Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

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RayThom
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Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by RayThom »

I'm sure there are some "tea snobs" out there who will disagree but I see tea as dried leaves -- they can't get any drier without burning them.

I do, however, keep my tea in a plastic bag in a tea caddy. It seems to last "forever" when stored this way. Always a great aroma when I open the lid.

I'm a more traditional loose tea drinker, I stick with English Breakfast mostly, but I enjoy blending EB, Earl Grey, and Orange Pekoe in equal parts. Nothing fancy, and I get no complaints from friends and family when I serve it.

Basic or fancy teas, here's where I locally buy mine. You can buy online if you want.

The Head Nut
https://theheadnut.com/search?q=tea&submit=
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Gob
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Gob »

Nope, tea will keep for about 2 years in a cool dark place. Use a sealable container.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

ex-khobar Andy
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

The enemy of tea is oxidation*. Most tea is sold in some sort of impenetrable bag (plastic, foil) which is flushed with nitrogen at the packer. Depending on the integrity of the package, the tea should be relatively stable until opened. But nothing is perfect and even well conducted nitrogen flushing will not remove every molecule of oxygen.

* But of course oxidation of the dried green leaf to its ultimate saleable form is what makes tea. So it's a balancing act. Black teas are heavily oxidized during production and therefore are less susceptible to oxidation during storage. Green and white teas are less oxidized during production so the opposite is true.

To put it another way . . . . it depends.

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dales
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by dales »

I remember when "tea" was a code word for marijuana.

Prolly the same idea in keeping both "teas" fresh and ready to enjoy.

Your collective inability to acknowledge this obvious truth makes you all look like fools.


yrs,
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BoSoxGal
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by BoSoxGal »

I did a bunch of research (in addition to gathering the opinions here), plus I brewed a bunch of cups of the older teas I had on hand, which I was able to determine were all 5+ years old. I opted to recycle the old teas into our garden and recycle all the paper components. It felt a little wasteful, but the difference in odor and flavorfulness of the old teas and my new teas was night/day - I especially noticed that the old green teas and herbal teas were almost flavorless, which makes sense because the tea websites all talk about how they dry out and lose quality/flavor much faster than black since they’re much more dependent on oil content for flavor.

Anyway, the garden is happy with all that nitrogen infusion and I’m happy with all my new smelly teas.

I also bought a sampler and a couple of jars of honey (Tupelo and gallberry) from my favorite apiary, Swan’s in Albion, Maine. I recommend them highly to anyone in the states who doesn’t have easy access to a local apiary - they have terrific honeys at a really reasonable price and they package the stuff beautifully for shipping at a very modest shipping price.
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RayThom
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Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by RayThom »

Did someone say 'honey?'

I buy the Hound Dog Tupelo honey at the same place I buy my tea. I think it's quite reasonable for the price.

https://theheadnut.com/search?q=honey&submit=
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Gob
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Gob »

Teabags if not stored properly, in about a year, taste like dust when you use them
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by BoSoxGal »

Gob wrote:
Wed Jun 17, 2020 8:52 am
Teabags if not stored properly, in about a year, taste like dust when you use them
They were all individually foil wrapped inside boxes, but they still tasted like dust. But again, 5+ years old.

My new teas are all in tins and I’ve made a shelf for them in the pantry where it’s as cool as possible in my abode.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Get some EZ Widers. You can smoke that tea if you can get past it leaking at both ends
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by BoSoxGal »

Had my first cup of Harney & Sons tea this morning - hot cinnamon spice black tea. FANTASTIC! I recommend it unreservedly.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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RayThom
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Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by RayThom »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Thu Jun 18, 2020 5:49 pm
Had my first cup of Harney & Sons tea this morning - hot cinnamon spice black tea. FANTASTIC! I recommend it unreservedly.
I occasionally change it up, too, but I can't drink these flavored teas on a regular basis.

