Tea

[billl]

I live in the U.S., and my city doesn't have every type of tea that I'd like to buy or try. Any discussion of tea here would be of interest to me.

I am particularly interested in opinions about British teas--my personal favorite is Lifeboat Tea, but more than anything I enjoy having different types to choose from. Also, I only make tea with bags, and I expect there might be some discussion about that--but I am, for the time-being, inflexible on that issue. The same goes for only drinking tea 'black'. I like to keep it simple.

Finally, let me kick things off with a specific question (although the next comments might of course be about any sort of tea thing, please contribute whatever you might like), the question being:

If you have tried each of Taylor's of Harrogate's Yorkshire Red and Yorkshire Gold teas, could you please help me by characterizing the difference between the two (I really like Gold, but haven't tried Red, and they are the same price).

[MANICHAEAN]

I don't pretend to be an expert, but being born English I was weaned on tea almost as soon as breast feeding stopped.

My earliest memories were of the strict ritual in my family for tea making i.e. Warm the pot, loose tea in those day, one spoonful per person & one for the pot, let stand & settle with tea cosy on, strain into a mug. Strong & sweet with milk. The saying was that it was supposed to be strong enough for the spoon to stand up in it.

According to war archives now released, if Hitler had cut off our tea supplies, we would have surrendered within two weeks.

Then there was Naffi tea which you can still buy today and brings back memories of military service.

Tea with wiskey in it was guaranteed by my mother to cure colds & flu, and it did. You went to bed, sweated it out & woke up well.

Later one moved onto more exotic brews like; Earl Grey, Lapsong Shusong etc.

And overseas I've got used to Japanese tea & Arabic tea.

Sorry Billl but I cannot distinguish between the two Yorkshire ones you mention as I'm not familiar with them & I've never heard of Lifeboat tea.

[LitNetIsGreat]

No I've not heard of those teas either though I am using just the plain Yorkshire tea (bags) at the moment, though they are nothing much special. Tea definitely tastes better loose, if made right, but the difference is not as marked as instant Vs real coffee so I still use bags half of the time.

A good tea to try is Twinnings Everyday, which in my opinion is a good all round tea. I also like the English Breakfast.

A good little device which I use occasionally is the tea ball. This allows you to put loose tea in the ball (or herbs etc), close it up and pop it straight into the cup. You can then let it mash and take it out and you have your tea. You can't beat the ritual of the traditional teapot though - tastes better too.

[billl]

Manichaean, that's a pretty interesting burst of anecdotes and info! Everything helps, really.

One thing I'm wondering is whether the imported teas here in the U.S. resemble at all the famous stuff over in Britain, or if my distant interest in quality teas will lead me places that the "real" tea drinkers aren't likely to go, or whatever. So if you haven't heard of what I'm asking about, that's useful information...

Neely, Twinings is easy to find over here, and I love the Earl Grey and the Darjeeling. English Breakfast is on my list, and you just nudged it up a notch. I've never seen the Everyday thing mentioned anywhere, so I will definitely look into that.

I've tried to use Amazon.com and other sites to track down what is actually good, but I knew I'd get some interesting insights here, probably, if I asked. Thanks, both of you, and whoever else can chime in.

[ReadAll]

Yorkshire Gold (http://www.postalgold.ie/gold) has a strong taste but I haven't tried Red. One thing I have definitely learnt about Yorkshire Tea, is that it tastes horrible when brewed in hard water! Even Yorkshire Tea for Hard Water tastes 'furry' when brewed in hard water. My favourite tea at the moment has to be Taylor's of Harrogate Assam tea. And also Fortnum and Masons Keemun tea, which is one of the few black teas that tastes nice without milk. It has a nutty flavour.

[kiki1982]

We also drink tea. Normal blend, whatever that is (is that English Breakfast?). Always black for me and white for hubby... But I prefer Earl Grey for a cup that needs to have taste and which I want to enjoy... They have that nearly everywhere in the part of Germany where I live...

I enjoy everything of Twinings. Dareeling and Lady Grey are for afternoons and Prince of Wales for evening... It has a slightly heavier aroma behind it.
That said, I should get some...

I need to have my tea pretty weak. My hubby strong. That is because, I think, he drinks it with milk. If he had what I have, he'd only taste the milk... So, I usually let the tea sit for 1-2 minutes, pour out my cup and then wait 3 minutes and then pour out his. Then everyone is happy. :)

When we were in Granada, we went to a lot of Arab teahouses and it is great what you can get there! Arab teas are also pretty tasty, but 'hotter' in taste as they use warm spices like nutmeg, cardamom and cinamon. Nice though. Really something to do when you are in Andalucia!

[hoope]

And overseas I've got used to Japanese tea & Arabic tea.

Sorry Billl but I cannot distinguish between the two Yorkshire ones you mention as I'm not familiar with them & I've never heard of Lifeboat tea.

Yea i moslty use the Lipton or Red Label..
I like having it with milk. and sometimes on rare occasion i drink it black


Have anyone tried putting a little of cinnamon or a few mint leaves in the black tea.. its gives it a nice taste!

[LitNetIsGreat]

Have anyone tried putting a little of cinnamon or a few mint leaves in the black tea.. its gives it a nice taste!

No, I don't drink black tea, but I do often have sit mint leaves in my tea ball and pour in some lemon juice, very refreshing.

[country doctor]

the doc has drank tea the world over...his favorite teas are the chinese green varieties...

but since he's been back stateside, he'll pass this little tip on how to drink your tea here...

first, buy generic type black tea...don't need to try to get fancy w/ the tea and it's as good as lipton, for example, at half the price...

the doc always brews up a pot and uses five tea bags...you can get by w/ four, but with the tea so cheap, throw the extra bag in there...

now here's the secret...lemons...yes, lemons...slice a fresh lemon and throw one in the pot and the other in your cup...this is truly the elixer of life and it's almost a shame that the highlight of your day will be w/ that morning pot...(try to keep everything close to that level for the rest of the day and you'll be fine, but that's for another thread...)

the next day, throw the lemon from your cup into the pot and leave the original in the pot as well...slice a fresh one for your cup...keep up this procedure until you've finished the whole lemon...then you can throw the lemon out and repeat the procedure...

this along w/ an apple a day and you'll very rarely, if ever, have to make a trip to the doc's office...

savvy?

[Helga]

I drink a lot of tea these days almost as much as coffee, and for those who know me, know that is a lot. I love Darjeeling Himalaya and only loose tea NO BAGS! I use the ball. I like fruit tea like mango and also herbs like stinging nettle.

black with a little bit of honey for me.

[Delta40]

No, I don't drink black tea, but I do often have sit mint leaves in my tea ball and pour in some lemon juice, very refreshing.

fresh ginger is very nice too. I'm a sucker for fresh chai.

[Emil Miller]

According to war archives now released, if Hitler had cut off our tea supplies, we would have surrendered within two weeks.

If he could have cut off the beer supply, we would have surrendered a week earlier.

I haven't drunk Indian (black) tea for years, having been introduced to Chinese tea by friends. I usually buy green or jasmine tea from Chinatown but an interesting variety is Chrysanthemum tea which has a distinctive taste but is more expensive than the others. I use tea bags, which the Chinese tend to avoid, because I won't be bothered with the disposal of tea leaves.

Just a reminder that milk isn't used in Chinese tea, which may be a disadvantage insofar as milk is needed for calcium levels.

[Paulclem]

I always start with tea on a morning - just bog standard tea bags are fine. I 'll have it weak or strong - however it comes. I'm the tea boy at work,as i'm usually the one to break and pop to the kitchen.

In Turkey I had apple tea, which I liked very much. It comes powdered in a packet, as does the same kind of lemon tea. This is sweet though.

In India I had Chai, which is tea made with cardomon. very nice, and you can buy chai now in teabags.

I also like Earl and Lady Grey and jasmine tea with the little dried flowers in it

On a normal day though it's a big mug of tea - white and however it comes.

