225 new of 229 responses total.
I worry about the bleaches they use in tea bags, even though we're probably consuming them in such small quantities that they're harmless. They're not harmless to the environment. But teabags are sure a lot more convenient than doing the tea-ball thing, so I end up using them at work and restaurants.
I heard a story once about a British tea-taster: "Hmmm... Oolong. Ceylon number two. A touch of red Hangchow. And, of course, the bag."
I don't know what tea has in it apart from a little caffein, but it wakes me up and clears my head much better than coffee does. (Might be psychosomatic, as popcorn says, but I'm not arguing.) If I'm making a whole pot, which I seldom do, I like to use loose tea and a tea ball. Otherwise, bags are just fine. In addition to Twining's China Black, I like Bigelow's Constant Comment. Constant Comment is *the* thing to drink when you come in from raking leaves on a chilly autumn day. (Remember chilly autumn days?) I've always loved iced tea. We have a "Mr. Coffee" iced tea maker that makes a half-gallon of any kind of iced tea you like, ready to drink in fifteen minutes. Some herb teas are wonderful. Blueberry leaf is one of my favorites. Chamomile tea has, for me, a relaxing and nostalgic quality, like bringing a warm sunlit meadow indoors. Also, some of the Celestial Seasonings blends, like "Emperor's Delight" or "Autumn Harvest," are okay. But many commercial herb tea blends are bulked out with hibiscus flowers, for some reason, and you might even find hibiscus flowers to be the primary ingredient in some tea blends that don't have hibiscus in their name. Milk: pro or con? I'm against it in tea. Makes me sick to my stomach, in fact.
I love tea, and I love coffee, too. For tea, I prefer Twining's Earl Grey or English Breakfast, either brewed in my automatic drip coffee pot (that gold coffee filter is easier to clean than the balls, and we end up with no leaves!). I find that we make the tea on the strong side; I like it straight and my husband adds unrefined sugar. Pregnant I drink Celestial seasonings mandarin orange or mint medley. (Beware...I think it's bigelow's mint that is flavored tea, complete with caffeine). For those, I use bags. My kids drink apple orchard (again, celest. seas. caff free). They aren't allowed to have soda, so they like making this or hot chocolate for themselves.
I have yet to find a tea ball or strainer that doesn't leave me feeling like I'm drinking sawdust.
i like irish breakfast tea, english breakfast, darjeeling, and the regular ol' red rose orange pekoe. i just bought some pure peppermint herb tea, which my cat seems to like more than i do. once i tried to drink catnip tea around a cat...heh.. i think that is something everyone should try once.
I can drink it with milk, I prefer cream, with sugar. But usually it's lemon and sugar, or just sugar. I keep all my teabags in mon big ziploc bag so that they can intermingle; gets pretty interesting after a few months.
we have a glas teapot at work that apperntly works wonderfully....there is a middlei cylendar that has verrrrrry thin slits to hold the tea in, and let the water out...one of these day's i'm gonna try it...:)
Last time I was in England, I discovered that there is a quaint custom of asking, "Would you like a cup of tea," before your host brings you a cup of tea. The question is pro forma. Your answer, "Yes," "No," or "A giant purple monster ate my boxer shorts," will inevitably result in your being brought a nice, hot cup of tea. Why not use a proper English tea pot, with built-in strainer, and deal with the stray tea leaf? You'll be happier.
thats what this glass pot is....t's like corning ware, and very strong.
We got one of those glass teapots as a wedding gift. You put the loose tea in the middle cylinder and pour boiling water through it. Ours has a glass base with an indentation in it that holds a small metal cup for a voltive candle to keep the tea warm. Whenever we can both decide on the same tea we use it, makes wonderful tea and gently keeps it warm. However, we usually don't agree on which tea to drink at the moment and so we have several tea ball, strainer thingies, special spoon shaped tea ball devices so that we can each make a cup of whatever. (STeve loves to go and pick out a selection of teas at the People's Food Co-op. Makes live interesting cause he doesn't always label the bags and you have to guess which is what by smelling them.) This is the time of year that I start thinking about Russian Tea (orange, lemon spiced tea) and will probably make up a batch (as soon as I find the box that is hiding my recipe box or we get a working monitor so that I can access my computer recipe files). Will post the recipe when I do.
we just got our noel tea in at work.....it's good sstuff, even tho the smell is sorta like bubblegum...:)
i want to get a teapot, even if it is just a plain ceramic one... i really detest earl grey tea. to me, it tastes like that bitter dandelion milk.
I have found that the proper way to enjoy earl grey is with lemon. I agree earl grey by itself is sort of scary stuff - it always reminded me of mosquito repellent. But with lemon & sugar, I find that it turns into pure ambrosia.
I even like it straight up.
I love english breakfast and ceylon teas...I make them in my automatic drip coffe maker and I make them rather strong. I don't drink coffee. I like mine with just enough milk, the thin stuff, to cool it to drinking temps. I drink about 2 pots a day. For herb teas, we all like raspberry, red zinger or lemon zinger. My husband loves sleepy time tea. I also like mint tea when I am not feeling well. Got sick of constant comment a while ago.
I've been drinking a lot of "Harvest Spice" (I think that's its name) tea, from Celestial Seasonings, at work lately. I tried their Bengal Spice flavor, too, on the theory that it has cardamom in it and cardamom is one of my favorite spices, but the resulting brew seemed to be all aroma and no flavor. Which led me right back to Harvest Spice again. Yum!
Harvest Spice is wonderful.
I've been trying some of the over 100 kinds of tea we have at our store. One thing some people forget is that tea must expand to three times its dried state to fully infuse. So fill your tea balls and spoons only about a third of the way, and use the proper amounts. About a teaspoon per six ounce cup, so a mug (mostly twelve oz) would be two teaspoons. Three mins. steeping for green teas, four to five for blacks. Herbal tisanes (there is no "tea" leaves in them) are pretty much to taste, but often not more than ten mins.
I'm a big tea drinker, too... I drink more iced tea than hot tea, but I do enjoy them both. Am currently drinking ginger-peach iced tea. For hot teas, depending on my mood, sometimes I drink them 'straight', sometimes with cream, sometimes with sugar or sweetner. Down south, here in NC where I am currently residing, when one orders iced tea, 95% of the time you'll get it already sweetend unless you specifically ask for unsweetened tea... I used to always drink my iced tea unsweetened but have gotten into the habit of drinking sweetened, mainly because at restaurants, its easier [and fresher], though I'm trying to break myself from that habit!
well, i got a teapot and teaball, and even dug out a fancy teacup! i'd been making a lot of tea of late. a friend told me to try boiling a mixture of half milk and half water, then steeping the tea in that. i was skeptical, but it is actually pretty good!
