Coffee, Tea, and thee

[George]

In that case, ask yourself not what is OLD, but what is good!

You know, Kathleen's the one who told me I shouldn't still be using a percolator but a drip coffee maker. Percolated is good -- for connoisseurs.

Well, actually I know it's true, but I've learned (not in this forum, but elsewhere), that if I keep what is old but good, I can't tell a lot of people what I'm doing, because they wonder what is wrong with me then. Maybe, they should start reading the newspapers. Nah!!

George

[ktinkel]

Percolated is good -- for connoisseurs. Huh? :confused:

[Michael Rowley]

KT:

Huh?

Didn't your mother tell you never to say, 'Huh?'?

[George]

Huh? :confused:

It's true. After I tested again that old percolator, I never went back. Now my drip coffee maker is in the utility room on the shelf. The percolator developed a hair line crack in the handle, but it turned out to be OK. And I have the best coffee everyday!!!! It's just so great. For a long time, I had been buying expensive coffee and was wondering what was wrong. Now I make any coffee taste good. So old is good -- that's my new philosophy.

Recently, I tried green tea. Dang -- it makes me feel so healthy. Just before I tried it, I happened upon news of a scientific study that has shown it doesn't help people lose weight; but when I started drinking it, immediately I lost some pounds. I might give up on scientists next. The list keeps getting longer as I grow older. Soon there will be no one left (except for desk top publishers, I mean. This forum seems rationale).

George

[ktinkel]

It's true. After I tested again that old percolator, I never went back. Color me astonished. Percolators boil brewed coffee (by recirculating) and repeatedly re-soak spent grounds, and it should make very bitter coffee.

But if you like it, well, what can I say? :)

[George]

Percolators boil brewed coffee (by recirculating) and repeatedly re-soak spent grounds, and it should make very bitter coffee.


It's a Sunbeam. Maybe, that has something to do with it. And it's so elegant looking on the counter. Drip makers don't really match colonial farm houses.

George

[ktinkel]

It's a Sunbeam. Maybe, that has something to do with it. And it's so elegant looking on the counter. Drip makers don't really match colonial farm houses.Ah, well, if style is the issue, my many Chemexes suited my modernist bent. (Many, because they are bottom-heavy and sometimes jump out of the drainer into the sink, where they break.)

[annc]

Recently, I tried green tea. Dang -- it makes me feel so healthy.I'm a great green tea fan too. A mug of green tea every morning first thing helps me start the day. Of course, I then buy a double shot flat white coffee as a takeaway on my way to work... :)

The green tea is always made from leaf tea (no fancy flowers or herbs added, and definitely no tea bags!), with the water poured onto the leaves just off the boil and allowed to brew for no more than two minutes before being poured into a heated china mug. Like any tea, it becomes too strong if brewed for too long.

[George]

The green tea is always made from leaf tea (no fancy flowers or herbs added, and definitely no tea bags!), with the water poured onto the leaves just off the boil and allowed to brew for no more than two minutes before being poured into a heated china mug. Like any tea, it becomes too strong if brewed for too long.

Hmm. I've only tried it for about five weeks now. I'm using Red Rose, which is in bags. Red Rose tea is from Canada and very decent in general. Now I"ll have to look for loose leaf and give it a try, but I'm pleased with the Red Rose for now. Thanks for the tip.

George

[annc]

Hmm. I've only tried it for about five weeks now. I'm using Red Rose, which is in bags. Red Rose tea is from Canada and very decent in general. Now I"ll have to look for loose leaf and give it a try, but I'm pleased with the Red Rose for now. Thanks for the tip.Apart from being able to taste the bag, with teabag tea the leaves are always very small (dust!) Green tea leaves should be large; if you need a strainer, the leaves are too small.

[iamback]

Color me astonished. Percolators boil brewed coffee (by recirculating) and repeatedly re-soak spent grounds, and it should make very bitter coffee.No they don't. :) The water (and half-made brew) is boiled (not the coffee itself, that's yet another method), but it goes up to drip down on the ground coffee, at which point it isn't literally boiling any more. Grounds aren't "spent" until the coffee is fully brewed. Whether it becomes bitter depends on the time spent percolating, but it depends on the coffee, too, and you need a different grind (coarser) for percolator coffee than you need for drip-filter coffee.

I still remember the percolator coffee of my youth with fondness - not bitter at all - and I learned to drink it black when I was only nine! Filter coffee tastes differently, not necessarily better.

[LoisWakeman]

I'm glad someone else can taste the paper! No-one believes me. Leaf tea rules, in our house, anyway. Tastier and cheaper - but I suppose the extra effort of lifting the strainer and the pot is too much for some!

[George]

Leaf tea rules, in our house, anyway. Tastier and cheaper

Cheaper??? Not where I'm at. But it's worth paying the difference, though substantially more.

George

[iamback]

Cheaper??? Not where I'm at. But it's worth paying the difference, though substantially more.Not here either. Supermarkets sell nothing but tea in bags. To get any leaf tea you have to go to a specialist shop like Levelt (long-time Dutch trader in coffee and tea, who has a wide choice of both and sells everything by weight from large bins), or to an oriental shop that sells tea like the lovely Chinese green tea (in a tin) which I got for my birthday from travel mates two years ago, and which still lasts because I use it sparingly. :)

I got some black tea from them recently because I wanted to brew "Yemeni tea" - made of black tea together with one cardamom pod and a clove. Wound up with Assam tea (50g, to try first), but I think it's a bit too "heavy" for this mix after all. I never thought to ask what type of tea they used... I'll try a Ceylon next.

But I drink quite a bit of herbal tea as well.

[terrie]

george: Cheaper??? Not where I'm at. But it's worth paying the difference, though substantially more.Take a look at what Upton Tea (http://uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp?UTid=48-18-2473292&afterCart=/shopcart/home.asp&) has to offer...they have a fabulous selection of teas--mostly loose tea (bags...ummm...no! not for me)--and they have many inexpensive teas.

I particularly like the following:

1. CTC Irish Breakfast Blend (https://secure.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TB12) $4.80 for 125gram packet--that's quite a bit of tea

2. Scottish Breakfast Blend (https://secure.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TB14) $4.80 for 125gram packet

3. CTC Fine Assam (https://secure.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TA11) $4.20 for 125gram packet

4. Black Label Breakfast Fannings (https://secure.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TB07) (Fannings grade teas infuse quickly, producing a robust beverage) $3.60 for 125gram packet

I like strong tea and generally put milk in my tea...

Enjoy...'-}}

Terrie

[ktinkel]

Cheaper??? Not where I'm at. But it's worth paying the difference, though substantially more.It is one of those weird aspects of modern life: brown rice costs more than white; and processed tea leaves of the lowest quality shredded to dust and packed into bags cost less than natural tea leaves simply drived.

I am no tea drinker, normally, but I would urge you to invest a little in simple teas, not in bags. It is not that much more difficult to use than the bagged stuff, and much more flavorable.

Upton’s is pretty good. So is Peets (http://www.peets.com/shop/tea_premium.asp?cm_re=tea-_-feature1-_-Text) — and there are other sources.

[George]

Terrie and Kathleen,

Hmm--I never thought of buying tea on line. For loose leaf tea, I have two options -- an import store, or a coffee shop where I've made friends with the owner. Keep in mind, I no longer live in the East. Where I'm at, it's a different concept of food, restaurants, coffee, tea etc. Actually, I could go on -- fashion, social formalities...and I could go on... and on.... But all this is another subject.

I don't know about buying a food item on the internet. Remember...I'm the guy with the old fashioned ways. But I'm going to bookmark the links, thank you. I mostly drink loose leaf tea -- usually English. However, I haven't found any loose green tea yet. Maybe, I'll test that from on-line.

Amazing the stuff we talk about in this forum.

George

[annc]

I'm glad someone else can taste the paper! No-one believes me. Leaf tea rules, in our house, anyway. Tastier and cheaper - but I suppose the extra effort of lifting the strainer and the pot is too much for some!I think it's the time to brew that stops lots of people. That and the need for a teapot!

But the taste of teabag tea! Ugh!

[George]

That and the need for a teapot!


I think I buy the teapots because they are a work of art themselves. I guess I learned that from my grandmother. They sure are beautiful. The British make really great teapots, but they charge a lot. But I have ones from other countries as well, and somehow, my favorite design is the very simple 19th century classic American.

George

[LoisWakeman]

One of my favourite pots came from Seattle. It's called "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" and is modelled on a wolf with a woolly cosy. The cups are a black and a white lamb. I also have some English Victorian black earthenware pots, some with gilt decorations, and others with enamelled flowers. But those are all for show - the "Brown Betty" is the one that gets used every day.

And yes: loose tea is cheaper per pound here than the equivalent stuff in teabags (well - you can't get the fine dust found in teabags loose, but the principle is the same). Most supermarkets sell a small range of blended everyday leaf (loose) tea; the better ones sell Lapsang, Earl Grey, Assam, Ceylon, English Breakfast. etc. too.

Time for an Earl Grey, I think!

[iamback]

I think it's the time to brew that stops lots of people. That and the need for a teapot!I don't have (or need) a teapot! I use my nice little stainless-steel thermos that I brought from China. It's good for 2-3 cups of tea (just fine for me), is modern-stylish, has a little sieve sitting in the top. Just pour on boiling water, let stand for a few minutes, take out the sieve, and pour. And it's a nice souvenir as well - apart from the fact it was worlds cheaper than similar thermos flasks (often without sieve) cost here.

Lots of Chinese use such flasks, sometimes of steel, sometimes of plastic (often double-walled, but not always), and often with a carrying handle to nonchalantly carry your tea with you on the bus or the train. Green tea, of course! (Mine doesn't have a handle - it's mostly the plastic ones that do. I think next time I'll bring one of those!)

[terrie]

george: I don't know about buying a food item on the internet.
Tea is pretty innocuous to buy online--stable, non-perishable--and Upton does a lovely job of shipping and they will even put your name on the label as in "packed for Terrie on August 17, 2007" which I think is very cool.

In addition to their tea being quite nice, you will I'm sure, love their tea catalogue which always has interesting articles on the history or tea and brewing in addtion to the teas they offer for sale...


>>But I'm going to bookmark the links, thank you.

You're welcome...


>>However, I haven't found any loose green tea yet. Maybe, I'll test that from on-line.

Here you go Upton's Green Tea page (http://uptontea.com/shopcart/toc.asp?parent=Teas&child=Green)...'-}}

Terrie

[terrie]

george: I think I buy the teapots because they are a work of art themselves.Me too!!!

That said, I don't brew my tea in a tea pot...I use Upton's Chatsfords 6-cup Strainer Basket (http://uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?from=catalog.asp&itemID=AS16&begin=0&parent=Accessories%3ETeaware%3ETeapots&category=Replacement+Parts&sortMethod=0&categoryID=70) which fits in a large mug--they make other sorts of tea baskets and also have a nice line of teapots and other nifty goodies (http://uptontea.com/shopcart/toc.asp?parent=Accessories&child=Teaware)...

Terrie

[annc]

I don't have (or need) a teapot! I use my nice little stainless-steel thermos that I brought from China.That sounds like a really nifty toy! I could take my tea to work too if I had one of those.

[George]

Terry,

Thanks for the additional link, which I also bookmarked. My wife just told me she found some loose green tea at a store near the house which brings in unusual brands. I might buy some of that, but actually I can cope with tea bags.

I think I use a teapot again because of my grandmother. She always made certain that we all stopped for our tea breaks. It gave me a sense about tea, and I don't think it will ever leave me. But I am an on and off tea drinker.

George

[George]

One of my favourite pots

One of them. Yep, I sure hope I don't get into a large teapot collection. It would be so easy, and I collect enough stuff already. So far, this year, I managed to get by about seven without actually buying. Maybe, my luck will continue.

George

[terrie]

george: Thanks for the additional link, which I also bookmarked. You're welcome...I also meant to tell you that Upton does mail order via phone or the order form included in their catalogue. I used mail order with them for the first year or so I ordered from them and then they got their website up and I use that as it's easier for me given my hearing loss...


>>My wife just told me she found some loose green tea at a store near the house which brings in unusual brands.

Oh good!


>>I might buy some of that, but actually I can cope with tea bags.

Once you get used to loose tea, it's hard to go back to tea bags...'-}}


>>I think I use a teapot again because of my grandmother. She always made certain that we all stopped for our tea breaks. It gave me a sense about tea, and I don't think it will ever leave me.

There is a certain ceremony to brewing tea in a pot, particularly when you are sharing it with someone...as I am just brewing for myself, it's easier to use the Chatsford strainer basket in a mug. The Chatsford strainer basket I use is actually designed to be used in their tea pots but I like it because it fits easily in a mug.


>>But I am an on and off tea drinker.

I probably drink more coffee now than tea but I have a large mug or 2 of tea every couple of days...

Terrie

[George]

There is a certain ceremony to brewing tea in a pot, particularly when you are sharing it with someone

That's the perfect description. That's it. I didn't realize that was it until just now. But it was more than someone -- all family members on the premises.

George :)

[terrie]

george: That's the perfect description. That's it. I didn't realize that was it until just now.Glad to be of service...'-}}

Terrie