Let's boil leaves: Tea and things that aren't technically Tea

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Let's boil leaves: Tea and things that aren't technically Tea

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Could the OP add these three sites please?

http://www.teapigs.co.uk/ Is a great little site that says loose leaf, bag tea (which are whole leaf) and even Matcha!
http://www.whittard.co.uk/ Well known big site, prices range from cheap to expensive. Biggest range from any UK base tea site I know.
http://www.hasbean.co.uk/ This is mostly coffee base but it sales a a good amount of loose leaf / bag teas. But mainly ask for it to be included because it sales Cascara/Coffee Cherry Tea, which is classed as a herbal tea [it's husks from the coffee bean] but its massive in caffeine and you make it the same way as you would tea.

Follow these simple steps for Cascara:

Step 1: Boil the kettle and let the temperature drop to 90 degrees c (194f)
Step 2: Weigh out the cascara, you will need a ratio of 24g of cascara per litre of water (0.84oz to 1.05 us quart)
Step 3: Add the water
Step 4: Wait for 4 minutes
Step 5: Heat the cup or mug that you would like to use
Step 6: Pour and enjoy

# ¿ Jan 16, 2014 09:02

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 00:54

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Comic posted:

I might have to look into some US distributor who sells cascara. That sounds really interesting as a fan of both coffee and tea.

You'll love it if you're a fan of both coffee and tea, first time I tried it I couldn't get my head around it. It was like a refreshing tea that has a cherryness about it but the caffeine was like a strong coffee, the husks swell up and go berry-like and smell great!

Its great if you can get it, for a long time it was only really used in countries that grew coffee but last couple of years it's gone international and less of it is being thrown away (because getting the beans for the coffee, you end up with tons of it).

quote:

One of the first steps in processing coffee once it comes off the tree is to remove the fruit, or cherry, from the coffee bean. Normally the fruit is discarded or recycled into compost to be used as fertilizer. In some countries the fruit of the cherry is dried and then brewed as a herbal tea know commonly as Cascara. The name comes from the Spanish c�scara, meaning "husk".

Cascara is a bright, naturally sweet tea with strong notes of strawberries, cherries, raisins, and honey. Without any type of sweetener, Cascara has a bit of lemony brightness on top of the strawberry flavor, but with a touch of sugar or honey it morphs into the delicious flavor of strawberry jam. It's terrific. You can definitely enjoy this flavorful tea either hot or iced; a perfect treat to beat the summer heat! Add a cinnamon stick while brewing to create a drink known in Bolivia as Sultana.

Also I've found some places in the US that sell it (they give slightly different ratios but I think it's because of Metric vs US measurements).

http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/products/cascara-coffee-cherry-tea
https://www.bluestatecoffee.com/products-page/coffee/cascara-coffee-cherry-tea/
http://www.meancatcoffee.com/coffees/19/88-cascara-coffee-cherry-tea.html

I recommend going by one of the ratios they recommend, then next time you can cup of it try adding abit more if you're not quite getting the fullness.

I was surprised using the 24grams for 1 liter ratio how much tea and how little cascara I used (I had a 250gram bag).

From one of the US sites:

quote:

Brewing Instructions:
Cascara does contain as much or more caffeine as a cup of coffee when brewed hot. A lower caffeine version can be made by cold brewing.

Hot Brew Instructions:

Place 20 grams of Cascara (approx. 2 heaping tablespoons) in a brewer and add 12 ounces of hot water. Water should be just off of a boil. Allow the Cascara to steep for 6-8 minutes, according to taste, stirring at least once during the brewing process. You can also brew Cascara in a French Press.

Cold Brew Instructions:

Combine about 40 grams (or 4 heaping tablespoons) of Cascara with about 12 ounces cold water into a glass jar or other brewing vessel. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Pour through strainer and enjoy!

Fluo fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Jan 16, 2014

# ¿ Jan 16, 2014 19:39

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Enfys posted:

Does it taste like coffee? I really love cherry type drinks and teas, but I'm not a coffee fan. Sounds really interesting though.

I don't think it tastes of coffee just the caffeine amount in it, apart from being the fruit / husk it wasn't roasted which is what brings out the coffee taste in coffee.