I've wish I liked tea. The tradition is so elegant. But I can't seem to aquire a taste for it.
s/acquire/aquire Think I'll get some cooffee going.
"I like coffee, I like tea, I like the Java Jive, and it likes me."
in about 3 weeks, marcvh and i are going to victoria, B.C. word has it that it is the most british of all canada. so, i'm going to drag marc off to a tea whn we are there. i've heard that the empress hotel is wonderful, except the more i found out about it, themore inclined i am to take tea elsewhere. it is 20 bucks a person, AND you have to dress up for it. but you do get tea, crumpets, jam, strawberries, cream, teacakes, sandwiches. we'll probably go to the james bay tearoom. i dont think you have to be formal there.
I suspect you'll love Victoria, Christine. John and I were there not too long ago and enjoyed it a whole lot. Leave at least one night free to wander down along the water's edge where there are street artists galore. Too, as of last weekend the currency exchange rate was 34%. So the price of that High Tea isn't all that bad.
We enjoyed afternoon teas at a hotel in Mayfair when we were last in London. Can't get much more authentic than that, you'd think, and yet the tea itself seemed a minor part of the affair. I was and remain cheerfully ignorant of that particular Britishism.
ok, i did it. i thought it would be straightforward tea, but it wasnt quite.. marc and i had a seat next to the window, and could see the horse drawn carriages going up and down the street. nice view. when the tea came, it was on a tray with all sorts of food on it. sandwiches <egg salad, tuna> a lemon tart, 2 spherical baked dough balls. <i assumed these were scones>, jam, a bowl of whipped cream <!> a bowl of something else, i think the waitress said it was trifle.. it seemed to be a fruit pudding mixed with cake and covered in whipped cream. plus a teapot covered in a cozy, and cream and sugar for the tea. at the time, the place was fairly empty so i couldnt take my ]cues from other people. i had no idea if i were to eat the trifle with a spoon or smear it on the scones. and the bowl of whipped cream was a puzzle to me. <blush> i ended up putting jam on the scones and a little blip of whipped cream. that seemed odd, the whipped cream. i alternated putting a bit of trifle on the scones, and eating it with a spoon. could any knowledgable person offer ant hints on this matter?
Oh,my, am I envious or WHAT!! You had a wonderful High Tea. The 'whipped cream' was probably Devonshire cream, a slightly thickend, or 'clotted' cream. Trifle is a sweet that is layers of cake, fruit, custard, and whipped cream. Sometimes it also has sherry in it. It is usually eaten by itself. The scones were meant to carry the butter, the jam, and the Devonshire cream. High Tea is often like a light supper, hence the sandwiches. I've had mixed grill (grilled tomato, sausage, & other things) sometimes instead of sandwiches. Then you had lemon tarts, which possibly were small pastries filled with lemon curd, which is also sometimes offered as a spread, like jam. It sounds like a *very* lovely tea, my dear.
thanks for the information on the tea! and yes, it was very nice. i used it as a light late lunch. i had heard the term clotted cream before.. but the reason i called it whipped cream was that it had the appearance of coming out of a can. but.. it did seem a bit heavier than the stuff we buy here in the grocery stores. i asked my brother about it, and he thought that the clotted cream was supposed to go in the tea. i didnt think so, as there was already cream on the table for it.
Clotted cream is a spread for breads, not an addition to the liquid.
In the South of England, we loved Scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam with tea. Devonshire especially features clotted cream. You can buy it here at Merchant of Vino in the exact jars they sell it in over there. It doesn't have a strong taste but a delicious consistency, and I am sure, tons of calories from fat. But once in a while, you have to party. I could never understand how the English have high tea like that, then drink pints of beer (do you believ the size of those pints?) and then go home to have dinner. And most of them are so thin. Good genes, I guess.
No, most of the dinner food is so incredibly bland that they just sit down and talk, then go to bed. ;)
a british pint is twenty ounces.
Early last week, I was in Ashevill, NC with a friend-where we did the Christmas candlelight tour of the Biltmore Esate [the largest private 'home' in the country; built over 100 years ago by George Vanderbilt. The house is really decked out for the holidays--and the 'grounds' are absoloutely wonderfu, too [over 80,000+ acres!]. On Tuesday afternoon, before heading back to 'reality' [home], we had a lovely "English" Tea at a place called [none other than] Chelsea's Tea House! This place was incredible... as was the tea selection AND the plate of foods that came with it--including several kinds of 'finger' sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, quiche, a bowl of cake/fruit&cream, and all sorts of delicious desserts. I do plan on going back again sometimesoon! [Its only a 4 hour drive away! :-) ]
Finally, another person who doesn't think a 4 hour drive is that long! :) :)
(I drove 10 hours yesterday)
Whereto? (I'm assuming from A^2)
Nope, it was from mom's place in NYC *to* Ann Arbor.
Abchan, for something fun. special, and/or exciting, a 4 hour trip is nothing! It went by fast, especially in comparison to the drives I make to AA [which is usually a bit over 12 hours each way!]
Valerie, you drive from New york City to Ann Arbor in only 10 hours? Geez, what's your average speed. I assume it's about 650 miles.
It's 630 miles. When I do it in 9-10 hours I drive continuously with only two brief stops along the way. It's more fun to make a massive detour to Ithaca, though, and visit the gorges and the little handcraft shops there and have a meal at the Moosewood. Especially if the weather is nice enough to really enjoy the gorges.
<I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Ithaca, snow and all>
Back to the tea discussion... I've heard several people [in the usenet's tea newsgroup] say how wonderful the "Mrs. Tea" tea-maker/brewer is. Since I love tea hot or cold but haven't had much lately, Iwent out and brought one of these tea makers for myself. I had mixed feelings about it; after all, what's so hard about brewing a cup of tea?? But then, though it isn't HARD to do, its something that I just hadn't gotten around to doing much of [even though if it wre already MADE, I'd drinkn lots of it. So... What this Mrs Tea tea maker is all about--its very similar to the Mr Coffee coffee brewers [made, after all, by the same company]. You have your part on top where you put in a coffee filter [er, tea filter] and add either loose tea or tea bags. Then ya pour in the water into the resevoir [sp?] and place the tea pot [that comes with it] underneath, on the hot plate part. Then ya turn it on and let it go. Whhile the tea is brewing, the hot plate warms up the tea pot ahead of time as well as keeps the brewed tea hot for you while you're working on the current cup of te you're drinking. How do I like it?? I think its great! I've had more tea in the past 4 days then I had in the previous several months! For example, in the morning, I set it up to brew while I'm in the shower... After I get out of the shower, its ready to go. In the evenings after work, I can have another nice cup of tea to help unwinde after a stressful day at work. As for iced tea--the best iced tea I've had comes from brewed tea, not that instant powdered stuff. So I'm sure I'll be doing a lot more of the iced tea stuff with this, too. Has anyone else tried this thing yet?
call me a snob, but tea made with water that hasn't been boiled just doesn't taste right to me. then again, i picked up my tea-drinking habits in england at an early age. ;) to answer the question, i haven't tried a mrs. tea yet.
