On 26 Mar 2004 02:09:37 GMT, Beth > wrote:
> ideas?

Chris Roberson does a FAQ for this group:
<URI:http://pages.ripco.net/~c4ha2na9/tea/faq.html>

Water temperature probably makes the biggest difference in flavor --
far too many coffee shops serve green tea that tastes like boiled
spinach. Here are some heuristics:
black: 100C steam-wand the water from "hot water" button
dark oolong: 85-90C "hot water" button
white: 80-90C "hot water" button mixed with a little cold water
green: 80-85C "hot water" button mixed with more cold water

You could measure the temp with one of the milk thermometers or
something a couple of times to get a feel for it, but it's pretty easy
to get used to, and not a lot of effort.

Storage is very important for unflavored teas. While it's tempting to
keep tea in glass jars so customers can see them, this is not the best
for the tea; keep them in opaque, airtight containers, except perhaps
for ones you go through very quickly. A better way to let people see
and smell the teas is to keep samples of each in little bowls -- it
won't matter if those degrade since they won't be brewed. None of the
ones in your list look like they'd need refrigeration.

While many of us on this newsgroup don't drink a lot of flavored teas,
they do seem to be popular with cafe-goers, so it's likely sensible to
focus on them as heavily as you do. Fruit flavored teas make great
iced tea, which may be more significant in summer.

Earl Grey is probably the most popular flavored black tea in the US.

Steaming the chai blend with milk and water makes a passable imitation
of the real thing, though unfortunately boxed chai seems to have
spoiled most cafe-goers' tastes for the real thing. The "no added
sugar" aspect might be a good way to spin that, if your clientele
includes low-carb folks.

I seem to remember Divinitea offering an organic whole-leaf Assam from
Banaspati estate (a local c*ffee shop buys from them), which is quite
tasty, with a great honeyed aroma, etc.


N.