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How do you have your tea?
- Thread starter Andeavor
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I think also, that there's the way the world drinks tea and then the way that the British (and Irish) drink tea. They're evolved apart to be sort of different drinks... (I can remember first encountering iced tea, what's going on there? Cold tea without milk?)
So... You did try it with fresh milk? I do think you need fresh milk for imported British teas. (Not UHT)*. Its why McDonalds tea is so ugh! Go to any McDonalds here in the UK and you can watch people grimace when sipping their tea.
In our household we've pretty much switched from Twynings Everyday (when they changed the blend) over to Yorkshire. (I love both types - normal and gold).
* I'm often surprised at how difficult it can be to get fresh milk (and cream) when away from the UK.
Cold tea without milk or sugar…… good stuff.
When I was sheep shearing I would keep a mug full on my stand after smoko, to cool and drink at the five minute break on the hour. Refreshing other times too. Not iced though; I'm not into ice in drinks of any kind.
Fresh milk….. What most folks call fresh milk is a bit old and processed by the time it reaches them. On the farm I grew up on we kept a house cow, which I hand milked as one of my chores. The milk we drank was indeed fresh and creamy (about 6%), still warm from the Jersey cow. We would drink that at breakfast, but would turn our noses up at the pasteurised, skimmed stuff from a shop.
My mother and brother take tea white with sugar, but my father and I couldn't abide tea defiled in any way. Neither of my sisters took to drinking tea or coffee at all.
Not a big coffee drinker, but when I do I enjoy it with milk or cream and sugar, or black without as the mood dictates.
Yes, milk fresh from a cow is an amazing taste (as a kid, I spent a few holidays on a farm that my mother's god-mother and some cousins owned, and we had fresh milk daily).
Mind you, as a kid, we also had milk delivered to our door, in bottles made from glass, real, full fat milk from a dairy, complete with cream at the top, - which left a white moustache on your lip when you drank it. We returned the bottles when fresh milk was delivered daily. Then, the dairy was bought by a large business, the bottling and washing plant closed, and the milk became unspeakably tasteless.
I had forgotten how good real milk tasted until I was an an organic food fair in Bristol almost a decade ago. Since then, I have bought organic milk when I am home; it is not quite as good as the lovely milk I had effortless access to as a child, but it is a lot better than the tasteless industrialised alternatives currently available.
And, don't get me started on the culinary atrocity and obscenity known as skimmed milk. If you are going to have milk on your table, offer the real stuff, not some insipid alternative. Or drink water instead.
Had fresh milk as a kid... from the cow. Don't think I could stomach warm milk now. I'm not much of a milk drinker anyway. We do purchase two types of milk. One is a processed organic milk that lasts quite a while, and is also quite expensive compared to regular milk, but it's drinkable IMO compared to regular milk. We then purchase a farm style milk from organic dairy cows with the cream at the top, which takes up quite a bit of space in the glass bottle. We typically remove the cream and set it in the fridge to harden a bit.
Skim milk is the bastard child of the dairy industry. It's not useful in anything. Unless you dehydrate it and use the powder to add body into foods, specifically desserts.
And use, I did use milk in YGT. Difficult to not use some milk in heavy body teas. I never liked American style iced tea which is essentially "let's add tons of sugar and lemon to make this crappy tea drinkable." Cold iced tea made from broad leaf ceylon brewed overnight (cold brew) is amazing. I go through gallons of the stuff during the summer.
Skim milk is the bastard child of the dairy industry. It's not useful in anything. Unless you dehydrate it and use the powder to add body into foods, specifically desserts.
And use, I did use milk in YGT. Difficult to not use some milk in heavy body teas. I never liked American style iced tea which is essentially "let's add tons of sugar and lemon to make this crappy tea drinkable." Cold iced tea made from broad leaf ceylon brewed overnight (cold brew) is amazing. I go through gallons of the stuff during the summer.
I like skim milk - prefer it to 2% or whole milk, as far as drinking it goes. If I'm cooking something I usually will try to use cream.
Thread Revival!
Some of you know I recently kicked coffee for herbal teas. Currently drinking teeccino brand (http://teeccino.com/category/30/Teeccino-Samplers.html). This come in both tea bags and loose. I started out brewing their tea bags which include 6 grams (more than average tea bags) of grounds which makes for a strong mug of tea in a 16oz mug. However I also purchased an 11oz bag, which they claim makes 35 servings and an inexpensive single cup strainer.