Also tried my first Nilgiri today.

Fluo fucked around with this message at 10:21 on Jan 17, 2014

# ¿ Jan 17, 2014 10:14

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Comic posted:

I ordered this, along with their '1950s blend' because I've just about run out of coffee beans anyway. I remember eyeing their site when I was first looking for online coffee beans.

Awesome! Love to hear what you thought of it!

# ¿ Jan 17, 2014 10:48

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Comic posted:

Got my cascarra today, drinking my first cup- if I had to describe it as anything I'd say 'sour cherry'. Had someone else try it and they listed off citrus fruits. Calling it coffee cherry tea is pretty apt. I like it though. I'm trying it without anything added, wonder if sugar/honey/milk will bring out any flavors or just mask them.

Yeah, I've found one awhile ago which tasted like currents and sultanas, I like the primary cherry tasting ones better though. Never tried it with honey or milk so love to hear how that turns out!

I've had it with and without sugar, I like it more without but I think it's because I don't have a very sweet tooth.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2014 21:34

Fluo: May 25, 2007

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.

People have said it better so won't repeat what they said but yeah, it works great with black teas and pretty much well the Brits always add milk to their tea (because its mainly black tea). Some people add sugar but tend to be people who drink tea but like tea do that (if that makes sense), milk no sugar.

# ¿ Feb 1, 2014 12:35

Fluo: May 25, 2007

taters posted:

PG Tips is pretty good and fairly widely available. Esp if you live in north america, any of these british teas will blow away Lipton or other american bagged black teas.

It really depends on what your tastes are like too, Twinings, Yorkshire, Clipper, Tetley (which I personally really hate but some friends who grew up with it love tetley), I quite like Sainsbury's own but my normal go to is PG Tips or Yorkshire for the everyday because its very unoffensive and oh god I have 20 people coming round I'm not using my Gyokuro Asahi for this. Normal PG Tips / Yorkshire is pretty great for the price for your bogstandard tea though! Twinings is 4.4 per cup, clipper 3.2p, yorkshire gold 4p, PG tips (depending on how much you buy) 3p a cup. But god drat never get teapigs for your everday brew. Saw them in supermarkets lately and it works out almost 30p per cup (27.7p).

Lipton popped up in supermarkets here a couple of years ago, I got a box one time just to see and it was pretty much a mess and kept reminding me of this really bad lipton ice tea I had mistakenly bought once when not wanting something alcoholic at cornershop. :negative:

I like most bogstandard / premium everyday tea though but holy moly I hate Tetley.

Fluo fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Jul 21, 2014

# ¿ Jul 21, 2014 07:13

Fluo: May 25, 2007

aldantefax posted:

As a general rule I would say to just heat the water up only in the microwave and then steep the tea afterwards, then add milk and sugar to taste when you're done. You can experiment with what works best for you. Microwaving to heat water generally is suitable only for black teas, since you don't have any real control of the water temperature. The only thing you should keep in mind when microwaving is that water can get hot without appearing to boil:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_OXM4mr_i0

This is because it doesn't evenly heat the water.

quote:

A kettle is designed to heat water evenly to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100c). Heat at the bottom of the kettle�whether from a heating element embedded in an electric device or from a burner on the stove�creates a natural convection current: The hot water rises and the cool water falls in a cyclical fashion, which uniformly heats the contents of the kettle to a boil (at which point an electric kettle clicks off or a stovetop kettle whistles).

But microwaves don�t heat water evenly, so the boiling process is difficult to control. Microwave ovens shoot tiny waves into the liquid at random locations, causing the water molecules at those points to vibrate rapidly. If the water isn�t heated for long enough, the result is isolated pockets of very hot or boiling water amid a larger body of water that�s cooler. Such water may misleadingly exhibit signs of boiling despite not being a uniform 212 degrees (100c). For instance, what appears to be steam rising from a mug of microwaved water is only moist vapor evaporating off the water�s surface and condensing into mist on contact with cooler air�it�s the same principle that makes our breath visible on frigid days.

