What is in your cup?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

one cup of Vashon Island Roasting companies Fair Trade Solstice Coffee, and a pot of Republic of Tea's ginseng, honey green tea brewing to be made into iced tea and accompany me to my morning meeting

Isn't Vashon Island where the old Jan-Sport company was located? It was my favorite all-time backpack!

I tried steeping some good ginseng in boiling water but it didn't work for me. I'd rather just chew the stuff. The ginseng teas that they sell in the Seoul or Pusan airports work much better, but cost an arm and a leg!


Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

HT, I've actually had trouble finding loose tea in my area!

Isn't it time to expand your boundaries, Betty?
Spread your wings! Let your imagination soar! SHOP ON LINE! (Can you hear the trumpets blowing in the background? )

I think it's perfectly fine to drink tea from teabags for those of us with, shall we say, less sophisticated palates.

It is also perfectly fine to eat sour woodpecker eggs, but why, when there are fresh rooster eggs (well, hen eggs actually) just a mouse click away?

Now if you fall in the sophisticated palate group all bets are off!

One does not 'fall' into the sophisticated palate group, one must make the concerted effort to 'climb' into it...


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by happy_terd

Do they even sell tea in the US that isnt in a teabag???

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Isn't Vashon Island where the old Jan-Sport company was located? It was my favorite all-time backpack!

I tried steeping some good ginseng in boiling water but it didn't work for me. I'd rather just chew the stuff. The ginseng teas that they sell in the Seoul or Pusan airports work much better, but cost an arm and a leg!


Stitchawl

I'm not sure about JanSport, I do know that K2 was there. they still have an office there but no longer produce the skis

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I'm not sure about JanSport, I do know that K2 was there. they still have an office there but no longer produce the skis

Lou Whittiker of the Mt.Rainier Whittiker family used to rep for both Jan-Sport and K2. I did some ice climbing with him back in '73 in the Mt. Washington region (Huntington's Ravine) when he was doing some east-coast sales rep work. I wonder if the two companies were connected.


Stitchawl

[phenomshel]

Not-so-hot-now Pomegranate Cranberry Green tea. Y'all are going to get as tired of this as everyone was of diet Dr Pepper postings...

Stitchawl, sorry about the juice craving, did you get what you wanted?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Not-so-hot-now Pomegranate Cranberry Green tea. Y'all are going to get as tired of this as everyone was of diet Dr Pepper postings...

Not at all! We're happy that you've found a drink you enjoy.
Are you going to join Betty in the sour woodpecker eggs?

Stitchawl, sorry about the juice craving, did you get what you wanted?

Not yet. Yesterday I had to hang around the house waiting for the rental company to drop off a bike, and today I needed to ride it gently to learn its personality. It has very different ergonomics from my bike and I didn't want to take it into the heavy city traffic until I felt comfortable with it. If the weather is nice tomorrow I go into town then. I'm sure I can find Ocean Spray, but not sure of the particular flavors available to me here.

Meanwhile, I'm drinking a mug of East India Company's Assam right now, and liking it more and more with every cup. I didn't care for the first cup at all!

[astra]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Isn't it time to expand your boundaries, Betty?
Spread your wings! Let your imagination soar! SHOP ON LINE! (Can you hear the trumpets blowing in the background? )

It is also perfectly fine to eat sour woodpecker eggs, but why, when there are fresh rooster eggs (well, hen eggs actually) just a mouse click away?

One does not 'fall' into the sophisticated palate group, one must make the concerted effort to 'climb' into it...

Well said Stitchawl.

Until very recently, I thought I belonged to the group that only liked to read about tea, learn about it but bother to brew it? No way. No difference anyway. I have tried a dozen times with black teas (when I lived in Israel and later in England). Have not noticed any difference at all. Gave up.

Until this very topic.

