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

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

I can vouch for yerba mate's ability to replace coffee. I used to need a couple cups just to get going for work, and i would crash pretty hard mid-day. After switching to mate, I have way more energy and just don't get that crash at all. I drink way too much (on average 48oz before work), but even one cup will get me going through to lunch time. I am also in love with the way it tastes. The one i have from Adagio is really grassy and kind of earthy, but only faintly.

If you look it up you will probably find a lot of stuff about the traditional method of drinking it with the special cup and straw and everything, but for the morning time I just brew it like normal tea. I can also get a full day's tea out of just one helping of leaves, which is great because I'm ~~cheap~~ frugal.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2013 14:33

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:43

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

I'm in Louisiana and there was this tea shop that also sold wine, tea ware, and other gifts and decor. They also served breakfast and lunch, as well as coffee. Didn't last a year.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2013 23:28

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

detectivemonkey posted:

I just got this to keep at work. The variable temperature really seems to just range from 190-212, but I'm happy with it so far. I have a tea thermometer so I can just cool the water to the correct temperature for green tea or mate.

That looks exactly like the one I have with a different paint job! Once you get a feel for the settings, it makes a great cup almost every time.

Got it on clearance at Target Dot Com for twenty bucks and have used it several times every day for a couple of years. :toot:

# ¿ Oct 23, 2013 20:17

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

detectivemonkey posted:

I typically use around 150. Is that too high/low?

I set my kettle to 180, fill my thermos, and drink it at whatever it's coasting at. Yeah, some cultures that drink yerba mate traditionally use boiling water, but others just get the water to a light steam. It's different depending on whether you ask an Argentinian, a Brazilian, or a Paraguayan.

If you're drinking it out of a mate, use whatever temperature you like that won't burn you when you drink it up fast. If you're using an infuser like regular tea, 180-190 is a good temperature to get a full extraction.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2013 17:25

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

adventure in the sandbox posted:

My partner would like an automatic tea or boiling water system, like a coffee pot on a timer. Is there such a device? Even a fancy kettle that will have boiling water ready at 0530 would be great.

Here's one on Amazon that seems pretty highly rated. I think it fits all your criteria. There's an electric tea maker on Adagio for $99, but I don't think it has any auto-start function. I have no idea how either of these perform, and they're both kind of pricey, so unless you absolutely need the tea ready right when you wake up, I'd recommend an electric kettle and infuser still.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2013 18:25

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Khaba posted:

Hey guys, I was wondering if I could poke my head in here for a little advice. It's that time of year again, and as per usual I'm struggling to find something that my brother could actually use and enjoy. He's a huge fan of tea, and loves trying new things. As far as I know he has never tried mate, and I was wondering about getting him a few things so he can try that out. Is this a bad idea? Is mate something you should try before you buy gourds and bombillas?

Provided that it's not a terrible idea, are there any recommendations for gourds or bombillas that are good? I've had a look around and there seems to be quite a wide variety for both.

Anyways, thanks for any help you guys can provide. I drink neither tea nor coffee, and unfortunately as such know very little about what would be desirable to someone who does.

I started brewing yerba mate in an infuser like tea, but mostly because I was too stingy to dive right in. This is the mate and bombilla I have. It's pretty decently sized, the gourd is actually a little big for my tiny girl hands, and the bombilla works amazingly and is easy to clean. I use really fine-cut yerba mate and I never get leaves sucked up. The website is really friendly and speedy, too, and they have daily deals for a free item to go with your order, but every time I looked at it it was underwhelming. :shrug:

One thing though, while the website says it's ready to use, it hasn't been seasoned at all and desperately needs to be. Before anybody drinks out of it, it needs to be packed full with leaves and filled with boiling water, then left to sit for 24 hours. Afterward, scrape and rinse it out and it should be good, but another seasoning wouldn't hurt.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2013 11:36

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Sergeant_Crunch posted:

So I just bought like $20 of black tea on a whim from that adagio site. Here's to hoping I don't mess up what should be a relatively simple process.

I already have an unopened glass teapot with a little mesh basket thing to steep the tea in from a gift exchange a few years back, but I'm wondering if I need anything else special to brew with. I don't have a tea kettle, but I imagine just boiling the water in a pot will do for now until I snag one from goodwill or something. Also, what's a good rule of thumb for how much tea to use per batch?

Adagio will print it on the package, but for most teas the general rule of thumb is one teaspoon per cup.

