Hello. I'm new here, and new to drinking tea. I've gotten quite a few sampler sets and go back and forth between black and green teas. Having come from drinking coffee as my hot beverage of choice to basically cutting that out in favor of tea, I have a few questions, particularly related to brewing at work. Where I live there's only one place that sells loose leaf teas, so the selection is somewhat limited.
I tend to drink mostly blacks and have found a sencha that seems okay. It was good for the first few cups, but lately it's been seeming a little weak. It could be because I've been drinking some pretty strong, bold blacks and the green pales in comparison. But I'm also wondering if it's the water temp and steeping times.
I don't know the best way to do it, so I think I'm just going to list my questions. I apologize for the length of this post.
How do all of you brew your teas at work? What I've been doing for blacks is using the microwave to heat the water and then pouring it over the tea in an infuser basket in my cup. For green teas I've taken to putting water through my 4-cup coffee maker to heat it -- I know it gets the water to about 170 degrees because I used a candy thermometer to check the temp. I then steep it the same way as the blacks. Is there a better way?
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea? I've found I really like English and Irish breakfasts and have found a Russian Caravan that is really nice, but would like to start drinking some more green teas. Is there an equivalent green tea?
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting? I used to guzzle coffee by the gallon it seemed. Should I be displaying a modicum of moderation when drinking tea?
How big is a teaspoon? I haven't been drinking tea long enough to warrant purchasing a scale yet, so I measure by volume. However, I thought I read somewhere that a measuring teaspoon (ie: one used for cooking and baking) is different from one that you would use for measuring amounts of loose leaf tea. Is that correct?
Once again, I apologize for the length of this post and the barrage of questions. I tried to looking for these answers in other posts and couldn't quite find what I was looking for.
Happy drinking, all!
Mar 31st, '08, 12:29
Posts: 995
Joined: Feb 8th, '08, 14:22
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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auggy
I can't answer all your questions as I am relatively new to loose tea myself, however I'll do what I can.
How do I brew my teas at work... well, I brought my old electric tea pot in and I heat up water in that, pour it into my mug and monitor the water with my handy dandy little digital thermometer I got from amazon (I had used candy thermometers before but I have a tendency of breaking them no matter if I used them for candy, frying or tea... this puppy has lasted 2 months - a record). Then when the water is at the right temp, I pop in my brewing basket and use a little window's sidebar digital timer to time the steep. Exciting, huh?
Is it bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting? Goodness, I hope not or else I'm offending people all over the place. My morning tea is 2 cups in a thermos and after lunch if I have the time, I'll have three or four cups. Then when I come home, I'll steep and resteep until the tea is gone or it is time for bed and with some of the oolongs I've had lately, that's a lot of tea! I'm pretty much replaced my gallon of water a day with about 24 oz of water and the rest (or more) tea.
A teaspoon size? Haven't heard that the measuring teaspoon is a different size than what loose tea should be measured with. I assumed from my tea directions that it is the same thing since the teas come out good (not too weak) but I would really like to know if I'm doing the wrong thing!
Sorry for the long reply. I tend to babble.
How do I brew my teas at work... well, I brought my old electric tea pot in and I heat up water in that, pour it into my mug and monitor the water with my handy dandy little digital thermometer I got from amazon (I had used candy thermometers before but I have a tendency of breaking them no matter if I used them for candy, frying or tea... this puppy has lasted 2 months - a record). Then when the water is at the right temp, I pop in my brewing basket and use a little window's sidebar digital timer to time the steep. Exciting, huh?
Is it bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting? Goodness, I hope not or else I'm offending people all over the place. My morning tea is 2 cups in a thermos and after lunch if I have the time, I'll have three or four cups. Then when I come home, I'll steep and resteep until the tea is gone or it is time for bed and with some of the oolongs I've had lately, that's a lot of tea! I'm pretty much replaced my gallon of water a day with about 24 oz of water and the rest (or more) tea.
A teaspoon size? Haven't heard that the measuring teaspoon is a different size than what loose tea should be measured with. I assumed from my tea directions that it is the same thing since the teas come out good (not too weak) but I would really like to know if I'm doing the wrong thing!
Sorry for the long reply. I tend to babble.
My tea at work set-up is pretty simple (I thought a lot about it, but this is the least hassle):
I use the hot water from the side of the coffeemaker at work (it's the red handle), and I use my ingenuiTEA to steep the tea. Keeps everything nice and compact. The water that comes from the coffee maker is around 180, so I usually drink greens at work. I'll occasionally drink blacks, but microwaving the water is such a hassle. I just save that for when I get home where I have the fancy kettle, scale, electric thermometer setup.