So the breakdown is 25 bags for approx $11 or an 11 Oz bag that makes 35 servings for $10. Now there is a bulk option too, 5 lbs for $55 a steal!
Anyway here is the rub of using a tea bag vs a strainer, my impression is you get a better brew with less grounds using the tea bag versus the strainer, where the water flows though like a drip coffee maker, but does not get a chance to steep. So with a strainer, it takes more grounds to get an equivalent strength.
Which brings me to these options, tea infusers or purchasing empty throw away bags. The stainless steel infuser costs about $7, the throw away bags about $.035 cents each. I suspect the tea bags would still work better. This tea is finely ground.
Opinions? I’m leaning towards the bulk coffee and the disposable bags.
Some of you know I recently kicked coffee for herbal teas. Currently drinking teeccino brand (http://teeccino.com/category/30/Teeccino-Samplers.html). This come in both tea bags and loose. I started out brewing their tea bags which include 6 grams (more than average tea bags) of grounds which makes for a strong mug of tea in a 16oz mug. However I also purchased an 11oz bag, which they claim makes 35 servings and an inexpensive single cup strainer.
So the breakdown is 25 bags for approx $11 or an 11 Oz bag that makes 35 servings for $10. Now there is a bulk option too, 5 lbs for $55 a steal!
Anyway here is the rub of using a tea bag vs a strainer, my impression is you get a better brew with less grounds using the tea bag versus the strainer, where the water flows though like a drip coffee maker, but does not get a chance to steep. So with a strainer, it takes more grounds to get an equivalent strength.Which brings me to these options, tea infusers or purchasing empty throw away bags. The stainless steel infuser costs about $7, the throw away bags about $.035 cents each. I suspect the tea bags would still work better. This tea is finely ground.
Opinions? I’m leaning towards the bulk coffee and the disposable bags.
Grounded tea leaves? I didn't know the sold ground tea leaves loose; I've only seen those in pre-package tea bags. I use an infuser, but I then I use whole leaves*, not grounded ones. The holes in the infuser might be too big for grounded or even chopped leaves. Even with whole tea leaves, there are crumbs that makes its way into my brew.
Also, cleaning the infuser is a pain in the derriere (pardon my French). I have recently switched to cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner to make life easier.
*I drink green tea, no particular brand. Friends and family know of my love for green tea and gift me with various brands from the Old Country.
Thanks for the info! I originally purchased the inexpensive 1cup sieve, because the maker of this tea said it worked, but based on my brief experience with it, as previously described, I have decided to go bulk tea and disposable bags. i’ll just have to eat the extra 3.5 cents per bag it will cost!Grounded tea leaves? I didn't know the sold ground tea leaves loose; I've only seen those in pre-package tea bags. I use an infuser, but I then I use whole leaves*, not grounded ones. The holes in the infuser might be too big for grounded or even chopped leaves. Even with whole tea leaves, there are crumbs that makes its way into my brew.
Also, cleaning the infuser is a pain in the derriere (pardon my French). I have recently switched to cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner to make life easier.
*I drink green tea, no particular brand. Friends and family know of my love for green tea and gift me with various brands from the Old Country.
Taking a quick peek at the Teeccino site, I’m guessing this is a chicory tea plus other herbs. If it’s ground up chicory, I think the bags make sense, so you don’t get sludge at the bottom. You might even try a pour-over coffee setup? I don’t have direct experience with this stuff though, so if the bags work well I’d just stick with them.Thanks for the info! I originally purchased the inexpensive 1cup sieve, because the maker of this tea said it worked, but based on my brief experience with it, as previously described, I have decided to go bulk tea and disposable bags. i’ll just have to eat the extra 3.5 cents per bag it will cost!
It is chicory + other stuff. They have one with dandelion root. My favorites are Vanilla Nut, Hazel Nut, and Maya Chia. i’ll Let you know the results after I get the bags.
In recent years, I have come to the realisation that I like some of the white teas (and drink them without any other additions); likewise, other speciality teas.
However, with classic black tea, unless it is Turkish - in which case I take it black - I normally add milk to it. Never sugar.
However, with classic black tea, unless it is Turkish - in which case I take it black - I normally add milk to it. Never sugar.
Not meant as a lecture to you, just my perspective and experience regarding coffee.
