The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2

General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: marcmax on April 27, 2016, 11:56:52 PM

Title: Making tea
Post by: marcmax on April 27, 2016, 11:56:52 PM
I know that quite a few of our members are from parts of the globe that favor tea over coffee as a daily drink. Any types on how to make it? My first wife was from England (Colchester) and insisted on brewing it from loose tea, in a kettle, and so dark I swear that you could stand up a spoon in it.

I live in a part of the US that considers tea a cold beverage with so much sugar added it becomes almost tea syrup.

Just curious how the tea drinking world views this topic, dark tea, white tea, green tea, milk or cream, with or without sugar.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Lucky_Lou on April 28, 2016, 01:46:31 AM
I remember my joy finding "Hot Tea" being sold in Denver, it must be like Crack I had really missed it. however you brew it , in a pot or a cup (Tea bag or loose) do not be tempted to put milk in your cup first........ that way lies the dark side Padawan. A drop of Earl Grey is very nice but if you want the real deal it has to be "Yorkshire Tea" grown in the foothills of the Pennies and picked by part time Milk Maids.......
Lou
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Motu on April 28, 2016, 01:56:45 AM
Choysa. I prefer white with sugar, because that's what I drank as a kid, but at work there is usually no milk and often no sugar, so black and not sweet is ok too.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: BPT on April 28, 2016, 02:09:09 AM
I'm not much of a tea drinker but know a little bit.  Temperature is important.  Water shouldn't be boiling.  I think that most is best just off boil, but if you get hardcore about it, certain teas supposedly have particular temps that they are best steeped at.
Also steeping time is important.  Longer isn't better.  It will get stronger, to a point, but if you go too long then you start to bring out bad qualities - overly tannic, bitter, etc.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: thrang on April 28, 2016, 02:26:13 AM
I'll admit I'm a tea fiend and philistine! I tend to leave the teabag in a mug technique so your cuppa gets stronger as you drink it. I don't mind if it is black or white, lose or bagged, so long as its tea and if I don't get my two mugs in a morning I'm a right grumpy bugger for a couple of hours.

Perhaps the most freaky thing for me about the US was asking for a cup of tea and getting a beaker of cold tea. I then got looked at very weirdly when I asked if they would pop it in the mircowave because it was cold! I worked out that I had to ask for hot tea, and I now know to take a travel kettle and at least a 100 tea bags with me when ever I venture over the pond... The other thing was being asked if I wanted cream in tea... Cream in tea my friends is an abomination that will lead to the downfall of society and victory for the powers of darkness.  

Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: skippyc on April 28, 2016, 03:48:40 AM
I like white tea and green tea which has to be made with water at 70 to 80 dogsC
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Tony Smith on April 28, 2016, 04:54:20 AM
Every day at work i have a coffee when I first arrive and if things are going badly I may have another 1 or 2 during the day.


BUT. also every morning I make a litre of tea in a plunger coffee maker (and there is a permanent threat of disembowelment with a blunt letter opener if anyone EVER puts coffee grounds in it).

I drink progressively colder cups of black tea all day.  The reason is that I cannot stand cold coffee and as the work ramps up in the morning an un-drunk cup of anything is going to get cold and milk curdles when it gets cold and I hate the look of it.

Black tea I can drink hot or cold.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Barry on April 28, 2016, 12:27:27 PM
Quote
"Yorkshire Tea" grown in the foothills of the Pennies and picked by part time Milk Maids.......

....and if they believe that Lou they'll believe anything because the snow we had this morning will have seen off the tea plants.

We drink two cups of tea a day at breakfast and tea time brewed in a tea pot using PG tips in the pyramid shaped tea bags. Coffee rest of the time.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: marcmax on April 28, 2016, 02:00:39 PM
I have always been fond of green tea. Use regular tea bags and put a kettle of water on. When it whistles I take it off, let it sit for a minute then pour it over the tea bag and leave the bag in while I am drinking it. The only thing I add is a little drizzle of honey.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Bob_Roller on April 28, 2016, 02:34:39 PM
When I lived in Iran in the '70's, found out that tea was greatly favored over coffee .
The tea was in wood barrels and you used a pair of heavy scissors or shears and cut off what you wanted, reminded me of chewing tobacco here in the US .
Had to be the best tea I ever had .
I prefer honey and nothing else in it .
I have yet to find anything comparable here in the US .
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: k_enn on April 29, 2016, 01:54:36 PM
I am a coffee drinker, but ocassionally I enjoy tea.  For me, I like either a nice Chinese green tea, or a white tea.  I always use loose tee, and pre-heat the pot before making the tea.  Temperature is important - do not use boiling water with green tea or white tea.  Let the water sit 3 - 5 minutes after boiling before pouring over your tea leaves.  Never with sweetener, lemon, or dairy.  

