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Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves

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theduffster
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Posted: Tue 09 Sep , 2008 1:17 am
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I just came back on Sat. from a 3 week business trip to South Carolina, where I was introduced to sweet tea.

The first day I arrived, my co-worker, who'd been there 3 weeks already, suggested I buy some groceries to keep in the tiny kitchen in my room. So the 2 of us took off to the nearest grocery store, where I thought I'd pick up a container of instant iced tea. Imagine my surprise when I didn't find any!

I then found out why: people in the South prepare iced tea a certain way. Heat about 3 cups of water, with one cup of sugar added to it. Once the sugar is dissolved and it's about to boil, add 8-10 tea bags, turn off the heat and let it brew for 20 to 30 min.

Discard the bags, add another 3 cups of cold water. Fill glasses with lots and lots of ice. Pour the lukewarm sweet tea over ice. No lemon, no mint. Just tea, water and sugar. Chug!!

So that's why there was no powdered instant tea. Southerners wouldn't stoop so low! And now, after 3 weeks of being served sweet tea at every dinner, I'm addicted to sweet tea.


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Dawnnamira
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Posted: Tue 09 Sep , 2008 4:59 am
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I was born in Iowa and still call that 'home' but I have to have my sweet tea.

I really need to get myself a good traveling cup so I can have tea at college, especially since the weather is finally headed toward finter (as I call the winters here in Kentucky. :neutral: )


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cemthinae
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Posted: Wed 17 Sep , 2008 9:38 pm
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LalaithUrwen wrote:
A tea exchange would be fun! :)
I see no one else took you up on this... but I will, if you want. :)

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vison
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Wed 17 Sep , 2008 9:51 pm
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The tea is made with sweetened water? :Q

How incredibly weird. :Q

I like sweetened iced tea, too, but I make the tea first.

Strange things under the sun . . . .

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The Watcher
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Posted: Wed 17 Sep , 2008 10:46 pm
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theduffster wrote:
I just came back on Sat. from a 3 week business trip to South Carolina, where I was introduced to sweet tea.

The first day I arrived, my co-worker, who'd been there 3 weeks already, suggested I buy some groceries to keep in the tiny kitchen in my room. So the 2 of us took off to the nearest grocery store, where I thought I'd pick up a container of instant iced tea. Imagine my surprise when I didn't find any!

I then found out why: people in the South prepare iced tea a certain way. Heat about 3 cups of water, with one cup of sugar added to it. Once the sugar is dissolved and it's about to boil, add 8-10 tea bags, turn off the heat and let it brew for 20 to 30 min.

Discard the bags, add another 3 cups of cold water. Fill glasses with lots and lots of ice. Pour the lukewarm sweet tea over ice. No lemon, no mint. Just tea, water and sugar. Chug!!

So that's why there was no powdered instant tea. Southerners wouldn't stoop so low! And now, after 3 weeks of being served sweet tea at every dinner, I'm addicted to sweet tea.

Err, that sounds far too sweet for me!! A cup of sugar for what is basically six cups (sans ice) of tea? Even though it sounds quite strong, I am guessing for the ice factoring in, I think it sounds like drinking Koolaid. At most I would be putting in no more than six tablespoons of sugar, probably far less, and I have to have my lemon!! With the rind, that is what makes it!!

I read somewhere once that adding sugar to the hot boiling water and then trying to extract the tea cuts down on the infusion - it is better to infuse the tea first and THEN add any sweetening. In any case, that is how I make it, and I am sticking to it. Sweet tea for me is no different than drinking those horrible bottled or canned "iced teas" here in the States - yuck! You might as well have a soda. When I am out, however, and have to have my tea fix, I have found a great answer - fill up your cup with some ice, and then fill it 3/4 of the way with plain unsweetened iced tea and top it off with the lemonade. Perfect amount of just barely sweet with the lemony taste, for those times one is stuck at a movie theater or fast food drink station.

As far as milk or cream in my hot tea, GAG!! Seriously, I could never drink it that way, and I really hate chai drinks to boot. While certain strong hot brewed teas may seem bitter, I do not find them overly so when I add just a drizzle of honey to it with my beloved lemon slice, it is not sweet at all, but it does remarkably well in cutting the bitterness. In any case, the strongest and thus most bitter teas seem to be the Indian styled ones, I never find the Chinese or Japanese ones that way at all.


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Eruname
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 18 Sep , 2008 12:36 am
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I've seen sweet tea made by making the tea first then adding sugar. Still tasted good. I really do like the stuff, but gosh, it's gotta be so bad for you!

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theduffster
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 18 Sep , 2008 2:14 am
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Well, there is only about 6 cups of brewed tea per cup of sugar, yes, but tthen you pour it over a tall glass filled with ice, which adds more water. The tea is fairly strong and concentrated, approaching a syrup like state. Most of the time when I got mine, I could tell that the still-warm tea had just been poured over the ice. Let it sit for a few minutes, so the ice will cool the tea more, the tea will melt the ice, thereby diluting it further. The 6 cups of water really made about 2 quarts of sweet tea, by adding so much ice. And I used only about 3/4 cup of sugar when I made it at home.

It did surprise me, though, when I first tried it. But I love it now! :love:

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Jonny
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Fri 19 Sep , 2008 3:09 pm
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Oooh, where in South Carolina were you?

