RoboBlaster

Ah, the forces of fate we smiling in your favor, and mine. If you want to make your own sweet tea, you can't go wrong with making your own simple syrup. Just throw some sugar into some water in a sauce pan and boil away until it turns into a syrup. Add some mint or lemon into the mix, and you have yourself a sweetener to put into tea. Sweeeet. The plus is that it is already in liquid form, so no need to worry about dissolving. Yay.

Bryndian_Dhai

Yay, me, whose hubby is a chef, lol.... We *always* have simple syrup, lol. I prefer honey myself, even in iced tea, but its nice to always have the syrup to whip out for guests. I have asked for honey in restaurants, too, depending on the place. *grins* I'm all about having it *my* way, lmao. *winks*

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Locobot

I'm glad that someone besides me knows what a samovar is. I've always gotten a very negative response when I use that word in conversation.

My tea related question: is there any way to revive honey once it's become cloudy and crystallizes? What causes this?

Bryndian_Dhai

Someday I will save enough pennies to have my own samovar, lol... *grins*

As for honey, which btw is the world's purest food, you can revive honey by popping it in either a pot of hot water or in the microwave. Once it gets hot the crystals are reabsorbed into the still-liquid part.

Most honeys do not ever go bad, but if you find it smells funny, toss it. Better safe than sorry, lol. But cloudy and crystallized by no means indicates that its bad... Heating it in a pot of hot water on the stove is the most well known method, but microwaving it is faster... Just make sure to remove the metal top if there is one, of course.

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Brewmaniac

Found this thread in search and am really glad, you all have some great ideas when it comes to teas. I've been drinking Chai teas lately they remind me of the original Celestial Seasonings Bengal spice tea before they "New & Improved" it, to death!

I'm looking forward to trying Charlatan's Sticky Toffee Tea. Sounds wonderful!

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cellophanedeity

I'd like to say for the record...

I'm only 18! I have time yet to establish myself as a tea guru.

I drink at least one cup of Teatly a day. I've been drinking tea for as long as I could hold a mug, (A Cornish gramma will do that to you.) but I haven't ventured too far.

I love floral teas, and a good cup of chai. The wonderful Indian woman I used to work with would make her and I chai on Sunday mornings. She'd bring the tea, I'd bake the cookies. I like green tea, but I don't know if I do it right. But to be honest, I've never made a cup of loose leaf tea. One day I will.

And I'll follow the excellent advice given here!

0energy0

My friend told me that drinking lots of green tea can give you energy. And since i am working out, he told me i should drink that more. Should i use green tea as a substitute for water since green tea is already water with green tea? (sorry for the confusion).

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Bryndian_Dhai

Well, yes, green tea gives you energy, but that's because it has lots of caffiene in it.

I would not substitute water for tea during a workout, as your body craves water to rehydrate it during a workout. You can supplement your water intake with tea... At any other time, tea can be a substitute for a glass of water here and there.... Experts are now saying that any liquid is better than no liquid, and that there is such a thing as too much water.

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jwoody

When tea is brewing in the pot, this process is known to me as 'Masting'.

e.g: "Let it mast for about five minutes before pouring."

I can't find any reference to this word (in relation to brewing tea) on google or in the dictionary and I'm wondering if anybody outside of my locality is aware of it.

shesus

OK, I was going to feel bad posting this, but it goes with the Southern tea so I will. I always drank southern tea because I grew up down south. However, I put a new twist on it, which I think probably makes it more low-class, but it tastes good anyway. I boil a kettle of water then put in 6 tea bags and let it steep for however long I forget about it. Then I put it in a glass pitcher (the ones people take on picnics with the spout at the bottom and fill the rest of it with water. Then instead of sugar I use the Lipton Raspberry tea mix. It doesn't make it as sweet as the sugar, but it gives it a refreshing fruity taste. I used to make suntea and sweeten it the same way, but now that we live in a highrise, I don't get enough sun to brew it.

Well, there's my 2-cents, don't shoot me for making cheap tea.

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WillyPete

I was pulled back to this thread having found this on a gadget site:
http://www.gamilacompany.com/



Any thoughts?
I find I end up wasting a bit with the remains of the pot getting cold because I can't get to it fast enough.
A one cup solution would be cool. Especially for work.

Robo, after having read this thread, I can't claim to be as uhm, strict about my tea process as you, but I have spent some money on a nice Bodum glass teapot and some good loose lea teas and the difference was astounding.

