|
Can anybody suggest a good Assam/Irish Breakfast that doesn't need milk?
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2014 20:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 08:26 |
|
|
BrainParasite posted:Can anybody suggest a good Assam/Irish Breakfast that doesn't need milk? Fwiw I have had both of those without milk and they taste fine. No tea "needs" milk besides maybe chai.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2014 21:37
|
|
|
I can't imagine drinking english breakfast tea without milk, must be so bitter. I noticed the other day that half my family don't remove their tea bags, so they end up steeping it for like 10minutes
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2014 22:12
|
|
|
I think the 2 things are related: having to use milk/suger in tea and 10 minute steep times for black teas.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2014 22:16
|
|
|
I usually leave my tea bags in (I've been doing the Twinnings thing for a while) so both my breakfast and earl teas steep for probably 10ish minutes, but to tell the truth I don't find them that bitter. They're actually pretty delicious! Maybe I'm just ignorant of how delicious tea can be? For adding milk, do you guys put in skim, 2%, whole, half-and-half, cream? Also I had a coworker bring in some smoky tea (what he called it) and it smelled delicious. Are there trusted varieties that have that flavor? Do you add anything to smoky tea?
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2014 23:52
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:I usually leave my tea bags in (I've been doing the Twinnings thing for a while) so both my breakfast and earl teas steep for probably 10ish minutes, but to tell the truth I don't find them that bitter. They're actually pretty delicious! Maybe I'm just ignorant of how delicious tea can be? For adding milk, do you guys put in skim, 2%, whole, half-and-half, cream? Also I had a coworker bring in some smoky tea (what he called it) and it smelled delicious. Are there trusted varieties that have that flavor? Do you add anything to smoky tea? It was probably a Lapsang Souchong. You can find varieties through most sellers, but I don't personally like it so I'll leave recommendations to others. I prefer weak black tea and stick to about a minute or two for steeping.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 00:03
|
|
|
Hummingbirds posted:Fwiw I have had both of those without milk and they taste fine. No tea "needs" milk besides maybe chai. I bought the GFOP Assam from Upton. It goes from weak to undrinkably bitter. It might be the water at work; I'll have to try it at home. areyoucontagious posted:I usually leave my tea bags in (I've been doing the Twinnings thing for a while) so both my breakfast and earl teas steep for probably 10ish minutes, but to tell the truth I don't find them that bitter. They're actually pretty delicious! Maybe I'm just ignorant of how delicious tea can be? For adding milk, do you guys put in skim, 2%, whole, half-and-half, cream? Also I had a coworker bring in some smoky tea (what he called it) and it smelled delicious. Are there trusted varieties that have that flavor? Do you add anything to smoky tea? This is probably a Lapsang Souchong. It's a Chinese tea that is actually smoked. You can add milk, but I drink it plain.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 00:10
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:I usually leave my tea bags in (I've been doing the Twinnings thing for a while) so both my breakfast and earl teas steep for probably 10ish minutes, but to tell the truth I don't find them that bitter. They're actually pretty delicious! Maybe I'm just ignorant of how delicious tea can be? For adding milk, do you guys put in skim, 2%, whole, half-and-half, cream? Also I had a coworker bring in some smoky tea (what he called it) and it smelled delicious. Are there trusted varieties that have that flavor? Do you add anything to smoky tea? I wouldn't add milk to lapsang souchong as that will take away from a lot of the smokiness. There are different kinds of lapsang, generally depending on what it's smoked with/over and how strong they are. Taiwanese lapsang (or Formosan lapsang) is usually the strongest, especially the tar smoked ones. So if you really like the smokiness, go for those ones, but you can also find much milder ones.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 00:22
|
|
|
Enfys posted:I wouldn't add milk to lapsang souchong as that will take away from a lot of the smokiness. There are different kinds of lapsang, generally depending on what it's smoked with/over and how strong they are. Taiwanese lapsang (or Formosan lapsang) is usually the strongest, especially the tar smoked ones. So if you really like the smokiness, go for those ones, but you can also find much milder ones. Do you have a link to a place that sells this black tar tea? (PS. Don't use your usual infuser for Lapsang Souchong unless you want all your tea to taste smoky for a week.)