I've thought about bringing a kettle to work, but it's a cube farm and I worry that it would make too much noise.
As as the person said above, there is no right or wrong way/amount to drink tea. Of course, if you do guzzle a gallon of tea, be prepared to go to the bathroom a LOT :-p
I use the hot water from the side of the coffeemaker at work (it's the red handle), and I use my ingenuiTEA to steep the tea. Keeps everything nice and compact. The water that comes from the coffee maker is around 180, so I usually drink greens at work. I'll occasionally drink blacks, but microwaving the water is such a hassle. I just save that for when I get home where I have the fancy kettle, scale, electric thermometer setup.
I've thought about bringing a kettle to work, but it's a cube farm and I worry that it would make too much noise.
As as the person said above, there is no right or wrong way/amount to drink tea. Of course, if you do guzzle a gallon of tea, be prepared to go to the bathroom a LOT :-p
Re: Tea at work
Welcome!
How do all of you brew your teas at work?
Just like at home: I have a little teapot in my classroom. I tend to drink easy to brew tea at work (houjicha, keemun, yunnan, jasmine pearls), teas with no risk of oversteeping
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting? I used to guzzle coffee by the gallon it seemed. Should I be displaying a modicum of moderation when drinking tea?
Drink as much tea as you want!
How big is a teaspoon?
Difficult question. Ii order to be consistent you should always measure with the same spoon. Experiment until you find the right quantity of tealeaves.
How do all of you brew your teas at work?
Just like at home: I have a little teapot in my classroom. I tend to drink easy to brew tea at work (houjicha, keemun, yunnan, jasmine pearls), teas with no risk of oversteeping
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting? I used to guzzle coffee by the gallon it seemed. Should I be displaying a modicum of moderation when drinking tea?
Drink as much tea as you want!
How big is a teaspoon?
Difficult question. Ii order to be consistent you should always measure with the same spoon. Experiment until you find the right quantity of tealeaves.
How do all of you brew your teas at work?
I have an inenuiTEA and a french press. For water I brought in a water pot (the insulated kind that keeps water warm for you).
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
Hm, as far as "bold" I'm not that sure. "Strong" definitely. I haven't found any greens that will rival a strong black in power though. Greens in general lack body in comparison to black teas. There definitely are greens which will give you a bit of a jolt though, just in their own greeny way.
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
No, not at all.
How big is a teaspoon?
A teaspoon is a teaspoon, it's the same one as for measuring for cooking and what not. I rarely measure though, and when I do I measure by weight.
I have an inenuiTEA and a french press. For water I brought in a water pot (the insulated kind that keeps water warm for you).
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
Hm, as far as "bold" I'm not that sure. "Strong" definitely. I haven't found any greens that will rival a strong black in power though. Greens in general lack body in comparison to black teas. There definitely are greens which will give you a bit of a jolt though, just in their own greeny way.
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
No, not at all.
How big is a teaspoon?
A teaspoon is a teaspoon, it's the same one as for measuring for cooking and what not. I rarely measure though, and when I do I measure by weight.
At home I’ll sometimes use a tea infuser but in general, at work and home, I’ll grab a tea bag because it’s so convenient. I work in a library that has a café with a running hot water tap that is used for tea and other hot drinks. They told me it’s not boiling hot and ideal for green tea so I’ve been drinking a lot of green, finding the temp perfect. I have a little 2 cup kettle for the black tea. The last month I’ve upped my tea consumption to 5 – 8 cups a day and often have two cups in a row.
Mar 31st, '08, 20:28
Posts: 727
Joined: Dec 22nd, '07, 21:02
Location: the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy
Re: Tea at work
Electric kettle with spring water. Brewing devices include yixing pot, gaiwan, kyusu, etc. (Kyusu's my standard sidearm, though.) Gave my IngenuiTEA to someone more needy.cfair_we wrote:How do all of you brew your teas at work?
Ooooooooh yeah. Sencha (will gladly be more specific), kukicha, and a few others come to mind.cfair_we wrote:Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
If you're having a good time, your body's not reacting in some unintended way, and you aren't severing ties to the real world, drink away.cfair_we wrote:Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
Most of the time, this refers to a medium-ish metal spoon used at the table.cfair_we wrote:How big is a teaspoon?
Re: Tea at work
How do all of you brew your teas at work?
I dangerously balance a $15 Proctor Silex kettle on top of my paper shredder and silently pray for a fire...and my freedom. As far as brew gizmos go, just a coffee cup and a brew basket. In a perfect world, I'd have a Zoji heater to keep the kettle noise down, but my coworkers don't seem to care.
