Saturday TeaDay 5/8/10 Swanky tea or swanky food?

[Chip]

Welcome to TeaDay all day Saturday. I hope you can stop by often and share what is in your cup, see what everyone else is sipping and of course TeaChat. So, post what is in your cup throughout the day.

Remember, all are welcome to TeaDay, so newbies, this is a great spot to get to know fellow TeaChatters and for us to get to know you.

Today is the last day of the new member impromptu contest, see which new member with less than one year membership in TeaChat can post the most teas actually cupped in TeaDay.

Yesterday we discussed our tea rituals and ceremonies. Youcan still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. You are given a limited choice at a pretty swanky restaurant...do you choose Assam, Darjeeling, Keemun, non descript Chinese Oolong, Dragon Well, Sencha, Matcha blended with Kukicha...or do you ask the server to bring you water because you BYOT?

So, what do you do when you go out to eat...rely on house teas...or are you obsessed enough to bring your own leaf and ask for hot water?

Have a great TeaDay everyone...stop by often.

[debunix]

Slam dunk no-brainer: which of those is most likely to give a decent cup regardless of the skill of the person brewing it?

I can easily eliminate darjeeling and assam because I haven't yet come to terms with these teas no matter who is brewing them. And I would not trust even a very swank restaurant to get a green tea right.

I haven't yet started carrying my own tea, but someday I might. In the meantime, I seek out an herbal tea, because it's hard to screw up peppermint or chamomile.

[TubbyCow]

I either bring my own tea or just get a beer.

[karmaplace]

I actually usually have tea with me, but I haven't gotten to the point where I'll pull it out and drink it while I'm in a restaurant or coffee shop...either I don't order a beverage, or I'll order ice water or unsweetened iced tea with lemon and drink my own tea later.

I've had terrible green and black tea in places, so I voted nondescript oolong because I think that's usually what I've been given in Chinese restaurants, and I find it palatable.

[Victoria]

I always carry my own tea ... but only use if nothing but teabags are available. In this scenario, I would go with the Chinese oolong.

[laura99]

I usually have water, or maybe a glass of wine for dinner, when eating out. But if they offered loose leaf tea, I would try the oolong in this case.

I often meet my family for breakfast and usually just bring a travel mug of tea. Last week I brought a sencha teabag I received in Den's sampler pack, and it worked out pretty well.

[omegapd]

I can never turn down an Assam- and if the restaurant is swanky, I'd like to know that they could use fresh tea and boil water properly, too. Honestly, that would make or break the dinner for me...

[brlarson]

I've only been to one restaurant where I would order tea (Swan's Cafe) and I would order anything on their menu. Generally, I'm too picky about tea to order it at restaurants. This is a statement about how difficult it is to get good tea in restaurants in Boston and Cambridge.

IF I was at a swanky restaurant and needed some tea I would probably engage the tea sommelier to get a sense of what was good before I chose, and If I had to choose blind I think I'd pick oolong.

Takumi shincha for breakfast today. Mmmmm...

[pimli]

Chinese oolong, mostly because, blacks aside, it seems like the tea least likely for a restaurant to get completely wrong. Looks like this is the safe bet for many.

Last option had me going "Hmmm...." Well I haven't tried bringing my own tea with me when eating out yet. However, when I'm staying overnight at a friend's house I usually bring a small packet of formosa oolong or japanese greens with me. Having already 'accidentally left behind' the last time, or previously gifted my host with a small gaiwan or kyusu (and teacups!), I'd like to think this way I won't be tea-less for long. muahahahaha!

[Amaikokonut]

probabaly the oolong, but to be honest, if I was in a fancy restaurant I would be fussing more over the food than my drink. Generally when going out I'll just order water-- because it's cheap and doesn't risk mingling oddly with flavor of the food. I actually have a hard time drinking hot beverages with meals, now that I think of it.

Just woke up and for some reason, I'm not in the mood for my morning black tea, so I will have to figure out what I want this morning.

[debunix]

Generally when going out I'll just order water-- because it's cheap and doesn't risk mingling oddly with flavor of the food.

Good point. Mostly tea is offered with dessert and coffee at the end of the meal. And that's when I've had some of my best tea experiences, in restaurants swanky and not so swanky. A swanky restaurant meal that ended with a mint herbal tea and a raspberry dessert was memorable as much for that combination of mint and raspberry in my mouth as for the dishes that preceded it (my first mussels, swoon!). A cheap pizza place in Paris ended with lemony herbal tea that was way better than the pizza. And a turkish restaurant in Bend, Oregon included excellent food, but I mostly remember the green tea with mint and cardamom.

Hmmm.....maybe that's what I need for breakfast. Honey toast with green tea with mint and cardamom. I have been so happy with my recently ordered teas that I haven't felt any need to dress them up with spices, but this might be a good way to use up that random chinese green that was a gift.

[artmom]

Usually at swanky restaurants I drink cold water with lemon and/or wine. If I wished for tea, I'd go with the Chinese oolong.

Actually, I could ask for hot water, as I carry an emergency stash of excellent tea sachets in my oxygen bag! I don't embarrass easily, so I wouldn't hesitate to ask for the water if I really wanted a good cuppa'.

No tea yet today.

[karmaplace]

Haven't had any tea yet, I'm thinking about brewing up a mix of sencha and a papaya flavored green and rooibus blend to balance out the spicy Korean noodles I'm making.

[David Duckler]

This is another poll I'll have to think on, since food is another one of my passions. I all depends on what kind of food this swanky restaurant is serving!

The apartment was freezing this morning, so we started the day with a great big pot of Organic Remberg Estate Assam from the Path of Tea in Houston, TX.

[Victoria]

Mayuan Shan oolong from Camellia Sinensis in my cup this morning.
The last of this which is out of stock for now, but wow, it tastes
perfect on this cool morning.