I am absolutely a tea snob!! I come by it honestly, though - my grandmother used to drive from Toronto to Florida every year, trying to teach every waitress in every greasy spoon along the way how to brew a "proper" pot of tea. The secret, if you're using black tea, is to make everything as hot as possible. You rinse out the teapot with boiling water first, so that the cool teapot doesn't cool down the water too fast. Then add the tea, and then boiling (BOILING) water. Not warm water from the coffee machine - that will make your tea, no matter how fancy, taste like damp cardboard. Boiling water. The best pot of tea I ever had was in a cafeteria in Galway. Instead of boiling water, they used pressurized steam. (And yes, they rinsed the teapot with steam, dumped the drips, added loose tea, and then filled it with steam.) More flavor in that pot of tea than in all the warm-water-from-the-coffee-machine tea I drank in college.
Suzyn
· 1 year ago
Oh, and another thing: bergamot (what makes Earl Grey Earl Grey) is a love/hate thing. I can’t stand it, but Karryn obviously loves it. If you don’t care for Earl Grey, try English Breakfast or Darjeeling – two of my favorites! But my favorite favorite of all is Pickwick Mango tea from Holland. How can you not love a tea that lists “mangosmaak” in the ingredients?!
P.S. When you try to reply to the first comment, the space for typing gets all mixed in with Carrie & Danielle's Well Loved Things and Ideas, and you can't see the submit button. You may want to take a look at your page structure.
Denise at Uniquely Tea
· 1 year ago
Tea! My favorite subject! Green, Black, White, Red .... it's all wonderful! Don't jump to conclusions about "tea bag tea" being inferior. Indeed, a lot of it is, but more and more companies (Harney; Mighty Leaf; etc.) are beginning to put whole-leaf tea into their teabags. The tea itself is so good for you, but the ritual of preparation is just as nurturing. (Did I mention I love tea??!!)
Michelle Rabin
· 1 year ago
Welcome to this ancient beverage. So glad you're enjoying the journey of discovery. I'd been a psychologist for 25 years, seeing one patient at a time. I wanted to have a broader impact and discovered tea. Thanks for helping to spread the word. We're always looking for guest contributors - any interest - we're happy to link back to you!
Jamie
· 1 year ago
I'm right with Suzyn on hot, hot, hot for brewing black tea. That's why I so often have coffee when I'm out and tea when I'm home. That boiling-all-day or sort-of-hot water you often get poured onto a teabag doesn't cut it.
Starting with cold water also has a huge impact water. I first learned that listening to Mr. Twinings on the CBC. Apparently it has something to do with the level of oxygen held in the water.
English Breakfast tea is my favourite, or as it's known in this house and my sister's, EBT.
Steam Cleaning
· 7 months ago
Useful and informative blog. Thanks for sharing it. a new lesson i've learned today.
All Comments
The best pot of tea I ever had was in a cafeteria in Galway. Instead of boiling water, they used pressurized steam. (And yes, they rinsed the teapot with steam, dumped the drips, added loose tea, and then filled it with steam.) More flavor in that pot of tea than in all the warm-water-from-the-coffee-machine tea I drank in college.
P.S. When you try to reply to the first comment, the space for typing gets all mixed in with Carrie & Danielle's Well Loved Things and Ideas, and you can't see the submit button. You may want to take a look at your page structure.
Thanks for helping to spread the word. We're always looking for guest contributors - any interest - we're happy to link back to you!
Starting with cold water also has a huge impact water. I first learned that listening to Mr. Twinings on the CBC. Apparently it has something to do with the level of oxygen held in the water.
English Breakfast tea is my favourite, or as it's known in this house and my sister's, EBT.
Thanks for sharing it.
a new lesson i've learned today.