What is in your cup?

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by Iridal

......I actually had to think about that for a couple of minutes. What's the Dutch/Flemish word for sleeping in again ? Oh, now I remember! Time to spend less time on international forums and reading more Dutch books ......

No, I just was in bed the whole time, till midday.
As for Dutch or Flemish books: the autors I like are dead, or practically dead. I've given up on that.
These last twenty years I went from the symbolists and French poets maudits to medieval French literature and early 19th century Germans. Now, apart from fantasy and sci.fi, I'm rereading the classics, discoverd Saramago, Rushdie and Pamuk (going to Iran for 4 weeks in May).
Not enough time to read, though. Never.

In my cup: cold Arabica-coffee.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I find that longer steeping usually results in a more bitter tasting tea, by releasing MORE tannins. At least to my taste buds. I can actually 'see' the results if I don't wash the tea cup between brews. I wonder if insoluble tannins taste more bitter than soluble ones?


Stitchawl

and it makes kittens throw up. something about black teas, especially cheap ones, (Lipton's anyone?). more expensive ones, like the lapsang souchang, seem to be fine though.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

There is a large Kaitenzushi (the sushi places with the conveyor belts) around the corner from my house, and I go there often because it's so convenient. Usually these places have spouts at each seat to self-dispense tea to the customers, but this place dispense only hot water. The tea is in tea bowls and is a powdered tea. Normally, I don't care for these, but this particular tea is really quite good. At least, it's good while eating sushi. I don't think I would want to drink it as a pick-me-up in the middle of the afternoon, or even as a breakfast wake-up tea. But along side a stack of empty sushi plates, it really hits the spot!

Stitchawl

ah-ha! a name! I never knew what they were called! a lot of fun though!

Originally Posted by Iridal

Oooh, I would love some chocolate muffins. I made a big mistake while I was sick. I ate a piece of chocolate, because that's my comfort food. And now my sweet tooth, which I painstakingly deactivated 4 weeks ago (stupid diet), has come back with a vengance It's hard to resist ...



I actually had to think about that for a couple of minutes. What's the Dutch/Flemish word for sleeping in again ? Oh, now I remember! Time to spend less time on international forums and reading more Dutch books

Green tea Mandarine and orange.

we knew our son had become truly fluent in German when he came running in from the garden trying to tell us very excitedly about a bunch of ants he had found and could not find the English word for ants

[bjones6416]

Black coffee in my cup -- I'm sleepy-headed this morning. We had the big 90th birthday party for my mom last night and it went wonderfully. She pronounced it "the best birthday I've ever had!"

I haven't been home much in the afternoons and evenings lately because of out-of-town guests, and that's my normal tea drinking time. Hopefully in the middle of this week I can get back to normal!

[desertblues]

Good morning to you, Betty. May there be many good birthdays to follow for your mother.
In my cup: cold Arabica-coffee.

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by desertblues

As for Dutch or Flemish books: the autors I like are dead, or practically dead. I've given up on that.

Sad but true ... I think we (Belgians) have some good children's book writers, Marc de Bel is the perfect example. I devoured his books when I was in my early teens. I also really liked Thea Beckman. But now ... I try to read the classics (Hugo Claus, Jef Geeraerts) but I just don't really enjoy them. I enjoy fantasy a lot more

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

we knew our son had become truly fluent in German when he came running in from the garden trying to tell us very excitedly about a bunch of ants he had found and could not find the English word for ants

It's happening more often to me these days. I sometimes have to ask my colleague who shares the office with me to translate an English word for me

In my cup: water with teisseire.

[Latinandgreek]

"Cranberry" tea in my cup and chocolate in my greedy little hand. I've had a low-grade fever the past few days, I hope I get over it before my exam on Tuesday.

[ProfCrash]

My whites have instructions to strep them for 2 minutes.

I am working on a cup of Rooibos Cream Carmel. I'll make some more while making myself some bacon and eggs.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

How did you brew the whites? Mariage Freres do recommend a steeping time of 7 min for the Pai Mu Tans (Fancy White Peony) and 15 min for Yin Zhens (Silver Needles) using 70°C water and 2 teaspoons per cup!!! It also takes some time to be able to distinguish their subtle flavours. When starting whites it is a good idea to stick exclusivly to white tea for some days so your taste buds are not overwhelmed by stronger flavours.

Here is a link to their steeping chart

Usually, I follow the instructions. I tried some white teas only from NBTea, so I follow their guides, although I also google a bit and verify other sources of info. I didn't find much of discrepancies in white teas. Usually it is 70C and 2-3-5 minutes brewing.

Interesting chart, though some tips suggest different timing and temperature that I use.

Btw., yesterday I went to another branch of TK MAxx, a bigger one. I got a few more interesting teas. Another Ahmad English Breakfast, although I cannot find a picture of the tin on the Internet. It looks a bit different from another I bought a few weeks ago. Ahmad's Post Code on the tin is the latest though
I found Taylors of Harrogate's green tea with mint loose tea for my wife.
She found for me Twinings White Tea! I didn't know that they do it. I didn't find it on the Internet. It is from this range and it looks like that (was priced similarly, £10 for 100gr, before it reached TK Maxx). I finished first cup, liked it and going to make another after I finish this post

Originally Posted by GeoffC

You know I drink Green Tea (Japanese Powdered) !?

