Tea & Kombucha

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:45 pm

em2nought wrote:I can't make good iced tea, wish there was as much interest in making a good cup of tea. lol

this is relevant to my interests. what kind?

my rough guidelines:

Black - 208-212F, 3-5 minutes
Darjeeling - 180-190F, 3-4 minutes
White - 165-175, 3-6 minutes (lowest temps of all, for sure. i think Yellow is about the same, for the cooler end of the scale)
Pu'erh - 208-212F, 3-6 minutes
Herbal (tisane) - 208-212F, 5-forever minutes

Green and Oolong are highly variable depending on type and serving style.

Green - 175-180F, 1-3 minutes - but some are only 45 seconds! the temperature range is huge... sencha tends to use 160F water, genmaicha can use boiling. you need to experiment with each tea, and it _will_ turn out bad if you go too hot and/or too long - very sensitive. Green, White and Yellow are easy to screw up, so take care.

Oolong - with Dong Ding, i do 1 minute at 180-190F for the first brewing, 40 seconds for the second and third brewings, and add 10-20 seconds for each brewing after that. i also have this Taiwanese High Mountain type that goes for 3 minutes for each brewing, same water temperature. some people say you can use boiling water on high-quality oolong - i don't doubt them, but i've never been satisfied with the results... probably only with the more roasted or oxidized kinds. definitely not to be tried on the likes of, say, Tie Guan Yin.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:54 pm

10 cups of water run through the coffee maker over 2 family-sized teabags from Luzianne (orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea), poured over 1/2 cup of sugar.

JSHAW · Post by **JSHAW** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 8:01 pm

This guy liked black tea, ALOT!

http://time.com/3768205/iced-tea-habit-kidney-failure/

Isgrimnur wrote:10 cups of water run through the coffee maker over 2 family-sized teabags from Luzianne (orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea), poured over 1/2 cup of sugar.

I like what we in the south call "SWEET tea", put 1 1/2 cups of sugar in mine, when I
make it in coffee maker.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 8:17 pm

Never put much effort into tea making. I just go with the Twining's Irish Breakfast or English Black Tea on my English Premier League mornings and follow the instructions on the box. Boiling water and steep for 3-5 minutes.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 8:57 pm

We have never mastered the art of tea making, because we are too lazy and never really follow directions as far as how much water, how long to steep, etc. Which is a shame because I love iced tea.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:25 pm

hentzau wrote:We have never mastered the art of tea making, because we are too lazy and never really follow directions as far as how much water, how long to steep, etc. Which is a shame because I love iced tea.

black tea is seriously brain-dead easy to make; you just have to be mindful of the time or it gets bitter. set a timer for three mins, then remove the bag. the flavor is sooooo much better.

my dad makes green tea by putting a bag in a mug of water, then microwaving it until it boils, then complains about the bitterness... who knows if he even removes the bag. i was appalled to hear that!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:36 pm

Iced tea I'm not picky about, so long as it isn't sweetened. Hot tea I love. I don't take the water's temperature, but I find that just below the boiling point (so probably right around 200 degrees) works for most teas, and I know just how to microwave my water to hit that temperature. I tend to brew them strong, too. My regulars are Twinings Irish Breakfast, Twinings Darjeeling, and Twinings Earl Grey (my favorite), although I've been learning to appreciate Lady Grey lately, too. Yes, I am a fan of Twinings.

I have to buy bottled distilled water for tea, because the water around here is too hard for tea (the drinking water hardness scale goes from soft at 0 -1, very hard at 10.5 - and we are in the 18-20 range here.) Tea made in local water forms an oily film and tastes awful. When you brew tea with it, the same solids that form 'scale' deposits on fixtures bind with the tannins in the tea and create an oily surface that stinks, stains cups, and makes it taste awful. It actually looks like there is an oil slick in the cup.

