Tea

[Bob Hubbard]

“No,” Arthur said, “look, it’s very, very simple…. All I want… is a cup of tea. You are going to make one for me. Now keep quiet and listen.”
And he sat. He told the Nutro-Matic about India, he told it about China, he told it about Ceylon. He told it about broad leaves drying in the sun. He told it about silver teapots. He told it about summer afternoons on the lawn. He told it about putting the milk in before the tea so it wouldn’t get scalded. He even told it (briefly) about the East India Trading Company.
“So that’s it, is it?” said the Nutro-Matic when he had finished.
“Yes,” said Arthur. “That is what I want.”
“You want the taste of dried leaves boiled in water?”
“Er, yes. With milk.”
“Squirted out of a cow?”
“Well in a manner of speaking, I suppose…”
“I’m going to need some help with this one.”

 

[Xue Sheng]

Well the instructions have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.

It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of The Leopard"

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I want to get into tea. I always want to but I don't know enough about it

Tea simplified:

[h=2]Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea[/h]
Part of a new site I'm working on. Rest isn't "ready" but it's a good Tea 101 for making a good cup.

 

[ballen0351]

UMMM yeah making it I got covered. I ment picking one out. I walk in tea shops and its overwhelming with all the choices

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Well, you have
Black, Oolong, Green, White and Herbal's.
High Caffeine to low caffeine
Low anti oxidants to high anti oxidants.

I'm partial to black teas, primarily Darjeeling, and Puerh.

Walk into a Teavanna and taste all the samples. If you find one you like, have them brew you a full cup to try out. (If you have a Starbucks card you get a star there)
Note: Teavanna uses their own rock sugar and brews strong so if you buy their teas you might want to go extra sweet and strong in the brewing at home)

They'll also let you smell any of the tins.

I'm working on some more tea articles that'll get into this more.

 

[ballen0351]

Well, you have
Black, Oolong, Green, White and Herbal's.
High Caffeine to low caffeine
Low anti oxidants to high anti oxidants.

I'm partial to black teas, primarily Darjeeling, and Puerh.

Walk into a Teavanna and taste all the samples. If you find one you like, have them brew you a full cup to try out. (If you have a Starbucks card you get a star there)
Note: Teavanna uses their own rock sugar and brews strong so if you buy their teas you might want to go extra sweet and strong in the brewing at home)

They'll also let you smell any of the tins.

I'm working on some more tea articles that'll get into this more.

That's my problem I walk into Teavanna and I like it all lol.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Nothing wrong with that. I've got probably 100 types in my cupboard. lol

 

[ballen0351]

Nothing wrong with that. I've got probably 100 types in my cupboard. lol

It just seems so expensive. Last time I went they tried to sell me a starter kit it was over $100 for tea and then another $65 for a tea pot. My wife would shoot me if I spent that kinda loot on tea

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Tazo is expensive, so it pays to shop around.

Quality is above supermarket but not what I consider 'high'. I've paid $199/lb for tea though (was damn good).

My "regular stock" teas:

Tazo
- Zen
- Zen with Ginger
- Chai
- Darjeeling

Wegmans
- Chai (decaf)
- Black w/Cinnamon
- Mint

Numi
- Emperor s Pu-erh

Rishi
- Pu-erh Classic (loose tea)


2 of the Wegmans by me used to sell loose tea, I bought a ton that way. Stopped carrying it sadly.
But Numi and I think Rishi both have sampler boxes. Grab 1 and try a variety of flavors. You'll pay maybe $10 but it's worth it. This aint Lipton dust bags. LOL


For summer, I look for a loose black with good body in the $10-20/lb range for making gallons of iced tea. I usually have 2-3 gallons in the fridge at a time. I drink -alot- of tea. LOL

 

[ballen0351]

How much tea can you get from a pound?
I drink about 1 1/2 to 2 gal of ice tea a day but its the store bought tea bags from target.

 

[Xue Sheng]

How much tea can you get from a pound?
I drink about 1 1/2 to 2 gal of ice tea a day but its the store bought tea bags from target.

Don't know exactly but a pound of tea is about 200 tea bags and that is roughly 200 8 oz. cups so and that works out to about 12.5 gallons

There is more caffeine in a pound of tea than a pound of coffee but you use so little tea to make a cup it ends up less caffeine per cup of tea than per cup of coffee

But your talking ice tea and that can be made differently. You can use fewer bags of tea (if you are talking bags) and let it steep longer. I have seen ice tea made by the gallon with about 8 tea bags so using that you are now at about 25 gallons

 

[ballen0351]

Don't know exactly but a pound of tea is about 200 tea bags and that is roughly 200 8 oz. cups so and that works out to about 12.5 gallons

There is more caffeine in a pound of tea than a pound of coffee but you use so little tea to make a cup it ends up less caffeine per cup of tea than per cup of coffee