Agreed. Not only does the water need to be boiled, tea under 200 degrees seems cold and unhappy to me. Add me to the snob list.
OK. Done.
8-{)]
Well, this tea, if it hasn't been boiled, it certainly is close to it--it's always steaming hot when done, much too hot to drink right away. There have been a number of people that have voiced the same concerns as above [in the tea newsgroup] but once they tried it [Mrs Tea], they DID like it! [At least those that responded!!] Anyway, at least y'all know that *I* am not a snob!! And I *like* my tea!
I have been drinking Twinings Decaf Strawberry tea with sugar and a little pinch of lemon which really brings out the strawberry flavor.
you know what is good, and fairly new? general foods international teas, (just like the coffee, except made with tea) the pacific northwest was its test market. it went over well and is now been introduced to a few other careful markets. it isnt available in michigan yet.... so every few months i send my mom a carepackage of it. the flavors: english breakfast creme (like straightforward tea with a bit of cream and sugar) i forgot the names of the others, but there is a cinnamon creme (mom's fav) and a raspberry creme and an orange creme. i have only tried the english breakfast creme (excellent) and the cinnamon creme. i didnt much care for that, as it was akin to drinking potpourri, but mom loves it. mom also likes the raspberry creme a lot.
Very belated question: What exactly is "creme"?
the non-dairy powdered stuff. (belated? i just entered that today)
I recently discovered Chai -- a sort of spiced Indian tea -- and have been guzzling it at any restaurant I go to that has it. Recently I tried making some on my own at home, going with what I know about what seasonings are in it and with what I had lying around at home. It turned out surprisingly tasty and was very easy to make, so if anybody wants to give it a try, here's what I did: I couldn't find any loose leaf black tea at home, so I used three bags of English breakfast for one kettle. I broke up one stick of cinnamon and added it, a bunch of cloves, 4 or 5 black peppercorns, and a healthy-sized pinch of anise seed. I wanted to add all-spice, but only had the ground, not, whole, at home, so I ripped open one of the tea bags, sprinkled a good amount into the bag, wrapped it back up, and tied the bag shut with a string. I put all this into my big orange tea ball and steeped it in a kettle of near-boiling water for 15, maybe 20 minutes. I added a couple big squirts of honey to the batch, too. It turned out quite deliciously, but not exactly like anything I've had at a restaurant (but each of those is different, too), and I'm almost out so I'll need to make some more soon. I've been drinking it iced, sometimes plain and sometimes 1/2 and 1/2 with milk. I haven't tried it hot yet, but at restaurants I've had it that way before and it's also excellent. One thing I'll probably change when I next make it is the brewing time: it definitely could have been a fair amount stronger. If you're at all into tea, you should give this a try.
Chai is the Chinese (and Russian) word meaning tea.
I knew it was the Russian word, but I didn't know it was the Chinese. Do you happen to know the origin of the word, or who was borrowing from whom?
Russians do not grow tea, which needs a warmer climate. They import it, along with the word.
In standard Arabic, the word for tea is "atai," but the word we ran across in Morocco was "chai" (pronounced "shai," since the Roman-alphabet-users in Morocco mostly speak French).
Meijer sells a line of green teas called "Teas of Ceylon" that are pretty good. I've tried two so far: one flavored with lemon grass and another that's mint-flaovred.
Lemongrass tea is some fabulous stuff. It also allegedly keeps mosquitoes away, since it contains the active ingredient used in citronella candles.
resp:15 Where can I get that (and around where I am)? Once I can get into a house, I think I might start an herb garden, with mostly herbs for herbal tea.
I've really gotten into tea these past few years... Especially learned a lot from a local tea shop that was in Durham for a while. So a lot of the tea I drink now are brewed from tea leaves [vs the traditional tea bags, though I still do the bagged stuff from time to time. Lately, its been a lot of iced tea for me, too.
I like Oregon Chai. I buy the concentate boxed liquid type. You just add steamed milk and it is wonderful. I've tried the powdered version, but find that its waaay too sugary. I like drinking green tea sometimes. So, I unknowningly bought the premium version of Bigalows green tea. Instead of the regular paper type envelope, they come in individually hermetically sealed mylar packing to keep the freshness in.
I drink a lot of tea too but mostly just do tea bags because they are easier. I *love* pretty much any kind of black tea with milk and maybe a little sugar or honey.
Resp 58 - Chai is also the Hindi/other Indic languages word for tea. REsp 61 - In Arabic (the kind I learned in Kuwait - no French influence there), the word was shai. (pronounced shay). I've never seen "atai"
Now that the cooler weather is settling in, I'm drinking much more hot tea and much less iced. I just had a pot of Harney and Son's cinnamon tea; good stuff! :-) I'm on a couple tea lists [yahoo groups] and on one of the lists, someone just organized a tea exchange: There are 14 of us participating, so everyone sends 14 samples of an autumn tea [we're all using loose tea]. The host collects the tea from everyone and then sends back to everyone, one sample from each person. There'll be enough tea for at least one 2-4 cup pot. I got mine mailed out a few days ago [another brand of cinnamon tea]. The deadline is today-so by next week, I'll have lots of good tea to try. I'm looking forward to it. I think I've gotten spoiled with good tea these past few years so that there are a few teas I *don't* like much any more, unless there are no other options. And it seems that most restaurants don't know how to brew a good cup of tea, hence, I mainly drink mine at home. I guess I've turned into a tea snob!
I'm still a fan of good old Red Rose.
I do like Red Rose better than plain [black] Lipton. :-)
Lipton is just yucky. I got hooked on British black tea as a kid (my whole family did), and Red Rose was the closest any of us could find when we moved back.
Though lately [the past couple years or so], I rarely have just regular/plain tea; I've been doing the flavored teas.
You can buy PG Tips at Meijers. I dont mind Lipton but I'll admit that I prefer other teas to it.
I don't remember if I've mentioned in a previous post or not... But for anyone really interested in anything/all things tea related, there are some good groups on yahoo. My 2 favorites: Afternoon Tea Across America [ATAA for short] and TeaMail. ATAA is a bit more informal thant teamail but I like them both. I have a separate screen name on aol that I get my tea-related mail at. That way, when I just want to relax a bit, I can sip a cup of tea while catching up on my fun mail. This has been a Public Service Announcement. :-)
Thank you! Isn't there a way to not get email, and just join the groups? Then you sign on and read the archived mail when you have time.