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
Good, fresh senchas pack a whallop. And matcha should probably be as strong as any green will get.
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
I was the manners mistress of my sorority for three years. I've read more Emily Post than any sane person ever should. I've never heard of such a thing. Heck, tea's basically calorie-free...be a glutton if you want to be.
How big is a teaspoon?
A measuring teaspoon is different from that used to measure loose tea. The smaller spoon in your flatware is called a teaspoon because back in the day, Europeans figured out that these smaller spoons they used to stir liquids easily scooped and held just about the right amount of black tea for one cup. It turns out the daintier spoon was also handier for eating some lighter confections, so it became the spoon they used at tea (as opposed to the ones they used on their tables for heartier meals).
The other sort of teaspoon holds 5 ml of fluid or 4.75 grams of a tight-packing solid. I might be wrong, but I thought that the nomenclature carried over from the Victorian era, when some people like the famous Mrs. Beeton began writing standardized recipes. That was also when all the specialized flatware like snail forks came into vogue. Even the poorest houses in Britain usually had a tablespoon and a teaspoon for at least a couple place settings, so they became good approximates for those smaller measurements.
[/trivial knowledge]
I dangerously balance a $15 Proctor Silex kettle on top of my paper shredder and silently pray for a fire...and my freedom. As far as brew gizmos go, just a coffee cup and a brew basket. In a perfect world, I'd have a Zoji heater to keep the kettle noise down, but my coworkers don't seem to care.
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
Good, fresh senchas pack a whallop. And matcha should probably be as strong as any green will get.
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
I was the manners mistress of my sorority for three years. I've read more Emily Post than any sane person ever should. I've never heard of such a thing. Heck, tea's basically calorie-free...be a glutton if you want to be.
How big is a teaspoon?
A measuring teaspoon is different from that used to measure loose tea. The smaller spoon in your flatware is called a teaspoon because back in the day, Europeans figured out that these smaller spoons they used to stir liquids easily scooped and held just about the right amount of black tea for one cup. It turns out the daintier spoon was also handier for eating some lighter confections, so it became the spoon they used at tea (as opposed to the ones they used on their tables for heartier meals).
The other sort of teaspoon holds 5 ml of fluid or 4.75 grams of a tight-packing solid. I might be wrong, but I thought that the nomenclature carried over from the Victorian era, when some people like the famous Mrs. Beeton began writing standardized recipes. That was also when all the specialized flatware like snail forks came into vogue. Even the poorest houses in Britain usually had a tablespoon and a teaspoon for at least a couple place settings, so they became good approximates for those smaller measurements.
[/trivial knowledge]
Thank you
Thank you all for responding. It appears there's quite a bit of variety for brewing at work.
I think I'm going to have to look into getting an electric kettle and a digital scale to really help my brewing at work. The only problem with that is I tend to jump into and out of fads rather quickly and have to convince my dear wife that this isn't just a fad.
Wish me luck!
I think I'm going to have to look into getting an electric kettle and a digital scale to really help my brewing at work. The only problem with that is I tend to jump into and out of fads rather quickly and have to convince my dear wife that this isn't just a fad.
Wish me luck!
Re: Thank you
Good luck then!cfair_we wrote: I think I'm going to have to look into getting an electric kettle and a digital scale to really help my brewing at work. The only problem with that is I tend to jump into and out of fads rather quickly and have to convince my dear wife that this isn't just a fad.
Wish me luck!
Apr 1st, '08, 15:59
Posts: 42
Joined: Mar 30th, '08, 18:29
Location: California, USA
Contact:
motokochan
Since we have some free desks at work (it's a small company), I've taken one next to me for my "tea station". Another employee and I used to use it, but they left the company for a better opportunity, so it is just me using it right now.
As I was bored a while back, I took a photo of it:
In the back left are the bag teas for those who don't know better (purchased before I got into loose-leaf). Disposable cups are there for for when we have visitors and they want water or the like. I have my electric kettle along with my work stuff on the right, and you can see my mug with basket infuser on the bottom right.
The tea showing in that photo include a cherry green from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (awful cherry chemical taste - surprising considering their other teas are very good) that is now used up, a Dragonwell green in the circular tin next to it and a sampler of Ear Grey Bravo in front.
As I was bored a while back, I took a photo of it:
In the back left are the bag teas for those who don't know better (purchased before I got into loose-leaf). Disposable cups are there for for when we have visitors and they want water or the like. I have my electric kettle along with my work stuff on the right, and you can see my mug with basket infuser on the bottom right.
The tea showing in that photo include a cherry green from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (awful cherry chemical taste - surprising considering their other teas are very good) that is now used up, a Dragonwell green in the circular tin next to it and a sampler of Ear Grey Bravo in front.