Luckily in th UK we can have a lot of places to buy from, what with our tea heritage. I mean hell, the last time you guys poked fun at our tea, we had a war!

rofgilead

<img="http://teasource.com/merchant2/graphics/00000001/teeli_filter.gif"> I think this is a really nice tea filter for loose leaf teas.. really makes them taste better than the iron filters I see at the grocery stores. If ya'll are serious about tea, www.teasource.com is a nice place to find good teas.

I started drinking tea in college when I was trying to quite smoking. Then, after I met my current girlfriend, who is very into tea, I got even more sucked into tea. But tea is really great - much better than drinking a bunch of weird chemicals that people call 'soda'. I'm drinking more green tea lately, however, I like black teas like "English Breakfast" and "Earl Grey". I'm a big fan of mint leaf for making a nice herbal tea (mint is great for studying too- mint taste/smell somehow improves memory abilities).

rofgilead

Trying to post the image of the tea filter:

<img src="http://teasource.com/merchant2/graphics/00000001/teeli_filter.gif">

Mantus

I am glad rofgilead dug this up. Great thread.

Fly

Blueberry tea

1 oz of Amerrato

1 oz of Grand Marnier

1 cinnamon stick

fill glass with a nice tea (pick your fav)

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Grasshopper Green

I like suntea, shesus My mom often made it when we were growing up, and I still make it in the summer time.

I've been expirimenting with different teas in the past few months, but no loose leaf yet.

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rofgilead

What is Grand Marnier? Some sort of liquour?

Rodney

Yeah. A British couple used to run a breakfast/lunch restaurant in our town, and they served tea in pots that came with matching filters for loose tea that looked just like that. They offered 10 or 15 varieties of tea, always loose, and served the best pot of tea in town.

Because they were Brits they were pretty liberal with the tea leaves -- the husband would literally grab a fistful and drop it in the pot -- so you had to drink fast before the tea got too strong, or ask for more hot water when the pot was still half-full!

They turned me on to Irish Breakfast, which I still love.

Bryndian_Dhai

Grand Marnier is an orange flavored liqueur, used for flavoring in a lot of classic drinks, including top-shelf margaritas.

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epprebek

this thread is amazing! i love tea and probably drink too many cups a day. Also, who doesn't enjoy sitting down with someone for a cup of tea : ) hehe, i've probably been responsible for a few people beginning a tea addiction... Lately I am really enjoying oolongs, and i always like black tea.
Teasource is a great place for tea, and i'd like to add Rishi teas, www.rishi-tea.com
Rishi is fair-trade certified, and the owner is very involved in making sure he buys tea in a responsible way from quality sources.

Leto

wow, ya, thanks for livening up this thread. I love tea, and have a vast selection of loose fannings that I brought in from Sri Lanka. There's about 3 kg of fannings wrapped in foil, in my freezer, waiting to be enjoyed.

While I was in SL, I had the priviledge to live and work on a Tea Estate, in the highlands, past Kandy. This used to be a British run tea plantation back in the 19th century, but was nationalized in the '70's. I learned to make a distinction between the types of teas that were sorted and bid upon by the world's tea houses for mixing later. that's why I was lucky to get some before it left the country.

In Sri Lanka the prefered metehod to imbibe is about 2/3 orange pekoe (which i believe is the term for picking the three tender-most shoots on the twig of the tea plant) black tea with 1/3 condensed milk. They may froth it up with a bamboo whisk, and then pour it in a tea cup. Add about 5 - 10 tea spoons of sugar, and then pour into your saucer to sip.

In the saucer is usually a piece of fudge called jaggery which FURTHER sweetens the tea. this jaggery is made from palm tree sap much like maple fudge is made from maple sap. This jaggery is either left to soak in the saucer of tea or placed in the mouth, tucked between the molars and cheek for extra-added flavour.

As you can imagine, this way of drinking, in the very homeland of tea, was astonishing to me, who drinks tea plain, no milk no sugar. The feeling was mutual, and I often was served up my tea free of charge!

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epprebek

sounds like an amazing experience Leto! i'll have to try tea like that (minus the jaggery, would maple fudge be a substitute?) just to see what it is like. Though, I will probably go back to enjoying tea plain.

by the way, i have to share the best name of a tea i have ever come across (and one of the best tasting too). it's an oolong called "iron goddess of mercy"! such a great name for tea : )
i think there is a story behind the name, but i will have to find out what the story is...

Brewmaniac

I'm a big fan of Chai teas anything hotter, more peppery?

This is a great thead! Thanks all...