I used to drink mostly green tea, but I can no longer drink my old brand (Stash), and haven't had the money to experiment to find something that tastes different, yet is affordable.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:52 pm

Blackhawk wrote: I used to drink mostly green tea, but I can no longer drink my old brand (Stash), and haven't had the money to experiment to find something that tastes different, yet is affordable.

try Yamamotoyama or Tenren.

if you have Costco access, the Ito En sencha/matcha blend they carry is *really good for the price.

local Asian markets will tend to carry good stuff for cheap.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 10:07 pm

No Costco, but the next town over does have an Asian market. I drank my Stash tea through chemo, and find it almost instantly nauseating now. If I want to go back to green tea, I will need something with a different flavor.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 10:51 pm

Blackhawk wrote:No Costco, but the next town over does have an Asian market. I drank my Stash tea through chemo, and find it almost instantly nauseating now. If I want to go back to green tea, I will need something with a different flavor.

yeah, the ones i listed above will do ya. you'll find the imported stuff does have a different quality than most of the domestic brands.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 10:58 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Iced tea I'm not picky about, so long as it isn't sweetened. Hot tea I love. I don't take the water's temperature, but I find that just below the boiling point (so probably right around 200 degrees) works for most teas, and I know just how to microwave my water to hit that temperature. I tend to brew them strong, too. My regulars are Twinings Irish Breakfast, Twinings Darjeeling, and Twinings Earl Grey (my favorite), although I've been learning to appreciate Lady Grey lately, too. Yes, I am a fan of Twinings.

I have to buy bottled distilled water for tea, because the water around here is too hard for tea (the drinking water hardness scale goes from soft at 0 -1, very hard at 10.5 - and we are in the 18-20 range here.) Tea made in local water forms an oily film and tastes awful. When you brew tea with it, the same solids that form 'scale' deposits on fixtures bind with the tannins in the tea and create an oily surface that stinks, stains cups, and makes it taste awful. It actually looks like there is an oil slick in the cup.

I used to drink mostly green tea, but I can no longer drink my old brand (Stash), and haven't had the money to experiment to find something that tastes different, yet is affordable.

We had similar tea similarities until you got to Earl Grey. Cannot stand the stuff.

Interesting that you find your water inhospitable to tea as most English water is also quite hard. I personally do not dislike the oil slick on the surface of my tea.

Hamsterball_Z · Post by **Hamsterball_Z** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:47 pm

I cold brew my iced tea. I get gallon-size Lipton bags (use whatever you prefer of course) put it in a pitcher of cold water and stick it in the refrigerator overnight. It's ready to go in the morning and already cold.

I've done this method with loose tea using these nut milk bags as giant tea bags. The good thing about cold brewing is that the tea doesn't get bitter.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 2:11 am

hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:I can't make good iced tea, wish there was as much interest in making a good cup of tea. lol
this is relevant to my interests. what kind?

I'd like to be able to make a pitcher of iced tea that tastes like the hot tea served in pastry shops in Scotland. I'm sure that's not of much help. lol It sounds like I need to pay more attention to temperature. Usually I just boil the water and twirl my teabags around in it while it's boiling then turn the heat off, and leave the bags in the covered pot for too many hours apparently.

I don't seem to get great taste from cold brew either.

...and maybe it's my choice of teabags as I just use the cheap Tetley, Lipton, or Luzianne.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 2:26 am

I was cleaning out my condo today and found the pot and one leftover tea blossom from this:

http://www.amazon.com/Numi-Organic-Flow ... B000FFIL92

Got it as a gift years ago, completely forgot I had it, but I remember that it was really cool...and tasted pretty good. Now that I found the pot, I might have to buy more teas.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 6:58 am

em2nought wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:I can't make good iced tea, wish there was as much interest in making a good cup of tea. lol
this is relevant to my interests. what kind?
I'd like to be able to make a pitcher of iced tea that tastes like the hot tea served in pastry shops in Scotland. I'm sure that's not of much help. lol It sounds like I need to pay more attention to temperature. Usually I just boil the water and twirl my teabags around in it while it's boiling then turn the heat off, and leave the bags in the covered pot for too many hours apparently.

try pouring the just boiled water in a separate pot (off the stove), add the tea bags for three minutes, remove. put the pot in the refrigerator after it's cooled down (so it doesn't crack in the fridge from the temperature extremes.) that will help...

...and maybe it's my choice of teabags as I just use the cheap Tetley, Lipton, or Luzianne.

the quality difference between Lipton and even a cheapie UK import black (like PG Tips) is pretty huge. try something from the likes of Fortnum & Mason and be prepared to be astounded. i credit my SO for turning me on to this.

even comparing the Lipton packaged for the US versus the UK Lipton - they probably use the leftover dust sweepings from the factory floor for the American market (or at least the product not fit for consumption anywhere else in the world.)

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:58 am

Tea.

