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| Tea (rec.drink.tea) Discussion relating to tea, the world's second most consumed beverage (after water), made by infusing or boiling the leaves of the tea plant (C. sinensis or close relatives) in water. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
(If I am beating a dead horse, a subject that has been covered to death
before, my apologies, please point me to a link.) Clear, mucus-like slime in teapot. No off-flavor. For years I prepared green tea in a small ceramic teapot. I bring water to a boil in a kettle, pour some into a cup to cool it, then pour that into the pot over a bunch of green tea leaves. I've used nice green tea -- senchas -- from a local Japanese store, but find that Trader Joe's "Uncle Lee's" loose leaf is plenty fine for me. The tea steep for a few minutes then I pour it. Later in the day, I'll often just add more dry leaves atop the older leaves already in the pot to make a stronger-flavored tea. I did it like this for years. It makes a cup that I like. Moved to a new house in August and something odd is happening. If I leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. The slimy tea tastes just like the regular tea with no off-flavors. But the consistency is totally off-putting. What /is/ this stuff? Oh -- one more thing: in this house I am using reverse-osmosis filtered water. At the old house I used just plain tap. Rinse out the pot and start fresh -- regular green tea. I've read about kombucha and it is described as having a distinctive taste? What new form of life am I creating here? -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: > If I > leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) > and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old > with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. > > The slimy tea tastes just like the regular tea with no off-flavors. But > the consistency is totally off-putting. What /is/ this stuff? Rot? |
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What is this slimy stuff?
crymad wrote:
> > "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: > > >>If I >>leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) >>and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old >>with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. >> >>The slimy tea tastes just like the regular tea with no off-flavors. But >>the consistency is totally off-putting. What /is/ this stuff? > > > Rot? Overnight? Perfectly clear? No odor other than tea? But viscous, like, well, mucus. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 15:20:32 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et> tripped the light fantastic, then quipped: >>>If I >>>leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) >>>and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old >>>with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. >>> >>>The slimy tea tastes just like the regular tea with no off-flavors. But >>>the consistency is totally off-putting. What /is/ this stuff? >> >> >> Rot? > >Overnight? Perfectly clear? No odor other than tea? But viscous, like, >well, mucus. I had this happen to me once, years ago; I made a batch of sun tea with a brand of teabags I'd never used before. I used the same procedure I'd always used with good results, but this batch was as you described... gloppy is a good word for it. Thick, slimey, and utterly disgusting. I didn't even pour it down the drain for fear of what it might do. Instead, I took it outside and poured it into a rain drain in the street. To this day, I don't know what caused it, but it was ghastly stuff indeed. Tee http://www.geocities.com/tee_king Remove -no-spam- to email me. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
>>>>If I
>>>>leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) >>>>and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old >>>>with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. >>>> I have not had this happen to the extent you describe, but I *have* had teas that left a perceptible film on the pot's interior. I commonly just rinse my pots out with very hot water, rub the sides with my fingers, and that's usually enough. But when I get a tea like this, I use dish soap or detergent. For me, it always had to do with specific teas. Not that they tasted bad at all; just some characteristic of the tea. It didn't take all night for the film to form, either. Three ideas: 1) Try saving your spent leaves overnight as usual, and in the morning NOT adding new leaves, but just rebrewing the old ones...and see what happens. Maybe there's some reaction between the new leaves and old? 2) Perhaps your new environment has some unusually vigorous airborne bacteria that go to work on your spent tea leaves overnight. I never found wet leaves to be an ideal growth medium, but had a heckuva time with this issue when I used to do homebrewing. 3) Send Uncle Lee packing. ;-) Joe |
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What is this slimy stuff?
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What is this slimy stuff?
Michael Plant wrote:
> Randy, > > You might get together with Rocket J. Squirrel to mate your respective > slimes and see what progeny ensues. Realize howeve that, although you can > patent your respective slimes, you *cannot* patent the *idea* of "slime," > nor can you patent the word "slime." Be forewarned. (That is, if I have > understood Derick correctly.) Prior to patenting my new slimy lifeform I need to obtain mad scientist lab coat, goggles and big rubber gloves. My slime rules! -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
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What is this slimy stuff?
Joseph Kubera wrote:
>>>>>If I >>>>>leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) >>>>>and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old >>>>>with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. >>>>> > > > I have not had this happen to the extent you describe, but I *have* had teas > that left a perceptible film on the pot's interior. I commonly just rinse my > pots out with very hot water, rub the sides with my fingers, and that's > usually enough. But when I get a tea like this, I use dish soap or detergent. > > For me, it always had to do with specific teas. Not that they tasted bad at > all; just some characteristic of the tea. It didn't take all night for the > film to form, either. Tried the following highly-scientific experiment: This morning, at crack of dawn, brewed cup of tea in pot with fresh leaves on yesterdays 1-cup's-worth of spent. /Teeny/ bit of viscous slime sorta-kinda detected. Steep time about 3 minutes. Then added more fresh leaves and another cup of nearly-boiling water (should kill /all/ life forms, yes?) and drove the kids to school. Returned one hour later. All liquid had transformed into viscous slime. We're talking the stuff they had dripping out of the mouth of the Alien. > Three ideas: > > 1) Try saving your spent leaves overnight as usual, and in the morning NOT > adding new leaves, but just rebrewing the old ones...and see what happens. > Maybe there's some reaction between the new leaves and old? Next on the agenda. Jeepers - how complicated can pitching hot water onto wet leaves be? > 2) Perhaps your new environment has some unusually vigorous airborne bacteria > that go to work on your spent tea leaves overnight. I never found wet leaves > to be an ideal growth medium, but had a heckuva time with this issue when I > used to do homebrewing. This is indeed a poser. If there are some mysterious airborne critters they are unaffected by 90C water. And they grow nowhere else. Not that I normally keep bunches of wet leaves lying around the place. > 3) Send Uncle Lee packing. ;-) But . . . but . . . Ol' Lee has been an old friend for over five years now! Dependable, inexpensive, easy to obtain. Kind of like an old girlfriend I used to have. Besides, Trader Joe's sells this tea by the container-load. If it is somehow contaminated or comes bearing some evil thermophilic life from another planet, surely someone would have noticed by now. Also, about a month ago, the packaging changed to vacuum-sealed bags. Now we have a life form that tolerates high temperatures and the vacuum of space. My comparison to "Alien" is starting to look plausible. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Michael Plant wrote:
> Mike Rocket J. Squirrel 3/18/04 > 11:50j.michael.elliottAT@REMOVETHEOBVIOUSadelphiaD OT.net > > >>Michael Plant wrote: >> >> >>>Randy, >>> >>>You might get together with Rocket J. Squirrel to mate your respective >>>slimes and see what progeny ensues. Realize however that, although you can >>>patent your respective slimes, you *cannot* patent the *idea* of "slime," >>>nor can you patent the word "slime." Be forewarned. (That is, if I have >>>understood Derek correctly.) >> >>Prior to patenting my new slimy lifeform I need to obtain mad scientist >>lab coat, goggles and big rubber gloves. My slime rules! > > > But, think of the synergistic advantage of a mating. The sky's the limit, > guys: From slime to sludge -- and beyond. What's beyond sludge? -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: > > Michael Plant wrote: > > > Mike Rocket J. Squirrel 3/18/04 > > 11:50j.michael.elliottAT@REMOVETHEOBVIOUSadelphiaD OT.net > > > >> > >>Prior to patenting my new slimy lifeform I need to obtain mad scientist > >>lab coat, goggles and big rubber gloves. My slime rules! > > > > > > But, think of the synergistic advantage of a mating. The sky's the limit, > > guys: From slime to sludge -- and beyond. > > What's beyond sludge? Something that tastes like Puerh. --crymad |
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What is this slimy stuff?
crymad wrote:
> > "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: > > > > What's beyond sludge? > > Something that tastes like Puerh. Ding Ding Ding! We got ourselves a winner! Here on rec.food.drink.tea.puerh, every thread is required to be turned into a discussion of Puerh. Crymad's elegant and humorous shot wins the "Return of the Week" award. Randy |
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What is this slimy stuff?
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: > > 2) Perhaps your new environment has some unusually vigorous airborne bacteria > > that go to work on your spent tea leaves overnight. > > This is indeed a poser. If there are some mysterious airborne critters > they are unaffected by 90C water. And they grow nowhere else. Not that I > normally keep bunches of wet leaves lying around the place. > ... If it is > somehow contaminated or comes bearing some evil thermophilic life from > another planet, surely someone would have noticed by now. Also, about a > month ago, the packaging changed to vacuum-sealed bags. Now we have a > life form that tolerates high temperatures and the vacuum of space. Working upwards... The vacuum of space is a pretty hostile place for bugs, but not because of the vacuum. The killer is radiation, from UV to gamma plus charged particles. Many small life-forms can tolerate dehydration and cold. There certainly are bacteria that can live in near-boiling water. The key enabler for both DNA testing and much of biotech is an enzyme call TAq polymerase, from a bug called thermus aquaticus collected in a Yellowstone boiling pool. There's something living in virtually every known wet environment below 100C, and who knows what remains to be found? Everywhere from deep mines laden with toxic metals, surface hot springs, and the "cool" zones around deep-sea vents. Not to mention man-made places around power plants, etc. It's axiomatic that life will assert itself in every possible environment, and "possible" can stretch itself. For example, thermophilic bacteria have evolved special fats in their cell membranes that make them more physically stable at high temperatures. It's not clear from what's been said so far that it is an infection, though that seems likely. Other explanations are possible. I would suggest an inoculation experiment: make some strong tea, and leave it in a glass with a bit of the gloop and a small piece of leaf. Some bacteria and molds certainly do give off mucopolysaccharides and other viscous or gelling polymers; a few are even harvested commercially. It's entirely possible that a bug or mold evolved in hot tea, rests dormant at lower temperatures or when dry, and has back-infected tea at the source. Might be fun to send a sample to a university bio lab - they might be very interested. Might even turn out to be good for something, like a natural thickener for green-tea ice cream. -DM |
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OT: Mornington Crescent
> Here on rec.food.drink.tea.puerh, every thread is required to
> be turned into a discussion of Puerh. Crymad's elegant and > humorous shot wins the "Return of the Week" award. In that vein, and with a vague nod to the pre-eminence of British influence on tea culture in much of the world, anybody else here a fan of this broadcast? Possibly the most sublime strategy game of all time. -DM |
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What is this slimy stuff?
RJP wrote:
> crymad wrote: > >> "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: >> >>> What's beyond sludge? >> >> Something that tastes like Puerh. > > > > Ding Ding Ding! We got ourselves a winner! > > Here on rec.food.drink.tea.puerh, every thread is required to be > turned into a discussion of Puerh. Crymad's elegant and humorous > shot wins the "Return of the Week" award. Me, I'm please to have been of service in providing crymad the opportunity. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Dog Ma /18/04
reply w/o spam > > "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote: >>> 2) Perhaps your new environment has some unusually vigorous airborne > bacteria >>> that go to work on your spent tea leaves overnight. >> >> This is indeed a poser. If there are some mysterious airborne critters >> they are unaffected by 90C water. And they grow nowhere else. Not that I >> normally keep bunches of wet leaves lying around the place. >> ... If it is >> somehow contaminated or comes bearing some evil thermophilic life from >> another planet, surely someone would have noticed by now. Also, about a >> month ago, the packaging changed to vacuum-sealed bags. Now we have a >> life form that tolerates high temperatures and the vacuum of space. > > > Working upwards... > > The vacuum of space is a pretty hostile place for bugs, but not because of > the vacuum. The killer is radiation, from UV to gamma plus charged > particles. Many small life-forms can tolerate dehydration and cold. You speak of course of carbon based life forms, which my sources inform me *most* of you are. > > There certainly are bacteria that can live in near-boiling water. The key > enabler for both DNA testing and much of biotech is an enzyme call TAq > polymerase, from a bug called thermus aquaticus collected in a Yellowstone > boiling pool. There's something living in virtually every known wet > environment below 100C, and who knows what remains to be found? Everywhere > from deep mines laden with toxic metals, surface hot springs, and the "cool" > zones around deep-sea vents. Not to mention man-made places around power > plants, etc. Watch the skies...and the deeps.... > > It's axiomatic that life will assert itself in every possible environment, > and "possible" can stretch itself. For example, thermophilic bacteria have > evolved special fats in their cell membranes that make them more physically > stable at high temperatures. Not to mention delicious, but alas unhealthy. > > It's not clear from what's been said so far that it is an infection, though > that seems likely. Other explanations are possible. I would suggest an > inoculation experiment: make some strong tea, and leave it in a glass with a > bit of the gloop and a small piece of leaf. Perhaps using plain water instead of agar-agar as a brewing medium would suffice? > > Some bacteria and molds certainly do give off mucopolysaccharides and other > viscous or gelling polymers; a few are even harvested commercially. It's > entirely possible that a bug or mold evolved in hot tea, rests dormant at > lower temperatures or when dry, and has back-infected tea at the source. > Might be fun to send a sample to a university bio lab - they might be very > interested. Might even turn out to be good for something, like a natural > thickener for green-tea ice cream. Commercial value. Some country, America. We could sell your slime to third world countries as a miracle cure. My government will support you. Seriously,...[actually, I'll leave that non sequitur to Dog Ma] Well, I make light of it, but I'll betcha this is just the way yogurt came into the world. Go for it, guys. Michael |
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What is this slimy stuff?
On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 10:53:15 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott"
et> wrote: >Joseph Kubera wrote: > >>>>>>If I >>>>>>leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) >>>>>>and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old >>>>>>with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. >>>>>> >> >> >> I have not had this happen to the extent you describe, but I *have* had teas >> that left a perceptible film on the pot's interior. I commonly just rinse my >> pots out with very hot water, rub the sides with my fingers, and that's >> usually enough. But when I get a tea like this, I use dish soap or detergent. >> >> For me, it always had to do with specific teas. Not that they tasted bad at >> all; just some characteristic of the tea. It didn't take all night for the >> film to form, either. I've seen that a lot through the years but it never progressed to thick slilme. >Tried the following highly-scientific experiment: This morning, at crack >of dawn, brewed cup of tea in pot with fresh leaves on yesterdays >1-cup's-worth of spent. /Teeny/ bit of viscous slime sorta-kinda >detected. Where was it? In chai sometimes stuff like that forms/collects at the bottom of the pot, like it was heavier than water. There's talk about something like that on the diabetic and low-carb ng's. They say it is the soluable fiber in cinnamon doing its soluable fiber thing, ie semi-dissolving in water. It used to happen in my chai which I made without tea, just the whole spices simmering/steeping: cin sticks, whole cloves, whole card pods, whole peppercorns. I think it happened more when I tried chopping/breaking the sticks and pods first. Mine was probably not a carry-over thing since I used different 'pots' -- actually plastic heat and store containers in the microwave. >Steep time about 3 minutes. Then added more fresh leaves and >another cup of nearly-boiling water (should kill /all/ life forms, yes?) >and drove the kids to school. Returned one hour later. All liquid had >transformed into viscous slime. We're talking the stuff they had >dripping out of the mouth of the Alien. I never had a whole potful transform like that. Yours begins to sound more like some sort of live stuff, algae or whatever. Something like that happens in the hot tub sometimes. > >> Three ideas: >> >> 1) Try saving your spent leaves overnight as usual, and in the morning NOT >> adding new leaves, but just rebrewing the old ones...and see what happens. >> Maybe there's some reaction between the new leaves and old? > >Next on the agenda. Jeepers - how complicated can pitching hot water >onto wet leaves be? > >> 2) Perhaps your new environment has some unusually vigorous airborne bacteria >> that go to work on your spent tea leaves overnight. I never found wet leaves >> to be an ideal growth medium, but had a heckuva time with this issue when I >> used to do homebrewing. > >This is indeed a poser. If there are some mysterious airborne critters >they are unaffected by 90C water. And they grow nowhere else. Not that I >normally keep bunches of wet leaves lying around the place. > >> 3) Send Uncle Lee packing. ;-) > >But . . . but . . . Ol' Lee has been an old friend for over five years >now! Dependable, inexpensive, easy to obtain. Kind of like an old >girlfriend I used to have. > >Besides, Trader Joe's sells this tea by the container-load. If it is >somehow contaminated or comes bearing some evil thermophilic life from >another planet, surely someone would have noticed by now. Also, about a >month ago, the packaging changed to vacuum-sealed bags. Now we have a >life form that tolerates high temperatures and the vacuum of space. My >comparison to "Alien" is starting to look plausible. Take some dry tea and nuke it in the microwave? Skinny |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Skinny wrote:
> On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 10:53:15 -0800, "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" > et> wrote: > >>Tried the following highly-scientific experiment: This morning, at crack >>of dawn, brewed cup of tea in pot with fresh leaves on yesterdays >>1-cup's-worth of spent. /Teeny/ bit of viscous slime sorta-kinda >>detected. > > > Where was it? In chai sometimes stuff like that forms/collects at the > bottom of the pot, like it was heavier than water. Imagine, if you will, that you have a tea pot, with a bunch of leaves -- enough to make a strong cup o' green tea -- and sufficient hot water for one cup of hot, steaming, delicious tea. So now we have leaves -- some spent, say, from last night's tea, and some new -- floating in hot water. Now imagine that through some dark magic, /all/ the water had been spirited away and replaced with water-clear slime with the consistency of mucus. Sorry -- I can't think of a better way to say it. So when you go to pour the tea, it /drools/ out, and forms a string when when you turn the pot upright to stop the flow. It's very disturbing. Now taste it, take a sip. Hot, yes; it tastes like regular green tea . . . but it doesn't "slurp", it gloops. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
>Imagine, if you will, that you have a tea pot, with a bunch of leaves --
>enough to make a strong cup o' green tea -- and sufficient hot water for >one cup of hot, steaming, delicious tea. So now we have leaves -- some >spent, say, from last night's tea, and some new -- floating in hot >water. Now imagine that through some dark magic, /all/ the water had >been spirited away and replaced with water-clear slime with the >consistency of mucus. Sorry -- I can't think of a better way to say it. >So when you go to pour the tea, it /drools/ out, and forms a string when >when you turn the pot upright to stop the flow. > >It's very disturbing. Now taste it, take a sip. Hot, yes; it tastes like >regular green tea . . . but it doesn't "slurp", it gloops. > OK, that does it. This calls for a visit from the Tea Police. We'll be right over. Joe |
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What is this slimy stuff?
It sounds like boiled okra. I prefer black pepper with mine.
Jim "Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" et> wrote in message >... > Clear, mucus-like slime in teapot. No off-flavor. > > Moved to a new house in August and something odd is happening. If I > leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) > and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old > with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. > I've read about kombucha and it is described as having a distinctive > taste? What new form of life am I creating here? |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Skinny wrote: > Imagine, if you will, that you have a tea pot, with a bunch of leaves -- > enough to make a strong cup o' green tea -- and sufficient hot water for > one cup of hot, steaming, delicious tea. So now we have leaves -- some > spent, say, from last night's tea, and some new -- floating in hot > water. Now imagine that through some dark magic, /all/ the water had > been spirited away and replaced with water-clear slime with the > consistency of mucus. Sorry -- I can't think of a better way to say it. > So when you go to pour the tea, it /drools/ out, and forms a string when > when you turn the pot upright to stop the flow. > > It's very disturbing. Now taste it, take a sip. No. I will not taste it. You taste it. I have tasted braised jellyfish, fish-gut omelettes, head cheese, "tripa", stewed "specialty of the house" unspecified meat in a no-menu restaurant far, far from the FDA, my wife's Aunt Ruth's cooking (she has two Aunt Ruths, so I'm safe - sort of; if you're reading this, Ruth, I don't mean you, I mean the other one), "peanut butter and I'm not quite sure" at the end of a six-day backpacking trip, and something my old housemate Neal once served me when I wasn't sober enough to refuse. Yet I have my standards, which fall short of disturbing drooling mucus and anything produced by Kraft. Have you asked them whether they are interested in it, by the way? With enough sugar, benzoic acid and diacetyl it might be a suitable niche product. Obtea: a student of mine is visiting Shanghai and Tientsin (spelled arbitrarily - I mean the Guangzhou city just across the border from Hong Kong) in June, which is a good month. I gladly welcome any suggestions for good trustworthy places for her to buy tea. I'll probably ask again in May. Rick. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Space Cowboy rolled
initiative and posted the following: > It sounds like boiled okra. I prefer black pepper with mine. Ew. Okra is only good battered and deep fried. -- Derek A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Joseph Kubera
rolled initiative and posted the following: >>Imagine, if you will, that you have a tea pot, with a bunch of >>leaves -- enough to make a strong cup o' green tea -- and >>sufficient hot water for one cup of hot, steaming, delicious >>tea. So now we have leaves -- some spent, say, from last night's >>tea, and some new -- floating in hot water. Now imagine that >>through some dark magic, /all/ the water had been spirited away >>and replaced with water-clear slime with the consistency of >>mucus. Sorry -- I can't think of a better way to say it. So when >>you go to pour the tea, it /drools/ out, and forms a string when >>when you turn the pot upright to stop the flow. >> >>It's very disturbing. Now taste it, take a sip. Hot, yes; it >>tastes like regular green tea . . . but it doesn't "slurp", it >>gloops. >> > > OK, that does it. This calls for a visit from the Tea Police. > We'll be right over. Tea police? It's out of their league. For unexplained goo and strange occurences? I'd call the Ghostbusters. -- Derek A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Joseph Kubera wrote:
>> >>It's very disturbing. Now taste it, take a sip. Hot, yes; it tastes like >>regular green tea . . . but it doesn't "slurp", it gloops. >> > > > OK, that does it. This calls for a visit from the Tea Police. We'll be right > over. In an odd way this is very gratifying. I hate it when I pop over to a newsgroup that I don't normally read to ask a question that is puzzling me, only to find that it is sheer newbie "read the FAQ ya knucklehead," blathering. But here I have apparently stumped the panel. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Rick Chappell wrote:
> Skinny wrote: > > >> Imagine, if you will, that you have a tea pot, with a bunch of >> leaves -- enough to make a strong cup o' green tea -- and >> sufficient hot water for one cup of hot, steaming, delicious tea. >> So now we have leaves -- some spent, say, from last night's tea, >> and some new -- floating in hot water. Now imagine that through >> some dark magic, /all/ the water had been spirited away and >> replaced with water-clear slime with the consistency of mucus. >> Sorry -- I can't think of a better way to say it. So when you go to >> pour the tea, it /drools/ out, and forms a string when when you >> turn the pot upright to stop the flow. >> >> It's very disturbing. Now taste it, take a sip. > > > No. I will not taste it. You taste it. I do not like green eggs and ham. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Black Eye Pea is a good source for the heart clogger version. The
other two dishes I like with their veggie meal is fried corn on the cob and red beans and rice. All the cornbread you can eat with monstrous glasses of iced tea. Bring a bib. Wednesday night is their chicken dumplings special if the crunchy fried okra didn't stop the ticker. The fried zucchini at Carl Jrs isn't bad either but I prefer sticks to round. Jim Derek > wrote in message >... > While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Space Cowboy rolled > initiative and posted the following: > > > It sounds like boiled okra. I prefer black pepper with mine. > > Ew. Okra is only good battered and deep fried. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Lamar Neil rolled
initiative and posted the following: > Hey Troll, just what kind of tea do you make with black eye > peas? Lamar, I'm all for censuring Jim for trollish behavior when the description fits. And, obviously, I have no problem challenging his assertions of how all this information would be lost if not for his willingness to share his genius with us in this newsgroup. But when he is directly responding to a comment that I made and it fits within the context of the coversation, a troll he is not. -- Derek "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of sXXXch, or the right of the people peaceably to XXXemble, and to peXXXion the government for a redress of grievances." --but your ISP might. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
You are right. However addressing him by the title of "Troll" was not
necessarily directed at this post in specific but rather his demeanor in general as displayed in this group. Lamar On 20 Mar 2004 17:08:44 GMT, Derek > posted: >While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Lamar Neil rolled >initiative and posted the following: > >> Hey Troll, just what kind of tea do you make with black eye >> peas? > >Lamar, I'm all for censuring Jim for trollish behavior when the >description fits. And, obviously, I have no problem challenging his >assertions of how all this information would be lost if not for his >willingness to share his genius with us in this newsgroup. > >But when he is directly responding to a comment that I made and it >fits within the context of the coversation, a troll he is not. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Lamar Neil rolled
initiative and posted the following: > You are right. However addressing him by the title of "Troll" > was not necessarily directed at this post in specific but rather > his demeanor in general as displayed in this group. And yet, what did his comment contain that warranted a snippy response? (Can ya see where I'm goin' with this?) -- Derek If a pretty poster and a cute saying are that it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon. |
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What is this slimy stuff? [OT]
Derek > wrote in :
> While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Lamar Neil rolled > initiative and posted the following: > >> You are right. However addressing him by the title of "Troll" >> was not necessarily directed at this post in specific but rather >> his demeanor in general as displayed in this group. > > And yet, what did his comment contain that warranted a snippy > response? (Can ya see where I'm goin' with this?) SHUT UP YOU... wait, wrong ps0t, sorry. -- fD |
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What is this slimy stuff? [OT]
While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, fLameDogg rolled
initiative and posted the following: > Derek > wrote in > : > >> While intrepidly exploring rec.food.drink.tea, Lamar Neil >> rolled initiative and posted the following: >> >>> You are right. However addressing him by the title of "Troll" >>> was not necessarily directed at this post in specific but >>> rather his demeanor in general as displayed in this group. >> >> And yet, what did his comment contain that warranted a snippy >> response? (Can ya see where I'm goin' with this?) > > SHUT UP YOU... wait, wrong ps0t, sorry. Old habits die hard, don't they? Or is that old Hobbits? -- Derek When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other. |
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What is this slimy stuff? [OT]
Derek > wrote in :
> Old habits die hard, don't they? > > Or is that old Hobbits? Old Hobbits never die, they just hop the ship to Valinor. -- fD |
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What is this slimy stuff?
My guess--and it's only a guess--based on what you've said (about it
being clear, colorless, mucousy, and forming more or less instantaneously), is that it might be powdered rice or something like it, as a drying agent (like the way some people use rice in their salt shaker as a desiccant). The powdered rice will congeal with boiling water into....slime. The good thing is that it's more or less flavorless, and harmless. I doubt very much that any bacteria/fungus could grow so quickly--or at all--with tea and boiling water around it, and changing every day or so. Jason > Clear, mucus-like slime in teapot. No off-flavor. > > For years I prepared green tea in a small ceramic teapot. I bring water > to a boil in a kettle, pour some into a cup to cool it, then pour that > into the pot over a bunch of green tea leaves. I've used nice green tea > -- senchas -- from a local Japanese store, but find that Trader Joe's > "Uncle Lee's" loose leaf is plenty fine for me. The tea steep for a few > minutes then I pour it. Later in the day, I'll often just add more dry > leaves atop the older leaves already in the pot to make a > stronger-flavored tea. I did it like this for years. It makes a cup that > I like. > > Moved to a new house in August and something odd is happening. If I > leave the old, wet leaves in the pot overnight (per normal sometimes) > and prepare a new cup in the morning by adding new leaves to the old > with hot water, the water seems to turn into a clear thick slimy liquid. > > The slimy tea tastes just like the regular tea with no off-flavors. But > the consistency is totally off-putting. What /is/ this stuff? Oh -- one > more thing: in this house I am using reverse-osmosis filtered water. At > the old house I used just plain tap. > > Rinse out the pot and start fresh -- regular green tea. > > I've read about kombucha and it is described as having a distinctive > taste? What new form of life am I creating here? |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Jason in Oakland wrote:
> My guess--and it's only a guess--based on what you've said (about it > being clear, colorless, mucousy, and forming more or less > instantaneously), is that it might be powdered rice or something like > it, as a drying agent (like the way some people use rice in their salt > shaker as a desiccant). The powdered rice will congeal with boiling > water into....slime. The good thing is that it's more or less > flavorless, and harmless. > > I doubt very much that any bacteria/fungus could grow so quickly--or > at all--with tea and boiling water around it, and changing every day > or so. But here's the thing. If I pitch fresh leaves into a clean pot, I can make a nice cup. A little bit later, I can toss more on the stale and make another. This can pretty much go on all day, bladder permitting. However, if I let the stale sit very long, like overnight, and then toss fresh leaves and make a new cup in the morning, the water gets transmogrified into Alien Drool(TM). Rice powder would not wait overnight. Not unless it was /evil/ rice powder. I have been trying various highly scientific experiments to see if I can "breed" the stuff by tossing slimy tea fluid into mason jars with leaves old and new, and water, hot and cold, and no dice. This stuff only grows in the pot, in stale leaves, and overnight. It's a haunted pot. Pixies or spooks are at work. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
I was thinking maybe the leaves leach some pectin-like substance,
which would explain why it congeals overnight instead of immediately, but then it seems it only happens with this *one* pot.... Yep, definitely haunted. :-) > But here's the thing. If I pitch fresh leaves into a clean pot, I can > make a nice cup. A little bit later, I can toss more on the stale and > make another. This can pretty much go on all day, bladder permitting. > However, if I let the stale sit very long, like overnight, and then toss > fresh leaves and make a new cup in the morning, the water gets > transmogrified into Alien Drool(TM). Rice powder would not wait > overnight. Not unless it was /evil/ rice powder. > > I have been trying various highly scientific experiments to see if I can > "breed" the stuff by tossing slimy tea fluid into mason jars with leaves > old and new, and water, hot and cold, and no dice. This stuff only > grows in the pot, in stale leaves, and overnight. It's a haunted pot. > Pixies or spooks are at work. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
I like this thread. Any conversation which mixes tea, transitional
states of matter and xenobiology ought to be an interesting one. And of all the various hyperesthetic words I have heard to describe mouthfeel for beverages, I have never come across "mucinous". We are trodding new ground here (lets hope we don't sink in). Here's one experiment: try to see if it dissolves limestone. Several years ago a new form of cave-creating bacteria (yes, _creating_ not just colonizing) which produced sulfuric acid and dissolved its own subterranean condos. It lived in long drooling streamers of mucous which their discoverers, in a fit of quasiliteracy, termed "snottites." Maybe that is what you have here. Is your teapot pitted? Are your molars? > transmogrified into Alien Drool(TM). Rice powder would not wait > overnight. Not unless it was /evil/ rice powder. Also, rice powder would wash away with the first steep wouldn't it? > Pixies or spooks are at work. Sprites maybe? Or do I have the wrong beverage? Yours, Rick. |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Rick Chappell > writes:
> [...rice powder or excavative bacteria...] > > > Pixies or spooks are at work. > > Sprites maybe? Or do I have the wrong beverage? Shui Xian = water sprite /Lew --- Lew Perin / http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html |
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What is this slimy stuff?
Rick Chappell wrote:
> I like this thread. Any conversation which mixes tea, transitional > states of matter and xenobiology ought to be an interesting one. I like that I have baffled science and the collective wisdom of this group. I thought my question would be answered with the usual "This common. See the various threads about oily green tea." But no. I have launched an entirely new field of inquiry. Darn proud, I must say, darn proud. > And of all the various hyperesthetic words I have heard to describe > mouthfeel for beverages, I have never come across "mucinous". We are > trodding new ground here (lets hope we don't sink in). > > Here's one experiment: try to see if it dissolves limestone. Now where the heck am I gonna find some limestone? This is southern California and the local rock is degenerate granite. Limestone comes from faraway places like Georgia and Italy. > Is your teapot > pitted? Nope. > Are your molars? Well, no more than usual I reckon. Time for some fillings. -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 VW Type 2 -- the Wonderbus (AKA the Saunabus in summer) |
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What is this slimy stuff?
On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:11:10 +0000 (UTC), Rick Chappell
> wrote: >I like this thread. Any conversation which mixes tea, transitional >states of matter and xenobiology ought to be an interesting one. Yes, indeed. To the OP: Have you tried other types of tea in the pot or the same tea in a different pot yet? Is it the pot, the tea, or only both together? Did you try it with different water (i.e. bottled)? >> Pixies or spooks are at work. > >Sprites maybe? Or do I have the wrong beverage? Have you angered any Cthulhu cultists in your area lately? If the slime begins to move on its own and grow tentacles, that's a Bad Thing. I'm just joking. Actually this sounds like the doings of a näkki, a malicious water troll. What you need to do is to go to the nearest source of open, standing water (a lake or pond, a swamp will also do), tie together two young tree stalks that grow there so that they cross over the water, hang a piece of a burned stone in the intersection of the stalks, and pitch one piece of amber, two pieces of silver, three pieces of gold and four teaspoons of tealeaves (fresh, mind you) in the water under the stone. Then walk or wade widdershins around this offering three times and recite something in Latin or ancient Sumerian. Sanskrit will also do in a pinch. If that doesn't help, you'll just have to get some lab to do a proper analysis of the stuff for you (and please let us know what they say). Jarmo Louet |
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