notbob > wrote:
>One of my fave teas is good ol' Earl Grey. I've found only one brand
>I did not like, but this outta many EGs. Basically, I wanna know if
>EG and other black teas use a dye. Not only is my white tea cup
>stained after a cuppa EG, but my stainless steel tea spoon is also
>stained! I've yet to run across anything that would stain stainless
>steel. Only Earl Grey tea.
>
>Is this true of other black teas?

Black teas have a large amount of tannin in them.... how much depends a
lot on how the tea is processed. This _is_ a dye, but it's a natural
dye that comes from the tea plant.

However, it shouldn't stain a stainless-steel spoon, not if you are
washing it regularly. It will stain teacups if you don't wash them.

Try a CTC tea, it should stain even more than Earl Grey.
--scott

I will say that there ARE some Chinese greens that have artificial coloring
added to them, but that's a whole different problem of a different color.
>
>nb
>


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."