Apr 1st, '08, 17:38
Posts: 995
Joined: Feb 8th, '08, 14:22
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Contact:
auggy
Re: Tea at work
Okay, I think I get this. So if a measuring teaspoon holds 5mL, how much does a tea-spoon (or the spoon used to measure loose tea) hold (typically)?Mary R wrote:How big is a teaspoon?
A measuring teaspoon is different from that used to measure loose tea. The smaller spoon in your flatware is called a teaspoon because back in the day, Europeans figured out that these smaller spoons they used to stir liquids easily scooped and held just about the right amount of black tea for one cup. It turns out the daintier spoon was also handier for eating some lighter confections, so it became the spoon they used at tea (as opposed to the ones they used on their tables for heartier meals).
The other sort of teaspoon holds 5 ml of fluid or 4.75 grams of a tight-packing solid. I might be wrong, but I thought that the nomenclature carried over from the Victorian era, when some people like the famous Mrs. Beeton began writing standardized recipes. That was also when all the specialized flatware like snail forks came into vogue. Even the poorest houses in Britain usually had a tablespoon and a teaspoon for at least a couple place settings, so they became good approximates for those smaller measurements.
[/trivial knowledge]
These days, it all depends on the company manufacturing the spoon and the aesthetic design of the pattern. I saw one at Crate & Barrel that looked like it would hold a standardized 1/2 tsp on a good day...and I saw an Oneida pattern where you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between their teaspoon and tablespoon.
Because there is such an extreme in sizes, no culinary source worth its salt would tell you to use a place setting spoon to measure your ingredients.
As far as tea goes, I don't think anyone really has an opinion of the spoon itself anymore. It's pretty subjective, too. Some teas are 'tight packers' while others are loose. So these days, most recommend weighing tea for extra precision. Industry big wigs in Western brewing recommend somewhere between 2.5 and 3 grams of leaf per cup.
Because there is such an extreme in sizes, no culinary source worth its salt would tell you to use a place setting spoon to measure your ingredients.
As far as tea goes, I don't think anyone really has an opinion of the spoon itself anymore. It's pretty subjective, too. Some teas are 'tight packers' while others are loose. So these days, most recommend weighing tea for extra precision. Industry big wigs in Western brewing recommend somewhere between 2.5 and 3 grams of leaf per cup.
tea at work
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How do all of you brew your teas at work?
actually, I just added a post on this on my blog. Its a little bit complicated but I find that it works well and isn't too much of a hinderance
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
I suggest you try matcha. Also if you are looking for an herbal tisane alternative, try yerba mate.
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
never. I drink 16 oz in a sitting. But then again I might be a freak
How big is a teaspoon?
I would suggest against using teaspoons to measure tea. Loose leaf sizes vary therefore the amount of tea on a spoon will change with each tea (unless it is CTC or a Fanning grade leaf). I suggest getting a scale.
How do all of you brew your teas at work?
actually, I just added a post on this on my blog. Its a little bit complicated but I find that it works well and isn't too much of a hinderance
Is there such a thing as a bold, strong green tea?
I suggest you try matcha. Also if you are looking for an herbal tisane alternative, try yerba mate.
Is it considered bad form to drink more than two cups in one sitting?
never. I drink 16 oz in a sitting. But then again I might be a freak
How big is a teaspoon?
I would suggest against using teaspoons to measure tea. Loose leaf sizes vary therefore the amount of tea on a spoon will change with each tea (unless it is CTC or a Fanning grade leaf). I suggest getting a scale.
Apr 10th, '08, 20:04
Posts: 591
Joined: Apr 21st, '07, 23:01
Location: Indianapolis IN
Contact:
augie
Awesome, Moto! wow, I've been busy and didn't notice the "work tea porn" page. . . So I'll add my $.02:motokochan wrote: As I was bored a while back, I took a photo of it:
I just don't have time to weigh tea at work, or at home much either. I just used the same plastic spoon every time and eyeball it. I just started a new job with an awesome kitchen! Oh, I am so happy. I bought a krupps pot that doesn't have a 'stat, but other great features.
I have an ingenuitea and the glass cup w/infuser both from adagio. I noticed my IngenuiTea was picking up flavors when I didn't take the time to rinse it well w/boiling water regularly/daily. I drink different teas, switch a lot so the glass infuser works better.
There is no such thing as too much tea! I drink about 5-6 cups (3-6 fl oz) during the day. I have noticed, doing bookwork, that my concentration improved remarkably after becoming a serious tea drinker. I used to consume a LOT of soda at work and it just made me more tired after that initial caffeine jolt.