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 00:30
|
|
|
My favorite is Upton's Lapsang Souchong Imperial: http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=ZS80 I bought the smaller tin of it so I could keep it sealed up. I drink it straight. This one is nice but not too smoky. I describe it as tasting like "sitting on a damp log at a fire after it rains while you're camping with friends." milpreve fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Feb 2, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 01:04
|
|
|
BrainParasite posted:Do you have a link to a place that sells this black tar tea? I get mine from Taiwan so I haven't tried any from online sellers. If you look for Formosan Tarry Lapsang you should be able to find some. However, not everything called Tarry Lapsang is going to be tar fired like this though as sometimes it is just a taste description of Chinese lapsangs with a stronger flavour, so tarry vs a milder smoky. Chinese lapsangs are generally smoked over pine, while Formosan lapsangs use spruce (especially for tar smoking), cypress, or a mix of woods, which is what makes them taste so different (and stronger than your average lapsang). So you can also look for a mention of spruce in the description of a tarry lapsang or see what kind of wood was used for smoking. also yeah, be careful with whatever you brew lapsang in or where you keep it because that smell and taste sticks.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 02:21
|
|
|
Grrl Anachronism posted:Just wanted to post about the great customer service experience I had with Davids. I bought like 100g of their new tea Mint to Be the other week based on the fact that it seemed to be made entirely of ingredients I had tried before in their other tea- however, it was awful, and smelled strongly of... not coconut or mint, but an artificial smell that turned my stomach. I sent an email to Davids asking for a list of which natural ingredients were added to it (cream, butterscotch, white chocolate mousse... what?) and which other teas contained those ingredients so I could avoid them. If you like mate, their guayusa is really nice. Sweet and slightly grassy, and I've never had it get bitter no matter how long I steep it. It's got more caffeine than black tea, but the effect is very clear and pleasant. On milk: I only use it for cheap black teas, which brew a nice strong cup, but can be a bit harsh. I like Ridgways Organic black and Earl Grey for this application. Dilmah single origin is another nice black tea that's ridiculously cheap.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2014 05:59
|
|
|
I found in a cupboard a load of different teas labelled Darjeeling and FTGFOP 1 given to me by someone who had just come back from India, but I'd be surprised if either of those labels are honest. Going to give it a try though!
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 15:35
|
|
|
Can anyone recommend a nice flask with a loose tea infuser? Catch is, I'd like it to be sent to a UK address and would rather not pay for international shipping, so somewhere like amazon.com is out. Also, how long can infused oolong be kept around for using again before it should just be thrown out?
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 18:57
|
|
|
I'd be surprised if they weren't. One of the great things about tea is that even the fancy-pants stuff is really inexpensive, especially from the source. I'll even extend that to the really pricey oolongs/puerhs if you've got the patience to rebrew them 20 times. And even if not, per liquid volume it's nothing compared to e.g. vintage alcohol. Re: milk, the correct way to drink tea is any way you like it. Just don't pour boiling liquid into cold glass (might split) and don't pour milk on top of just-boiled tea (might curdle). The main deal with milk is that milk proteins, caseins, bind with cathetins in tea to actually wipe out some of the bitter tannin aspect of the flavor. Fat-free milk will do that just the same, but dairy alternatives (e.g. soy milk) can't. You also really don't need anything more than like a... teaspoon per cup for that effect if you haven't overbrewed. Maybe a bit more for a really hearty Assam. But it can be done without significantly diluting the overall flavour, unless you consider the bitterness to be an essential component.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 19:06
|
|
|
amazon.co.uk carries a fair amount of tea infusers for free or small shipping, though I have no clue how good their overall prices are. As for keeping tea... As with any food it depends on the temperature of the environment and is still a bit of a crapshoot. Personally wet leaves are too much like compost for my taste so I wouldn't rebrew something after about five hours unattended. Depends on the weather though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 19:26
|
|
|
Goddamn posted:amazon.co.uk carries a fair amount of tea infusers for free or small shipping, though I have no clue how good their overall prices are. I mean more like a Thermos style flask with a built in infuser, if there is such, rather than a separate one. Though I could always just go that route, I guess, would just have to reach in to the tea to pull it out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 21:56
|
|
|
Battle Pigeon posted:I mean more like a Thermos style flask with a built in infuser, if there is such, rather than a separate one. Though I could always just go that route, I guess, would just have to reach in to the tea to pull it out. What you want is called a "tea tumbler". I'd be very surprised if amazon.Co.uk didn't have any - several companies make them.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 22:02