[Shalot]

I recently became acquainted with loose leaf tea from this place called Teavana. I guess that's supposed to be Nirvana but it's TEAvana. Clever. I went because my GI doctor recommended that I go there. This is probably too much information but I have stomach issues a lot. Gut issues. Issues. I'm telling you, I got issues. So, the tea I got was this papaya oolong stuff and it looked a lot like potpouri and it smelled like it should be in a lotion that you could wear. It smelled awesome, didn't taste as great as it smelled but it was good tasting, and it ended up making me nauseated but tea does that to me sometimes. I don't think it's doing much for my IBS, but since it looks like potpoouri maybe i could just shove it up my butt and that would help. sorry. I'm just frustrated with the situation.

But yeah, back to tea. I'm a big fan. I do like Yogi teas. I like the little sayings on the tea bags.

[OrphanPip]

I enjoy the Chinese teas as well.

Though, I occasionally, when I don't want to spring for the expense of coffee in the morning, go for a typical orange pekoe, but I enjoy English Breakfast or Earl Grey occasionally as well.

I also enjoy chamomile or mint tea on a cold day.

Edit: Japanese green teas are really good too.

[TurquoiseSunset]

Try Rooibos (http://www.amazon.com/Freshpak-Rooibos-tagless-bags-Pack/dp/B0001590IC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1289565083&sr=8-4)...I love it! I drink it with milk and sugar/honey.

[hoope]

No, I don't drink black tea, but I do often have sit mint leaves in my tea ball and pour in some lemon juice, very refreshing.

Yea i like it too.. I began recently to drink chinese green tea.. and i found also some green tea with orange or lemon flavor.. its so freshing as you said :)

[billl]

Yorkshire Gold has a strong taste but I haven't tried Red. One thing I have definitely learnt about Yorkshire Tea, is that it tastes horrible when brewed in hard water!

Wow, I've been using hard water from the tap, and I tried it with some softer drinking water, and there's an enormous difference. There is visible residue or something floating on the top when I use hard water to make the Yorkshire Gold. Still, I didn't really mind it... But it always looked strange.




I enjoy everything of Twinings. Dareeling and Lady Grey are for afternoons and Prince of Wales for evening... It has a slightly heavier aroma behind it.
That said, I should get some...


I had never heard of Lady Grey or Prince of Wales until I recently started shopping for tea again. I think they are pretty new additions to the standard grocery store selection in the U.S. Perhaps based on the sex attached to them, I've had no interest in Lady Grey (Earl Grey is light enough for me), but Prince of Wales sounds intriguing--those two have replaced Orange Pekoe and Darjeelings in the Twinings Sampler over here.

[Revolte]

I don't know much about tea, but the Teezers out in Fresno seems to have a decent amount of different kinds. Look for a Teezers! lol or something like it.

[The Comedian]

Water quality does make a big difference. I use spring water that I retrieve from an artesian well by my house -- the difference between tea (or coffee) made from it and that made from our tap water is significant.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Water quality does make a big difference. I use spring water that I retrieve from an artesian well by my house -- the difference between tea (or coffee) made from it and that made from our tap water is significant.

Quite correct. Fortunately the water in our area is quite good, but when we used to spend the summer in Lincolnshire we would take a barrel of our own water to make tea with.

[Paulclem]

Did you know that tea apparently made the industrial revolution possible? The practice adopted by the British working class meant that water was boiled and the threat of water borne diseases in cramped and unsanitary urban housing was reduced. Tea also has antiseptic qualities. There's abook about it - but i saw a documentary on it some time ago.

[country doctor]

now the doc would lose alot of business if everybody started drinking tea, but since he's posting amongst friends he'll let everybody in on a secret...drinking tea keeps you free from illness...

the doc has yet to come down w/ anything but an occasional cold since he started drinking tea...it truly is the elixer of life...and pouring that boiling water into his tea pot every morning really is the way to start the day...

and, don't forget the lemon...

[kasie]

In that case, doc, I should be positively bursting with health!

As for taking your own water on hols with you, Neely, wouldn't it have been easier to buy a different brand of tea when you got to Lincs?? I used to buy PG Tips to use in Dorset when we went there because Tetleys/Coop Red Label/Marks Red Label tasted horrid though they were ok in our soft water at home. I believe Queen Victoria used to have water sent down from Balmoral to make her afternoon cuppa as the London water was not to her (refined) taste so maybe you are in exalted company.

Tea merchants make up different blends supposedly to produce a better end product according to the water used to make the tea, hence the 'Yorkshire' tea and the 'Paned o te' Welsh blend I can get round here but nowhere else. I once asked a minister which tea he preferred (he agreed tea drinking was something of an occupational hazard so he was an expert of sorts) and he came down in favour of Glengettie, a blend supposed made especially for Welsh water.

[Paulclem]

Yorkshire Tea - it sounds home grown on the former slag heaps of Barnsley.

[bouquin]

I swear by the Mariage Frères brand; I'm sure you can purchase their tea thru the internet.

[prendrelemick]

So far today I have had six mugs of tea, it is one of life's essentials.

We're on Co-op fair trade at the moment, but I like to change the brand (Not the type - Indian) every now and again as they are all subtley different.

[kasie]

Would that be the Coop Freetrade that was '50% extra FREE' a few weeks back, Mick? I'm on that one at the moment, too. ;)

I had one of those bizarre conversations with my sister-in-law a while back: I asked her which tea she used and she replied promptly, 'Free Trade. Of Course.' After allowing me time to consider whether there was any other kind I might accuse her of using, she added, 'I never use PG Tips...because of the monkeys.' It might take you a while to work that one out - it did me - so I'll give you a clue: think back to tv advertising a good few years ago...

[prendrelemick]

Aye that's the stuff, the old Co-op 99. I read the packet this morning and it claims to be the old "Prescription" mix of tea that was drunk as a health tonic. All remedies and tonics had a number in those days and it was prescription number 99 - hence the name.

[plainjane]

I haven't tried the Yorkshire blends, but drink the Scottish Breakfast blend by Taylor's of Harrogate's every day, black. It has a nice smooth, malty flavor, rather strong. I do brew from leaves, but used to use the bagged variety, and it satisfies.

[Nightshade]

I really like the CO-op 99....Morrisons own brand organic fairtrade is really nice too!

[Pensive]

Anybody here ever tried Pink Tea? (or more commonly known as Kashmiri Chai where I live)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Anybody here ever tried Pink Tea? (or more commonly known as Kashmiri Chai where I live)

Nope not heard of that, unless it is similar to the redbush tea?

I think I'll have to get myself a nice cup of tea in a minute - it'll go with my paper - I don't usually read the paper but we have made the front page.*

* The Independent, Hugh's fish fight.

[Pensive]

Nope not heard of that, unless it is similar to the redbush tea?

I think I'll have to get myself a nice cup of tea in a minute - it'll go with my paper - I don't usually read the paper but we have made the front page.*

* The Independent, Hugh's fish fight.

Here's a perfect example of Kashmiri Chai:
http://ayeshahaq.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dsc02808.jpg

[LitNetIsGreat]

Oh thanks, that looks interesting, it doesn't look much like normal tea, more like a yogurt/smoothie.

[Pensive]

Oh thanks, that looks interesting, it doesn't look much like normal tea, more like a yogurt/smoothie.

I know what you mean, but it tastes very much like the normal tea the main difference being the smell! It smells wonderful! :)

[Paulclem]

I know what you mean, but it tastes very much like the normal tea the main difference being the smell! It smells wonderful! :)

I've had chai in India, but I've not seen the pink tea. Does it have cardomon in it?

Speaking of which, I might just have a cuppa now. Neely's inspired me.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Speaking of which, I might just have a cuppa now. Neely's inspired me.

Ha, ha, great stuff. I wish I could do the same with others on the chicken threads though! :banghead:

[Niamh]

Here's a perfect example of Kashmiri Chai:
http://ayeshahaq.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dsc02808.jpg

That looks so good Pensy!

