I hope I don't become a pest but I have another question. I got a
sample of English Breakfast Tea. It is made up of leaves which are
more than a 1/2" long. Is the finished product supposed to be as
clear as green tea? The second time I put double the leaves in and
seeped it for 6 minutes in 8 ounces of water and it's still rather
clear. This isn't even close to as strong a tea as I want. It tastes
like Red Rose tea if the tea bag is taken out too soon.

So, am I doing something terribly wrong or is this the was the tea
should be?
--
Douglas

Douglas wrote:

> I hope I don't become a pest but I have another question. I got a
> sample of English Breakfast Tea. It is made up of leaves which are
> more than a 1/2" long. Is the finished product supposed to be as
> clear as green tea? The second time I put double the leaves in and
> seeped it for 6 minutes in 8 ounces of water and it's still rather
> clear. This isn't even close to as strong a tea as I want. It tastes
> like Red Rose tea if the tea bag is taken out too soon.
>
> So, am I doing something terribly wrong or is this the was the tea
> should be?

English Breakfast should be pretty dark. Almost as dark as coffee, in
fact. Are you using boiling water? Black teas need hotter water than
green, and with boiling water six minutes is (for most tastes) a bit too
long.

dmh

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 11:32:46 -0600, "David M. Harris"
> wrote:

>fact. Are you using boiling water? Black teas need hotter water than
>green, and with boiling water six minutes is (for most tastes) a bit too

The water was boiling when I poured it in the pot with the leaves.
Should I have put the leaves in the boiling water and continued to let
it boil?
--
Douglas

"Douglas" <*@*.*> wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 11:32:46 -0600, "David M. Harris"
> > wrote:
>
> >fact. Are you using boiling water? Black teas need hotter water than
> >green, and with boiling water six minutes is (for most tastes) a bit too
>
> The water was boiling when I poured it in the pot with the leaves.
> Should I have put the leaves in the boiling water and continued to let
> it boil?

No! You did exactly right by pouring boiling water over the leaves.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Douglas" <*@*.*> wrote in message
...
> I hope I don't become a pest

Not a problem.

> but I have another question.

That's what we're here for - to discuss tea.

> I got a
> sample of English Breakfast Tea. It is made up of leaves which are
> more than a 1/2" long. Is the finished product supposed to be as
> clear as green tea?

Usually not, but it depends on what the base tea is. If the base is a black
tea, no. Actually, I've never heard of an EB made of something other than a
black tea, but there's always the first time.

> The second time I put double the leaves in and
> seeped it for 6 minutes in 8 ounces of water and it's still rather
> clear. This isn't even close to as strong a tea as I want. It tastes
> like Red Rose tea if the tea bag is taken out too soon.
>
> So, am I doing something terribly wrong or is this the was the tea
> should be?

Six minutes is too long for any real tea, IMO. How much leaf did you use?

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 12:16:00 -0600, "Bluesea" >
wrote:

>Six minutes is too long for any real tea, IMO. How much leaf did you use?

In this the second batch I used what I hoped was 2 heaping spoons
--
Douglas

"Douglas" <*@*.*> wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 12:16:00 -0600, "Bluesea" >
> wrote:
>
> >Six minutes is too long for any real tea, IMO. How much leaf did you use?
>
> In this the second batch I used what I hoped was 2 heaping spoons

I agree w/ Rebecca, something's not right and you should return it.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 12:48:33 -0600, "Bluesea" >
wrote:

>I agree w/ Rebecca, something's not right and you should return it.

I think it is stale. It is very, very dried out.

I just tried Bond Street English Breakfast, a sample I got from Upton,
and it brewed perfectly. I used 8 oz water, 1 teaspoon of tea and
seeped it 3 minutes. I'm drinking it now and it's very good.

The tea that I couldn't make was part of the starter set I got from
Adagio teas with the brewer. I like the brewer very much but doubt if
I buy any tea there.
--
Douglas

"Douglas" <*@*.*> wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 12:48:33 -0600, "Bluesea" >
> wrote:
>
> >I agree w/ Rebecca, something's not right and you should return it.
>
> I think it is stale. It is very, very dried out.
>
> I just tried Bond Street English Breakfast, a sample I got from Upton,
> and it brewed perfectly. I used 8 oz water, 1 teaspoon of tea and
> seeped it 3 minutes. I'm drinking it now and it's very good.
>
> The tea that I couldn't make was part of the starter set I got from
> Adagio teas with the brewer. I like the brewer very much but doubt if
> I buy any tea there.

Dang! I just put in an order on Friday that included the black tea starter
set. My neighbor wants it for her mother's birthday next month. I ordered
the 32 oz, the Pot of Gold set and some other glassware, other samples for
myself (I want small tins for my travel kit and thought it a good way to
sample what Adagio has of my favorites), and the herbal starter set for a
friend who does organic greens so I was already planning to keep those tins
for myself.

Thanks for the heads up. Was that the first you tried out of the starter
set? How are the others?

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

Douglas wrote:
> The tea that I couldn't make was part of the starter set I got from
> Adagio teas with the brewer. I like the brewer very much but doubt
if
> I buy any tea there.
> --
> Douglas

It sounds like stale tea to me as well. While I did get some decent tea
from them, the "premium" versions of their teas were HORRIBLY stale. I
won't buy from them again, either. I got two stale tea samples in one
single order, and they've lost my trust.

On 2/20/2005 2:01 PM, Douglas wrote:
> On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 12:48:33 -0600, "Bluesea" >
> wrote:
>
>>I agree w/ Rebecca, something's not right and you should return it.
>
> I think it is stale. It is very, very dried out.
>
> I just tried Bond Street English Breakfast, a sample I got from Upton,
> and it brewed perfectly. I used 8 oz water, 1 teaspoon of tea and
> seeped it 3 minutes. I'm drinking it now and it's very good.
>
> The tea that I couldn't make was part of the starter set I got from
> Adagio teas with the brewer. I like the brewer very much but doubt if
> I buy any tea there.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Douglas, but thank you for the post - I was
planning on ordering that starter set today. I don't really *need* the
Aria, but it would be helpful when I only want one cup, as if putting
less water in the teapot is a chore. If I still get this, I'll know that
I'm doing it for the little tins and the brewer, and won't count on the
tea.

Resa