Tang was/is a truly vile substance. And I shudder to remember the popularity in the 70s of “Russian Tea,” made with instant tea, Tang and some other things I don’t remember.
Tang was/is a truly vile substance. And I shudder to remember the popularity in the 70s of “Russian Tea,” made with instant tea, Tang and some other things I don’t remember.
Well, I remember linking Tang as a kid, but then it is mostly sugar, and it had the mystique of being “astronaut food” back in the day. I have never heard of mixing Tang with anything until just this thread.
So, I will deeply offend a number of people here, because i am not a tea snob, but I do like my tea.
I use teabags. And make my tea in the mug.
I would however confirm a few points made above.
1. The water has to be boiling. Proper boiling, not just below.
2. The tea needs to be allowed to brew for longer than 30s. A few minutes, whatever the tea is.
3. From out trip to the US earlier this year, kettles in hotels and suchlike are uncommon. And the Americans cannot make a decent cup of tea. And the coffee is ubiquitous, but also not what I expect (but that is another thread).
We use long life all the time as fresh supplies don't always last. In tea I can't tell any difference.
Gack. UHT milk is vile, and I absolutely taste the difference. It was always a trial, when I spent time in France, to locate fresh milk in the supermarket. As I recall, the milk I ended up buying in the local French supermarket described itself as "microfiltered". It required refrigeration, but was said to last longer than ordinary milk. That still tastes different from actual milk, but the taste is much closer to normal than UHT is.
I have heard of people who keep long-life milk because they don't use much, so fresh would go off. That's not a problem I have - my household averages about a US gallon per day (a bit less now, because one of the cereal eaters is away at college.)
I may be lucky - I've always disliked milk on its own, cream (including clotted) and very soft fresh cheese like mascarpone or ricotta mostly because they taste of almost absolutely nothing to me - which may be why UHT milk doesn’t bother me. I'm fine with them in things like Tiramisu but on their own - tasteless goo. Even things like Brie have to be virtually liquid before they taste of anything; raw Mozarella too - just texture and temperature - no flavour detected.
It's odd because I have quite a sensitive sense of taste and smell for most things but milk/cream and so on - they only have any taste or smell once they've started to turn. I have milk in tea as it offsets the tannin in some way but I don’t actually taste it.
3. From out trip to the US earlier this year, kettles in hotels and suchlike are uncommon. And the Americans cannot make a decent cup of tea. And the coffee is ubiquitous, but also not what I expect (but that is another thread).
Fortunately, kettles in stores are relatively common. You can pick up an electric kettle in Target or Walmart or somewhere for less than $20. So if you're in the US for any length of time, purchasing a local kettle is not unreasonable, and it's much better than trying to boil water in the hotel room microwave!
3. From out trip to the US earlier this year, kettles in hotels and suchlike are uncommon. And the Americans cannot make a decent cup of tea. And the coffee is ubiquitous, but also not what I expect (but that is another thread).
Fortunately, kettles in stores are relatively common. You can pick up an electric kettle in Target or Walmart or somewhere for less than $20. So if you're in the US for any length of time, purchasing a local kettle is not unreasonable, and it's much better than trying to boil water in the hotel room microwave!
We were moving around quite a lot (So we never knew what the next place might provide!), and out a lot in the day, so we managed, but it is a good suggestion.
Indeed - my grandmother told the story of the mug of strong seet tea she was offered in the aftermath of one of the Blitz raids on London. She sat on the kerb outside the ruins of her house drinking tea and wondering if there was anything she could salvage. There wasn't much in her long, long life that couldn't be faced if she had 'a nice cup of tea'!
As a treat, I have just been downstairs and brought myself a mug of tea back to bed.
Mr P used to bring me one every day until he was too ill to do so, and it is something I really miss.
To be specific, it has to be a china mug, and sorry, a teabag is used. For this first one of the day it is either Tetley’s or Yorkshire, but later for medical reasons it is now decaf, which I enjoy less. I have very little milk, but I don’t like my tea too strong. People comment that it looks like builders’ tea, but it is the amount of milk that determines the colour, not the strength of the tea. If no milk is available, black is ok, as long as it is very weak. I also enjoy Earl Grey occasionally.
