Tea Time!

[Aggie]

Discussion thread for teas of all sorts.

My roommate concocted an absolutely amazing and ridiculously simple herbal tea a couple of days ago using only dried hibiscus, fresh basil and a bit of honey to sweeten.  Fan freakin tastic!  It has a bit of tartness from the hibiscus, and the two ingredients perform some sort of alchemy to give it a hard-to-describe fruit flavour.  The colour was a deep red/pink from the hibiscus.  Honestly, it looked and tasted like something that would be full of artificial colours and flavours, only much much better.

She used it to mix with a little red wine and some other ingredients to make a sangria, which was very nice, but I saved the rest of the tea and guzzled it the next day.


----

My breakfast tea is currently black tea with fresh sage.  I've been drinking loose Bee brand black tea from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which I quite like.

[Opsa]

Is it anything like Celestial Seasoning's Red Zinger tea?

Nice topic, Aggie!

One of my theater students (well two actually, they're twins) gave me a nice basket of goodies on the last day of their class. In it were some lovely items made by a local lavender farm. There was lotion, soap, a dryer sachet, plus a cute tea ball shaped like a teapot and some organic lavender-lemon tea. I have not brewed it yet, but it smells great. The ingredients are: lemon peel, chamomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon myrtle, and lavender.

[Swatopluk]

I am of very simple and cheap taste as far as tea goes. I drink this type of black tea in the afternoon.
It's extremly mild, so it can, if I forget it, brew for half an hour and is still drinkable. Other sorts become undrinkable after 3-5 minutes.

http://www.aldi-nord.de/images/610_schwarzer-tee.jpg

I also find this stuff quite useful since I have chronic stomach trouble

http://sonia.yanas.cz/collection/super/st-christoph-01218905-magen-und-darmtee.jpg

[Bluenose]

I currently quite like this: Adore Tea Russian Caravan Traditional

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Alas.... I live in the Land of We Wanted that Yesterday, and With Fries Too....

... as such, finding a shop that sells loose tea is harder than finding a Souvenir Shop that doesn't sell "local souvenirs" made in China.... (not unlike the US Olympic team uniforms, come to think of it).

So I do what I can-- I tear open the pre-packaged bags to make my own "loose" teas.  Of course, the tea bits inside the bags are of a much finer grind, so I have to use a very fine filter (a coffee one-- stainless steel, paper absorbs too much flavor).

And being cheap, I often take a deep-sided stainless steel skillet (to better absorb the heat), fill with water, tear open a couple of bags of tea, dumping the contents into the water, and heat until it just wants to boil-- yes, I use a digital thermometer, set to ring at the correct temperature:  212 deg F.   Due to the latent heat of vaporization, when it gets to that temp, it isn't actually boiling--yet.  It'll stay there for a bit.

Anyway, kill the heat (it's covered-- there's a nice hole in the cover my temp-probe goes into), let steep (another timer), then pour through a large stainless-mesh filter into my mug.    I often let it steep for 20 minutes or so, makes for much stronger teas here-- I really get as much flavor as I can out of those loose bits.   (did I mention I'm cheap? I did?  Good....)

If it's summer?  Ice it down...
... yeah, I know that icing the tea is an anathema to true Tea Aficionados... so sue me.   It's hot where I am.

[Swatopluk]

They drink very hot tea in the desert and not because they lack ice.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

They drink very hot tea in the desert and not because they lack ice.

Yes.  And they also tend towards zealotry too-- there's no rational to either behavior. 

[Swatopluk]

Small fires are easier exstinguished with boiling than cold water.

[Aggie]

Alas.... I live in the Land of We Wanted that Yesterday, and With Fries Too....

... as such, finding a shop that sells loose tea is harder than finding a Souvenir Shop that doesn't sell "local souvenirs" made in China.... (not unlike the US Olympic team uniforms, come to think of it).

So I do what I can-- I tear open the pre-packaged bags to make my own "loose" teas.  Of course, the tea bits inside the bags are of a much finer grind, so I have to use a very fine filter (a coffee one-- stainless steel, paper absorbs too much flavor).

