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And do you pour the first 'spoutful' out of the tea pot into the sink - because that first drop will have lost heat to the pot and won't be part of the properly brewed liquid? (This tea ceremony malarkey is like a Satanic Ritual at times!)

Apparently whether the milk or the hot water goes in first is a sign of class. The upper class who could afford proper china cups could put the hot water in first without fear of the cups smashing, the lower classes however had to put the milk in first so that the hot water wasn't quite so hot and wouldn't smash the cup. Always put the milk in first when making coffee however otherwise the coffee gets scalded and doesn't taste as nice. When making Irish coffee use plenty of sugar and put a spoon in the glass to absorb the heat and avoid having to pick shards of the broken glass out of your eye. Getting the cream to float on top takes a secret method and as this is a non-exposure forum I can't reveal it

I let my tea leaves "steep"... and I usually steep them for 10 seconds before pouring out the water and steeping them again (this time for me to drink)... that opens the leaves and releases the flavour more.

Adding milk MAY have originated with trying to not allow your teacups to crack, but that would be very rare for the teacup to crack unless it was already chipping, scientifically they've proven that by adding MILK to TEA it heats up the fats in the milk very quickly causing them to congeal, but if you add TEA to MILK it slowly cools down the tea and warms up the milk at the same time causing a better tasting cuppa.

The cracking will surely be more to do with rapid thermal expansion?

We put the milk in the cups first, because it tastes better. We also "warm the pot" with a splash of hot water and tip that away before even adding the tea bags. Darjeeling can quite easily taste "stewed" if you leave it too long, it really only needs 3 minutes max, then if you want to keep using it, you have to take the bags out of the pot. Because of this, there isn't much "brewing time" to have a special name.

Farlsborough wrote:The cracking will surely be more to do with rapid thermal expansion?

In my experience many many things can withstand the "rapid thermal expansion", even very thin eggshell porcelain, obviously this is not without it's exceptions, I'm sure it HAS happened in the past, but I think the shape of most cups tends to hold them together and allow expansion pretty well (if it were a square, that would be another story), the only time I've ever had a cup break from heat was a very thin gaiwan cracking because the lip was slightly chipped, and even then I was using water hotter than I'd normally use it because I was using a compressed pu-erh.

I also warm my gaiwan before I use it, I think it's a good practise because it opens the microscopic pores in the cup and allows the flavours of the tea to sink in more (not to mention keeps your tea warmer longer), this is an especialy good practise when you are brewing gong-fu cha style in a yixing teapot.

http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/

its all there and yes i have the book

for me tea is best served STRONG with water boiled on an open fire at 4-5 am at a scout camp, its the only time i can relax with my cuppa for a weekend

as for teas i like, sainsburys red label loose tea and pg tips tea bags although i am partial to a bit of tetly or yorkshire tea comapny tea


any how who's got the c.u.p.s cakes?

rabbit wrote:

Farlsborough wrote:The cracking will surely be more to do with rapid thermal expansion?

In my experience many many things can withstand the "rapid thermal expansion", even very thin eggshell porcelain

Precisely - porcelain is actually a pretty advanced substance as it is very dense, withstands high temperatures, and heats evenly ie. because it's thin. Poor quality pottery or glass on the other hand - the contact side expands quickly compared to the cool, non-contact side - hence cracks from internal tensions. It's science... I've poured boiling water into cheap glass before and it's smashed - not fun.

Farlsborough wrote:

rabbit wrote:

Farlsborough wrote:The cracking will surely be more to do with rapid thermal expansion?

In my experience many many things can withstand the "rapid thermal expansion", even very thin eggshell porcelain

Precisely - porcelain is actually a pretty advanced substance as it is very dense, withstands high temperatures, and heats evenly ie. because it's thin. Poor quality pottery or glass on the other hand - the contact side expands quickly compared to the cool, non-contact side - hence cracks from internal tensions. It's science... I've poured boiling water into cheap glass before and it's smashed - not fun.

Hmmm... well there we have it... I very rarely drink out of anything buy my porcelain gaiwan and my porcelain japanese teacups... sometimes I drink green tea out of just an ordinary glass, but I usualy cool the water down to about 160F which is a pretty safe temp.

One of the main reasons that Milk is added to tea is that tea is high in tannin (which in it's raw state would dehydrate your mouth—like 'tanning' leather!!!!). The milk proteins are attacked in the cup, by the tannin, meaning there's less tannin to attack the protein in your mouth!

Adding milk is a traditional thing, and I would assume that this is a good reason!

TOO MUCH tea without milk CAN cause de-hydration. Not only from the tanin, but also from the caffeine—which is a diuretic.