|
|
|
Oh, thanks! There's not much choice on Amazon, but now I know what to look for. This looks kind of nice: http://www.amazon.co.uk/MIU-COLOR-Portable-Borosilicate-Strainer/dp/B00DE8E8BM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1391467195&sr=8-7&keywords=tea+tumbler
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2014 23:55
|
|
|
The strainer part looks good, but a glass one is not going to be as good as the metal ones. The metal vacuum flasks will keep the drinks hotter longer and probably last longer as well. Unfortunately, it looks like the one I bought a while ago (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermos-12-...rds=tea+tumbler) is insanely expensive (£32). I got mine for a more reasonable ~$20 US. Other than the Nissan one, I know Teavana makes a metal tea tumbler, and also zojirushi, but I don't know where to get those in the UK. Maybe try looking at the big tea selling sites for the UK? They might have some branded one or something. Although if you can deal with the glass one getting cold faster it looks like it would work pretty well.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2014 01:52
|
|
|
http://yumasia.co.uk has some of the Zojirushi ones. I don't know much about their TUFF line.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2014 02:44
|
|
|
Could use a kettle recommendation. I tried the Cloer 4950 and it's not bad, but when I shell out 90€ for a water cooker that lets me "pick a temp between 40-100°C" it leaves a sour taste in my mouth when I can only select in 10° increments and the display isn't reliable. Now I'm looking for a replacement kettle that at least correctly shows the water temperature. I've only found a few models like that but none of them have very inspiring reviews ("comes apart at the seams after 6 months", "tastes like plastic", "costs 150€", ect.) I'm in Austria so most of the cookers that have been recommended earlier in the thread aren't available here. Should I just get a cheap steel kettle and measure with a thermostat instead? I'm beginning to think it would be cheaper and easier.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2014 15:47
|
|
|
Entenzahn posted:Could use a kettle recommendation. I tried the Cloer 4950 and it's not bad, but when I shell out 90€ for a water cooker that lets me "pick a temp between 40-100°C" it leaves a sour taste in my mouth when I can only select in 10° increments and the display isn't reliable. I have this kettle and absolutely love it. However, if that's not available I would say just look for a thermometer that beeps when it gets down to a certain temperature. I've been looking for one myself for work, but for now I just stick with black tea there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2014 16:38
|
|
|
What are some US vendors that have decent gift sets for sale? I've looked at adagio and Davidstea, but I wouldn't mind a few more options. Things like the Cold Weather Survival Kit that Davidstea has is pretty similar to something I want (plus in the same price range) but ideally I want something Valentine's day themed. I know they have "love tea sets" or whatever, but I'd prefer something just wrapped nicely that contains a starter kit (ie tea bags + green loose leaf or something).
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2014 00:06
|
|
|
Archer2338 posted:What are some US vendors that have decent gift sets for sale? I've looked at adagio and Davidstea, but I wouldn't mind a few more options. Things like the Cold Weather Survival Kit that Davidstea has is pretty similar to something I want (plus in the same price range) but ideally I want something Valentine's day themed. I know they have "love tea sets" or whatever, but I'd prefer something just wrapped nicely that contains a starter kit (ie tea bags + green loose leaf or something). Republic of Tea probably has what you're looking for. I've gotten some good gift sets from them. E: Had some time, so I took a look. this looks similar to what you want, right? They have a lot of other custom sets so you can pick some more tea or honey or stuff. defectivemonkey fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Feb 5, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2014 00:20
|
|
|
detectivemonkey posted:I have this kettle and absolutely love it. However, if that's not available I would say just look for a thermometer that beeps when it gets down to a certain temperature. I've been looking for one myself for work, but for now I just stick with black tea there. We have a similar cooker. The main difference is that it trades some preset buttons for a temperature display. Which is fine with me. I really just want a convenient and reliable way to always know how hot my water is. It's also the only one I've seen so far that is neither rumored to leak nor to stink. There's a few plastic parts but water contact seems to be negligible. I might give this one a shot, and if it doesn't work, I'll get some simple a stainless steel machine and use a thermometer. Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2014 17:17
|
|
|
detectivemonkey posted:Republic of Tea probably has what you're looking for. I've gotten some good gift sets from them. Ah, this is perfect! I'll look at some of other boxes, but yeah, the options there are exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks! 
|
|
#
?
