View Full Version : The Tea Hut ......
thingfish
08-06-2019, 15:55
Loathing Coffee (it's a Yank thing ffs)
But loving a good Cup o Tea (Gord bless ya Ma,am)
I thought it only fair to start a thread on the delights of a nice cup o char.
I love a cup o Scottish Blend (Tea bags steeped for a min of 3 mins)
Any others out there enjoy a Pot...?
interestingly it was the coffee houses of 17th century London that first brought tea into Britain, so you can thank coffee directly and indirectly;)
thingfish
08-06-2019, 16:11
That's all very well and good Grant, but Alex Harvey singing about the Boston Coffee Party just wouldn't sit right .....!!!!
True, but I dont like Tea, so coffee it is for me.... My wife tho, was a tea Jenny, drinking prodigious amounts of the stuff. Marco like teas too.
thingfish
08-06-2019, 16:25
As the old saying goes.......
Two for Tea and Tea for Two.
Damned if I know where that saying originated though......:scratch:
From a musical called No, No, Nanette.
Lawrence001
08-06-2019, 16:37
Loathing Coffee (it's a Yank thing ffs)
But loving a good Cup o Tea (Gord bless ya Ma,am)
I thought it only fair to start a thread on the delights of a nice cup o char.
I love a cup o Scottish Blend (Tea bags steeped for a min of 3 mins)
Any others out there enjoy a Pot...?Coffee is a Yank thing?? If you call the brown liquid from Starbucks coffee maybe...
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True, but I dont like Tea, so coffee it is for me.... My wife tho, was a tea Jenny, drinking prodigious amounts of the stuff. Marco like teas too.
Yes, but not really 'builder's tea', or stuff made from bags, although I know where Alan's coming from, as I also hate tea that tastes of piss (too weak). I like tea that tastes of TEA! For our 'builder's tea', in bags, we use Yorkshire Tea.
However, I'm more into loose leaf tea, and enjoy a nice darjeeling, assam, earl grey, jasmine or lapsang souchong. I get most of my tea from here: https://www.mysticbrewteas.com/
Marco.
I thought that this was going to be about this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJiijlBYlBg
Afraid I’m a coffee man, but occasionally drink tea - Tea Pigs is a favourite if I’m going normal tea but more likely to be a Twinings Earl Grey (no milk, not too stewed.). Also like their Cherry Bakewell green tea which is nice for a change.
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mad-moon
08-06-2019, 17:22
went to a japanese restaurant recently and had some peach tea..in one of those insulated flask type teapots...it was delicious...also Lemon and Ginger tea is another very refreshing cleansing drink...good for the digestion....I enjoy green tea too.......The missus drinks the fruit flavoured tea..which I cannot stand....I'm a black coffee man really...but a cup of supermarket tea...made strong with milk and half a sugar goes down a treat with a couple of biscuits...on occasion..
I like my tea weak and my coffee strong.
Depending on mood I will either drink Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, Orange Pekoe, of if late, Rooibos (as it's caffeine-fee) tea. The tea is made in a small pot using fresh filtered water that has just come off the boil (boiling water will scald the leaves and impair the flavour), and not allowed to 'steep' for too long. I drink tea without milk or sugar.
Occasionally I will drink black Russian tea and sometimes Chinese green tea. In the past when I visited a country known for it's tea or coffee, I would bring back a kilo of the stuff. Some of the nicest tea I have drunk was a leaf tea brought back from Burma; unfortunately whilst still have the empty packet, I can't read the name as it is written in Burmese script, so am unlikely to be able to obtain any more.
I thoroughly dislike any of the fruit-flavoured teas that are now commonly available - with the sole exception of mint tea (which is nice to drink in the Summer).
Lawrence001
08-06-2019, 18:01
Loathing Coffee (it's a Yank thing ffs)
But loving a good Cup o Tea (Gord bless ya Ma,am)
I thought it only fair to start a thread on the delights of a nice cup o char.
I love a cup o Scottish Blend (Tea bags steeped for a min of 3 mins)
Any others out there enjoy a Pot...?This post reminds me of something from the dim and distant past. Can't quite put my finger on it. Almost... piratical...?
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I'm very unrefined in the tea department, A steaming hot cup of PG Tips with milk and sweeteners to accompany a bacon sandwich or a handful of Hobnobs...….disgraceful.
I like my tea weak and my coffee strong.