And have some more.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:46 am

hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:I can't make good iced tea, wish there was as much interest in making a good cup of tea. lol
this is relevant to my interests. what kind?
I'd like to be able to make a pitcher of iced tea that tastes like the hot tea served in pastry shops in Scotland. I'm sure that's not of much help. lol It sounds like I need to pay more attention to temperature. Usually I just boil the water and twirl my teabags around in it while it's boiling then turn the heat off, and leave the bags in the covered pot for too many hours apparently.
try pouring the just boiled water in a separate pot (off the stove), add the tea bags for three minutes, remove. put the pot in the refrigerator after it's cooled down (so it doesn't crack in the fridge from the temperature extremes.) that will help...

...and maybe it's my choice of teabags as I just use the cheap Tetley, Lipton, or Luzianne.
the quality difference between Lipton and even a cheapie UK import black (like PG Tips) is pretty huge. try something from the likes of Fortnum & Mason and be prepared to be astounded. i credit my SO for turning me on to this.

even comparing the Lipton packaged for the US versus the UK Lipton - they probably use the leftover dust sweepings from the factory floor for the American market (or at least the product not fit for consumption anywhere else in the world.)

Thanks, I'll definitely try some proper English tea along with the off the stove pot and timing my steeping.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:51 pm

as for proper quantity - i believe the trad. British way is 'one tsp per person + one for the pot'. always increase the quantity of tea leaves (not the tea steeping time) if more intense flavor is desired.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 7:25 pm

hentzau wrote:We have never mastered the art of tea making, because we are too lazy and never really follow directions as far as how much water, how long to steep, etc. Which is a shame because I love iced tea.

Easy peasy. Mr. Coffee makes a Mr. Tea (or something like that). Makes brewing tea a piece of cake, I love my machine!

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:00 pm

Grifman wrote:Mr. Tea

Mr. Coffee iced tea makers

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:39 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:
Grifman wrote:Mr. Tea

FIFY

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:56 pm

FTFFY

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:03 pm

We used to have one of those. I should get another one.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:07 am

Sadly, there is no video of Guido Sarducci's Mr Tea commercial and that was the best picture I could find. I am disappointed in you, Internet.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:18 am

hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:I can't make good iced tea, wish there was as much interest in making a good cup of tea. lol
this is relevant to my interests. what kind?
I'd like to be able to make a pitcher of iced tea that tastes like the hot tea served in pastry shops in Scotland. I'm sure that's not of much help. lol It sounds like I need to pay more attention to temperature. Usually I just boil the water and twirl my teabags around in it while it's boiling then turn the heat off, and leave the bags in the covered pot for too many hours apparently.
try pouring the just boiled water in a separate pot (off the stove), add the tea bags for three minutes, remove. put the pot in the refrigerator after it's cooled down (so it doesn't crack in the fridge from the temperature extremes.) that will help...

...and maybe it's my choice of teabags as I just use the cheap Tetley, Lipton, or Luzianne.
the quality difference between Lipton and even a cheapie UK import black (like PG Tips) is pretty huge. try something from the likes of Fortnum & Mason and be prepared to be astounded. i credit my SO for turning me on to this.

even comparing the Lipton packaged for the US versus the UK Lipton - they probably use the leftover dust sweepings from the factory floor for the American market (or at least the product not fit for consumption anywhere else in the world.)

I found PG Tips at Target. Wow, it's a vast improvement over Tetley, Lipton or Luzianne. Thanks!

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:08 am

em2nought wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:
hitbyambulance wrote:
em2nought wrote:I can't make good iced tea, wish there was as much interest in making a good cup of tea. lol
this is relevant to my interests. what kind?
I'd like to be able to make a pitcher of iced tea that tastes like the hot tea served in pastry shops in Scotland. I'm sure that's not of much help. lol It sounds like I need to pay more attention to temperature. Usually I just boil the water and twirl my teabags around in it while it's boiling then turn the heat off, and leave the bags in the covered pot for too many hours apparently.
try pouring the just boiled water in a separate pot (off the stove), add the tea bags for three minutes, remove. put the pot in the refrigerator after it's cooled down (so it doesn't crack in the fridge from the temperature extremes.) that will help...

...and maybe it's my choice of teabags as I just use the cheap Tetley, Lipton, or Luzianne.
the quality difference between Lipton and even a cheapie UK import black (like PG Tips) is pretty huge. try something from the likes of Fortnum & Mason and be prepared to be astounded. i credit my SO for turning me on to this.

even comparing the Lipton packaged for the US versus the UK Lipton - they probably use the leftover dust sweepings from the factory floor for the American market (or at least the product not fit for consumption anywhere else in the world.)
I found PG Tips at Target. Wow, it's a vast improvement over Tetley, Lipton or Luzianne. Thanks!