And being cheap, I often take a deep-sided stainless steel skillet (to better absorb the heat), fill with water, tear open a couple of bags of tea, dumping the contents into the water, and heat until it just wants to boil-- yes, I use a digital thermometer, set to ring at the correct temperature:  212 deg F.   Due to the latent heat of vaporization, when it gets to that temp, it isn't actually boiling--yet.  It'll stay there for a bit.

Anyway, kill the heat (it's covered-- there's a nice hole in the cover my temp-probe goes into), let steep (another timer), then pour through a large stainless-mesh filter into my mug.    I often let it steep for 20 minutes or so, makes for much stronger teas here-- I really get as much flavor as I can out of those loose bits.   (did I mention I'm cheap? I did?  Good....)

If it's summer?  Ice it down...
... yeah, I know that icing the tea is an anathema to true Tea Aficionados... so sue me.   It's hot where I am.

With that sort of precision brewing, one might think you'd be tempted to order some tea online...

I'm the opposite.  Dump some tea in the tea pot, hit it with water that's often been reboiled once or twice due to absentmindedness, and let it soak until I get around to drinking it. Sometimes I re-water the dregs for another pot.

[Opsa]

I can be absentminded too. Rooibos doesn't seem to mind much how long you let it steep, so it remains a fave.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I sometimes forget about the tea, after I've killed the heat... so it steeps and steeps and steeps... until the water is room temperature, even.

No problem:  if it's winter?  Microwave that sucker (after filtering the spent tealeaves).  If it's summer?  Well, I really wanted cold tea anyhow...

[Sibling DavidH]

Wendy drinks Earl Grey.  I drink tea.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Wendy drinks Earl Grey.  I drink tea.

LOL!

I've totally quit drinking soft drinks (soda) these days, the fizz kills my stomach, so I don't bother.  Now, it strictly iced tea when eating out, or just water even. 

Back when I was a kid?  If you ordered "Iced Tea" you'd get just that:  plain tea, with maybe a slice of lemon. 

Then, some idiot started serving sweet tea at restaurants.   It used to be, if you wanted sweet tea, you'd have to mix it up yourself-- sugar & sweetner packets were everywhere-- even McDonald's.

Now?  They ask you "sweet or unsweet".   If you say "plain" (because the servers are mostly foreign now) they still don't get it 1/2 the time-- and I really don't like sweet tea, not how they make it.   Most places make it as sweet as Coke or Pepsi, only with tea...

.... meh.

Customer: "I'll have a 1/2 pound of sugar, please."
Waiter:   "What?"
Customer:  "Or you could just serve me a glass of your sweet 'tea', it's the same thing, isn't it?"

[Aggie]

We don't have proper iced tea up here...  all 'Iced Tea' is a non-carbonated soda-type soft drink with similar high-fructose corn syrup content to other sodas. I'm sure none of it has ever seen a leaf of Camilla sinensis on this side of an extract-factory wall.

Some of the coffee shops will do proper iced teas, although even those require some vigilance (matcha drinks are often pre-sweetened, I think, which is a shame).

Hmm... I should track down some matcha.  Will probably have to overpay at a local tea shop until I can get to a city with a decent Asian market.

[Sibling DavidH]

I thought in Australia they smacked your cup down on the table and said, 'if you don't like sugar, don't stir it'.

A mate of mine takes the mickey out of the '2½ sugars' bit by always asking for 2 milks.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

We don't have proper iced tea up here...  all 'Iced Tea' is a non-carbonated soda-type soft drink with similar high-fructose corn syrup content to other sodas. I'm sure none of it has ever seen a leaf of Camilla sinensis on this side of an extract-factory wall.

Some places here do that-- pre-packaged "tea" in a kind of liquid concentrate.   Horrid-- but still....

... even that drek is (by my calculation) 1000% better that any of the sugar-swill that either Coke or Pepsi offers up.   Lots of lemon can go a long ways to fixing "tea-made-with-concentrate".