I have several china mugs, most of which have tiny chips now. I have a collection of thick mugs which Mr P used, some with his name on, or some apposite slogan, which I don’t ever use and I am reluctant to send them to a charity shop. For a special treat, or a guest, I love to use my china tea service, including a small tea pot, just enough for two cups.
When I lived in France for a year, I was accommodated in a tiny room in a school. I bought a camping gas stove and a thin saucepan in which I boiled water - a bit of a risky process as the only flat surface was the floor. No fresh milk of course, and nowhere to store UHT anyway, so I had some powdered milk which was bearable. Tea bags again, as a bowl full of tea leaves would have been unpleasant.
I never drink coffee.
As a treat, I have just been downstairs and brought myself a mug of tea back to bed.
Mr P used to bring me one every day until he was too ill to do so, and it is something I really miss.
To be specific, it has to be a china mug, and sorry, a teabag is used. For this first one of the day it is either Tetley’s or Yorkshire, but later for medical reasons it is now decaf, which I enjoy less. I have very little milk, but I don’t like my tea too strong. People comment that it looks like builders’ tea, but it is the amount of milk that determines the colour, not the strength of the tea. If no milk is available, black is ok, as long as it is very weak. I also enjoy Earl Grey occasionally.
I have several china mugs, most of which have tiny chips now. I have a collection of thick mugs which Mr P used, some with his name on, or some apposite slogan, which I don’t ever use and I am reluctant to send them to a charity shop. For a special treat, or a guest, I love to use my china tea service, including a small tea pot, just enough for two cups.
When I lived in France for a year, I was accommodated in a tiny room in a school. I bought a camping gas stove and a thin saucepan in which I boiled water - a bit of a risky process as the only flat surface was the floor. No fresh milk of course, and nowhere to store UHT anyway, so I had some powdered milk which was bearable. Tea bags again, as a bowl full of tea leaves would have been unpleasant.
I never drink coffee.
If they are special to you I would keep those mugs even if you don’t drink out of them. ❤️
When I use tea bags (easily half of the time), I have a habit of stirring and lightly pressing the tea bag against the inside of the cup/mug before lifting it out. Seems to me, at this point in the thread, that's a habit I should break. Going further, though, do people generally let the tea bag drain into the cup before discarding? Or, is it a remove & swing away from the cup in one continuous motion, draining and dripping into the sink or waste basket?
When I use tea bags (easily half of the time), I have a habit of stirring and lightly pressing the tea bag against the inside of the cup/mug before lifting it out. Seems to me, at this point in the thread, that's a habit I should break. Going further, though, do people generally let the tea bag drain into the cup before discarding? Or, is it a remove & swing away from the cup in one continuous motion, draining and dripping into the sink or waste basket?
Oh, I squeeze as much of the brown goodness out of the tea bag as well when I use them.
When I use tea bags (easily half of the time), I have a habit of stirring and lightly pressing the tea bag against the inside of the cup/mug before lifting it out. Seems to me, at this point in the thread, that's a habit I should break. Going further, though, do people generally let the tea bag drain into the cup before discarding? Or, is it a remove & swing away from the cup in one continuous motion, draining and dripping into the sink or waste basket?
You should leave to brew for a time, then squeeze everything out before moving the comparatively drained teabag to the place of destiny.
Your tea will then taste different. Because you will get the full taste of the tea, not just the outer washings.
Does anyone else re-use teabags? I find that two teabags, used a second time, together make an acceptable strength brew.
I toss another scoop of tea into the pot with the old tea in there and do another brew that way. I’ve found it to produce basically the same kind of tea, perhaps with a slight bitter edge depending on the blend, but nothing offensive.
Comments
Well, I remember linking Tang as a kid, but then it is mostly sugar, and it had the mystique of being “astronaut food” back in the day. I have never heard of mixing Tang with anything until just this thread.
https://youtu.be/vA4vZukxW3c?si=0SmTTAc3wN4CtFlc
https://youtu.be/OdeJ41_TK90?si=bk-R5k1x_H7q9n8W
I use teabags. And make my tea in the mug.
I would however confirm a few points made above.