Topic where I have come across such names as Keemun and Assam and brought the proper loose tea in the proper tea shops not the box standard loose tea you can buy in any of the UK supermarkets. Tescos, Sainsburys, M&S, Waitross etc. They sell more or less the same stuff from famous brands such as Twinings. By now I know that it was rubbish, that's why I never noticed any difference. I bought English Breakfast in a tea shop and I was blown away by the difference. It had aroma. Flavour. Well I have run out of words

Fate has decided to prove my point.
I just made a cup of English Breakfast from tin box I bought the other day from a well known company New English Teas, the one you can usually buy in souvenir shops, expensive. The box is nice. The tea? Better than Yorkshire Gold in bags. Worse than English Breakfast from tea shop. After 2 weeks of drinking Assam and Keemun, I could detect Assam in it. It is a good sign, but still...not the same. This one is similar to Assam I had 40 minutes ago.
I just checked the box, it says:

A traditional blend of loose teas.
Pure Ceylon teas packed in Sri Lanka.

Googled for Ceylon teas and found out that Assam belongs to the group.
Looks like I learn on the go as I type this post

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by John Carroll

Coffee, with pumpkin pie creamer. Yummy.

*cheap man's Starbucks*

I like cheap. I respect cheap.

[astra]

Mate coconut milk.

[Stitchawl]

Unfortunately, the public has been handed the 'fast food' of teas and coffees and we've accepted it for the convenience of it all, forgetting that a fast food hamburger doesn't taste nearly as good as one made at home. We have been willing to 'put up with' the loss of flavor for the ease of use.

Commercial tea bags are easy to buy and easy to use. But to make them, the leaves must be very small and very dry. That means loss of flavor. But using loose leaf tea can be a pain in the neck, so we've put up with that loss of flavor for ease of use. Well, if we take 20 minutes and fill 50 tea bags with loose leaf tea, we get back all the full flavored goodness as well as the convenience of tea bags! There is no reason to suffer with off the shelf tea bags! Even Celestial Seasonings can be bought loose, and I'll bet dollars to donuts the taste is 100% better!

Stitchawl

[beppe]

Hi friends all,

While I send you the warmest Season Greetings, I tell you also that I am taking a little break and be back at some time in the future. When, how, who knows, therefore do not relax too much.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by beppe

Hi friends all,

While I send you the warmest Season Greetings, I tell you also that I am taking a little break and be back at some time in the future. When, how, who knows, therefore do not relax too much.

Enjoy your break, and I hope to see you back soon. (I hope that your break is going to be used for vacation time.) Buon Natale!

[astra]

Roasted Mate

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Unfortunately, the public has been handed the 'fast food' of teas and coffees and we've accepted it for the convenience of it all, forgetting that a fast food hamburger doesn't taste nearly as good as one made at home. We have been willing to 'put up with' the loss of flavor for the ease of use.

Commercial tea bags are easy to buy and easy to use. But to make them, the leaves must be very small and very dry. That means loss of flavor. But using loose leaf tea can be a pain in the neck, so we've put up with that loss of flavor for ease of use. Well, if we take 20 minutes and fill 50 tea bags with loose leaf tea, we get back all the full flavored goodness as well as the convenience of tea bags! There is no reason to suffer with off the shelf tea bags! Even Celestial Seasonings can be bought loose, and I'll bet dollars to donuts the taste is 100% better!

Stitchawl

People seem to think that brewing loose leaf teas takes a ton of extra time but it doesn't. Put in infuser basket, open tin, scoop in tea leaves, add hot water. Heck, you can make your own loose leaf tea bags and save yourself the 10 seconds it takes to put in the infuser basket, open the tin, and scoop the leaves.

I think tea is intimidating because there are so many types and people don't know how to brew it properly. The number of folks who I have made Green tea for who loved the flavor and where surprised when I told them to use 175 degree water and not boiling and to steep it for a minute and not five is massive.

I started the day with a fruit smoothy.

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by beppe

Hi friends all,

While I send you the warmest Season Greetings, I tell you also that I am taking a little break and be back at some time in the future. When, how, who knows, therefore do not relax too much.

awwww We are going to miss you. Enjoy your break.