When I was in China, I saw a lot of the locals with bottles of tea.  The would start the day with some green tea leaves in glass or plastic bottle, that they would leave out in the sun for a little while to brew.  After they drank it, they would leave the leaves in the bottle, refill with water, and sun brew it again.  

k_enn
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Lucky_Lou on April 29, 2016, 03:44:08 PM
Quote
When I lived in Iran in the '70's, found out that tea was greatly favored over coffee .
Small world .... I was a regular visitor to Kharg island with ocasional visits inland in the mid 70,s before the "revolution"  while working for BP. Iran then was one of more pleasant places in the Persian Gulf.
Lou
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Bob_Roller on April 30, 2016, 11:13:18 AM
Lou, I lived in Esfahan, about 200 miles, 300 km south of Teheran .
It was my first encounter with a foreign culture, what I came away with from that experience, is that if you take out religion and politics out of the equation, I think people for the most part could get along a lot better .
I worked for a defense contractor, Bell Helicopter, teaching their military personnel, how to maintain the large fleet of helicopters they had .
I lived through the first 6 months of their cultural revolution in '78 through early '79 .
I found out quickly, that I did not like being shot at and not being able to return fire !!!! ;)
Their military, saw the usefulness of motorcycles .

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bell+helicopter+isfahan+iran&view=detailv2&qpvt=bell+helicopter+isfahan+iran&id=4B7C37719F9FA931E55F4C4B439F1CD86B171B36&selectedindex=143&ccid=E5sdOfzU&simid=607990954308013850&thid=OIP.M139b1d39fcd440769d9ae9898afc4c22o0&mode=overlay&first=1
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Semper Gumby on May 05, 2016, 07:51:35 PM
Green tea.  I really like Celestial Seasonings green and white teas of various favors.  Usually seasoned with local honey every morning.  8-)
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: nhmaf on May 05, 2016, 08:43:29 PM
I like many kinds of tea, though I usually prefer coffee, I will have a few mugs of tea during the week.   We take the kettle off just before it whistles.   I drink my tea like I drink my whiskey - straight up and neat.. unless I am feeling sick with a sore throat, in which case some honey is OK.  MY wife drinks all sorts of bizarre flavored teas every day, and dumps in honey on top of it all.    I don't get it...
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Ed Miller on May 09, 2016, 12:38:01 PM
Quote
Quote
"Yorkshire Tea" grown in the foothills of the Pennies and picked by part time Milk Maids.......

....and if they believe that Lou they'll believe anything because the snow we had this morning will have seen off the tea plants.

We drink two cups of tea a day at breakfast and tea time brewed in a tea pot using PG tips in the pyramid shaped tea bags. Coffee rest of the time.

We have a camellia bush (same genus as tea, different species) that looks like the tea plants I've seen on TV, and it's quite cold hardy.  Some day I'll probably try picking some of the tender leaves and see if I can make tea from it.

I drink Irish Breakfast leaf tea very strong with milk and honey.  I brew it in a deep strainer in the mug.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Justin B. on May 09, 2016, 06:59:50 PM
OK, for our Bros 'cross the pond I have a question.  My wife is pretty fond of tea so I ordered her a box of PG Tips tea.  What's the correct amount of water per bag for a good "English Brew" of this?
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Lucky_Lou on May 09, 2016, 10:24:22 PM
A standard cup just less than 1/2 a pint.... next time push the boat out and treat here to some Yorkshire Tea a proper brew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=assN6hodRpA
Lou
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Justin B. on May 10, 2016, 12:19:10 PM
This stuff claims to be the #1 tea in England...  Last night she brewed one bag in one pint and remarked at how strong it was.  Maybe she's not ready for an "authentic" cup!
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: BPT on May 10, 2016, 08:00:23 PM
Did she have it straight up?  Maybe it's more commonly used with milk & sugar?  I don't know, just guessing.  I'm pretty sure that's what an Indian co-worker of mine drinks all day but he loads it up with milk and sugar.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: clonmore1 on May 11, 2016, 01:24:51 AM
I was a big tea drinker until I did my medical training at Stamford Uni back in the very really 90's and got into coffee in a big way.

If I do drink tea it is gunpowder green (loose leaves in a special spoon) and allowed to brew for strength.

My significant other half drinks Twinings tea in a bone china cup/saucer...
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Justin B. on May 11, 2016, 03:47:29 PM
No milk, just sugar or Stevia...
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: thrang on May 12, 2016, 05:20:19 AM
Pretty much sums my view on the world.
Title: Re: Making tea
Post by: Justin B. on May 12, 2016, 10:56:48 AM
That's kinda the way I feel about coffee...