loose tea
 

So, I've recently started drinking loose tea at work. I got a electric kettle and a nifty tea-brewing device called ingenuiTEA. It came with a sampler of black teas (Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, Earl Grey & yunnan jig). The bergamot flavor of the Earl Grey is so strong, it's best cut with another tea. I'm also planning to pick up some herbal mint tea, oolong jasmine, and a masala chai.

Anyone have favorites varieties? Or favorite purveyors? How about steeping techniques, or brewing guidelines? What's your favorite cuppa?
:morncoff:

This ingenuiTEA seems like a great idea.

I get a tin of English Breakfast every month from Peets Coffee (& Tea) (peets.com), along with two pounds of New Guinea coffee. Peets has an automatic ordering system so that you just sit back and boxes of coffee and tea arrive on your doorstep.

So far, it's working well (I think I've brewed about 8 cups so far.)
If I had an actual sink into which I could wash it, all would be perfect. As it is, I end up with a less than optimally clean teapot.

Oh but that's a good thing - will it take on a tea stain or is the plastic impervious to that sort of thing? I believe you can be proud of a good stained teapot.

PG Tips. Brewed in a warmed teapot for as long as it takes me to get back to it (strong), poured through a strainer, dash of milk added.

Boil the water in an old soup can over a fire of eucalyptus. Throw in a handful of tea leaves and a light sprinkling of dust. Add one fresh gum leaf. Swing the billy (the can) in vertical circles to "settle" the tea.

As good as it gets. Might be hard in the office.

Honeybush and rooibos are my favorites, but I usually drink Dunkin Donuts tea.

as I understand it, to make "proper tea", you need one heaping tsp loose tea to one cup hot water.

Place loose tea leaves into a warmed teakettle, pour warmed water over and let steep, strain and serve.

Seems simple, right? Nope.

It also appears that the type of tea depends on the temperature of the steep. Oolong teas should simmer at 200 deg F, green teas need 180 deg. Irish and English teas should steep at a full boil.

And that's not all! Time is important, too. Black tea should soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Oolong tea should soak for 4 to 7 minutes. Green Tea should soak for 2 to 3 minutes.

I learned more than I ever wanted to know about tea by asking a tea nut. She also expounded on the shape of the pot, serving etiquette, the value of tea balls versus simple straining, bottled water vs tap water, location for tea, frame of mind and the list went on for long time before I begged off and scrammed before brain implosion set in.

Alton Brown does a show on tea here on Youtube. I'd post the video but I forget how.

I hope this helps a bit, even though it doesn't really answer the original question.

Brian

Yerba mate

Hi Brian,
Yep, I got that lecture too, from another tea nut. I'm not a big green or white tea drinker, so I don't need to be too persnickety about the temperature. They're right about the timing, though. It's a fine line to walk to extract the optimal amount of flavor (vice tannin) for the tea in question.
My other strange complication is that I burn my tongue really easily (and get nasty black marks from the scorching, and pain that lasts for days!) so I need to cool my tea down significantly before I drink it. Thankfully, there is a hvac vent right next to my desk that pours out enough cold air to chill a cup of tea in no time flat. :rolleyes:

I have a tim of Mambo tea from TAZO. It was a gift from my mother, but I like it a lot. Flowery. It's past the expired date, but I can't bring myself to throw it away.

PS - LOVE the teapot!

I'm with Monster - proper builders' tea for me. Strong enough to trot a mouse across. Oh and tea stains can always be cleaned by adding boiling water and bleach, and leaving it to sit for a while. I've never met a mug (or teapot) yet that hasn't responded to this treatment.

Rinse well afterwards of course.

Pie: Did your lecture include proper serving etiquette?

I won't go into proper dress for the server....and who it should be.

Nah. It's drunk by me, alone, at my desk. No etiquette necessary, 'cept not spilling it on my keyboard!

Iced!

No sugar or lemon.