[Paulclem]

Everytime I pop in here I fancy a cuppa... and I know it'll get me up in the night...

[OrphanPip]

Everytime I pop in here I fancy a cuppa... and I know it'll get me up in the night...

You should drink a caffeine free tea then, I find chamomile or mint calming before bed.

[billl]

I haven't tried the Yorkshire blends, but drink the Scottish Breakfast blend by Taylor's of Harrogate's every day, black. It has a nice smooth, malty flavor, rather strong. I do brew from leaves, but used to use the bagged variety, and it satisfies.

I'm right now drinking my first cup of this Scottish Breakfast blend. I picked up a box of the tea bags. I've only recently gotten interested in black teas, so I can't really say much about how two might compare, and I'm not sure which characteristic the word "malty" might be referring to. (I imagine beer, but that's obviously wrong.)

Anyhow, drinking it black, there's a similarity to the Yorkshire Gold Blend I think--it seems a little simpler maybe, but I'd probably believe it WAS the Yorkshire Blend if someone told me it was. It's close to the same price, and I'm glad to have another good one to choose from, thanks plainjane.

[Paulclem]

You should drink a caffeine free tea then, I find chamomile or mint calming before bed.

Haha - thanks - I do at home. It's the volume that gets me - so I had one of our diddy cups rather than my three-quarters of a pint builders mug that I usually have. (In Yorkshire the kettle's never off for long, and so I've always supped quite a bit).

I forgot to tell you aboutmy friend - he's a Buddhist Monk and so he can't indulge himself in much, and so he's splashed out on some expensive teas. He's got a small thermometer, and goes through a ritual of washing out the little kettle and cups with boiling water - throwing away the first water from the brew, waiting a cetain time and then tasting his teas without milk in little china cups. I'll have to ask him which teas he uses - they are quite dear. I've tasted sme of his tea, and whilst I find them refreshing, I'm afraid my unsubtle taste buds prefer my builders mug full of the usual.

[Helga]

I just recently started drinking tea named pina colada! so good, the perfect fruity tea!

[Paulclem]

My wife drinks fruit teas, and, whilst i do partake of them, I have such an unsubtle sense of taste that it tastes like very lightly fruited hot water to me. No body. A nice brown brew with some milky muscle. That's the one for me...in a big mug...on a frosty morning...to replace all the water I'm going to sweat out on the bike...and then one at work...

[TheFifthElement]

I was in a Japanese restaurant the other day and saw someone having a Flower tea (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbRpdYRz1Y0). It looked amazing. I want one :D

[The Comedian]

and, don't forget the lemon...

Doc -- I added a wedge of lemon to my cup of Darjeeling yesterday afternoon. Loved it. Thanks for the tip.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Got to share the hilarious way my friend Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes his tea. This is an extract from his book Hugh Fearlessly Eats it All, which is a collection of oddball articles, reviews, comments, newspaper columns etc, great book, if a little mixed in places.


Now, to make my tea, I need two good-sized mugs. I boil the kettle. The hot water goes into one mug first, stays for a few seconds so the mug is heated, then goes into the second mug. The tea bag goes into the first, hot mug, boiling water is poured in to within a couple of millimetres of the top, and the two mugs, one containing brewing tea, and the other containing hot water, are left to stand. After about five minutes, the mug of brewed tea is placed in the sink, where some new hot water (freshly re-boiled) from the kettle, is sloshed into it, so it overflows by about half a mug. This is to stop the well-brewed tea being too strong. The full-to-overflowing mug is now tilted a little bit, so it spills out enough tea to allow room for some milk.

Remember the second mug, full of the hot (now not so hot, but still quite hot) water that was used to warm the first mug? That is now emptied. The tea bag is fished out from the first “brewing” mug, and placed in the bottom of the empty “warm” mug, where a small splash of milk is poured over it. The effect of the hot tea bag, and still-warm mug, is to take the chill off the milk – and impregnate it with a mild tea flavour. To encourage both these objectives, the mug is picked up and swirled, put down for a few seconds, picked up and coloured, warm milk is now poured from tea-bag mug to brew mug, which is given a stir.

The resulting colour is observed. A little more milk may be necessary, in which case it will go via the still-warm tea bag mug, into the brew mug. When the colour is exactly right, I will stir in exactly one rounded teaspoon of golden caster sugar. The tea, which his at this point is still far too hot to drink, will now be left to stand for at least five minutes, before a sip is attempted.

Don’t you just know you are going to try it the next time you brew your tea? I know I am.

[kasie]

He uses tea bags? Surely such a perfectionist would use a specially blended loose tea in a Rockingham teapot?

And, no, I'm not going to try it - when I want a cuppa I want it now, not at some unspecified time in the near future! Such fiddle-faddle at 5.30am will never do!

[LitNetIsGreat]

He uses tea bags? Surely such a perfectionist would use a specially blended loose tea in a Rockingham teapot?

And, no, I'm not going to try it - when I want a cuppa I want it now, not at some unspecified time in the near future! Such fiddle-faddle at 5.30am will never do!

Well I suspect that he also uses loose tea sometimes, but when he uses bags he adopts the above method. Incidentally, I did the same this morning of course (this morning as work was called off, hee, hee) and the result was a very tea tasting cup of tea. I know that might sound daft but it really did taste more teay than usual, I think the milk and tea bag process bought this on. Interesting experiment which I will repeat for a second time before arriving at a full conclusion.


when I want a cuppa I want it now,

Ah, you see this is the problem with our society today, the fast food, no time to wait, celebrity driven, microwave meal, who wants to be a millionaire society. It just doesn't accommodate the good standards of living which I have become accustomed to, and which I expect, day-to-day, everyday.

Everyone's too busy these days. Everyone's too busy with rushing around with what they feel they need to do, and what they should do, existing; that they forget to really live in the now, to live for the moment and enjoy the moment, for the moment and for the pleasure it brings. People forget that anticipation, that waiting, is part of the overall experience, is part of the joy of life. Life is not something which can be rushed.

Now as I've been sat on the sofa for about two hours, idly passing the time with tea and books, I'm going to move in a minute. I'm going to make a snowman with the kids then maybe have a cup of tea. And I'm not going to rush in the process.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I have conducted one further experiment into this process and I was, once again, pleased with the mouthfeel and the overall result. I think that I'll have to stick to the Whittingstall approach to tea for the coming weeks. Currently my tea of choice is Twinnings Everyday. Good all round tea.

[The Comedian]

Ah, you see this is the problem with our society today, the fast food, no time to wait, celebrity driven, microwave meal, who wants to be a millionaire society. It just doesn't accommodate the good standards of living which I have become accustomed to, and which I expect, day-to-day, everyday.

Everyone's too busy these days. Everyone's too busy with rushing around with what they feel they need to do, and what they should do, existing; that they forget to really live in the now, to live for the moment and enjoy the moment, for the moment and for the pleasure it brings. People forget that anticipation, that waiting, is part of the overall experience, is part of the joy of life. Life is not something which can be rushed.

Now as I've been sat on the sofa for about two hours, idly passing the time with tea and books, I'm going to move in a minute. I'm going to make a snowman with the kids then maybe have a cup of tea. And I'm not going to rush in the process.

Thoreau is smilin' right now, Neely. Nicely written, my friend.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thoreau is smilin' right now, Neely. Nicely written, my friend.

Thanks brother, a mild rant but a subject I feel close to.

I've now tried the experiment three times (that's six cups) and it definitely gives more of a tea feel than via the standard method. It's not that it is stronger, because you overflow during the second stage, it just has a higher teay mouthfeel. I've yet to work out if I prefer it or not though. Have to play around with it tomorrow. It looks like I'll not be in work tomorrow again due to lovely weather, so sad.:santasmil

[prendrelemick]

Prendrelemick's Handy Houshold Tip for the day.