Depending on mood I will either drink Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, Orange Pekoe, of if late, Rooibos (as it's caffeine-fee) tea. The tea is made in a small pot using fresh filtered water that has just come off the boil (boiling water will scald the leaves and impair the flavour), and not allowed to 'steep' for too long. I drink tea without milk or sugar.
Occasionally I will drink black Russian tea and sometimes Chinese green tea. In the past when I visited a country known for it's tea or coffee, I would bring back a kilo of the stuff. Some of the nicest tea I have drunk was a leaf tea brought back from Burma; unfortunately whilst still have the empty packet, I can't read the name as it is written in Burmese script, so am unlikely to be able to obtain any more.
I thoroughly dislike any of the fruit-flavoured teas that are now commonly available - with the sole exception of mint tea (which is nice to drink in the Summer).
Indeed. I should point out that I only like 'builder's tea' strong(ish), so that means tea made from any of the commonly available types in bags, as for me they taste crap otherwise. 'Fine teas', such as the loose-leaf ones you mention, which I also enjoy, I much prefer weaker, or rather optimally/correctly brewed in the proper manner:)
Marco.
mad-moon
08-06-2019, 22:52
Coffee is a Yank thing?? If you call the brown liquid from Starbucks coffee maybe...
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:lol:
''coffe is a yank thing FFS''.....and then this...
''That's all very well and good Grant, but Alex Harvey singing about the Boston Coffee Party just wouldn't sit right .....!!!!''
Now shoot me down if I'm wrong...but Where is Boston...??
Lawrence001
08-06-2019, 22:59
https://www.gocoffeego.com/professor-peaberry/history-of-coffee
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Minstrel SE
09-06-2019, 01:50
Yes but treat yourself to some proper tea blends M&S is a good place to start because you will never go back to builders tea when youve tasted the best
Cheap english tea tastes like heavy stodge. I dont know how they get away with selling it or people will put up with any old rubbish and call it tea
Pure laziness not to educate the palete! or I cant believe what I used to drink :)
Then you can try some Tea from the manor blends loose leaf mix( big leaves in a tea strainer)..… there is even a gin and tonic tea which smells lovely but I havent tried it yet
thingfish
09-06-2019, 05:54
Marco touched upon loose Tea ........ that takes me back, my granny was real old school in the tea department (no teabags in those days) She filled the teapot (complete with knitted tea cosy) with loose tea and boiling water let it mask for a good 10 mins then pour it through a wee metal tea strainer into the cup......Respect.
Thompson s tea ( Morrisons ) is an award winner, and very nice. When finances permit I get the bus to Fortnum and Masons and buy there loose blend breakfast tea
and Sencha green tea, both superb.
Pigmy Pony
09-06-2019, 18:16
I'm very unrefined in the tea department, A steaming hot cup of PG Tips with milk and sweeteners to accompany a bacon sandwich or a handful of Hobnobs...….disgraceful.
Trust Marco to turn a simple thing like havin' a brew into something hoity toity, and it was only a matter of time before the rest of the trendy tea types piled on :ner: Anyway the best tea I ever had came from outer space, hand picked by Mekons on minimum wage, and the leaves left to dry for six hundred years by the unfiltered heat of the sun on the surface of Mars. Add a splash of Wookiee milk and you're good to go. Any other tea is playing for second place, believe me.
Actually none of that is true. The foregoing posts were starting to make me feel like a right pleb, so it's heartening to see at least one of us shares my (simple) taste. Cheers Ian. Put t' kettle on!
A habit of mine which is often commented on is my not being able to drink every bit out of the cup. I always leave about half an inch in the bottom. I think it goes back to when I was a kid, and tea always came loose. Brews were made in the cups (don't think we had a tea pot) and a strainer was never used either. So all the leaves were in the bottom of the cup.
I don't just do this with tea, but with any hot drink.
How are you going to read the tea leaves otherwise?
Pigmy Pony
09-06-2019, 18:27
How are you going to read the tea leaves otherwise?
Of course! I didn't see that one coming. I just assumed that normal families used a tea pot. And we weren't a normal family.
I think most people don't use a teapot these days and just drag a drippy tea bag across the kitchen ( wet feet ) and dump it in bin. Or is that just her in doors here ?