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“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”


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LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Fri 19 Sep , 2008 3:43 pm
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cem, I just saw that. Yes, let's do that. :)

Anyone else want in? It could be very simple. Just exchange a few tea bags or a small bag of loose tea. Another site I'm on has a tea exchange. It was more complicated--4 tea bags on a theme of the month and 2 tuck-ins (bookmark, cards, etc. on the theme). This month's theme was "fruit." So the tea bags were fruit teas and the tuck-ins were supposed to be fruit-related.

But I'm thinking something easier, like 4 samples of our favorite teas. ??

I like sweet tea, having a mom from Alabama. She brews the tea, takes a portion of it out, adds sugar and heats it all up to get the sugar to dissolve. Then she adds the tea/sugar mixture back into the rest of the tea. We have gotten her to decrease the amount of sugar over the years. Otherwise, it would be too sickly sweet.


Lali

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Amrunelen
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Fri 19 Sep , 2008 9:25 pm
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Sweet tea hm....I've had some of the bottled stuff up here before. Arizona makes it pretty decent. Most of the time I prefer my one tea bag singular cup of tea teaspoon of sugar and/or honey to drink depending on the type, though. ;) I do enjoy Turkey Hill's cold teas.....the mint tea, blueberry oolong tea.

Lali! and Cem! Sounds fun...I may be interested. At least tea won't cost much weight-wise to send. :blackeye: Just wish I had my full tea selection available, though....only bring about half of it here to school with me. The most curious thing I've ever had as tea was steeped hibiscus flowers. I had grabbed a few odd bags of things at the 'apothecary' at the Renaissance fair I go to and there was a suggestion to drink the hibiscus like tea.
Watcher wrote:
and I really hate chai drinks to boot
Hate...chai? That's so sad. I find chai amazing. :Q I do have my preferred brand. Well, I've only really tried....three, I guess, as far as tea bags. Twinnings I don't remember that well, but tazo I found to be quite bitter. My favorite is Good Earth chai tea, which isn't nearly as bitter imo. I do like it with milk and honey, though.

Good Earth has another rather nice one called Sweet and Spicy original tea blend. It's kind of like drinking liquid cinnamon hearts. I made the mistake of putting sugar in it the first time just because I can be a sugar fiend, but only use milk after I learned better and I imagine it could be fine without that as well....I just use it out of habit and for the visual asthetics. It's quite sweet without anything in it as far as teas go.

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theduffster
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Fri 19 Sep , 2008 10:07 pm
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Jonny wrote:
Oooh, where in South Carolina were you?
Orangeburg. About 1/2 hour east of Columbia, and about an hour from Charleston. We did go to Charleston one day, I loved it!

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Jonny
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Sun 21 Sep , 2008 5:11 am
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Charleston is gorgeous!

Too bad I didn't know, we coulda minim00ted. I live in Columbia :banana:

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“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”


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theduffster
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Sun 21 Sep , 2008 12:44 pm
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Probably would not have worked out. I had to work really long hours while I was there. I'll keep it in mind if I ever have to go again, though!

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Jonny
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Sun 21 Sep , 2008 5:14 pm
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Def :D

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“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.”


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Jude
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 21 May , 2009 1:05 pm
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There's a writer that says to make milky tea, you put the milk & tea bag in before the water! This is the first I've heard of this.

What do you all think?
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Myth No. 8: Restaurants know how to serve tea.

Not necessarily. If they give you a cup of hot water with the tea bag on the side, you're forced to push the floating tea bag down with a spoon or, even worse, your finger. Bad, bad, bad! "Always put the tea bag in first, then add the water," Mark Ukra counsels in The Ultimate Tea Diet (Collins Living, $16.99). Ukra also writes that if you're making it at home, put milk in first, then the tea bag and then the water. Others (including my husband) insist that you should add milk after the water. Use boiling water for black tea and brew three to five minutes. For green tea, steep for two to three minutes in water that was about to boil, says the Tea Association.

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LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 21 May , 2009 2:22 pm
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I've done it either way, and I don't think I've noticed a difference. :scratch: (I use cream instead of milk, btw.)

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elfshadow
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 21 May , 2009 8:38 pm
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I can't really see what a difference it would make either. I always pour the hot water over the tea bag because it steeps better, but it shouldn't matter when the milk is poured.


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Eruname
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 21 May , 2009 8:47 pm
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I've seen people do it like that. I don't put milk in my tea. It tastes a lot better without it to me. I also use honey instead of sugar.

I do agree with the teabag first, then water bit.

edit: I have a new tea I really love. A green tea with peach:

http://www.taylorsofharrogate.co.uk/tea ... itmid=1405" target="_blank

That brand is an awesome brand of teas.

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LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 21 May , 2009 8:56 pm
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Oooh, yes, they do make awesome tea. I have to go to specialty shops here to find it, though.

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Leafy
Post subject: Re: Tea: The Fancy Caffeine or The Mystery of the Leaves
Posted: Thu 21 May , 2009 9:04 pm
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Lali, you use cream instead of milk? doesn't that make the tea a bit sickly? Cream is wonderful in coffee (she said, wondering why her jeans don't fit anymore :blackeye: ) but I can't imagine it in tea - too thick.

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