Discovered only this week, use your cafetierre to make a perfect cup of tea from loose leaf tea. It gives you complete control of the process, you can swoosh it about with the plunger to speed up the brew, or just let it be, or slow the process down by depressing the plunger to the bottom. Also because it is made from glass you can accurately asses progress of the brew by holding it up to the light. As yet I have found no drawbacks and experimenting has been enjoyable and rewarding.

[ceelo]

Dilmah is nice

[kasie]

...Ah, you see this is the problem with our society today, the fast food, no time to wait, celebrity driven, microwave meal, who wants to be a millionaire society. It just doesn't accommodate the good standards of living which I have become accustomed to, and which I expect, day-to-day, everyday.

Everyone's too busy these days. Everyone's too busy with rushing around with what they feel they need to do, and what they should do, existing; that they forget to really live in the now, to live for the moment and enjoy the moment, for the moment and for the pleasure it brings. People forget that anticipation, that waiting, is part of the overall experience, is part of the joy of life. Life is not something which can be rushed.....

Neely, my friend - if I may call you that? - I am with you all the way: I, too, cook from scratch (mostly), I've all the time in the world being retired, I've no desire to be a five-minute celebrity (though I wouldn't mind being a millionaire :biggrin5: ). I'm all in favour of the 'Slow down, you move too fast' way of life BUT - at 5.30am, when I wake up parched, all I want is a nice, hot cuppa - and these mornings -:cold: - it's too flipping cold to be faffing around a la HFW with two mugs, etc. And I dont like warmed milk in tea.

Mick - I've tried your cafetiere method and it makes a not-bad cuppa. But the best way I've found - best in that it's the easiest way to clean up wet tea leaves, as the maid doesn't use them to clean the carpets anymore now we've got one of these new-fangled vacuum cleaners - is with a scissors-action infuser I bought from Betty's Tea Shop in Harrogate - now there's a Shrine for you!

[Emil Miller]

- a scissors-action infuser I bought from Betty's Tea Shop in Harrogate

You might be able to hire it out as a prop in the next Miss Marple series.

[Madame X]

You might be able to hire it out as a prop in the next Miss Marple series.

...and now I'll have that theme song running through my head for the rest of the night. :svengo:

[Emil Miller]

...and now I'll have that theme song running through my head for the rest of the night. :svengo:

Do you mean this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSMCN0IcJH0


Or this one?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM0acXZHAEU

[TheFifthElement]

Got to share the hilarious way my friend Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes his tea.
You know Neely, I'm beginning to wonder whether if Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall suggested that poo on toast was a great way to start the day, you'd be off with your toasted Kingsmill to the toilet and on here 5 minutes after telling us how great it is ;)

[LitNetIsGreat]

Neely, my friend - if I may call you that? - I am with you all the way: I, too, cook from scratch (mostly), I've all the time in the world being retired, I've no desire to be a five-minute celebrity (though I wouldn't mind being a millionaire :biggrin5: ). I'm all in favour of the 'Slow down, you move too fast' way of life BUT - at 5.30am, when I wake up parched, all I want is a nice, hot cuppa - and these mornings -:cold: - it's too flipping cold to be faffing around a la HFW with two mugs, etc. And I dont like warmed milk in tea.


Of course call me friend. I'm glad you agree with me and you are commended on that and in your part in the slow movement, however, and I mean however, I'd just like to mildly point out one smalll but significant flaw on your behalf - 5.30am??? :incazzato:

Now in my world 5.30am doesn't exist at all, on any level, 5.30am is far too early for sane people to get up at, for whatever reason. It's a monstrous time. Why on earth get up at this time? Instead, it is your mission to get up at a sensible time like 8/9am at the earliest and spend that sleeping off a mild hangover or lazing in bed if you are awake. 5.30am?

If you get up at a sensible time like 9.15am, you can then sit around for about 30 mins checking email and Litnet, maybe flicking through a few pages, and then you can prepare breakfast and a cup of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tea if need be (or the sound experiment suggested by Pren). 5.30am, 7.30am for that matter, is just not civilized. It's cold outside, it's dark and not conductive for middle of the night get-ups, instead roll over and go back to sleep, for the sake of humanity!

[Emil Miller]

I think Neely's being a little harsh here, after all, I doubt very much that anyone who bought a scissor-action infuser from Betty's Tea Shop in Harrogate would suffer from a hangover. It may simply be a case of insomnia as suffered by a former colleague of mine who said she would often get up at 3 o'clock in the morning and make a cup of tea.

I do agree though that apart from such a condition ,I am unable to see the justification for leaving the warmth, comfort and relaxation of one's bed except in extreme circumstances such as nuclear attack for example.

[kasie]

You might be able to hire it out as a prop in the next Miss Marple series.

I think not - it's stainless steel, very state-of-the-art as far as infusers go.

I've just seen the later comments about my walking the boards at ungodly hours - I agree, it's crazy but Life, the Universe and Everything is pressing in on me at the moment and the resulting insomnia is waylaid only by a nice cuppa (and something to dunk into it) and sets me up nicely for a return to the warmth of my four-seasons duvet until a more civilised hour.

And Brian, do not be fooled by the purchasers of household goods in Bettys - some of us have been known to live it up....And isn't dehydration an after effect of a little too much alcohol? And what's the best thing for dehydration? That's it - you've got it....

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes in the case of a nuclear attack I would consider getting up at 6 ish, for everything else it is a big no.

I don't know though, I would buy a scissor action infuser from Betty's tea shop or whatever, sounds cool.

This morning I was not a happy person, in fact I have not been happy all day - I've only just come to terms with it in the last 30 minutes. Seriously. The phone rang at the ungodly hour of 7.00am. I very, very grudgingly yanked myself out of bed and, eyes still closed, zombied downstairs. I got to the phone and it rang off. I dialed 1471 and the computer woman shouted a long list of complex numbers at me. I put the phone down and got back in bed. Mrs Neely asked me what it was and I mumbled something and rolled over. She then proceeded to go down and sort the message. She then shouted up that it was work and that I HAD to go in, work was NOT off today and that I had to get there as soon as I could.:incazzato::incazzato: What I said, I will not repeat. I turned over and slept for another 45 minutes. I then VERY moodily got up and slowly sorted myself out.

Having sorted myself out, I then walked to work carrying a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cup of tea (proper china cup of course, well a heavy one at least not a plastic thing I mean) and trudged through the snow, only stopping to complain to the guy who was clearing the snow from his shop, before steadily going forth into the morn.

Anyway, speaking of tea...

[prendrelemick]

Today has been a 7 cup day. I have been honing and fine tuning the Cafetierre method of brewing and am really getting somewhere I think.

One spoonfull of tea per mug. Three swooshes with the plunger, then leave for 6 minutes on the top of the Rayburn with the plunger depressed half way. Then hold up to a daylight bulb, The colour you want is subjective but easier to judge than with a teapot. When the colour is right depress the plunger and leave it as long as you like, the flavour will improve but not the strengh.

The 4.30pm Cuppa was exceptional!

[Paulclem]

I'm a late 6.15 riser Mick.

What's with the ritualised tea making. Are you sure Neely, that you're not a lapsed, or possibly a genetic, Catholic expressing a deeply embedded desire for the ancient ritual of blood and flesh?

[LitNetIsGreat]

Today has been a 7 cup day. I have been honing and fine tuning the Cafetierre method of brewing and am really getting somewhere I think.

One spoonfull of tea per mug. Three swooshes with the plunger, then leave for 6 minutes on the top of the Rayburn with the plunger depressed half way. Then hold up to a daylight bulb, The colour you want is subjective but easier to judge than with a teapot. When the colour is right depress the plunger and leave it as long as you like, the flavour will improve but not the strengh.

The 4.30pm Cuppa was exceptional!

Excellent. I'm facinated by this method. I'm getting some good loose tea from Pollards at the weekend. Couple of questions though, how do you manage to keep the tea hot if it's left in the cafetiere, do you warm it first? Also, how big is yours? I have both a one cup and an eight cup, which is best? (I suspect the one cup will be fine.)


