The Great Tea Experiment - Teh Forum

<body> <div id="header"> <span class="left"> <span class="back"><a href="lthread_list.php?webtag=DEFAULT"><span class="image mobile_back" title="Back"></span></a></span> <span class="image mobile_logo" title="Beehive Forum Logo"></span> </span> <ul> <li> <a class="reply_all" href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.0&return_msg=41209.1"> <span class="image mobile_reply_all"></span><span class="text">Reply to All</span> </a> </li> <li> <a class="navigation" href="#"> <span class="image mobile_navigation"></span><span class="text">Show messages</span> </a> </li> <li> <a class="main" href="#"><span class="image mobile_menu" title="Menu"></span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="menu main"> <ul> <li><a href="lthread_list.php?webtag=DEFAULT">Messages</a></li> <li><a href="lpm.php?webtag=DEFAULT">Inbox</a></li> <li><a href="lsearch.php?webtag=DEFAULT">Search</a></li> <li><a href="llogon.php?webtag=DEFAULT">Login</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="menu navigation"><a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1">1–10</a><a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.11">11–20</a>…<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.251">251–256</a></div> <div id="page_content"> <h3 class="thread_title"><a href="index.php?webtag=DEFAULT&amp;msg=41209.1">The Great Tea Experiment</a> </h3> <div id="messages" data-navigation="41209_1_256_10"> <a name="a41209_1"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_1"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: fixrman<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 12:43</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: ALL<span class="message_count">1 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> So I said, in an off-topic post in another thread that I suddenly feel the urge (due to the nature of aforementioned thread) to go on a Tea Kick. Love the stuff, truly.<br /><br /> So this AM at 06:01 I rinses out and fills the kettle with clear, cool water, making sure to aerate it as is necessary. Oxygemated water makes better tea. Wich brings me to a different question: what is more common over there, electric or natural gas (propane, maybe?) ranges? call them Hobs, or AGAs? I know an AGA is a high-end model because of Rachel Allen on PBS (mesmerised by that one, makes my knees weak).<br /><br /> Right, back to the tea. I remember and know why Americans take the lazy way out with tea. It takes too damn long! Especially when an American idiot fills the tea kettle up with enough water to provide tea for Downton Abbey, staff not included. Anyway, because of my love for cooking shows, I know that adding a liberal amount of salt will lower the boiling point and hasten the boil, so... no, I am not that dumb. It won't make it boil THAT much faster. <G><br /><br /> Anyway, so I wait, and wait and wait - I mean, why waste water by dumping it out? Perhaps daughter will have partially heated water later for oatmeal. So twenty minutes later (I also leave the heat a bit lower on this electric to not scorch the porcelain bottom of the kettle) it is ready! I hotten the cup first and discard the water, quickly insert two bags in the big cup and pour. Immediate reward of that sweet, black tea odour (note proper spelling, well, English anyway). I let it steep probably a bit longer than I should have but it was worth it. A nice cuppa, even though I should have put the milk into another cup and poured the tea into. Actually grandmum explained the milk first custom was to protect the fine bone china, but it is traditional and seems to make the tea taste better.<br /><br /> Had I been drinking more than one I probably would have used the teapot, should have actually. I prefer tea that way.<br /><br /> I don't know if I will fully change from coffee because I do like coffee. But I also like tea and it is gentler on the stomach, mine being bigger than it ought to be anyway is a Good Thing™ . <p>I read on the box that tea is full of flavonoids and coffee has none (doubt it) and drinking tea, according to Lipton, somehow helps the environment. So I will drink tea especially to piss off the Liberals who may not know how it helps the environment but it will annoy them that I am going against my seemingly total Republican leanings.</p> </div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.1&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.1"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_2"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_2"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: ANT_THOMAS<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 12:56</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: fixrman <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 24 Sep 2014 01:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">2 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.2">41209.2</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_1" target="_self">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> In general if you have a gas hob it will be natural gas (methane) that is piped to the house. Many people have electric hobs but there's a few forms - solid rings, spiral rings, halogen, induction etc.<br /><br /> I personally have a gas hob.<br /><br /> I have an electric kettle - this one:<br /><img alt="" src="http://tesco.scene7.com/is/image/tesco/210-8228_PI_TPS1246139?wid=493&ht=538" style="width:250px;height:250px;" /><br /> At work we have a hot water "geyser" which is a box on the wall with a tap that gives boiling water on demand.<br /><br /> This reminds me, time to make a brew. At work it's just PG Tips.</div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.2&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.2"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_3"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_3"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: 99% of gargoyles look like (MR_BASTARD)<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 12:56</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: fixrman <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 24 Sep 2014 01:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">3 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.3">41209.3</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_1" target="_self">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> We have a gas stove, but plug-in electrical kettle. TBH, I'm not sure how common the old style kettles are these days. If they take 20 minutes to come to the boil I can't imagine that many people use them. I add enough water for just over a mug, and it boils in well less than 5 minutes.</div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.3&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.3"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_4"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_4"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: ANT_THOMAS<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 13:00</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: 99% of gargoyles look like (MR_BASTARD) <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 23 Sep 2014 20:25"></span></span> <span class="message_count">4 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.4">41209.4</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_3" target="_self">41209.3</a></div> <div class="message_body"> I saw something the other day saying that over-filling the kettle costs UK households about £70million a year.