Brit Required
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Perhaps if I whisper no one else will notice. The perfect cup of tea requires a few things, first a white porcelain tea cup of reasonable depth, secondly a proper stainless steel tea spoon. One of Griff's coffee spoons won't do the trick, they're too small. Then a really good tea, bags or leaves doesn't matter, the fresher the better, must be Indian. Steep the tea in the cup by pouring boiling water over it as you do and then the crucial tricky part. When is the tea perfectly brewed? The answer is surprisingly simple and surprisingly complicated. The tea is perfectly brewed when the bottom of the cup is no longer visible ( hence the need for a proper white porcelain tea cup ) and when at the exact depth of a tea spoon the tea is red in colour. Test this by dipping in a spoon and taking out a level teaspoon full, to be examined from above in daylight. ( hence the need for a proper sized spoon and no mat alluminium rubbish ). The tea should be red, niether yellow (under done ) nor brown (over done). At the exact moment this is so, and it is but a moment, the leaves placed by whatever means, should be removed and voila as M'Fermat would have said you have the perfect cup of tea. Why does this work? Only a deity of tea would know for sure but I can tell you that it accounts for all the important factors including the time of day which determines the angle of the daylight for the red test. This is why sublime tea is only achievable at tea time and tea is second best in the early morning. The light being too low or too high will distort the test. As one gets older one eyes become less sensative to blue light and everything appears relatively redened which accounts perfectly for the liking of older people for weaker tea. Builders who work outdoors in bluer light will get the stronger tea they prefer and us sedentry types a happy medium. The perfect cup of tea is the universes way of telling us that at some level it all does fit together and make sense and of course that there's no better way to enjoy it than being British. :-D
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage." Thucydides (B.C. 460-400)
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I'm not really to the point where I have different types of tea for different times of the day. On a personal note, I'm just not that sophisticated - I still struggle with the concept of not picking my nose in public.
MadGerbil wrote:
I still struggle with the concept of not picking my nose in public.
When did this happen? :sigh:
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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I need a tea expert. I enjoy iced tea, which I suspect is an abomination to most Brits, but I believe there are a few things things that should be true about all tea whether iced or served hot. The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy. It used to be very clear (like a jar full of honey) but now it looks as if it was made by placing tea leaves in a blender and atomizing them. I feel as if I should be able to see through a glass container of tea - the world on the other side clearly visible through an amber lense. I may have to go back to making my own tea, which isn't good, because I make it too strong and it stops up my plumbing. Am I wrong about this? Am I drinking mud?
As another tea geek, I have to out myself: Iced tea isn't an abomination by itself - but selling overly sweetened "fruit" juice with traces of ingredients almost, but not entirely unlike tea as, well, iced tea is. Plain tea - a strong-ish Celyon or a not to stong Assam, not or slightly sweetened and well iced is a treat on a hot summer day (something those brits don't know about, obviously). As for cloudy, nope, shouldn't happen, unless it's a specialty tea I never heard of.
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Actually it depends on the type of honey. If you do not buy your honey at a mega store you find there are various grades of honey. From almost clear to almost black. I remeber that the dark stuff around here is from buckwheat. Clover is very light.
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As another tea geek, I have to out myself: Iced tea isn't an abomination by itself - but selling overly sweetened "fruit" juice with traces of ingredients almost, but not entirely unlike tea as, well, iced tea is. Plain tea - a strong-ish Celyon or a not to stong Assam, not or slightly sweetened and well iced is a treat on a hot summer day (something those brits don't know about, obviously). As for cloudy, nope, shouldn't happen, unless it's a specialty tea I never heard of.
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Iced tea needs to be "cold" brewed. 'nuff said.
Nihil obstat
What about "sun tea"?
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As another tea geek, I have to out myself: Iced tea isn't an abomination by itself - but selling overly sweetened "fruit" juice with traces of ingredients almost, but not entirely unlike tea as, well, iced tea is. Plain tea - a strong-ish Celyon or a not to stong Assam, not or slightly sweetened and well iced is a treat on a hot summer day (something those brits don't know about, obviously). As for cloudy, nope, shouldn't happen, unless it's a specialty tea I never heard of.
I regularly drink Iced Tea; Long Island Iced Tea. :-D
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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I need a tea expert. I enjoy iced tea, which I suspect is an abomination to most Brits, but I believe there are a few things things that should be true about all tea whether iced or served hot. The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy. It used to be very clear (like a jar full of honey) but now it looks as if it was made by placing tea leaves in a blender and atomizing them. I feel as if I should be able to see through a glass container of tea - the world on the other side clearly visible through an amber lense. I may have to go back to making my own tea, which isn't good, because I make it too strong and it stops up my plumbing. Am I wrong about this? Am I drinking mud?
Darjeeling for a lighter tea or Lapsang Souchong for a stronger one, or at work, green tea as I don't trust the milk.
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A good tea should be a uniform golden shade. There is only one thing worse than the abomination that is iced tea, and that is tea with milk in. I would recommend a good Earl Grey or Darjeeling. If you can get some, I would also recommend Dimbulla (a Ceylon tea). It's my favourite early morning tea.
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easierGun Powder is a pretty good tea as well.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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I'm not sure that the Brits here would consider tea a laughing matter. I'll leave you to your fate.
