What makes a great cup of tea

[Rochey]

Teapot usage is encouraged. Always warm the teapot before putting the tea and new hot water in. the thermal shock of a cold teapot will ruin good tea. The same goes for those of us who make tea on a cup by cup basis.

I'm a big fan of Yorkshire tea. I buy it in catering bags of 600 bags at a time.

That is the danger of working from home.

 

[JohnRoberts]

The best way to a decent cup of tea... and multiple of them...

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515821055&sr=8-1&keywords=Cuisinart+CPK-17+PerfecTemp+1.7-Liter+Stainless+Steel+Cordless+Electric+Kettle

Seriously. This thing maintains whatever exact temperature of water you need for 30 minutes after the boil

I have a terrible habit of starting the kettle and wandering off and getting distracted. This Kettle solves that, for at least half an hour.

That looks fancy... I used to keep a kettle on the stove top on low heat so it there was always hot water handy. These days I use a cheap electric kettle (mainly for making my pour over pot of morning coffee), but later for tea time, I pour the extra boiled water into a thermos that keeps it usable to make extra cups for hours. The electric kettle has an automatic cut off after boiling.

While I was in the army, (in the field), I got into the habit of drinking coffee black, and that habit has stayed with me.  I even have a theory about this that I call my "unified theory about psychoactive beverages". People often must condition themselves to tolerate the less than immediately desirable flavor notes of cheap beer and strong coffee for the alcohol buzz or caffeine jolt. Cream (milk) and sugar are often added to coffee/tea to ameliorate sharp flavor notes. I have seen all kinds of stuff mixed into beer to presumably make it more palatable.  :

My observation over decades of research is that quality beverages do not need "enhancement", and can stand alone.  8)

JR

PS: It is kind of redundant to add milk "and" sugar, since milk has sugar in it (lactose). I make kefir (similar to yogurt) where milk is fermented converting the lactose, to lactic acid and other stuff...

 

[madswitcher]

As always with the Brits, there is a British Standard with instructions on how to make a cup of tea.  I refer of course to BS 6008:1980, and  ISO 3103-1980

The actual standard document will cost you £102, but you can probably find most of the important details here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3103

Happy drinking

Mike

 

[okgb]

Yup , we just bought that kettle because it has different temperatures for different teas
[ white ,  green, oolong ]  a little pricey but we like it !

 

[ungifted]

As it was mentioned China have great tea tradition: pay attention to their tea culture. If you like coffee Pu erh can give you speсial "tea condition" or even "tea drunkenness", there's much info in the web about puerh boom.  Good puerh tea factories: Menghai Dayi (Taetea group), Haiwan, Xiaguan Tuocha Tea (Group) , Cofco group (China Tea) etc.
It's really interesting game, all these types of tea: red (western black) tea, white tea, green tea, yellow tea etc. Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao, Jin Jun Mei

 

[efinque]

While I was in the army, (in the field), I got into the habit of drinking coffee black, and that habit has stayed with me.

I developed a bad coffee drinking habit in the army too.. the mugs were 0,5L. We used to call it motor oil.

As for the tea one option would be to use a samovar.

 

[JohnRoberts]

As it was mentioned China have great tea tradition: pay attention to their tea culture. If you like coffee Pu erh can give you speсial "tea condition" or even "tea drunkenness", there's much info in the web about puerh boom.  Good puerh tea factories: Menghai Dayi (Taetea group), Haiwan, Xiaguan Tuocha Tea (Group) , Cofco group (China Tea) etc.
It's really interesting game, all these types of tea: red (western black) tea, white tea, green tea, yellow tea etc. Tieguanyin, Da Hong Pao, Jin Jun Mei

I tried white tea once but it seemed like just a more expensive variant green tea.  Sencha works fine for me when I'm needing some more greenness in my life.

I don't need many more beverage decisions in my life.