I’ve loved coffee for about 4 decades, however the amount of caffeine (32oz-364 mg) I was drinking daily, although the Mayo Clinic says for most people, 400 mg is the limit, but they also said that coffee (not sure if it’s the caffeine) may contribute to high blood pressure by effecting signals to arteries allowing them to relax and widen, lowering blood pressure. The 5 day’s I suffered headaches after kicking caffeine, along with getting dehydrated easily, certainly opened my eyes regarding this drug and my dependence on it.
As far as decaffeinated coffee, I’ve read that it’s not totally caffeine free and it is more acidic that regular coffee. And of note coffee consumption is accociated with increased stomach acid production and since quitting coffee, I’ve not had to take my acid reflux medicine, omeperazole.
I, too, quit drinking coffee mainly due to intestinal issues. Coffee has a lot of oils in it and I think that's what was causing me pain.
You are correct that the decaffeination process is unable to remove all caffeine.
I drink herbal tea now, without adding any other condiment, and I feel great. I tend to prefer a peppermint tea in the mornings.
I’m a new comer to herbal teas, I stumbled upon the Teeccino brand, and am enjoying several of their flavors, as previously mentioned, but I’m open to trying other brands.
Looking for suggestions from our tea drinkers! Caffeine free preferred.
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I'm not a tea connoisseur, so as lame as it is, I use "Private Selection", which is a brand of Kroger grocery stores, in various flavors such as peppermint and apple cinnamon.I’m a new comer to herbal teas, I stumbled upon the Teeccino brand, and am enjoying several of their flavors, as previously mentioned, but I’m open to trying other brands.
Looking for suggestions for our tea drinkers! Caffeine free preferred.
I also use Celestial Seasonings in flavors of Country Peach Passion and Tension Tamer. Some of their flavors are decaf and not caffeine free, so watch the label.
I’m a new comer to herbal teas, I stumbled upon the Teeccino brand, and am enjoying several of their flavors, as previously mentioned, but I’m open to trying other brands.
Looking for suggestions from our tea drinkers! Caffeine free preferred.
I had a very tasty chicory tea at a restaurant some time ago, and those can be good if you want a full bodied hot drink in the morning that has a vaguely similar sensory experience to coffee (minus caffeine). But there is also a nearly endless variety of other herbal teas, I really enjoy whole leaf verbena tea, and I can drink mint tea endlessly. Boiled ginger root is divine, and so is fennel tea made with the seeds (there was a Syrian deli I used to go to that served fabulous fennel tea).
I’d definitely go check out a tea shop and browse the herbal tea blends. Or google around for “tisane,” which is a generic word for herbal teas. For me, herbal teas make a lovely evening drink.
I've found a lady who is relatively local, and sends me tea on demand in the mail. She frequently sends me samples, and one quite struck my fancy - it's called Irish Morning. It's a black tea with some almost fruity things. It's wonderful and relaxing, without being overly fruity/herbal. I'm still using the drawstring bags from Amazon. (I have them on subscription.)
According to some tea snobs, adding anything to brew is a classic faux pas. Although I feel people should drink their brew anyway the see fit, I also agree with them. I don't add milk or sugar or honey to my tea. Like them, I believe that if you have to add milk or sugar to your tea, you're not drinking the right kind of tea. There are numerous blends of tea and when you find the blend that suits your taste without any addition, that's your tea.
Well said. I used to think the same about coffee drinkers that would order a coffee loaded with caramel, chocolate, and whipped cream. It was more of a shake than a coffee.
I don't use anything additional in my tea as I'm working on cutting back my sugar intake as well.
Medium strength (brew), with milk. Used to be a sugar addict, went from 4 spoons to one. Couldn't give up. Went to sweeteners (probably worse for me). Just tried pure honey recently. I hate honey, though I like it on some cooking. I was really surprised, its great in tea! Gives a nice sweetness and thickens the tea (I found tea without sugar, seems very thin, more watery).
Sounds good! I’m surprised how vested I am in my morning and evening
What brand? I just ordered some white ones (vs brown)
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You could probably clip, dry, and steep them. Although I’d hesitate unless you know they have been organically raised. I wouldn’t want to include pesticides in my tea that may have been sprayed on the leaves or taken up by the roots.
Lemon verbena is fairly common to find as tea, both alone and as part of a blend. If you’re looking for a light and smooth herbal tea, you can’t go wrong there. It’s pretty much the polar opposite of chicory root tea, so it probably won’t scratch that “coffee-adjacent itch.”
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