Why is water temperature so important to good-tasting tea? When tea leaves meet hot water, hundreds of different compounds that contribute flavor and aroma dissolve and become suspended in the water. Black tea contains two kinds of complex phenolic molecules, also known as tannins: orange-colored theaflavins and red-brown thearubigins. These are responsible for the color and the astringent, brisk taste of brewed black tea, and they are extracted only at near-boiling temperatures.

Water also cooks certain volatile compounds, chemically altering them to produce more nuanced flavors and aromas, such as the earthy, malty, and tobacco notes in black tea. When the water isn�t hot enough to instigate these reactions and produce these bold flavors, tea tastes insipid.

Overheated water results in bad tea, too�and this is also easier to do in a microwave than in a kettle, since there�s no mechanism to indicate when the water has reached a boil. The longer water boils, the more dissolved oxygen it loses�and tea experts say that dissolved oxygen is crucial for a bright and refreshing brew. Microwaved water can also be taken to several degrees above boiling if heated for too long (which is impossible in a kettle, because the metallic surface prevents overheating). Such ultra-hot water destroys desired aromatic compounds and elicits an excess of astringent, bitter notes by overcooking the leaves. Overheated water can also accentuate naturally occurring impurities in the water that contribute off flavors to the final brew.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2014 19:40

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Paradox Personified posted:

No, I thought this was due to not having nucleation sites in the water to allow boiling? If you get a good beaker, that's very 'smooth' in the inside, lacking the sites, you can superheat.
The nonsense you quoted makes no sense to me whatsoever. It could, though, if you had a large amount of particulate matter in superheated water, then stir, causing instant boiling where only simmering or less was occurring. Is that the same principle you had quoted?

Why Microwaving Water for Tea Is a Bad Idea.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/smart-news/why-microwaving-water-for-tea-is-a-bad-idea-97452679/

So theres really two sides to the whole unevenly hot water thing, depends what fence you're on but they both agree on one thing:

quote:

The two do agree though, that the right temperature of water is really important. Overheating your water can make your tea taste bitter and weird, says Slate. But those without a kettle shouldn�t despair just yet: as long as you�re willing to drink only green tea, the microwave is the way to go.

Fluo fucked around with this message at 08:06 on Aug 26, 2014

# ¿ Aug 26, 2014 07:58

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Pyromancer posted:

I don't think microwave heats water unevenly - there is still convection going, and water gets mixed even more when boiling starts. It certainly can overheat but that has nothing to do with uneven heating, more with lack of nucleation.
Also even if you superheat water slightly it'll quickly lose the excess heat in rapid boiling and go down to exactly 100.

I'd still rather just use a �5 kettle.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2014 09:41

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Zelmel posted:

The whole "don't use a microwave to make tea" thing is pure silly tea snobbery/people being Luddites. Are you in a situation where you can't use a kettle? Just use the drat microwave. If you're worried about superheating (don't be), put a plastic spoon or wooden stir stick or something in it to provide a nucleation point. If you're worried about "uneven heating" (don't be), stir the water to even it out. Of course, don't toss a tea bag into the cup then microwave it, but otherwise it's exactly the same as heating up water any other way. Seriously, this is like people freaking out that an electric kettle will make the water taste funny compared to heating the kettle on a wood stove.

I don't get what's snobbery about it. Almost every person in Britain has one and all offices, a �5 kettle isn't snobbery. You can get a kettle cheaper than a cinema ticket.

Fluo fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Aug 28, 2014

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 23:34

Fluo: May 25, 2007

whitey delenda est posted:

Someone recommend me a strong as gently caress plain ol black tea? I'm tired of all these subtle flowery blends with fruit and cardamom or whatever I want to assault my taste buds so I wake up faster and I love strong tea in the morning as a complement to fruit and yogurt or whatever. In the US and preferably not too pricey.

Poster above me hit the nail on the head. If you can't get hold of it a cheap alt can be Assam, its sometimes sold as breakfast tea but not always.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2014 03:28

Fluo: May 25, 2007

VenusInFurries posted:

If I recall correctly, the pyramid bags allow the tea leaves to float around a bit, and aren't as stuffed together as in normal bags, making for better taste. I can't tell you how much of a difference it makes, because I never had pyramid bags.