But your talking ice tea and that can be made differently. You can use fewer bags of tea (if you are talking bags) and let it steep longer. I have seen ice tea made by the gallon with about 8 tea bags so using that you are now at about 25 gallons

I like my tea light I make a gal of ice tea with 2 to 3 tea bags so I guess Id stretch a pond of tea out for a long way. That makes it more reasonable. I was thinking like 20 cups or something crazy per pound so I was WAY off. Thanks

 

[Xue Sheng]

I like my tea light I make a gal of ice tea with 2 to 3 tea bags so I guess Id stretch a pond of tea out for a long way. That makes it more reasonable. I was thinking like 20 cups or something crazy per pound so I was WAY off. Thanks

It depends on how strong you like it but it is about a half a teaspoon per cup steeped for 5 minutes. I do a 2 cup pot with one bag or one spoon of loose and let if steep for 10 minutes.

And if you do this the Chinese way you throw some tea leaves in a cup and keep pouring hot water on it all day long.

 

[ballen0351]

Thanks both of you. I think I may hit the local tea shop down town tomorrow. Its local small business so I like that better the the mall tea shop. See what they recommend for a good beginner tea. and maybe something or my wife she has some medical issues maybe something is available to help with the symptoms

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I use a tea basket when I make my tea. 2 tsp of leaf. First brew 4 minutes. 2-5th brew 5 minutes. 6th is 10 minutes. Depending on the leaf, I can get 5-10 brewings out of 1 basket. As Xue said, toss a pinch of new leaf in as you go and you can go most of the day on at best a tbl of tea leaf.


Now, tea for medical use..... different animal entirely.

I brew turmeric teas as well as ginger ones to help with my headaches and back issues. As someone who does a lot of self-medicating through tea, I suggest a lot of research, and talk to some experts. Also, webmd.com is a good resource to use to look for possible interactions, etc.

 

[crushing]

But your talking ice tea and that can be made differently. You can use fewer bags of tea (if you are talking bags) and let it steep longer. I have seen ice tea made by the gallon with about 8 tea bags so using that you are now at about 25 gallons

That's what I used to do, make ice tea by the gallon. More recently I've infused Lapsang Souchong and Rooibos into a beer at bottling to create a smokey tobacco-like IPA. Fellow beer brewers that also like tea seem to really enjoy this beer and it kind of blows their minds a little bit when they try it. I gave a bottle of the beer to the lady that sold me the tea and she said she like it. I entered it in to the AHA's National Homebrew Competition as 'Other Smoke Beer' and I'm looking forward to the feedback.

 

[Xue Sheng]

That's what I used to do, make ice tea by the gallon. More recently I've infused Lapsang Souchong and Rooibos into a beer at bottling to create a smokey tobacco-like IPA. Fellow beer brewers that also like tea seem to really enjoy this beer and it kind of blows their minds a little bit when they try it. I gave a bottle of the beer to the lady that sold me the tea and she said she like it. I entered it in to the AHA's National Homebrew Competition as 'Other Smoke Beer' and I'm looking forward to the feedback.

Wouldn't mind trying that one myself

 

[ballen0351]

Im going to head to the tea shop today get me some stuff. Any good anti-inflammatory stuff out there?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Im going to head to the tea shop today get me some stuff. Any good anti-inflammatory stuff out there?

All tea is anti inflammatory but they say green tea is the best at it and it also reduces cancer risk as well

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Turmeric. I do several different teas with it in it, as well as in supplement form and in my cooking. Have significantly decreased my ibuprofen intake as a result.

[h=3]The Doctor's Remedy: Turmeric for Joint Pain - NYTimes.com[/h]well.blogs.nytimes.com/.../the-doctors-remedy-turmeric-for-joint-pain/‎
Oct 19, 2011 - While many people may encounter turmeric only in curry dishes and ... It helps the turmeric get absorbed so that it goes into your bloodstream versus ... ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, with ibuprofen for pain relief in 107 ...


[h=3]TURMERIC: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD[/h]www.webmd.com/.../ingredientmono-662-TURMERIC.aspx?...‎WebMD


Find patient medical information for TURMERIC on WebMD including its uses, effectiveness, side effects and safety, interactions, user ratings and products that ...

1. [h=3]Turmeric - NYU Langone Medical Center[/h]www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID...‎NYU Langone Medical Center
   
   
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   45 One hundred and seven people were randomized to receive ibuprofen (800 mg daily) or turmeric (2 grams daily) for 6 weeks. Both groups experienced a ...
   
   
   
2. [h=3]Turmeric vs. NSAIDs for Knee Osteoarthritis - Fitness Goop[/h]www.fitnessgoop.com › Green & Healthy Living‎
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3. [h=3]Natural Remedies: The Benefits of Turmeric | Muscle & Fitness[/h]www.muscleandfitness.com › ... › Features‎Muscle & Fitness
   
   
   Commonly used as a spice in South Asian cooking, turmeric also has ... the pain relieving effects of curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) and ibuprofen.