Friday TeaDay 1/30/09 It is in the bag, the teabag?

[silvermage2000]

I put specialty store brand though I do drink sometimes for the gr brands and the other ones to. Today I had a cup of lupica carol a strawberry vanilla tea. It was not artifical tasting like strawberry milk though.

If the teas taste good enough to me. I don't have problems with teabags.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

The best tea bag that I remember was the sencha teabag that comes with the Den's sampler pack. Second place was a cheap box of peppermint "tea" bags that I used to get in the specialty food section at Wegmans. It was just peppermint leaf, but it didn't taste stale and they didn't add anything to it beyond the peppermint like many of the other tea companies do.

I started today with some Casablanca Twist and am now enjoying some Yutaka Midori.

[Chip]

and am now enjoying some Yutaka Midori.

... cutting open my bag shortly ...

[Victoria]

and am now enjoying some Yutaka Midori.

... cutting open my bag shortly ...

10:19 Removed from the fridge

2:43 An update - opening soon.

I guess there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony,
followed by a moment of silence.

Will you actually drink it today, or does it need to breathe?
Shall we stay tuned?

In my cup this afternoon - Silver needle white tea scented with rose buds from TeaCuppa, following a mental suggestion planted by vulture earlier today.

[daughteroftheKing]

As has been written in several threads, teabags are the gateway drug for this tea obsession of ours. So I can't totally turn up my nose at bags .
And just about the time I get ready to clean out 2 cookie tins filled with various bags, some hostess asks me to bring the teabags for some luncheon.

Bigelow's Constant Comment is still one of my favorite tastes from my BL ("Before Leaf") days and some of Stash's various Chais and their White Christmas.

Today has been a bad tea day for me. This A.M. found a little bag in the back of the cupboard of "Formosa Oolong Fancy" (written by a sharpee on the ziplock, from a local shop). Now I know why I'd forgotten about it. Hot didn't taste too horrible, but the smell was bad, and on ice it was just plain awful. Those few remaining leaves are headed for the compost bin.
Then lunch at a restaurant, I was hoping for a nice, clean tasting glass of brewed iced tea but instead got overly-strong tea that had to have been sitting in their cooler for a day or two.

I need to go brew up something nice. Claris, you gave me a good idea. Adagio's Jasmine Pearls (loose) is one of my very favorite teas. If you like scented or floral teas, it's worth getting the sample tin. Welcome to TeaChat!

[Drax]

I guess there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony,
followed by a moment of silence.

I would love to see the pictures.

I guess it's got to come up to room temperature before exposing to our harsh atmosphere. Oh poor little tea, hot water looms in your future!

[Chip]

I guess there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony,
followed by a moment of silence.

I would love to see the pictures.

I guess it's got to come up to room temperature before exposing to our harsh atmosphere. Oh poor little tea, hot water looms in your future!

The leaf has reached room temp.
It is time ...

Anyone who drinks Japanese greens direct from the "motherland," complete with their fancy fanfare decorated bags would know, the bag cutting is the ribbon cutting. Followed by many oooo's and ahhhh's as the YM dry leaf aroma fills the room

... beyond that, you will have to stay tuned.

[Pentox]

and am now enjoying some Yutaka Midori.

... cutting open my bag shortly ...

Lol the suspense on your bag o' YM. o.O

[Drax]

Looks like you've even got an "asa no hi" pattern tablecloth?

Oooh, aaaah!

[Chip]

Looks like you've even got an "asa no hi" pattern tablecloth?

Oooh, aaaah!

Stolen from Kevin of O-Cha ... I do not think he will mind in this case!

[Intuit]

I used to buy peppermint 'tea'bags at the grocery store, until I added up the cost one day and realized I might as well buy the makings in bulk and save some bucks. I purchased a giant bag of high-grade organic peppermint, 3 lbs (the minimum that could be purchased) for a measily $7.00 I brew it up in MiniMinute teabags (box of 1000, 30 bucks, CoffeeAM.com) or in my Chantal Serv-A-Tea teapot with infuser.

Voila! Good grade peppermint tea for a tiny fraction of the cost of grocery store floor sweepings grade teabags (eg., Safeway Select Peppermint tea, 24 bags @ $3.79 on sale).

In the cup: Makaibari Fair Trade Organic FTGFOP1 2nd Flush.
Highly over-rated 2008 crop.

[murrius]

I recently purposely sampled O-Cha's Uji Sencha Teabags ........ I take them to restuarants mostly, because I still need a reason to use a bag. I usually do 2 hot steeps then throw it in my ice water for a good cold 3rd steep.

Wow, that 3rd steep in the cold water at a restaurant idea is fantastic. I think you just enriched my life!

[Chip]

I recently purposely sampled O-Cha's Uji Sencha Teabags ........ I take them to restuarants mostly, because I still need a reason to use a bag. I usually do 2 hot steeps then throw it in my ice water for a good cold 3rd steep.

Wow, that 3rd steep in the cold water at a restaurant idea is fantastic. I think you just enriched my life!

Yes, I tend to do that to TeaPeeps

The YM bag was cut ... more to come ...

[murrius]

Twinings Orange Pekoe springs to mind. I haven't drank it for a while but I still remember it as a peak in my early tea days in the mid 1970's. Yes, that was before the advent of flight. I foolishly stopped drinking tea for 30 years but thankfully I am back. I will happily drink either loose or bagged tea these days but, given my Japanese green tea obsession, I mostly drink loose tea now.

Fukamushi sencha Maki this morning and, I think, a brisk Irish Breakfast this evening. I know, ironic, isn't it.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

The YM bag was cut ... more to come ...

I don't know if we can take the suspense any more, Chip.....I think most of us are on the edge of our seats waiting for the official first tasting of the new bag.