Could well be off topic: better tea

Yes, get a 'proper' teapot and 'proper' tea, and a strainer.

Having said that, it's very difficult to find a decent teapot these
days. To do it's job properly, a teapot must:
1) Pour properly without dripping
2) Have a combination of a baffle and a spout so designed that the
contents don't come charging out of the spout every time you pick up
the pot when it is full.
3) A lid that doesn't fall into the cup as your pour out the last of
the contents.
4) Less importantly, it can be convenient if it allows a hand in to
clean the inside, but these days you probably won't be able to find a
teapot spout brush either!

If you find a model that has all these good qualities, either buy five
of them, or treasure the one that you do buy, because when you break
it, you won't find another!

Decent strainers are getting hard to find as well.

Put the tea-leaves on the compost heap.

On Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:21:07 +0100, Nick wrote:

Use loose tea Bill. Seriously, I used teabags for years then tried PG
Tips loose tea - it's so much better.

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"Ian Jackson" wrote in
message ...
: In message , Jerry
: writes
:
snip
:
: Why not just use two tea bags....oh hang on, Bill's from
: Yorkshire!
:
: You get two good cups of tea out of one teabag of 'Yorkshire
Gold' tea,
: made by Taylors of Harrogate. It speeds things up if you put
the second
: cup (having been filled with boiling water and with teabag in)
in a
: microwave oven for about 40 seconds. Whatever their other
faults, those
: Yorkshiremen do seem to know a thing or two about tea.

I think that you missed the original comment about using
*one-cup* teabags, unless otherwise stated teabags have almost
always been good for two cups or good to average tea - on a blend
for blend measure [1] - OTOH 'one cup' bags are meant for exactly
what it says on the tin!

[1] for someone who is used to Co-op 99 tea a single PG-tips
teabag will probably be good for about 20 cups! G,D&R
--
Regards, Jerry.
Location - United Kingdom.
In the first instance please reply to group, sorry,
Emails to this address are deleted unread.

Perhaps I should have added: "As evidenced as long ago as the '80s in
Ben Elton's 'The Ministry Of Crap Design' sketch"

On Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:55:00 +0100, Java Jive
wrote:

Having said that, it's very difficult to find a decent teapot these
days.

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"Bill Wright" wrote in message
...
If you have to make two cups or mugs of tea, get one 'one cup' teabag and
hold it in a spoon. Make a small hole in the middle of the top surface of
the bag. Pour the boiling water slowly onto the teabag (which is still on
the spoon) putting about half a cupful into each cup, then do it again so
you have gone cup 1, cup 2, cup 1, cup 2. You have to pour slowly so the
water goes into the bag and doesn't just flow over its surface. The hole
helps air escape from the bag. The results are wonderful. The tea tastes
much fresher than normal, without being weak, and there is a doubling of
economy.

Bill


I use a tea pot with one bag and get at least 4 cups out of it...

In article , Bill Wright wrote:
If you have to make two cups or mugs of tea, get one 'one cup' teabag and
hold it in a spoon. Make a small hole in the middle of the top surface of
the bag. Pour the boiling water slowly onto the teabag (which is still on
the spoon) putting about half a cupful into each cup, then do it again so
you have gone cup 1, cup 2, cup 1, cup 2. You have to pour slowly so the
water goes into the bag and doesn't just flow over its surface. The hole
helps air escape from the bag. The results are wonderful. The tea tastes
much fresher than normal, without being weak, and there is a doubling of
economy.

I might give this a try, but then since I'm currently using Tesco's special
anniversary edition Captian Scott Extra Strong teabags, one of which will
make a half pint mug of wonderfully strong tea by normal methods, it might
be necessary to exercise care.

Are you sure it didn't just taste different because it was nearly four
o'clock in the morning?

Rod.
--
Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/

In article , Paul Ratcliffe
writes
On Sun, 2 Aug 2009 03:55:15 +0100, Bill Wright
wrote:

If you have to make two cups or mugs of tea, get one 'one cup' teabag and
hold it in a spoon. Make a small hole in the middle of the top surface of
the bag. Pour the boiling water slowly onto the teabag (which is still on
the spoon) putting about half a cupful into each cup, then do it again so
you have gone cup 1, cup 2, cup 1, cup 2. You have to pour slowly so the
water goes into the bag and doesn't just flow over its surface. The hole
helps air escape from the bag. The results are wonderful. The tea tastes
much fresher than normal, without being weak, and there is a doubling of
economy.

Or you could just use a teapot. It needs to be clean of course, as do the
drinking receptacles, otherwise the taste is off.

Wurr!

