variety that yields da hong pao is found in the Wu Yi mountains in Fujian province of China, while the variety for sencha is found throughout Japan.

Different varieties of Camellia sinensis also adapted to different climates. When tea was exported to India, the bushes changed to adapt to different weather conditions, creating the Camellia assamica variant.

Store in airtight containers away from light, heat, humidity, smells, and temperature fluctuations. Tea absorbs smells very easily, so make sure containers are sealed and don't store different types together or near strong smells.

The easiest way is to put it in a plastic bag in a cabinet away from direct sunlight at room temperature without dramatic temperature swings. For longer term storage, maintain moisture level between 45-65%. You can wrap in plastic wrap to maintain humidity in dry climates, or use plastic containers with boveda 58% humidity packs.

Avoid Teavana (overperfumed, expensive, poor quality), Starbucks, and places that sell lots of flavored tea that isn't French. Visit your local tea shop instead! I avoid tea bags almost entirely, as they are often plastic laced, and boiling water + plastic is no bueno. Go loose as much as possible: Tea bags may seem cheap, but they contain the lowest quality tea possible (essentially "dust"). Loose leaf can be fairly affordable - even premium Taiwanese oolong at higher prices can be re-steeped multiple times, making the cost per cup comparable to mid-range bagged tea while offering much better quality and flavor. I re-steep my teas 3-6 times a sitting, so the cost per cup comes way down.