Yep, Colleen, there is that feature. In most of the yahoo groups that I'm involved with, I do the email option to make sure I don't miss anything good [since, like here, there's a lot of drift under said item headers, though the drift often have good information. Though there have been groups where I just go through the archives.
When my brother, sister-in-law and niece were over for dinner this evening, we had iced green tea during dinner. Later in the evening we had a good peach tea from Harney's & Sons [which can be picked up in the cafe at Barnes and Noble, among other places, too]. The 'summer peach' also is good as an iced tea, especially during the nicer weather. A touch of splenda brings out the flavor just a bit.
Right now I'm drinking a Harney&Sons winter blend. I love this tea so much that I always have to have some in my desk at work, and I order it during the summer too.
Yep, I really like their winter blend [as well as their cinnamon tea as well; that's one of my all-time [readily available] teas]. I was at B&N today where they sell a variety of H&S's tea and was tempted to try their mango tea. But alas, I resisted the temptation. I finally tried my 'Achai Green Tea' [by The Republic of Tea] the other day [that I brought a few weeks ago]. It's good hot but I think its even better cold [and of course, I add a bit of splenda to bring out the fruity flavor a bit more]. If any of y'all would like a sample of it, do let me know!
I learned something this weekend, not so much about tea, but a tea company. First, I drink pretty much just iced tea, rarely hot tea. Second, I love to use Irish teas (Barrys Gold or Lyons) but to be honest, Liptonis fine too. That being said, I'm switching to Luzianne. I was watching "Feasting on Asphalt 2" with Alton Brown on the Food Network. This series is called "The River Run" as they go up the Mississippi, looking for great places to eat (no highways or chain restaurants allowed). They started in southern LA and went up into New Orleans and stopped at Luzianne for a tour. What made me decide to switch is that the company kept all of their employees on full salary in the months after Hurricane Katrina, even when the plant was closed. Anyone who is that dedicated to their employees deserves, at the very least, my patronage.
Wow, that's pretty cool. And Luzianne's tea tastes fine iced. If/when I use 'just' traditional tea [black], that's my favorite to use [I do think I remember it listed at least part of the tea leaves as being orange pekoe tea]. I've been in a phase for quite awhile now where I'm drinking predominately flavored teas. And when I do make it, I make enough to save as iced. Or to have warm later in the day. This morning I had a couple cups of that cinnamon tea I mentioned earlier, from Harney's and Sons. Are any of you familiar with Rooibos? It's also known as red tea or redbush tea. It's only grown in the southern part of Africa, and though its not 'officially' tea--not coming from the plant that provides us with regular tea, its very similar. And it has a lot of health benefits as well [and is safe to use for even issues involved with babies--like with colic and stuff like that]. Though it does have a somewhat different flavor than tea; I don't like the 'plain' rooibos all that much but do enjoy many of the flavored ones. It's also prepared a bit differently. To get more of the beneficial effects, instead of brewing it for a few minutes after the tea stops boiling, this is actually 'cooked' or boiled in water for a period of time [I think its suggested to boil for about 10 minutes]. I haven't had any in awhile, but when I did, I made a big pot of it at a time [because it took a bit longer to prepare the first time and it does reheat well]. I'd buy it in loose leaf form and add the necessarry amount to the pot of water and let it boil. When its down, I'd strain it into my teapot or another 'storage' container. I'll post more info on the health benefits and such at a later time.
I don't use anything but Luzianne. When I first moved up here in the 60s it was part of my quarterly care package from my college roommate living in Houston. (along with decent salsa). But I hadn't heard about their employment stance. Good for them. Now I have a reason to proselytize.
From a website about rooibos tea: The Health Benefits of Rooibos...Rooibos Tea - Red Tea .. With its many positive attributes, Rooibos tea is a great choice of drink for health conscious people. Rooibos tea contains no colors, additives or preservatives, making it a natural beverage. It contains no caffeine. According to studies conducted in South Africa and Japan Rooibos has been shown to aid in health problems such as insomnia, irritability, headaches, nervous tension, and hypertension. Studies also show that this tea contains anti - spasmodic agents, which can relieve stomach cramping and colic in infants. In South Africa Rooibos has been used to treat allergies such as hay fever, asthma and eczema very effectively . It is also used to treat irritated skin. Rooibos is brewed and placed directly on infected areas. Rooibos contains anti - oxidants which can help slow the aging process and boost the immune system. Rooibos is a great thirst quencher and is an excellent beverage for active people, including children. Most kids will drink Rooibos without added sugar or sweeteners. This tea contains almost no oxalic acid, making it a good beverage for people prone to kidney stones. Rooibos contains the following minerals: copper, iron and potassium, calcium, fluoride, zinc, manganese, alpha- hydroxy ( for healthy skin ) and magnesium (for the nervous system) are also components of this tea. In South Africa pregnant women and nursing mothers drink Rooibos because it contains no caffeine.
Rooibos is supposed to be even better for you than gree tea: The Rooibos Tea Revelations When Annique first made this discovery, it was impossible for her to know the many amazing health benefits Rooibos tea can provide. Throughout many years of rigorous scientific investigation, many benefits have surfaced and more are sure to follow. Foremost, Rooibos tea has been proven to contain many flavinoids, free-radical fighting antioxidants (similar to Polyphenols which have made Green tea famous). Even more alluring, unconfirmed studies are showing that these flavinoids may be up to 50 times more effective than those found in Green tea. And in literature: A "Novel" tea Recently, the tea industry has seen yet another resounding rush for Red Tea. Within the past year, sales for Rooibos tea have spiked about 70 percent. This is due partially to the fact that, of course, that tea is "hot," but also for more surreptitious means found in Pop Culture. Widely acclaimed throughout the media and a New York Times Bestseller, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith extols the delicious qualities of naturally sweet Rooibos tea. Set in Botswana, Africa, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is the first book in a series (of the same title), wherein the main character, Precious Ramotswe, frequently entertains clients and visitors with a cup of what is referred to as "Bush" tea or "Redbush" tea (these, as we know, are colloquialisms for Rooibos). The enormous success of this series seems to have catalyzed a remarkable demand for Red tea, bringing Rooibos tea once again to the forefront of the beverage world. A "Red" by any other name... No matter what it is called (Red Tea, Redbush Tea, Bush tea, Mountain tea, Long life tea, Herbal Allergy tea or Rooibos Tea), all can agree that Rooibos is a delicious, naturally sweet and versatile beverage... but this isn't the full extent of Rooibos' utility. Currently, companies spanning many industries are developing innovative non- traditional methods to employ this handy herb. When added to lotions, Rooibos has been shown as an effective herbal remedy for skin ailments such as eczema and acne. In cooking, Rooibos tea has been shown to be an effective meat tenderizer and a wonderful marinade (for more cooking information, please visit the March 2004 issue)... Rooibos is also being used as a dye, a vitamin, a spice and just about anything that could be imagined (Not to mention the fact that Rooibos tea makes an interesting subject for a "Monthly Newsletter For Tea Aficionados!"). Rooibos tea has expanded from a small herb indigenous to a select region of South Africa, known only to a small group of tribesman, into one of the most consumed and well-known herbs in the world. The wonderful flavor and startling versatility make Rooibos worth the praise it has received, a mainstay for the converted and a must-try for the not-yet enlightened. Ok, enough about rooibos for one sitting... :-) As you can tell, I enjoy rooibos as well as regular tea--though its not as readily available in many stores; though there are a number of places they can be ordered online. Which I need to ahead and order soon since I don't have any at all anymore here at home. [If anyone's interested in trying some and/or going in on an order with me to save on shipping and/or splitting a specific order so you can try it out yourself, do let me know!] :-)
And I'm still looking forward to a tea outing in the near future... [see/discuss in the grexpedition item here in this conference?]