Feb 5, 2014 23:44
|
|
|
Just tried some of the Casablanca Twist from adagio and I really liked it. Usually I have to put some sugar or milk in my tea to get it to where I like it, but I enjoyed this stuff just fine on it's own. It's a really nice mix of peppermint and a Darjeeling if you're unfamiliar with it. I would have preferred a tad less mint and a smidge more tea, but I can mess with that later. The leaves also look and smell really appealing. I also ordered a sample of their Lapsang Souchong and hoo boy. I'd describe the smell of it as somewhere between a campfire and a tire, not necessarily an unappealing smell, but I'm doubting I'll have more than one cup of it. So a lot of my non black teas call for non boiling temperature water, which makes it a bit more complicated than listen for the kettle to whistle and pour, mostly just a guessing game of how long it'll take to cool to the proper temperature after I bring it to a boil. I hear about electric kettles in this thread occasionally and am wondering if anyone has a good recommendation for one. I'd prefer it as cheap as I can get it, but I'll spend a little extra for something nice.
|
|
#
?
Feb 6, 2014 14:35
|
|
|
Sergeant_Crunch posted:Just tried some of the Casablanca Twist from adagio and I really liked it. Usually I have to put some sugar or milk in my tea to get it to where I like it, but I enjoyed this stuff just fine on it's own. It's a really nice mix of peppermint and a Darjeeling if you're unfamiliar with it. I would have preferred a tad less mint and a smidge more tea, but I can mess with that later. The leaves also look and smell really appealing. Bonavita makes pretty great variable temperature kettles. The only gripe people have is the fact that it takes a little longer for the water to go up to temp because of how the PID in it works, but I usually just put mine on temp hold and come back after doing something when the water's done heating. I have the gooseneck kettle because I use it for coffee and tea but the non-gooseneck kettle should be larger and less expensive.
|
|
#
?
Feb 6, 2014 20:12
|
|
|
Sergeant_Crunch posted:Just tried some of the Casablanca Twist from adagio and I really liked it. Usually I have to put some sugar or milk in my tea to get it to where I like it, but I enjoyed this stuff just fine on it's own. It's a really nice mix of peppermint and a Darjeeling if you're unfamiliar with it. I would have preferred a tad less mint and a smidge more tea, but I can mess with that later. The leaves also look and smell really appealing. I got a pretty decent one on the cheap online from China, has seperate settings for green, oolong & black/puerh tea & can keep the water at that temp if so desired. There are a tremendous amount of them available over there. Though I'd advise looking for one with intuitive controls as the instructions are invariably in Chinese.
|
|
#
?
Feb 10, 2014 21:53
|
|
|
So I'm looking for an electric kettle with temp control, and this one from Adagio seems to have really good reviews. Was wondering if anyone else had one of these and if it's worth the $59, or has electric water heating technology taken some great leap forward in the 5 years since this came out?