Nowadays, at work, we have full-on ground coffee x 3 in the morning, an Earl Grey after lunch, and generally Rooibos (Red Bush) tea in the afternoon. We're much happier for it too—as there's no caffeine and trace tanin in Rooibos.

But then, I get home and kill all that by having a 'super strength' Yorkshire tea to unwind with!

We're pretty much well into our tea and coffee at work. In fact, pretty obsessive about it. We've got the 'summer' stock in at the mo—peppermints, camomile, nettle, honey etc.

All fantastic anti-oxidants (great after a weekend of barbecues and booze) and also very refreshing.

I suffer from Reflux disorder (bad tum!), and Peppermint tea is FANTASTIC for sorting the digestive system.



So obsessive are we, that water for our tea is ALWAYS boiled from fresh (to ensure there's oxygen in the water) and we ALWAYS pour the water into the tea over the back of a spoon—to cool the water slightly so it doesn't over-heat the tea and make it bitter!

Tell me, we're OCD arent' we?

..i drink from a morrocan tea glass..ooooooh!

the fresh tea shop is only a minute walk from where i work...i would recommend green dragon green tea (fresh from the little strainers you can buy) 5 minutes to stew...superb...

very good for you too...4 cups a day keeps just about everything away apparently...im also quite partial to green tea with orange blossom too...

the morrocan orange tea i drink looks like flat tizer once its prepared...

seige wrote:All fantastic anti-oxidants (great after a weekend of barbecues and booze) and also very refreshing.

I suffer from Reflux disorder (bad tum!), and Peppermint tea is FANTASTIC for sorting the digestive system.

I think we've discovered the source of your reflux problem, Mr. Jones!

Actually, onions or fatty stuff hit me worse than booze

seige wrote:One of the main reasons that Milk is added to tea is that tea is high in tannin (which in it's raw state would dehydrate your mouth—like 'tanning' leather!!!!). The milk proteins are attacked in the cup, by the tannin, meaning there's less tannin to attack the protein in your mouth!

Adding milk is a traditional thing, and I would assume that this is a good reason!

That is very interesting! I never knew EXACTLY how the tannins effected your mouth that way, but now I do!

TOO MUCH BLACK tea without milk CAN cause de-hydration. Not only from the tanin, but also from the caffeine—which is a diuretic.

I ADDED something to your statement Altough tea IS a diuretic, it also has hydrating properties.

...and generally Rooibos (Red Bush) tea in the afternoon. We're much happier for it too—as there's no caffeine and trace tanin in Rooibos.

There is a mixture of herbs called "foxtrot", named after the dance, it's comprised of rooibos, mint, and chamomile... three of the most relaxing tisanes, and it's smell/flavour are not unlike a peppermint-patty!

We're pretty much well into our tea and coffee at work. In fact, pretty obsessive about it. We've got the 'summer' stock in at the mo—peppermints, camomile, nettle, honey etc.

Just to correct you (I'm sure you knew this, but it bugs the hell outta me), these things are NOT teas! Tea comes from the scientific name "thea sinensis" which is a drink made from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, and those drinks do not come from that plant, hence they would be called a "tisane" which is french for "herbal infusion".

So obsessive are we, that water for our tea is ALWAYS boiled from fresh (to ensure there's oxygen in the water) and we ALWAYS pour the water into the tea over the back of a spoon—to cool the water slightly so it doesn't over-heat the tea and make it bitter!

Tell me, we're OCD arent' we?

Not too OCD I use a thermometer and stand over the kettle waiting for the water to become the EXACT right temp for the tea that I'm making. This is my tea collection... I have alot more now tho.

Wow, you are almost MORE OCD than we are!

Yea, I get your point about the stuff not being teas... perhaps I should have said 'infusions'. But, in roundabout terms, anything brewed with hot water gets labelled a tea... i.e. nettle tea.

And yeah, tea is quite refreshing, but like I said, it *can* cause dehydration. But, what the heck, we love it!

Thanks for the corrections and further insight!

Well... I've found tea to be so much more refreshing than SODA and things of the like... and you can't help but love the fact that it's so good for you! People tend to only drink green tea for health (at least over here in america that's what they do, it's like an alternative medicine)... only because the majority of health studies thus far have only BEEN on green tea (probably because of the Chinese's lore surounding it) and have proved it to be good for you, but as I've said numerous times, all tea comes from the same plant, and while there ARE slight veriations- most teas have close to the same healthful properties.

The thing about teas caffeine that sets it apart from things like soda and coffee is that it has caffeine which stimulates your mind, but it also tends to relax your body, this is because the caffeine in tea is water soluble so your body digests it easily and passes through your system (much faster than coffee). This brings a quick, tangible feeling of relief and relaxation. On the other hand, caffeine in coffee/soda is not water soluble so it stays in your system longer keeping you awake well into the night, not as effective relaxing agent.