And they mean this:

Not one of these:

You can also do it by weight, but it really doesn't have to be that complicated.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2013 13:57

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Lipton would also be an acceptable substitute while remaining relatively traditional. They make special round sachets that are meant to go into drip coffee makers, and that's exactly how my father did it.

Grab 6 of those filters, stack them as best you can in the basket of a drip coffee maker, and run a full pot through them (preferably one that's 10-12 "cups") and add this concentrate to 2 cups of white sugar, stir to dissolve. Dillute with tap water to approximately one gallon or however much fills your pitcher, serve over ice in a worn plastic cup you got at a Mardi Gras parade. You'll have a refreshing beverage that's syrup sweet and with an aftertaste reminiscent of pennies. If the cup is white it will stain, but hell, February is just around the corner and you can get more!

The whole idea is to take cheap tea, extract the ever-loving crap out of it, sweeten it beyond all reasonable measure, and then dilute until palatable. If you have to use ordinary bags, use 8-10, and if you're contemplating using loose leaf tea you've already given it too much thought for Southern Sweet Tea. :911:

# ¿ Dec 4, 2013 11:13

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

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.

I can't drink Assam teas without some milk in. They're too bitter and wreck my stomach, but with milk they don't bother me at all. As for taste, it's less intense and also has a bit of creaminess to it (imagine that!), as well as a little heavier mouth feel. I usually drink all my tea straight, but I love adding milk to black tea!

Never sugar, though. :colbert:

# ¿ Feb 1, 2014 12:31

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

ThatOneGuy posted:

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.

This chai is incredibly good, but I do recommend getting the extra spicy version. The plain version is still very nice, but a little flat for my tastes. You can't go wrong, since the extra spices come on the side, so if you wind up not liking them, you don't have to use them!

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 21:02

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

pointsofdata posted:

What are people go to teas when they just want a cup of tea?

Upton's "Moonlight" white tea or Rosamonte brand yerba mate, except my drat mate cracked and I've been lazy about getting a new one. :saddowns:

# ¿ Mar 3, 2014 15:27

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

SwissArmyDruid posted:

Yeah, but bitter is refreshing. I still do it the southern method, but I'll leave it just a touch bitter, instead of making fully sweet tea.

cobalt impurity posted:

Lipton would also be an acceptable substitute while remaining relatively traditional. They make special round sachets that are meant to go into drip coffee makers, and that's exactly how my father did it.

Grab 6 of those filters, stack them as best you can in the basket of a drip coffee maker, and run a full pot through them (preferably one that's 10-12 "cups") and add this concentrate to 2 cups of white sugar, stir to dissolve. Dillute with tap water to approximately one gallon or however much fills your pitcher, serve over ice in a worn plastic cup you got at a Mardi Gras parade. You'll have a refreshing beverage that's syrup sweet and with an aftertaste reminiscent of pennies. If the cup is white it will stain, but hell, February is just around the corner and you can get more!

The whole idea is to take cheap tea, extract the ever-loving crap out of it, sweeten it beyond all reasonable measure, and then dilute until palatable. If you have to use ordinary bags, use 8-10, and if you're contemplating using loose leaf tea you've already given it too much thought for Southern Sweet Tea.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2014 22:21

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Niemat posted:

Fair enough. I was mainly seeing if anyone had any suggestions for a tea spoon, because it's an easy thing to bring to work with me.

I use a teaspoon out of my silverware drawer. Works great with big leaves!

# ¿ Aug 7, 2014 06:41

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Sorry but using a microwave gently caress's up your tea's chi and I mean if you don't give a poo poo about your chakras then go ahead on and nuke it but I'll be over here with my bowl-shaped rock and my fire pit gettin' my aura hella sparkly. :whatup:

# ¿ Aug 29, 2014 14:17

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

Dump it in water in proportions according to the directions and then stir the ever-loving poo poo out of it. Try using a fork if you don't have a teeny-tiny balloon whisk.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2014 19:39

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

It's not really "tea" but yerba mate is supposed to have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and whenever I drink it I feel pretty alert, but I don't get the crash I do from coffee.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 11:28

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:43

cobalt impurity: Apr 23, 2010; I hope he didn't care about that pizza.

I was going to skip it since I just bought some tea, but the bastards at Teavivre sent me a text message about the sale and that just pushed me over the edge. Now I'm waiting on half a kilo of tea and a couple of nice samples, including a pu-erh, which I'm excited to try!

# ¿ Aug 4, 2015 20:52

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