The Pu'erh was noticed in our herbal shop this week and I gave into temptation . Very pleasantly flavoured... It's In Nature (innteas.com) Organic, 5 years old.
We have no pot, so all I've been doing is placing the tea block in a sieve and pouring water through that into the cup.

No. I didn't know you were drinking teas at all.
If it looks like tuocha, then ...I cannot advise you. Many different ways to do
Some of what I found out is that it is a good idea to rinse it. Once or twice for 10-20 seconds with boiling water. Let's say one time for 20 seconds.
Then you can brew it...some say 30 seconds is enough, some say 2 minutes...

Originally Posted by Poppaea

The steeping for longer than 3 min has the purpose of waiting for the polyphenols to come into play. They change the tannin to be water insoluble and thus to be less agitating. The longer the brewing the less tannin/coffein is your body able to use from your tea.

This is one of the reasons why certain teas are recommended for breakfast and some for evening.

Most breakfast blends are made from broken teas. Steeping times are further depending on what kind of tea you are using. A broken tea will give its contents faster away than a whole leaf tea due to the higher surface rate.

Thank you so much for the explanation!
I knew that with black teas, if you want it to wake you up, you should steep it for about 3 minutes, if you steep it longer than 5 minutes it might actually make you more sleepy I heard it maybe 10 years ago. Now, I see the process behind this theory.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I find that longer steeping usually results in a more bitter tasting tea, by releasing MORE tannins. At least to my taste buds. I can actually 'see' the results if I don't wash the tea cup between brews. I wonder if insoluble tannins taste more bitter than soluble ones?

I have noticed the same. I won't use any terms such as tannin etc., because I don't fully understand them but the tea becomes more bitter. The amount of black tea leaves influences the bitterness as well. If you put too much, the bitterness overpower the flavour. It is my recent discovery. I have seen it in brewing tea video and after that tested it myself.

P.s. Almost finished the second cup of white tea. It is nice. Very soft, velvety flavour...I think that's my the problem with whites. I need something with a more distinctive flavour. However, sometimes it is a perfect tea.

[astra]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

My whites have instructions to strep them for 2 minutes.

I am working on a cup of Rooibos Cream Carmel. I'll make some more while making myself some bacon and eggs.

the day before yesterday, I did something you were doing not so long time ago
Tea shelves clearance. I found Rooibos vanilla pack from IKEA! When did I buy it? Why did I buy it? No idea. The last time I was in IKEA in December 2009. Did I buy it then? A few years before that?
Taking it to the office.

[ProfCrash]

I highly recommend something like the infuser below for brewing tea. It is easy to clean and works well with all teas.

http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...n-Mug-Infuser/

http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...eramic-Filter/

http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...ent-Teafilter/

I use the last infuser because it is less expensive but the others look nicer on a desk.

[astra]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I highly recommend something like the infuser below for brewing tea. It is easy to clean and works well with all teas.
http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...n-Mug-Infuser/

I love this one!

I have an eye for WMF Tea Cup Infuser but TeaGschwendner's infuser is the first real competitor.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by astra

The last time I was in IKEA in December 2009. Did I buy it then? A few years before that?
Taking it to the office.

Oh, your poor collegues! You want to poison them! What happened on Friday?

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I highly recommend something like the infuser below for brewing tea. It is easy to clean and works well with all teas.

I use a second tea pot made of stainless steel that has a little, I do not know the correct words for it in English and will take to describing it, has a little net on the inside where the tea is streaming into the pots nuzzle. This way the tea leaves stay moist and slightly warm and I can use them as often as the kind I am using is usable.

As for the black tea getting bitter with longer brewing I tends to do so when I used to much tea. At the beginnig of my teadrinking days I aquired a scales that can do from 1g up to measure them. It is tremendously helpful as I find myself almost all the time erring on the amount that I'd have taken without a scales.

The extrem long steeping times for the whites were something I didn't care to try as anyone else states short times for them. About five years ago I was invited to an afternoon tea in the Ritz Hotels Tearoom. When asking their teamaster which tea he had used as it was incredibly good he told me not only the name, which was on the menue anyway, but also their brewing time, the same as in the chart... Ever since than I did it like that and it is perfect! I guess it is easier to give the brewing times every does give as they are not as complicated and easier to remember for everyone. So the shops are on the sure side.

[astra]

When looking for a similar infuser in the UK, I found this website Eteaket.



I ...

Look at this Tea Timer

Scotland rules!

[astra]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Oh, your poor collegues! You want to poison them! What happened on Friday?

I guess I will be the "mushroom man".
This is what Russians call a person whom they give a suspicious food to taste and see whether they survive

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by astra

When looking for a similar infuser in the UK, I found this website Eteaket.



I ...

Look at this Tea Timer

Scotland rules!

That's pretty cool

Eteaket is actually the site I stumbled on yesterday, and I decided to order some teas today:

• Cranberry apple riot infusion
• Strawberries & cream infusion
• jasmine pearls tea
• White peach tea
• Rooibos Crème Caramel

Should arrive in a couple of days ! I love my Visa card

Rooibos Baked Apple for now.