What is in your cup?

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

What temperature water are you using? 208-212 works best. Normally I steep my whole flower chamomile for 5 minutes.

The difference between bagged and loose chamomile is amazing. The loose is sooo much better.

I am currently drinking a pot of Rooibos Vanilla.

In general I like loose tea much better than the bagged counterparts. I can't always find the loose teas I want, however.

[astra]

From today I deviate from my normal practice of drinking black tea only at work.
I have got a sore throat and drink something like 6 cups at work. It is the strongest black tea bags I know of. I guess it's unhealthy. At home I drink one more cuppa in the morning and in the evening two more.
To cut the long story short, I brought a pack of Twinings raspberry, strawberry & loganberry and Lipton strawberry, raspberry & cranberry to work. I am going to alternate my cuppas.

So...right now it is a cup of

[MrPLD]

Instant coffee!!!?? aruuugh - I'd slap that cup right out of your hand. Such evil stuff that is - so sooooo so evil.

I don't know what temperature we're brewing our chamomile at - we boil the jug, give it a minute to take the worst of the heat off, pour it into the teapot... and wait.

The 20~25 minute thing has come about after a year or so of trying - we sort of came to liking it by accident when we forgot the pot one day. Since then that's how we've found we prefer it.

Paul.

[MrPLD]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

In general I like loose tea much better than the bagged counterparts. I can't always find the loose teas I want, however.

What's really bad is when you do find an exquisite tea and then only find out they no longer mix it after you've run out.

[astra]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

Instant coffee!!!?? aruuugh - I'd slap that cup right out of your hand. Such evil stuff that is - so sooooo so evil.

I don't know what temperature we're brewing our chamomile at - we boil the jug, give it a minute to take the worst of the heat off, pour it into the teapot... and wait.

The 20~25 minute thing has come about after a year or so of trying - we sort of came to liking it by accident when we forgot the pot one day. Since then that's how we've found we prefer it.

Paul.

Where do you get dry camomile?

[MrPLD]

Originally Posted by astra

Where do you get dry camomile?

I get it from the local health-food store. They sell it in 50g boxes which lasts a week or two for me. I'd suggest sampling a few, as I've noticed that there's a lot of variety in the flavour. One batch we had tasted like they tried infusing the lot with honey or something (yes, despite being whole flowers) and it was just ghastly, nauseating.

Check too to see if it's organic flowers.

Paul.

[GeoffC]

Green tea ...

[astra]

Another Twinings raspberry, strawb...blah blah blah

[GeoffC]

plums ....

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

Instant coffee!!!?? aruuugh - I'd slap that cup right out of your hand. Such evil stuff that is - so sooooo so evil.

I don't know what temperature we're brewing our chamomile at - we boil the jug, give it a minute to take the worst of the heat off, pour it into the teapot... and wait.

The 20~25 minute thing has come about after a year or so of trying - we sort of came to liking it by accident when we forgot the pot one day. Since then that's how we've found we prefer it.

Paul.

I like to let my tea brew for about 20 minutes. I picked that up from my mum. I don't actually let my water boil for the tea, rather I take it off the stove when I see that it's near boiling temperature.

[ProfCrash]

The longest I let tea steep is 5 minutes. Most of my teas I stop between 2-3 minutes. I find it is way too bitter for me if I let it go any longer. Then again, I also use 175 degree water for my green and white teas. That is what is recommened because they are a bit more delicate and steeping them at a higher temperature essentially over cooks them making them bitter.

I can steeping herbals for a longer period of time, you are able to extract more of the flavors that way and since there is seldom any tea in an herbal there is no real risk to steeping them a long time.

You can find whole Chamomile at Tea Gschwendner if you cannot find it around you. I would say I buy about 75% of my teas from them. They sell a Rooibos Lemon that I love when I am sick. The lemon is soothing on the throat and the rooibos gets me a ton of extra anti oxidants.

http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...e-Blossom-Tea/

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

What's really bad is when you do find an exquisite tea and then only find out they no longer mix it after you've run out.

Yes that is very painful. Most of the places I buy tea from announce what they are pulling before they do so I can stock up on my favorites.

[astra]

A pot of Jade Butterfly.



Different teas require different brewing time and temp.
Black tea - 100°C
You got to brew it for 2-3 minutes if you want it to invigorate you. If you leave black tea for 10 minutes it works backwards, can put you to sleep. It looses it qualities.
Green/white/blue teas vary between 65-75°C
Genmaicha 80°C
and so on.
When I spent 2 weeks in a hotel in Turkey, I was completely hooked on Turkish tea. Black? 2-3 minutes? Ha! There was a whole room dedicated to brewing this tea. 30-40 minutes. Go figure...

[WT Sharpe]

Welch's premature red wine.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Welch's premature red wine.

LOL. Red or White?