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As another tea geek, I have to out myself: Iced tea isn't an abomination by itself - but selling overly sweetened "fruit" juice with traces of ingredients almost, but not entirely unlike tea as, well, iced tea is. Plain tea - a strong-ish Celyon or a not to stong Assam, not or slightly sweetened and well iced is a treat on a hot summer day (something those brits don't know about, obviously). As for cloudy, nope, shouldn't happen, unless it's a specialty tea I never heard of.
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Darjeeling for a lighter tea or Lapsang Souchong for a stronger one, or at work, green tea as I don't trust the milk.
Lapsang is the one tea I detest - it tastes like liquidised kippers!
It's well known that if all the cat videos and porn disappeared from the internet there would be only one site left and it would be called whereareallthecatvideosandporn.com
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I regularly drink Iced Tea; Long Island Iced Tea. :-D
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
To wash down the gin's aftertaste, I presume.
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I need a tea expert. I enjoy iced tea, which I suspect is an abomination to most Brits, but I believe there are a few things things that should be true about all tea whether iced or served hot. The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy. It used to be very clear (like a jar full of honey) but now it looks as if it was made by placing tea leaves in a blender and atomizing them. I feel as if I should be able to see through a glass container of tea - the world on the other side clearly visible through an amber lense. I may have to go back to making my own tea, which isn't good, because I make it too strong and it stops up my plumbing. Am I wrong about this? Am I drinking mud?
Remember, the Brits are the same people who call trucks 'Lorrys' and crackers 'Bisquets'. I really wish they would speak english :):):)
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Remember, the Brits are the same people who call trucks 'Lorrys' and crackers 'Bisquets'. I really wish they would speak english :):):)
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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I think some patriots in Boston realized that a couple hundred years ago. They aren't well armed these days. What are they going to do, hurt me with sarcastic and undercutting remarks?
wizardzz wrote:
They aren't well armed these days. What are they going to do, hurt me with sarcastic and undercutting remarks?
You would likely not get invited to the Downton Abbey Christmas party next year. Your standing in the community would be devastated.
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I need a tea expert. I enjoy iced tea, which I suspect is an abomination to most Brits, but I believe there are a few things things that should be true about all tea whether iced or served hot. The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy. It used to be very clear (like a jar full of honey) but now it looks as if it was made by placing tea leaves in a blender and atomizing them. I feel as if I should be able to see through a glass container of tea - the world on the other side clearly visible through an amber lense. I may have to go back to making my own tea, which isn't good, because I make it too strong and it stops up my plumbing. Am I wrong about this? Am I drinking mud?
Not being limited in my range of tastes by being a Brit, I too enjoy a glass of clear, cold iced tea on a warm day. Cloudiness can be caused by a number of things, the water used being foremost. Quality water is a must. But the method of preparation is important, too. Boiling the tea leaves releases oils in addition to the other goodies which, when chilled, tend to turn opaque and make the tea appear cloudy. I prefer to use a cold-brew tea, or to use regular tea but prepare it in the Sun, rather than on the stove. Even so, chilling the elixir too quickly can also increase cloudiness, so I let the whole jug cool slowly indoors on the counter, before I place it in the fridge.
Will Rogers never met me.
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I need a tea expert. I enjoy iced tea, which I suspect is an abomination to most Brits, but I believe there are a few things things that should be true about all tea whether iced or served hot. The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy. It used to be very clear (like a jar full of honey) but now it looks as if it was made by placing tea leaves in a blender and atomizing them. I feel as if I should be able to see through a glass container of tea - the world on the other side clearly visible through an amber lense. I may have to go back to making my own tea, which isn't good, because I make it too strong and it stops up my plumbing. Am I wrong about this? Am I drinking mud?
Quote:
The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy.
Don't worry, they are probably just spitting into the pot :). I used to drink a lot of tea way back when I was in college - it became more or less a ritual when doing my homework. My favorite tea is Earl Grey with Jasmine, topped off with milk and sugar. I brew it until the color is very much like that of the honey you have linked to, but the last cup from the pot is often darker and cloudy. Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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I need a tea expert. I enjoy iced tea, which I suspect is an abomination to most Brits, but I believe there are a few things things that should be true about all tea whether iced or served hot. The tea I buy from our local cafe is cloudy. It used to be very clear (like a jar full of honey) but now it looks as if it was made by placing tea leaves in a blender and atomizing them. I feel as if I should be able to see through a glass container of tea - the world on the other side clearly visible through an amber lense. I may have to go back to making my own tea, which isn't good, because I make it too strong and it stops up my plumbing. Am I wrong about this? Am I drinking mud?
I detest tea, but my ex-father-in-law liked iced tea. I recall him saying that the best was when it was aged in the sun (in a large, sealed glass jug) and then filtered. A google search found this which indicates that cloudiness may happen when chilling the tea too soon. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/heloise/clear-iced-tea-oct02[^] (Further searching found this about Sun Tea, which must be what my former father-in-law enjoys: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Sun-Tea[^])
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Not being limited in my range of tastes by being a Brit, I too enjoy a glass of clear, cold iced tea on a warm day. Cloudiness can be caused by a number of things, the water used being foremost. Quality water is a must. But the method of preparation is important, too. Boiling the tea leaves releases oils in addition to the other goodies which, when chilled, tend to turn opaque and make the tea appear cloudy. I prefer to use a cold-brew tea, or to use regular tea but prepare it in the Sun, rather than on the stove. Even so, chilling the elixir too quickly can also increase cloudiness, so I let the whole jug cool slowly indoors on the counter, before I place it in the fridge.
Will Rogers never met me.