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The Tea Thread

For those of us in the specialised centre of the Venn diagram below

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I can recommend stainless steel fine mesh cup filters to replace tea bags. I was totally fed up of picking out bits of wispy paper-plastic
remnants of tea bags from my garden soil so got some of these which works very well with any kind of loose tea:


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escargot said:
tea to drink from the saucer
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Many years ago I was told that the act of pouring tea into a saucer came about from 'Tram Drivers'.
At the terminus the tram would go onto a turntable (now this is just what I was told so don't shoot me if it's total arse-gravy), and the driver would be given his tea in a cup & saucer.
The driver would need to be ready to drive off as soon as the turntable had completed it's job, and it went around just slow enough that he could pour the hot tea into the saucer, blow on the larger surface area to cool it down sufficiently enough that he could then drink it quickly.
 
escargot said:
OK then, I've dusted off the old steel teapot and made a brew in it.
Used a woolly'at as a tea cosy. Went to the shop, strolled back, poured a mug. Perfectly warm and good. :wink2:
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Ah but for me, 'warm' tea is not 'good' tea. If it doesn't reach the temperature of the surface of the sun then it's horrible.

Coffee I can drink cold, tea has to be supernova.
 
catseye said:
Ah but for me, 'warm' tea is not 'good' tea. If it doesn't reach the temperature of the surface of the sun then it's horrible.

Coffee I can drink cold, tea has to be supernova.
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Yup, this sounds right. While I don't take tea astronomically hot, it does need to be just below that. Coffee is OK to chuck down my throat nearly cold.

Today, inspired by this very thread, I've made a big flask of tea for the first time in over 18 years. :bthumbup:

It will last me all day. Well, I'll get four mugs of hot tea, tasting more stewed as time goes on. Will need a fork for the last one. :chuckle:
 
escargot said:
Yup, this sounds right. While I don't take tea astronomically hot, it does need to be just below that. Coffee is OK to chuck down my throat nearly cold.

Today, inspired by this very thread, I've made a big flask of tea for the first time in over 18 years. :bthumbup:

It will last me all day. Well, I'll get four mugs of hot tea, tasting more stewed as time goes on. Will need a fork for the last one. :chuckle:
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I like my tea very bitter. Stewed is fine. Getting it stewed and still boiling hot is the trick.
 
catseye said:
I like my tea very bitter. Stewed is fine. Getting it stewed and still boiling hot is the trick.
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Are you a steam engine diver? :chuckle:

There used to be a belief that train drivers were prone to developing stomach cancer, more than were other workers, because of their constant tea-drinking.
The problem was, it seems, that they'd be continually be boiling up the tealeaves and slurping the tea down while it was scalding hot, then refilling and starting again.

Nothing to do with chain-smoking, of course.
 
Trevp666 said:
Many years ago I was told that the act of pouring tea into a saucer came about from 'Tram Drivers'.
At the terminus the tram would go onto a turntable (now this is just what I was told so don't shoot me if it's total arse-gravy), and the driver would be given his tea in a cup & saucer.
The driver would need to be ready to drive off as soon as the turntable had completed it's job, and it went around just slow enough that he could pour the hot tea into the saucer, blow on the larger surface area to cool it down sufficiently enough that he could then drink it quickly.
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Haha, tram drivers drinking form a cup and saucer? :chuckle:
 
All this talk of tea has lead me to brew up at this hour. BUT the tea is Roobios Red Bush tea from South Africa, via Tesco's. It's caffeine free, nutty and sweet so suits me. :). A Hare Krishna recommended it during my studies with them - one of my hobbies over the last couple of years.
 
escargot said:
Tea cosies, yup, I have never bought one. Sometimes I've been given very twee knitted ones, like little Rasta hats. (Rasta headwear did of course use to be nicknamed 'tea cosy hats'.)

All my teapots have had custom tea cosies. They were sternly utilitarian, not like the thatched cottage or sleeping pussycat designs that were sometimes popular.
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This is waiting for you . . . it is your fate! Do . . . not . . . re s i s t . . .
cosy snail .png
https://www.etsy.com/listing/239207226/hand-knitted-blue-snail-tea-cosy-with
 
frankiefelix said:
All this talk of tea has lead me to brew up at this hour. BUT the tea is Roobios Red Bush tea from South Africa, via Tesco's. It's caffeine free, nutty and sweet so suits me. :). A Hare Krishna recommended it during my studies with them - one of my hobbies over the last couple of years.
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That's a lovely drink. Tesco used to do a flavoured one, vanilla? Can't remember.
 
Trevp666 said:
I did say....."(now this is just what I was told so don't shoot me if it's total arse-gravy)"
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Yup, if only because tram drivers are not generally noted for their role as major beverage-orientated trendsetters. :chuckle:
 
Popped out on t'mokes yesterday and happened upon a market stall selling interesting household/hardware items.
They had nice-sized enamel teapots in red, blue and green.
Luckily I carry a spare folding rucksack so was able secure a green one to carry off in triumph. :cool:

I'd been after a metal teapot because pot ones get broken.

Digression -
I had an insulated teapot for a while which was nice but not exactly capacious considering its overall size. The rim eventually split and the solid foam lining started to bulge out. Shame.
Anyway... I once had a work client whose father in law came from Holyhead and had worked in an insulated teapot factory there.

Her father in law had been due to leave with his brother for a new life in America on the Titanic. They both got drunk and Father in Law missed the sailing and couldn't catch up. He stayed put after that.

Here is my teapot at the pub, halfway home.
 

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escargot said:
I had an insulated teapot for a while which was nice but not exactly capacious considering its overall size. The rim eventually split and the solid foam lining started to bulge out. Shame.
Anyway... I once had a work client whose father in law came from Holyhead and had worked in an insulated teapot factory there.

Her father in law had been due to leave with his brother for a new life in America on the Titanic. They both got drunk and Father in Law missed the sailing and couldn't catch up. He stayed put after that.
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..........and I tied an onion to my belt because that was the style at the time.......
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AnonyJ said:
For those of us in the specialised centre of the Venn diagram below

View attachment 68326

I can recommend stainless steel fine mesh cup filters to replace tea bags. I was totally fed up of picking out bits of wispy paper-plastic
remnants of tea bags from my garden soil so got some of these which works very well with any kind of loose tea:


614HMJPwXHL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
Click to expand...
First thing i got during lockdown was an industrial sized box of loose earl grey tea and a mesh filter. V cheap from John Lewis. Not possible to get through all that working from home without vats of tea and much better than plasticky tea bags. I think it tastes better also.
 
A nice half-way point along the 'black tea -->iced tea spectrum' is regular black tea, brewed as a weaker infusion with just some freshly sliced lemon, left to go warm/tepid, and the lemon taken out. A very refreshing lemony summer beverage. I make a 2 pint jug of it :)
 
AnonyJ said:
A nice half-way point along the 'black tea -->iced tea spectrum' is regular black tea, brewed as a weaker infusion with just some freshly sliced lemon, left to go warm/tepid, and the lemon taken out. A very refreshing lemony summer beverage. I make a 2 pint jug of it :)
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And lemon in iced tea is just out of this world!
Even orange slices as well.
 
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