Fortunately?  One of the local Quicky-Marts/Seven-Eleven chains (called Quick Trip) has started serving up real brewed tea-- well, brewed from real tea leaves at least.   Okay, it's not strictly British type of tea-brewing, but it's bettern' -from-concentrate.   They basically slowly pour near-boiling water through a paper basket filled with tea leaves, not unlike making drip coffee.   It makes for a very mild tea (zero bitter oils make it out of the leaves using this method-- the water's too cold, and the paper traps what little does come out).   But I like it very much-- it comes both plain at real-cane sugared.  I sometimes indulge myself with a 25% sweet/75% unsweet mix-up.  You get to serve yourself directly from the urns they make it into.

At the end of a really, really long hot & sweaty day?  34 ounces of pure heaven poured over 64 ounces of crushed ice is just what I need to finish the day.   I always go in with two of their refillable, insulated plastic mugs:  34 ounces of undiluted tea, and a free ice-up in the 64 ounce one.    If I simply poured tea directly into the 64 ounce one full of ice?  I only get 20 ounces... yes, I actually performed an experiment to confirm this ratio...    (... and yes, I also have a 20 ounce refillable mug-- for wintertime, and hot stuff naturally...)

I like Quick Trip-- they may be fast-service, but they have seemed to take great pains to deliver quality goods.  Daily renewal of their donut section, for example.   They ensure a fresh supply daily, by running a sale:  everything in the case is $.50 after 3pm.   Or free, if you're a cop... (same as soft drinks/coffee:  cops never pay for that).   They have a hotdog section too-- good quality meats (I've seen the packaging).  They toss'em out, if unsold at the end of each day-- no 3 months old rolling wooden/burnt dogs here.  I know they do this, too-- at around 3am, in fact, as I once wanted one that late... just missed the throw-out.  Pity.

But teas?  The newest stores have, like 8 different flavors of brewed teas in a special tea-only section of the store... heavenly for someone as lazy as myself, but mildly particular about tea.

I thought in Australia they smacked your cup down on the table and said, 'if you don't like sugar, don't stir it'.

A mate of mine takes the mickey out of the '2½ sugars' bit by always asking for 2 milks.

  "don't stir" ... Love it!

[Opsa]

Where I live we have this usually dreadful offering called sweet tea- overbrewed and oversweetened, IMO. I never touch it, unless desperate. However- I will drink iced Chai. I guess the spiciness forgives some sweetness.

[Bluenose]

I thought in Australia they smacked your cup down on the table and said, 'if you don't like sugar, don't stir it'.

A mate of mine takes the mickey out of the '2½ sugars' bit by always asking for 2 milks.

Well there is that sort of thing, but generally that is amongst what could be described as "old Australians" (as distinct from Aboriginal Australians), IOW those who grew up in the fifties and earlier.

These days coffee has taken over for a lot of people, and in Melbourne there are A LOT of places where you can get really good coffee.  In fact the larger US based coffee chains have had a lot of trouble here because their coffee is terrible and why would you bother when any cafe you might find around the corner probably makes better?

Anyway, back to tea.  There is alot of variety in what is available.  Peronally I like many different teas.  With the Russian caravan, I use about twice the normal amount of tea and brew it only until it is a mid golden brown colour.  That way you get lots of flavour without too much tannin.  Other favourites include Earl Grey, which I drink black, with or without lemon but never with milk or sugar.  Actually, for the most part I don't use sugar in tea at all.  Other favourites are Orange Peako and Darjeeling.  I find both of these very refreshing.  I usually have these with just a little amount of milk.  This is something that Mrs Blue and I disagree on.  She likes normal strength tea but lots of milk.  I like strong tea (using more than normal amount of leaf but not brewed to the point of excessive tannin extraction) and just a small amount of milk, or black.  I've never really been able to get into iced tea.  I've had it on occasion and enjoyed it, but it would never be my cold drink of choice.  As for those sweetened things you guys are talking about, I couldn't think of anything worse.

BTW, if anyone ever offers you some "Genuine Australian tea" or "bush tea" (it will state something like includes some eucalyptus flavour) run away, do not pass go, do not collect $200.  It is an abomination.  However, I have had some "Australian" breakfast tea.  I don't know what to say except that it was just a run of the mill black tea, inoffensive but with no over riding character and no obvious faults, quite Ok but I wouldn't write home about it.