JR

PS: I already rest water before making my pour over coffee so reflexively rest the water for tea too... from google it looks like they recommend different temps for Chinese green tea and Japanese green.. (perhaps a WWII thing?  :  Actually hotter brew water removes more tannins or something like that affecting the aroma. Now i'm getting thirsty for a cuppa

 

[ruffrecords]

One of the best teas I ever had was in Helsinki. I visited a client there regularly in the 90s. In meetings they had those big insulated flasks with a spout and a button on the top you use to dispense hot drinks. As well as coffee they had what I was later told was Russian tea. It was wonderfully aromatic and tasted as good as it smelled. It was so good I drank it black - milk would have ruined the flavour. A few years back a neighbour told me he was going to Helsinki so I asked him if he could try to find me some Russian tea. He brought back a couple of different packs but neither tasted like the tea I had when I was there.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Rob Flinn]

PG Tips all the way.    I've been drinking it since I was a child & it came with the tea cards.  Somewhere around I still have (in the hope they will be worth a  fortune some day) some full sets of tea cards I collected.

I don't like the Yorkshire tea or Tetley so much, probably because  I'm a PG person !!

 

[ruffrecords]

I don't like the Yorkshire tea or Tetley so much, probably because  I'm a PG person !!

You little monkey!

Cheers

Ian

 

[Tubetec]

What an interesting diversion from the usual brewery chat ,
Here in ireland tea is big business ,were one of the top tea drinkers per head  on the planet.
Tea bags ,yuck ,havent done bag tea in years ,not only do they contain floor sweepings ,but the plasticised fibre and adhesive used to keep them together messes with my waterworks ,without being too crude about it I dont piss as freely when I drink tea made from bags .
If its just tea for one ,I'll usually make it in the cup leaves and all ,you do have to learn not  to swig down the last bit in the cup though ,what I really like about that method is the tea gains strenght as you drink it.
The usual 'scalding' of the the pot or cup with boiling water before making it definately helps the brew.
Interesting what Ian said about flask tea ,its quite a bit different to regular pot or cup brewed ,thermos flask ,a proper vacum glass one and you can have great cuppa up in the mountains or by the riverside . if you make it the standard way with milk added to the flask ,the hours at high temprature  kinda cooks the milk ,of course with leaves in the flask its going to brew up strong too .
Theres something very comforting about having a cup of your favorite brew away in a remote location , Ive heard similar things said about whiskey ,even a modeslty priced one away in a picturesque location often tastes better than high priced one at home .

I did get a gift box of chinese black tea from a good friend who's married to a chinesse girl , nice big leaves and very aromatic too . Comes hermetically sealed in foil packets and a cellophane inner bag to prevent oxidation ,doesnt need milk or sugar to counteract the tannins

And yeah the water you brew with makes a big difference too , untreated well water seems to be better than the flourine infused crap that comes out of the tap in populated areas .

They do say that civilisation as we know it couldnt have existed without tea ,course in the days before tea ,men women and children drank a kind of light beer as unboiled  water could make you very sick indeed.

In Ireland there is two big tea companies Lyons is probably the most popular ,but the local Barrys tea is the one most Cork people drink .

I did live away on the continent at one stage and what they pass off as tea there is pure p1ss water ,yellowy acrid and lacking balls in terms of flavour, no wonder Dave P has to get the proper stuff delivered . Id imagine the Northern English tea is more like what we have here.

I also suspect that the chemicals than end up in the mix when you brew from a bag arent good ,plastics leach crap into foods when heated ,then you have the adhesives used to glue the bag as well , in fact I'd challenge any die hard teabager to try loose leaf for a week and then go back and try the bagged variety afterwards , no comparison, for me at least.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

France is not big on tea; however we're so fussy about anything that goes into our gullet that we are overwhelmed with information  about tea, from several specialized vendors. There are so many different cultural paradigms that no universal rule can be really found.
In some regions of the world, tea is prepared in the morning and brewing all day, with water added to sweeten the tannins, and sometimes mixed with yak butter; in others, tea is served in three rounds, from extra-strong to extra-sweet. Russians like their tea outrageously flavoured (I like unflavoured tea) and over-brewed, bedouins drink it syrupy-sweet with mint leaves, there is no rule.
Typical French tea is made out of dusty tea bags, sewer water and much disdain from the waiter, who thinks you're a sissy, or worse, a foreigner.  ;D
A "perfect cuppa tea" is not a perfect cup of tea. The perfect cup of tea is culture-dependant, a "perfect cuppa tea" is paradigmal to British culture.
I'm one that is over-sensitive to caffeine and theobromine, so I drink tea only in the morning; the rest of the day I drink rooibos and/or honeybush.

 

[MagnetoSound]

Peppermint. My only regular alternative to 'builder's brew'. Made in a mug. If it's in bags, double them up because they are too weak. I have an infuser for this which is nice and big.