<br /><br /> Sounds like loads but it's basically a pound per person per year. I'm happy to pay a pound a year to not give a shit how much I put in (obviously I don't fill it to the top, that would be madness).</div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.4&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.4"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_5"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_5"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: milko<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 13:03</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: fixrman <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 24 Sep 2014 01:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">5 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.5">41209.5</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_1" target="_self">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> I don't think you need to overcomplicate things and take so long unless you really enjoy the ritual - and there's nothing wrong with that if so. But for instance do you bother warming the cup up first when you're making a mug of coffee? I actually do with my espresso machine as part of the prep, but I don't bother for tea.<br /><br /> Over here we usually (like 99.9% I bet) have electric kettles that plug into a wall outlet nowadays. Fill 'em with enough water, boil it up, pour it on some tea. Tea from a pot does taste better in my view, but its a bit of a faff for one cup. Lucy had his technique <em>down</em> for making it in a cup with a teabag, something about stirring the bag a lot and getting it all done quickly rather than letting it sit there for too long. That kind of thing can be all sorts of personal preference anyway.</div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.5&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.5"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_6"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_6"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: Drew (X3N0PH0N)<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 15:30</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: fixrman <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 24 Sep 2014 01:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">6 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.6">41209.6</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_1" target="_self">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> I do not ascribe to the milk in first nonsense, one should add a <em>tiny drop</em> of milk at the end (with very black teas).<br /><br /> And I agree with Milko/his friend. Don't bother with a pot for one, it just gives the tea too much opportunity to go cold. Hotter tea is better tea. Use a teabag, in a cup and squeeze and stir that shit senseless for 1 few seconds to get all the goodness out.<br /><br /> My favourite tea is Ceylon but I usually just drink supermarket own-brand tea which is good and strong. Darjeeling's nice when one's in the mood for slightly flavoured water. Assam and Earl Grey are evil.<br /><br /> Also use an electric kettle. None of this kettle on a gas hob like some sort of fucking <em>caveman</em>.<div class="edit_text">EDITED: 23 Sep 2014 15:31 by X3N0PH0N</div> </div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.6&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.6"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_7"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_7"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: Drew (X3N0PH0N)<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 15:34</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: fixrman <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 24 Sep 2014 01:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">7 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.7">41209.7</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_1" target="_self">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> Also, for future reference and because this is one of those things that you colonials get wrong...<br /><br /> This is oatmeal:<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Oatmeal.jpg" style="width:300px;height:290px;" /><br /><br /><strong>This</strong> is porridge:<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://naturalhealthandbeauty.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/porridge3.jpeg" style="width:300px;height:199px;" /></div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.7&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.7"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_8"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_8"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: koswix<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 17:15</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: fixrman <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 24 Sep 2014 01:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">8 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.8">41209.8</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_1" target="_self">41209.1</a></div> <div class="message_body"> >>Anyway, because of my love for cooking shows, I know that adding a liberal amount of salt will lower the boiling point and hasten the boil<br /> <br /> I think you need to start watching a higher quality of cooking show. </div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.8&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.8"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_9"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_9"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 18:36</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: koswix <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 23 Sep 2014 18:43"></span></span> <span class="message_count">9 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.9">41209.9</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_8" target="_self">41209.8</a></div> <div class="message_body"> I know that ketchup eliminates the need for making sauces.</div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.9&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.9"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> </div> </div><a name="a41209_10"></a><div class="message" id="message_41209_10"> <div class="message_header"> <div class="message_from"> From: Serg (NUKKLEAR)<span class="message_time">23 Sep 2014 20:16</span> <div class="clearer"></div> </div><div class="message_to">To: Drew (X3N0PH0N) <span><span class="image post_read" title="Read: 23 Sep 2014 21:03"></span></span> <span class="message_count">10 of 256</span><div class="clearer"></div> </div> </div> <div class="message_links"> <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.10">41209.10</a> In reply to <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=DEFAULT&msg=41209.1#a41209_6" target="_self">41209.6</a></div> <div class="message_body"> Lapsang Souchong <span class="emoticon e_dance" title="(dance)"><span class="e__">(dance)</span></span> (but honestly, I love that sh!t, or some gunpowder green tea with mint, Moroccan style)</div> <div class="message_footer"> <div class="message_footer_links"><a href="lpost.php?webtag=DEFAULT&reply_to=41209.10&return_msg=41209.1" class="reply"><span class="image post"></span>Reply</a></div> <div class="message_vote_form" data-msg="41209.10"> <span class="rating">0/0</span> <span class="image vote vote_down vote_down_off" title="Vote Down"></span> <span class="image vote vote_up vote_up_off" title="Vote Up"></span> </div> 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