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Bryndian_Dhai

Oooh, yes!! Some of the Rooibos teas have quite a bite, and they're very good for you! Rooibos aren't exactly tea from tea plants, it comes from a bush in Africa, and its very hearty and very suitable for really solid blends that wake up the taste buds.

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Baraka_Guru

If you go to buy loose green tea, be sure to try gunpowder tea (a Chinese tea) if you haven't already. I like it because it's cool to watch the little pellets unfurl before your eyes in the water, plus they tend to keep longer than other loose teas, since they're tightly bound up. I should get more of it myself; it's a tasty tea. I've wanted to try matcha myself, but cost was always an issue. In terms of Japanese teas, I've mainly had sencha and bancha, and sometimes kukicha (twig tea). The latter is certainly different and is worth a try if you haven't had it. I've also had hōjicha (roasted or pan-fried tea) and really enjoy the flavour.

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Leto

i worked on a tea plantation in Sri Lanka.

wooÐs

Like, loose teas? Stuff you put in tea bags yourself? Or you use those mesh balls?

I got a catalog with a whole bunch of varieties and would like to start drinking hot tea. I know it must be so much better than the coffee I consume daily. Some blends just look so pretty! But I honestly have zero clue on what's good for what or what tastes good with what, etc.

ty

Actually, what the hell - just post about tea period. I'd like to know what's good. I have a massive collection of Celestial Seasonings that are probably all expired. And I do drink green tea whenever I hit an Asian restaurant. Yeah, that's about it. Oh - and Luzianne tea that's sweetened with 2 cups of sugar :drool:. lol

Willravel

wooÐs

Can a mod please merge the threads to bump the old one?

---------- Post added at 08:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 PM ----------

It hasn't had a post in 2 years.

Iliftrocks

I like'a da tea. You like'a da tea?

This is a very good thread. Though I used bagged teas, loose teas are better. I find that I can taste the bag when I used bags, it tastes like cardboard. I really should invest in the proper hardware and quit the bags again.

And for the record, I do not go to teabagger parties.

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wooÐs

Man, I bought 2 boxes of tea yesterday. Tried one (chocolate mint,) and it smelled sooooo good. But it was just lightly flavored water! What's up with that? I followed the directions and all. Maybe I'm just used to strong coffee?

dlish

you need lebanese coffee..thats some strong shit

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wooÐs

If it's going to grow hair on my chest, I'll pass. I have enough already.

I just thought it'd be nice to switch to a healthier version of a warm, comforting beverage. But if all 'real' tea is like what I had last night, then I dunno if I can do it. Now I did go through a Celestial Seasonings phase. Their teas were fine for me. Some were even flavored too much. But from what I'm reading, those teas are crap. I dunno.

dlish

i feel so lebanese.. :/

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Redlemon

It probably needed milk, especially to bring out the chocolate flavor.

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wooÐs

Do you think because I drink my coffee w/Splenda and cream, I should add that to tea as well? Or just play around maybe to see what works.

snowy

Play around and see what works. I used to like sugar and milk with my tea, and I still do with certain teas (English/Irish Breakfast, for instance). If you're used to strong coffee, you should definitely check out English and Irish Breakfast teas. They are strong black teas, very robust flavor.

Right now I am drinking some Echinacea Immune Support from Yogi Tea: Welcome To Yogi I love their herbal teas. Yes, they're all bagged teas, but I really think tasting the bag depends on the quality of bag used. Loose teas are good but they're not always practical. I keep a "cold care kit" in my backpack made up of Yogi Teas. My cupboard is just about overflowing with Yogi Tea.

For loose teas, I have a couple different infusers that I use, one from Bodum and the other from the Republic of Tea. I like both. I buy loose tea from a variety of shops around town. If you are interested in loose tea, look for a shop with knowledgeable personnel; it's really nice to be able to go in, talk to the shopkeeper, and walk out with the perfect tea and some good advice on how to brew it. I have a really lovely stoneware teapot that I love using, especially during cold season, because then I can just brew a giant pot of whatever it is I feel like drinking.

One thing to remember is temperature: Tea Brewing Temperature Guide and steeping time. Different kinds of tea require different water temperatures and steeping times.

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Baraka_Guru

Seconded on the Irish breakfast tea.

Steep it along with the sugar and cream.

It's to die for.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

wooÐs

Ok. I'll check into Yogi as well as Irish Breakfast teas :check:

Baraka_Guru

BTW, Yogi makes an excellent cocoa spice tea.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot