Tea

[Gilly]

No, I've never really consumed tea because it didn't taste very good, I guess because I was doing it all wrong!

[Regular Joe]

I'll admit my tea dumbness as well, reluctantly.

I always thought it tasted like sucking on a wet paper towel and gave up early. I see now it's only because I've been doing it so, so wrong! I hear no mention of squeezing the teabag to get out the juices. Is that another mistake? Should you just let it float there, or what?

[Gilly]

We need a step by step guide for the tea-a-dummies.

Is this stuff any good? It's on sale at my grocery store.

[emma]

I'll admit my tea dumbness as well, reluctantly.

I always thought it tasted like sucking on a wet paper towel and gave up early. I see now it's only because I've been doing it so, so wrong! I hear no mention of squeezing the teabag to get out the juices. Is that another mistake? Should you just let it float there, or what?

No squeezing! Let it float or yank it around with the string.

(Sometimes I will say something and be aware that it sounds sort of dirty, but lack the capacity to figure anything out beyond that. These are the times I miss FOTchan.)

[A.M. Thomas]

I only use loose tea, except when I drink pg tips. (If you only use tea bags you're not cool.)

See, this is what I needed to hear.  Can you recommend a good teapot for making loose tea?  I was hoping to find something like this (although hopefully cheaper).

EDIT:
I think I may get something like this:


Would that be a wise choice?  I really want something in cast iron.

[A.M. Thomas]

We need a step by step guide for the tea-a-dummies.

Is this stuff any good? It's on sale at my grocery store.

I've never had this particular brand, but it's probably good enough.  Heat your water to near boiling and only leave in the bag for a couple minutes at most.  And be sure to add a lot of honey and/or lemon, depending on your tastes.

[erika]

No squeezing! Let it float or yank it around with the string.

Um... that's what he said?

[Martin]

I only use loose tea, except when I drink pg tips. (If you only use tea bags you're not cool.)

See, this is what I needed to hear.  Can you recommend a good teapot for making loose tea?  I was hoping to find something like this (although hopefully cheaper).

EDIT:
I think I may get something like this:


Would that be a wise choice?  I really want something in cast iron.

Yes! That looks almost exactly like one of my pots, which is cast iron, a solid Japanese pot. It's pretty awesome. Highly recommended.

I alternate between that one and a Bodum:

[yesno]

[Gilly]

My tea keeps turning out too watery. I get it to a boil, pour it in my cup (not a tea cup but I do only pour one cup of water in and then place the tea bag in and let it float. It ends up smelling fragrant (the Stash green chai as shown above) but it tastes pretty watered down. Am I missing a step? I'm just letting the tea bag float and took it out after about 4 minutes. Is it the brand or am I doing something wrong? It smells so good but it's deceiving!

[yesno]

Gilly, you need to filter the tea through your nose to get the right flavor.

***

This is an audiobook of The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo.

http://librivox.org/the-book-of-tea-by-okakura-kakuzo/

(LibriVox volunteers are my favorite people right now:  They make public domain audiobooks of public domain books.  I listen to these when running, cleaning the house, commuting, etc.  The quality varies immensely; this guy is mediocre, but other books such as Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow are professional quality.  It is better to listen to them pitch-shifted by about 20%, which you can do on an iPod if you mark the files as audiobooks in iTunes. )

[A.M. Thomas]

I do use a Neti Pot regularly, but I think our hippie hygiene preferences should be saved for another thread.

In terms of other beverages, though, I'm really into sparkling water and I hope to get one of these creatures real soon:

[A.M. Thomas]

My tea keeps turning out too watery. I get it to a boil, pour it in my cup (not a tea cup but I do only pour one cup of water in and then place the tea bag in and let it float. It ends up smelling fragrant (the Stash green chai as shown above) but it tastes pretty watered down. Am I missing a step? I'm just letting the tea bag float and took it out after about 4 minutes. Is it the brand or am I doing something wrong? It smells so good but it's deceiving!

Maybe you just don't like tea?

[Beth]

We need a step by step guide for the tea-a-dummies.

Is this stuff any good? It's on sale at my grocery store.

I've never had this particular brand, but it's probably good enough.  Heat your water to near boiling and only leave in the bag for a couple minutes at most.  And be sure to add a lot of honey and/or lemon, depending on your tastes.

 I personally think that Stash is terrible. They make the nastiest green tea I've ever tasted. You're better off with Celestial Seasonings. For grocery store herbal tea though, I like Yogi Tea a lot.

As for loose tea, I just use a french press. Is that a tea-bomination?

[Gilly]

My tea keeps turning out too watery. I get it to a boil, pour it in my cup (not a tea cup but I do only pour one cup of water in and then place the tea bag in and let it float. It ends up smelling fragrant (the Stash green chai as shown above) but it tastes pretty watered down. Am I missing a step? I'm just letting the tea bag float and took it out after about 4 minutes. Is it the brand or am I doing something wrong? It smells so good but it's deceiving!

Maybe you just don't like tea?

Could be. I'm going to try some other brands.