A Conversation for The Cult of the Dentonites
Having troubles making good tea...
GuitarNinja Started conversation Jul 30, 2004
Hey fellow tea-lovers! I must say that I've always enjoyed a good cup of well-made tea, but recently, due to my American heritage, I've been unable to create anything but a dilute, watery, mess.
I read Douglas Adams entry on how to make tea, and I pour in the water straight from boiling to get the best effect, and I always put in milk first so it doesn't scald, but recently I havn't been able to coax the proper flavor from my leaves.
Any advise on the rituals of tea-making would be held in the utmost of regards.
Thanks,
GN
Having troubles making good tea...
Miranda (Make tea! Yes, Cissdur, it's still me) Posted Aug 5, 2004
Hi!
My first advice would be to get some really good tea - tea bags may be all right, but large leaf tea is definitely better! Also it shouldn´t be too old - tea doesn´t get mouldy or anything (at least not easily), but it loses its flavour after a while. In my opinion, milk is not necessary at all, especially not with a really good tea, such as a single estate Darjeeling. The delicate flavour of such a tea would be ruined by milk... A strong Ceylon blend is another matter, of course.
Hope this advice can be of help in your quest for a really nice cup of tea!
Good luck!
PS I´m not British...
Having troubles making good tea...
John Luc Posted Sep 27, 2004
I read the bit on making tea as well, in the Salmon of Doubt. It changed my life forever....
I can make a fairly good cup of tea from a bag of Earl Grey and proper timing with the kettle. I don't use milk, occasionally lemon, but always a touch of sugar. My grandmother left me a set of china that was made in England many many years ago, which gives a British feel to my tea. Also, I always have bickies and 90% of the time my cousin will come over and have tea with me. Very nice....very fun....
Having troubles making good tea...
Vip Posted Sep 29, 2004
Leaves... you are in a teapot, yes? Putting milk in first when you're making it in a cup is detrimental.
The main thing is the quality of the tea. Leaf tea is better, but you should be able to get a proper colour and strength brew with bags. Make sure they're good bags.
Having troubles making good tea...
Miranda (Make tea! Yes, Cissdur, it's still me) Posted Sep 30, 2004
The best teabags in the world are not made of paper, but of a new kind of material. Whittard of Chelsea has them... Also, pyramid bags are good because they allow the tea to circulate a bit. Apart from that, I still prefere loose leaves. In a pot, yes, or in my special cup with large fitted sieve - perfect for that tea-for-one in the morning!
I guess we all agree: is best!
Having troubles making good tea...
GuitarNinja Posted Oct 1, 2004
I actually started making my tea in a japanese teapot, so my tea-making skills are improving by a lot. We're trying different green teas, and most are delicious. They don't even need any additives! Kyoto Green is great. So is Bourbon Street Rooibos (sp? not green tea, tho).
In regards to Vip's statement: MILK FIRST! It is very simple. If you put cold milk into just-boiling water, it will scald from the extreme temperature change. Always put in milk first and pour the water slow at first to allow for a sensable temperature change for the milk. DNA was so passionate about this simple scientific fact that he wrote a guide entry about it with a comprehensive flash movie!
Thanks for the advice, lovers! Keep 'em coming!
GN
Having troubles making good tea...
Vip Posted Oct 4, 2004
I mean that it's the lesser of the two evils. If you have a cup, and put a teabag and milk in the bottom of it, pour in the hot water and expect to make a good cup of tea, you are sadly mistaken. You will have a cup of hot dishwater and nothing more.
I have always been a member of the milk first club. But only with a teapot.
Having troubles making good tea...
Sergeant Mushroom Posted Oct 9, 2004
I was told by someone that American kettles do not boil as hot as English ones, for whatever silly reason. Maybe that's it
Having troubles making good tea...
Miranda's Alter Ego Posted Jan 23, 2005
Madman42q: I guess he meant the Tea entry here in the Guide. One of the early ones, that...
Having troubles making good tea...
GuitarNinja Posted Jan 29, 2005
An update: I'm now living on my own in college and we got a self-warming tea pot (electric tea pot, if you will) as a gift and it works great. We heat up water in that and either pour it in the cup with a tea bag already in it or we put it in another pot with an infuser filled with leaves. Both produce great tea.
Thanks for all the advice and...
Keep them coming!!
GN
Having troubles making good tea...
Vip Posted Feb 1, 2005
"I was told by someone that American kettles do not boil as hot as English ones, for whatever silly reason. Maybe that's it."
Surely water still boils at 100 degrees C??
Vip x x
Having troubles making good tea...
Kerr_Avon - hunting stray apostrophes and gutting poorly parsed sentences Posted Feb 1, 2005
I thin kwhat the person that told you that meant is that Americans don't boil the water, they use a water heater which only heats to around 90C.
Having troubles making good tea...
GuitarNinja Posted Feb 3, 2005
No worries. I assure everyone that my self-warming pot makes the water nice and angry. No dishwater tea for me (bleh).
-GN
Having troubles making good tea...
Miranda (Make tea! Yes, Cissdur, it's still me) Posted Feb 5, 2005
Some Norwegian cafes have heaters like that too. They just keep the water lukewarm. For hours. Awful, isn't it?
At home, I have an electric kettle myself. A very good invention!
Key: Complain about this post
Having troubles making good tea...
- 1: GuitarNinja (Jul 30, 2004)
- 2: Miranda (Make tea! Yes, Cissdur, it's still me) (Aug 5, 2004)
- 3: John Luc (Sep 27, 2004)
- 4: Vip (Sep 29, 2004)
- 5: Miranda (Make tea! Yes, Cissdur, it's still me) (Sep 30, 2004)
- 6: GuitarNinja (Oct 1, 2004)
- 7: John Luc (Oct 2, 2004)
- 8: Vip (Oct 4, 2004)
- 9: Sergeant Mushroom (Oct 9, 2004)
- 10: Miranda's Alter Ego (Jan 23, 2005)
- 11: GuitarNinja (Jan 29, 2005)
- 12: Vip (Feb 1, 2005)
- 13: Kerr_Avon - hunting stray apostrophes and gutting poorly parsed sentences (Feb 1, 2005)
- 14: Vip (Feb 1, 2005)
- 15: GuitarNinja (Feb 3, 2005)
- 16: Miranda (Make tea! Yes, Cissdur, it's still me) (Feb 5, 2005)
More Conversations for The Cult of the Dentonites
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."