Where would one buy Luzianne tea? I love to patronize companies that treat their employees well.
I have found it in my grocery store. I'd imagine Busch's carried it.
I just brought a package the other day at 'Save-a-lot' on Washtenaw. Though I bet its at many local grocery stores. If you can't find any, Lynne, I can pick up some for you.
SaveALot, Meijers, Kroger, probably Buschs
Oh ok. So it is fairly common. I probably just havent really noticed it before
Speaking of Luzianne tea, I just made 2 quarts of it using the refridgerator method of brewing. The package I have consists of 'family'sized tea bags. Follow the directions for sun tea and do it that way OR, fill up a 2 quart container with water, add 2 of the bags [I fasten the lid on over the tea bag stringy things so the bags don't sink down to the bottom of the container, making it diffucult to retrieve out of the container with a smallish mouth to it]. Refridgerate it over night; in the morning, remove the tea bags and throw them away [or use them for compost or whatever]. Adjust to taste accordinly; add suger/sweetner if you want to. Speaking of disposing tea leaves--I dunno if I've mentioned this here before--but don't throw out the leaves down the drain. The leaves can swell and cause the pipes to clog up. It happened to me a few years ago and it took the maintenance guy awhile to unclog it. Though I didn't tell him what I did. A tiny bit shouldn't hurt but still, it doesn't hurt to dispose of them in another way.
I just love iced chai, one of my all time favorites. I came across this recipe from the BellaOnline website: Angel Scianna BellaOnline's Tea Editor How to make your own Chai spice Chai Tea good for the body I remember when I was younger, I use to work with an East Indian Lady. Every Friday she would bring a Thermos into work, filled with a delightful concoction. I loved the aroma, kind of gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. The taste was equally pleasing. I later found out it was her family recipe for Chai Tea. Really Chai just means tea. There is a long belief that Chai tea is Ayurvedic. That translates into The life science. Ayu (life) Veda (knoweledge). The spices in Chai tea mixes are believed to each have healing potential. They promote everything from easing digestive issues, stimulating the senses and increasing your feeling of well being. Over the years I have perfected my recipe for the succulent flavor of Chai tea. I would like to share this with you, you can play around with the amount of spices you add so you can create your own blend. The basics of Chai are all the same, you start with a few key ingredients. Basic Chai recipe 2 cups water 2 cups milk 4 teaspoons loose tea, usually black tea but you can substitute your choice. cup granulated sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 8 whole cloves 4 black pepper corns teaspoon ground cardamom, you can crush cardamom pods if they are available to you usually about 3 should cover it. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan, heat over medium heat just until you start to break a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. You will start to smell the beautiful aroma in the air. Stain the tea through a tea strainer and drink either hot or cold. If you want to make up a chai mix as a gift. Replace the loose tea with an instant unsweetened black tea mix. Just package in cellophane bags, write up a tag and directions for a quick thank you gift. I can smell the beauty of the brew right now. Have a Chai tea party and serve some traditional East Indian cookies. Play around and create your personal Chai tea mixes. If you want to talk more, lets meet up in the Tea forum over a nice cup of tea.
I had a nice chai latte yesterday from Starbucks. I wasnt expecting it to be as good as it was. My sister gave a gift certificate. Even better, my co-workers gave me a gift certificate to Sweetwaters for my birthday so I might have another chai latte tommorrow :)
Sounds great, Lynne! Its been 2-3 weeks since I've had chai. I need to use the previously posted recipe sometime soon and make my own... Let us know how you like Sweetwaters, I haven't ever been there.
I *love* Sweetwaters although I didnt go for the Chai this morning since I was more in a coffee mood. They have a lot of really good teas. They are expensive though.
I had a cup of cold chai today; very good!
Can you tell yet that I enjoy my tea?? Here's an article I came across today [though there a few of the comments I'm not sure of the accuracy of but its still an interesting read]: 10 things you did not know about Tea. by Lorraine Bevere http://www.fogtea.com Legend has it that a Chinese emperor was the first to discover Tea when some leaves were blown by chance into a bowl containing some boiling hot water. The tea we drink today is exactly the same and the brewing process has never changed. In recent Dutch studies it was found that men who drank black tea which contains catechins were fifty percent less likely to die of ischemic heart disease. This is when our arteries become clogged and are unable to function properly due to narrowing. Studies have shown that drinking a half to two cups of tea per day may promote fertility by inhibiting abnormalities in our chromosomes. In a recent test 250 women drank as little as half a cup of tea per day and their pregnancy rates were twice as high as those who did not. To cure puffy eyes simply lay down and place either a wet tea bag or tea compress over each eye and leave for about 20 minutes. The swelling around the eyes will miraculously disappear and your eyes will return to their former glory. Placing black tea in a sachet and then putting it in the refrigerator will easily help to control the most stubborn of distasteful odors. The tea absorbs all traces of unpleasant smells and replaces them with its own truly delightful fragrance. A substance called Tannic acid which naturally occurs in tea is said to help in the battle against warts. Apply a wet tea bag to the infected area for about 15 minutes three times daily and the wart will slowly begin to shrink until it eventually disappears. It has widely been known for many years that men in Asian countries who consume green tea have very low instances of prostate cancer. Many prominent researchers believe that that this is due to green tea containing many powerful antioxidants and preventative anti-cancer agents. In recent Australian studies CSIRO scientists found that the occurrence of skin cancer in laboratory mice was greatly reduced when they were given black tea. It is thought that polyphenols which are very strong antioxidants and are contained in the tea are the most likely reason for this phenomenon. The words most expensive teabag was commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the PG TIPS tea company. The bag was filled with 280 diamonds and expensive limited edition tea leaves. The bag cost seven thousand five hundred pounds and would be auctioned for a British children's hospital. You would probably think that turkey would be a nation of mainly Coffee drinkers but Turkey is now the worlds number one nation when it comes to tea drinking. The Turks drink a staggering twenty to thirty cups per day each and tea is now practically their national drink.