1. The water has to be boiling. Proper boiling, not just below.
2. The tea needs to be allowed to brew for longer than 30s. A few minutes, whatever the tea is.
3. From out trip to the US earlier this year, kettles in hotels and suchlike are uncommon. And the Americans cannot make a decent cup of tea. And the coffee is ubiquitous, but also not what I expect (but that is another thread).
I may be lucky - I've always disliked milk on its own, cream (including clotted) and very soft fresh cheese like mascarpone or ricotta mostly because they taste of almost absolutely nothing to me - which may be why UHT milk doesn’t bother me. I'm fine with them in things like Tiramisu but on their own - tasteless goo. Even things like Brie have to be virtually liquid before they taste of anything; raw Mozarella too - just texture and temperature - no flavour detected.
It's odd because I have quite a sensitive sense of taste and smell for most things but milk/cream and so on - they only have any taste or smell once they've started to turn. I have milk in tea as it offsets the tannin in some way but I don’t actually taste it.
Fortunately, kettles in stores are relatively common. You can pick up an electric kettle in Target or Walmart or somewhere for less than $20. So if you're in the US for any length of time, purchasing a local kettle is not unreasonable, and it's much better than trying to boil water in the hotel room microwave!
Yes! Let’s do! ❤️
That reminds me—did you know that the author of the Wizard of Oz books drank so much tea that his friends called him “Old Tannin Baum”?
Eh? Eh? 😅
(This was a joke.)
We were moving around quite a lot (So we never knew what the next place might provide!), and out a lot in the day, so we managed, but it is a good suggestion.
Tea Matters!
Every crisis in England is ameliorated with a 'nice cup of tea'.
"Tea is a ritual that brings calm to the chaos of daily life "
🙂
If in doubt, brew up!
Cup of brown joy!
https://youtu.be/eELH0ivexKA?si=CaSSpjcDT8_xzeJG
https://youtu.be/UksDKoCqbd4?si=2A6934kdnLZTws-3
I wondered if it would be you or @Sandemaniac who posted that one
Was it someone like Hinge and Bracket?
"Stand at the very edge of the abyss and when you feel it is beyond your strength, break off and have a cup of tea."
Mr P used to bring me one every day until he was too ill to do so, and it is something I really miss.
To be specific, it has to be a china mug, and sorry, a teabag is used. For this first one of the day it is either Tetley’s or Yorkshire, but later for medical reasons it is now decaf, which I enjoy less. I have very little milk, but I don’t like my tea too strong. People comment that it looks like builders’ tea, but it is the amount of milk that determines the colour, not the strength of the tea. If no milk is available, black is ok, as long as it is very weak. I also enjoy Earl Grey occasionally.
I have several china mugs, most of which have tiny chips now. I have a collection of thick mugs which Mr P used, some with his name on, or some apposite slogan, which I don’t ever use and I am reluctant to send them to a charity shop. For a special treat, or a guest, I love to use my china tea service, including a small tea pot, just enough for two cups.
When I lived in France for a year, I was accommodated in a tiny room in a school. I bought a camping gas stove and a thin saucepan in which I boiled water - a bit of a risky process as the only flat surface was the floor. No fresh milk of course, and nowhere to store UHT anyway, so I had some powdered milk which was bearable. Tea bags again, as a bowl full of tea leaves would have been unpleasant.
I never drink coffee.
If they are special to you I would keep those mugs even if you don’t drink out of them. ❤️
Oh, I squeeze as much of the brown goodness out of the tea bag as well when I use them.
You should leave to brew for a time, then squeeze everything out before moving the comparatively drained teabag to the place of destiny.
Your tea will then taste different. Because you will get the full taste of the tea, not just the outer washings.
Anybody else want to weigh-in, here?!
[bold mine]
That does mean tea ought to be prepared using loose leaf tea in a teapot, although a strainer in a mug is acceptable as well.
*Snorts (teabag) tea down nose*
I toss another scoop of tea into the pot with the old tea in there and do another brew that way. I’ve found it to produce basically the same kind of tea, perhaps with a slight bitter edge depending on the blend, but nothing offensive.
This is a really cool and inventive idea! I love it!
However, on the occasions my wife has a cup, she has a 2-second brew, so I have the same teabag.