I'm a late 6.15 riser Mick.

What's with the ritualised tea making. Are you sure Neely, that you're not a lapsed, or possibly a genetic, Catholic expressing a deeply embedded desire for the ancient ritual of blood and flesh?

No, no, though Wilde really was attracted to Catholicism for the express purpose of the aesthetic rituals involved, and not for the religion thing! Quite funny really.

Personally, I think that little, day-to-day rituals (of quality?) are essential in today's society for me - or at least they keep me sane anyway (relatively) - they are my protest against the world!

[Paulclem]

:lol:

sure?..

:lol:

I jest

[Emil Miller]

And Brian, do not be fooled by the purchasers of household goods in Bettys - some of us have been known to live it up....And isn't dehydration an after effect of a little too much alcohol? And what's the best thing for dehydration? That's it - you've got it....

I have just been taking a look at Betty's Tea Shop and I must admit that it could well be the setting for a Miss Marple story. I can just imagine her sitting in a corner enjoying a nice cup of Earl Grey when, suddenly, Colonel Protheroe is poisoned by strychnine in the Darjeeling, or even found bludgeoned to death in his study with a scissors-action tea infuser.


http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/3127/24294350.jpg

[prendrelemick]

Neely, I was taking it as read that you warm all equipment used in the tea making process. My cafetiere says 3 cup on it, that's 1 mug in real money. I keep it warm during brewing by putting it on top of the Rayburn, could be a problem if you haven't got one.

[Madame X]

Do you mean this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSMCN0IcJH0


Or this one?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM0acXZHAEU

There’s a difference? :brow:

[LitNetIsGreat]

Neely, I was taking it as read that you warm all equipment used in the tea making process. My cafetiere says 3 cup on it, that's 1 mug in real money. I keep it warm during brewing by putting it on top of the Rayburn, could be a problem if you haven't got one.

Excellent. No, I don't have a Rayburn I'll have to put in on top of the fire or next to the radiator, I'll warm up the milk too.

I've got a feeling Brian is going to hatch a plan to write the next Christie novel over the Christmas - Murder at Betty's Tea Shop! Perfect! I was at Chatsworth 6 weeks ago or so and I thought of a devilish one as well as we were getting lost there - Murder in the Maze, I can't believe that hasn't been one.

I've not had any tea today. Three helpings of porridge though (one with a banana) great stuff is porridge.

[Emil Miller]

I've got a feeling Brian is going to hatch a plan to write the next Christie novel over the Christmas - Murder at Betty's Tea Shop!

Not likely. I have already written a psychological thriller called The Fateful Circle and it puts too much strain on the "little grey cells."

[LitNetIsGreat]

Not likely. I have already written a psychological thriller called The Fateful Circle and it puts too much strain on the "little grey cells."

Oh right. How many books your written anyway? What's your best work?

I've just had tea.:biggrin5:

[Emil Miller]

Oh right. How many books your written anyway? What's your best work?

I've just had tea.:biggrin5:

Three: Pro Bono Publico, The Fateful Circle, and A Tangled Web: of which I am awaiting a proof copy from the printers. I couldn't say that any one of them is better than another. They are all novels, but Pro Bono Publico took a lot of research and pulls no punches in it's story of the UK from 1945 -1979.

I've just had soup.:nod:

[LitNetIsGreat]

Three: Pro Bono Publico, The Fateful Circle, and A Tangled Web: of which I am awaiting a proof copy from the printers. I couldn't say that any one of them is better than another. They are all novels, but Pro Bono Publico took a lot of research and pulls no punches in it's story of the UK from 1945 -1979.

I've just had soup.:nod:

Super stuff. The Pro Bono Publico sounds interesting and not far from what I have been reading recently, (I can't find the other) I'll add it to my read list and look forward to it.

I'm not remotely thinking of tea at present...

[kasie]

Betty's would not allow anything so unrefined as a murder to take place on the premises - everyone is very friendly (we're talking Yorkshire here, at its best, eh, Mick?). But I dare say they would allow Miss Marple to sit in a corner and cogitate whilst sipping her Special Afternoon Blend and observing humanity - after all Agatha Christie did 'run away' to Harrogate at one stage of her life.

And how big do you think a tea infuser is, Brian? We're talking domestic here, not industrial scale. I don't think you could bludgeon anybody with mine - you might be able to choke them, I suppose.....

[prendrelemick]

Ahh Betty's. I once peered in through the window.

[Emil Miller]

And how big do you think a tea infuser is, Brian? We're talking domestic here, not industrial scale. I don't think you could bludgeon anybody with mine - you might be able to choke them, I suppose.....

I was thinking that it might have been one of these. It is described as a 10 cup tea infuser. I don't think Colonel Protheroe would have had much luck against this stainless steel monster.


http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9052/1581461680.jpg

[kasie]

I was thinking that it might have been one of these. It is described as a 10 cup tea infuser. I don't think Colonel Protheroe would have had much luck against this stainless steel monster.....

True - you could bash him over the head with it or drown him in the tea.

Mick - I'm sure you would have been allowed inside - or were you wearing your turned down wellies at the time??

[Emil Miller]

There’s a difference? :brow:

Yes, the difference being that the first one is camp 1950s and the second is the genuine article.

[Paulclem]

Ahh Betty's. I once peered in through the window.

You were lucky... there weren't a Betty's within umpteen miles o' Wakey.

[yuka]

well, so many guys love drinking tea. it was said that using the tea bag long term will lead to a damage to one's health. (i dont know what is you guys' bad made of, in China tea bags are whitened by chemistry substance). so nowaday we normally didnt use bags in daily drinking.

comparing to this kind of fast tea-drinking of reflection of nowaday's feature, the complicate drink tea procedure is more useful for health. currently there are three kind of tea ceremony in the world, the most famous is Japanese(derived from china though), and the other two are Chinese and Korea's(Korea also derived from China). although the system of three kind of tea ceremony are different, the essence is the same.

and glad to know from this thread that China green tea is popular. i like green tea too. but i am not so often to drink tea. actuall in china there are many other good tea except for green tea. and i live in a tea city in which we get Dragon Well tea, it is really tasty. and green tea and many other flowers tea

[LitNetIsGreat]

I don't know what Dragon Well Tea is but it sounds great.

You make a good point about quick tea drinking. This is probably a reflection of the of the idea presented by the media (which nearly everyone believes) that we are all too busy dashing around all the time to eat and drink properly. This is not true. Ceremony and slow eating, like the traditional French or Italian approach to food and drink is how it should be, it's the sensible and healthy approach to food and drink, and tea is no different.

A friend of mine at work the other day gave me a bag of 1100 Tetley Tea Bags for free. That's a lot of tea to get down. I've given a couple of hundred away but that leaves me with still about 900 of them left. Tetley's not bad, an above average standard tea, but I'm not sure I can drink all of them, I'll have to give some more away.

[yuka]

Dragon Well Tea is the perfect of teas, with a highest grade above all.

Tetley Tea ii never heard. but whatever tea, if some day i drink some, that night will be a hard night for sleep. so i dont like tea that much.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I will certainly look for Dragon Well Tea then.

Oh, Tetley Tea is mass produced blended tea, forget that.

Edit: Oh, the Dragon Well Tea looks lovely, I've got to get some of that. Yes it claims that it is the best tea, I must get hold of it. If my local coffee and tea shop doesn't have it I've found a UK online site which sells it. Excellent. I'll report back of my Dragon Well Tea mission. I did go through a stage of drinking green (and white) tea, but it dropped away in favour of coffee and black tea. Got to get hold that that Dragon Well though, thanks.

[yuka]

You are welcome, and thank you to you too, seems i made once promotion for our tea to you. :)

i dont know if Dragon Well Tea exported to UK? good luck to you. If anything i can help, let me know

[Helga]

I am crazy about the Christmas teas at the moment, I have black spicy one and it is odd how you can find Christmas in a cup. I also have a more fruity one that is also tasty.

