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Becoming a tea drinker. - Page 3

post #31 of 144
1/3/08 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Canadian View Post
When camping in the desert I live on Scotch, decaf green tea and gatorade. I literally lasted nearly five days with little real food (although I did eat a lot of Clif bars to start and cheated by going into town for breakfast at 5AM, while my mates were asleep.). I did eat one or two cans of canned fruit or stew per day once I got a routine going, but lost several pounds in a week.

When my mates asked what I was drinking, I'd reply "Green Tea" and they assumed it was some sort of narcotic concoction.

I actually prefer Numi mint tea, but also enjoy a basic cup of Earl Grey.

Thomas


Completely off topic, but green tea and bourbon mix surprisingly well together.
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post #32 of 144
1/3/08 at 12:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spencer Young View Post
Completely off topic, but green tea and bourbon mix surprisingly well together.

Hm! Good to know!
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post #33 of 144
1/3/08 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Countertenor View Post
+1. I would say 3 minutes tops.



Actually, the bigger the better in that regard. Particularly with tea with larger leaves, you want to give the tea as much room as possible to interact with the water. I would say don't go with a ball at all, but rather with something like this, by Finum...

...which you can get for $9 at the above-mentioned In Pursuit of Tea. That's the strainer that I use, generally. The great thing about it is that it will fit most cups/mugs and teapots, too.

I have owned several teapots, Bodum brand tea presses ect..ect...
If I was getting into tea I would definately get this strainer....In fact I'm going to order one for myself!
Thanks for the link.
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post #34 of 144
1/3/08 at 1:11pm
Thread Starter 
Alright I will be going shopping either sometime today or tomorrow. I will especially be on the lookout for a good strainer.
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post #35 of 144
1/3/08 at 7:17pm
Check out Green Tea with Brown Rice. All the other "fused" teas are really just marketing ploys imo.
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post #36 of 144
1/3/08 at 10:10pm
Also suggest Earl Grey. After only drink Twinings for years, any other brand makes me gag. Of the green teas, I like Jasmine the best. And for a regular tea drinker, an electric kettle is one of the best investments you can make. Boils water in like 3 minutes.
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post #37 of 144
1/4/08 at 3:58pm
Quote:
I usually just leave my tea bag in the tea cup for as long as there's tea left. What is the problem in leaving the bag in more than 4 minutes?

All of the caffeine is infused within 30 seconds, and all of the flavor in about 4 minutes. Leaving the teabag or leaves in any longer will add nothing to your cuppa except tannins which can draw your stomach and make the tea taste bitter.
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post #38 of 144
1/4/08 at 7:35pm
I like white peony tea --- it's very mild and not bitter.

Recently, I've gotten a taste for yerba mate, but only if it has all sorts of extra stuff in it like milk and honey.

--Andre
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post #39 of 144
1/4/08 at 9:37pm
I am also a younger tea drinking attic! Although I stated drinking straight green tea, I now prefer it with some flavor, any of the generic flavors will do, but honey is the one I like best. Try it in the morning with a tablespoon of honey and a Banana. Can't beat it.

Stephen Nix
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post #40 of 144
1/5/08 at 7:46pm
Thread Starter 
Just to keep you folks updates, I just went to Whole Foods (an extremely kind and helpful associate directed me from regular tea bags to whole tea leaves section) and bought three varieties of teas. Black, Green, and White. I intend to drink Black in morning, Green/White in afternoon/evening time. I also went over to Bed Bath & Beyond to get a tea infuser, and I chose this: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...1&SKU=14126511 Now all I need is: Thermometer (to maintain correct water temperature when I heat water in microwave) Honey (to add some flavour to black tea) Anything I'm missing perhaps? Please do list. I go back to university tomorrow.
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post #41 of 144
1/5/08 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandrake9072 View Post
Just to keep you folks updates, I just went to Whole Foods (an extremely kind and helpful associate directed me from regular tea bags to whole tea leaves section) and bought three varieties of teas. Black, Green, and White.

I intend to drink Black in morning, Green/White in afternoon/evening time.

I also went over to Bed Bath & Beyond to get a tea infuser, and I chose this:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...1&SKU=14126511

Now all I need is:

Thermometer (to maintain correct water temperature when I heat water in microwave)
Honey (to add some flavour to black tea)

Anything I'm missing perhaps? Please do list. I go back to university tomorrow.

You don't need a thermometer. Boiling water is fine for black tea. Letting boiled water sit for 15 seconds results in the ideal temp for green tea. Honey adds a distinct flavor so I'd use sugar. I like demarra which is a unrefined sugar.
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post #42 of 144
1/5/08 at 8:12pm
Earl Grey, teabag - a classic Green Tea, teabag - 'real' green is very bitter, hence why the Japanese serve it with a lot of candy (during tea ceremonies) but the mainstream Western variants are decent Jasmin, whole leaf - I have this sort of metal ball which I use as a strainer, but a regular one, as posted earlier, gives better results in my humble opinion Darjeerling, whole leaf - I've been drinking this quite a lot, lately I basicly just use a waterboiler to boil the water, pour it in a mug and adjust the amount of tea (whole leaf) for 1 mug. No thermometers or anything sophisticated, unfortunately. Regular teabags are definately a lot easier to use if you're in a hurry, but using a strainer and wholeleaf tea gives a better taste. If you're really into tea, you could also make your own 'blends,' as for myself, I haven't adventurous enough yet to make my own blends. You might consider buying a small waterboiler, it's a lot easier to use than a microwave, plus, they're pretty cheap and compact. Strainer
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackgrass View Post
Stash brand Green Chai Tea....
Doesn't Chai actually mean tea?
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post #43 of 144
1/5/08 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
When you use a strainer like that for whole leaf tea, how long do you leave the strainer in (does it differ from tea bags?).
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post #44 of 144
1/5/08 at 11:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninjapie View Post
Doesn't Chai actually mean tea?
Yes, though in US it usually refers to tea blended with spices and often ground into a powder and made with milk. I like to purchase or make my own whole spice Masala-Chai mix. It usually includes a hearty black teas like Assam, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, anise, fennel, dried ginger and pepper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandrake9072 View Post
When you use a strainer like that for whole leaf tea, how long do you leave the strainer in (does it differ from tea bags?).
You just stick the strainer into your cup for 4-5 minutes depending on the type of tea you are making.
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post #45 of 144
1/6/08 at 2:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmax View Post
You just stick the strainer into your cup for 4-5 minutes depending on the type of tea you are making.

While the timing does depend on the type of tea, a good rule-of-thumb is 3 minutes tops. If more flavor is desired, then more tea should be used, not more steeping time.
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