Most of the tea I drink is black tea. Right now I am working my way through a package of Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast Tea. If I'm buying bottled tea, I tend to go for Honest Tea rooibos or any of the green varieties.
I haven't had irish tea in awhile, my grandmother would roll over in her grave if she knew! I'm not familiar with Honest Tea [nor with honesty, either], but I do enjoy a good flavored rooibos, though [am not crazy about it 'plain', though].
Lyons Tea and Barry's Gold are both Irish teas I love. It makes fabulous iced tea.
I'm out of Barry's tea, though I enjoyed it while I had it. The first time I had some was when a cousin from Ireland came to visit and she bought some along for us. And it was even more special since it's my mom's maiden name [and my mother and grandmoter were big tea drinkers].
We never did our afternoon tea break. How about organizing something? I'm going to lead off with tea at Sweetwaters on Washington, since I don't think slynne can come up with a good enough excuse to avoid that one.
I'd love to do a tea expedition sometime soon but I can't attend until pay day in a couple weeks. If y'all go before then, do let me know how it goes! :-)
ha ha Yeah, I probably cant come up with an excuse to avoid a 5p tea at Sweatwaters ;) They have pretty good tea too.
Ok, 5 pm tea at Sweetwaters. Denise, you name the day.
Is Wed. next week ok for tea at Sweetwaters [10/10/07]? I get my check that day...
Yeah. That sounds great.
Sounds good to me.
I will try to make it as well.
Cool! IIRC, though, there are a couple Sweetwaters locations? If so, which one are we talking about? [I'm rarely downtown, so I aalso need to allow time to find where the public parking is...]
I suggested the Sweetwaters at the southeast corner of Ashley and Washington, above the Earle Restaurant, and across the street from Grizzly Peak (the old Del Rio location). As I understand it, slynne works across the street from this location.
Yep. I work right across the street. In fact, I am looking down on Sweetwaters RIGHT NOW. Well...sort of. The angle isnt quite right for me to see all the way down to the street so I guess it is more accurate to say that I am looking at the building that contains Sweetwaters ;)
Ok, I'll find it. I'm glad you mentioned that its upstairs/above the Earle; I may have been looking all over for it and not finding it. Once I do find it, than I'll find where to park [sometimes I wish I knew downtown AA better than I do...]
No no. Sweetwaters isnt upstairs, it is on the ground floor. It is NEXT to the Earle. Parking shouldnt be too much of a problem. There are lots of metered spaces and a city lot that is kitty corner to Sweatwaters. I *think* that the metered spaces are free after six pm.
Anyways, it is right on the corner of Ashley and Washington
The Earle is underground.
It is? I've never actually been there so I just assumed that it was at street level
Well, the entrance is at street level, but the restaurant itself is downstairs.
well. I'll be at sweetwaters tomorrow at 5p
me too
Hey y'all, I'm not going to be able to go after all. :-(
awwwww How about next month? (or maybe tomorrow?)
I cant do it tomorrow, I am afraid. Thursdays is the day I go out drinking with my co-workers.
Let's try again next month.
ok
I hope you guys were able to still go? I just checked in to see how it went... Thursdays usually aren't good for me [I'm in Dearborn most of the day and then have an appt back in AA afterwards]. Some time soon, though! I do want to check this place out!
For those of you interested in the tea 'party' at Sweetwaters, could this coming Monday work? If not, how about the followwing week on Monday or Tuesday? [Do we want to include the people that drink that drink that awful coffee'nated stuff? :-)
This Monday works for me, as does Monday or Tuesday of the following week.
This Monday is my stitching group, next Monday or Tuesday works.
I have plans next tuesday but usually monday or tuesday works
How about next Monday? Seems like that's OK for everyone so far.
Sounds good to me! Still at 5:00?
Ok, this is what is shaping up: Monday, October 22, at 5:00 pm at Sweetwaters at 123 West Washington at Ashley. Sweetwaters is the ground floor of the old hotel that has The Earle restaurant in the basement. It is across the street from Grizzly Peak (the old Del Rio).
Okie dokie. Sounds good to me.
I'm planning on being there.
I am going to be there but probably wont stay for *too* long because I am working hard on getting my new dog used to a routine. I think I can stay for an hour or so though.
Today is the great Tea Adventure.
Yep, it is; I'm looking forward to it [and will be heading out of here soon!] Are yoiu going to be able to make this one, Glenda? [I can't remember if you responded or not]. Debbi? Twila?
Planning on it. Might have STeve in tow, if he doesn't want to be dropped off at home first.
I bought a box of Liptons Peach white tea. It was kinda pricy for the size, but I had to give it a try. While it does smell very peachy, it doesn't have much of a peach taste. I may have used too much water. It also has some green tea mixed with it too, but doesn't seem to over power the white tea flavor. Instead of the traditional paper tea bags, they used a plastic mesh. I'm thinking that allows more of the essential oils to flow through.
Tea For Two Times Two was lovely. glenda, lynne, denise, cmcgee showed up. We solved many of the world's problems.
Here's the link to the Flicker thread about the Kitchen Conference. http://www.flickr.com/groups/grex/discuss/72157602631936067/ Photos of Tea For Two Times Two participants also there.
It says the picture is unavailable.
darn ok changed the perms. Try again
The picture's not showing up on that page, but when I click the spaceholder it takes me to your photostream where I can see the picture.
It's working fine for me this afternoon.
I got lucky because the Rooibos tea that I like was the tea of the day so I got it on sale :)
I'm all out of rooibos here at home. :-( But did recently buy some carmel vanilla tea. I think it'll be nice as a desserty-like tea but I oversteeped the first cup I had. And though I usually don't add cream to tea, this is one I think would benefit from a bit [likewas, Earl Grey tastes great with cream and a touch of sweetner].
I *love* just about any black tea with milk and sugar. I've usually found cream or half and half to be too much for tea though. Even whole milk can be although I often use it. My favorite for tea is 2% milk.
There's no way that skim or even 1% milk can work with tea.
I know. I think skim milk is good for drinking straight and it is good on cereal and stuff but I never buy it anymore because I like 2% better and it goes so well in tea. Coffee, on the other hand, pretty much needs half and half or cream as far as I am concerned.
Denise, the tea I was telling you about is Stash Premium double spice chai black tea. It may be a tea bag, but it is wonderful and I am steeping a cup as I type this.