Finally the best cup of tea I ever had was at the Indian Naval Air Station at Cochin.  I was waiting for an officer I had met the previous night at the cocktail party on board HMAS Melbourne (the aircraft carrier).  I was led to the Wardroom library, which was a typical old Royal Navy type of thing, over stuffed leather chairs, floor to ceiling glass fronted book cases, the whole deal.  A steward asked me if I would like a cup of tea while I waited.  He returned with a lovely bone china cup and saucer and a vacuum flask of very sweet, very milky tea - not at all the way I usually like my tea.  It was absolute heaven.  On refelction, I figured that if the Indian Navy couldn't get good tea, no one could.  Despite the sugar and milk, or perhaps even because of, it was absolutely wonderful!

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

That's interesting, Blue-- over here in the "IwantitNOW" land, you rarely see teas with milk (or any milk-like-substance).   Sugar?  Sure-- over-sugared most of the time (like the equivalent of 4 or 5 sugar packets to a 16 ounce drink... not unlike honey, actually...), but rarely milk or cream(er).

Coffee's a different animal, though-- the varieties of ersatz "creamers" available here is sometimes overwhelming, come to think of it.   What's odd?  Few of these things have ever seen the inside of a cow (or goat or sheep or any other animal)... "non-dairy creamer" sounds like a kind of alien plot: 

"they are replacing our diary cows with.... aliens!"



But tea is considered "tea", regardless-- and nearly always iced.   You never get asked "what sort of tea?", nor do most places even offer a hot version (and those that do?  Never ask what sort of tea you want-- tea's tea to the US culture...).

Even your Asian eateries, who almost always offer hot tea, do not ask what sort (china black is the most common, but orange pekoe is also common, and many offer a Chinese brand that has no English on it at all....) but they do usually bring some sort of tea pot with hot(ish) water, and a couple of packets of tea in paper.   Brew it up to your liking, I guess.  A few bring out a very mild green tea of some sort (at least, it brews up as light, mild tea).  Those are the best, as far as eating out goes.

Denny's, a place I haven't been to in years (got out of the habit, when they re-organized, and temporarily closed their stores for a year or so) used to offer up a selection of hot teas-- they'd bring a thermos of hot water, and a small wicker basket of a selection of individually-wrapped tea bags ... kinda nice.   However, the more obscure choices?  Who knows how log they've been sitting there... years and years, maybe...

... heh.

[Aggie]

Even your Asian eateries, who almost always offer hot tea, do not ask what sort (china black is the most common, but orange pekoe is also common, and many offer a Chinese brand that has no English on it at all....) but they do usually bring some sort of tea pot with hot(ish) water, and a couple of packets of tea in paper.   Brew it up to your liking, I guess.  A few bring out a very mild green tea of some sort (at least, it brews up as light, mild tea).  Those are the best, as far as eating out goes.

Typically here (at least in Cowtown) it's jasmine green tea in Vietnamese restaurants, black or oolong in more authentic Chinese restaurants, and green in sushi places.  Canadian-style Chinese places usually have some kind of green tea around.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

In fact the larger US based coffee chains have had a lot of trouble here because their coffee is terrible and why would you bother when any cafe you might find around the corner probably makes better?

Perhaps it is because I am Colombian but I not only agree fully about said chain, but fail to understand how is that so many people buy their overpriced (and frequently awful) stuff.
/

[Bluenose]

Even your Asian eateries, who almost always offer hot tea, do not ask what sort (china black is the most common, but orange pekoe is also common, and many offer a Chinese brand that has no English on it

A thing I learned when I was in Sri Lanka is that there is orange peako and there's broken orange peako (BKOP).  The latter is much more common and is what is usually dispensed as "orange peako".  Whilst BKOP can make an excellent cuppa, the pure stuff can have a subtle aroma and flavour - indeed an "oranginess" that is quite exquisite.  It's rather like blended scotch versus single malts.  There are some great blends, and some not so great single malts, but the best single malts are in a class of their own.

[Griffin NoName]

What we have here is lots of "Bog Standard" tea, served with sugar it is good for workmen (builders tea) and for curing shock.

[Aggie]

I think the standard bog tea out here is Rhododendron, although it's not very common except among backwoods types. 