Also, is there a good site online that ships to Germany? Teavivre ships here, but only via the 2 weeks+ option.

Pyramids don't really make a difference I found unless you're talking decent quality tea. Every day teas like PG tips has pyramid bags, some brands don't. They didn't fully kick off when there was a big marketing effort in the 90s here, general public couldn't really tell the difference. If you're getting whole leaf tea bags though, make sure it's pyramid.

I'd recommend http://jingtea.com/ it's the high end of the tea market though but does have a good price range. BBC Radio 4 gave them mega cred and their teas are high high quality. Ranges from �1.20 for Lemongrass & Ginger tea, �1.80 Organic Gunpowder Supreme, Taiwan Red Jade �6.50, Dragon Well Gold - West Lake 2014 �14.50, 1970s Raw Puerh Supreme �25, JING Wild Wuyi Gold �90. You get the idea, less extreme price range (but alot less special expensive teas) good go to is http://www.whittard.co.uk/tea [UK to Germany 3-10days].

# ¿ Oct 19, 2014 15:41

Fluo: May 25, 2007

VenusInFurries posted:

Thanks for the tips, I looked through Jing and the shipping fees are a bit pricey, but nothing exorbitant. Why does getting tea here have to be such a pain in the rear end anyway...

You could try Whittard, zone 2 (Germany) for up to 3kg �8.50 [�10.74], 3.1kg - 5kg �11.00 [�13.90] and so on. A bit pricy aswell compared to the �3 delivering within Britain.... but everywhere else its the best going rates if you were to order 3kg of tea :I sucks being an island for sending out else where. :negative:

If you're only after a small amount (less than 801 grams) http://www.cupoftea.uk.com/ do cheaper shipping to Europe [Up to 400g �4.50, 401g to 800g �6.50] but anything after that becomes more expensive than whittard for delivery.

http://www.imperialteas.co.uk/ is another nice site but I can't find at all what the going rates for delivery to Germany are.

Fluo fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Oct 20, 2014

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 11:27

Fluo: May 25, 2007

VenusInFurries posted:

Using the post on Imperial Teas for shipping information, I arrive at a 20.35 GBP (VAT is a bitch) quote for a 1kg parcel - which, uh, makes me want for more patience. (They state they use Royal Mail, which redirects me to parcelforce, which gives me that quote for a 1kg parcel)

Just looking at all the prices I'm best off sticking to teavivre unless I want something really badly. Goddamn shipping costs.

e: Sincere thanks for trying to find something cheaper though. I'm just sad there are no specialized teashops for Germany on the internet.

No problem, sorry I was unable to find something.

Whittard is cheap if you are buying bulk though but we're talking like, 5kg worth of tea D:.

I'm kind of suprised there aren't any in Germany, I've seen other Germans ask about this before too. I guess German a mega coffee country?

Fluo fucked around with this message at 13:57 on Oct 20, 2014

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 13:55

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 00:54

Fluo: May 25, 2007

Recently been trying out a handful of UK tea sites again and found https://jingtea.com/ to be one of the best for quality / price, http://www.greysteas.co.uk/ is really good for selection, best I've found for Japanese teas if the OP could those two into the OP under :britain:

that'd be awesome.

Been finishing off the Gyokuro ready for the Christmas peroid where I normally always have Puerh, Assam and Lapsang

Thoht posted:

Use it for cooking. Bring it to a boil with maple syrup, let steep, then strain off. Best thing to go with chicken and waffles or chicken fried steak and waffles. Or infuse it into soy sauce. Or anything else you would use liquid smoke in.

This

or if you want to be in the holiday do a posh hot toddy and replace the hot water with your lapsang souchong

Make it your own but my personal one is (depending how big your mug is), 1tbsp honey [or maple syrup], 2 ounces [60ml] whisky, 3ounces [90ml] lapsang souchong, half a cinnmon stick, slice of lemon and a single whole star anise. But make it you own, use some spices you like or think would work well with the smokiness of the lapsang and the whisky

Fluo fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Dec 11, 2015

# ¿ Dec 11, 2015 11:17

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