Coffee, in my opinion, just needs to provide the aroma and nothing else. You don't even have to actually poor me a cup as I can smell it as its brewing [which does not happen all that often in my house]. With tea, make a pot and I'm ready to go [the added splenda, lemon, and/or cream depends on the particular tea being served]. My carmel vanilla tea I've been wanting to try with milk or cream but I wasn't able to stop at the grocery store in the past few days. On my way home from stuff today, I did the drive-thru thing at MickyD's and instead of pop, juice, or a shake, I got a container of milk to have for tomorrow's tea [and maybe some oatmeal, too].
Glenda slipped in... I do need to go grocery shopping, maybe tomorrow I can get there--and I *will* look for it. If the regular grocery store doesn't have it, I'm sure Whole Foods or Hillers will [didn't you say something about Hiller's the other night?]
Mmmmm - Chai tea - the next best thing to Indian chai.
Mynx, could you give us a recipe for Indian chai? One of my students made it for me on a cold rainy November afternoon, and I LOVE it.
Here goes (the measurements are vague, I eyeball it) Boil 2 cups of water with 2 tea bags (or equivalent loose-leaf or according to how strong you want the tea to be) and sugar to taste. Optional - grate a bit of ginger into the water while it boils - be sure to get the juice into the boiling water. When the water is at a rapid boil and it's a dark almost black colour, add the milk - we use 2% or whole (mostly 3%). About half to 3/4 of a cup depending on strength. (I usually eyeball it - till the colour turns a dark tan colour). Get it to a boil again. Boil it till it turns the colour you want it - darker it is, the stronger (and sometimes more bitter) it is. Type of use to use - Black Tea, English Breakfa, Spiced Chai (don't use the ginger if you use this), Irish Breakfast, Orange Pekoe. Darjeeling doesn't seem to work well - neither does Earl Grey and definitely no herbal tea or green tea. You also get a tea spice (chai masala) that you add after the milk in pinches to get the Spiced Chai effect. I'm sorry it's all so vague - but I just make it by colour and personal sweetness. Hope that helps.
That sounds pretty yummy
Re #155, yeah, I get it at Hiller's. Haven't looked elsewhere. Probably should, Hiller's can be pricey at times. I don't add anything to it, I like it straight up though I can see adding a bit of honey or sugar and milk would be good. I do like Chai Latte, but sometimes just plain black spiced tea is just as yummy.
Mynx, any chance of getting some ingredients and proportions on the chai masala?
I buy the chai masala - Toronto has a huge South Asian community so it's easy to come by every Indian food-product imaginable. Here's one recipe - http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/3925/recipe_spice_09.html, but I don't know how good it is.
Glenda, when I was at Kroger's today, I found that Stash spiced chai that we were talking about. I'm not sure what it costs where you buy yours but it's on sale right now for $2.49, I think it was. So if that's cheaper than where you get it [I think you mentioned Hiller's?] and you're running low, you might want to pick some up this week. I brought a box and plan to try it tomorrow [it was too late in the day today to drink anything caffeinated]. So where's the next tea outing going to take place?
Thanks for the heads up. I do get it at Hiller's. Normal price is around $3.59 it was on sale this week for $2.79. I will pick up a box or two on my way home tonight.
I tried my chai tea yesterday morning; I love chai but for some reason, I didn't like this one at all. So Glenda, the next time I know I'll be seeing you, you can have my box [as I still have a number of other teas available to me right now].
Is it about time for another tea party?
We could do a middle of the day one.
Monday, Wednesday, or (especially) Friday would work best for me. I have a class from 11:00 - 12:15 on Tues/Thurs and have to be at work at 2 on Tuesday, 3 on Thursday. Monday I work until 1, Wednesday until 12. Friday is my free/play day.
Do you work far from downtown, glenda? I mean I can usually be pretty flexible with my lunch time. If we could meet downtown somewhere on a Monday or Wednesday at 1 or 2, it would be pretty cool. Naturally I'll suggest Sweetwaters since I am there all the time anyways.
I work at WCC so downtown is about 10-15 minutes plus parking time. Sweetwaters is fine by me.
Well...anyone else interested?
Me.
Sorry I haven't been here in ages [and can only stay on for a couple minutes right now], but I'm game for another tea party! M/W/F can work for me. Does someone want to choose a date/time for Sweetwaters? Whenever it'd decided for, I'll do my best to be there. But as I briefly mentioned in agora, I don't think my mom's going to be with us much longer, so I'm not definitely committing right now... [but keep in mind, she's had her down phases before and has come back, though this has been the worst and longest so far].
We could do it next week?
Well, right now, I don't want to make any definite commitments for the next week or two; I'll probably be spending more time in Dearborn...
I can totally understand that, denise.
(Mary hugs Denise.)
I understand, Denise. Hugs from us as well. My making plans for the near future are also up in the air. My great aunt is in hospice and slipped into a coma. Not expected to last the weekend or much after. It would be great if we could get together for tea within the next week or so though. I go in for a thyroidectomy on the 21st and could do with a little cheering up before hand.
I leave for Paris next Saturday but during the day this week works for me.
Ok, shall we say Wednesday around 12:30-1:00 at Sweetwaters.
re #179 Have a great time. I look forward to online pics.
That works for me.
Oh and I will certainly post Paris photos online!
I get off work at WCC at 12:00, I'll head straight there.
Okie dokie
Wow, it sounds like you have a lot going on, too, Glenda--with your great- aunt and with the upcoming thyroidectomy. I'm glad your aunt has hospice working with her; hospice comes out several times a week to help with my mom and it's been a godsend for my dad, that's for sure [and for my mom, too]. Enjoy your teatime tomorrow; I'm going to pass on this one [though I'd rather be drinking tea instead of going to Dearborn. But with time ticking down, I feel I need to go spend time with my mom. Not that she's aware that I'm there, mind you. I guess I'm doing it more for me...]
So have some tea for me... Chai would be good, as would Earl Grey, or something pretty light and calming, or maybe something a bit more sweet and soothing. :-)
We will be thinking of you.
Well, glenda and I had an enjoyable hour at Sweetwaters today. I have to confess though that I didnt drink any tea. But glenda did so it is ok.
Indeed, an enjoyable break from the more mundane parts of the day. The Chai Latte was yummy, as always.
Does anyone know if the new Sweetwaters shop on Plymouth Rd near Green Rd is open yet??
They've posted a sign saying Olga's is open but nothing, so far, on Sweetwaters. I'll drive through today and check it out.
Ooooh. I love Olga's! It's all the sugar in the bread I am sure but it would still be nice to go there once a while without needing to go to the mall.