[LitNetIsGreat]

You are welcome, and thank you to you too, seems i made once promotion for our tea to you. :)

i dont know if Dragon Well Tea exported to UK? good luck to you. If anything i can help, let me know

Thanks. If I can't get Dragon Tea from my local coffee/tea shop, Pollards, what would you recommend as the next best? I know that they sell several different types of green tea but it has been a long time so I can't remember what they sell exactly.

Thanks again.

[yuka]

Thanks. If I can't get Dragon Tea from my local coffee/tea shop, Pollards, what would you recommend as the next best? I know that they sell several different types of green tea but it has been a long time so I can't remember what they sell exactly.

Thanks again.

The next is Bi Luo Chun tea, and then Mao Jian Tea,

the owner of tea shop is chinese, or your fellow countryman ?

[LitNetIsGreat]

The next is Bi Luo Chun tea, and then Mao Jian Tea,

the owner of tea shop is chinese, or your fellow countryman ?

Thanks. No, no she's not chinese, it's a general coffee/tea shop, with several types on offer. It's mostly a coffee shop with around 30 coffees on sale, but sells loose teas as well. Do you drink much coffee at all?

[yuka]

Thanks. No, no she's not chinese, it's a general coffee/tea shop, with several types on offer. It's mostly a coffee shop with around 30 coffees on sale, but sells loose teas as well. Do you drink much coffee at all?

no i hardly drink coffee ( just drink a litlle very occasionally), actually i choose water for daily drink, sometimes put some American Ginseng or medlars into the water.

if the shop mostly sells coffees with some loose teas, i think unlikely to get those teas i named, but some general green teas maybe they can offer

[LitNetIsGreat]

no i hardly drink coffee ( just drink a litlle very occasionally), actually i choose water for daily drink, sometimes put some American Ginseng or medlars into the water.

if the shop mostly sells coffees with some loose teas, i think unlikely to get those teas i named, but some general green teas maybe they can offer

You were correct. I went in with my list of three green teas and was met with blank stares. The only green tea they had was gunpowder so I bought some of that. How is gunpowder rated, probably prett standard stuff I expect? I remember last year the had several green teas so I don't know why they only have the one. They were really busy though so perhaps they had sold out of a lot of stuff, they didn't have any white tea or some of the most popular coffees. Anyway, I asked about Dragon Well Tea and she still looked blank. I can order it online which I'll have to do later.

[yuka]

i never dring gunpower, but heard that it's not bad, above normal green tea. seems gunpower is the second popularers Chinese tea outside China except for Bohea( a kind of rea tea) . i am wondering if some big city like London get these teas.

[OrphanPip]

There must be a Chinatown somewhere in your area Neely, or at least a small shopping district. I know the UK has a relatively small Chinese population, but there are very few places in this world where there are no Chinese people. My mother buys her tea in Montreal's Chinatown. I still prefer Indian teas though, and I'm not really the kind to go out of my way for teas.

[billl]

In the U.S., everyone should realize that the typical grocery store might be selling 4 or more brands of 'green tea', however it is quite likely that none of them resemble green tea as it is known in Japan (or China, I am sure). These sorts of green teas might have the health benefits that are usually associated with green tea, I don't know... But in most cases you would be lucky if they just tasted sort of boring, like a cheap black tea.

In the U.S., you would do well to check Asian grocers and buy something that has a lot of kanji (ie. Chinese/Japanese writing) on it, from companies you don't know. YamaMotoYama (山本山) is a company that makes AWESOME green tea that you can find online or at a place selling Japanese groceries (for example). It is cheap, but infinitely better than Lipton's or Bigelow Green Tea etc. INFINITELY better (try the YamaMotoYama 'Gen-Mai Cha', too, that's incredible).

Kirkland also markets a great Green Tea that you can get thru Amazon (and maybe at Costco sometimes..?). It will have "Ito En" written on the packaging (a famous Japanese brand) and is very reasonably priced.

EDIT: also, green teas should generally be steeped for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If the box of green tea you are about to buy suggests steeping for 3-5 minutes, you can be sure that is a terrible green tea. If the instructions suggest 30 seconds or 1 minute as sufficient, that is a very promising sign...

[Scheherazade]

I love black tea but... Does anyone else feel dizzy by the sheer number of different types of teas available in the shop these days?

[LitNetIsGreat]

Thanks all. I have ordered a small sample online (on Amazon) so I will get my Dragon Well tea, though I have never known the post as bad as it is at present so I don't know when it will arrive. Yes good idea Ophan Pip there is a small Chinese community on London Road I can ask there as well.


EDIT: also, green teas should generally be steeped for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If the box of green tea you are about to buy suggests steeping for 3-5 minutes, you can be sure that is a terrible green tea. If the instructions suggest 30 seconds or 1 minute as sufficient, that is a very promising sign...

I didn't know that, good point.


I love black tea but... Does anyone else feel dizzy by the sheer number of different types of teas available in the shop these days?

Nope, the more the better. It's great fun to sample different types and blends, same with beers, same with anything much. Did you know that there are around 2000 different variates of apple in the UK alone? 2000. Go in any supermarket however and you will be lucky to find 3 - and I bet two of those are Golden Delicious or Granny Smith as shipped in from France...No, I'll take the options thanks.

[kasie]

Last year, my local supermarket was selling the equivalent of chateau-bottled wine, single-estate teas. I haven't checked lately to see if they are still keeping those lines. I bought one to try, 'Copper Penny', so-called, apparently, because when correctly brewed (are you paying attention here, Neely?) the tea should be the colour of an new penny. I couldn't resist the name. And yes, it was. The colour of a new penny.) Flavour? Hmm - so-so, better without milk.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Noted, noted. I'm currently sipping the gunpowder (live tea drinking here on Litnet) and it is sort of alright, as I remembered it really, I can get used to it but not overly taken away with it. Clean tasting. I wonder if the health benefits linked with green tea are true?

[faithosaurus]

I absolutely love everything about coffee, but I've recently cut back to take up tea. I really like the green teas more than anything, and I can only drink it plain.

[MystyrMystyry]

Tea... for two... and... two... for tea...

Do you take the kettle to the pot, or the pot to the kettle?

[kasie]

MM, you are clearly not a tea-drinker, only a tea-singer. It's the pot to the kettle every time - tsk, these coffee drinkers, sneaking into a Tea thread and la-la-la-ing and pretending to be One Of Us.

[prendrelemick]

I must confess, I am a milk in last man. Does that cast doubt on my tea drinker bona fides?

[kasie]

Not at all, Mick - I think the Milk in First/Last debate dates back, way back, to when china cups were delicate and the milk was poured in first to absorb some of the thermal shock of the hot tea and prevent cracking the thin cups. The milk cools the tea and, some say, impairs the flavour - the Milk-in-Last people claim that adding the milk after prevents the milk from being warmed which is what spoils the tea. I'm a Milk-in-first, myself, I can judge the quantity of milk more accurately for some reason but - You Pays Your Money and You Takes Your Choice.

[Emil Miller]

I always used to put the milk in last for the simple reason that you can tell by the colour just how much suits your particular taste. However, since I gave up Indian tea years ago, I don't need milk anyway. As for coffee, once I had been to France, about 2000 years ago, I gave up on milk altogether and now I couldn't drink it any other way but black.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I'm a milk in last person. I can't see how the tea can brew properly with milk it in. I couldn't drink it without milk or cream. I like cream in my coffee.

[LitNetIsGreat]

The Dragon Well has arrived in the post this morning:) along with two more food angst books, joanna Blythman Shopped and Not on the Label Felicity Lawrence! Christmas is here already!

[qimissung]

I got some tea for Christmas. It blooms when you put it in the water. Have't tried it yet, but I'm very excited about it.