Agree about the loose leaf thing. Back in the day, it's what we all did. Somehow life became too demanding and convenience took over. I do regret it sometimes, although I don't miss the sink/bin management that comes with loose leaves.

There was a time too when Earl Grey, or an EG/Assam mix, was the order of the day. But I found that bergamot is addictive and I had to banish it forever. Times change ...

 

[Anthon]

I have a feeling, that the tea you buy at the supermarkets is nothing but some wood shavings with coloring and flavoring.
I mean, you dip it for 1 second in hot water, and it already becomes dark brown - this can't be right.

I guess if you want good tea, then you should buy it at an organic store.

My favorite tea, is home made green ice tea with citrus fruit:
Heat a pot of water to the point it's just too hot to put your hand in (otherwise the fruit will cook). Put some green tea, sliced lemon, oranges, grapefruit and sugar. Let it sit till it cools to room temperature. Then put it in the fridge and let it sit another 12-24 hours.

Perfect refreshing drink on a hot summer day.

In some regions of the world, tea is prepared in the morning and brewing all day, with water added to sweeten the tannins, and sometimes mixed with yak butter; in others, tea is served in three rounds, from extra-strong to extra-sweet. Russians like their tea outrageously flavoured (I like unflavoured tea) and over-brewed, bedouins drink it syrupy-sweet with mint leaves, there is no rule.
Typical French tea is made out of dusty tea bags, sewer water and much disdain from the waiter, who thinks you're a sissy, or worse, a foreigner.  ;D
A "perfect cuppa tea" is not a perfect cup of tea. The perfect cup of tea is culture-dependant, a "perfect cuppa tea" is paradigmal to British culture.
I'm one that is over-sensitive to caffeine and theobromine, so I drink tea only in the morning; the rest of the day I drink rooibos and/or honeybush.

Actually, in Russian prisons it is common for the inmates to brew 'chifir' - tea so strong, it has some narcotic effects.
A traditional way of drinking tea in Russia, is making 'zavarka' (very strong tea) in a small teapot, then dilute it with hot water boiled in a 'samovar'. They also often put condensed milk in the tea.

Every culture has its own way of making tea indeed.

 

[Timjag]

I must say, I have always been a PG tips man, everyone here should admire their design award winning pyramidal teabag, that supposedly allows tea to float freely almost as though it were loose leaf. Can't possibly be a gimmick  ;D

But recently I've been on clipper organic(yes the idea of Indian and Sri lanken tea plantations using organic fertiliser is eyebrow raising) and I've found it to taste like I remember PG tips tasting when I was a boy, I strongly recommend to all British posters of a certain age to o and try it, its astonishingly nostalgic

https://shop.clipper-teas.com/collections/everyday-tea/products/clipper-organic-everyday-tea-80-bag

That's the one should anyone care

Two to thee of those in a standard sized prewarmed tea pot for 4-6 minutes is wonderful. Water must be boiled in a kettle, electric is fine, but not the steamer on a espresso machine, it scolds the tea and leave it tannic and lacking flavour.

And don't forget the tea cosie 

 

[pucho812]

SSL makes a great cup of tea, they made me some at NAMM 8)

 

[efinque]

SSL makes a great cup of tea, they made me some at NAMM 8)

I believe they make great consoles too.

 

[peterc]

Shoot, you guys are hardcore.......

The best tea I ever had was in a restaurant, and it came in a silk bag? Delicious

There is a herbal tea from South Africa called Rooibos (Red Bush) which is very interesting. Tart, aromatic, I reckon about 1/4 of South Africans drink it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos

For all you guys looking for a new tea experience, check it out. Much healthier than normal tea.

Peter

 

[JohnRoberts]

I am far from a tea expert like you guys, but have been brewing with (premium?) loose tea for decades.  I mainly drink tea mid day during cold months (after finishing my morning coffee).

My recent purchase of green (sencha) and oolong (??) bumped the oolong up to top of my favorite tea list... I don't recall the oolong being that aromatic in the past.

Now I need to remember where I bought it and buy some more.  8)

JR

 

[pvision]

I think you're asking the wrong question - it should be who makes the best cup of tea?

My first credit on a record was as Nick T. Froome

Unlike JamesT. Kirk (middle name Tiberius) I don't have a middle initial of T - it was a credit for epic tea-making