Tuesday TeaDay 11/03/09 Cool, cooler, coolest?

[leiche2]

I've left my tea to cool--ideally, I like it warm, just this side of hot--and forgotten about it so often that I've developed an appreciation for room temperature tea. Some blacks get very tannin-heavy on the tongue when cold, though, and I either gulp those down and make a face or chuck 'em.

Not enough tea so far. Just getting back into the swing of things after a hectic period of test prep and Halloween-related activities.

[bronzebed]

i rarely let it get too cool but on the off occasion that i get distracted, i will drink the tea cool.

nd: organic cinnamon assam

[Chip]

This will happen with later steeps, and therefore they are usually as good as hot anyway. Now a first steep of fukamushi that sat for a few hours, that might not be so good, but I tend to not let that happen.

[beckynoel]

It's even a bit hard for me to throw out totally spent leaves lol. Something about it feels wrong. I wish there was some use for them

Compost them! That's what I do. Or, if you don't have a practical place for a compost pile, just dump them in your garden. That way their nutrients can enrich your plants as much as those spent leaves have enriched your taste buds!

[Chip]

Great TD so far, beginning with Yutaka Midori from O-Cha with DW. Then a tasting of Zencha's Takumi.

At least one steep of each had cooled to room temp, and it was still very enjoyable.

Next up ... ?

[AdamMY]

always drink up!

[braven]

I usually like my real teas just below scalding, so it gives your throat a nice hot sensation. When it gets cold, I will drink it. You can catch me icing my rooibos often though. Right now I'm looking forward to buying some more tea as I only have a bit more.

[RachelC]

you have heard of alcohol abuse and well, the same applies to tea IMO. Must drink it even if it is cold.

[Drax]

Cooled, perhaps. Cold, usually not. Some teas lose way too much once they are RT. I usually give it a tentative sip and then decide from there.

Today, perhaps, I would have taken cold tea over what I actually had, which was no tea. Hrm. I've switched to a new schedule, and now it's either get up at 4:30am to enjoy some tea, or have tea at 6pm at night, and run the danger of not getting to sleep. Hrm.........

[clareandromeda]

gyo usually gets cold a little too fast but I would never throw it away@!

[depravitea]

It's even a bit hard for me to throw out totally spent leaves lol. Something about it feels wrong. I wish there was some use for them

Compost them! That's what I do. Or, if you don't have a practical place for a compost pile, just dump them in your garden. That way their nutrients can enrich your plants as much as those spent leaves have enriched your taste buds!

A great idea, but winter lasts about 8 months out here, and I don't have a garden

[Ebtoulson]

It's even a bit hard for me to throw out totally spent leaves lol. Something about it feels wrong. I wish there was some use for them

Compost them! That's what I do. Or, if you don't have a practical place for a compost pile, just dump them in your garden. That way their nutrients can enrich your plants as much as those spent leaves have enriched your taste buds!

You also need to keep in mind that the leaves add a certain acidity to ground. Some plants love this acidity, but other do not.

[beckynoel]

You also need to keep in mind that the leaves add a certain acidity to ground. Some plants love this acidity, but other do not.

I've read that tea leaves have no more acidity in them than regular dead leaves, which are good for composting too. But you're right, some plant will not tolerate any acidity.

A great idea, but winter lasts about 8 months out here, and I don't have a garden

That makes me really sad!!

[Dreamer]

Maybe, I'll drink it cold and maybe I'll heat it up and maybe I'll chuck it.
Black teas at work tend to get reheated in the microwave (yuck!). Mostly at home I just drink whatever is in my cup at whatever temp it is.

I just realized that so far today I've had no "real" tea only Tulsi tea this morning ...too late for real tea now Oh well time to plan what to brew in the morning

Hey, Mrs. Chip, glad to hear you had some sunshine today...we had days and days of rain here last week and when the sun popped out over the weekend it was soooo appreciated! Rainy weather is weather for tea, but I need the sunshine

Enjoy,
Dreamer

[tea fish]

Yes, like Victoria, Mrs. C, and CynTEAa I too often enjoy tea when it's cooler. I find that cooler tea is especially good when it's a later infusion of oolong. Hot, the fifth infusion of a standard oolong will start to taste insipid, but when I let it cool a bit I'm able to detect nuances in the tea that get lost when it's hot. This surprised me the first time I noticed it. But now I think...not too hot, not too cold, just right!