[Bluenose]

What we have here is lots of "Bog Standard" tea, served with sugar it is good for workmen (builders tea) and for curing shock.

If it's anything like standard builders' tea over here, it could probably make a good stand in for paint stripper too...

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

In fact the larger US based coffee chains have had a lot of trouble here because their coffee is terrible and why would you bother when any cafe you might find around the corner probably makes better?

Perhaps it is because I am Colombian but I not only agree fully about said chain, but fail to understand how is that so many people buy their overpriced (and frequently awful) stuff.
/

One thing consistent about Starbucks, though, is the taste:  if you order a "double-shot mocha expresso" at pretty much any of them in the US, you'll get the same taste.  Or theoretically, at least.  I've only ever been there a couple of times-- our local Quick Trip has faster, cheaper and frequently better-tasting coffee ... (QT takes great pains to make it so).

One reason why SB never really found a strong footing in Tulsa.   

And now, McDonald's is going for the "gourmet coffee" thing, so there's little hope for a specialty-coffee store hereabouts.

[Aggie]

The only reason I grab coffee at Starbucks is that they are one of the few mass-market chains that brews it the way I do... dark roast, very strong, tastes OK black.  Most indie coffeeshops do an equal or better job, but when I was working in Flatland/Stripmall-Land one rarely could find such a place easily when on the road and in a hurry.  SB is actually no more expensive than Tim Horton's (the usual haunt of double-double* chugging, traffic-blocking false-patriotic blue-collar folk) if you just drink straight-up coffee.  McD's is a little cheaper, and inoffensive although uninspiring.

_{*two cream, two sugars nominally, but scaled up to match the size of the beverage.  Timmies brews a heavily-oxidized medium roast that IMHO requires this level of sweetencreaming to be palatable; it's acidic and nasty when drunk black.}

My local coffee haunt is actually more expensive than Starbucks, but they brew good stuff and I consider it a 'sitting fee'.  When I go, it's either to socialize or peoplewatch/be seen, and I always brew at home if I y'know, just want a coffee.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

One thing consistent about Starbucks, though, is the taste:

Yup, you order an espresso and it tastes like $h!t.

[Aggie]

Ayuh; I like the idea of espresso, but few places do a decent one, so I usually stick to dark roast brewed coffee. 

[Bluenose]

There's this little coffee bar next door to one of my clients in the city (Melbourne) that makes a truly awesome espresso.  Not too bitter, a lovely rich brown crema, smooth as silk. I ALWAYS get one when I go to that client.  Only $3.50 too.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

There's this little coffee bar next door to one of my clients in the city (Melbourne) that makes a truly awesome espresso.  Not too bitter, a lovely rich brown crema, smooth as silk. I ALWAYS get one when I go to that client.  Only $3.50 too.

Ironic.  That's the same amount that the Lock Ness monster tried to extort from Chef's parents for years....

.... (obscure South Park joke reference)

[Roland Deschain]

Tree fity? It was about that time, I see a Loch Nay Monster! I say a Loch Nay Monster? Some of us remember that one.

The best tea shop I ever went to was in Ironbridge in Shropshire. It had a huge selection of Teas, more than you can imagine (not-so-obscure Star Wars reference). I had a pot of Japanese Green Stick Tea when there. Very nice, no milk, no sugar. The way it was intended.

[Aggie]

I had a pot of Japanese Green Stick Tea when there. Very nice, no milk, no sugar. The way it was intended.

Slightly more invigorating than Thai Stick tea?

[Sibling DavidH]

Roly, I know which shop you mean.  Years ago my daughter lived just up the bank, not far from the Golden Ball.  If you hung rather dangerously out of one window, you could see the Iron Bridge.  They still live nearby so we're often in Ironbridge.

[Roland Deschain]

Slightly more invigorating than Thai Stick tea?

Considering the effects of that particular 'erb, i'd say that the tea is more invigorating, although a lot less interesting.

Not sure where the Golden Ball is, David, as i've only ever been with family when there, and you know what that's like when they set the agenda. Saying that, i've been to Ironbridge several times. Seeing as my dad's family all originate from Oakengates and its environs, it's not surprising. Was never taken to the Wrekin, though. I wonder why?