A cup of tea...

Hiya,

First , let me just say I know about nothing regarding tea, and only sometimes drink it when at Chinese restaurants. Tried other varieties too over the years but nothing hit me.

I think the reason is because when compared to coffee, tea is so horribly insipid. All pretty much tastes the same and a waste of good hot water.

Hah, you Limeys and other foreigners) and your tea fetish is always amusing to read about, How you do go on about such a boring drink always makes me smile. As everyone knows, it's one of the reasons y'all can look sorta gay to the Yankers like myself.

Hah, not to mention you guys dunking cookies in tea. Only thing close to that here is when the hillbillies briefly submerge their HostessTwinkies in Mountain Dew before eating.

Toodles,

Martin
 
It's about refeenment, Martin - something you Yankers lack utterly - but make up for in many other ways. Coffee in the afternoon? Very American and just not done over here, don't y'know!

'Very American' is loaded with implication and none of it positive. It is said with an expression that suggests looking down one's nose without actually doing so - which would be very rude, indeed. Ah! tea is a subtle refreshment for gentlefolk. Standard British brew isn't, mind, but still stalwartly defended against coffee and in much the same terms.
 
dodgy said:
Hiya,

First , let me just say I know about nothing regarding tea, and only sometimes drink it when at Chinese restaurants. Tried other varieties too over the years but nothing hit me.

I think the reason is because when compared to coffee, tea is so horribly insipid. All pretty much tastes the same and a waste of good hot water.

Hah, you Limeys and other foreigners) and your tea fetish is always amusing to read about, How you do go on about such a boring drink always makes me smile. As everyone knows, it's one of the reasons y'all can look sorta gay to the Yankers like myself.

Hah, not to mention you guys dunking cookies in tea. Only thing close to that here is when the hillbillies briefly submerge their HostessTwinkies in Mountain Dew before eating.

Toodles,

Martin
You just ain't doing it right. For a start it's not hot water you need, but freshly boiled. Mind you, those of you on the US side of the pond haven't been that keen on Tea since you dumped tonnes of it into Boston Harbour.

To be fair, though, I avoid tea in foreign countries. It isn't worth it. Stick with what they are good at.
 
dodgy said:
Hiya,

First , let me just say I know about nothing regarding tea, and only sometimes drink it when at Chinese restaurants. Tried other varieties too over the years but nothing hit me.

I think the reason is because when compared to coffee, tea is so horribly insipid. All pretty much tastes the same and a waste of good hot water.

Hah, you Limeys and other foreigners) and your tea fetish is always amusing to read about, How you do go on about such a boring drink always makes me smile. As everyone knows, it's one of the reasons y'all can look sorta gay to the Yankers like myself.

Hah, not to mention you guys dunking cookies in tea. Only thing close to that here is when the hillbillies briefly submerge their HostessTwinkies in Mountain Dew before eating.

Toodles,

Martin

Martin ignore these with their exotic high priced non teas

A pg tips tea bag or tetleys Hot water. Stir til brown but still clear. Add a drop milk
Two sugars

And you have the perfect nato brew

Don't mind the odd earl grey but pg tips or tetleys are great teas.
 
The tea in tea bags is all the old leaves and a lot of stem all ground up into dust. Add boiling water and you get old, stale tea and a whole lot of tannin. I hate serving it to guests who prefer it because I have to bleach the cups clean again.

I'm currently drinking some of this year's Darjeeling 1st Flush teas. The tea leaves are just that - complete, young leaves. About as far from 'non-tea' as you can get! Very low tannin content, water a few degrees below boiling, no staining of my cups - and a pure. delightful cup of tea. Taken in bone china, of course.
 
Hiya,

Of course, in my first post I was kinda stirring the pot (so to speak) and y'all took it well. I really do wish tea and me understood each other because I know there's lots of different things to sample and enjoy. Makes me a little sad, actually.

Maybe 4-5 years ago one forum member was going on about the aged and fermented Chinese teas called Pu-erh and those sounded interesting. The guy was buying various ones right from the Chinese plantations and lots of members would order when he did.

I guess I am just not sophisticated enough to understand the subtle attraction and speaking of that, let me mention an excellent cold drink for summer.

None of you have probably heard of a chocolate phosphate. Very simply, it's chocolate syrup mixed in a large glass with some sparking soda/carbonated water and then ice is added. Some jewish restaurants have that on the menu, but other type places will make em too.

When you get a person who makes a good one, those things are tough to beat.

Martin
 
Re: RE: A cup of tea...

Bechet45 said:
The tea in tea bags is all the old leaves and a lot of stem all ground up into dust. Add boiling water and you get old, stale tea and a whole lot of tannin. I hate serving it to guests who prefer it because I have to bleach the cups clean again.

I'm currently drinking some of this year's Darjeeling 1st Flush teas. The tea leaves are just that - complete, young leaves. About as far from 'non-tea' as you can get! Very low tannin content, water a few degrees below boiling, no staining of my cups - and a pure. delightful cup of tea. Taken in bone china, of course.

+2 To this. My favorite right now is a single estate Kenyan black. The flavors of these real tea leaves in a brew compared to the ones you get in teabags and such...there is NO comparison.

I've only recently discovered brewing loose leaf teas. I'll never go back to teabags if I ever have a choice.

It's like drinking a craft brewed beer compared to one of those insipid flavorless beers the big breweries make in North America. Come to think of it, I never had a crappy beer in Europe...I wonder if the tea bags are better there too? :p
 
Taylors of Harrowgate Yorkshire Gold is our daily morning cuppa to get our eyes open. In the afternoon I'll have a cup of TWG Smoky Earl Grey and SWMBO will have Fairmont Empress Orange Pekoe, a special blend made for the Fairmont Hotels chain.


RedHorseman said:
Poor yankies, dont understand our tea, don't understand our humour, don't understand our beer. All three should be dark and slightly bitter.

:D:D:D. Absolutely spot on.
 
Another yank chiming in -- I drink just about equal amounts of tea and coffee. Since Starbucks started here in Seattle, north America has gone coffee mad. I sometimes marvel at finding myself queuing up to pay five dollars for an espresso drink!

Not too often, at prices like that, but I can brew a large pot of loose leaf tea for just a few pennies. Teabags are OK, but they're the disposable multi-blade of tea (to use a shaving metaphor).

In the summer I love my iced tea, but hot tea is wonderful too -- I sometimes like milk and/or sugar in hot tea, and I prefer evaporated milk, if handy.
YMMV
~
 
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