Food and Drink Tea drinkers... chime in - Page 4

Stewie · 10-25-2014, 03:35 PM

I used to drink a lot of tea while working on the farm when I was younger (1970s-80s). It was probably a lower quality tea since we were out in the middle of nowhere and you get what you get.

I recently asked for tea as my beverage at a decent restaurant. Wow! It was really good! I asked about it and the waitress said it was a black/green tea mix steeped in boiling water.

My question is: Is it the tea or the preparation... or both? Are there any brands that are better than others? Lipton seems to dominate the market, but as in all things "food related" the biggest seller isn't always the best thing.

Chime in please.

Eleazar · 10-26-2014, 12:23 AM

Other than coffee and water, my drink of choice is green or white tea.

**Fire Me Boy!** · 10-26-2014, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cornstock

Jasmine tea is amazing. You can buy it at hyvee in bulk like you do coffee. It's expensive, but if you get a dimwit to ring it up as coffee you can get $10 worth of tea for 84 cents

Why not just steal it?

Unsmooth-Moment · 10-26-2014, 06:53 AM

Hot black tea

BucEyedPea · 10-26-2014, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

There is a wide variety of tea available. I use loose leaf tea, rather than tea bags. A company like Teavana

http://www.teavana.com/

can get you started, both with basic teas and a variety of flavored teas chai/rooibos/herbal teas. I've usually got between 6 and 12 different teas on hand at any one time, since I don't drink coffee and tea is my hot beverage of choice.

Preparation is important, but there's no sense in you going crazy about it unless you find you really like teas.

The general temperatures are:

175 degrees for White Tea
175 degrees for Green Tea
195 degrees for Oolong Tea
195 degrees for Black Tea
208 degrees for Herbal Tea
208 degrees for Rooibos Tea
208 degrees for Mate Tea

How to brew loose leaf tea

Wait...I need a thermometer to make tea? Sounds complicated, like making hard candy.

BucEyedPea · 10-26-2014, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cornstock

Jasmine tea is amazing. You can buy it at hyvee in bulk like you do coffee. It's expensive, but if you get a dimwit to ring it up as coffee you can get $10 worth of tea for 84 cents

That sounds amazing. 'Cept for the cheating part.

BigOlChiefsfan · 10-26-2014, 08:59 AM

I like Jasmine tea - and Oolong (oolong 'as this been going on?) and good chai tea (I drink chai tea and play tai chi) I buy bagged green tea and oolong in asian grocery stores - cheap tea, nothing special but tasty to me. I also like Earl Grey - the bergamot peel (bergamot = a type of citrus fruit, similar to an orange) is now being touted as 'as good for you as Statin drugs.

http://http://www.telegraph.co.uk/he...udy-finds.html

I like 'stash' brand double chai w/a splash of whole milk and as mentioned, most of the cheap stuff from my asian market. I've got friends who prefer spendier (better?) grades of tea - and more power to 'em. They don't try to mooch my cheap stuff - I never ask to share their spendy tea. We're all happy.

GloucesterChief · 10-26-2014, 09:09 AM

Prefer Irish Breakfast blend with it being a bit more maltier than English. Also, straight black tea from Kerala, India. My boss/co-worker flies over every year and he can get it cheap.

Cornstock · 10-26-2014, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

That sounds amazing. 'Cept for the cheating part.

In my defense, I was home before I looked at the receipt and saw they did it wrong. I wasn't actively trying to deceive the poor high school kid.

Just Passin' By · 10-27-2014, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Wait...I need a thermometer to make tea? Sounds complicated, like making hard candy.

They recommend a temperature range for coffee, too.

Quote:

Your brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195 - 205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction. Colder water will result in flat, underextracted coffee while water that is too hot will also cause a loss of quality in the taste of the coffee. If you are brewing the coffee manually, let the water come to a full boil, but do not overboil. Turn off the heat source and allow the water to rest a minute before pouring it over the grounds....

Pour it into a warmed mug or coffee cup so that it will maintain its temperature as long as possible. Brewed coffee begins to lose its optimal taste moments after brewing so only brew as much coffee as will be consumed immediately. If it will be a few minutes before it will be served, the temperature should be maintained at 180 - 185 degrees Fahrenheit. It should never be left on an electric burner for longer than 15 minutes because it will begin to develop a burned taste. If the coffee is not to be served immediately after brewing, it should be poured into a warmed, insulated thermos and used within the next 45 minutes.

http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

scho63 · 10-27-2014, 05:38 AM

This stuff is the bomb!

**DaKCMan AP** · 10-27-2014, 06:11 AM

All I drink (regularly) is tea & water. Both the tea & the preparation (temperature of the water + seep time) make a difference.

I buy loose leaf and use either french presses, tea presses, or a fancy teamaker that my gf has to brew the tea.

My go-to supplier is Peets (www.peets.com) and their loose-leaf teas. My favorite is a simple gundpowder organic tea. I also really like their Assam golden tip (black tea) and their Masala Chai. When I go to farmer's markets I buy some other varieties and when we were in Vancouver last month we bought some David's tea (a franchise in Canada and maybe the northern states). Some local places here also sell some good blends and we have some herbal teas (no caffeine) that we make at night.