[MystyrMystyry]

Well espied Kasie, but I am partial to the occasional tipple of t'other (heh, t'other, geddit?)

This milk thing was explained to me by a consumate liar that milk in last scolded said dairyness - or is that modern/his personal mythology?

[TheFifthElement]

I got some tea for Christmas. It blooms when you put it in the water. Have't tried it yet, but I'm very excited about it.

Ooh, flower tea. I am jealous. You'll have to tell us what it's like. I've seen it served in a Japanese restaurant, and have been very tempted to try it.

I've been sampling Twinings (http://www.twinings.co.uk/) excellent range of teas and have found some super ones.

Firstly, from their Clearly Refreshing (http://www.twinings.co.uk/discover-our-range/clearly-refreshing/) range, the Oolong tea is excellent. Refreshing light and lovely. Serve without milk.

From their Green tea (http://www.twinings.co.uk/discover-our-range/green-teas/) range, the Green tea with Orange and Lotus flower is excellent, as is the Green tea with pineapple and grapefruit which is very refreshing.

Finally, from their Moments of calm (http://www.twinings.co.uk/discover-our-range/moments-of-calm/) range, the camomile with spiced apple, and Orange, mango and cinnamon are heavenly.

Oh, I do love a good cup of tea.

[Niamh]

I think its safe to say I am a tea addict. I have an intire shelf in a press at home full of different types of teas aquired from all over the globe. (if you dont believe me ask kilted exile) Most come from what is my favourite tea shop in the world (literally) called T2. Its in Sydney Australia. They have an amazing range of loose teas.
I'm fussy about the type of tea i drink too. I get stroppy if i'm somewhere and they give me tetley (except in Canada as the tetley Orange Pekoe is really nice).
I've a very interesting Ice Wine Tea from Canada. Really nice.
Hi Fifth! You should try Twinings Nettle and Spearmint tea. gorgeous!

[country doctor]

the doc's working on a pot right now...w/ a couple slices of lemon, per usual...

[billl]

I have a bunch of different teas going on right now (maybe 10 types), but my "cheap English black tea" is about to run out. I've been using PG Tips.

I know a place that sells Typhoo for about the same price as PG Tips. I'm curious about the Typhoo, but I'd be buying a large box of it, so I'd like to hear any of your opinions out there...

Is Typhoo a decent tea? How does it compare to PG Tips?

[prendrelemick]

Typhoo is a decent enough tea, not my favourite. It was a major player in the tea world, but has lost ground to 99, PG Tips, Tetley and Yorkshire tea recently.

[TheFifthElement]

I have a bunch of different teas going on right now (maybe 10 types), but my "cheap English black tea" is about to run out. I've been using PG Tips.

I know a place that sells Typhoo for about the same price as PG Tips. I'm curious about the Typhoo, but I'd be buying a large box of it, so I'd like to hear any of your opinions out there...

Is Typhoo a decent tea? How does it compare to PG Tips?

In the advertising they say you only get an oooo with Typhoo, in my opinion that should be more correctly stated as you only get an 'eugh' with Typhoo. Yak. I'm a PG Tips drinker (generally) and in comparison Typhoo is weak and flavourless and it tends towards the powdery so you get that disgusting greyish colour to your tea and powdery floaty mass in the bottom of your mug. Ugh, disgusting.

If you can't get PG Tips then you're probably better off looking for Yorkshire Tea. It's a reasonable enough replacement. If not that, pay a little more and go for a Twinings English Breakfast tea or something like that.

[billl]

Thanks, Mick & Fifth. I was curious to try Typhoo (cool name), but I'd be buying a 40 or 80 count box, so I think I'll try it some other time.

Next question (and I'm not expecting help, with this one, but I just wanted to throw it out there, just in case). I have also never tried the Twinings English Breakfast. I have some Yorkshire Gold and some Scottish Breakfast, both from Taylor's of Harrogate--and I think they are great. And I have Twinings Earl Grey (which is a good change of pace). But:

Is the Twinings tea that I can find in every grocery store in the U.S. of the same quality as the Twinings that is being sold back in England? It's blended and packed in London, but I've seen in reviews on Amazon that some people think the quality has gone down compared to years past, and even speculation that the leaves used for export are a different selection.

One more question: Does anyone out there have another favorite Earl Grey (a non-Twinings one) that I should try?

[prendrelemick]

A forty box! Thats less than a weeks worth.

[TheFifthElement]

Is the Twinings tea that I can find in every grocery store in the U.S. of the same quality as the Twinings that is being sold back in England? It's blended and packed in London, but I've seen in reviews on Amazon that some people think the quality has gone down compared to years past, and even speculation that the leaves used for export are a different selection.


Can't really say if they use the same blend or different. They might blend differently for a different market. If you want to directly compare, you can buy English brand Twinings tea from the US Twinings shop here: http://www.twiningsusashop.com/direct-from-england.html

It would suggest that there may be some difference in the English variety, or maybe there are certain types of tea they don't generally sell in the US? There are certainly some teas available in US that are not available in UK, or so it seems anyway.

Can't recommend any Earl Grey I'm afraid. I'm not a great fan. But I can recommend Twinings's Green Tea with Orange Blossom and Lotus Flower or Green Tea with Pineapple and Grapefruit. Yummee :D

[kasie]

re: Typhoo, PG Tips etc - it really all depends on the water, billl; some teas taster better in hard water, some better in soft water. Typhoo is not to my taste but the water could have something to do with it. you may have to buy it and try it. (40 bags won't last that long....)

The Twinings Afternoon Tea I bought in the New York deli next to my hotel tasted much the same as the Twinings here - but the water was soft, even softer than here in Wales. There were a few bags left over so I brought them home (for comparison purposes, of course, not because I'm a mean, penny-pinching old biddy - well, I am but that's beside the point) so if and when I finish unpacking my case, I'll let you know how they compare.

[faithosaurus]

Mm, just had chai tea at a local restaurant/coffee lounge. Soooo good.

[billl]

re: Typhoo, PG Tips etc - it really all depends on the water, billl; some teas taster better in hard water, some better in soft water. Typhoo is not to my taste but the water could have something to do with it. you may have to buy it and try it. (40 bags won't last that long....)

The Twinings Afternoon Tea I bought in the New York deli next to my hotel tasted much the same as the Twinings here - but the water was soft, even softer than here in Wales. There were a few bags left over so I brought them home (for comparison purposes, of course, not because I'm a mean, penny-pinching old biddy - well, I am but that's beside the point) so if and when I finish unpacking my case, I'll let you know how they compare.

Well, I'm in luck--short of an official announcement from Twinings, I don't think I could have hoped for better than someone visiting both countries and arranging an actual comparison back home. I've heard so many great things on Amazon.com about Twinings English Breakfast Tea, but I can't help but wonder how many of the reviewers have only bought tea at U.S. supermarkets. Does it really rate better than Taylors of Harrogates English Breakfast? I've checked the UK Amazon site to see how the British feel about the matter, but I don't even see the red-boxed stuff we have for sale over here. Apparently there isn't much of a market for mail order tea in the UK.

Regarding hard/soft water: here, I have hard water from the tap, and I get soft (and repeatedly filtered and zapped with UV light) water from a local store, which I use for drinking. Usually for coffee and tea, I use the tap water, but after a while I discovered the very thing you are talking about. There's an enormous difference between soft and hard water with Taylors of Harrogates Teas. With Twinings Earl Grey (and Darjeeling), there doesn't seem to be much of any significant difference.

[billl]

Can't really say if they use the same blend or different. They might blend differently for a different market. If you want to directly compare, you can buy English brand Twinings tea from the US Twinings shop here: http://www.twiningsusashop.com/direct-from-england.html

It would suggest that there may be some difference in the English variety, or maybe there are certain types of tea they don't generally sell in the US? There are certainly some teas available in US that are not available in UK, or so it seems anyway.