Thanks for the lead. I will have to look for them next time I am in Target.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:38 pm

if anyone needs a recommendation for good oolong that's reasonably priced, try Ten Ren's Tung Ting. i have a friend living in Taiwan who brings this stuff back as a birthday present for me every year. one serving of oolong leaves can be rebrewed several times, so i have about four to five cups of it on weekend days with bagels and creamcheese. great stuff. be sure to brew with proper time and water temperature!

when i don't have any left, i'll go to a local tea seller and buy their Tung Ting. the seller goes to Taiwan once or twice a year to restock. it's good. i go through it slowly enough that the higher price is less of a concern.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:36 pm

I got myself a box of lapsang souchong for Christmas. What a fantastic tea! I've never had anything quite like it.

Z-Corn · Post by **Z-Corn** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:41 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I got myself a box of lapsang souchong for Christmas. What a fantastic tea! I've never had anything quite like it.

I got some SUPER smoky lapsang last time I bought it and I'm not sure if I like it or not. I should try blending it into other teas...

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 12:02 am

I don't always drink tea, but when I do, it's the Long Island variety.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 2:10 am

Jeff V wrote:I don't always drink tea, but when I do, it's the Long Island variety.

Because they don't serve regular tea in strip clubs?

Still really enjoying this PG Tips tea. Thanks very much for the heads up! Moved from sugar to Walmart brand Splenda, but it's just ok. What's the best diet sweetener for tea?

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:45 am

Up until a decade or so ago when they quit marketing it my favorite tea was Lipton Sun Tea. It was so tasty and no bitterness to it at all. Slip a few bags into a large glass container and let sit out in the sun for a few hours. Then sweeten. SO delicious. Now days Im lazy and use cold brew Lipton. Toss 2 bags into a gallon of water and sit in the fridge. Its pretty good but not near sun tea good.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 8:59 am

Since I was a kid I've been drinking iced tea as a main stay. Since I got out of the house I used whatever is cheapest. I use 5-6 bags per gallon. In the winter I go thru a gallon in two days. In the summer it's not unusual to go thru a gallon of tea a day. That makes the number of teabags and gallons a huge number like the distance in miles between us and the next nearest star I think.
Tea is the next cheapest thing to drink next to tap water.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:05 am

em2nought wrote:
Jeff V wrote:I don't always drink tea, but when I do, it's the Long Island variety.
Because they don't serve regular tea in strip clubs?

I wouldn't know. It's been 6 years since I've last been. Most served coffee.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 4:43 am

Z-Corn wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:I got myself a box of lapsang souchong for Christmas. What a fantastic tea! I've never had anything quite like it.
I got some SUPER smoky lapsang last time I bought it and I'm not sure if I like it or not. I should try blending it into other teas...

lapsang souchong is fantastic for winter hiking. i don't quite get into it otherwise.

i went to a discount asian grocery store in Little Saigon (Seattle) recently and they had 5 lb bags of looseleaf green and oolong tea for $7.99. i wonder how many years it would take for me to get through one of those... i settled for 100 teabags of (supposedly decaffeinated) 'Sprouting' brand Jasmine for $2.99. this stuff is exactly what you get in some of the fine americhinese establishments (usually the ones with the Chinese zodiac place mat under the table glass). it's not fantastic by any means, but it's ok enough - i just needed something to drink at nighttime that wasn't blah herbal tisane.

mori · Post by **mori** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 10:15 am

I like the PG Tips tea as well but I cannot tell much of a difference between that and Twinings.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 1:16 pm

I just ordered a box of Yorkshire Gold from Taylors of Harrogate. I've never tried it, but it reviewed really, really well.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 1:23 pm

Blackhawk wrote:FTFFY

We used to make Sun Ice Tea growing up, the I part of we never cared for it. I turned to coffee at an early age and I don't care for iced coffee either. I also don't know what the sun is supposed to add to the tea flavor.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:21 pm

LordMortis wrote: I also don't know what the sun is supposed to add to the tea flavor.

Bacteria.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:48 pm

Snopes

Alcaligenes viscolactis, a bacteria commonly found in water, consequently turns up in sun tea. While the caffeine in black tea will help prevent that microbe from flourishing for a few hours, its effects won't last beyond that. Herbal teas are an even worse bet for brewing in sunlight because they tend to lack caffeine, which means even that barrier to Alcaligenes viscolactis turning your summertime drink into its own breeding ground is missing.