Cinnamon spice? Maybe a cup every two/three months.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by BoSoxGal »

I’m a big fan of putting a cinnamon stick in black tea anyway - cinnamon is super healthful which many folks don’t know, and it gives you sweetness without any calories which is very nice.

All good tea has flavor - but you must mean spices or fruit or other non traditional? Did you know there is even chocolate tea? Mmm . . .
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

ex-khobar Andy
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

I don't always drink tea; but when I do, I like it to taste like tea.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by BoSoxGal »

Well that’s just a funny statement - nonsensical, really. Tea comes in a very wide variety of flavor blends, and has for thousands of years.

Perhaps better to say, ‘I like it to taste like the orange pekoe blend I grew up drinking’ or whatever. Because there is no one ‘tea’.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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RayThom
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by RayThom »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:13 pm
... All good tea has flavor - but you must mean spices or fruit or other non traditional? Did you know there is even chocolate tea? Mmm . . .
All good "naturally grown" teas have their natural, and distinct, flavor. I'm not a big fan of adding un-tea and/or spicy flavoring to it.

As mentioned above, on occasion I'll have a cup that has un-tea flavoring added but as x-kA said, I prefer my tea to taste like tea. My three all natural loose tea blend is all I need -- no milk, no sugar, just tea.

Same with coffee. Regardless of it's origin, I always drink it black.
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Bicycle Bill
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Bicycle Bill »

RayThom wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 2:09 pm
I'm sure there are some "tea snobs" out there who will disagree but I see tea as dried leaves -- they can't get any drier without burning them.
“No,” Arthur said, “look, it’s very, very simple….  All I want… is a cup of tea.  You are going to make one for me.  Now keep quiet and listen.”

And he sat.  He told the Nutri-Matic about India, he told it about China, he told it about Ceylon.  He told it about broad leaves drying in the sun.  He told it about silver teapots.  He told it about summer afternoons on the lawn. He told it about putting the milk in before the tea so it wouldn’t get scalded.  He even told it (briefly) about the East India Trading Company.

“So that’s it, is it?” said the Nutri-Matic when he had finished.

“Yes,” said Arthur.  “That is what I want.”

“You want the taste of dried leaves boiled in water?”

“Er, yes.  With milk.”

“Squirted out of a cow?”

“Well, in a manner of speaking, I suppose… ”

“I’m going to need some help with this one,” said the machine tersely.  All the cheerful burbling had dropped out of its voice and it now meant business.

“Well, anything I can do?” said Arthur.

“You’ve done quite enough,” the Nutri-Matic informed him.

It summoned up the ship's computer.

“Hi there!” said the ship's computer.

The Nutri-Matic explained about tea to the ship's computer.  The computer boggled, linked logic circuits with the Nutri-Matic, and together they lapsed into a grim silence.

Arthur watched and waited for a while, but nothing further happened.
                 ...............Douglas Adam, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"
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Gob
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Gob »

ex-khobar Andy wrote:
Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:31 pm
I don't always drink tea; but when I do, I like it to taste like tea.
Nailed it.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

Big RR
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Big RR »

I can understand, while I am not much of a tea drinker I do enjoy coffee, and I drink my coffee strong and black, no cream/milk, sweeteners, and (especially) no added flavors. While I appreciate some like those additives, and acknowledge that they can make bad tasting coffee more palatable (as Starbuck's has diligently tried to promote), if I want to drink a frappe or a milkshake, I'll drink it; if I want to drink coffee, I'll drink that.

That being said, when I drink tea I prefer black tea with a bit of lemon, so I don't have the same feelings about preparing tea.

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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Jarlaxle »

Gob wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 2:26 pm
Nope, tea will keep for about 2 years in a cool dark place. Use a sealable container.
I asked my wife (tea drinker, I'm not) how long her tea lasts. She gave me a confused look.

She drinks enough it is never on the shelf more than a couple months. :shrug

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Gob
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Re: Blaspheme, burn the witch!!!

Post by Gob »

Shame, she's over-egged the pudding now. Silly, not funny.

“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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