Pigmy Pony
09-06-2019, 18:43
We have a saucer next to the kettle to put the used bags on. Has to be a china saucer though, don't want to look like we've been dragged up :)
We have a saucer next to the kettle to put the used bags on. Has to be a china saucer though, don't want to look like we've been dragged up :)
We also have a saucer next to the kettle for used bags, but does not stop the other half in her parallel universe ignoring it and throwing it in the bin :eyebrows:
Trust Marco to turn a simple thing like havin' a brew into something hoity toity, and it was only a matter of time before the rest of the trendy tea types piled on :ner:
Lol... I don't do "hoity toity"; I do discerning... The two aren't necessarily intrinsically linked;)
I'd just call it doing things properly, but minus any snooty element, which I can't abide!
So...... If I'm having a nice cup of tea, not just the 'builders' type, from a bag (which incidentally will still be properly brewed in a pre-heated teapot), then it's strictly loose-leaf tea (from specialist online tea suppliers), as that knocks anything sold in a bag into a cocked hat, and which will subsequently be brewed in my Bodum teapot:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/tR1Qy9.jpg
And depending on what mood I'm in, and/or whether we have guests round, I'll either serve the tea in nice plain white tea cups with saucers, or in some of my vintage Bone China cups with saucers, purloined from local antique shops. So if you visit, request proper (non-builders) tea, and are given the latter, you'll know that you're not considered an oik!:eyebrows:;)
Plus, if you qualify, it may also be accompanied by a slice of one of Del's delicious homemade cakes........ We know how to live here in Wrexham, you know!:D
Marco.
Yes, a Bodum infuser glass pot is what we use.
Yup, it gets the job done with minimal fuss and pretentiousness:)
I'll let you taste a superb DJ, next time you visit. It's the Margaux of the tea world!;)
Marco.
This is the one, btw. Truly fabulous stuff: https://www.theteamakers.co.uk/darjeeling-jungpana.html
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
10-06-2019, 05:25
Lol... I don't do "hoity toity"; I do discerning... The two aren't necessarily intrinsically linked;)
I'd just call it doing things properly, but minus any snooty element, which I can't abide!
So...... If I'm having a nice cup of tea, not just the 'builders' type, from a bag (which incidentally will still be properly brewed in a pre-heated teapot), then it's strictly loose-leaf tea (from specialist online tea suppliers), as that knocks anything sold in a bag into a cocked hat, and which will subsequently be brewed in my Bodum teapot:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/tR1Qy9.jpg
And depending on what mood I'm in, and/or whether we have guests round, I'll either serve the tea in nice plain white tea cups with saucers, or in some of my vintage Bone China cups with saucers, purloined from local antique shops. So if you visit, request proper (non-builders) tea, and are given the latter, you'll know that you're not considered an oik!:eyebrows:;)
Plus, if you qualify, it may also be accompanied by a slice of one of Del's delicious homemade cakes........ We know how to live here in Wrexham, you know!:D
Marco.
Sounds great, I love homemade cakes (and shop bought ones). I do hope I qualify! And I'll remember to bring some newspapers to put down on the sofa, 'The Times' of course, not 'The Sun' as we're not total plebs :)
Pigmy Pony
10-06-2019, 05:28
Oh, and 'discerning' is a word used by hoity toity folks to lord it over the oiks :ner:
thingfish
10-06-2019, 05:37
Throwing a Tea Party !!!!
You'll need a couple packets of these.
https://i.imgflip.com/3330q2.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/3330q2)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)
Pigmy Pony
10-06-2019, 05:38
Yup, it gets the job done with minimal fuss and pretentiousness:)
I'll let you taste a superb DJ, next time you visit. It's the Margaux of the tea world!;)
Marco.
I reckon you are the Margaux of the tea world. And it's spelt Margot. Margot Leadbetter :)
thingfish
10-06-2019, 05:44
Rich Tea biscuit dunking is a fine art Steve......
It's all about the timing lest you leave half the soggy biscuit in the mug.
Absolute nightmare.:D
Rich Tea biscuit dunking is a fine art Steve......
It's all about the timing lest you leave half the soggy biscuit in the mug.
Absolute nightmare.:D The worst is when the soggy biscuit misses the mouth and lands down one s clean shirt.
Those Nice biscuits are particularly susceptible to that I find :(
thingfish
10-06-2019, 06:12
Nice one Brian, all serious tea drinkers have been there .......... And it ain't nice.
