Note the cup of tea in the photo above. I was camped on a bluff in Baja Mexico for a week. I started every morning with 3 cups of tea, enjoyed by a small campfire while I got ready to pull on a wetsuit and do some surfing.
Hot delicious tea made every morning better. :)
Ah, thanks for that. You are a tea snob, as I too am. So I say, "teabag? Who the fuck uses a teabag??" Loose tea, for me. Some kinds, I like really dark, some a little milder, some with milk, some not, always with the correct temp (212F for blacks, 180F for greens). Like my booze, sometimes I want a really peaty scotch, sometimes a sour beer, etc.etc. These slightly obsessive habits are endlessly instructive and pleasurable. (Wow, do I sound like one of those people whose peas can't touch their mashes potatoes????!)
As tea snobs go I am middle of the road. I have organic loose Indian teas imported from a specialist distributor in bulk. I also have found some bagged black teas I enjoy.
What's important to me is that I enjoy the drink which can mean a lot of things, but the one thing it for sure does not mean is how do I get the most dark water from a tea bag.
I'm less of a coffee snob than I am a tea snob, but I stick to espresso if I am drinking coffee and prefer short pours. You could take that same shot and add hot water to make a larger drink, but the point to me is not to have the most liquid for the cheapest price.
If that was my goal I'd only drink tap water.
I appreciate the specificity with which you approach your tea making. I don't always take that much care, but I do enjoy the results when I do or when a friend takes the trouble to make a cup for me! :)
Vikb:
If you want to tell us more about your tea drinking, I would be quite interested. I am always looking for ways to turn small pleasures into greater pleasures through knowledge.
If you want to get your black tea on without getting too fanatical here are some ideas:
- try a few different locally available teas to see what you enjoy
- use water that's brought to a full boil....if you are using a pot add boiling water to the pot first and then dump it out to pre-heat the pot
- I use 1 bag per cup
- I use an insulated glass or stainless cup for my tea
- I don't scrub or dishwash the cup so it develops a layer of residue which my GF freaks out about, but I find makes it taste better
- use milk not cream if you are add dairy to it
- if you want a sweetener try various options and see how they affect the taste [honey, raw brown sugar, etc..]
Bottom line though is love every cup whatever that means to you.