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2014 02:49
|
|
|
That one is pretty great if you're okay with not having exact temp readings. It heats super fast and is a pretty good all around design. I've switched to this one though. http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beac...on+beach+kettle
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2014 03:18
|
|
|
areyoucontagious posted:I started drinking english breakfast tea and earl grey with a coworker, and now I can't get enough. I see people put milk in their tea- how does that change the taste? I'm curious to try it, but really I'm afraid of change. Many of the English black teas are blended assuming that milk will be added. Without milk they are very bitter. Yorkshire Gold is a good example of this. http://www.amazon.com/Taylors-Harrogate-Yorkshire-Gold-160-Count/dp/B000XEV9YE/ Its outstanding with a bit of milk, almost undrinkable without it. I'm sure there are people who don't mind it straight, I'm not one of them. I also don't drink much black tea. I drink mostly oolong out of a gaiwan at my desk at work.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2014 03:19
|
|
|
I used to really like the Stash Chai Spice Black Tea, and then I ordered a similar, loose leaf blend I loved from a vendor in SA Mart that I don't think is still around. Anyone know of similar loose leaf available in the US? I'm reluctant to just try buying up every vague 'Chai' tea, since so many of them have black pepper (which is a deal/heart breaker)
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2014 19:25
|
|
|
I have a question about brewing. Some of my teas have specific temperatures on them that they need to be brewed at for a specific amount of time. However, I usually just put the kettle on and boil it until it turns itself off, because literally gently caress trying to use a thermometer for that. Does it really make that much of a difference? Also, is David's Tea better than Teavana tea? Thanks to anyone who might answer <3
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2014 20:28
|
|
|
Bobo the Red posted:I used to really like the Stash Chai Spice Black Tea, and then I ordered a similar, loose leaf blend I loved from a vendor in SA Mart that I don't think is still around. Anyone know of similar loose leaf available in the US? I'm reluctant to just try buying up every vague 'Chai' tea, since so many of them have black pepper (which is a deal/heart breaker) The chai vendor on SA Mart is still around. And he posts pretty much daily with updates. Edit: here is that thread. I love that chai too. This thread has just shown me how much I need a new tea strainer. Getting too many particulates in my chai. ThatOneGuy fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Feb 20, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2014 22:30
|
|
|
Totess posted:I have a question about brewing. Some of my teas have specific temperatures on them that they need to be brewed at for a specific amount of time. However, I usually just put the kettle on and boil it until it turns itself off, because literally gently caress trying to use a thermometer for that. Does it really make that much of a difference? Also, is David's Tea better than Teavana tea? Thanks to anyone who might answer <3 Depends on the tea really. Some teas, greens especially, can be very finnicky about temperature and time. I've had some where I noticed differences with 5 degrees change in temperature or 10 seconds change in brew time.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2014 02:15
|
|
|
Totess posted:I have a question about brewing. Some of my teas have specific temperatures on them that they need to be brewed at for a specific amount of time. However, I usually just put the kettle on and boil it until it turns itself off, because literally gently caress trying to use a thermometer for that. Does it really make that much of a difference? Also, is David's Tea better than Teavana tea? Thanks to anyone who might answer <3 Greens and whites are really sensitive to temperature, usually using hotter water than recommended will bring out really bitter flavors (which is why a lot of people don't like green tea, because they've only used boiling water). Japanese greens especially, gyokuro you don't want to use anything hotter than 140 F.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2014 02:19
|
|
|
Bobo the Red posted:I used to really like the Stash Chai Spice Black Tea, and then I ordered a similar, loose leaf blend I loved from a vendor in SA Mart that I don't think is still around. Anyone know of similar loose leaf available in the US? I'm reluctant to just try buying up every vague 'Chai' tea, since so many of them have black pepper (which is a deal/heart breaker) Any reason you can't just order the chai spice black tea from Stash? They sell loose leaf teas, they're just not usually stocked in grocery stores (I go to their company store outside Portland, Oregon every year or two, they have a pretty good selection). It looks like their website has it for $7.50/100g loose.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2014 03:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 08:26 |
|
|
While at a random market last weekend, there was a tiny little stall selling a few various kinds of teas, so went to have a look. Picked up some sencha with kiwi/orange, loose black with chocolate/truffle flavour, and a loose black with caramel. Since it's just some random stall it's probably cheap and/or low quality but drat if that caramel tea isn't delicious. It smells amazing too. The other two aren't so great-there doesn't seem to be much flavour of the extra things in either of them, if any. Maybe I'm just bad at brewing though (probably) ThatOneGuy posted:The chai vendor on SA Mart is still around. And he posts pretty much daily with updates. Can't wait until I've worked through enough of the chai that's already here (over 350-400 bags of various kinds, plus a bunch of loose mixes...) and can justify getting some of this-I only remember one or two negative reviews throughout the whole thread.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2014 17:51
|
|