:lol:
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Oh, and 'discerning' is a word used by hoity toity folks to lord it over the oiks :ner:
Ha... Negativo - it's a word used by folks who appreciate the finer things in life, and recognise quality, in this case of the tea that they drink, such is the make-up of a bon vivant;)
Marco.
Sounds great, I love homemade cakes (and shop bought ones). I do hope I qualify! And I'll remember to bring some newspapers to put down on the sofa, 'The Times' of course, not 'The Sun' as we're not total plebs :)
Yes, that should do the trick, as long as you don't forget to wear your plastic pants, to 'catch' any accidents... Don't want any stubborn stains (other than those I'm proud of making) left on our Laura Ashley sofas.
Marco.
The worst is when the soggy biscuit misses the mouth and lands down one s clean shirt.
Those Nice biscuits are particularly susceptible to that I find :(
Never understood the soggy biscuit thing... Yuck! Leaving 'floating debris' (bits of soggy biscuit), inside a nice cup of tea, tainting it accordingly: very much a thing for daft Brits:mental::D
Marco.
Nice one Brian, all serious tea drinkers have been there .......... And it ain't nice.
:lol:
https://i.imgflip.com/3331zz.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/3331zz)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)
One of the best adverts of all time!:cool:
Marco.
thingfish
10-06-2019, 14:17
Like flac v Vinyl.
Keep it simple.
https://i.imgflip.com/333soa.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/333soa)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)
DRINK TEA.
Loose leaf fan here, but my everyday teabag of choice is the mighty Yorkshire Tea. I also like Matcha tea, which is absolutely loaded with antioxidants, over 100x more than regular steeped tea leaves.
I have some loose leaf Darjeeling, and Ceylon, on the way from Ahmad https://www.ahmadtea.com/uk/
I don't really like using infuser pots, prefer to use one of these dunked into a cup:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71nXtqM-PaL._SL1000_.jpg
thingfish
22-06-2019, 13:18
https://i.imgflip.com/3425s4.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/3425s4)[url=https://imgflip.com/
Happy Shopper tea is pretty good or used to be. Used to drink gallons of that as a student. Learnt to like it black and unsweetened as could not afford milk and sugar in those days. Then went on to Earl Grey, loose leaf ofc.
Nowdays I'm on the Roobios green tea from South Africa. No caffeine in it. Never been up for all this poncing around with tea. Just put the tea bag in the cup and pour hot water on it FFS. Not rocket science. Prefer a mug to a cup as you get more.
Pigmy Pony
22-06-2019, 14:44
Mrs. Pony puts the tea bag and the milk in the cup before putting hot water on it. Someone have a word with her please.
My mate's wife used to have her tea so weak it wasn't worth the effort, and no matter how I tried I couldn't make it weak enough. One day I decided balls to this, why waste a bag on her - she can have a dip of mine when I'm done with it. I handed her the brew, and she took one sip and said "You've used a secondhand tea bag". How could she tell? If it hadn't been 30 years ago I would have suspected a hidden camera.
Happy Shopper tea is pretty good or used to be. Used to drink gallons of that as a student. Learnt to like it black and unsweetened as could not afford milk and sugar in those days. Then went on to Earl Grey, loose leaf ofc.
Wow... Money must've *really* been tight, mate! Did you smoke back then, or drink (alcohol)?:)
Nowdays I'm on the Roobios green tea from South Africa. No caffeine in it. Never been up for all this poncing around with tea. Just put the tea bag in the cup and pour hot water on it FFS. Not rocket science. Prefer a mug to a cup as you get more.
Can't be doing with caffeine-free tea or coffee, as for me it tastes crap. And as I only drink one large cup of coffee a day, and occasionally a cup of tea in the afternoon, caffeine intake levels aren't an issue. You must drink pints of the stuff, to have to worry about caffeine....
As for "poncing around" with tea, it's the same as anything else that benefits being done right, and appreciated by those who are discerning enough!;)
Would you drink a nice red wine out of a tumbler, totally stone cold and without it having been allowed to 'breathe'? Well, if so, quite simply it'll not taste as good as it would served inside a proper (large) wine glass, at the right temperature, and after having been allowed to 'breathe' and/or be aerated.