I have been 'instructed' in our household, that the teapot's patina is a
crucial element in the process of obtaining the 'right' taste. Tea is
almost always made in a device with a spout, and, since there is but a
solitary tea drinker, there is usually half a pot 'left over.' I do
what I'm told.

The Amaryllis plants are the biggest beneficiaries of this process.
Apparently no amount of cold tea is too much, and the one in the biggest
pot now boasts eight leaves. It has recently developed a smug look. I am
now watching it closely, in case some carnivorous mutation has occurred,
but I still have high hopes of five or more trumpets simultaneously
appearing around mid-winter.

The second biggest beneficiaries are the fruit flies that live in the
Amaryllis' compost. The advantage they gain is but temporary, however,
since they are subject to Apocalypse-now-and-then, in the form of a
'Raid' spray. Natural selection (apparently) now means we are largely
left with a breed which is excellent at skulking on the ceiling and up
the folds of the dining room curtains, out of reach of the aerosol. I
will, however, happily tolerate that if it means they no longer invade
our meals.

The spiders that inhabit the corners of the windowsill are likewise
happy, insofar as I can ascertain, since they are tolerant of 'Raid'
(apparently), and seem to appreciate such opportunistic snacks as the
less aerobatic fruit flies might offer them.

As for the taste of the tea, which is the input to the process, I have
no idea what that might be since I never drink the vile stuff. I am
content with whatever causes no complaints, however.

Nature is always in delicate balance.
--
SimonM
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In article en.co.uk,
Roderick Stewart writes

I'm currently using Tesco's special anniversary edition Captian Scott
Extra Strong teabags

Hmm. Didn't the original market for those dry up rather suddenly?

I'd be somewhat cautious, especially if they then announce some special
combo-pack together with "Breakfast Oates."
--
SimonM
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In article , SpamTrapSeeSig
wrote:
I'm currently using Tesco's special anniversary edition Captian Scott
Extra Strong teabags

Hmm. Didn't the original market for those dry up rather suddenly?

I'd be somewhat cautious, especially if they then announce some special
combo-pack together with "Breakfast Oates."

I'm just going outside for some now. I might be some time...

Rod.
--
Virtual Access V6.3 free usenet/email software from
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtual-access/

"SpamTrapSeeSig" wrote in message
. ..
In article , Paul Ratcliffe
writes
On Sun, 2 Aug 2009 03:55:15 +0100, Bill Wright

wrote:

If you have to make two cups or mugs of tea, get one 'one cup' teabag
and
hold it in a spoon. Make a small hole in the middle of the top surface
of
the bag. Pour the boiling water slowly onto the teabag (which is still
on
the spoon) putting about half a cupful into each cup, then do it again
so
you have gone cup 1, cup 2, cup 1, cup 2. You have to pour slowly so the
water goes into the bag and doesn't just flow over its surface. The hole
helps air escape from the bag. The results are wonderful. The tea tastes
much fresher than normal, without being weak, and there is a doubling of
economy.

Or you could just use a teapot. It needs to be clean of course, as do the
drinking receptacles, otherwise the taste is off.

Wurr!

I have been 'instructed' in our household, that the teapot's patina is a
crucial element in the process of obtaining the 'right' taste. Tea is
almost always made in a device with a spout, and, since there is but a
solitary tea drinker, there is usually half a pot 'left over.' I do what
I'm told.
..

Is yours a sea-going family?
I recall being told that there is a superstition regarding not
washing the tea-pot in the RN.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

: Why not just use two tea bags....oh hang on, Bill's from
: Yorkshire!
:
: You get two good cups of tea out of one teabag of 'Yorkshire
Gold' tea,
: made by Taylors of Harrogate. It speeds things up if you put
the second
: cup (having been filled with boiling water and with teabag in)
in a
: microwave oven for about 40 seconds. Whatever their other
faults, those
: Yorkshiremen do seem to know a thing or two about tea.

I think that you missed the original comment about using
*one-cup* teabags, unless otherwise stated teabags have almost
always been good for two cups or good to average tea - on a blend
for blend measure [1] - OTOH 'one cup' bags are meant for exactly
what it says on the tin!

[1] for someone who is used to Co-op 99 tea a single PG-tips
teabag will probably be good for about 20 cups! G,D&R
--
Regards, Jerry.
Location - United Kingdom.
In the first instance please reply to group, sorry,
Emails to this address are deleted unread.

Perhaps this would be a good time to ask about the "one for the pot" rule,
as I have never understood it. It seems so unscientific, as the extra
spoonful or bag will obviously have progressively less impact on
the infusion as the basic amount of tea and corresponding amount
of water increases.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%