Yep, I love Olga's, too; I really missed it while living down south... Not that I go there a lot now, but still. I thinnk this new location will be an easy one to get to [but for me, so is the mall one; both right off of the freeway. But like you said, Lynne, it's nice going somewhere without having to go to the mall].
I read in the paper the other day that the newest Sweetwaters is finally open in the new shops on the northwest corner of Plymouth Rd and Green Rd. Anyone game for checking it out sometime soon? And/or Olga's that's in the same group of stores? I know it's a bit out of the way for the downtown folks, though.
I'd be up to checking out the newest Sweetwaters depending on day and time. Unfortunately, Olga's is probably a no go. I am extremely allergic to lamb and avoid restaurants with it on the menu.
Glenda, your schedule's a lot busier than mine is. What days/times would be good for you? It'll give us something to work around.
Actually my schedule is pretty much wide open. I graduated in August, my part time job at WCC ended July 1, and I still haven't found a new one. Other than the occasional interview or Dr appt, I am free.
Congrats on graduating, Glenda! And good luck in finding a job. Do you have a particular day or time of day that you'd like to meet at Sweetwaters? Next week, Wednesday morning and later Thursday afternoon wouldn't work; neither would Mon-Thurs evenings. Other than that, though, could work... Anyone else interested in joining us? Mary, you're not too far away and they do serve coffee, too, if you can join us...
Mary won't be a available until near the end of the month. Just pick a date where you and Glenda can meet and let me know when that is. If I'm in town and not working I'll join you. Sounds like fun.
Other than Dr appts on Mar 5, Mar 10, and Mar 27, I am free anytime. I do need to set up a lunch date with my Aunts sometime this month, but if we set up something other then lunch time it won't be a problem.
For our tea gathering, would some afternoon in the next week or two work? I have a 3:00 appt. tomorrow [Tuesday, 3/17] and am tied up til noon on Wednesdays, but other days could probably work.
STeve is having a surgical procedure on Wednesday (not Thursday as he said in the mail to baff). It is supposed to be a simple 90 min procedure and he is planning on going to work on Thursday. I would rather keep it free just in case. Friday would probably work or anytime next except Friday the 27th, we both have Dr appts then.
Glenda, would you want to try for this Friday afternoon? Though we could schedule something for next week. Monday afternoon next week I do my volunteer work; Wed. morning I have an appt., Thursday or Friday late afternoon I'll be tied up at my brother's [then at my niece's school play]--but since he lives just a couple blocks away, we could still do something a bit earlier in the afternoon...
Mary or anyone else game?
I would but I most likely have plans on Friday evening and I might have to take my dogs up to S. Lyon first. But if I take them on Thursday, I might be free around 5ish. You were talking about meeting at the new sweetwaters out by Plymouth and Green right?
I'm working Friday and next week is spattered with obligations. Just pick a day and time that works for you and Glenda and I'll fill in if possible.
Yeah. Just pick a time you two and I'll be there if I can.
STeve's procedure went well, other than communication on the medical staff's part, but he is taking Thursday off. He can't carry his backpack for 48 hrs :-) This Friday afternoon, early evening works for me, as does any day but Friday next week. Tuesday looks like it will work also.
Well, let's see who can show up tomorrow, late afternoon'ish. Say, 4:30 or after? That way people that are working during the day [Lynn and depending on what shift Mary's working] can come if they are able. We can talk then, too, about possible dates in the near future. And yep, this is the new Sweetwaters on the northwest corner of Plymouth Rd and Green Rd [a 1/2 mile or so west of 23] in the new complex that also has Olga's Kitchen, a sushi place, an ink store, a bank, and I'm not sure what all else [there are still a few empty places, too]. I'll probably bring something to read with me in case, with this being short notice, nobody else can make it.
I'll be there!
I'll be there.
I had fun at Sweetwaters the other day. We'll have to do it again sometime soon!
I was walking at Briarwood earlier this week and stopped at Teavana and sampled some tea. One sample I really liked was a rooibos tea blend of blueberry and strawberry that was served chilled. I ended up buying some to bring home. Though to get the full flavor, it takes a longer brew time then the recommended 5-6 minutes. I remember learning about rooibos tea from another tea shop; this tea shop said to brew while at a low boil for 15-20 minutes, IIRC.
I'm certainly no tea expert having come to enjoy it just a couple of years ago, but I've already discovered different teas have different brewing needs. White tea especially can't steep for more than 2 minutes or it starts to get a weird, bitter taste. And I've yet to find a rooibos blend I didn't like. Teavana samples can be dangerous - I've ending up spending too much on teas more than once.
You're right, Mary; Teavana can be a dangerous place! It's definitely pricier than the tea shop I used to frequent in Durham. And yes, various teas have different brewing times as well as temperatures. By the time I figure out the strength and brewing time of this blend I brought, it's going to be gone! It's definitely different from what the directions say. Still, it's a nice, light summery blend. I do like flavored rooibos tea though not so crazy about the plain.
I like Rooibos tea because it is favored by Mma Romotswe in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. ;)
Sounds like a good reason to me. I know I like Newman's Sockarooni Spaghetti Sauce because of his blue eyes. ;-)
I read the Ladies Detective series... :-)
resp:218 I do that all of the time. I have liked eating oatmeal since I was child because it's fun to pretend it is the gruel served at the Lowood School in Jane Eyre. Of course Paul Newman's eyes could sell just about anything. :) resp:219 Whenever she talks about drinking red bush tea, she is talking about rooibos tea. I always found the little arguments between her and Mma Makutsi about regular tea vs black tea to be very amusing.
I wonder if there are any new books out in the series that I haven't read yet. And yep, red bush tea is the same as rooibos tea. :-)
McCall Smith seems to put one out every spring. I am actually a couple behind and have not yet read the two most recent installments: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built The Double Comfort Safari Club I might have to see if the library has either one available.
There was one season on TV based on the first few books of this series. If you missed it, then check it out from Netflix. :-)
I've just finished watching it. I thought that HBO did a nice job capturing the spirit of the books. I liked that they filmed it in Gaborone too.
I was in Hyde Park a few weeks ago. The temptation to have tea at the Orangery on the Kensington Palace patio overcame us. That was, until we saw this supposedly posh lil scam's layout. What an overpriced joke. Tell you what...just buy some black tea across the street from London Tower and take it home.
I am sure there are plenty of reasonably priced tea shops in London though.
We mostly saw Pakistani and Italian restaurants.
It is hard to beat Irish Breakfast (a black tea, pekoe cut, with a large, malty, complex flavor, and decent caffiene content) brewed at 180F in a muslin bag (yes, I can be anal about some foods).
I like Irish Breakfast tea though it's been awhile since I've had any. Though I had an English version the other day.
You have several choices: