Hi,

This is my first time posting to rec.food.drink.tea. I was wondering
whether you guys could help me deal with the issue of getting quality
tea when dining out. I have the pleasure of drinking my loose-leaf
teas at home, but people tend to drag me to coffee-shops that have
horrendous tea.

Whether its Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, I can't stand the inferior
taste of their bagged teas. And I am no fan of coffee either, so I
won't have that instead.

So the question is, what's a tea lover supposed to do when meeting
someone in a place like that?

I can't exactly bring my mesh ball with loose leaves and tell the
server to bour boiling water over it. I am pretty sure that they'd
give me a weird look and tell me they couldn't do that for me.

Welcome

Actually both DD and Starbucks have been very nice about serving me hot water.
And when they put it in my travel mug (rather than their cups) they have very
rarely charged for it.

>Whether its Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, I can't stand the inferior
>taste of their bagged teas. And I am no fan of coffee either, so I
>won't have that instead.
>


--Tom
-oo-
""\o~
------------------------------------
"Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
Terrance

On 18 Jan 2004 01:07:45 -0800, (seby1689) tripped
the light fantastic, then quipped:

>So the question is, what's a tea lover supposed to do when meeting
>someone in a place like that?
>
>I can't exactly bring my mesh ball with loose leaves and tell the
>server to bour boiling water over it. I am pretty sure that they'd
>give me a weird look and tell me they couldn't do that for me.

Welcome to the group, Seby. I carry in my bag a couple of different
types of tea in small tins with tightly-fitting lids. I also put
paper filter bags, like T-Sacs or Minit Filters (both available at
many online purveyors of tea) in the tins. In my experience, most
restaurants don't mind at all bringing me a cup of hot water, and
sometimes a [poorly insulated] small metal teapot containing enough
water for a "coupla cuppas". If I'm lucky, the water is actually hot
enough to brew a decent cup of tea (I prefer black teas that
necessitate hotter water than, say, green teas). It certainly beats
the weak, generic tea bags usually available at the restaurants I
visit. I don't drink coffee, either, so this solution, though not
quite as convenient as ordering a cup of java, works well for me.
After all, nothing beats a wonderful cup of tea after a satisfying
meal. Once again, welcome to rec.food.drink.tea. Sooner or later,
you'll see here the answer to any question you've ever had concerning
tea.

Tee
http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
Remove -no-spam- to email me.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one
pretty and well preserved package, but to skid across the line broadside,
thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, and shouting, *GERONIMO!*"

In article > Tee King
> writes:
>Tee
>http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
>Remove -no-spam- to email me.

Dear Tee,

You have a very interesting web site and quite a philosophy of life:

>"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one
>pretty and well preserved package, but to skid across the line broadside,
>thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, and shouting, *GERONIMO!*"

Go for it!!

--Marshall

On 18 Jan 2004 17:23:25 GMT, (Marshall
Dermer) tripped the light fantastic, then quipped:

>In article > Tee King
> writes:
>>Tee
>>http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
>>Remove -no-spam- to email me.
>
>Dear Tee,
>
>You have a very interesting web site and quite a philosophy of life:
>
>>"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one
>>pretty and well preserved package, but to skid across the line broadside,
>>thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, and shouting, *GERONIMO!*"
>
>Go for it!!
>
>--Marshall

Thank you very much, Marshall. The "Geronimo" quote isn't mine, and I
don't know who the author is, but I intend to make it my way of life.


Tee
http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
Remove -no-spam- to email me.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one
pretty and well preserved package, but to skid across the line broadside,
thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, and shouting, *GERONIMO!*"

In article > Tee King > writes:
>Thank you very much, Marshall. The "Geronimo" quote isn't mine, and I
>don't know who the author is, but I intend to make it my way of life.
>
>
>Tee
>http://www.geocities.com/tee_king
>Remove -no-spam- to email me.

OK but I just want to note that sometimes the best course is to
"roll with the punches." --Marshall

>
>"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one
>pretty and well preserved package, but to skid across the line broadside,
>thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, and shouting, *GERONIMO!*"

In article >, Tee King > wrote:
>
[snip] I carry in my bag a couple of different
>types of tea in small tins with tightly-fitting lids. I also put
>paper filter bags, like T-Sacs or Minit Filters (both available at
>many online purveyors of tea) in the tins. In my experience, most
>restaurants don't mind at all bringing me a cup of hot water [snip]

i find that the tea quality in a restaurant or eatery has nothing to with the
food quality. it amazes me that a lot of fine resturants serve mediocre tea. &
sometimes a not so good restaurant actually has decent tea.

i sometimes do the same, _if_ i remember to make my own tea bags. i sometimes
do the same when visiting friends. some people don't have tea at home & i
don't normally drink coffee nor other icy cold liquid.

green tea works better than black tea these situation since most places do not
have hot enough water.

regards,

regards,

pam @ home ¤p¬}

Pam's Ode to Spammers & Telemarketers

May all spammers & telemarketers die an agonizing death; have no
burial places; their souls be chased by demons in Gehenna from one
room to another for 1000 years.

(seby1689) wrote in message . com>...
> Hi,
>
> This is my first time posting to rec.food.drink.tea. I was wondering
> whether you guys could help me deal with the issue of getting quality
> tea when dining out. I have the pleasure of drinking my loose-leaf
> teas at home, but people tend to drag me to coffee-shops that have
> horrendous tea.
>
> Whether its Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, I can't stand the inferior
> taste of their bagged teas. And I am no fan of coffee either, so I
> won't have that instead.
>
> So the question is, what's a tea lover supposed to do when meeting
> someone in a place like that?
>
> I can't exactly bring my mesh ball with loose leaves and tell the
> server to bour boiling water over it. I am pretty sure that they'd
> give me a weird look and tell me they couldn't do that for me.

Hi Seby,

here in Germany it's pretty much the same. You order a tea, and they
bring you a glass (!) with a
"cheapest-tea-availible-on-the-market-but-at-least-with-a-'brand-name'-on-it-tea-bag"
(and German tea bags are the worst in the world!), ducked into a kind
of warm water (of course, it is not hot). I never saw someone ordering
a coffee and getting a spoon with instant coffee and nearly cold
water; no, they always serve just a decent cup of coffee, and the
coffee is always hot, made freshly from grind coffe in a coffee- or
espresso-machine. BTW a glass of cheap tea bag tea costs the same as a
cup of coffee! So, they give a crap, when you ask just for hot water
(even if it isn't hot). And even at the university caffeteriea you
have to pay the full price only for hot water, whether you take one of
their non-brand-chepest-crap-of-tea tea bags with it or not (there is
a special big sign which tells all customers (mostly students) this
fact!)! And the coffeteria is just paid by the students with an extra
fee they have to pay for it every semester.

Well, let's go back to tea and dining out. Mostly, you can get a
decent Jasmine-Tea at Chinese restaurants (served traditionally in a
chinese tea pot of 0,5 litres and refilled with really warm water
every time you ask for without extra costs). Some also offer a quite
nice Keemun (which I prefer after dinner, instead of an espresso).
There are also turkish or arabic restaurants where a very very sweet
but decent Ceylon tea is served in small, tiny glasses (personally, I
don't like it very much). Intersesting enough, it is obvious, that you
can't get a decent cuppa in Indian restaurants...

From the US I heard by some friends, that the Barnes & Nobles coffee
shops offer a small variety of decent teas.

But over all, we are forced to drink water or somethong else than tea
when dining out :-(.


Dieter

> But over all, we are forced to drink water or somethong else than tea
> when dining out :-(.
>
>
> Dieter

I have to agree with Dieter, German restaurant tea is an offence and a
rip-off. The best tea I had was at a Lufthansa lounge where they have very
good teabags and boiling hot water. The other good tea I had was at a
motorway stop in Bavaria (but only one such place up to now).
My solution to the dilemma is not to drink tea in Restaurants anymore.

JB

Hello, Seby, and welcome.

Outside of a genuine tea-house it is still true that the best tea in a
restaurant is the tea you bring yourself.

I live in New York City, and here many places, even delis, have a variety of
bagged tea (black, green, flavored). At least it is not all just black tea
anymore. However, it is still no better than poor-to-average.

I have had good success being served hot water when I bring my own tea. The
trick is remembering to bring along the tea when I go out.

Joe

"seby1689" > wrote

> I can't exactly bring my mesh ball with loose leaves and tell the
> server to bour boiling water over it. I am pretty sure that they'd
> give me a weird look and tell me they couldn't do that for me.

Just another voice saying, "Yes you can."

The worst that will happen is that you'll end up paying for the hot water
and if you have to do that, remember that most of the cost of a cup of tea
at an eatery of any kind is labor and overhead. The tea bag, even if it's a
rather good tea bag, only amounts to a modest portion of the total cost.

I've carried tea balls or loose bags on Amtrak trains, into various
restaurants, and into my agency's commissary.

Although I've never done it in a really classy restaurant, which I don't
frequent in any case, I've never had a problem.

And except for a nice little place in Amherst, MA I've almost never been to
a restaurant (other than an actual tea house) which served tea as loose tea.

Warren

Warren C. hlink.net1/20/04


>
> "seby1689" > wrote
>
>> I can't exactly bring my mesh ball with loose leaves and tell the
>> server to bour boiling water over it. I am pretty sure that they'd
>> give me a weird look and tell me they couldn't do that for me.
>
> Just another voice saying, "Yes you can."
>
> The worst that will happen is that you'll end up paying for the hot water
> and if you have to do that, remember that most of the cost of a cup of tea
> at an eatery of any kind is labor and overhead. The tea bag, even if it's a
> rather good tea bag, only amounts to a modest portion of the total cost.
>
> I've carried tea balls or loose bags on Amtrak trains, into various
> restaurants, and into my agency's commissary.
>
> Although I've never done it in a really classy restaurant, which I don't
> frequent in any case, I've never had a problem.
>
> And except for a nice little place in Amherst, MA I've almost never been to
> a restaurant (other than an actual tea house) which served tea as loose tea.
>
> Warren


Try this: Notice what tea they *don't* have. Ask for it. When they say
they're out of it or don't stock it, say: "Oh, my doctor says I need to
drink that one for medicinal purposes. Do you think I can just have some hot
water instead? This oughta work!

I would never do such a thing myself, but you might try.

Starbucks, be damned.

Michael

"Joseph Kubera" > wrote in message ...
> Hello, Seby, and welcome.
> Outside of a genuine tea-house it is still true that the best tea in a
> restaurant is the tea you bring yourself.
> I live in New York City, and here many places, even delis, have a variety of
> bagged tea (black, green, flavored). At least it is not all just black tea
> anymore. However, it is still no better than poor-to-average.
> I have had good success being served hot water when I bring my own tea. The
> trick is remembering to bring along the tea when I go out.
> Joe

Hi Guys, As an Englishman who has just found this group I am horrified to
hear of the practice of using "Hot Water" to make tea.
Average tea bags covered with boiling water straight from the kettle is a better drink
than the best leaf tea covered by water that is off the boil.
Still it is nice to see how many are drinking tea & realise that civilisation has finaly
reached the new world. 8^)
Regards,
--
Dave Croft
Warrington
England
http://www.oldengine.org/members/croft/homepage/
http://community.webshots.com/user/crftdv

I, too, have had no problems, even in restaurants, with getting them to
serve me a cup of plain hot water.


"Tom" > wrote in message
...
> Welcome
>
> Actually both DD and Starbucks have been very nice about serving me hot
water.
> And when they put it in my travel mug (rather than their cups) they have
very
> rarely charged for it.
>
> >Whether its Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, I can't stand the inferior
> >taste of their bagged teas. And I am no fan of coffee either, so I
> >won't have that instead.
> >
>
>
> --Tom
> -oo-
> ""\o~
> ------------------------------------
> "Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
> Terrance

Hello, and welcome to the group, Dave. Your views from across the pond will be
appreciated.

>I am horrified to
>hear of the practice of using "Hot Water" to make tea.

But I wish to point out that "hot water" is usually better for green tea, if
that's what you're making, than boiling water, especially if a good whole-leaf
green. Much of the teabagged green we get over here is awful with hot water
and awful & bitter with boiling water.

Joe

Joseph 1/21/04


> Hello, and welcome to the group, Dave. Your views from across the pond will
> be appreciated.
>
>> I am horrified to
>> hear of the practice of using "Hot Water" to make tea.
>
> But I wish to point out that "hot water" is usually better for green tea, if
> that's what you're making, than boiling water, especially if a good whole-leaf
> green. Much of the teabagged green we get over here is awful with hot water
> and awful & bitter with boiling water.
>
> Joe
>
>

Hi Joe and Dave,

Not to introduce a layer of topic that has hitherto caused so much grief and
suffering, but alas I must ask you to provide us your definition of "hot,"
and could we (please) descend into the world of precision using themometric
instruments?

BTW, welcome aboard, Dave.

Michael

(Joseph Kubera) writes:

> Hello, and welcome to the group, Dave. Your views from across the
> pond will be appreciated.
>
> >I am horrified to
> >hear of the practice of using "Hot Water" to make tea.
>
> But I wish to point out that "hot water" is usually better for green
> tea, if that's what you're making, than boiling water, especially if
> a good whole-leaf green. Much of the teabagged green we get over
> here is awful with hot water and awful & bitter with boiling water.

Right, if it's anywhere near boiling. But often it isn't, and there
are some places where you can guarantee that "hot" will be OK for
greens. I recently brewed some very nice tea on a plane from some
white tea I smuggled onto the aircraft and what they called hot water.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Warren C. Liebold" > wrote in
ink.net:

> And except for a nice little place in Amherst, MA I've almost never
> been to a restaurant (other than an actual tea house) which served
> tea as loose tea.

Which restaurant was this? I know (and love) Amherst, and the next time
I visit it would be nice to keep in mind a place where I could order
good tea to drink (I'm assuming that it was good, as well as loose?)

Cheers,
Holly

"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> Not to introduce a layer of topic that has hitherto caused so much grief
and
> suffering, but alas I must ask you to provide us your definition of "hot,"
> and could we (please) descend into the world of precision using
themometric
> instruments?

The anthrompomorphic principle says, in one version, that the perfect fit of
all physical constants to permit life in the universe (which would be
impossible were any of them much different) proves that the universe exists
just for us. Similar onto-logic may be used to establsih the geographic
origins of things. Caucasians, for example, evolved in sun-starved
latitudes; people who are lactose-tolerant as adults evolved in cool places
where milk doesn't spoil rapidly. Etc.

I've often found it interesting that coffee and green tea are much better
when prepared with water at ca. 80~85 C. Perhaps the beverage gods intended
them to be drunk in alpine zones where water boils at lower temperatures?
Since black tea is barely OK with boiling water, and better with superheated
steam (as in an espresso machine), I conclude that "English" style tea must
have been divinely intended for consumption at sub-zero elevations. That
pretty much narrows it down to the Dead Sea or Atlantis.

Other highly rational scientific theories?

"Holly E. Ordway" asked:

> Which restaurant was this? I know (and love) Amherst, and the next time
> I visit it would be nice to keep in mind a place where I could order
> good tea to drink (I'm assuming that it was good, as well as loose?)
>
> Cheers,
> Holly

Now, was it "Judy's"? Or was Judy the name of the owner and it has another
name?

Right on the main "downtown" commercial street (not Route 9).

Warren

"Warren C. Liebold" > wrote in
link.net:

>> Which restaurant was this? I know (and love) Amherst, and the next
>> time I visit it would be nice to keep in mind a place where I
>> could order good tea to drink (I'm assuming that it was good, as
>> well as loose?)

> Now, was it "Judy's"? Or was Judy the name of the owner and it has
> another name?
>
> Right on the main "downtown" commercial street (not Route 9).

Judie's! That's a great restaurant. And the owner is, in fact, Judie.
:-) I've had many a great meal there, but never ordered tea - hmmm, I
bet it would be good with a nice warm popover. I'll keep that in mind
the next time I'm in the area

--Holly

Dog Ma 1 (reply w/o spam)> wrote:

> I conclude that "English" style tea must
> have been divinely intended for consumption at sub-zero elevations. That
> pretty much narrows it down to the Dead Sea or Atlantis.

Mr. Ma, you are one of this forum's most brilliant theatheologists.

I was once interested in high-pressure tea (but more secularly
motivated) and tried to get an Israeli rfdt reader to go to a spa on
the Dead Sea, make tea, and report. He never did, as far as I know.

But even the Dead Sea would give us only a single data point. Does
anyone have access to a hyperbaric chamber? Although I work at a
hospital, we don't treat many bends cases in Wisconsin.

Best wishes,

Rick.

"Rick Chappell" > wrote in message ...
> Dog Ma 1 (reply w/o spam)> wrote:
>
> > I conclude that "English" style tea must
> > have been divinely intended for consumption at sub-zero elevations. That
> > pretty much narrows it down to the Dead Sea or Atlantis.
>
> Mr. Ma, you are one of this forum's most brilliant theatheologists.
> I was once interested in high-pressure tea (but more secularly
> motivated) and tried to get an Israeli rfdt reader to go to a spa on
> the Dead Sea, make tea, and report. He never did, as far as I know.
> But even the Dead Sea would give us only a single data point. Does
> anyone have access to a hyperbaric chamber? Although I work at a
> hospital, we don't treat many bends cases in Wisconsin.
> Rick.

Hi Rick. Have a read of Douglas Adams page.
(He wrote The Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy)
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/000492.html
He not only covers our attitude to the temperature of water needed
to make the correct English Tea but also covers the problems of doing
the same at different heights.
He can probably advise you of how to do it in another Galaxy. 8^)
--
Dave Croft
Warrington
England
http://www.oldengine.org/members/croft/homepage/
http://community.webshots.com/user/crftdv

While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Dave Croft rolled
initiative and posted the following:

> "Rick Chappell" > wrote in
> message ...
>> Dog Ma 1 (reply w/o spam)> wrote:
>>
>> > I conclude that "English" style tea must
>> > have been divinely intended for consumption at sub-zero
>> > elevations. That pretty much narrows it down to the Dead Sea
>> > or Atlantis.
>>
>> Mr. Ma, you are one of this forum's most brilliant
>> theatheologists. I was once interested in high-pressure
>> tea (but more secularly motivated) and tried to get an
>> Israeli rfdt reader to go to a spa on the Dead Sea, make tea,
>> and report. He never did, as far as I know. But even the Dead
>> Sea would give us only a single data point. Does anyone
>> have access to a hyperbaric chamber? Although I work at a
>> hospital, we don't treat many bends cases in Wisconsin.
>> Rick.
>
> Hi Rick. Have a read of Douglas Adams page.
> (He wrote The Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy)
> http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/000492.html

It's not his page, it's only a quote. But it's a darned good quote.

If it has been his page, it would have been on
http://www.douglasadams.com/ instead.

> He not only covers our attitude to the temperature of water
> needed to make the correct English Tea but also covers the
> problems of doing the same at different heights.

Yes, well, "attitude" is everything.

> He can probably advise you of how to do it in another Galaxy.

The unfortunately truth of the matter is that short of a seance,
Mr. Adams won't be advising anyone on anything anytime soon. His
"Infinite Improbability Drive" ceased functioning in 2001.

--
Derek

The best leaders inspire by example. When that's not an option,
brute intimidation works pretty well, too.

Dave:

Thank you so much for that post!
I had thought thatI had read all of Adams's work.
To find out that I hadn't was wonderful.
To find out that he had something I hadn't read ON THE SUBJECT OF TEA was pure
magic.
Thanks again.

>Subject: Hah! I just figured it out
>From: "Dave Croft"
>Date: 1/22/2004 10:53 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>"Rick Chappell" > wrote in message
...
>> Dog Ma 1 (reply w/o spam)> wrote:
>>
>> > I conclude that "English" style tea must
>> > have been divinely intended for consumption at sub-zero elevations. That
>> > pretty much narrows it down to the Dead Sea or Atlantis.
>>
>> Mr. Ma, you are one of this forum's most brilliant theatheologists.
>> I was once interested in high-pressure tea (but more secularly
>> motivated) and tried to get an Israeli rfdt reader to go to a spa on
>> the Dead Sea, make tea, and report. He never did, as far as I know.
>> But even the Dead Sea would give us only a single data point. Does
>> anyone have access to a hyperbaric chamber? Although I work at a
>> hospital, we don't treat many bends cases in Wisconsin.
>> Rick.
>
>Hi Rick. Have a read of Douglas Adams page.
>(He wrote The Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy)
>http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/000492.html
>He not only covers our attitude to the temperature of water needed
>to make the correct English Tea but also covers the problems of doing
>the same at different heights.
>He can probably advise you of how to do it in another Galaxy. 8^)
>--
>Dave Croft
>Warrington
>England
>http://www.oldengine.org/members/croft/homepage/
>http://community.webshots.com/user/crftdv
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


--Tom
-oo-
""\o~
------------------------------------
"Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
Terrance

>That was a really
>delightful restaurant. They also had nice local beer.
>

Damn. I was in Amherst a couple of summers ago for a bicycling event. If only
I'd known about the place. I did get to a good coffee place (don't tell the
tea group.)

Ah, New England. So civilized. I just heard a TV news reporter interviewing
New Hampshire locals on the upcoming primary, and one of them said "Do you want
me to prognosticate?" I'll bet the network guy didn't know what it meant.

Joe

Dave Croft > wrote:

RC>> Mr. Ma, you are one of this forum's most brilliant theatheologists.
RC>> I was once interested in high-pressure tea (but more secularly
RC>> motivated) and tried to get an Israeli rfdt reader to go to a spa on
RC>> the Dead Sea, make tea, and report. He never did, as far as I know.
RC>> But even the Dead Sea would give us only a single data point. Does
RC>> anyone have access to a hyperbaric chamber? Although I work at a
RC>> hospital, we don't treat many bends cases in Wisconsin.
RC>> Rick.

DC> Hi Rick. Have a read of Douglas Adams page.
DC> (He wrote The Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy)
DC> http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/000492.html
DC> He not only covers our attitude to the temperature of water needed
DC> to make the correct English Tea but also covers the problems of doing
DC> the same at different heights.
DC> He can probably advise you of how to do it in another Galaxy. 8^)

Douglas Adams certainly continues the tradition of granitic British
uncompromise with regards to tea, from George Orwell's instructions on
holding steady during wartime rationing to Dr. Muriel Bristol's
insistence that the order of milk vs. tea addition to the cup was of
cardinal importance (thus, legendarily, leading to a new branch of
statistics) to sir Edmond Hillary's famous lament about weak tea on
Mt. Everest. But he doesn't say what to do at altitude. Neither
does the following text (not Adams') at the cited website:


Simple enough but I have a question; one I think Douglas
Adams would appreciate. The essential element in making
that proper cup is that the water must be boiling. Now
Douglas was a Brit, and he lived at sea level, and therein
lies the problem. I live in Utah approximately 4500 feet
(1372 meters) above sea level and since altitude has a
definite effect on the temperature at which water boils
there is a problem. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit
(100 Celsius). For each increase of 500 feet (152 meters)
of altitude the Fahrenheit temperature at which water boils
goes down 1 degree. That means in my kitchen water boils at
203 degrees Fahrenheit (95 Celsius). Boiling as Douglas
insists it must, but certainly not the same boiling that
occurs at sea level. Does this mean I will never experience
a proper cup of tea in Sandy Utah? I wonder if this applies
to my coffee. Would anyone care to offer a solution to this
problem?

My first solution was a literal solution: put the sugar in the kettle
instead of the cup, raising the boiling point. But I found that, if I
got all my constants right, one teaspoon of sucrose in a six fluid
ounce cup of tea will raise the boiling point by about .07 degrees
Fahrenheit, accounting for only a 33-foot ascent. Not much.
(Calculations, which may well be wrong, available by request.) So we
are still left with a hyperbaric chamber or nothing. Or green tea, of
course. The market is now ripe for altitude-specific blends, which
should of course come with topographic maps showing where they should
be steeped with boiling water (or not steeped at all).

Writing from the bowels of a blizzard,

Rick.

"Holly E. Ordway" wrote:
>
> "Warren C. Liebold" > wrote in
> link.net:
>
> >> Which restaurant was this? I know (and love) Amherst, and the next
> >> time I visit it would be nice to keep in mind a place where I
> >> could order good tea to drink (I'm assuming that it was good, as
> >> well as loose?)
>
> > Now, was it "Judy's"? Or was Judy the name of the owner and it has
> > another name?
> >
> > Right on the main "downtown" commercial street (not Route 9).
>
> Judie's! That's a great restaurant. And the owner is, in fact, Judie.
> :-) I've had many a great meal there, but never ordered tea - hmmm, I
> bet it would be good with a nice warm popover. I'll keep that in mind
> the next time I'm in the area

Darn, and I read this thread *after* I'd already gone to lunch...

-Suzanne
in Amherst

> ... My first solution was a literal solution: put the sugar in the kettle
> instead of the cup, raising the boiling point.
>
> Rick.

Moving from the silly to the serious, I have often done the following
instead of pre-warming the pot: add water and leaves, then zap the thing in
the microwave for a few seconds to bring it back to a boil. Makes much
better black tea, even if the aesthtics are deficient.

-DM

Has anyone tried tea made in a pressure cooker?

Regards
--
Social Policy Bonds:
Policy as if outcomes mattered
http://SocialGoals.com
Rick Chappell > wrote >
Does
> anyone have access to a hyperbaric chamber?

"Ronnie H" > writes:

> Has anyone tried tea made in a pressure cooker?

Or for that matter some kind of vacuum chamber contraption
(speaking of mad scientists).

And has anyone tried to make tea out of the roots?
I read that most of the theanine is in the roots.
What is the exact chemical composition of the roots?
Maybe they have little caffeine, and a lot of theanine.

<snipped lots of stuff about loose tea in amherst>

well, for what it's worth, there's also the fresh side in amherst (on
main street), which is cheaper and (for my tastes) much better than
judie's.

then there's a slew of cafes around with loose tea:
rao's
northampton coffee (in fun, fun tetsubin)
woodstar
haymarket

now, i can't say that i think the tea is GOOD at any of these places,
but it is loose.

cheers!
sam