Thread: Best Tea

I drink green tea everyday now. Good antioxidant and tastes better than water. Not wine tho.

The best tea I have ever tasted is Sainsbury's own brand, but it has to be loose leaves, brewed in a tea pot & not in a tea bag.

Lovely.

The Thai mob up country always serve me up some dark yellow stuff that looks like muddy river water when I go to visit. Tastes OK though.

Weirdest tea I ever had was in Inner Mongolia. Rancid yak butter and green tea. But, it kind of grew on ya.

i can take it or leave it. The only tea thats really worth drinking is Long Island

^ 555 That is good tea, SBF.

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

After drinking real Chinese tea brewed properly I doubt I'll ever go back the the British idea of tea.

How do you brew it? For green tea, I fill the kettle with cold water and let it come to a boil. Teaspoon of green tea in a tea ball. Then I splash hot water in my mug to heat it. Dump that out, put my tea ball in and fill up with water. Let it rest about 15-20 seconds and remove.

^ i fancy a cup of tea right now Jet, pop into the kitchen and get me one will ya luv?

Ya, sure Sweetbums. I know the blow torch is there somewhere, so let me bring it to you bedside, Babycakes. Did you want BBQed toast with that?

yep sounds good, but i like my toast golden brown, not burnt please.

oh oh and some pate on the toast would be nice also!

Ya, well, seein as how I used the meat cleaver to detach your dickywonkums last night after your tryst with the burka girl, I'll use the blow torch to see if I can solder it back on for you.
We got no pate. Marmalade or lightly buttered?

did u say Marmite?

Heathen, Be gone!

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

How do you brew it? For green tea, I fill the kettle with cold water and let it come to a boil. Teaspoon of green tea in a tea ball. Then I splash hot water in my mug to heat it. Dump that out, put my tea ball in and fill up with water. Let it rest about 15-20 seconds and remove.

The water should be just shy of a boil, about 90C.
In a tea pot place your tea (the full leaf green or oolong are best)
Pour in hot water and pour that out right away into your cups(to warm them). Pour in hot water again and steep one minute. The first brewing is ready to drink. The second brewing let steep about 3 minutes. Subsequent brewing about the same. You can keep brewing the high grade tea leaf 7 to 10 times or until color and flavor diminish.
If you let the tea steep too long it will acquire a slight bitter taste(I actually like it). The top green and oolong teas are prized for the slight sweet taste they often have.
There are variations on that theme. I like using the modern glassware devices for brewing.
If you're keen on green tea a visit to the Doi Mae Salang tea houses is a must. It's difficult to find the full leaf tea outside of special chinese tea shops.
I'll take a couple of pics of my gear.

^ Thanks, Mr E. I have re-used my green tea one or two times, but it tastes more bitter.

The nifty tea brewing device.


The rolled full leaf oolong tea


My morning tea is brewing


After a minute press the button on top to release the ball and presto


Yesterdays spent tea leaves


This the more traditional gear. Good for tea parties

Lovely! Thanks, Mr E! I do know that the character on your pot reads "cha", but I'll have to hunt for a similar device. Looks good.

I use these nice Korean tea cups that a student gave me for making green tea. They have a built in tea suspender which is handy.

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

Lovely! Thanks, Mr E! I do know that the character on your pot reads "cha", but I'll have to hunt for a similar device. Looks good.

Cool now I know one chinese word!

These pots are widely available in the tea shops throughout Doi Mae Salong.

I've heard the shops in Georgetown-Penang also have interesting inventories of chinese stuff.

I am a one mug/one brew kinda guy:

Cool! ^

Funnily enough, I was seized with the compulsion to photograph my teapot yesterday evening. It's humble but very effective. I think tea tastes better from an old pot

I'm drink 6-8 cups now in the evenings; it's an antioxidant and settles my stomach, imho.

Ah, I'd forgotten the real Asian tea mugs with the tops like Marm and Stroll have. Those are classy. I'm currently drinking mine out of a radio station promo mug. Not as aesthetically pleasing.
Mr Earl, cha is tea in Japanese, too (well, usually O-cha). What's it in Thai? Cha?

^yea same in Thai. Green tea=cha si kiaow.

When you travel business class on EVA they serve you a nice oolong tea in pretty little cups with covers.

Lovely. Tea colour green, ka.

Originally Posted by Sir Burr

The acknowledged champagne of teas is Orange Pekoe.

Isn't Orange Pekoe a grade of tea, not a type/varietal?

If memory serves, OP means a whole leaf, and Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) is bits of leaf.

For a few years, I had switched to Argentinian Mate, with milk. A beautiful dusky-green color, great aroma. But then it started making me nauseous if empty stomach.

Used to buy and drink Estate Darjeelings when I had a company expense account.

Now it is good old Lipton, with a spoonful of full-fat milk, and one drop of Tea Masala. Just like the Masala Chai grandma used to make.

Anyone with access to a good Indian grocery store (or making a trip to India) should find the products made by Universal Oleoresins in Kerala, India. Their Tea Masala is fantastic, I even put a drop or two on a bowl of ice cream.

They also make Cardamom oleoresin, which is great with a heavy Ceylon or African tea.

BTW, use your old tea leaves as mulch for roses; deeper colored blooms.

Several years ago drank a cup of "Golden Dust". This is a tea sold in India, not really exported. Basically, it is the powder left over in the bottom of tea chests.

Makes an incredibly strong cup, perfect for those who need the extra kick to get going in the morning (or for those who want to grow hair on their chest).

Very popular with the elderly and the poor, since one cup powers you for several hours, and it is cheap to boot.