Well, the same principles apply with tea... If you heat the pot (and the cup/mug you're going to be drinking from) first, before pouring (just off) boiling water onto the tea, use good quality teabags, or better still quality loose-leaf tea, and allow it to infuse/brew in the hot water for the optimal amount of time (around 3 mins), then strain if necessary, and pour into your mug or cup, and add milk and/or sugar if required, the result/taste will be far better than if you haven't made that effort...
And for me, if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right! :exactly:
Marco.
As an American I find this all very educational. I drink gallons of tea! Iced tea. My entire life, I can not recall ever looking in my mother’s fridge and there not being a pitcher of iced tea, sweetened, waiting inside. Most refreshing on a hot day, and good with nearly every meal.
Oh we do drink hot tea in the cup, mostly from tea bags, I do enjoy it in the Winter months on a cold day. Mom has always used Lipton tea, and it is a good quality tea, compared to whatever else they sell at the store.
Coffee is a morning thing, it’s more of an addiction than a beverage. I can’t get my eyes open until I’ve had that first cup of rich coffee. But that’s it, I don’t want coffee after that, it’s all for the jolt of caffeine.
After that, chances are I’m drinking iced tea. It’s a Southern thing, everyone drinks it, if you visit someone in the South, be prepared to be offered an iced tea, sweetened.
Russell
Nice one, Russell, I also like iced tea, but don't have it very often. Darjeeling with fresh mint and lemon is fantastic on a hot day! We use good quality loose-leaf tea, fresh mint from the garden and Sicilian lemons. If you haven't tried it, you should!:)
Totally agree with your drinking of strong coffee in the morning - I'm exactly the same! I need a caffeine hit, first thing, simply to 'kickstart the engine'... No need for it later.
Marco.
https://i.imgflip.com/3425s4.jpg
Neither... Use a teapot (or an infuser, like Neil)! And follow the method I've just outlined;)
Marco.
Wow... Money must've *really* been tight, mate! Did you smoke back then, or drink (alcohol)?:)
.
Yes, and buy 2 albums a week, that's why cuts had to be made in other areas. You can't be a student and not drink and smoke. Or buy albums.
So you *could* have afforded milk and sugar, but instead chose to spend your dosh on other (rather more expensive) things...;)
That was my point:)
Marco.
Mrs. Pony puts the tea bag and the milk in the cup before putting hot water on it. Someone have a word with her please.
Fuck, that's *so* wrong on every level!:eek:
Marco.
Mrs. Pony puts the tea bag and the milk in the cup before putting hot water on it. Someone have a word with her please.
My mate's wife used to have her tea so weak it wasn't worth the effort, and no matter how I tried I couldn't make it weak enough. One day I decided balls to this, why waste a bag on her - she can have a dip of mine when I'm done with it. I handed her the brew, and she took one sip and said "You've used a secondhand tea bag". How could she tell? If it hadn't been 30 years ago I would have suspected a hidden camera.The wife made hers like that. And, yes she new when it was done as my other way.
Alas I couldn't bring myself to do it as it came out like dishwater so did it the proper way.
She Complained but eventually got used to it.
She drank a gallon a day
thingfish
23-06-2019, 06:40
+1
That's an absolute disgrace, Mrs Pony needs counciling.:scratch:
The wife made hers like that. And, yes she new when it was done as my other way.
Alas I couldn't bring myself to do it as it came out like dishwater so did it the proper way.
She Complained but eventually got used to it.
She drank a gallon a day
Tea Jenny, lol?:D
How very British!;) She certainly wouldn't have been alone....
Marco.
Tea Jenny, lol?:D
How very British!;) She certainly wouldn't have been alone....
Marco.
she called it "hot water kicked stupid"!
Pigmy Pony
23-06-2019, 17:25
she called it "hot water kicked stupid"!
:lol: I like that. She sounds like she was quite a character :)
Nice one, Russell, I also like iced tea, but don't have it very often. Darjeeling with fresh mint and lemon is fantastic on a hot day! We use good quality loose-leaf tea, fresh mint from the garden and Sicilian lemons. If you haven't tried it, you should!:)
Totally agree with your drinking of strong coffee in the morning - I'm exactly the same! I need a caffeine hit, first thing, simply to 'kickstart the engine'... No need for it later.
Marco.
The Darjeeling tea and Sicilian lemons may be hard to source, but I’m sure anything can be had online. And the fresh mint is easy to find. But it sounds most tempting! I’ll have to gather the ingredients and treat my Mom to a pitcher of it, should be a real treat!
Russell
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