Can't recommend any Earl Grey I'm afraid. I'm not a great fan. But I can recommend Twinings's Green Tea with Orange Blossom and Lotus Flower or Green Tea with Pineapple and Grapefruit. Yummee :D

That website confirms what I saw over at Amazon UK: there appears to have been a change in the design/artwork for their teas. I'm pretty sure you are right about the different selection: they definitely make some decisions according to the wants of American consumers. When I looked for tea in the grocery store last year (for the first time in ages), I was surprised to see Lady Grey had come from out of nowhere and replace Orange Pekoe in the Twinings Sampler boxes. I think I'm probably just rumor-mongering, but maybe they have changed the blend for the U.S (to accomodate U.S. water systems, or customer preferences, or lack of sophistication amung U.S. tea drinkers).

Of course, the easiest thing would be for me to just buy a box of Twinings English Breakfast (and/or Typhoo). However, I am kind of an enthusiast, and posting these questions helps me blow off a little steam. Also, and this is completely serious and is actually the main reason I have turned to Litnet for advice on such a slight matter: I have so many boxes of tea sitting around, I can't really afford to buy something that I'll only reluctantly drink. It isn't the money, it's the space. I foolishly bought that Twinings Irish Breakfast, for example, knowing full well I hated it but feeling nostalgia for the days when I forced myself to finish off an old box. It's like a library of tea is building up, and I don't need any more Stephenie Meyer or whatever.

[billl]

First, an update: The Twining's English Breakfast sold here in the U.S. (it comes in a red box) is OK, but priced higher than Taylor of Harrogate's English Tea, which is a little better in my opinion, and the Twining's English is also more expensive than the Taylor of Harrogate's Scottish and Yorkshire teas, which are both WAY better than the Twining's English (again, in my opinion). Also, just as with the Twining's Earl Grey in the U.S., it doesn't matter if hard or soft water is used (unlike with all the T of H's).

Earl Grey question:
Speaking of Earl Grey, I went ahead and bought some Taylor of Harrogate's Earl Grey. VERY DIFFERENT from the Twining's. Again, it might just be U.S. Twining's or something (if there's a difference...), but the Twining's Earl Grey tastes very strongly of Bergamot, while the Taylor of Harrogate's Earl Grey has such a low level of bergamot flavor that I pretty much can't taste it. I can smell it coming from the unwrapped tea bags in the box, but when I drink it, the bergamont mostly just softens the regular tea flavor a little or something, and I guess there's a slight aftertaste, etc.

Anyone have any info about other Earl Grey teas? Is Twining's the exception, or is it common to have such a strong Bergamot flavor? Or am I possibly just not so good at distinguishing flavors--is maybe the Taylor of Harrogate's Earl Grey just confusing me by having higher-quality tea present along with the bergamot?

[prendrelemick]

I've long suspected that Twinings is very ordinary tea dressed up as quality. They specialize in specialist teas, rather than mainstream. They have hit on the idea of selling tea bags individually. You find them (overpriced) in chain cafes or moterway service stations.

I regard Taylors as a purveyor of good quality tea. However both companies are relatively small players over here.

As to the Earl Grey question, I never drink it, go with the one you like best.

[Scheherazade]

I agree with Mick on Twining. They offer a wide range of fruit/herbal teas (which I am not very fond of) but otherwise, their quality is not any better than any others.

Now I need a cup of tea.

[kasie]

Further update on the UK/USA Twinings tea: no difference that I could tell.

I don't like Earl Grey tea either but then I don't care for teas that have a perfume, jasmine and the like, so I'd go with Mick's advice, drink whichever you prefer.

[billl]

Further update on the UK/USA Twinings tea: no difference that I could tell.

Well, that makes sense. Thanks for checking--I guess my disappointment with Twinings is due to my familiarity with it in comparison to the new teas I've been trying. Also, I miss the old packaging for the tea bags.

Anyhow, since there's no difference between U.S. and U.K. leaves used, and Twinings is original maker of Earl Grey, I guess their Earl Grey that I've bought over here must be a good representative of the type.

btw: I only have Earl Grey around for two reasons: 1) Captain Picard liked it, and 2) it's a change of pace, and maybe makes the next cup of regular tea a little more interesting if I'm having a lot of tea.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I agree with Mick on Twining. They offer a wide range of fruit/herbal teas (which I am not very fond of) but otherwise, their quality is not any better than any others.

I disagree most strongly. Twinings is far superior to most standard teas such as PG Tips, Tetley and so on if this is what you mean. If you are talking about independent loose tea leafs then yes Twinnings is no better, but it is a step above the common crowd.

I also don't like the fruit teas but this is where the yellow-boxed Twinings Everyday comes in handy, get trying one of those.

Me, I'm sat here drinking a standard cup of Tetley, still trying to get rid of the massive 1100 sack that someone gave me (I've given a lot away). Tetley is average tea and it's OK, but I'm thinking of Twinings.

http://shop.twinings.co.uk/shop/twinings-tea/everyday-teas.html
Twinings Everyday, top blended tea. I still miss the independent coffee shop Pollards, but this is good.

[kasie]

Well, if Captain Picard liked it, say no more! I dare say he had a shortage of good fresh milk which might account for his preference. (Though the Starship Enterprise seemed able to provide all sorts of goodies, unlike Red Dwarf, so perhaps they had a cow stashed away somewhere on board....)

I like green tea for a 'change of pace', as you put it, and I've also taken to Camomile with honey and vanilla (Twinings) but for the most part, I prefer English Breakfast, day or night. Yes, I know it's bad for me at night but decaffeinated tea seems to make no difference so I might as well stick to the usual 99 brand.

[billl]

Every night I have a green tea (generally genmai-cha--I can get excellent Yamamoto-yama tea for a great price around here. I sometimes have one of their other types for "a change of pace" but a cup of genmai-cha is a "pace" I don't need to change often) and then I have 1-3 cups of black tea, usually two, while reading. I'm pretty much a night owl, so no problem.

Been thinking about other types now and then, maybe Camomile, etc. And I sometimes get some pretty interesting stuff from Japan as gifts.

Twinings Packaging
Remember 10-20 years ago, when Twinings teabags were wrapped in a strip of paper that was sealed along a couple of exterior seams, and under an overlapping flap there was revealed a severely-perforated square in the paper--it might be just barely hanging on--with the type of tea written on it and a staple to the string? The packaging sometimes came undone a little in the box, but there was something classy about it. Nowadays (and this isn't just Twinings) the bag is packed like one of those moist towelettes that get stuck in to-go meals at the convenience store. Of course it's better for freshness, but somehow seems inferior, in my opinion. If I'm enjoying a Victorian-age blend with some Agatha Christie, I don't want to begin the process with this space-age sort of mood. I have to admit, there's a degree of hypocrisy going on with me here, because I next use a microwave to heat the water in the mug--but still, that was how I did it in the old days...

[Jack of Hearts]

Started off taking chamomile with honey. Now this reader just takes it straight.

Something about using the microwave for tea seems so... bleh. No thanks.








J

[billl]

Does anyone know about this stuff called: Pu-Erh Tea?

It's a type of Chinese tea that is fermented (after drying). Here's the Wikipedia info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-erh_tea

Anyhow, well, that's a lot of info right there. I first heard about it on a radio show called "The Splendid Table" while driving somewhere.
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/popup.php?name=splendid_table/2012/03/31/splendidtable_20120331_64&starttime=00:14:12&endtime=00:21:02
don't know if that link will work... But it discusses it, but as sub-category of a category called "Dark Tea".

Anyhow, long story short: I see a decent-priced version of it on Amazon.com, but it's like 100 tea-bags per purchase. Is the bagged version OK, does anyone know? Because the real normal thing (like in the Wikipedia article) is out of the question, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not at this time going to be dealing with a big compacted lump of the stuff, or some cubes or whatever... But I'd be interested in trying the bagged version, if it's legit. (Amazon name: "Lucky Eight Yunnan Pu Erh Natural Black Tea" )