BucEyedPea · 10-27-2014, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

They recommend a temperature range for coffee, too.

http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

I just let my coffee maker figure it all out. Then again mine never seems to make it quite hot enough.

BucEyedPea · 10-27-2014, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scho63

This stuff is the bomb!

It is! Goes great with my homemade Chai cookies I make every Christmas to represent Asia in my cookie from around the world.

BucEyedPea · 10-27-2014, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

All I drink (regularly) is tea & water. Both the tea & the preparation (temperature of the water + seep time) make a difference.

I buy loose leaf and use either french presses, tea presses, or a fancy teamaker that my gf has to brew the tea.

My go-to supplier is Peets (www.peets.com) and their loose-leaf teas. My favorite is a simple gundpowder organic tea. I also really like their Assam golden tip (black tea) and their Masala Chai. When I go to farmer's markets I buy some other varieties and when we were in Vancouver last month we bought some David's tea (a franchise in Canada and maybe the northern states). Some local places here also sell some good blends and we have some herbal teas (no caffeine) that we make at night.

You can use a French press for tea too?
Never had one of those, but read about them and thought I might pick one up.

**DaKCMan AP** · 10-27-2014, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

You can use a French press for tea too?
Never had one of those, but read about them and thought I might pick one up.

Absolutely. Coffee is finer than most tea so the press works great. I am partial the Bodum brand.

I own a larger version of this that I use at home:
http://bodum.bodum.com/us/en-us/shop/detail/1844-01US/

I own a version of this that I take each day to work:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-F...odum+tea+press

This is the teamaker my girlfriend has:
http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-tea-maker-onetouch.html

10-25-2014, 03:35 PM
Stewie MVP Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: West of the Equator Casino cash: $1939901	Tea drinkers... chime in I used to drink a lot of tea while working on the farm when I was younger (1970s-80s). It was probably a lower quality tea since we were out in the middle of nowhere and you get what you get. I recently asked for tea as my beverage at a decent restaurant. Wow! It was really good! I asked about it and the waitress said it was a black/green tea mix steeped in boiling water. My question is: Is it the tea or the preparation... or both? Are there any brands that are better than others? Lipton seems to dominate the market, but as in all things "food related" the biggest seller isn't always the best thing. Chime in please.
Posts: 13,603

10-26-2014, 12:23 AM	#46
Eleazar Beyond the Rapids Join Date: May 2003 Location: Langley, VA Casino cash: $-370000	Other than coffee and water, my drink of choice is green or white tea.
Posts: 80,659

10-26-2014, 06:53 AM	#48
Unsmooth-Moment Veteran Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: MO Casino cash: $9390051	Hot black tea
Posts: 1,528

10-26-2014, 08:59 AM	#51
BigOlChiefsfan Certified Bourbon taster Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Shawnee KS Casino cash: $7270157	I like Jasmine tea - and Oolong (oolong 'as this been going on?) and good chai tea (I drink chai tea and play tai chi) I buy bagged green tea and oolong in asian grocery stores - cheap tea, nothing special but tasty to me. I also like Earl Grey - the bergamot peel (bergamot = a type of citrus fruit, similar to an orange) is now being touted as 'as good for you as Statin drugs. http://http://www.telegraph.co.uk/he...udy-finds.html I like 'stash' brand double chai w/a splash of whole milk and as mentioned, most of the cheap stuff from my asian market. I've got friends who prefer spendier (better?) grades of tea - and more power to 'em. They don't try to mooch my cheap stuff - I never ask to share their spendy tea. We're all happy. __________________ A man can never own too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition. -- R. Kipling
Posts: 5,030

10-26-2014, 09:09 AM	#52
GloucesterChief MVP Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $1806454	Prefer Irish Breakfast blend with it being a bit more maltier than English. Also, straight black tea from Kerala, India. My boss/co-worker flies over every year and he can get it cheap.
Posts: 12,666

10-27-2014, 05:38 AM	#55
scho63 Politically Incorrect Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Casino cash: $2801110	This stuff is the bomb! __________________ *"The only difference between sex for free and sex for money is that sex for free costs you a WHOLE LOT more!"* ~Redd Foxx~ ~~2018 2019 2020 20212022 2023~~ 2024 Adopt a Chief - Clark Hunt and Brett Veach "The men who drafted Patrick Mahomes"
Posts: 50,430

10-27-2014, 06:11 AM	#56
DaKCMan AP Beloved & Awesome CP Celebrity Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Florida Casino cash: $6764952	All I drink (regularly) is tea & water. Both the tea & the preparation (temperature of the water + seep time) make a difference. I buy loose leaf and use either french presses, tea presses, or a fancy teamaker that my gf has to brew the tea. My go-to supplier is Peets (www.peets.com) and their loose-leaf teas. My favorite is a simple gundpowder organic tea. I also really like their Assam golden tip (black tea) and their Masala Chai. When I go to farmer's markets I buy some other varieties and when we were in Vancouver last month we bought some David's tea (a franchise in Canada and maybe the northern states). Some local places here also sell some good blends and we have some herbal teas (no caffeine) that we make at night. __________________
Posts: 35,694